May is the Month of Mary

Hello www, Mother Mary, please bless all Mothers: this month and always. We are thankful for our mothers and all they do for us. In Jesus' name. Amen. May is the month of Mary, mother of us all. Blessed Mother 3/18/08 “Your mother is going to be fine.” As a five-year-old I heard these words and was comforted. Worried about my mother’s back operation taking place the next morning, I instinctively knew it was Jesus’ mother who spoke to me, and almost immediately after hearing these words, peaceful sleep overtook me; the operation was indeed a success. At my birth, my father brought my mother a statue of Mary. She is white, surrounded by blue roses, and standing with her hands together, praying. Through every move I’ve made, not just physically, but mentally as well, Mary is with me. Yes, Mary is mostly a Catholic figure, but I think she transcends being Catholic. Before mentioning more sobering thoughts on Mary, let me be silly: I think the Blessed Mother enjoys football. I imagine her smiling when she watches a game because she’s pleased that football promotes a prayer to her. I mean really, what should you do when all else fails, in football as well as in life? Simple, say a Hail Mary, of course! Christ’s mission began before He was born, with Mary’s unquestioning ‘Yes!’ to God; had she not agreed, we might have waited a long time before Christ’s appearance among us. She modeled for us what it means to truly trust in God’s plan. We as a people, not just Catholics, can relate to certain elements of the suffering she endured. I certainly am not proposing that our sentiments are felt as deeply as she felt them, or that we could ever genuinely comprehend what she experienced, but they are universal human situations nonetheless. Mary is an unwed mother. Realizing this about the Blessed Mother makes me more compassionate toward unwed mothers. Not that they are carrying the Christ child, but I appreciate the fact they have a sacred life inside of them. Now, whenever I see pregnant women, I pray a Hail Mary for them. Ever heard of an Amber alert? Well, when Jesus was twelve and remains behind in the temple - unbeknownst to Mary and Joseph who have departed from Jerusalem - they think He is in their party with their relatives - no Amber alerts in Jesus’ time - imagine the anxiety Mary must have had when she grasps the fact He wasn’t with anyone in the caravan. The relief she felt when she found Him. ‘Good parents’ probably experience this kind of anxiety, albeit on a smaller scale. I personally have only witnessed Amber Alerts, but I feel badly for the people involved, pray a Hail Mary for them, and implore the Blessed Mother to return the child safely. It isn’t only the parents experiencing the loss of their child and praying for their safe arrival; family members and friends are also praying fervently for their safe homecoming. Then there’s the worst possible situation for a parent to witness: the death of their child. Maybe through alcoholism, a car accident, disease, drug abuse, suicide, or war…No parent ever thinks they will outlive their children. It’s not supposed to be that way. And yet, here is Mary, Jesus’ mother, seeing her son in agony, pain, and the sword piercing her heart as well. The highly redeeming part of this tragedy is most certainly the resurrection. But be aware too: Mary herself is present when horrible circumstances happen to us. Take time to think of the Blessed Mother in those moments you feel most alone. Chances are she can relate to your situation as Your Mother, and will do everything she can to help you; all you need do is ask. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you/thee. Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now, and at the hour of our death, Amen. God bless!

FtW - 2nd annual visitation to seven churches

Hello www, Happy Easter everyone! Heavenly Father, thank you for our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We couldn't do half the things we do in our lives if it weren't for Him and You in our lives. Thank you for continually blessing each and everyone of us. In Jesus' Name. Amen. When my mom moved in with me four years ago, I didn't realize how much of a blessing she is to me, and I don't know why I didn't want to fulfill more of her wishes until now. But then everything in God's time, right? I am in a place spiritually now where I appreciate my mom and her life. I get it. Mom has off/on always mentioned the ritual of visiting seven churches on Good Friday. It's a Polish tradition and is supposed to be done on Tr evening, when adoration takes place, but since mom is older, and we have mass on Tr night until 9p, we decided to go on Fri. This year we went to Ft. Worth. (Last year was Dallas.) It was a nice day. I noticed more of mom's mannerisms on our drive too: she would flinch if she thought I was too close to a car, or if a car was too close to ours. Not to mention semis! Oh my! The scariest of all to be around, so I would whip around them as quickly as possible. We prayed a rosary, then listened to Christian rock music (mom actually enjoys it as much as I do) as we traversed the city. First stop: downtown Ft. Worth - St Pat's cathedral. The wind was a bit chilly. The Cathedral was gorgeous. Homey. We prayed a few prayers - as we would throughout the day at the various churches we were going to visit - and then go to the next church. Second stop: St Andrew's. This church is close to TCU and the zoo. Mom and I were surprised to find it wasn't open. I waved down the custodians who were in the midst of cleaning, explained 'our mission,' and they let us in to the church. Third stop: Furrs. I know, this isn't a church. :) Mom wanted to eat Furr's delish catfish. We took a little longer finding Furrs than I anticipated, but were soon on to our Third stop: St. George. Mom and I hadn't ever heard of St. George. This was the only church we were to visit that had a tiny gate at the altar. Made mom and me wonder if communion was given to parishioner's kneeling at the gate. I liked this idea; the cathedral my mom got married in El Paso was like this one. Same kind of vibe here too: it was like coming home. Sometimes mom would pray as I snooped around the church. I found a bathroom, but more importantly, I found a wonderful CD by Fr. Corapi for a donation of $3. I left a check (for more than $3) knowing mom and I would listen to the CD when we got back to the car. We did and it is Fantastic! Fr. Corapi is speaking specifically about the Passion of our Lord, and what it means to suffer. Fr. Corapi's own story is fascinating: he was wealthy, then he became a drug addict, then was homeless, now to priest. Just amazing. He decided to be a priest at 39. "Late in life." Fourth stop: St. Bart. This was a difficult church to find! Wow! This put us even further back on time than I expected. I wanted to be leaving FtW around 3p to avoid traffic, even for Good Friday I knew there would be a little, possibly a lot. Now I put us at leaving FtW closer to 4p...We did eventually find it, of course. But not before I stopped at a gas station and asked for some help with the directions I had obtained from mapquest. When we arrived, a prayer service was going on, and mom settled in quickly to join them, and then say some prayers of her own. I stood at the back and waited for the prayers to be finished before joining my mom. Fifth stop: Holy Name. This church was also closed, but was beautiful from the outside, which made not being able to enter somewhat bearable. It's set on a hill with a delightful view of FtW. Lots of trees, really green. There was a cave set up where two statues are enacting the scene in the bible where the angel is asking the Blessed Mother to be Jesus' mother. In the back of the church there was a sweet patio area: I imagined families gathering after mass to chat with friends. Maybe even wedding receptions, etc were held there. It was complete with bar-b-que grills. Six stop: St Rita. We missed a prayer service as we pulled up. The church was closed shortly after. I took a photo of the outside. The parishioner's were kind and invited us back on Saturday for a prayer. Seventh stop: a Vietnamese church. I had not planned on visiting this church, and didn't even know it was there had my mom not said excitedly, "Deb! There's another Catholic church! Let's stop." I thought it was closed as well, but mom's eagle eyes saw there were cars in the parking lot. After a brief U-turn, we pulled up to the church, and, sure enough, they were open. The parishioner's were so kind to us! They showed us around their wonderful premises. Mom and I stopped in to say some prayers and I took a photo of their statue of Fatima - who looked like she was going to speak to me at any moment. I also took a photo of the church on the outside. As we were leaving FtW I thought, "It is nice to see how each church offers up it's building to honor God; they each have their own personality. How brilliant ALL sacred spaces are." We ran into a bit of traffic leaving FtW, but once I was on 190 it was smooth sailing home! :) God bless!

First station

Second station

Third station

Fourth station

Fifth station

Sixth station

Seventh station

Eighth station

Ninth station

Tenth station

Eleventh station

Twelfth station

Thirteenth station

Fourteenth station

Stations

Hello www, Heavenly Father bless, guide and help everyone in the world looking for work, for all marriages, for all engagements, for singles everywhere, for everyone I said I would pray for, and thanks for all the blessings you bestow upon each of us. In Jesus' name. Amen. I can't possibly leave out mentioning the Stations of the Cross before Lent ends this coming Easter Sunday. I've always thought the Stations are the most thought provoking, reflective prayer we have as Catholics, and for some reason this Lenten season they seemed even more so, and I can't really say why, other than I feel God opened my eyes to concentrate more on them AND to Digest what I'm praying... For those of us who are Catholic but don't know much background history about the stations, I'm posting some info I found on http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15569a.htm and for those of my readers who aren't Catholic, my hope is to introduce you to this wonderful prayer. *inhaling*Okay, here goes: Way of the Cross (Also called Stations of the Cross, Via Crucis, and Via Dolorosa). These names are used to signify either a series of pictures or tableaux representing certain scenes in the Passion of Christ, each corresponding to a particular incident, or the special form of devotion connected with such representations. They are usually ranged at intervals around the walls of a church, though sometimes they are to be found in the open air, especially on roads leading to a church or shrine. In monasteries they are often placed in the cloisters. The erection and use of the Stations did not become at all general before the end of the seventeenth century, but they are now to be found in almost every church. Formerly their number varied considerably in different places but fourteen are now prescribed by authority. They are as follows: 1. Christ condemned to death; 2. the cross is laid upon him; 3. His first fall; 4. He meets His Blessed Mother; 5. Simon of Cyrene is made to bear the cross; 6. Christ's face is wiped by Veronica; 7. His second fall; 8. He meets the women of Jerusalem; 9. His third fall; 10. He is stripped of His garments; 11. His crucifixion; 12. His death on the cross; (a longer pause is given at this station, of course, and when you are meditating on the other stations and then come to this one and pause, it is Very Powerful) 13. His body is taken down from the cross; and 14. laid in the tomb. The object of the Stations is to help the faithful to make in spirit, as it were, a pilgrimage to the chief scenes of Christ's sufferings and death, and this has become one of the most popular of Catholic devotions. It is carried out by passing from Station to Station, with certain prayers at each and devout meditation on the various incidents in turn. It is very usual, when the devotion is performed publicly, to sing a stanza of the "Stabat Mater" while passing from one Station to the next. The short phrases from Stabat Mater enhance the devotion. Everything about the stations comes together. In another entry I will attach pictures of the Stations of the Cross. If you feel moved by the spirit, you can pray the stations right now at http://www.ourcatholicfaith.org/stations/menu.html. (Interesting to note, at school the students are given 'stations' - work to do either at their desks or on the computer - so now when I say "Here are your stations," it will take on an added meaning.) May God continue to be felt long after Lent has passed us, and may the lessons we've learned during Lent stay with us and be an inspiration for our behavior the rest of the year. Gaaaahd bless us!

Romantic men rock, or tango

Hello www, Lord continue to bless and guide each one of us. Heavenly Father, as Easter draws near, help us to stay focused on our lenten sacrifice, seeing You in all things and people around us. Amen. I was at a coffee shop last night where people were tango dancing. COOL! I know a coffee shop may not seem like the ideal place for tango dancing, but once I settled in a comfy chair, and began watching the couples, it had a wonderful I'm-at-home-with-a-group-of-close-friends feeling. I was asked to dance, and since I have no experience tango dancing, I took the invitation. My partners were young, handsome men. One man had on a tie and looked ready for church. His reverence for the dance was intoxicating. As he held me close and gently but firmly guided me around the dance floor I asked him where he learned to dance, "Argentina. I lived there for nine months." My mind immediately flooded with images of him dancing with Argentinian beauties; women with passion and long, dark tresses. My reflection continued: black and white images of a man sitting on an untidy bed, tie undone, head in hands, and in the background a woman's silouhette standing in the doorway in a slinky black dress... Maybe the guy dancing with me had experienced incredible heartache, as only good romances can give, and was here, in this coffee shop, back in the USA, trying to recapture some of the fable he felt with her, dancing in Argentina before he left, before whatever it was that tore them asunder happened. Maybe he wanted only good memories to remain: how they fed each other one starry night, after having cooked a delicious meal together and sipped wine on the veranda of his run-down apartment. He wanted to dance away the pain of his loss. And maybe he just went to the coffee shop to tango. Gaaaaaaaaaaaaahd bless ya!

How's Your Lent going?

Hello www, Many thanks to God for: the continued Great Health of my mother, who has five years of being cancer-free! For 76, my mom is a real power house! I recently learned she only takes two meds! Two! Them's bragging rights for anyone over 60! Yay, love you mom. May you live long and continue to prosper...And, also, the exciting return of MikeD from his fantabulous around-the-world-trip! Looking forward to catching up to you Mike and talking non-stop, listening to you tell others about your trip, and of course seeing you again is a blessing! Heavenly Father, we need Your help with the global economy. I add my prayers to those who are asking for Your help, Lord. With You, ALL things are possible! As always, I sign myself in Jesus' name. Amen. Lent has been going well: I've kept the promise to myself to go to mass everyday, which has been wonderful. After Lent I always wonder if I should continue to go to mass everyday, and I know I should, but then I let work and the gym get in the way...Before Lent and after Lent my cup is refilled from church on Sundays, but when I go everyday to mass during Lent, wow, my cup is refilled Daily! Oh, and to those of you who don't know, Catholic daily mass is only a 1/2 hour. He he. Maybe I will go to mass everyday...okay, I go on Tues' anyway, for adoration...maybe I could add one more day...build up to it so as to not overwhelm myself... Do you ever have these kinds of conversations with yourself? "I'll do this for God..."when if we really think about it, God doesn't need us to do anything for Him. He's God! Going to church everyday would be for Me. So I can strengthen my relationship with/in Him. By strengthening my relationship in God, God will work through me to show His Love to others. We are God's vessels. By opening ourselves up to God's graces, everyone around us benefits. God's blessings abound. Knowing all the benefits of going to daily mass, I am still relunctant to commit to attending. This is a problem God can help me with; He'll lead me to the truth... In the mean time my continued Lenten prayers are for the economy, and for God to work through me so I can Love All. May Gaaaaaaaaahhhhd bless you!

On the Outside Looking In OR Teacher Pride

Hello www, Thank you Jesus for continually blessing my life, my family and my friends. Thank you for always helping me Lord, in times of trouble, and for always being with me, in every difficult situation. All praise, glory and honor to you Lord. Amen Recently a teacher friend of mine was diagnosed with breast cancer. Now this is terrible news to be told, but my friend has fortitude. Cancer will not keep her down. She worked diligently to have her classroom ready for a long-term sub. She came in early to prepare and stayed late to finish. Those of you not in the teaching profession may have no idea how difficult it is to plan for a sub. Here’s an analogy to give you an idea. Planning for a one day sub is like leaving directions on how to assemble a bike: it looks easy, but there are many important details. Planning for a long-term sub is like leaving a blue print for a pyramid. It takes a tremendous amount of time to construct lesson plans for each day you are absent. My friend’s absence time is six weeks. Once lesson plans were in place, my friend’s focus shifted to readying herself mentally, physically, and otherwise for her surgeries: a double mastectomy and breast reconstruction. She gave me her boyfriend’s phone number and I bombarded him with phone calls for two days: the day of the surgery, of course, and the day after. He kindly told me the surgeries went fine, praises to God. On the second day following surgery, I boldly asked if I could call my friend directly. He said yes and I was elated. I only became apprehensive when her cell phone was ringing: would she feel like talking? When she answered I realized my fears were unnecessary. In fact, on one of the days I called, the background noise gave the impression a happy family reunion was taking place. I didn’t keep her on the phone long that day. Every day I called she sounded better, and stronger. I’ve sent updates to the staff on a fairly regular basis – many emails the week she was in the hospital and when she was released from the hospital – to not as many now that she is in recuperating mode. Firemen and policemen have a bond with all firemen and policemen everywhere. The bond between teachers is no less strong. When a teacher falls ill, other teachers rally around the teacher needing support and assistance. I am constantly being thanked for my updates, some have shared personal stories about how my friend has touched their lives, and still others have sent cards of encouragement. She still has some major surgeries she’ll need: continued breast reconstruction and we’re praying she won’t need chemo, but she has such a strong spirit. I know she’ll be fine with whatever craziness life throws at her. Besides, she won’t need to go through things by herself; God is with her and she is part of an elite group of people: teachers. God bless us, always.

I love being Catholic

Hello www, Jesus, thank you for all the Healthy blessings you've bestowed on my friend recovering from cancer. My mom always says you are the Greatest Physician, and it is true! Thank you for ALL the blessings you bestow on each of us, continually, and that we forget to thank you for. I love going to mass. I go to mass to talk to God (as opposed to going to observe people's clothing, or who is in attendance and who isn't...). Mass fulfills a deep need in me to connect to something greater than myself, AND, more importantly, to feel God connecting with me. It's awesome. Here are some of the specifics I like about the Catholic mass: If I were to go to another Catholic church anywhere in the world, the prayers I know and say at my Catholic church locally are the same prayers being said at any Catholic church (in another language perhaps, but I'd have an idea of which prayers are said because of the timing within the mass). The readings and the homilies are the only differences in each mass being said. Saying prayers out loud, with my fellow Catholics. There is Power in offering up the same beautiful prayers as a group, day after day, week after week. Did you know that Everywhere in the world a mass is being said all day, everyday? Just think: all our positive thoughts, our deepest longings, our most fervent prayers, are being sent out to our loving, gracious, compassionate, and merciful God, and He hears us, He is Listening. I do my best to listen to, and say each prayer at mass with attentiveness and thoughtfulness. I do my best to focus on the words being prayed and imagine Jesus listening. I am human of course, so if I stumble, which I do, I double my efforts and keep praying. I am the kind of parishioner who likes to read along with the priest when he is saying the Eucharistic prayers. I imagine Pontius Pilate washing his hands of Jesus as the priest washes his hands. I love the subtitles before each Eucharistic prayer, "Invocation of the Holy Spirit," "For those who have died." Our church has a booklet for the order of the mass called a Missal, so I keep up with the priest as he says every prayer; in addition, the missal has all the readings and 'extra prayers' in the back that I like to pray after Communion. The most powerful part of the mass is Communion, of course. Our prayer together before we receive communion is incredibly apropos: "Lord I am not worthy to receive you, but only say the word and I shall be healed." Healed from sickness, healed from my sins...I am awed by the fact that God finds me worthy to receive Him. I am grateful that the crucifixion is something we re-live each time we go to mass: it's cathartic for me to imagine Christ praying intently in the garden for God to take away the cross set before Him. Our Lord is Human and Divine, so He understands when we, the tiny, idiotic and insignificant human, gets stressed, and He showed us what to do when we feel like we can't go on: lean on God for Strength. God will give us all the strength we need, just as He did with Jesus, even though Nothing we are going through could be as awful as what Christ went through. Yet another testament to the Greatness of our God, and our Lord Jesus. My prayer is that this blog will help you see mass differently the next time you go. If you are Catholic, be proud that you are; the Catholic church has a long history of good and bad, just like the individuals who make up the body of the Catholic church. And as long as we the individual disciples of Christ keep God in our hearts, the Catholic church will continue to thrive and grow. Gaah Bless Us All.

Lent begins Wednesday, Feb 25th

Hello www, Jesus, Lent will begin in a few weeks, and I need your help, but you know Lord, instead of asking you what I think needs to be changed in me, I am only going to plead, "Speak Lord, your servant is listening." Jesus' answer comes to me swiftly, "You know what you are supposed to do, Debi: LOVE ONE ANOTHER." Yes, Lord, I understand You ask us to do this...it's just that it's easier to love people I like then the people I don't like. "Still, LOVE ONE ANOTHER." But Lord, I am so judgmental! You know my weaknesses, You know my heart. Even when I try to overlook the differences I have with others, my judgements get in the way; it is too difficult for me to love everybody! "Debi, you asked Me to speak and said you are listening, so listen to what I AM saying: LOVE ONE ANOTHER." Yes, Lord, of course you are correct. I need to practice what You preach...I will do my best. Thank you for your constant flow of patience, kindness, blessings, and love for me. In Your Name Lord, Your Will be Done. Amen. Recently I received a ticket for running a red light. As I was paying the charge (with late fee) on-line I caught myself thinking, "You know, I tithed this month God, why didn't you take this ticket away from me? Or at least provide me with the extra money to pay for it?" I know, I know, God doesn't punish people, but I certainly felt punished by God. Then the obvious dawned on me: I was the one who ran the red light (and the police have the video to prove it! Darn technology!) and I was paying (pun intended) the price for it. God-Jesus, had nothing to do with my receiving a ticket. I mean, He is in All things, but it was I, my free will, who ran the red light. There was justice in my getting a ticket, because that was the consequence of my action. Have you ever done that though? Expecting God to get you out of a mess you made, or asking God to take something painful away? When really, whatever is happening to us is precisely what we need. I thought that since I 'did something for God,' (the tithing) He was going to 'do something,' for me. Preferably something I want to happen, or something I am asking for... When in reality God only brings Good, Positive, Light and Love into our lives. I honestly don't believe our Loving and Gracious God has contractions in His vocabulary, OR any negativity whatsoever in Him. It is us humans who create all the Bad, Negative, Dark Apathy (apathy being the opposite of Love) in our lives! One of the exceptions to us bringing negativity into our lives is having a life-threatening illness. Sometimes healthy people get sick with terrible diseases. In those circumstances I take comfort recognizing, as in other situations, God is with me, and I offer up my suffering for the souls in Purgatory, or for those who have no one to pray for them... It is usually when we have bad things happen to us, we seek and ask for God's help. This is nothing new. God is there for us, too. Even if we only seek Him or speak to Him in times of need. This is one of the amazing and wonderful aspects of our God. However, if we just did our best to begin with, and are Truly Christian Citizens, the world would be a much different place. How often have we heard this? It is easy to write about what we Should do; much more difficult to put into practice. And yet practice is exactly what is needed if my/our behavior is to change. I am relentlessly praying for God's grace to help me rise above my flaws and become more Christ-like. Sometimes I get lucky and succeed, and sometimes I don't. But I know this: No human can achieve great things without our Almighty Savior right there with us, whispering what we need to do in our ears. We need only listen. Which is what I intend to 'add' instead of 'giving something up,' for Lent. Jesus, I AM doing my best listen to You, and do what you ask of me, and I AM going to do my best to keep listening long after this Lenten Season is over. Amen. Gahhhhhhd bless us, each and everyone.

Planets

How humbling

Hello www, Thank you Jesus for all the blessings you have bestowed on my life and on the lives of people who read, or don't read, this blog. In Your Name, Amen. I was sent an email recently about the universe that has stayed with me. In this email the sizes of different planets were contrasted. Earth and Venus are comparable in size, but Mercury, Pluto, and Mars are smaller than Earth and Venus. The next photo shows Jupiter and Saturn as the largest planets, then Uranus and Neptune. Earth is the beginning of a smaller line, with Pluto at the end of that line. These planets put side-by-side with the Sun, though, oh my! Jupiter and Saturn look tiny! Then the rest of the chiquitas! The next photo takes us out of our galaxy and demonstrates the size of our Sun to some interesting-looking planets named: Sirius, Pollox, and Arcturus. Judging against these three, our Sun is diminutive! Jupiter is about the size of a pixel! (poor thing, talk about crushing an ego!) Arcturus is beautiful and LARGE. (even the word LARGE isn't large enough to describe it's size!) Not only is our Sun tiny at this stage, Earth is invisible! But wait! There's more to compare! Sirius, Pollox, and Arcturus are shown with two LARGER planets: Betelgeuse and Antares. Antares is mammoth compared to the others! It is by far the most colossal of the planets so far mentioned. At this point our Sun is the size of a pixel. Jupiter is invisible. Antares is the 15th brightest star in the galaxy. It is more than 1000 light years away. The Hubble telescope has shown us entire galaxies billions of light years away. I strive to comprehend what this could mean... How big are we, the email asks. How big are the things that upset you today? AND how big is your God? "Keep life in perspective," it advises. After I pondered this email and sent it on to a few people, the images continued to linger in my mind. I was kind of depressed by the email, actually, and I began to think about all the things I need to do: today, tomorrow...Then I thought, "The things I need to do, they aren't important..." But this is dangerous thinking, and for an optimist, I wondered how I was going to get myself out of thinking of these new images in a negative way. "Well, for starters," I think to myself, "I have an awesome God. He created all of this beauty that surrounds us." I feel a great comfort in knowing God is in control. I was also reassured knowing we are all here, on this infinitesimal, spinning planet, together. When I begin to feel miserable and crappy, and po'ed because I'm teeny and insignificant, the God-feeling/thoughts ignite in my body and mind, flowing gracefully and gently through me, soothing my anxiety and calming me. I'm still going to be the best I can be: the best God would want me to be. No matter how big or small that best is: I matter...to God. Gaaahd bless us!

Reconnecting

Hello www, Lord, help and be with everyone in the world. In your name, Jesus. Amen. I love it when I give an apology and someone accepts my apology. I have such a feeling of gratitude knowing the offense is forgiven. When a buddy apologized to me last night, I readily accepted. In fact, she was forgiven even before she asked; I just wasn't sure she wanted to be comrades again. We may not be the closest of acquaintances, but this is a beginning. Last night was fun. I hung out with a great group of people again. (Is there a tradition forming here for me?) Some of them I met last year at the same function, and some I knew already, just got to know better. It was wonderful. There are photos on FB...(laughing) Nothing too incriminating I don't think. I don't know if you all have felt this from some of my blogs, but I am still searching for a consistent bunch of friends, six at least, three guys, three gals would be fantastic, (yes, like the sitcom, 'Friends,') to have as partners in life. Why am I still looking for these six amazing people?I mean, really, why am I pushing, seeking, forcing even, this alliance of six people? Okay, I have a secret desire (not such a secret anymore!) to assemble Super Heroes. Seriously - Super Heroes of Friendships - SHoF (pron 'shove'). SHoF would stop bad friendships from forming, help friendships in distress, bring groups of like-minded friends together, maybe even some not like-minded friendships, just for friendly debate...the friendship possibilities are endless! However, I've decided that in '09, as much as I'd like to create SHoF, I accept that Jesus will give me the companions I need at the times I need them. (chuckle)Thankfully, that's what He's been doing anyway! I read a great quote on a co-workers wall:

"If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change the way you think about it." -Mary Engelbreit

Because, as everyone knows, "when you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change." -Wayne Dyer.

'09 is young and changing. I'm along for the ride.

Song for this blog: Stereo MC's, "Connected."

Gahhhhhd bless us.

New Beginnings

Hello www, Happy New Year! God is smiling on all of us and wanting only our good: this year and always. Please keep this in mind when you hit bumps in this journey we call life. There's a Spanish saying, "No hay un mal que bien no venga." Roughly translated: there isn't a bad thing that happens that good doesn't come from it. The passing of time, the passing of yet another year. Time is such a strange concept. The other day as I walking my dog in the park I was just about to scold him for smelling yet another blade of grass when I asked myself, "What is my hurry? What do I need to do today? Let him sniff away." What also helped Toby's cause was the fact that it was warm and the wind was blowing kindly. The moral of this short story is: take your time. You have it to spare.

Change is here, whether we like it or not, whether we voted for the person or not. I'm talking of course about the "changing of the guard," Bush out, Obama in, that will happen on Jan. 20th. I continue to pray, as always, for whomever is holding the keys to the Best, and Most Dangerous country in the Free World.

Let me back up here a moment, though, and tell you about how my NYE was spent.

I know I told some of you that I was going to a party with some old college buds and my brother, but I really wasn't planning to do that, since my brother was supposed to be working until midnight.

It's true there was a party, and yes, I did know some of the people at the party from college, but I did not know the actual people hosting the party. I didn't feel comfortable just showing up, especially without my brother, who knew pretty much everyone who was going to be there, including the hosts.

I decided I would treat myself to one of my few 'NYE parties at home.' I went to mass with my mom, and when we returned we had some more of my delish ham (I'm resolving to cook more in '09) for dinner.

After dinner I changed into some flannel jammies (sexy!), my slippers, made some hot chocolate, let my dogs in, turned on the Christmas tree lights and slid in the DVD of 'Pride and Prejudice.' Oh, and I lit some Yankee Candles, cinnamon. I was debating whether I would watch the ball drop.

I was about 2/3 of my way through Pride and Prejudice, enjoying every moment of it, when I got my brother's call.

This was about 10:30p. My brother was able to leave work early and wanted me to join him at the aforementioned party - lots of like-minded liberals there - but also my friends from college, in addition to new people I would meet...

...In ten minutes I was changed and ready to shake my money maker.

It was a blast. I'm glad my brother insisted on me going. We stayed up until 3:30 this morning, talking, dancing, laughing; it was great.

The hosts were gracious, welcoming, and fun.

In the backyard was a homemade pit, for lack of a better word, that was elevated, and we put log after log onto it. The sparks from the fire matched the sparks flying from our happiness at being together. At one point in the evening fireworks light up the calm, dark sky.

I don't know if you do this also dear reader, but I like to think of how I spend my NYE as an indicator of how the NY will go.

SO, when I'm comfortable and happy where I am (I was perfectly okay with staying home and chillin' like a villain), but Life pulls me out of my comfort zone and puts me into something more rewarding, like being with old friends, then bring it '09!

Happy New Year my friends! Cheers!

Gahd bless us all, always.

Isn't it romantic???

Hello www, Heavenly Father bless all eyes reading this blog. May they know and feel your presence, Always. A Special Christmas prayer for everyone. Romance has returned to my life, again - I had released Him years ago, along with memories of my first love, recollections of self-conscious half attempts at affection, sweetly pecked kisses, holding some one's hand tightly, "acting cool," delusional infatuation, and awkward college dates - and I'm happy He's here, and has insisted on me 'giving Him another try.' I am much more savvy (at least I think I am) this time as I curtsy graciously to my idea of his gorgeous body pulling me in close for a... wait for it...*wink* and a sly grin. This time I want to honor Romance as he should be honored: in my heart, mind and soul. This time I will use my latent power to focus and maintain Him in my life. I realize now how important Romance is to Life. How and dull and uninteresting life is without romance... Before I go any further, though, I'd better clarify my definition of romance; let's see what Webster says... Hmm, surprisingly the definition that fits my thoughts best isn't romance at all, but romanticism: which means an exciting and mysterious quality (as of a heroic time or adventure). What started all this talk of romance anyway? Well...recently (blushing) I was asked to read a silly book meant for teenagers, high schoolers really, about, of all things, vampires. Vampires! I prefer Werewolves. (As some of you may or may not know, I am a dog lover and wolves are their cousins, so there's the fit.) Anyway, as the silk words of the book (the first of four) wrapped themselves around me, and the sweet and terrible tale of the strange pair of lovers washed over me, Romanticism cryptically showed itself at my heart's door, and has continued to be my shadow, as I soon realized when I found the DVD "Becoming Jane." I'd been looking for the DVD ever since the movie came out and at long last I found it, and cheap too!, at Target.

I put the DVD in the player, and relaxed on the couch as the rocky romance between Jane and Tom unfolded. Their story too is tainted and sad, but hopeful at the same time: it has a wistful 'did the right thing' feel to it that cleanses the palate of any malice one might feel for the two destitute lovers. On this lucky trip to Target (more of Romanticism's work?) I was also fortunate enough to find, "A River Runs through it," "Must Love Dogs," and "Pride and Prejudice." Beginning to see a pattern?

It was then that I begin to grasp, yet again, how everything leads back to God, to Jesus. Because ultimately who is our greatest lover? Who is the one being that knows what we need, not what we want, what we need, and gives it to us when we need it?

Thoughts of Jesus lead to thoughts of Christmas; one of the most (next to New Year's) romantic holidays ever. Yes, even over VD (Valentine's Day). During Christmas we think of others, we rest from work, we catch up with old friends; we do all the things that are really important in life. We act like lovers toward each other. We become a people infatuated. It's fantastic. It's exhilarating. And it's because of Jesus' birth.

No matter how many years I have been blessed to spend Christmas with my mom and brother (and, God willing, to spend many more) I am still excited about Christmas day. We may do the same things every year, our traditions, like everyone has, but I am nonetheless eager for Christmas day to arrive. Jesus is born to us all over again.

This year, though, when Christmas time is over, and we go back to 'being real,' and not so happy, or in love with our lives, I am going to do my best to keep Romanticism animated. Romanticism takes work to keep it thriving, and I'm up for the challenge. It is easy to imagine every day events as romantic (*see example below), fun even, to conceive that all around us there is only love. Yes, it is going to be a trial to remind myself that love is all around me, constantly, and even when things aren't going as planned, the love is still there, as God has meant it to be.

I left work the other day and as I was walking to my car, I heard someone rockin' out on the drums. The musician was obviously 'in the zone' of the harmony, the drum beat was highly rhythmical and passionate. I added to the image: some stunning man/woman listening also and watching their lover jam out, taking pleasure in the huge smile on their lover's face, enjoying the melodious sound. Yes, Romanticism is entertaining. Romanticism is an adventure.

Songs I listened to while writing this blog: all from Sting

Shape of my heart; It's Probably me; Consider me gone (Romanticism has a downside too!); Brand new day (go optimistic again); straight to my heart; love is the seventh wave.

Gahhhhhhhhhhhhhd bless us all! Merry Christmas you romantics!

Slices of Heaven

Hello www, Hope all is well with you. Lord bless MikeD with safety on his continued journey around the world; guide and bless our new president-elect Obama with the wisdom of Solomon, and for everyone in the world who is in any kind of economic trouble, may they feel Your Powerful Presence, knowing You are in control, not the cash, and certainly not the problems of this world. In Jesus Name. Amen. I am on a "Days of the New," kick as far as music goes right now. The song that is playing as I write this is "Enemy." But it's not what you think. Check it out on YouTube if you feel so inclined. Nice touches in the video of a chess game being played. Carlton, I think you would like it alot. Thanks again, Carlton, for the burned CD of Days of the New. Once more you have turned me on to a great rock band. God bless and I love you. The other night, after a particularly emotional day with our future leaders of the free world, i.e. my students, I opened the door to my house and let our two dogs bolt in: Towering Toby and Trickster Trisha. Like all dogs everywhere, Toby and Trisha tear rambunctiously through the house, happy to be inside after a long day. This excitement lasted about 10 min max. I had my dinner and sat on the couch to enjoy an hour (2 1/2 hr sessions)of re-runs of the sitcom Scrubs. Even if I've seen an episode millions of times before, I still want to watch it. It's relaxing and cathartic. Turk and JD are freakin' hilarious, in a cute, adolescent sort of way. This episode didn't disappoint. And it was one I hadn't seen. JD asks to Turk, "If you ever donate a body part to me, you know which one I'd want?" Next frame shows JD with a HUGE BUTT. Carla asks JD, "You better have a reason for taking my husband's bedonka-donk-donk." "I do, Carla, I'm building something." Elliot asks, "What?" (music starts) "A brick..house. She's mightee mightee, jus lettin' it all hang out. She's a brick...house." I played the episode on YouTube a couple of times just to get the wording right. Laughing and giggling the whole time. Okay, so when Scrubs is done, I turn off the t.v. The dogs have way mellowed, but have looks on their faces, "Pet us!" As they can tell something is different (the 'click' of the t.v. may have been their clue),Trisha jumps on top of me, with Toby panting in my face. I get on the floor with them and realize something: there is no place I'd rather be at that moment. Mom is in her room, healthy, Spanish channel blaring from her t.v., and I am petting the two most loving dogs in the whole world (I'm biased of course). In those few moments, all is right with the world. "Days in our lives," is playing right now, appropriately enough. There are probably more moments in my life like this, but how often do I recognize them? I do my best to acknowledge these moments, while they are happening is key, and this particular evening I did. So, where are you slices of Heaven? Appreciate them, cherish them, and certainly thank God for them. God bless you always.

Dewey, Cheetum, and Howe

Hello www, Lord Jesus bless all those in the world who are seeking you, and longing for you: may they feel your healing presence. And Lord? Please give eternal rest and peace to all souls that have died, esp Molly and Max. In Your Name, Jesus, Amen. Many of you might remember the fictional character from "Wall Street," Gordan Gekko, and his statement, "Greed, for lack of a better word, is good." Maybe you don't. If you haven't seen this film, please stop reading my blog, rent the film, view it, and then return to reading. :) I mention Mr. Gekko because I've been wondering about this $700 billion bail out our government did to help some banks and mortgage lenders. This bailout is really the epitome of greed gone awry and the American people, (us) coming to greed's rescue. Mr. Gekko would have thrived in our current economic environment. I keep waiting for Justice to be done, and for someone, or many ones, to go to jail. But alas, I think this situation is too complicated to blame one or more people. In very simple terms, I think the government was trying to do a good thing: let people buy a home. However, I think the banks became gluttonous and saw an opportunity to make LOTS of money. (When the money was needed, my first thoughts turned toward Republicans. I've always considered Republicans as the party with the money. (I know, I know, Obama has raised more money for his campaign than any candidate in recent history, possibly ever. But here I'm talking about historically between Democrats and Republicans.) (I joke that I couldn't be a Republican b/c I can't afford it.)) What always surprises me is how Republicans don't like a lot of government intervention. But who did the US need to turn to when things went askew? We, the government. I like when government intervenes. There are times when we need it. I remember talking to a friend about how the free market should have been left to allow the 'strongest to survive,' whenever we have an airline crises. But when I began to think about the jobs lost and how this would adversely affect the economy, no, the free market should not be the one to decide who is left standing. Really, though, this bail out was to save those bent on 'getting more.' The mentality of 'I want more stuff; I need more stuff. A bigger house. A better car.' ran rampant. We think we need things, and indeed are told by adverts (who are just in to sell things, they don't give a rats arse if we are happy or not) that we need more things. Hey, I am all for people getting what they want, if that makes them happy. What I don't like is when people with a lot of money think they are 'entitled' to be treated differently. They don't want to be heavily taxed on the money they make -- they call this punishment for their wealth. How much wealth is enough? Do people Need a house with twelve rooms, ten cars, a vaction house, or their own island? "To those who have much, much is expected." When I was growing up, I remember living in my grandmother's house: it had seven rooms, but you know what? There were 8 people living in the house. Now, if I have 20 people who are going to live in my house, then sure I need twelve rooms, and all the rest. But I don't understand why a family of three or four needs a HUGE house, with a pool, and many more things...Anyway, I'm not judging you if you are this kind of person. Gahhd bless you, if this is you. I just don't understand this thinking. Were we a country built on church teachings (not just Catholic teachings either)? We are all about keeping God in government, prayer in schools, on our money, but if we're honest with ourselves, these are just symbols. We are sorely lacking as a nation with the motto, 'do unto others as you would have them do unto you.' I mean if someone with heaps of money was willing to share that with you, wouldn't you be glad they are sharing it? Because if my neighbor IS my brother, sister, etc, then why are people only looking out for themselves, or only their loved ones? Don't other people matter? I think they do. I also happen to think people are basically good and will do what's right, and I know that's naive to think, but it's how I chose to view the world. If you fall on hard times, I will help you out as much as a I can. If I fall on hard times, you would help me out, and so it would go. This is not the reality of the world. But I know that in my corner of the world, which is just the right size for me, is open to helping a brother or sister out of a jam. SO all in all I'm okay with helping out the rascals who got us into this mess, but only because I don't want innocent people to suffer because of their actions. I pray it won't happen again. God bless us, each and everyone, in this time of financial chaos. Amen.

Raise your hand if you're an adult...

Hello www, Hope all is well in your world. Jesus, please bless and guide all the people who read my blog (all two of them, Lord). In Your Name. Amen. The Webster's definition of adult is: NounS: (n) adult, grownup (a fully developed person from maturity onward) S: (n) adult (any mature animal) Adjective S: (adj) adult, big, full-grown, fully grown, grown, grownup ((of animals) fully developed) "an adult animal"; "a grown woman" S: (adj) pornographic, adult (designed to arouse lust) "pornographic films and magazines"; "adult movies" The definition of adult is interesting to me because I always thought of 'adult' as a particular age, like being 20 or 21. Or the age when you can vote, or drive, or go to war. But this definition says 'a fully developed person from maturity onward.' There is no age attached. Sweet. So c'mon now, raise your hands, many of you fit this definition. For some reason people don't like being adults. If you can tell me some reasons why you don't like being an adult, please share. I, however, enjoy being an adult. (If you do as well, please share those thought too!) I like to think of all the things I get to do now that I am an adult: buy a house! Even though I don't like to pay for my house, I am grateful to God for giving me the means to buy a house I love. Hmmmm.... All rightie then, running a little low on other things... I can vote, but then I guess everyone can do that at 18... Drive, but again, 18; see, I'm attaching an age to adult again. My bad. Okay,(inhaling) here goes (exhaling): I can make good, healthy choices, and yes, certainly even mistakes, and be responsible for them. I am learning that I am ultimately in charge of myself, with God's guidance and love. God is always at my helm. And you know what? I am open to learning new things as an adult. I'm not a child who fully relies on her parents for all her needs. I am now a fully grown person who relies on God for all my needs. I'm also not the adolescent who thinks I know it all, or that I know better than my parents; or someone who blames their parents for all the mistakes in their lives. I am my own person, my own adult. A child of God's. Nor am I the naive twenty something that thinks I own the world and everything revolves around me. Some adults get stuck in this mindset. I'm blessed not to count myself in that category. Who can forget being young enough to think you would live forever? My mortality has settled in and I'm okay with it. As an adult I also realize that I've made foolish choices in the past, but now, as I've matured, I can learn from those mistakes and do my best not to repeat them. I know how to take care of myself, understanding what 'take care of myself,' means more fully. As a grown up I realize too that giving someone an 'either/or' choice is the worst thing anyone can give anyone else. Speaking of ultimatum's, I've retracted my 'taunt' to the guy with whom I have much chemistry. I'm here to say, happily, that we are friends once again. (The older I get and the closer I feel to God, I find I am better equipped to handle life's quirks. I want to learn how to be friends with a guy, and here's the perfect opportunity.) As a fully grown person, I know where my path is leading me, no more questions about career, family, finances; my path is leading me to God. With the Holy Spirit's involvement in my life, I know now that the more I understand myself, my surroundings, and all the rest, my understanding of myself has a ripple effect: the people in my life benefit by receiving more empathy, compassion, caring, sense of humor, etc from me, as I feel more suited to know how/when/where to get my needs met. I have a more realistic view of expectations of those around me. With all this said, I must also mention I know I am not perfect, nor do I attempt to be. But, again, as an adult, I accept that about myself. Like the piece of flair a friend sent me recently on Facebook, "I may not be perfect, but Jesus thinks I'm to die for!" May God bless you and keep you on your journey, wherever you are on this great spectrum we call 'reality.'

I can only do this...

Hello www, My prayer is that all is well with everyone. And to anyone who is having a hard time right now, know God is in control. As a preacher once said, "Don't tell God how big your problems are, tell your problems how big your God is." Keep the faith, always. So recently the whole issue of, "Can men and women be friends?" surfaced again. I had the unfortunate job of telling this gentleman (he really was a gentleman, in every sense of the word, just a really sweet guy; a little lost, but then aren't we all?) that we can't be friends. Really, we could blame chemistry. We had too much of it. I wanted to acknowledge it, but, for whatever reason, he didn't. It's okay too, that this didn't work out, sometimes these things happen. LOL I know I've got to be straight with myself. "To thine own self be true," Shakespeare said. And that's what I'm doing: being honest with myself. I knew that remaining friends with this guy, with whom I had lots of chemistry with (or did I already mention this? lol) was going to be difficult. Sure, friendship works out great for him, he gets to enjoy the coolness which is me, but what do I get? Maybe some good conversation, a handshake, possibly a hug, and a silly good-bye wave at the end of the evening, lol. Not that these things are bad, but it's just not the best option, I think, for our interaction. I will be sad, don't get me wrong, about not being friends with this particular individual, but then I would be even sadder always knowing we wouldn't progress into anything and the potential would always be just out of our reach. I will then recover, as I often do, and keep on my merry way. God bless us, each and everyone.

Hypocrisy

Hello www, I pray everyone is well and happy. I was re-reading some of my past blogs, and the few comments posted. (Thank you, btw, to those who are kind enough to Read AND post comments.) While in review mode, I thought about what a friend said to me about my entry of the rafting trip entitled "Infantile Shananigans." When we talked about that particular blog, I said, "Well it's generated conversation, so there's something good that came from it." He replied quickly, "Yes, but do you want conversation about something bad?" At the time, I said no, but I think I should have said yes. Life isn't all rosy, funny, and upbeat. It is US (with God's help, of course) who make life rosy, funny and upbeat. I understand that there's already too many negative things that happen in our lives to be one of those who adds to it, but I also know that through discussion, even sometimes heated debate, we can work through issues, hopefully opening ourselves up to a greater understanding of the other person's feelings, thoughts and ideas. And, who knows, we may learn something about ourselves in the process as well. I was also 'accused,' in a fun way, of 'losing my edge,' in my blogs. I agree. Recently I was invited to a co-worker's bridal shower. Since we work together, I know there is some obligation I have in participating. Here are some of my issues with this affair. First of all, it's after work (but not at our school) and NOT during the week; it IS on a Saturday, at someone's house. Second of all, I don't particularly relish the thought of spending time outside of work with my associates. Yes, I care about my work team and wish them no ill will, but my time outside of work is just that: My time. We only work together. We aren't bff's, or family, or even sorority sisters. Also, at my job, everyone is pretty much a hypocrite, INCLUDING ME. Now, don't get me wrong, I generally care about people, my colleagues included. My concern, and I know I've expressed this in other blogs, is that my thoughtfulness isn't reciprocated. I'd like to think my caring isn't based on whether people return the consideration, but it is. Consequently, here's what I do: I care about people from a distance. I get hurt too easily knowing that people won't, can't, or aren't thinking of me, and I'm the only one giving. It's just human nature, I think, to want some reciprocation. Back to the shower. I said I would go. But when I began to think about it, I realized that I would only continue my hypocrisy by going. I am happy for this person and I pray that her marriage be a God-centered, strong one. (As some of you may or may not know, I am a prayer warrior when it comes to praying for marriages. I pray for marriages in general on a regular basis.) But my heart was not into this gathering. I was going to be spending money, a little more than I was comfortable spending, on someone I do not know that well. What could I do? Being the caring person I am, and one who clicks on 'yes' to evites way too quickly, oops! I was obligated to go before I could really think about what I'd done. Unfortunately I tried to lie my way out of it, couldn't stand the fact that I lied, came clean, and attended the event anyway. (I made it through the afternoon just fine: had some delicious cake, wished the bride-to-be much happiness in her upcoming nuptials, and continued with my weekend.) Through this experience, though, I think I've hit upon the reason why I am a hypocrite: It is difficult for me to be seriously close to several, and I'm talking 10 or more people, at a time. I also think this is human nature. I'm happy if I can give 100% to my family, one or two close friends, and my students! So, what may seem like hypocrisy really isn't. It's just that I don't have it in me to give 100% of caring to 100% of all the people in my life, ALL the time, which would be ideal. I pray I can do this, and it is a daily goal I pray God help me fulfill, but I have a fatal flaw: I'm human. Only God can do this, and easily! Another thought helps me deal with mine, and others, hypocrisy: it's something a wise woman once told me; 95% of people are flakes; the definition of flakes for me is this: not there for me when I need them to be (whether this is emotionally, spiritually, physically, or mentally). I understand too, I am not immune to being on the 95% side some of the time. My goal, however, is to be on the 5% most of the time, with God's help. With all of this realization, I am able to cut people slack when I feel like they are being hypocrites to me. I am also able to 'assume the best,' from the get go when I keep this in mind. :) Maybe this will help you do the same. God blessssss ya! :)

Common thread?

Hello www, Heavenly Father, please bless everyone who is reading this blog right now. May they feel Your Presence, peace and love as they read. Special prayers for those being affected by Gustav, for our military, and for those individuals I said I would say a prayer for, in Jesus name. Amen. I'm going to be jumping around in subjects/topics; I hope you don't get whiplash, he he. Regardless of how you feel about Obama, something historic happened in our country this past week: a person of African American mix was nominated for president. God willing, this will open the way for a woman to be nominated as President. I am astounded by the fact that Gustav has happened 3 years almost to the day that Katrina hit. How often does a hurricane hit the same place? I thought hurricanes were like lightning: they never hit twice in the same place...but then maybe hurricanes have their own rules they live by. I am happy that the city, and our government, was better prepared for this second hurricane. How about the Olympics! WOW! Phelps, I pray you are mature enough to handle the instant fame and money your golds have brought you. But you know what? Even if you mess up, we'll forgive you and still like you. The other athlete I was particulary biased toward is the Jamacian runner Usain Bolt, who broke the world record for the 200m. He is Catholic! I took such pride in seeing him make the sign of the cross before the races, and afterwards. A friend asked if it is better to win more Golds, or to have a mix of medals. At the time I said a mix of medals is better, but thinking about this question more, I thought about my students: would I like for them to make A's, B's and C's, or straight A's? So I'm changing my answer: it's better to have more Golds. :) This doesn't make the US lesser than China. We did get the most overall medals, and that certainly carries weight, and has it's own place of pride. Totally enjoyed watching the women's beach volleyball team: May-Walsh. And of course, Dara Torres must be mentioned. She is my hero! :) She had ALL the tests required of the Olympic athletes, AND some that weren't asked for. She won drug-free. Finally, school started last week. Lord, please bless and guide all teachers everywhere: with compassion, a sense of humor, patience, and love when dealing with students and staff. Jesus, please help all students to do their best, always, and of course to have respect for the authority figures in their lives. God bless everyone.

A few things I've learned...

Hello everyone! :) Hope all is well in your world. Thank God for all His blessings in your life, everyday. As my wise mom has always said, "Without Christ, I am nothing." These are just a few of the things I learned from my black-and-tan, brown-spot-on her-bum weiner dog: #1. Only drink water. #2. Eat one cup of food, twice a day. #3. Always be happy to see everyone. #4. Run around your yard in wild abandon. #5. Choose a good petting over answering the phone. (say!) #6. When the person you love is determinedly involved in three things, and not one of them is you, attack them with kisses. And the most important lesson I learned from Abby: Trust in a being greater than yourself to take care of you, love you, and to always want the best for you. God bless ya.

Ch-ch-choose God

Hello www, I pray this blog finds you well and happy. Heavenly Father please be with Ginger and Colin right now, that they may feel Your love, Your courage, and Your healing for the pain they are encountering. Ginger, Colin, may you truly be aware in the depths of your souls, that you are loved children of God, and that He has you in the palm of His hands, and for all marriages: that they be healthy and strong. Remember all single people too, Lord: that they take comfort in knowing You are in control, and that You direct all paths. Thank you Lord, for hearing our prayers and for the many blessings you bestow on all of us. In Jesus' name. Amen. God has chosen us. Family and friends from 3 Vietnamese Catholic congregations left Houston en route for Missouri to attend an annual religious festival last week. The bus crashed in Sherman, TX, bringing their joyful anticipation to an abrupt end, with 17 people dead. As with all terrible situations, people are asking, "Where was God? Why did God 'allow' this to happen?" God isn't to blame for these types of tragedies. God has blessed (some might say curse) human beings with Free Will, and with Free Will comes great responsibility. I am a firm believer that God, and the devil, exist. The choice is ours: Are we open to God or to the devil? The man driving the bus had the Free Will, nay, the obligation, to make sure the bus was operating properly and safely. One of our duties, as human beings, I believe, is to do our jobs (be that a dishwasher in a restaurant, a stay at home mom/dad, the CEO of a large corporation, and everything else in-between) to the absolute best of our abilities. Our occupations are for us to give greater glory to God. The bus driver failed to give glory to God through his livelihood by his irresponsibility toward the maintenance of the bus, and his careless attitude concerning his passengers. God wasn't to blame for this tragedy; human error was. SO, the next time someone asks, "Where was God? Why did God 'allow' this?" Tell them, "A better question to be asking is, 'Where did that person's Free Will play a part in what happened? How are We representing God? How are We using the gifts He has blessed us with?'" May the 17 people who died rest in peace with Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. I continue to pray for the souls of the survivors, that their faith stay strong and that they take solace in knowing God has their family and friends now; I pray for the soul of the driver: may his eyes be opened to his wrong doing and the pain he has caused, that he be repentant of his actions, for the Holy Spirit to move his soul to do some sort of reparation for the families. May there be justice for all involved with this catastrophe. God bless ya.

Morning

Hello www, I pray everyone is well and feeling blessed. Another scorching day awaits. Roll out of bed. Lost five pounds: worth the one hour hike. Put on huge sling-shot and finish with shorts. Little light chases darkness. Squirt, squirt, mosquitoes repelled. Scoop puppy food, dump into gaping bowl in blue house. Tiny polar bear and large fur ball break into home. Crunching sounds heard from blue house. Pink tongue with purple splotch gets an extra collar. Bolt out of door. Sun is still asleep. Ears flapping, bent at thier ends, smelling and happily tugging on the line. Green jumpers cross the sidewalk to dance in sprinklers. Manure's strong aroma followed by flowing manes and round, dark nostrils...Perked ears watching four paws tentatively. Dancing tail is blissfully unaware of anything except wafting odors. Mist to the face keeps white fang moving along. Water is stretching toward crackly crevices, attempting to cover its brown slip, embarrassed at its inability to do so. Drops of the sky's tears are falling in rhythm to swooshing wipes. Too suddenly the crying stops. Shame. Nuetered one shakes off excess. Slip past sun again tomorrow. God bless ya.

dR. mAnHaTtAn'S view of my trip to the beach

Hello everyone, God's many blessings on every body, as always. I don't know if Carlton will be viewing this entry or not, but this submission is my 'cosmic wink,' to him, in addition to being my rather ambitious attempt to recreate some of his favorite scenes from "Watchmen." ("Watchmen" is a comic book soon-to-be-movie, and one of the main characters, Dr. Manhattan, has a particular way of viewing time, which I will attempt to mimic. If you have no clue what I'm talking about, google Dr. Manhattan, or Watchmen, for more info. OR, look at the site where I took my 'cues' from: http://www.philobiblon.com/isitabook/comics/Watchmen1Medium.jpg) The memories are ensconced in my photographic mind. My friends and I are enjoying a scrumptious cookout while Miles Davis plays in the background. The wooden park bench feels comfy and lived in underneath the cozy b and b. It's 2008. In twelve seconds my mind will bring me back from my reverie and I will once again be at my computer typing about my weekend at the beach. I am on the park bench, tasting the delicious steak in my mouth as I'm slowly chewing it. Ten seconds now. I am at my computer typing about my fun weekend at the beach. I am looking at the photographic memory of being on the beach. 96 hours ago. 24 hours into the past, I'm taking photographs with my mind to look at later. I'm there now, taking the photographs. I am sitting on the park bench laughing uncontrollably, taking a swig of beer, seizing the moments of pleasure in being with my friends, listening to the Miles Davis CD, and deliberately masticating on the grilled steak my brother made me. Seven seconds now. It's later July, 2008. I am at my computer relishing memories from my wonderful trip to a B and B and the beach with friends. I'm hitting a shuttle cock (yes, I said shuttle) over a net; I'm on the beach watching the waves come in and listening to the soft *swish* of the ocean. Four seconds. Three. I am tired of trying to fit this blog into past and present, lol. The memories recede to the recesses of my mind to be retrieved again at a later date. I am going to watch the news. So many things happen in the world, and we get the news too late sometimes. "All we ever see of stars is their old photographs." God bless you, every one! :)

When I call you friend

Hello www, Hope all is well in your world. I pray for peace everywhere: in families, between friends, and especially amongst enemies. Readers, I must tell you that this blog entry has been one of the most difficult for me to write. I’ve edited and re-edited this entry a dozen times, and that’s just been in the last day! Every time I thought I wrote what I thought would be a nice way of discussing this topic, my soul just didn’t feel right. And I’ve got to get this right, or it’s just going to come across as insincere and my writing quality will suffer for the ‘lie’ I wrote, so please keep this in mind as you read. As I’m turning the very young age of 40 this weekend and celebrating with friends on the beach, I began to reflect on all the friends I’ve had, and still have, these past 4 decades. When I was little, I remember going to church with my mom, and whenever there was a celebration being held after mass, we would attend. Of course there was always food present at these events, and being a child, I would want to grab a bunch of cookies, or whatever the treat was, and my mom always saying, “Think of others,” which was my mom’s way of basically saying that we weren’t to get all we wanted, that there needed to be enough for everyone to have some. Well this concept of ‘think of others,’ has stayed with me, especially with regard to friendship. I looked up the definition of friendship, just to see what good ol’ Webster had to say about it, “Friendship \Friend"ship\, n. [AS. fre['o]ndscipe. See Friend, and -ship.]1. The state of being friends; friendly relation, or attachment, to a person, or between persons; affection arising from mutual esteem and good will; friendliness; amity; good will. Notice that the definition considers friendship a noun, whereas I would say it is a verb. But this particular definition still didn’t fit my idea of friendship, so I looked at other meanings, “2. Kindly aid; help; assistance, [Obs.]” There it is, my defnition of friendship! When I call you friend, it basically means this: …yes, I will, as a favor to you and our friendship, have your sourpuss of a mother come over to my house for Easter, even though I’m inviting disaster into my home. …yes, I will, pray for your little boy’s illness every time you ask, even though I know you won't contact me again, until you need another prayer(s). …yes, I will, l listen to your problems even though I know you won't ask me about my life, or what’s going on with me. …yes, I will, help you through your “I’m-having-a-hard-time-keeping-my-faith-in-God-right-now,” phase, even though I am almost plummeting into your dark abyss as well. …yes, I will, take a chance on trusting you, even though I know you are a notorious gossip. …yes, I will, take you to and from the doctor for a minor procedure, even though it will take up my time and gas. In all of the above situations I keep Mother Theresa's thoughts close to my heart: People are often unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered; Forgive them anyway. If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives; Be kind anyway. If you are successful you will win some false friends and true enemies; Succeed anyway. If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you; Be honest and frank anyway. What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight; Build anyway. If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous; Be happy anyway. The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow; Do good anyway. Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough; Give the world the best you’ve got anyway. You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and God; It was never between you and them anyway. And of course I want to say thank you to my friends for being in my life: be you near or far… Thank you for your kindness to me when I know I don’t deserve it. Thank you for listening to me, even when I’m rambling. Thank you for helping me when I’m in a dark place. Thank you for being yourself and sharing yourself with me. Thank you for forgiving me when I know I don’t deserve your forgiveness. Thanks for getting angry with me and ‘setting me straight.’ Thanks for communicating with me when I’d rather be silent. Thanks for loaning me money. Thanks for making me laugh. I appreciate all of you, my dear friends, and all the ways God has blessed me by putting you in my life. I can only hope and pray that I’ve been a good friend to you, and that we are friends for a long, long time. This also reminds me of a cliched, kind-of-cheezy view of friendships, but I'd be remiss if I didn't add it: (author unknown) People come into your life for a REASON, a SEASON, or a LIFETIME. When you figure out which it is, you know exactly what to do. When someone is in your life for a REASON, it is usually to meet a need you have expressed outwardly or inwardly. They have come to assist you through a difficulty, to provide you with guidance and support, to aid you physically, emotionally, or spiritually. They may seem like a godsend, and they are. They are there for the reason you need them to be. Then, without any wrong doing on your part or at an inconvenient time, this person will say or do something to bring the relationship to an end. Sometimes they die. Sometimes they walk away. Sometimes they act up or out and force you to take a stand. What we must realize is that our need has been met, our desire fulfilled; their work is done. The prayer you sent up has been answered and it is now time to move on. When people come into your life for a SEASON, it is because your turn has come to share, grow, or learn. They may bring you an experience of peace or make you laugh. They may teach you something you have never done. They usually give you an unbelievable amount of joy. Believe it! It is real! But, only for a season. LIFETIME relationships teach you lifetime lessons; those things you must build upon in order to have a solid emotional foundation. Your job is to accept the lesson, love the person/people, and put what you have learned to use in all other relationships and areas of your life.

It is said that love is blind but friendship is clairvoyant.

God bless ALL friendships.

What the Hek is going on???

Hello www, I pray for peace for everyone, in every aspect of their lives, all over the world. As my BFF Jesus says, "Peace be with you." Also a special prayer for a friend who is having twins today. May her health and the health of her babies be strong. And of course a special intention for Irene, who has an important doctor's appt on Tr...and for everyone I said I'd say a prayer for, this is a prayer for you. :) So I'm listening to NPR this morning and hearing about IndyMac's problems. I didn't even know who or what "IndyMac" was until I find out this morning they are a bank that went bankrupt on Friday. "The bank is the second-largest financial institution to fail in US history." All Things Considered, Monday, July 14th, 2008 This IS the 21st Century, is it not? This whole housing problem has, and probably will continue to have, larger and greater affects on the US economy. I guess I thought of the 'housing slump,' like it was just a pebble thrown into the economic pool of the US economy. A pebble doesn't make a big splash, but the ripples can certainly affect the serenity of the surface, and I think that's what's happened. Then Fannie Mae and Bernie Mac, lol, were you paying attention? That should read FREDDIE Mac, need help by the government. But even with the government's help, FM and FMc could still be in BIG trouble. This is some serious *&^% going down! Gas prices are ASTRONOMICALLY high. For me, offshore drilling IS NOT an option because I think it will harm the environment. Recession is creeping into inflation. I've always marvelled at the New Yorker: it's seemed to me, as a writer, a fantastic goal to achieve, to aspire to be included in, to be a contributor to, to enjoy reading for it's touted intellectual attributes, was truly an accolade worth noting. But I was disappointed with it's cover, unveiled today. I heard the interview with the Editor-in-chief today, David Remnick, again, on NPR, during All Things Considered. It's supposed to be satirical, Mr. Remnick tells us; meaning it was "to hold a pretty harsh light up to the rumors, innuendos, lies about the Obamas. Satire is a different vocabulary than essays, or radio essay, but there it is." 'Politics of Fear' is the title of the article tied to the depiction of the Obamas. I thought better of the New Yorker than to print something so blatantly offensive. I understand satire, but I think this particular arrow missed it's mark. Besides, I don' think a literary magazine needs to be poking it's nose into politics. If I want to know politics, I'll go to the New Republic, Economist... Many of the emails Mr. Remnick is rec'ing has people saying, "I get it, but I don't think so and so's going to get it..." Mr. Remnick seems to think that because one person gets it, and that that person thinks others won't get it, is preposterous. He scoffs at the idea only the highly intelligent will understand the satire... This got me to thinking about intelligence, or lack thereof, esp with regard to some of the above mentioned catastrophes...I decided to research ONE way intelligence is measured, and that is if a person has a college degree or not. In 2003, according to the US Census Bureau Press Release, 27 percent of adults age 25 and over had a college degree, and that was a record! That's not even a 1/3 of our population dear reader! If you'd like to see other interesting tidbits about education in our country, check out this website: http://www.census.gov/PressRelease/www/releases/archives/education/001863.html. I for one am appalled at those numbers. I am an educator, and this just sickens me. So, Mr. Remnick, do you really think Everyone will understand your satire? But you know, I am optimist; I will not end this entry on a negative note. The positive for me is this: alone, I may not be much, though I am a force to be reckoned with, but when I am counted as one of the millions of humankind, ah, there is a force mightier to be dealt with than just me. It is in humanity as a whole where I know God is greatest and He is working with us, and is always working on our behalf. Education, money, fame, whatever, We think is Important, Isn't, and it esp isn't important to God, our Almighty Savior. He is the Great Equalizer. He sees our Souls. Together, as the human race, We can do better. Yes, we have made some Terrible mistakes, but I do think we are learning, however slowly, about our mistakes and We are making an effort to rectify those situations. How? You may ask? Begin by looking into your own heart, what do You do to make the world a better place everyday? Are you kind? Do you smile at perfect strangers? Help little old ladies with their groceries? Maybe you don't do anything 'special,' well guess what? It's not too late to start doing some good, every day. God bless.

Gossip-free

Hello www, I pray this day finds you well and content knowing you are in God's hands. :) My entry entitled "Infantile Shananigans," caused a great stir in certain circles and has left me thinking about gossip in a whole new way. I decided to go online and do some searches about gossip and came up with interesting results; everything from 'gossip is good,' to 'gossip is a sin.' (Gossiping is a good sin, lol. Kidding) Personally, I think gossip has the potential to be both. According to one article I read, it's sometimes good to gossip because, as this website http://www.lukeford.net/Dennis/indexp271.html, whose source is an 8/96 issue of Psychology Today states, "If people aren't talking about other people, it's a signal that something is wrong - that we feel socially alienated or indifferent," says Ralph Rosnow, Ph.D., a professor of psychology at Temple University and coauthor of Rumor and Gossip: The Social Psychology of Hearsay. "For a real understanding of our social environment, gossip is essential," agrees Jack Levin, Ph.D., professor of sociology and criminology at Boston's Northeastern University and coauthor of Gossip: The Inside Scoop. "It's primary function is to help us make social comparisons. For example, ...(if we) get into the gruesome details of our neighbor's misery over a cup of coffee, our own problems begin to pale in comparison...Gossip is a way for people to let you know, without confrontation, the limits on personal behavior. If you move into a community and your neighbor tells you how the previous homeowner never disposed of his garbage properly, his gossip is letting you in on something else. Gossip shepherds the herd. It says: these are the boundaries and you're crossing them. You're not abiding by the rules and you'd better get back in step," says Rosnow." Interesting, huh? Then of course the reasons we gossip, taken from a PBS kids site, of all places! I liked the way PBS urges us to handle our children when we find out they gossip. I also think adults can benefit from what the kids site offers. Here's the site: http://pbskids.org/itsmylife/friends/rumors/article4.html Here are the reasons: to feel superior; to feel like part of a group; for attention; for control or power; out of jealousy or a need for revenge; out of boredom; Then I went to a Catholic website to find out what the Church teaches on gossip; http://www.catholicregister.org/content/view/965/141/ Before getting into what the bible teaches, I want to mention what the site says about gossiping specifically in the bible: "Gossip, however, is not one of the literary forms scholars find in their Bibles. Still, that doesn’t mean the Bible is unconcerned with how people talk about each other." And what does the bible say, pray tell? (no pun intended) "As people might expect, the Book of Proverbs has a great deal to say about the harm done by talking about other people. In Proverbs 2:12 gossip is a part of the “way of evil” we should keep away from; It (every good path) will save you from the way of evil, from those who speak perversely. False witness is presented as the sort of inevitable stock-in-trade of gossipers in Proverbs 21:28:“A false witness will perish, but a good listener will testify successfully.” Advice from Jesus Son of Sirach is to keep one’s mouth shut.“A bad name incurs shame and reproach; so it is with the double-tongued sinner” (Sirach 6:1)." The PBS site also gave some suggestions on how to avoid gossiping: Decide whether it’s hurtful or harmless. When you hear something about someone you know and have the urge to pass it on, don’t think about whether it’s true or not. Instead, ask yourself these questions: Why do I want to pass this on? Would I want people to know this kind of informationabout me? How will this person feel if he or she knew this rumor was being spread? Will this rumor reduce this person’s status or make him or her excluded from the group? Your answers will help you figure out the right thing to do. AND, Make the rumor stop with you; Don't be an audience; Be a peacemaker; Respect other's privacy; Get the facts; All rightie, then, I'm off to pratice my new attitude about rumor spreading... God bless, and may U2 become Gossip-free.

Tell me, how do you eat your Oreo cookies?

Hello www, Many blessings to you. While on the rafting trip the discussion of cookies came up...SO, what is your favorite cookie and why? How do you eat your favorite cookie? How do you eat your Oreos? Mad Dog and Joel have a friend who eats them with OJ! ICK. I like to put the whole Oreo cookie in my mouth and then drink milk. MMM, love all that delicious crunchiness! :) I also like Chocolate Chip cookies, the old school ones, he he. I eat all my cookies with skim milk, lol. I dunk the Chocolate chips in my milk and then eat them. All right, your turn! :)