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 |  Fibro fog, pain, writing sandwiched in between. Quotes. Sermon notes. Encouragement. |
A Texas Sunrise  A friend, William Taylor, took this picture. He visits Surfside Beach with his dogs almost every morning, watching the sun rise while the dogs prance about at the water's edge. This is only about ten miles from where I lived in Lake Jackson, Texas. Sadly, I only visited this beach about four times in the six years I lived nearby. Each day is a challenge. A challenge to get by without thinking about the fibromyalgia pains. A challenge to stay awake when chronic fatigure wants to take over. And a challenge to navigate through fibro fog. I haven't been writing as much as in the past. For years, I wrote at least 500 words a day. Now, I'm lucky if I write 500 words in month. Sigh. For more information about what my day (or life) is all about with fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, chronic pains, IBS, depression and everything else thrown in, check this out:
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| Sometimes I realize what a sheltered life I live. Not working makes for a much different world the the world of those who work. Today I realized how long it has been since I visited a flea market. It was fun discovering again what kinds of things sell there.  For instance, I had no idea that my dish soap bottle and liquid soap bottles might be feeling ashamed to be naked. Seriously, I feel badly that I have not covered them. Each crafty-type booth at this HUGE flea market (and some other booths with not so crafty items) had coverings for dish soap and liquid soap bottles for sale. They were cute little apron thingeys to put on soap bottles so that they're more fashionable and matching one's home decor. Great idea, huh? Except that when I buy dish soap and liquid soap, I go the dollar store and spend a buck. I really don't want to spend $4.95 to cover those cheap bottles! I think if I wanted my soap bottles to match my decor, I could spend a bit more for the soap bottles, right? I mean, I have seen decorative liquid soap bottles for the bathroom. Maybe dish soap doesn't come in decorative bottles, but I could a different brand to get a color to match my kitchen. But spending $4.95 to cover the bottle? I'm don't do much sewing or crafting myself these days. But if I thought my soap bottles would feel better about themselves, I could take a scrap of material and make a mini-apron for them myself. The other things that sell at flea markets haven't changed much. Every aisle had at least one booth selling knives, another selling sports stuff, one selling purses and one selling comic books. We did find a booth with some good DVD's for only $2. Derek got the very first Benji movie. I got both the The World Trade Center movie and the one about United Flight 93. Oh yes. The whole reason we went to the flea market was to see about a refurbished computer. There were a few guys selling them. One has an office not far from our house. His fixed up computers were impressive. He had one with 60gig hard drive for $355. His cheapest laptop computer was $155. Derek and I were at the flea market for a big chunk of the day. But I was smart. I walked a while, then sat a while, then walked a while. I probably didn't see half of what my young'un did. Neither one of us braved the heat to check out the outside vendors...and there were a gazillion of them too. Perhaps another time. The kid didn't rush into buying a computer. He's been checking prices of new computers too. Perhaps he'll just buy a Dell online. But I'm pretty interested in talking with that guy with the fixed up computers. Heck, he had towers - bigger and faster and better than what I have and with Windows XP - for as little as $119. That's doable. About those soap bottle covers... How many of you are dressing your soap bottles? Inquiring minds want to know...  |
| I think I mentioned that my son has been sharing my computer with me. His is in the shop. It looks like it cannot be fixed. Our favorite computer repair geek is working to save what Derek wants saved on an external hard drive that Derek gave him. Today, I took Derek to the computer repair guy to drop off that external hard drive. Then I took him to look at some new computers. Next, Derek and I decided to stop at Gabriel Brothers. It's a really cool store with name brand clothes and accessories for cheap, cheap prices. Don't you know they were having a sidewalk sale! Yippee. I bought two pairs of jeans and a bottle of cologne for....are you ready? $4 total. Well, plus tax, of course. Can you believe? The jeans were on the $3 rack, but they were 50% off that. What a find. Derek found some pretty cool t-shirts for $1.50 each. One is from a restaurant and bar in Austin, Tx. When he was a kid, he hated that he was born in Texas. Now he kinda likes it. He also found one that says, "Southerners do it better." Hmmm.We called hubby and told him to get over to the sale pronto. Hubby has been needing some clothes for work. Let's see... He didn't get anything from the super cheap sidewalk sale. But he did get...two pairs of pants, a pair of shorts, two pairs of shoes and about four shirts (I think) for less than $100. Besides those cheap t-shirts, Derek was able to find a pair of shoes, three pairs of jeans, a pair of shorts and two (I think) shirts. His total came to about $60. Not bad. I tried finding more than I did, but none of the clothes really excited me. I saw a pair of shoes I would have loved having, but they had them in sizes way too big or way too small. Figures. I think I forgot that I'm not a shop til you drop person anymore. Never really was, actually. But now? I'm hurting big time from doing too much. Meanwhile, I need to be up bright and early tomorrow. Son and I are heading to the flea market. Supposedly there are some guys there who buy old computers and refurbish them. We'll see, I guess. Poor hubby has to work in the morning. Know what? The first time I was married it was on this date 34 years ago. I could have a kid ten years older than my son. Now that makes me feel really old.  Well, I better think about doing some snoring. Tomorrow is going to be another busy day. |
| I heard the other day that the state of Massachusetts has passed a law that everyone has to have health care. I understand the laws about everyone having car insurance. But health insurance? It's soooooooooo expensive if you're not making a bundle of money. Unless everyone in Mass. is rich? I know the politicians are. Of course, the only fine for not having health insurance is to pay an extra $220 a year in state income tax. Unless...I wonder if they've somehow made it so that hospitals don't have to treat those who don't have insurance? Anyone know? What do you think of this? "A couple of months ago, Saul Anuzi, chair of the Michigan GOP, petitioned to have Ron Paul banned from future debates. The reason, to summarize, was because he was doing better in polls regarding debate performance than any of the “top three” candidates. “I think Congressman Ron Paul … doesn't represent any of the Republican Party base” and is “getting in the way of the real debate of how to move our party” forward." Read the rest of the article here: http://www.newswithviews.com/Takala/rudy19.htm Back to health and health care. I know a lot of people are against socialized health care. But isn't that what our poor have - Medicaid? And isn't that what our elderly have - Medicare? The programs are not perfect, but they do get care. And most of the elderly folks I know get every test imaginable when they're sick or hurting. Members of Congress certainly don't have to worry about health care. They have their own special program just for them and their families. Rich folks don't have to worry. They might complain about what's not covered by their insurance, but they can pay for whatever isn't covered. It's the rest of us - those who have insurance but have to fight to get care and then pay for what's not covered and those who are uninsured but unable to get Medicaid - who suffer by not having socialized medical care. A few weeks ago, a member of our church died. He was only 58 years old. He had heart problems and a hernia. He went to the hospital with chest pains and it was discerned that he wasn't having heart problems. Knowing that it wasn't his heart didn't stop the pains. He probably should have been admitted so they could find out what his problem was. I tend to believe that would have happened in Canada or France or Great Britian. Instead (I think it was the next day), the man called 9-1-1, then his family, and he died on the way to the hospital. Cause? Strangulated hernia. Should that happen in a country who boasts having the "best" medical care? I don't think so. The "best" care would have been to figure out the cause of his pain, not sending him home. They probably prescribed pain medications. |
I write, you read and comment and that's how we know we're communicating. Get it?  Sometimes when I visit other blogs, I'm amazed at the number of comments received. Of course, they're usually not writing about the same kinds of things. One blogger discovered that mentioning bad words got more views and more comments. Well, I'm not going to do that. I did have to wonder if anyone read the entry I made a while ago with the pictures of the float our church entered in the July 4th parade. "July 4th parade pictures"  Oh, I'm not doing that badly on the number of views. I know that. In fact, as I'm typing this, I can see that I have had 5,297 views. That's not so shabby, especially since I didn't start blogging until last September. What's really fun is that I have almost caught up to hubby's fibro blog. His has 5,321 views at the moment, and he started it in November, 2005. If you check out the list of 100 most viewed blogs, we're now #58 and #59. Our buddy Budroe   is #41 this morning with 7,457 views.Okay. On to more important things. I got my Reader's Digest a day or so ago. My mom used to make sure my sisters and I all had that as one of our Christmas gifts. Last year, my sister Karen (who now watches over Mom and has her in an assisted living center near her house) continued the trend of sending a gift subscription to each of us.  Did you know that Reader's Digest has a joke contest? This month, they've asked that jokesters finish this joke: A carrot walks into a salad bar and says... If you're good at making up jokes, you should send your joke to comedy@rd.com - subject: August. Hey, if you win you'll get $100. Wish I could be funny...Did you know that, "Moms whose preschoolers don't sleep well are in worse physical and mental health than other moms. Dads, on the other hand, are blissfully unaffected." So says RD. Well, duh. I hope someone didn't spend a bundle of money to figure that one out. Love quotes? I know I do. How about this one... Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep. ~ Scott Adams Here are some scary quotations from a Reader's Digest article called "Super Deadly Bugs." "People are bent out of shape about bird flu, but CA-MRSA is here, second only to HIV as a public health threat." "A child can be playing with his toys in the morning and be dead from infection by bedtime that night." That's scary. CA-MRSA stands for community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Here's the link to the Department of Health and Human Services Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's information about CA-MRSA. http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dhqp/ar_mrsa_ca_public.html#6 And here's the Reader's Digest story link: http://www.rd.com/content/methicillin-resistant-staphylococcus-aureus/1/ From Dr. Mercola's latest newsletter: Your Family Could Be Eating Organic Food for the Same Price as Processed Foods -- or Less http://www.mercola.com/2005/feb/16/organic_food.htm How to Shop for the Right Food in Your Regular Grocery Store in 10 Easy Steps http://www.mercola.com/2004/jan/31/healthy_groceries.htm $75,000 Offered for MD to Publicly Drink Vaccine Additives http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2007/07/19/75-000-offered-for... In case you didn't know, those additives can include: Thimerosal (a mercury derivative), Ethylene glycol (antifreeze), Phenol (a disinfectant dye), Aluminum, Benzethonium chloride (a disinfectant), Formaldehyde (a preservative and disinfectant). I guess that's one reason my youngest sister refused to have her kids vaccinated. You can do that, you know. You just have to sign forms with your children's schools. Let's see... Oh yeah, here are a few more of my favorite WDC folks: Nada PastVoices vivacious  PlannerDan windac Joy  |
| "Write while the heat is in you. The writer who postpones the recording of his thoughts uses an iron which has cooled to burn a hole with. He cannot inflame the minds of his audience." ~ Henry David Thoreau "The act of writing is an act of optimism. You would not take the trouble to do it if you felt that it didn't matter." ~ Edward Albee "A word is not the same with one writer as with another. One tears it from his guts. The other pulls it out of his overcoat pocket." ~ Charles Peguy |
| Yesterday, I had the Travel Chanel on for some reason. I found a show that talks about regional foods. My hometown - Pittsburgh, PA - was mentioned in the show and it really surprised me. Why, you ask? Well... It turns out that there's a special Pittsburgh sandwich that I don't think I've ever eaten. Or even heard about. Ever. The Devonshire. The guy who first created it did so in the 1930's, so I should have at least heard of it. I didn't leave the 'Burgh until 1974 and my folks didn't move from there until 1984. My last visit was in about...1999. Weird. What's especially strange is that the creator was Frank Blandi. There is a bunch written about the Blandis. The family's first venture in Pittsburgh was The Blandi's, a restaurant and nightclub in Fox Chapel. Frank Blandi also opened the Stratford Club in Oakland, where - by most accounts - Pittsburgh's Devonshire sandwich was born. In the 1950s, James Blandi, Sr. owned the Fox Head Grill, Dormont, and was a partner with his uncle, Frank Blandi, in the Park Schenley, Oakland. He also operated the Lemont Restaurant in Mount Washington. And my mother knew Karen Blandi. I'm not sure how she was related...I think the wife of either James Blandi Sr. or Jr. In fact, I think that my mother and dad attended Karen's wedding or wedding reception at The Lemont on the night before (or maybe the same night, I'm not real sure...) that my youngest sister was born. Since I lived in Mt. Washington, and since my mother had some friendship with a Blandi, you would think that I would have at least have heard of this sandwich. Hmmm. The original Devonshire was composed of crisp bacon and slices of turkey placed on a single piece of toast and then covered with a rich creamy cheese sauce and served bubbling hot from the oven. According to the TV show last night and the web sites that mention this sandwich, now there are variations with other meats and seafood. Sounds yummy. And not very healthy. In my internet travels I came across this list of other foods for which Pittsburgh is "famous." It includes Clark Bars, Heinz Ketchup, Iron City Beer, and Klondike Bars.http://pittsburgh.about.com/cs/diningtraditions/ I also found this page by the Pittsburgh-Tribune Review called, "Souls who enriched our lives, our region." The names include: Jimmy Stewart, Willie Stargell, Gene Kelly and Perry Como. Lots of others too, of course. http://pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/specialreports/10year/s_105329.h... Okay, class is over. Pop quiz coming soon. By the way... I discovered that last month there were a few days when I had twice as many viewers as usual. The only thing different about those entries was that I mentioned some famous folks. And a few of our other WDC bloggers. So, I've covered the famous folks - above. About the WDC bloggers...do keep clicking on some of my favorites seen at the left: Budroe TexansBeatTheMiamiDolphinsBy3 winter flicka Ta Angela's Niece needs Praye hoosiermomma2 Daizy May |
| I guess when I fell last week, I totally forgot about posting sermon notes. So, here they are now. Turn Your Problems Into a Plus Sermon Series: Faith Works (Part 2) Imagine getting this as a letter. Dear friend... James 1:2-3 NIV Consider it pure joy, my brothers whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds. Right. Imagine getting that as a letter from a friend. Some friend, huh? Yes, some friend. Like someone said (well, my pastor for one): If you don't have problems, check your pulse. Problem Particulars:  Problems are part of life.John 16:33 ESV In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world. Problems are not predictable.1 Peter 4:12 NLT Dear friends, don't be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you. Problems are plentiful.Problems are purposeful.1 Corinthians 10:13 NJB None of the trials which have come upon you is more than a human being can stand. You can trust that God will not let you be put to the test beyond your strength, but with any trial will also provide a way out by enabling you to put up with it. Three Positives of Problems: Problems purify my faith.Remember James 1:2-3 above? "...you know that the testing of your faith..." Job 23:10 NCV But God knows the way that I take, and when He has tested me, I will come out like gold. Christians are like tea bags. You really don't know their flavor until you put them in hot water. Problems produce patience.Again, James 1:2-3 above. "...the testing...develops perseverance." Learning to be a follower of Christ is like learning to ride a bike. At some point, we're left to struggle on our own. We might fall and even get hurt. But we get back up and start over, knowing that our teacher is there if and when we need help. Eventually, we get the hang of it. Then we can ride off with our teacher and have some glorious times together. Problems perfect persona.James 1:4 NIV Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. Have you seen the movie Evan Almighty yet? In it, there are some great questions about how God teaches (and provides) patience and courage. Prescription for Problems Praise.Check out James 1:2-3 again. "Consider it pure joy whenever you face trials..." 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NIV Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. Note that it says we should thank God in our trials, not for them. Pray.James 1:5 NIV If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 NIV ...pray continually... Pray for wisdom. Do not waste any opportunity for growth. For every problem a non-Christian has, a Christian will have the same problem. Why? So the world can see the difference in the way they react and respond. You can use your problems for your growth and to His glory. Peace.James 1:6 NIV But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 1 Thessalonians 5:24 MSG The One who called you is completely dependable. If he said it, he'll do it!" Relax and let God be God. He has your back. Needed to survive: Wisdom to understand. Faith to endure. James 1:12 NIV Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. The devil uses problems to defeat. God uses problems to develop. |
| As I said, speaking in church was an experience, as usual. In the first service, I guess I sped through the sermon. The praise team was not prepared for that so our service ended up being only about 45 minutes. They got to go home early. In the second service, I was a bit more at ease and didn't rush. And the praise team added some songs, so the service lasted an hour. The pastor had already warned those of us who are working on the ARKAlmighty program (my sermon topic) that some would not embrace it as excitedly as we did. Sure enough, there were two folks in the early service who started scowling after the video clip explaining ARKAlmighty. At least I think that's when they started with the faces. Someone else suggested that some folks just aren't happy when the pastor isn't there, so maybe that's why they were scowling. Well, maybe. Anyway...when I spoke at the second service I made everyone practice smiling at me first, 'cause it's really intimidating to have folks frown or scowl at you when you speak. Each person who came up to me afterward (both services) was very kind. In my message, I said that I am not a professional speaker. I admitted that I sometimes forget the things I learned at some public speaking classes I've had. I shared that I have had some Toastmaster folks come up to me after speaking and offer suggestions. The thing is, though, when you're supposed to speak for the Lord - if you let Him - He pretty much directs the whole thing. Sure enough, though, after the second service one of our members came up and told me that she IS a professional speaker. She also said that she could forgive me for my speaking errors because she knew my heart was in the right place. I guess that's a good thing. When I shut down the computer at about 6 p.m. last night, I crawled into bed under the covers, thinking I would watch the news with hubby. Well, that didn't work real well. I did fall asleep. I sort of remember him asking me if Derek was working at about 8ish. I responded in the negative and went back to sleep. The next time I looked at the clock, it was 1:30 a.m. I thought about getting up, but didn't. I looked at the clock again at about 3:30 and then again about 6:40 and decided to get up. So, I've had plenty of sleep! Perhaps I'll make another entry later. Perhaps not. Oooooooooppppppppsssssssss. As I was reading hubby's blog "Our Fibromyalgia Blog Book" I realized I forgot to mention that I also took a nap Sunday afternoon from about 1:30 to 3 p.m. Lots of sleep. But I could probably go to sleep again and sleep the rest of the day away. |
| I got up bright and early today so that I could pray and spend some time with God before getting ready for church. Today I had to preach 'cause my pastor was at his sailing regatta. As usual, that was quite an experience for me. I'll share what I spoke about later on in the week. I think I forgot to share the sermon notes from last Sunday, so I'll be sure to do that too later in the week. We're not having our women's small group tonight. And we're getting some pretty bad storms. Already there has been quite a bit of damage in our area. The news said that 1800 homes in our township are still without power, and it showed some of the damage done. None here on our street, thankfully. We have lots of trees here. Anyway, I'm shutting down the computer and am going to nap for a while. |
| Ta reminded me that I didn't come back after the visit to the doctor to report about my fall. Here's the scoop: My doc said that what I did was basically the same as getting whiplash from a car accident. That's the reason my neck hurts. My collar bone isn't broken, but it is tender. She said that made sense considering that I had a form of whiplash. My leg is infected, so I'm faithfully putting the triple antibiotic cream on it, leaving it uncovered (except when I have to go out in public) and taking oral antibiotics too for ten days. My head appears to be okay. Well, from the fall anyway. I realized that the reason my lower back wasn't affected is that I did not land on my butt. What I did was go from a standing position to being flat on my back and I hit my head twice, 'cause it bounced. It could have been much worse. I'm preaching tomorrow at two services. Today, I made sure I was at the praise team's practice, so I know what music they're playing/singing. Besides, that gave them an opportunity to pray for me. The preacher's daughter informed me that while I'm talking, our media guy will be showing a power point slide show on the big screen. Usually, when the pastor is there, that's where they show our sermon note pages with the fill-in-the-blanks. The pastor did up some sermon note sheets for my sermon, but we didn't make any blanks for folks to fill in...just gave the Bible verses I'm using. So...I have no idea what the pastor has cooked up to show on the screen while I'm talking. Kelly told me that her dad said I should just ignore the screen and speak. You know that my curiosity is going to get the best of me. And I'm going to want to watch the slides, which might get me all confooooooosled. So your job, if you choose to accept it, is to pray that 1) my leg isn't too swollen to stand on it (like it has been the last two mornings) and 2) that I'll ignore the screen behind me and just speak. Hubby is planning on taping me, so he can make sure when he does that he gets the slide show in the video and I can see it later. My son might or might not come to church on Sunday. I pray that he does, but we'll see. On another note... The other day, my hubby's pocket decided to call me - on the phone. What, you say? Hubby's old cell phone was one on which you only had to press one button/number to dial "special" phone number, like the home phone. Bumping it the wrong way could mean that he was making calls he didn't mean to make. That phone died not long ago, and hubby got a new phone - a flip phone. He and I both assumed that having a flip phone would mean that his phone would not misbehave anymore. Not so. About the time hubby should have been arriving in our township (based upon when he left the office), the phone rang. I answered it and heard a radio playing, but no one responded to my hello. I checked the cordless phone, where there's a caller ID, and sure enough it was hubby calling. Only he didn't know it. I listened to the radio for a few minutes, then hung up. I guess because he was driving with the windows down, he had the music turned up more than usual. I think if the music had been softer, he would have heard me shouting from his pocket. "Hello, hello!" Funny thing is that about ten minutes later, I picked up the phone and discovered that we were still connected. I decided to listen. I heard him use the self-check service at Kroger. I heard him comment on the gas price at one station as he passed it. "$3.12." When he got home, I handed him the phone and told him that his pocket called and wouldn't talk to me. The really funny thing is that the conversation we had on the porch about his cell phone and what he bought at Kroger's then got recorded on our voice mail. Figure that one out. |
The only things in the middle of the road are yellow stripes and dead armadillos. ~ Jim Hightower Middle of the road? Wishy-washy? Lukewarm? Revelation 3:15-16 NIV I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm-neither hot nor cold-I am about to spit you out of my mouth. |
| For so long, we didn't have any rain at all. Now we're getting some on a daily basis. Or so it seems. I have a doctor's appointment today. It's with the doc who refused to fill out my functional capacity form. I know, I know. I said I wanted to change doctors, and I do. But 1) this appointment was already made. It's for complete physical, which I haven't had for 2 years. And 2) that fall I took...well, I just need a doc to check me out a bit. My leg is really painful now and so are my collar bone and neck - which I didn't know I had injured at the time. Perhaps I hadn't. But they hurt and these are new pains, so they need checked. I'll check in after my appointment at 8:45 this morning. (Can't have any coffee until after that, or food, of course. My tummy is not pleased. )Meanwhile, y'all go check this out. What a nice gesture, don't you think?
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| My headache (from hitting it yesterday) is gone. The boo-boo on my leg is rather ugly, and there's still a bump there, but I'll survive. I do wonder, though, if the pain in my collar bone and my neck have anything to do with the fall I took yesterday. I know when you have a car accident that the pains often show up the next day (or two). Is that also true for a fall? Hmmm. Have you ever heard of Dr. Mercola? He's an osteopath who believes in natural healing vs. prescription medicines. I get a newsletter from him every day. I have to admit that much of his web site is there to promote his books and products. But he does find some great information to pass along. Here's a black and white commercial showing a doctor promoting smoking. Dr. Mercola likens this to what docs today are doing by promoting prescription medications. http://v.mercola.com/blogs/public_blog/Are-Doctors-Still-This-Stupid--23254.aspx... His newsletter today also had an article called, Seven Ways Your Body Tells You You're Hungry. http://v.mercola.com/blogs/public_blog/Seven-Ways-Your-Body-Tells-You-You-re-Hun... Yesterday's video exposed a fast food chain whose strawberry milkshake contains no milk or strawberries, and the strawberry flavoring has 59 ingredients. http://v.mercola.com/blogs/public_blog/Fast-Food-Milkshakes-Exposed-27226.aspx Dr. Mercola gets lots of mail about this video about the Town of Allopath: http://www.mercola.com/townofallopath/index.htm I was a bit curious myself about Dr. Mercola, even though I've been receiving his newsletter for some time. Sometimes when I'm curious, I'll check Wikipedia, even though I know it's not the most reliable source of information. I was surprised at the amount of information about the doc there. The Wikipedia page on him shows lots about the criticisms about him. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Mercola 'Nuff about that. My cousin and I were talking about how most folks get their daily information doses - from the TV. Most folks pick one station to watch and don't ever venture out to see what another channel or other type of media is saying about the same thing. When something is questionable in my mind, I check a bunch of different news sources, including the BBC. I'll check conservative and liberal media to see where they differ and where they agree on the topic. I'll check print and internet media sources. But all of that takes time, something of which most Americans claim to have very little. I talked about that in the very first sermon I ever gave. It was called, "If it's God calling, tell Him I'm busy!" I used that title because I had seen a cartoon using those words. Maybe I'll share that first sermon I gave sometime, and you can see how much I've grown in the last 15 years. Busy? My mom was busy. At one point, she had three kids (6, 2 and infant with cholic), her mother who had just had a stroke and broke her leg, her 18 year old brother-in-law (who was building a stock car in the back yard) and my dad to "manage." She typed insurance policies at home to keep her skills up and earn a few extra bucks for the family. That was back when there were manual typewriters and carbon paper. Some of the policies required that she type an original and six copies. Since my baby sister had cholic, Mom hired teen sisters as baby sitters/mother's helpers in the afternoon so she could fix dinner. Their own house was teeny, tiny (really - one bedroom for parents and three teens, one boy and two girls!), so our basement playroom became their hang-out place late at night...with their friends. And my friends - and their siblings - all congregated at our house. We had a huge back yard, a 3 or 4 car garage, two huge porches, and two play rooms. Our bedroom closets connected with "secret" passages and playing hide-and-seek in the house was loads of fun. Mom always had time to chat with the mail man (it was always a man back then), the bread man, the ice cream man, the milk man, the garbage man, etc. That meant that the gossips in the neighborhood never let her alone. But with three kids and her mother as her constant companions, Mom wasn't doing anything but being nice. And offering each one at least a glass of water, if not a cup of coffee. Our washer was a wringer washer. Lots of clothes were hung out to dry. Folks seemed to prefer that over dryers back then. Clothes were "sprinkled" and rolled and put in a plastic bag into the refrigerator until they could be ironed. Mom and Grandma (when she could) and I ironed sheets, pillow cases, table cloths (which we used all the time), cloth napkins (ditto), handkerchiefs (for both genders) and Dad's t-shirts. Plus the things we would iron today - dresses, skirts, pants and shirts. At that age, I was just learning to iron. I stood on a stool and ironed pillow cases and hankies and napkins. Mom sang in the church choir and was the craft organizer for VBS each year. She was the Vice President of the PTA for a number of years. She wrote plays for the PTA and for church, and helped direct them. She also volunteered as a room mother at school. There were no micro wave ovens back then or even crock pots. Meals took time, especially since there were few quick foods. Most things were made from scratch, including cakes and pies, break and rolls. As we grew older, her activities changed but never stopped. She was my brother's den mother. She drove me to choir practice and took my brother to softball practice, and later took both of my sisters to band practice. When I was in church youth group, she organized the moms so that we would have a good cooked meal every Wednesday night. She made costumes for Halloween and for plays. She wrote poetry for every organization and for every kind of event. She made goofy presents for kids (of her friends) going away to college or the service. She made wacky awards for folks to celebrate the strangest (or the ordinary) happenings in their lives. When I was in high school, she organized a neighborhood watch because drugs were being distributed in the park next to our house. Our house was called "Switzerland." I guess most families have fusses going. Ours was no different. The fussing parties would visit our house, but NOT the houses of those with whom they fussed. So just about every birthday party, Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner was held at our house.We also called our house "Mack's Motel." Out of town relatives and friends always stayed at our house when they visited Pittsburgh. Busy? My mom was a busy person. I have never had to be as busy as she was. Thinking about how busy Mom was has made me tired, tired, tired. Y'all go back and click on a few of those links above while I take a nap. Okay? |
| There are reasons why everyone should make sure they always have money in a savings account and a credit card available for emergencies, especially if one owns a house. You never know when something might need fixed. For months, there was a drip, drip, drip from the faucet in the basement laundry tub. Having a plumber come and fix that shouldn't have been a huge expense, except that the pipes are as old as the house. Once we have the money for a plumber, we really should get a bunch of things fixed. Hubby did try to get a cap for the faucet. He was, wisely, afraid to try just forcing the drip to quit, since that might have broken the pipe. Last week he finally was able to get a cap and that drip (which had become more than just a drip over the months) has stopped. About two weeks ago, I noticed that we were getting some water on the floor in the basement. It's coming from the air conditioning or something. Today, I discovered that it's more than water on the floor. It's actually more slimy than water. How did I find out? I FELL! After I put hubby's clothes in the washer, I was at the bottom step ready to go up when I slipped on the slimy substance all over the floor. Down I went, with my legs under the stairs. My head hit the concrete floor. Thankfully, my son was in the basement on his computer. He insisted that I sit a minute while he made sure my head wasn't bleeding. It wasn't. But I figured I'd have a bump on it later. One shin was bleeding and already getting a bump. The other was already bruised, but the skin wasn't broken. So here I sit with an ice pack on my head and on one leg/shin. We really should have had the leak fixed when it appeared. But...when there is no extra money... I guess when I'm feeling up to it, I better find a way to mop up that goo all over the floor. I had not realized how much was on the floor until I fell. It had just been a trickle before. Now it's more of a stream. Keep praying about the judge's decision for the disability, okay? It surely will help our finances if I have some kind of regular income. |
| Some things just don't seem right, you know? But if you read them in print or see them on the news you have to wonder. For instance, I have heard for years that folks in Europe don't attend church as much as folks in the U.S. But I have never done any real research on that. This morning, in my News With Views email, one of the articles said of European churches: "The churches are for the most part state supported and sanctioned. They have been secularized and made obedient to the state. Strict adherence to Biblical principles invites state censure and may subject both disobedient pastors and lay people to fines and incarceration." Really? Is that true? Here's the link to the whole article. It speaks of George W. Bush's membership in the Order of the Skull and Bones and that Bush serves them and not the people of the U.S. My son just watched a documentary about that. http://www.newswithviews.com/Schwiesow/jim27.htm This morning on Good Morning America, they said that Sprint/Nextel has fired over 1,000 customers for complaining too much. GMA read a copy of the letter sent out to the customers they fired. It seems that they complained and Sprint/Nextel thought it best to cancel their service. Really? I wonder how many calls to customer service is too many? Will they tell new customers in advance that if they call too many times they might be dumped? Will they give them a warning before dumping them? "Dear Customer: You are coming close to the lifetime number of calls to customer service that our company allows." My sister has been dealing with AOL problems ever since my parents first went to live with her. She originally set up my mother's AOL account and knows her password, but Karen was honest when she contacted AOL to cancel mom's account. She provided copies of the court order giving her complete control of my mother - her money and her health issues. AOL customer service said they didn't "recognize" that form and insisted that my mother needed to fill out their form. Really? AOL doesn't recognize a legal document that gives my sister complete control over my mother's health and welfare? AOL continued taking payments from my mother's checking account until my sister canceled it. Then they started sending collection notices to my sister's house. They're still trying to get money from my sister. Amazing. I was reminded of this because GMA also showed a segment where a fellow argued with a customer service agent from AOL who refused to just cancel his account, which was what he wanted. The taped call was part of GMA's segment on customer service today. (That fellow was fired, supposedly.) I remember when the saying was, "The customer is always right." That's surely not the case anymore. A few months ago, I heard part of a conversation at a store's customer service desk. A young woman was trying to return a few wedding gifts. The company - one of our large discount retailers - has a new policy that no items may ever be returned without a receipt. The customer service person explained that and also said that the buyer(s) should have asked for a gift receipt. The newlywed explained that the gifts were from her grandmother and a great-aunt and they probably didn't even know there was such a thing as a gift receipt. She thought the sales clerk should have offered gift receipts to them, since both most likely made conversation (as the elderly tend to do) about the up-coming wedding. The customer service rep insisted that it's not a cashier's job to offer a gift receipt; it's the customer's job to remember to do so. As I walked away, I realized what a different world it has become. The customer is not only NOT ALWAYS RIGHT, but is deemed MOST OFTEN WRONG. |
| There are over 200 million Americans who are overweight, and collectively they are carrying around an extra 5 BILLION pounds of excess fat. http://v.mercola.com/blogs/public_blog/Finally-Science-Confirms-the-Secret-Key-t... Just take a large, flat stone and draw a dotted line down the middle of it with paint. Then write, "to relieve stress, tear on dotted line." ****** Last night after 11:30 p.m., I was sitting on the porch enjoying the quiet. I realized that those crazy folks who had been setting off firecrackers since way before the 4th of July must have finally run out of gun powder. It was really quiet outside. A few minutes later, a car came down the street, a bit faster than it should have, considering the residential neighborhood. The music was a little louder than it should have been for the time of night. Someone was dropping off one of our neighbors - a teen boy. The girl who drove, used the driveway directly across the street from our house to drop him off and turn around. He got out of the car and the three teens laughed and and talked louder than they should have. None of that really bothered me, since I was already up and sitting outside. The girl started backing up out of the driveway and I knew right away that she was going to hit our car - hubby's car, actually - parked on the street. She never turned the wheels of the car, just backed straight into the car. The kids were still laughing and talking and she was about to just drive away. I stood up on the porch and yelled, "Stop! You just hit my car." She did stop. When I went into the house for a flashlight to access the damage, hubby woke up and came out too. There didn't appear to be any, but in the dark it was hard to tell. I took the girl's license and insurance information down as she asked me, "Why are you writing that information?" She also commented, "Can we please hurry? I have a curfew." Oh I surely wanted to give that girl a long lecture. About not being out too close to curfew just in case something happened. About watching what one was doing while driving, instead of laughing and teasing. About stopping when one hits another's car. (I really think she would have just gone on if I had not shouted from the porch.) The girl also asked that I call her cell phone and not her home number in the morning when hubby checks the car in the daylight. I did that, but I also suggested that she needed to tell her parents all about what happened. There was no damage to the car, but they do need to know anyway. My son thinks I should call her parents. |
Sorry. None of hubby and me. I know some folks took them, but we haven't seen them yet.   |
| I was telling a newbie about how my mother and grandmother would not allow us to use the word hate, especially about people. Perhaps we could hate someone's actions, but we could never hate the person. I searched my portfolio for a poem I wrote about that, but couldn't find it. It is here: http://pittsburgh.about.com/library/authors/ucwilkerson2a.htm |
| Well, I forgot and you didn't remind me...that I didn't post sermon notes from last Sunday. Our pastor started a new sermon series last week called Faith Works. I think it's going to be a 15 part series this time. Maturity Matters Hebrews 6:1 MSG Grow up in Christ. Maturity Myths: It is not about:show or appearance or activity level.status (what you are or what you have done...there's no depth in that)scholasticism (it's not what you know, it's what you do with it!)Don't compare yourself to others, but to the ultimate measuring stick - God's Word and Jesus. I know I'm a mature believer when... I'm positive under pressure.James 1:2-4 NIV Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. James 1:12 MSG Anyone who meets a testing challenge head-on and manages to stick it out is mighty fortunate. For such persons loyally in love with God, the reward is life and more life. Don't you just love those words above? Loyally in love with God? I show favor not favoritism.Don't be a snob. James 2:1-16 NIV My brothers, ...don't show favoritism. Matthew 25:37-40 NCV Then the good people will answer, "Lord when did we see you hungry and give you food, or thirsty and give you something to drink?...Then the King will answer, "I tell you the truth, anything you did for even the least of my people here, you also did for me." I can tame my tongue.Don't insult. When you go to the doctor's office, they have you stick out your tongue to check your physical self. For a spiritual check-up, stick out your tongue. What are you saying that you shouldn't? James 3:1-12 NCV We all make many mistakes. If people never said anything wrong, they would be perfect and able to control their entire selves, too...Also a ship is very big, and it is pushed by strong winds. But a very small rudder controls that big ship, making it go wherever the pilot wants. It is the same with the tongue... Some things should just not be said. Sometimes frankness is unkind. Loose lips sink ships. Ephesians 4:29 NCV When you talk, do not say harmful things, but say what people need -- words that will help others become stronger. Then what you say will do good to those who listen to you. Speak words that build up, not tear down. Tell the truth in love. Right timing, right place, right reason. James 1:26 NIV If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless. Yikes. Worthless? That hurts. I am a person of compassion not conflict.James 4:1 NIV What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires that battle within you? a) Selfish motivation (vs. 3) or pride. b) Judging others (vs. 11-12). You really don't know what is going on in a person's life. Only God know everything, and he can judge. I am prayerfully persevering.James 5:7-11 NIV Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord's coming...You too, be patient and stand firm,... Brothers, as an example of patience in the face of suffering... As you know, we consider blessed those who have persevered. James 5:16 NIV The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. Be patient. While waiting - pray. |
| Today was my hearing about whether or not I can be classified entirely able to work full time at something for which I already have skills or at some other meaningful job or if I can be termed disabled. I'm exhausted, and I'm trying to stay upbeat and ready for hubby's daughter to spend the weekend. Once I sort out everything that happened today - but before I forget entirely - I'll be back to fill you in.The judge wasn't too happy that my medical records didn't arrive in a timely fashion and, I guess, was a bit more snippy than usual because of that. Perhaps he was punishing me and my attorney? My shrink and psychologist did not provide their records yet. So, the judge decided to allow 30 days to get those records. He said he would make his decision between 30 and 45 days after that. So, y'all keep on praying, okay? And remind me to tell you how the PhD in some kind of vocational stuff expertly read the descriptions and ability levels of jobs I had in the past from her computer program...and how that computer really did say that being a sales clerk is a sedentary position. Seriously. I guess whoever wrote the job descriptions never performed them. There's more, of course. But I'm both physically (from walking from the parking garage to the meeting place) and emotionally (well, you know why there) worn out from the ordeal. Right now I need to focus on fixing dinner for Tiff and hubby. I'm sure God will work this SS thing out. Still, if I could cry, I would. From frustration. For some relief at having part of this over. (Although we never told the judge how downright painful it is to have what feels like tears welled up inside with nowhere for them to go!!!) And tears to show God how happy I am knowing that He is really the one in control. We really cannot depend upon man. |
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