Friendships

Heavenly Father,
Thank you for sending your Son to help me carry my cross; I am nothing without you!
In Jesus' name. Amen.
I've written a few blogs on the subject of friendships and I think I write on this topic as much as I do because amicability between folks is highly important to me.
When I become friends with someone, it is equivalent to cutting our wrists and mingling our blood, as Native Americans used to, and may still do, today.
Yes, this may seem extreme, but think about what  John 15:13 says, "There is no greater love than to lay down one's life for one's friends."

Sociability is an integral part of our humanness.
Our compatriot-relationships are precious connections where we are provided the opportunity to shine love and light into another person's world.
My very first alliance was with a dear cousin of mine, when I was in my early teens.
Our kinship was a free exchange of ideas and unconditional love for one another, and became the template for future bosom buddies, and I am blessed with powerful well-wishers by virtue of this blueprint.

I'm acknowledging all the wonderful, supportive intimates I've been blessed with first, as there is always more good than bad in most situations.
However, a recent association that became toxic did briefly ransack my concept of rapport.
Thank you Jesus for changing my heart, softening it, reminding me of the positives with this chum!
With Jesus' help and prayer, I reined my mind from obsessing on the negative.
I gained new insight due to this break, too: all things work for the greater glory of God and I rest easy knowing goodness was exchanged on both sides.
As I struggled to understand this person's sudden obvious lack of affinity for me, I began to realize that no one was worth trading in my approving, loving, sunny-faith in people to do right by their peers, for a nugatory, dark and cynical apathy toward everyone who is my comrade, or wanting to be an acquaintance.

On Sept 7th the reading at mass was MT18:15-20; Jesus gives specific guidelines for how to handle disputes with our persona grata!
I knew Jesus was hearing the pleas of my suffering heart!
In addition to these honeyed offerings, Jesus put another sweet balm on my fractured soul - the priest's homily - which affirmed how I was handling the situation.
I am now able to accept the fact that this confidant is not returning - and not only are they not returning - our closeness may not have been as benevolent and strong as I thought! :0(
As with all antagonistic affiliations, I'm sure the enemy was savoring all this chaos because it happened among two Catholics, with a third Catholic brought in to give the final death-blow; the former, not acceding to my bday and the latter, cancelling celebrating with me.
The Catholic church I believe in, and strive to create, has authentic, genuinely kind people;
sinners, yes, but a community with whom to emulate Christ's love, rejoicing in the relationship of our Lord and Savior, and loving one another. 
If I can't find this in my local Catholic church, where am I to find it?
The world offers me nothing but more heartbreak, and no resurrection.

By this blog, I pray for those who are having a hard time making/keeping friends - God is always ON - so continue to ask for excellent companions and have faith God is going to bless you & experience God's awesomeness!

"I am a little pencil in the hand of a writing God who is sending a love letter to the world." Mother Theresa

"No talking ... until Noon!" rule

Heavenly Father,
Thank you for the many blessings you bestow on us, each and every day. Please continue to help me become more Christ-like. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Long, long, long ago, in a city that seems farther than fifty minutes away, I used to be one of those females whose first thoughts upon waking was about the gentleman I was dating, or had a crush on, or in a relationship with, and usually the "lucky" audience for these lovely "ponderings," was my one and only, older... brother.
I remember regularly obsessing about the next time "my love," and I were getting together, or thinking about ways to "help" him in his latest interest, never mind my issues...

At the time, I didn't understand that NO MALE wants to hear about other MEN, and most especially a BROTHER does not want to hear about ANY of his sister's romantic escapades!

And I must have blabbered once too often about someone, because one morning my homie emphatically instituted a rule of, "No talking about guys until noon!"
Of course when noon came around, I'd either forgotten what I wanted to say, or was too busy into whatever was going on to bother my sibling anymore.
Or perhaps my hermano just wasn't around the house at noon. (as was probably more often the case, lol)
Even though this angered and annoyed me at the time, looking back now, I'm glad my kin had this expectation.
Because, gradually, I did begin to wonder about issues besides the bloke(s) I was dating and thankfully this has continued into adulthood - shocking, I know! :OP
I realize, though,  there are still adults who obsess about their loves, so I came up with what I think are some compassionate reasons this behavior continues into adulthood:
#1. They didn't have a relative like I did who "laid down the law," ha ha.
#2. There isn't much else going on in a person's life, so why not just engross themselves in the "splendor of love"?
#3. Maybe there is too much going on in one's life and they want to distance themselves from their problems and this woman/man is an "easy, fun, safe topic."
#4. The "obsessor" is boring, or has a boring life, one of the two, conceivably both.

I am a romantic. I love love.
But I also know now, as a grown-up, that it takes more than life to make my life. 
When and if that blessed day arrives when I'm married and have children, once the children are old enough to date, I too will operate from the "No talking about guys/gals until noon!" rule.
:0) Thanks bro!

"I am a little pencil in the hand of a writing God who is sending a love letter to the world." Mother Theresa

Chess in Education - my second year as a school counselor

Hello God,
Thank you for continually blessing my family and me.
A special prayer for all those suffering from any kind of addiction;
may we always feel your comforting presence in our lives.
In Jesus' name. Amen.

Having had time to reflect on my second year as a school counselor, I find chess is a great metaphor for a school's hierarchy.

(in order from right to left in the above picture)

The King - anyone in a higher position than the principal - the superintendent, parents, "society at large"
The King can only move one square at a time, which reminds me of how legislature moves with regards to changes in the educational system.
Slowly.
Deliberately.
But perhaps not the most efficiently.

The Queen - the principal
S/he can move pretty much anywhere and in any direction.
One of the more dangerous pieces on the board, besides the King, of course.

The Bishops - the school counselor(s)
As a school counselor, I think of myself as being able to move, just like the bishops, only in diagonals.
There is only "so much," support and guidance I can give.

The Knights - teachers
The staff at my last school saw me as a part of "administration," which was exemplified when a teacher said to another group of teachers - during their lunch time - "I can't say what I'd like to say, since our counselor's in here." Everyone laughed, including me.
But really, just like the Bishops can only move in diagonals, the Knights are only allowed to move in certain spaces as well.
Bishops and Knights are good "blockers," for whatever the Queen and Rooks need done.
Teachers and school counselors are of "equal value," in my eyes.

The Rooks - the assistant principals
Also dangerous pieces - they can move wherever they like and in whatever direction they chose.

The Pawns - students, teacher assistants
I put the students as pawns only because they are the most vulnerable to the actions of those in charge of them, not because I see them as the "lowest" in numerical value.
Pawns can only move in one direction - forward - with two spaces allowed only in their first move - one space per move allowed thereafter.

For a better idea of what the "relative value," of a chess piece is, copy and paste this into your browser:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chess_piece_relative_value


"I am a little pencil in the hand of a writing God who is sending a love letter to the world." Mother Theresa

"Writing" to correct a wrong

Heavenly Father,
I trust in your mercy & forgiveness. Amen.

We've all had situations we wish we could make better - either by our words or by our actions.
I think God sends us these situations to see how "Christ-like" we really are, and in this particular case, I didn't do well by Him. (Hmm, I know this has been the subject of other blogs I've written, lol. And I know this won't be the last time I write about this either, as I am in constant need of God's Grace and Mercy.)

I wish I could make the circumstances better, but alas, just like the drummer boy who only had his tiny drum to play for Jesus, I only have my "small" writing to offer as penance.
I pray it serves His Will.

Unfortunately, dear reader, you will need to remain outside of certain details of the sentences below, as this blog is particular to one person, but I'm posting it as an atonement.
I do, however, pray you will be touched by God's

 always, in difficult and in manageable positions.

Dear friend,
I call you friend because we began as friends, and in my heart, we remain friends.
I'm not sure when or where our friendship/professional relationship became derailed, and to waste good energy enumerating these reasons subtracts from the spirit of why this blog is written: which is to focus on the positive and move forward.
I wanted a good friendship;
or at least a satisfying professional relationship;
I saw us as the "dream team."
We were going to take on the world and....win!!
We could do that, but it needed to happen with us working together.
I know I played a part in things going wrong.
But I was not alone in this relationship.
As much as I want to take ALL of the blame for the hurting & the negativity, and  I do want to take that on, because maybe then I can redeem myself, but that is not the reality of our plight;
besides, only God can redeem.
Again, I'm not writing this blog to say,
"Well this is where you did me wrong--"
"I did you wrong when I --"
 or
"If you hadn't done this, this wouldn't have happened--"
"I did you wrong when -- "
No;
This blog is about how much I respect you.
This blog is about how I think you are excellent at your job.
This blog is about how I learned a great deal from you;
I mourn the loss of opportunities to learn and grow more through our interactions.
I enjoyed your sense of humor, and laughing with you at some of the things that were serious (absurd, really), that we had to laugh at, or we'd cry, and/or become despondent.
You can say "poop," way easier than I ever can!!! I'm smiling now as I recall this particular conversation.
And the tales of your dog! Hilarious!
I remember your helpfulness, always thinking of two, rather than one, and me appreciating your aid beyond words or actions and unable to express my gratitude.
I didn't, however, remember some of the things you told me I needed to do, or how to handle certain cases, and you had to tell me again, or several times. I know that must have gotten old & quickly!
Okay, so I am not a quick study, lol.
I think I admitted this too quickly, lol, but it's an accurate statement.
But even for all the "mess" we found ourselves in, I will speak highly of you to whomever asks.
I never meant for things to take the path they did.
Never.
I don't think I'll ever have the convenience of telling you these thoughts in person, but I've got to get this out of me, because it's the truth and a wise man once said,
"the truth shall set you free."
So, I'm setting myself free from the adverse entanglement that thinks it has a permanent hold on us at this moment.
I am sad that our friendship/working relationship didn't work out well, but glad it did end with us talking to each other.
On some level I hope you can forgive me.
And I know you aren't asking me for forgiveness, but I forgive you.
God bless you.
XO,
Deb

"I am a little pencil in the hand of a writing God who is sending a love letter to the world." Mother Theresa

Hercules, let me explain

Heavenly Father,
Bless and guide all eyes reading this blog. May we always know you are with us, walking each day of our journey with us. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Dear Hercules,
We had a nice 2nd date

and we both agreed we had a good time.

I saw this as a great sign - I was looking forward to texts and our next meet-up...
As is your way, you tell me what you are doing over the weekend.
This let me know we weren't going to have time to see each other.
And then,

for 

5 

days.

Your birthday was on Thursday.
I thought I'd treat you to a dessert at

 on Wednesday, since I know you have your daughter on Thursdays and this particular weekend.
You agreed.
Another meet-up - with me initiating.
This was the second  meet-up I inaugurated.
I was

 Uh-oh, this is when
Thinking began...
as a feeling, really...
a tiny disturbance in the recesses of my heart.
Something was askew with my invitation.
Why was my request bothering me, niggling away at my brain while I worked?
Finally, when I had a moment to gather the

(scattered sparrows)

 that were my thoughts, I asked myself,
"What is it?!"
And with a sound like clapping thunder,
the answer welled up
and

spewed at me,

as if the thoughts were there all along, and (the thoughts were) disgruntled
because I'd ignored the obvious in my haste to celebrate your bday.
If I took you to

after

5

days

of

between us...

yes, yes, the encouraging

were
piling on top of each other...
I was -

*rewarding bad behavior.*

And gratifying bad behavior is a  

I was sad to cancel, but being true to myself meant more than a dessert with you on your birthday.

I'm sure this made no sense to you, since I didn't explain this very well in my text to you, mores the pity.
But I'm writing this blog in the hopes you will 

which can also translate to

So, Hercules, chase me, I like it when you chase me...

"I am a little pencil in the hand of a writing God who is sending a love letter to the world." Mother Theresa

Praying with Body, Mind, and Voice

Heavenly Father,
Bless my words to be gentle and enlightening. In Jesus' name. Amen.
I'm posting this information to educate my non-Catholic, and perhaps some Catholic friends, as to why Catholics sit, stand, kneel, etc, so much during the Mass.
This is from an insert in our church bulletin, which was taken from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), Sing to the Lord: Music in Divine Worship. Pastoral Liturgy Series 4. Washington, DC. USCCB, 2007.

I looked for it on-line, hoping I could avoid typing, but it wasn't posted.

Preface:
In the celebration of Mass we raise our hearts and minds to God. We are creatures of body as well as spirit, so our prayer is not confined to our minds and hearts. It is expressed by our bodies as well. When our bodies are engaged in our prayer, we pray with our whole person. Using our entire being in prayer helps us to pray with greater attentiveness.
     During Mass we assume different postures - standing, kneeling, sitting - and we are also invited to make a variety of gestures. These postures and gestures are not merely ceremonial. They have profound meaning, and, when done with understanding, can enhance our participation in the Mass.

_______________________________________________________________________________

STANDING
Standing is a sign of respect and honor, so we stand as the celebrant who represents Christ enters and leaves the assembly.

KNEELING
In the early church, kneeling signified penance. So thoroughly was kneeling identified with penance that the early Christians were forbidden to kneel on Sundays and during the Easter season, when the prevailing spirit of the liturgy was one of joy and thanksgiving. In the Middle Ages kneeling came to signify homage, and more recently this posture has come to signify adoration, especially before the presence of Christ in the Eucharist.

SITTING
Sitting is the posture of listening and meditation, so the congregation sits for the pre-Gospel readings and the homily and may also sit for the period of meditation following Communion.

PROCESSIONS
Every procession in the Liturgy is a sign of the pilgrim Church, the body of those who believe in Christ, on their way to the Heavenly Jerusalem. The Mass begins with the procession of the priest and ministers to the altar. The Book of the Gospels is carried in procession to the ambo (below is a picture of an ambo.)

The gifts of the bread and wine are brought to the altar. Members of the assembly come forward in procession -- eagerly, attentively, and devoutly -- to receive Holy Communion. We who believe in Christ are moving in time toward the moment when we will leave this world and enter into the joy of the Lord in the entered Kingdom he has prepared for us.

MAKING THE SIGN OF THE CROSS
We begin and end Mass by marking ourselves with the Sign of the Cross.  Because it was by his death on the cross that Christ redeemed humankind, we trace the Sign of the Cross on our foreheads, lips, and hearts at the beginning of the gospel, praying that the Word of God may always be in our minds, our lips, and in our hearts. The cross reminds us in a physical way of the Paschal Mystery we celebrate: the death and Resurrection of our Savior Jesus Christ.

BOWING
Bowing signifies reverence, respect, and gratitude.

GENUFLECTING
As a sign of adoration, we genuflect by bringing our right knee to the floor. Traditionally, Catholics genuflect on entering and leaving church if the Blessed Sacrament is present in the sanctuary of the Church. The priest and deacon genuflect to the tabernacle on entering and leaving the sanctuary. The priest also genuflects in adoration after he shows the Body and Blood of Christ to the people after consecration and again before inviting the people to Holy Communion.

ORANS

The priest frequently uses this ancient prayer posture, extending his hands to his sides, slightly elevated. Orans means "praying." Early Christians are frequently depicted standing in this posture, offering their prayers and surrendering themselves, with hands uplifted to the Lord, in a gesture that echoes Christ's outstretched arms as he offered himself on the Cross.

PROSTRATING

In this rarely used posture, an individual lies full-length on the floor, face to the ground. A posture of deep humility, it signifies our willingness to share in Christ's death so as share in his Resurrection (see Rom 6). It is used at the beginning of the Celebration of the Lord's Passion on Good Friday and also during the Litany of the Saints in the Rite of Ordination, when those to be ordained deacons, priests, and bishops prostrate themselves in humble prayer and submission to Christ.

SINGING

I thought about leaving this one out, since I think singing needs no explanation...but decided some clarifying on the importance of its significance in the Mass warranted being left in this post.

"By is very nature song has both an individual and a communal dimension. Thus, it is no wonder that singing together in church expresses so well the sacramental presence of God to his people." (United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Sing to the Lord, no. 2) As we raise our voices as one in the prayers, dialogues, and chants of the Mass, most especially in the Eucharistic Prayers, as well as other hymns and songs, we each lend our individual voice to the great hymns of praise and thanksgiving to the Triune God.

PRAYING IN UNISON
In the Mass, the worshiping assembly prays in one voice, speaking or singing together the words of the prayers. By saying the same words at the same time, we act as what we truly are - one Body united in Christ through the Sacrament of Baptism.

BEING SILENT
"Silence in the Liturgy allows the community to reflect on what it has heard and experienced, and to open its heart to the mystery celebrated. (Sing to the Lord, no. 118)"  We gather in silence, taking time to separate ourselves from the concerns of the world and enter into the sacred action. We reflect on the readings in silence. We may take time for silent reflection and prayer after Holy Communion. These times of silence are not merely times when nothing happens; rather, they are opportunities for us to enter more deeply in what God is doing in the Mass, and, like Mary, to keep "all these things, reflection on them" in our hearts. (Lk 2:19)

CONCLUSION
The Church sees in these common postures and gestures both a symbol of unity of those who have come together to worship and also a mean of fostering unity. We are not free to change these postures to suit our own individual piety, for the Church makes it clear that our unity of posture and gesture is an expression of our participation in the one Body formed by the baptized Christ, our head. When we stand, kneel, sit, bow, and sign ourselves in common action, we give unambiguous witness that we are indeed the Body of Christ, united in body, mind, and voice.

"I am a little pencil in the hand of a writing God who is sending a love letter to the world." Mother Theresa

Jonah, Jonah, Jonah

Heavenly Father,
Thank you for the story of Jonah, because his behavior has lead  me to a greater understanding of You. In Jesus' name. Amen
I enjoy the story of Jonah every time I hear it.
I like Jonah. He's dumb about the ways of God, and I am too.
But I think this is a story more about the interaction between Jonah, a devout, stubborn, and a bit arrogant prophet, and God, than about the punishment of a city. Which is a wonderful way for us, the observers and readers, to see ourselves in Jonah.
God gives Jonah specific directions, "Set out for the great city^* of Nineveh, and preach against it; for their wickedness has come before me."
We too are given specific directions by God - the ten commandants - for example - about how to live our lives.
But what does Jonah do? "...Jonah made ready to flee to Tarshish,^* away from the LORD. He went down to Joppa, found a ship going to Tarshish, paid the fare, and went down in it to go with them to Tarshish, away from the LORD"

And we do that too, in our daily lives, we think, "Heck no! I'm not following God's way. I'm going to do what I want to do, when I want to do it, and how I want to do it. See ya God!"
But how does one escape from God? He created the universe! He knows where all the great hiding spaces are and where humans are likely to go!

God keeps after us, even when we think He's forgotten about us, and He certainly isn't going to abandon His mission with Jonah.
"The LORD, however, hurled a great wind upon the sea, and the storm was so great that the ship was about to break up."
The sailors were afraid, of course, and started praying to their Gods. “Come, let us cast lots to discover on whose account this evil has come to us.” So they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah.^d"
Uh-oh, Jonah! This isn't going to end well for you!
And where was the man who was causing all this commotion and what was he doing???
Jonah had gone down into the hold of the ship, and lay there fast asleep.
Jonah did not care he might be endangering anyone else's life by his flagrant denial of doing God's will - he was taking care of himself. What storm? There was a storm?
Even the sailors know it is wrong to try and outrun God!
Now the men were seized with great fear and said to him, “How could you do such a thing!”
How often are we selfish and self-interested?
Lent is the time to examine our actions/attitudes and purge them, change them, ask for God's grace to help us with these changes.
Oh no! Jonah! There you go! Lose your balance did you?!

Jonah did say something wise, though,  and told the men,
“Pick me up and hurl me into the sea and then the sea will calm down for you. For I know that this great storm has come upon you because of me."
Jonah's conduct did cause the  sailors to pray, though, “Please, O LORD, do not let us perish for taking this man’s life; do not charge us with shedding innocent blood, for you, LORD, have accomplished what you desired.”
So that's good.

But what is this? But the LORD sent a great fish to swallow Jonah, and he remained in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.^a

3^* Out of my distress I called to the LORD,

and he answered me;

From the womb of Sheol^* I cried for help,

and you heard my voice.^b

4You cast me into the deep, into the heart of the sea,

and the flood enveloped me;

All your breakers and your billows

passed over me.^c

5Then I said, “I am banished from your sight!

How will I again look upon your holy temple?”^d

6The waters surged around me up to my neck;

the deep enveloped me;

seaweed wrapped around my head.^e

7I went down to the roots of the mountains;

to the land whose bars closed behind me forever,

But you brought my life up from the pit,

O LORD, my God.^f

8When I became faint,

I remembered the LORD;

My prayer came to you

in your holy temple.^g

9Those who worship worthless idols

abandon their hope for mercy.^h

10But I, with thankful voice,

will sacrifice to you;

What I have vowed I will pay:

deliverance is from the LORD.ⁱ

Jonah's prayer is understandable - he is in the belly of a whale afterall.
How often do we ask God for deliverance of problems we ourselves have created!
If only we would follow the Lord's precepts.
But pursuing God's way is not going to be easy - the important point to remember is we have God to help us!
He is the one who created The Way, and we need to allow Him to show us how to do what He wants.

The word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time:2Set out for the great city of Nineveh, and announce to it the message that I will tell you.3So Jonah set out for Nineveh, in accord with the word of the LORD. Now Nineveh was an awesomely great city; it took three days to walk through it.

onah began his journey through the city, and when he had gone only a single day’s walk announcing, “Forty days more and Nineveh shall be overthrown,”5the people of Nineveh believed God; they proclaimed a fast and all of them, great and small,^* put on sackcloth.^a

6When the news reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, laid aside his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes.7Then he had this proclaimed throughout Nineveh:^* “By decree of the king and his nobles, no man or beast, no cattle or sheep, shall taste anything; they shall not eat, nor shall they drink water.

8Man and beast alike must be covered with sackcloth and call loudly to God; they all must turn from their evil way and from the violence of their hands.9^* Who knows? God may again repent and turn from his blazing wrath, so that we will not perish.”^b10When God saw by their actions how they turned from their evil way, he repented of the evil!

I like this image that even the animals are in sackcloth! LOL

Then we learn why Jonah didn't want to do God's will, “O LORD, is this not what I said while I was still in my own country? This is why I fled at first toward Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger, abounding in kindness, repenting of punishment.^a

He wanted the people of Nineveh to suffer, to die! And now Jonah says he'd rather die - from his anger with God! Some prophet Jonah is - not someone you'd want to defend you in court! Why would God even bother with someone like him? Because God knows how much Jonah needs God - just like all of us! In our ignorance, we need God. We want bad things to happen to those who harm us, but that's our way, that's not God's Way...

So now, LORD, please take my life from me; for it is better for me to die than to live.”^b

4But the LORD asked, “Are you right to be angry?”^*

5Jonah then left the city for a place to the east of it, where he built himself a hut and waited^* under it in the shade, to see what would happen to the city.6Then the LORD God provided a gourd plant.^* And when it grew up over Jonah’s head, giving shade that relieved him of any discomfort, Jonah was greatly delighted with the plant.7But the next morning at dawn God provided a worm that attacked the plant, so that it withered.8And when the sun arose, God provided a scorching east wind; and the sun beat upon Jonah’s head till he became faint. Then he wished for death, saying, “It is better for me to die than to live.”

9But God said to Jonah, “Do you have a right to be angry over the gourd plant?” Jonah answered, “I have a right to be angry—angry enough to die.”10Then the LORD said, “You are concerned^* over the gourd plant which cost you no effort and which you did not grow; it came up in one night and in one night it perished.11And should I not be concerned over the great city of Nineveh, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand persons who cannot know their right hand from their left, not to mention all the animals?”^*

The audacity of Jonah - the audacity of us! LOL

The translation explains this part of the scripture best:

A selfish Jonah bemoans his personal loss of a gourd plant for shade without any concern over the threat of loss of life to the Ninevites through the destruction of their city. If a solicitous God provided the plant for a prophet without the latter’s effort or merit, how much more is God disposed to show love and mercy toward all people, Jew and Gentile, when they repent of their sins and implore divine pardon. God’s care goes beyond human beings to all creation, as in Job 38.

The scripture ends with this conversation between Jonah and God, but I get the feeling the conversation between Jonah and God didn't end here. Jonah had much to learn - just like us - and God's going to need to be in constant contact with us and we with God, in order to know how to handle our lives.
We all have cell phones, are we ready to ACCEPT THE CALL from our God? I pray we are ready AND willing.

"I am a little pencil in the hand of a writing God who is sending a love letter to the world." Mother Theresa

I like Yellow

Heavenly Father,
Continue guiding us on our journey to Easter. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Do you ever wonder if someone else's mistakes are God's way of keeping you from making those same mistakes? I do.
Take the following story as an example. A colleague is telling me about a younger man she dated.
Yes, he was quite a bit younger than me. I wouldn't have dated him if he hadn't been so persistent.
I finally said yes and we dated for two years. I even met his mom.

"I Am The Highway" by Audioslave

Pearls and swine bereft of me.

 Long and weary my road has been.

Oh? And how did that go?

She gave me a really weak handshake when we were introduced.
And we had nothing to talk about, but he wanted her to meet me.
I was really vulnerable at the time - I had just gotten a divorce; I needed someone and he was there.
He's living with his first girlfriend now, in California. But he still sends me texts, Lord knows for what reasons he does that; it's annoying. 

I was lost in the cities, alone in the hills.
No sorrow or pity for leaving, I feel, yeah.

She tells me this in her Texas drawl, dreamily remembering:

He liked looking at the stars, so I bought him a nice telescope.
He sent me a picture of the telescope, showing off some of the accessories he'd  bought for it.
Why? Why would he send me a photo like that?
Do you think his gf knows he texts me? Probably not.
When he left I told him I needed a man, not a boy.

I am not your rolling wheels – I am the highway.
I am not your carpet ride – I am the sky.

He also sent me this photo of him in a Mercedes (I look at the photo; he looks like Marc Antony, complete with dark sunglasses). I guess it's his car. I mean, why would he take a photo of himself in someone else's car? I shrug my shoulders.

Is the Mercedes supposed to tell me he's grown-up now? Geez.
And then there's the texts where he tells me he remembers how I felt and how wonderful I smelled...

Friends and liars don't wait for me,

'Cause I'll get on all by myself.

I always just listen because I think she's asking these questions to herself, and she just needs a witness to her thoughts (I'm the witness, lol). 

Besides, she's already made her own conclusions, regardless of my opinion.

I put millions of miles under my heels;
And still too close to you, I feel, yeah.

But I learned from her experience.

I see how things would have gone for my young Asian muse and myself. 
I think I would have been too embarrassed to meet my crush's mom! 
His mom and me are practically the same age! YIKES!
Even so, I'm happy for the memories of my interactions with November- that's the nickname I've given him. 

I am not your blowing wind – I am the lightning.

I am not your autumn moon – I am the night… the night.

November opened my eyes to the possibility of dating someone outside of my comfort zone, which has been mostly Caucasian men.  

I've finally learned it's okay to ask God for people, places, and situations to come into my life, so here's my latest prayer of supplication to God (besides the ones I ask for on behalf of family and friends): 
God, please bring the husband You have chosen for me into my life. 
If God's "chosen one for me," happens to be Asian, all the better. :0)

This is Hu Ge; he is Korean. ;0)

"I am a little pencil in the hand of a writing God who is sending a love letter to the world." Mother Theresa