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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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| Hi all. Did I take that nap yesterday from 3 to 4:20ish pm? I sure did. I woke up about three minutes before hubby called. I also took a nap after hubby got home from work. From about 6:30 to 7:30. Of course after two naps and the resting I did before that, I didn't go to bed until 1 am. Got up to get Derek from work and here I am now. But you know...I'm probably going back to bed for a while. I'm not going to set an alarm...just let my body decide how much sleep it wants. The dirty house and sink full of dishes will wait some more. And such is my life. Today, the pains all over my body are competing with the fatigue. They're all winning, as far as I can figure. I know, I know. I haven't posted my sermon notes yet. I'll do that when I wake up. Then I'll do those dishes. So...nitey-nite again.  |
| After getting Derek from work, I rested and checked my map for getting to my disability attorney's office. I haven't been there for over a year, and my forgetter works real good. He asked what new maladies and/or symptoms I might have developed over the past year. The medical records he has are only up-to-date to mid-2005, so he has to request records from then to now. Not much time to get them and forward a copy to the court by July 6. Grrr... I liked it better when he had an assistant to keep up with that stuff. He explained the forms that I have to fill out and send in. A confirmation that I will be in court. A record of medications I take. And a record of any work I might have done since mid-2005. Pretty easy stuff. I'll be able to get that in tomorrow's mail. Then he explained the court procedures. There are 11 possible judges. Three of them are totally open to fibromyalgia cases and approve as soon as they see that medical records back up the diagnosis. Of course I didn't get one of them. Three don't believe that fibro is disabling. Thankfully, I also didn't get one of those. The remaining judges are probably more what one would expect of a judge. They read the medical records, listen to the supposed disabled person and any witnesses, consult with a vocational expert (and a doctor if they have chosen to have one present...my judge has not), then make a decision.The judge will be asking me some questions that day - about my normal routines, what I can and cannot do around the house, my pain levels, etc. They are questions I can certainly answer, but my attorney wanted me to be prepared. The interesting thing is the vocational expert that will be in the court room. She will have read through the medical records, but her testimony will not be on them. She will be asked first if a person of my age, with the maladies I have, could work a full time job. If she says yes, she will be asked what those jobs are and how many there are in the US, the region and in my city. (Hmmm. If the job(s) she thinks I could do were only located in Alaska, would they expect my hubby to move?) Next, she will be reminded of what my specific medical file and my doctors' reports say about my abilities and disabilities, then asked the same question. What jobs can I do based upon this information? How many of said jobs are there in the US, the region, my city. Finally, she will be reminded of what I said -and my witness(es) said - about what I can and cannot do. And she will be asked again what full time jobs I could do and how many are in the US, the region and my city. After all of this, the judge will make his decision based upon the medical records, the vocational expert, and whether or not he feels that I am credible. Unfortunately, this judge does not make quick decisions. My attorney took two cases to him in January of this year. One just received an answer; the other has not yet been decided. Time for me to make some notes about what a typical day is really all about. Like today. I picked up my son. Rested. Got ready. Drove to my attorney's office. Spent 1 1/2 hours there. Drove back. Called hubby. Rested. Talked to my baby sister on the phone. Rested some more. Typed this blog entry. Now...my house is a mess. I have a ton of laundry to do. There are dishes in the sink. And what am I going to do about all of those things? Nothing. I'm going to take a nap. Hubby should be calling at about 4:20ish to tell me he's on his way home from work. So my next rest will be a real, honest-to-goodness nap of about an hour and 20+/- minutes. Nitey-nite. |
| The story continues... After dropping the injured bird at the SPCA, Tiff and hubby went to lunch at Steak & Shake. Then they saw a movie at the cheapie theater. I forget which movie they saw. You'll have to ask him. Tiff spent much of Saturday and some of this afternoon playing with the sprinkler and in the mud. I think she left her muddy clothes here for me to wash rather than taking them home to mom. Good call. Weird thing, though. For some reason last night at about 11 pm, Tiff called her mother and said she wanted to leave. Hubby was just about ready to go to bed. Or so he thought. Tiff had done this one other time and hubby took her home as she asked. This time he put his foot down since it was so late. We tried to find out what that was all about. She didn't appear to be bored the whole time she was here. That has been a problem in the past. She expects to be entertained, and if her neighborhood friends are off camping or something, that leaves hubby and me to come up with constant activities. I don't remember needing any adults to help me think of things to do at that age. But this time, she was occupied and seemed happy. Until she asked to go home. I wonder if her mom put that idea in her head when Tiff called her to say good-night. Could be. ******** Let's lighten up.  How about a joke. This was in Reader's Digest, June 2007 issue. A little boy was wailing about having stubbed his toe. His mother asked, "Which one?" His response? "The one that had roast beef."  You got it, right? This little piggy... ******** I got a new writing newsletter the other day. One that I had requested. The first issue arrived and I started reading. I don't remember what the first article was about. There were about a dozen lines, then one of those "more" buttons to click. I clicked and found myself on a page where I learned that I had to join to read the whole article. What? I went back to the newsletter and discovered that every "more" button lead me to the same page where I had to join to read more. Grrr. That isn't a newsletter. A newsletter has complete articles in it. What I got was a big advertisement with teasers. That's just not nice. Know what else? As I read the joining form, I discovered that they had conveniently already checked some answers at the bottom for me. X Yes, I want to receive newsletters from all divisions and subsidiaries and related and unrelated companies and organizations that this writer's organization decides. (Okay, I'm exaggerating just a bit.) X Yes, I want to subscribe for 5 years for the reduced price of $XXX. (Okay, maybe it was only 3 years.) X Yes, I want to provide 15 email addresses of friends and relatives. (You got me. It was only 5.) But you get what I mean. Not only were the not providing a real newsletter, they had checked all of these things for me. If I had ordered and not realized what was checked, I could have been getting newsletters and who knows what else from dozens of companies and organizations. Grrr. Really not nice. ******** In case you haven't heard, winter could use our prayers. Here's Budroe   's entry to tell more. "Invalid Entry"  Stop by Raven's port and read some of her work. Then drop her a line and tell her that you're praying for her. |
| We had plans for this weekend. Plans for Tiff and her dad to spend some fun times together. Sometimes, though, real life happens in ways that we don't plan. We arrived at church at 5:50 pm for a grill-out that was supposed to start at 6. There were lots of cars in the parking lot, but I guess they were from businesses across the street. Our church lets the businesses use the parking lot when the church isn't meeting. There was a grill at the back of the church, but it wasn't fired up. Hubby and I wondered if we had the wrong day, but I had checked the bulletin before leaving the house. It did say Friday night at 6. I wondered if there were so few people signed up that they cancelled and forgot to call us. Soon, the pastor arrived and behind him the woman who had been in charge of planning. It turned out that she had quite a day - personally. And when her husband went to the Christian book store to pick up the movie we were supposed to see after eating, he discovered that the release date had been pushed back - to August! They consulted over the phone and selected Flicka. Someone got the grill going and we ate hot dogs and watched Flicka. Everyone cried. Tiff wanted to leave when it got sad. Hubby was ready to take here home, but I said I was staying. (We had two cars.) Thankfully, they did stay so Tiff was able to see the happy ending. If you haven't seen Flicka, I would recommend it. Especially if you need your tear ducts cleaned out. ********* We arrived home about 9 pm and it wasn't dark yet. Tiff was spending time with her neighbor friend. Hubby and I sat on the porch. It was a nice night. Cooler now that the sun was going down, with a slight breeze. Quite pleasant. Then I noticed Tiff's friend (Taylor)'s cat attack a bird. The bird was jumping all over the yard and I went to see what I could do. The kids realized that something was going on. They saw the bird under Taylor's dad's truck. Now we realized that it was not a grown bird, but a baby. And everyone's "awwwwwwwwww" instinct kicked in. We got the bird into a box. I looked for advice about saving baby birds while hubby tried reaching the SPCA. The SPCA was supposed to call back last night but never did. I think they would have if we had been able to tell them it was an endangered bird. But we really didn't know what kind it was. Tiff and the neighbor girls went to work looking for worms. They weren't going to chew them up like a mommy bird might, but the did figure they could smash them up to feed him/her. They played in the dirt/water/mud for quite a while, then admitted that they had almost forgotten about the bird. They were having fun making mud pies and getting filthy at ten o'clock at night. Tiff told her friends that I was a really cool step mom. She squirted me accidently and I didn't get mad and scream and yell. Why would I? It was water, and I wouldn't melt. Besides, I chose to sit close to the activities. I had to know that an "accident" could cause me to get wet. They never did find any worms. We wondered why an adult bird can just reach down into the earth and grab one, but a bunch of kids digging around in the dirt cannot find even one. Next they chewed up pieces of bread and tried feeding the chirping baby. It did eat some of that. They put grass and mud in the bottom of the box and we put the baby in the garage, so our cats couldn't get to it. The baby, from what I read on the internet, is a fledgling. That's why it was hopping around in the yard. Supposedly, if you put a fledgling back near where you found it, it will hop to a nest - maybe in low bushes - and everything will be fine. But the neighbor's cat went prowling for more birds once she found one. Putting the small bird back would have been a death sentence. ********** This morning hubby had to work for a few hours. The plan was for him to come back here to pick up Tiff and go to Michael's (craft store) so he and Tiff could make a craft together. That was the plan... But... 1)The last craft time was 11:30 and he would not have made it. 2)We had a bird that needed help. I talked with the SPCA this morning and they said to bring it in. So now Tiff and her dad are off taking the bird - which really does need some food and water at this point, plus I think the cat broke the bird's leg - to the SPCA. I gave Tiff some money to treat her dad to lunch and whatever else they want after that. Movies, bowling. She has her bathing suit with her, but hubby doesn't even have one that fits. Maybe she has it in mind to go and buy him some swim trunks. I don't know. But the day is theirs. She said she just wanted some daddy time. ********** My son didn't go to work last night. He pulled a muscle in his back and chest and it was just too painful last night for him to go. I told him that since he did pull the muscle at work, he should really have them pay for x-rays and such to see what's going on. But I'm just a mom, not someone who really knows stuff. Here it is only mid-day on Saturday. And as I wrote, the phone rang. Of course it was Tiff's mom wanting to talk with her. I told her she was having her daddy time. Paula answered, "Well, I'll just call his cell phone." I almost wish he had it turned off. Why does she always have to intrude on their fun? |
| Know where that is found? That's right. It's from Shakespeare's soliloquy which begins "To be or not to be." I was just reading and reviewing that whole soliloquy. It was either in 10th or 11th grade that we studied Hamlet in school. We had to memorize many parts of Hamlet, and this was one of those parts. I think it must have been 11th grade. I would have memorized this in English class. At the same time, I was memorizing all of the words to songs for concerts we would perform with the choir and the story of the "Crow and the Fox" in French class. On my own, I vowed to memorize some Bible verses that year as well. Oddly enough, I remember some of the Bible verses. And I remember most of the French I memorized that year. In fact, I have been known to recite that French in my sleep. I just love the Internet. I Googled the first line of what I memoried in French class and voi la. There it was. The entire text of what I had memorized in 11th grade. It's by Jean de la Fontaine. Maître Corbeau, sur un arbre perché, Tenait en son bec un fromage. Maître Renard, par l'odeur alléché, Lui tint à peu près ce langage : "Hé ! bonjour, Monsieur du Corbeau. Que vous êtes joli ! que vous me semblez beau ! Sans mentir, si votre ramage Se rapporte à votre plumage, Vous êtes le Phénix des hôtes de ces bois." A ces mots le Corbeau ne se sent pas de joie ; Et pour montrer sa belle voix, Il ouvre un large bec, laisse tomber sa proie. Le Renard s'en saisit, et dit : "Mon bon Monsieur, Apprenez que tout flatteur Vit aux dépens de celui qui l'écoute : Cette leçon vaut bien un fromage, sans doute. " Le Corbeau, honteux et confus, Jura, mais un peu tard, qu'on ne l'y prendrait plus. If you want the English translation, here's the link. http://www.jdlf.com/lesfables/livrei/lecorbeauetlerenard It's funny how easily it is to get distracted. I was determined to write about sleep today. I found some sleeping (and waking) quotes: It is a common experience that a problem difficult at night is resolved in the morning after the committee of sleep has worked on it. ~John Steinbeck One of the coolest and wisest hours a man has, is just after he awakes in the morning. - Herman Melville He who sleeps in continual noise is wakened by silence. - William Dean Howells Take rest; a field that has rested gives a bountiful crop. - Ovid Why am I thinking about sleep? Because for some reason, when I don't have to pick up Derek at work at 6:45 a.m., I wake up bewteen 6:50 and 7:10 a.m. It's not that I wake up thinking that I missed getting Derek from work. I always know that it's a day when I don't have to do that. It's not that the cats have awakened me. Often one or both of them are sleeping soundly on the bed with me. Earlier in the year, it could have been the sun waking me. But not now. The sun rises before I'm waking. Back when Derek and I lived in Lake Jackson, TX, I used to wake up at 4:30 a.m. each and every day. It didn't matter if I went to bed at 10 p.m. or 1 a.m., I would always wake at the same time. I know why that was. In the apartment behind me, there was a fellow who went to work every morning at that time. The parking lot where he parked was just 20 feet or so from my bedroom window and his car was LOUD. I woke every time he started his car and I usually couldn't get back to sleep. Oh well. I loved watching the sun come up. Now I'm trying to discover if there's a loud car or truck in my neighborhood waking me each morning. If it's a noise that wakes me, it stops before I'm out of bed. I just can't figure it out. As I was thinking about sleep patterns, I thought about hubby. He loves sleeping in until at least 9 a.m. on the days when he doesn't work. I have to admit that bugs me a bit. I always got up even earlier on days I didn't work so that all of my house chores could be completed by about 10 a.m. and the rest of the day could be used for having fun. With hubby in bed until 9, I feel like I have to tip-toe around. He's not a sound sleeper. Perhaps that's what bugs me more. I could get up on the weekends and clean and do laundry or whatever, but I'm afraid of waking him. And so I don't do those things. And then I don't do them when he's up either. I really prefer cleaning when there's no one to get in the way. It goes faster that way.Oh well. I was also thinking about today's kids...and when they have sleep overs. When I was young, we had sleep overs too. But no matter how long we were awake, we were always expected to leave the house where we slept by about 8 a.m. We had to be up, washed, dressed and with breakfast in our bellies before then. We left by 8, so that all of us could be home and ready to do our chores. Back then, on the weekends, dads mowed the lawns early in the morning hours too. On any Saturday in the summer, you could see the dads in every yard between 7 and 9 a.m. If someone wasn't cutting the grass by then, we all wondered if the man of the house was sick. Of if the family had gone away for the day. While the dads were doing yard chores, the kids were either helping out there or in the house with the moms. The moms were fussing in the kitchen, picking up around the house or doing a load of laundry. Yes, there were specific days for big housekeeping chores and laundry, but Saturday mornings were catch-up days. On Saturday nights, dads shined our shoes - our church shoes and our school shoes. I think my dad liked that his girls wore patent leather shoes to church. He just put a layer of vasoline on them and wiped them clean. Real leather shoes required shoe polish and spit-shining. In the summer, of course, the dads didn't have to polish school shoes. Instead, they checked out the tennis shoes and sandles to make sure they were clean for the coming week. White tennis shoes did get white shoe polish on them sometimes. I know my dad preferred that we get red or navy Keds. While dads were polishing shoes, moms were making sure that the kids were ready for church in the morning. They washed our hair (back then we often only washed our hair once a week - yuck!). I had rather straight hair, so my mom put curlers in my hair every Saturday evening. Every picture of me as a kid on a Saturday night shows me with curlers, even if we're having a family get-together for a birthday or something. Sunday mornings, of course, found everyone heading to their church. We kids could visit and play with friends after church and after lunch. If we weren't going to visit other relatives, that is. We often visited aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents on Sunday afternoons. When we moved into the neighborhood where I spent my elementary school years, I was only three years old. It was still part farming community, and there were horses, cows, goats and chickens all around us. I wonder if we all got up early in the morning because there were roosters to help wake us. Whatever the reason, rising early was something that has become a habit for me. Even when I don't have to. Or perhaps especially when I don't have to. I love waking to watch the sun rise and hear the birds being their morning praise and worship service. I love watching squirrels romp. You just don't hear or see these things later in the day. By then, the animals are about their business. Sometimes, we should pay attention to what the animals and birds have to teach us. So maybe that's the answer to the puzzle. Maybe I wake up around 7 a.m. just because it's what my body and mind and spirit are used to doing. Getting up early to face the day. |
| Today is Flag Day. When I was a kid, we always flew the flag on important days - Fourth of July, Flag Day, Memorial Day. I guess I always figured that Flag Day was the day we celebrated the flag and, perhaps, Betsy Ross for having created the first one. I never thought much more about it. Today, I set out to learn some more. Did you know: ...that Flag Day was officially established by the Proclamation of President Woodrow Wilson on May 30, 1916. On August 3, 1919, President Truman signed an Act of Congress making June 14th National Flag Day. ...that the whole idea of Flag Day was probably started by a teacher in Wisconsin - BJ Cigrand - back in 1885. Or did you know: ...that in 1914, Franklin K. Lane, Secretary of the Interior, delivered a Flag Day address and said these words: "I am what you make me; nothing more. I swing before your eyes as a bright gleam of color, a symbol of yourself." He said the flag had spoken those words to him that morning. Boy, if the flag represents who we are, we surely have changed over the years. I wonder what our forefathers think as they gaze down upon us. That we've ruined everything for which they fought? That the instruments and documents they designed for us were backed by a sound set of moral values that we have lost? Yes, today is Flag Day. You know why I remember that? Because it was also my father's birthday. I think he loved that he was born on Flag Day. Flags waved on his birthday. "I Miss My Dad" We celebrated his last earthly birthday two years ago. You know, I think he enjoyed the fact that his birthday - Flag Day - and Father's Day were so close together. It allowed us to celebrate for days.******** I was curious today about the origins of Flag Day. I wandered onto a site about the U.S. flag. http://www.usflag.org/history.html There, I discovered that we have an American Creed, written by William Tyler Page. He won a nationwide contest, the idea of Henry Sterling Chapin, Commissioner of Education of New York State. That was in 1918, when being patriot was right and proper. The web site says, "James H. Preston, the mayor of Baltimore, presented an award to Page in the House of Representatives Office Building on April 3, 1918. The Speaker of the House of Representatives and the commissioner of education of the state of New York accepted the Creed for the United States, and the proceedings relating to the award were printed in the Congressional Record of April 13, 1918. Here's the creed: The American's Creed "I believe in the United States of America as a Government of the people by the people, for the people, whose just powers are derived from the consent of the governed; a democracy in a Republic; a sovereign Nation of many sovereign States; a perfect Union, one and inseparable; established upon those principls of freedom, equality, justice, and humanity for which American patriots sacrificed their lives and fortunes. I therefore believe it is my duty to my Country to love it; to support its Constitution; to obey its laws; to respect its flag, and to defend it againest all enemies." Have you ever seen the biggest U.S. flag? (And the world's largest flag.) It weighs 3,000 pounds and requires 600 people to unfurl it! http://www.superflag.com/doc/guinness.htm There are references all over the internet about a live-cam of the tallest flag pole in Dorris, California, but it appears that the live-cam link is dead.  But there are still pictures of the town folks hoisting a 30 x 60 ft. flag on this 200 ft. tall pole.http://dorrislions.homestead.com/fourthflagup.html |
| Booker T Washington quotes: If you want to lift yourself up, lift up someone else. No man, who continues to add something to the material, intellectual and moral well-being of the place in which he lives, is left long without proper reward. You get the best out of others when you give the best of yourself. ~ Harvey S. Firestone Give what you have to somebody, it may be better than you think. ~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not. ~ Thomas Jefferson God has given us two hands, one to receive with and the other to give with. ~ Billy Graham Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both. ~ Benjamin Franklin You can give without loving, but you can never love without giving. ~ Robert Louis Stevenson Love grows by giving. The love we give away is the only love we keep. The only way to retain love is to give it away. ~ Elbert Hubbard Luke 6:38 NIV ~ Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. |
| What city was that? Did you hear? A woman died on the emergency room floor? Her family couldn't get her help there, so they called 9-1-1. They wouldn't or couldn't offer help since she was already at the hospital. A stranger in the hospitall also called 9-1-1 and got the same response. How could that happen??? My sermon will be delivered at church on July 15. That gives me a bit of time to prepare. Did you see Dr. Phil today? Some gypsy scammers in Houston set up a toll free number pretending to be the Dr. Phil show. People actully wired money via Western Union to buy time to talk to Dr. Phil and/or his wife. How sad. They were paying $350 and more. The story and investigation continues tomorrow on the show. Hey, TexansBeatTheMiamiDolphinsBy3 . The calls were being answered at a psychic's location. Y'all do have quite a few of them (plus topless clubs) along the main streets and highways in Houston, don't you? Sounds like a great place for a prayer walk.Found a few more quotations I like: If you want to lift yourself up, lift up someone else. - Booker T. Washington The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not. - Thomas Jefferson I wonder why we quote some things from Thomas Jefferson and not others. Like thinking that his phrase "separation of church and state" is in the official government documents...when it was really in one of Jefferson's personal letters. Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both. - Benjamin Franklin Oh my. You can give without loving, but you can never love without giving. - Robert Louis Stevenson Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. - Luke 6:38 NIV |
....but God is good. God is good....all the time.   Warning. Sermon coming. The Building Character series continues. Part 9 Learning Fairness in an Unfair World Notes in the margins: In Ecclesiastes, Solomon - the world's wisest man - said that crime not punished will go on. In Ecc. 8:11 NIV When the sentence for a crime is not quickly carried out, the hearts of the people are filled with schemes to do wrong.Most people don't think about fairness. Most people don't care as long as they get theirs.Last year, one million Christians were martyred. That's the average per year.The world is not Heaven; it's not perfect.Ecclesiastes, 4:1-2 Again I looked and saw all the oppression that was taking place under the sun: I saw the tears of the oppressed and they have no comforter; power was on the side of their oppressors and they have no comforter. And I declared that the dead, who had already died, are happier than the living, who are still alive. Ecclesiastes 8:14 NIV There is something else meaningless that occurs on earth: righteous men who get what the wicked deserve, and wicked men who get what the righteous deserve. This too, I say, is meaningless.Ecclesiastes 9:11-12 NIV I have seen something else under the sun: The race is not to the swift or the battle to the strong, nor does food come to the wise or wealth to the brilliant or favor to the learned; but time and chance happen to them all. Moreover, no man knows when his hour will come: As fish are caught in a cruel net, or birds are taken in a snare, so men are trapped by evil times that fall unexpectedly upon them. Ecclesiastes 10:5-6 NIV 5 There is an evil I have seen under the sun, the sort of error that arises from a ruler: Fools are put in many high positions, while the rich occupy the low ones. We pay athletes ten to a hundred times the pay of teachers, the ones responsible for teaching our children.God wants tried and true lovers. He could have created us to be robotic worshipers. Instead He gave us free will. We get to choose to love Him or to ignore Him. If bad things happen, it isn't because God chose those bad things to happen. But he did give everyone free will. If you are hit by a drunk driver, it isn't God's fault, but the fault of the driver who chose to drive while drunk.If God took away injustice, He would also have to take away free will or choices.We may never get an explanation here on earth about why we had the suffering we did. Photo negatives taken are turned to positive by having a very bright light shine on them. So it is with people. Negatives turn to positive by our Shining Light.And now for the fill-in-the-blanks.... Why does God allow injustice?  Because He blessed us with free will.Deuteronomy 11:26 NLT "Today I am giving you the choice between a blessing and a curse!" Because God will bless us with justice.2 Corinthians 5:10 NCV We must all stand before Christ to be judged. Each of us will receive what we should get -- good or bad -- for the thing we did in the earthly body. God's judgement will b so much better than any revenge we can imagine. Because God wants us to find our Savior.Ecclesiastes 3:18 TLB And then I realized that God is letting the world go on its sinful way so that he can test mankind, and so that men themselves will see that they are no better than the beasts. We need a Savior!!! Humanity is not good. Hope is not in man, not in a new President, not even in the Church. Hope is in Jesus. Because God wants us to build character.Romans 5:3-4 ESV Suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope. Potentially, suffering has this ability...if we respond in the right way. How to face unfairness: Accept is as part of your spiritual pilgrimage.1 Peter 4:12-13 NCV My friends, do not be surprised at the terrible trouble which now comes to test you. Do not think that something strange is happening to you. But be happy that you are sharing in Christ's sufferings so that you will be happy and full of joy when Christ comes again in glory. Replace your anger with affection.Matthew 5:44 NCV But I say to you, love your enemies. Pray for those who hurt you. You cannot carry around a ball and chain for 25 years because someone hurt you. You have to learn to love your enemies and pray for those who hurt you. Booker T. Washington said, "I let no man drag me down so low as to make me hate him." Let God be your source of strength.1 Peter 2:19 NCV A person might have to suffer even when it is unfair; but if he thinks of God and stands the pain, God is pleased. 1 Peter 4:19 NLT So if you are suffering according to God's will, keep on doing what is right, and trust yourself to the God who made you, for He will never fail you. Remember.... 2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! |
| My baby sister had a birthday on June 6 and I still haven't talked with her. That's odd. I have left a few messages, but haven't had a return call. I wonder if she and her family went away for a few days. Normally she would check in first, especially since mom's assisted living center is near her. Hmmm. My baby sister turned 42 this year. She doesn't look it. The young couple who used to live next door (and whose father/father-in-law still does) learned that their 18 month old son probably has autism. If so, it's certainly a high functioning autism, perhaps Asperger's. He's a pretty bright kid. Talks quite well for 18 months. When he saw our cat in the window, he distinctly said, "Cat." He also got out of the backyard this weekend and found his way to the neighbor's yard on the other side of us. They had a party the night before and there was one beer can and one beer bottle in the yard. Aiden discovered the can and his mom found him drinking from it. The next day when he and his mom were walking down the sidewalk, that's where he headed. He was looking for more beer cans. Not many kids that age like the taste of beer, but it appears that he does. (You see what I mean by high functioning?) I printed out some info from the internet for them to have so they can be more informed when they ask for a second opinion. I wonder why there seems to be more of this than ever before. Or are we just recognizing it more? I did mention that my son's old girlfriend - Allison (who used to live with us) is going to Spain in September, right? She has gotten a job as an au pair and will spend a year with the family. How cool is that? She probably would never get the opportunity to travel to Spain otherwise. She'll be with a family with school age girls, so her days will be free. I told her that in addition to learning their language, she should be learning German too while the kids are in school. That way, when she's done with her year in Spain, she could go to Germany for a year. Then she could study French and go to France for a year. Spain doesn't insist that you know the language before coming, but that you learn while you're there. Other countries insist on some language recognition before going. She's still in love with my son, though, and hopes that after her year in Spain the two of them can be back together. I told her to get tanned and toned (that should happen since they use bikes more than cars) so that she's irresistable. A friend of mine in Texas sends his poems and pictures of sunrises on the beach (in Surfside/Freeport, TX) quite frequently. He has lupus, so sometimes after he lets his dogs romp on the beach, he has to head on home to bed. People just don't understand... Anyway, a few days ago, he shared this vision he had. And he said I could share it with y'all. The secret for all with eyes to see Righteousness is my badge, heaven my goal. I strain as I build this great road to a glorious victory. Each plank lain maliciously in place with all my strength. I on occasion have to trample lesser people that are in my way. My goal – righteousness - makes it just. I know that I am impressive Lord, but my heart grows hollowed with each triumph. In the distance, I can see the treasure I seek; seems to grow more distant with each plank that I lay. With face taunt under the stress of ruthlessness, eyes bulged out from my head, throat parched from the bitter water I drink, and my body worn thin from the load I carry. I look for a little resting place. There to the side I see a narrow little path. I think that it may lead to a place for a short rest. I wander down it for a short distance. Seeing a beautiful flower, I stop to admire. The petals seem to say kindness. I reach to pick the flower and have to lay down my hammer of greed to have room for the flower. I walk on the sweet sent of the flower in my nose. Another flower as beautiful as the first with petals that seem to say patience, I reach to pick this flower and have to lay down my nail of anger to have room. I look farther on the thin little path and see many flowers just as beautiful. I walk on the path picking the flowers and with each; I have to lay down something to make room. As my load changes from the things I needed to build my road to the beauty I find on this thin path my body seems to become refreshed. Gone are the tools of my destruction replace by the gifts found on this narrow little path. The air so fresh and sweet like a soft golden mist fills my chest. The load so heavy has become light as if to carry me. Then by my side, I see Your Son come to lead the way. My body full of Your strength, my lungs full of your breath, your words of love in my ears, Your glory in my eyes, my treasure found. William Taylor June 9, 2007 |
| Busy weekend with Tiffany here. I love having her here. I just wish her mother would let her have her daddy time without incident. This time, her mom called three times before Tiff was here an hour. That's usually an indication how things will go, and it was. Poor Tiff. It's summer, for pity's sake, and she would like to spend some time with us (and her neighborhood friends). She just wanted to spend another day, but her mom had made plans for Monday. She had also made plans for next weekend - Father's Day weekend. Hmmph. Mother's Day should have been our weekend. And Father's Day would have been Paula's weekend. We gladly switched. In fact, it was our idea. Tiff should be with her mom on Mother's Day and her dad on Father's Day. That just made sense to us. So, in May her mom had her three weekends in a row. And we should have her three weekends in a row in June. It probably won't happen. Paula fussed so much about us having her next weekend, that I doubt she'll be her the following one too. And that will mess up the "regular" schedule. I can't believe that she said, "When will I have time with her?" Uh, she lives with her. Duh. It's just not fair that a kid has to deal with such things. Tiff finally told her mom on the phone that it hurts her when she fights with her dad or makes fun of him. She also asked me - again - how old she has to be before she can decide where she wants to live. And she thanked me for the calm around here. Her mom is such a drama queen. She also yells a lot. I can tell just by the phone conversations where she yells so loudly that you can hear her across the room. Grrr. *************** Hey, have you seen my latest merit badge? SHERRI GIBSON  sent me an angel merit badge and listed me as one of her "EARTH ANGELS" just because I left a word of encouragement in her blog at the right moment. I went back to see if I had said anything deep or unusual, but I had not.You just never know when a word from you is given at the very moment when someone needs to be encouraged. That's one good reason to let folks know when you're poking around in their blog spaces. Hint. |
| I filed for disability way back in mid-2003. I had a back injury in 1997 and a knee injury in 2002, making it difficult - if not impossible - to sit or stand for more than 3-4 hours at a time. My claim was denied and my disability advocate dropped the ball. We didn't respond in the 60 days as required. (Hey, I didn't even know it had been denied until over a year later!!!) The Social Security Administration decided that I could be a secretary. That was their formal response to me. I refiled in February 2005. By then, I had also been diagnosed with fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue and depression. (Plus IBS, spastic veins and arteries, palmaplantar pustulosis, chemical sensitivities, stomach ailments...and the list goes on.) It was denied again, almost immediately, even though Social Security admitted that I have all of the above mentioned maladies. This time, I had an attorney who did respond in 60 days as required, and even since we've been waiting and waiting and waiting. Today I received a notice that I will finally have a hearing on July 6. Yippee. Supposedly, now that I have reached the "magical" age of 55, there shouldn't be much question. But with the way things have gone so far.... I will have a mountain of medical reports to back up my condition. I will have the opinions of my treating doctors. They will have a vocational expert who will testify about whether or not she thinks I can work and whether or not the spefic "job" that she thinks I can perform actually exists in the market place. I've been meaning to make up a job description for the job that I can perform. Perhaps it is time. Hey, I know I can write. But I also know that I cannot handle deadlines. I never know when I won't be able to get out of bed or when my "fog" will be so thick that I can't remember what I wanted to do 30 seconds ago. Hubby is experiencing more and more of what I've been dealing with for years. The other day, he started describing how he could hardly walk up our driveway. I understood. Sometimes the legs just don't seem to understand the concept of walking. It's as if you have to will them to take each step and as if you're not even sure that your legs are capable of holding you up. I didn't tell him that I have to do the same thing sometimes at night with my heart and lungs. It's as if I have to remind my heart to beat and my lungs to breath. Oh, I'm sure they would do so without my prompting. But that's the feeling that I get sometimes. The first time that happened, it was quite frightening. Now it's just "normal." |
| Actually, where did Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday go???? Is it really a sign of getting old when the week just flies by?????? Someone commented that I had not shared any cool links lately. So here you go. An old Florida buddy shared this one today. http://www.rootsweb.com/~usgenweb/special/ppcs/ppcs.html Just click on your state, then your county and you can see some old picture postcards. Pretty cool. For instance, I've said (a few times) that I used to live in Belleair, Florida in the same community as Hulk Hogan. This link shows an old postcard of the old Belleview Biltmore Hotel in Belleair. It's really, really old. Back when Florida was nothing but orange groves, this hotel sat in the middle of nowhere. Rich folks came by train to stay there and to play golf. (Golfers usually know this one.)http://www.rootsweb.com/~usgenweb/fl/pinellas/postcards/bvbilt.jpg Anyway, when I lived in Belleair, my house was a half a block from the golf course. My son's dad used to walk the dogs there. I think they had the golf course rigged so that if anyone walked on it at night, the sprinklers came on. It didn't matter what time he chose to walk there, he always came back soaked. He never did learn... This picture is from before there were houses near the hotel or golf course. But the development was a good one. The street lights all look like the old gas lights. There are trees planted in the medians (mostly pines or palm trees). The community was great about keeping green space. |
| As you may recall, May was Fibromyalgia Awareness Month. I ran two contests, one for sufferers of fibromyalgia and/or chronic fatigue, and the other for everyone else. There were only five entries in one contest and only one in the other, but I appreciated all the entries and entrants. Here are the results. The winners for
First place -
Second place -
Third place -
And the only entrant - and, of course, winner for
Do read these entries so you can understand what fibromyalgia and/or chronic fatigue are all about. Someday, we're all hoping that the words, "but you don't look sick..." will be words not spoken. |
| It always amazes me that people who claim to be writers also claim no time to read the works of others. That makes no sense to me. Just as I think that to be a Christian one must visit with God throughout the day, I think that to be a writer one must read to be informed and to learn and grow. I was thinking quite a bit about that the other day when I came across this story. Here's a book shop owner who is burning books...since he couldn't even give them away. http://www.cnn.com/2007/SHOWBIZ/books/05/28/bookburning.ap/index.html The profession of book writing makes horseracing seem like a solid, stable business. ~ ~John Steinbeck When I arrived at the church this morning, the pastor asked me to review some free materials he received about a new ministry program. Our pastor has been trying to help us focus on loving each other within the church, with the idea that if the outside world sees that love, they'll want to be a part of it. The materials he gave me to review were meant to do just that, plus to reach out to the community. You can see what it's all about at http://www.arkalmighty.org. The idea is that our church will have its own web page as part of arkalmight.org where our members can go to list their needs. Other members can decide to help. The postings are anonymous - until the administrator approves both the request and response. Then just the administrator and the two parties know each other's identities. Once the members are on board with this idea and helping one another, the next step is to let the community know that "help is here." (That's one of the slogans.) Basically, it's an act of kindness program that matches needs and talents (or time) available. The free materials that our church received were great. 4 t-shirts, 4 hats, about 50 pins, flyers, door knob hangers, bulletin insert pages, a DVD, and a huge banner. The DVD shows clips from the movie coming out - Evan Almighty - and talks about how God uses each of us, even when we don't understand, or when God's urging in us seems too small to matter or too huge to make any sense. I think our pastor was testing me. He could see that I got excited about the ministry opportunity in this, especially since it goes along with what he's been trying to get our church to understand and do. So, guess what..... He has asked me to write a sermon about this new ministry - to be ready in two weeks. I came home with a copy of the DVD and materials. Plus the book that inspired this idea. Something that was published about fourteen years ago. Conspiracy of Kindness: A Refreshing New Approach to Sharing the Love of Jesus with Others by Steve Sjogren. You know...I haven't prepared a sermon myself in...six years. Well, I did do some children's sermons just four years ago. Anyway, if I'm not here you'll know that... I still don't have my own computer up and running. (Yes, it's just the monitor.) And...I might be working on that sermon. |
...and I decided that the sermon notes would definitely be a separate item. Here it is for those who are interested. It's a shame that one cannot talk about how God designed a marriage to be without worrying about the rating of the item. Oh well...
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| It's Monday morning and I could share the sermon notes I took yesterday as I usually do on Monday or Tuesday. But I have a dilemma and I would love your input. Our pastor continued his series on Building Character. Before he started speaking, he told parents that his talk would not be rated G and suggested that they might want to send young kids to children's church. Most kids were already in children's church, but there were a few who sometimes like to sit with their parents in big church. One mom kept her kids with her....until the pastor did start talking. Then she quickly took her kids to be with the other kids. The topic? Purity. And that's my dilemma. The sermon was a good one. But I'm not sure if the content falls under the 13+ rating of my blog. As hubby and I were talking about this, we came up with the following solutions:  I could just change the rating of my blog to 18+. That would be the simplest solution. BUT... I know that there are a few teens (13-15) who read my blog on a regular basis. They are Christians and it's highly likely that the don't read anything above the 13+ rating. In fact, one has said so to me. If I changed my blog it would mean that regular reader could not read any other blog entries.I could make a separate static item for this particular item.I could try to tone it down a bit to make it fall under the 13+ rating.And...I could ask you for your opinion and help. So that's what I'm doing. |
| While waiting for Derek to get out of work, I heard a singer/song writer interviewed. The interviewer reminded us that there is often a story behind a song. I wish I knew the name of the song or song writer. But here's what he said: "A girl visited our church when I was a youth pastor. It was a small town and everyone knew about the troubles she had. Unfortunately, on her way to Jesus, she stumbled upon us. We saw her with human eyes and not with Jesus eyes. I wonder what happened to her." Boy those words hit me. We see people with human eyes, not Jesus eyes. How often are we the an obstacle to people on their way to Jesus? Are we a hindrance or a help to those who are lost? |
| One day last week, I observed a mom and her kids at the grocery store. Later that day, a childhood memory started to bubble to the surface. Behind that thought came the realization that I don't remember visiting grocery stores when I was a kid. Hmmm. I lived in one home in Pittsburgh from about 3 to 12 years of age. I lived in the next house from about 13-15, another all during high school years. It wasn't until we moved to the Crafton area of Pittsburgh after I graduated from high school that I can even remember the location of a grocery store. I also realized that I have no memory of a Post Office nearby during my early years. Back then, we had a milk man who delivered milk and eggs to the house. The bread man delivered bread and rolls. The local beer distributor delivered beer and soda pop to the house by the case. There were other door-to-door salesmen. The Jewel Tea truck held all kinds of grocery items. The Fuller Brush salesman sold...brushes. There was a direct sales company for cleaning items and one even for jewelry. I suppose we could have kept shopping outside the home to a minimum. I think since my grandmother lived with us (except for when she was visiting her other kids and grandkids) and that we had two teen babysitters, that my parents did the grocery shopping without us. I doubt back then that my father actually went inside. Most likely he sat in the car. In fact, I have a few vague memories of sitting in the car with him once in a while. Perhaps it was while Mom shopped (if Grandma was not available). It couldn't have taken very long, since so much was delivered to the house. Odd, isn't it? When Derek and I lived in Texas, we avoided the local Wal-Mart on Friday nights. I never could understand why whole families made the weekly grocery trip a family affair. Sure, there was a hair salon and barber shop inside. There was a fast food restaurant inside and a hot tamale stand outside. One could have pictures developed, make color copies at the customer service desk, buy lots of stamps. Most folks, though, just did their grocery shopping as a huge family event. Perhaps it was because my parents obviously thought kids and grocery stores didn't mix that the concept seems so odd to me. Oh, and the Post Office? I never did know where one was - except for the big one in downtown - until I was in high school. Who needed a Post Office when the mailman (they were all men then!) sold stamps, weighed packages, etc.? Change is good. Right? **** I mentioned this to an older cousin who grew up in Oceanside, NY. While he remember where the grocery stores were located near his house, he had no idea which one(s) his mother frequented. He never shopped with his mother (or parents) either. |
| The tech at Gateway was wrong. I didn't need a new video card. I need a monitor. We have a couple hanging out in the basement, but they're really old with the wrong connection. I checked the newspaper and Craigslist.com. Nothing available. I'll call our favorite computer repair guy in a little while to see if he might have one. I don't want or need a brand new monitor with a computer that I've had for 8 years. My computer really has been good to me for those years. The tech mentioned that in 8 years I have called them 16 times - and about 6 of the calls were about 6 months after the computer arrived and the monitor kept going blinking and flashing. After the 6th call, they ordered a new monitor for me. They never did get the old one picked up and I ended up tossing it in the trash. Anyway.... I'm on hubby's computer right now. I guess we'll have to share until I can get a monitor. That means no late nights, 'cause his computer is in the bedroom. (Mine sits in the kitchen, remember?) |
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