Somewhere to see just what's on Johanna's mind. So be free to read and comment. Don't be surprised in what you find.

*hugs* Good for you. If they can't share in your happiness, it is a deficiency in them and not in yourself. I am happy for you. congratulations!

There's nothing wrong with you. You're just having a bad day. Just remember there are people out here who care, and you can vent to...any time.

About time...(grin)...

Damn. Sorry to hear all that coming down at once. Just take care of your kids first. Hopefully things begin to turn back around.

That would be a crazy omen. Very strange. Hope all goes well for you in the forthcoming future.

I've never had death dreams, but dreams of girls that I've eventually dated that have came true. Weird.

I don't believe in dreams foretelling the future or any other psychic phenomenon. I don’t believe in any kind of supernatural, spooky, other-worldly, hocus pocus, superstition, including religion. Instead, I tend to deal in the realm of fact. That may or may not make me a good person to comment.

Is the maybe-dying friend the same one as in the story, or is it a different person you are worried about? I am a little confused how a dream of encroaching darkness and a mysterious presence would link to a specific person. Then again, I don’t know anything about dream analysis.

In answer to your question, it’s not really possible to tell if someone else is dying via a dream. It is possible to fear they might be, but knowledge is something else. Is there anything else to indicate your friend is in anything but fine health? If not, I wouldn’t worry.

Dreams might tell you more about the past than the future.

My personal priorities are:
1. Love and follow God.
2. Respect yourself, take care of yourself and assure your own happiness first.
3. Do the same for those you love.

The reason I order them in this way is because I believe that you can't effectively love someone or care for them if you are not happy and healthy first. This was a hard lesson for me to learn. Being "submissive", as others here have mentioned, is a subjective term. The term "compromise" has also been mentioned. For me, I believe it is fine to be "submissive" and good to "compromise" just so long as you don't harm yourself or others in the process. There is a difference between helping others and "enabling". Enabling is when you re-enforce negative behavior which is ultimately not positive or healthy for either party. For example, are you really helping someone by waiting on them hand and foot, allowing them to berate you, or constantly giving in to their needs over your own? Are they a better and happier person because of your sacrifice? In a healthy relationship, you give and you take from each other. There must be a balance in order for each of you to continue growing as people and moving towards being better and happier humans. How you define your individual roles is unique within each relationship. Sometimes you just have to step back and ask yourself, "Are we helping each other more than hurting each other?" or "Am I truly happy overall?" At least, this is the realization I came to.

All things in life must be give-and-take or you become a user, or used.
That doesn't mean that you cannot submit in one way, and take your fair share in another...that is called compromise, and it must happen in any relationship.
So, yes, I am submissive at times in my relationship, and I am dominant in others, but most of all I try to be fair so that the relationship will last and be enjoyable to us both.
Besides, the variety in life is what makes it worth living; variety brings the new and makes it exciting. That means by compromising and being dominant or submissive in various situations, my girlfriend and I can keep concentrating on the things that are really important, and not getting bogged down in the act of the compromising itself.

As a Christian woman, I feel that being submissive to my husband is my responsibility. But submission doesn't mean being subservient or being a slave. It doesn't mean doing everything for your husband without ever having a choice and without having your wants, needs, and desires, and it has little to do with sexual practices, although the Bible does say the husband and wife each give each other the marriage due.

Submission leaves a bad taste for a lot of women in the modern day because they feel it negates their equality with men. The term is often misused, giving it a negative connotation. For me, though, being submissive is a way that I show love for my husband. As a Christian man, his responsibility is to care for me and treat me with respect and dignity. Such treatment makes it easy to be submissive. For one thing, I know he isn't going to force me to do anything I don't want to do; anything that we feel is against God's laws, or anything that is degrading. I also know that when there are decisions to be made, his love for me will lead him to ask for my input. Sure, at times he makes a decision I don't particularly agree with, but in being submissive, I work hard to make his decision work rather than trying to sabotage him at every turn. Marriage is a partnership and for it to be successful, each person has to be willing to contribute 99%; 50-50 just doesn't cut it because there will be times when one person has to do proportionately more than the other, and if they're going to keep score and throw the past in each other's face, failure comes as no surprise.

Biblical instruction regarding submission doesn't stop there. It compares a wife's submission to the husband's submission to Christ, and then Christ's submission to God. Think of how Christ treated his followers and the apostles: had to tell them time and again the same things but he did it lovingly, kindly, and without berating or degrading them. He was never verbally or physically violent. And can you imagine God ever saying a harsh or cutting word to His Son?! Submission doesn't mean a person is less valuable, less intelligent, or less worthy. It is a way of showing love, being supportive, and making a relationship work. When the one you are submissive to treats you with love, dignity, and respect, you have security, happiness, and peace in the family and the satisfaction, if you are a Christian, of knowing you are doing things in a way that is pleasing to God.

I pretty much agree a little with everyone. Love requires give-and-take. Two people can love each other fully and not always see eye-to-eye about some things, but do so out of love for one another. However, that doesn't mean everything or every time.