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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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| The music of the birds was interrupted this morning by a teen coming home. At 8 a.m.? From where at that hour? I dont' know. I do know that as she exited the car of a boy, she slammed the car door just like anyone would. His reaction was, "Don't you EVER slam my car door that way again!!!" My heart ached for her and for him. Just the way those words escaped his mouth made me think that his car is more important that people, or at least than this girl. The anger in his voice scared me, a person just sitting quietly on my porch trying to hear the song of the birds. I wonder if his voice and his words worried her. As she entered her home, I didn't hear the words of her parents. I did hear her voice, even through closed windows and doors. "Whatever!" The boy sat impatiently waiting in the car. How do I know? Because he beeped the horn. Folks in our neighborhood are much like those in other neighborhoods. Those who don't attend church services like to sleep late on Sunday mornings. This young man cared not that he might waken anyone. He beeped the horn a second time. She exited the house and got into his car again and they drove away. He drove much too fast for a residential area. Ours is not what one would consider a white trash neighborhood. In fact, we live in a township with good schools, mostly residences, with businesses grouped mostly in one or two places. Our township has some rather large and expensive homes and a country club. Our own little subdivision holds some of the more modest homes. Still, in past days, the kind of behavior exhibited this morning by a teen girl and boy would not have occurred in a neighborhood such as ours. Now, disrespect of friends and family are something evident in all kinds of neighborhoods. I worry for that girl and boy. I hope he doesn't get more abusive than those few words he shouted today. But I also know that between 25 and 33 percent of all women will be abused. And by allowing herself to subjected to those few unkind words, she has opened the door just a crack. That young man may try to see how much more she will take. ***** It was only about 8-ish when I typed these words. Hubby and I went to the early service at church, so he could come back and finish studying. (He has a test at work on Tuesday, and he's cramming.) Our pastor's series on character continued today. Today's focus? Respect. With the 5th Commandment brought in for Mother's Day: Ex 20:12 NIV "Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you." God gave me a sermon illustration in my own neighborhood, before I even got to church. |
I read the work of a newbie tonight who spoke about pride in our flag. "The American Flag"  I get goose bumps when I see the flag waving too. I have that same pride, even when I know that our country's leaders aren't always doing things exactly the way I would have wanted. Our country is still the "land of the free and the home of the brave." But are we teaching our kids that? When I was in second grade, Mrs. Clauser spent weeks teaching us all the verses to our National Anthem, America and America the Beautiful. We memorized them all. We also learned how to raise and lower the flag outside on the flagpole and how to be respectful of the flag in the classroom. I doubt that those are lessons that today's kis are taught. Earlier today, I heard a teacher on some news show lamenting that today's classrooms have more kids than ever. That's just not true. I really don't remember how many kids were in my class in kindergarten through fifth grade. I know there were always more than 25. I kind of remember that in fourth grade and fifth grade, the classes seemed to get a bit bigger. Then came sixth grade. Wow. Back then, parents didn't have to enroll kids until the day school started. I lived in what had been a farm community, but was turning into a huge suburb of Pittsburgh. What had been a farm across the street from our house became a subdivision with over 300 homes. Add to that, the local Catholic school only went through fifth grade. So, on the first day of school in the sixth grade, the administrators were quite surprised. Caught off guard, actually. There were two teachers ready to teach us. I think we started out thinking there would be about 32 kids per classroom. But the kids just kept coming and coming and coming that first morning. The school district had to hire a third teacher for sixth graders that year, and we still ended up with 50 in each classroom. We learned what we were supposed to learn that year, and things we never should have. (That was the year that JFK was killed.) No, the classes are not bigger today than they have ever been. Not when you think about the baby boomer generation - my generation. Today's classrooms are certainly noisier than ours ever were. Less discliplined. There probably is not as much learning going on. We respected teachers. We were afraid of being sent to the principle's office. We were afraid we might be paddled - in school and at home. Our parents and teachers stood together, worked together, to see that we respected both. They teamed up against us, if necessary. Today, parents will fight against teachers. A few years back a teacher was fired for failing a bunch of kids who cheated. The parents and kids "won", but not really. They learned how to cheat. They learned that might wins over right. Just the opposite of what our forefathers taught. The teacher made the rounds of talk shows and I think the teacher's union fought to get her job back. But she didn't want it, and I cannot blame her for that. How could she continue teaching a bunch of kids who could just band together again with their parents any time they wanted her fired? For being the teacher she was meant to be. Things surely have changed. Think your kids or grandkids or neighbor kids know the words to all the verses to The Star Spangled Banner. Hey...do you? Star Spangled Banner by Francis Scott Key Oh, say, can you see, by the dawn's early light, What so proudly we hail'd at the twilight's last gleaming? Whose broad stripes and bright stars, thro' the perilous fight, O'er the ramparts we watch'd, were so gallantly streaming? And the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air, Gave proof thro' the night that our flag was still there. O say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave? On the shore dimly seen thro' the mists of the deep, Where the foe's haughty host in dread silence reposes, What is that which the breeze, o'er the towering steep, As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses? Now it catches the gleam of the morning's first beam, In full glory reflected, now shines on the stream: 'Tis the star-spangled banner: O, long may it wave O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave! And where is that band who so vauntingly swore That the havoc of war and the battle's confusion A home and a country should leave us no more? Their blood has wash'd out their foul footsteps' pollution. No refuge could save the hireling and slave From the terror of flight or the gloom of the grave: And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave. O, thus be it ever when freemen shall stand, Between their lov'd homes and the war's desolation; Blest with vict'ry and peace, may the heav'n-rescued land Praise the Pow'r that hath made and preserv'd us as a nation! Then conquer we must, when our cause is just, And this be our motto: "In God is our trust" And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave! You know what? I was at a game a few years ago then the National Anthem was played. I stood and place my hand over my heart, as did only about 20% of the people in attendance. I was surprised at that. And it wasn't only kids that didn't stand. There were people my parents age in the crowd who didn't stand. That made me a bit sad. Heck, I've been known to stand in my own living room when the Star Spangled Banner comes on.  |
| From my inbox today. Dr. Rick Scarborough: "I make my living and fulfill my calling as a minister because of the cherished God-given rights acknowledged in the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. So obviously I believe all other Americans have a right to freely express their views and opinions on any subject they choose. When I express my opinions, as I do, I expect a reaction, and believe me we get reactions. We are never shocked when a call or email comes to our offices filled with expletives and even threats. We take strong stands and express moral outrage when we feel it is appropriate. That said, I believe that many in Congress, the press, academia, Hollywood and even retired military, are committing acts that border on treason as they assail our President’s policies regarding the execution of the War on Terror. America was united when this war was initiated. Hindsight is always 20/20, though it is clear to any informed observer that hindsight regarding the War on Terror is selective. Looking back over the past five years we can see numerous mistakes in the way the war has been executed, but we must never forget that we have not had a single successful strike on American soil since 9-11. To God be all praise and thanks for that! But President Bush deserves credit for his steadfast resolve in facing the evil of militant Islamist terrorists in the Middle East. Only fools and blind men believe that withdrawal from Iraq at this stage of the game will not result in the massive slaughter of innocent human life. Generals certainly ought to know better. It seems that "Treason is in Season" in America and none dare call it that! " Read the rest of this article at http://www.visionamerica.us/site/News2?abbr=RSR&page=NewsArticle&id=7462 I'm responding to Bud's comment here. I though I would just add a comment of my own, but knowing my wordiness, I figured... I don't usually make comments here, but this one deserves it. Bud, we serve and share the same God, but we don't exactly agree on politics. And that's okay. We have that freedom in the good 'ol US of A.  This man speaks much closer to my heart than any of the Hollywood types who have been against the President from day one. I certainly don't want a theocracy. But I do want a government where the leaders are honest men and women, not persons who lie. Scarborough says hindsight is 20/20. He's right. What bugs me about the politicians who did vote to go to war and who now say "they didn't know..." is that many are just downright lying. The did know. They knew what the President knew. But at the time, they knew that the American public was all for going. And now the American public thinks it's against being there, so the politicians are going to say what they think we want to hear. Not what's true. Not what's necessarily right even. Just what we want to hear. I want everyone - no matter what they believe - to REMEMBER that our documents DO NOT SAY that there is or should be separation of church and state. They DO SAY that I have freedom OF religion. That that means that I am free to take a Bible to work, free to read it on my break. A child is free to write about Jesus in a paper, if the topic is supposed to be "inspirational". He should be free to write about church camp if the paper is supposed to be about what he did in the summer. The Bible tells us that we should respect our leaders. I think that covers our spiritual leaders as well as our government leaders, especially when the government leaders do claim to serve and love the same God as we do. But just following the two commandments that Jesus said were most important - loving God and loving our neighbor - gives us the command to respect and honor, for what is love without those? We will never agree with everyone. But disagreeing should be done with that same love and honor and respect. And, frankly, the folks that Scarborough talks about are anything but respectful. Some of the things they say are mean and ugly, not just disagreeing. Some are about their own interests, and not about the interests of us all. I am often shocked at what is said - about the President, about the war. Bordering on treasonous? Yes, I think some are. And there we can agree to disagree. And you know what really gets me? Is that the stupid politicians who are rushing to be shown on TV, and the retired military folks, and Hollywood types seem to forget that it's not only the US folks who are watching them. Their images and what they say (or shout) are shown around the world. Even in the places where there are terrorists watching and loving the fact that we're in such disagreement. 'Cause they, most certainly, do not understand the freedoms we have. And take for granted. |
| I just witnessed the strangest thing(s). You know, since it's this early it just has to be about the birds or the squirrels or the beautiful sun, right? Right. Until today, I had never really thought about the fact that the birds come to the same feeding place but are not really socializing outside of their "kind." Sounds a bit like people, doesn't it? Our yard is the favorite for all the birds and squirrels, probably because we don't use chemical fertilizers nor chemical weed killers. We'll pull the pesky weeds, sure, but we're not using chemicals. And our yard is the greenest. And it must be full of bugs and worms, 'cause the birds - of all kinds - land here.Anyway...as I was sitting on the porch this morning, I noticed one poor squirrel was really being chased by two birds. I realized that they were probably mates and wondered if the squirrel was getting too close to their nest. (They were all way too close to the electric transformer to my liking.) I've seen birds "mess with" squirrels before. But not like this. They chased him up and down the pole, out into the street, even under my car. They wanted that squirrel gone. Or maybe worse, the way they were chasing and swooping down on him. I have never seen anything like it. Then....the other birds started joining in. He was being chased by every kind of bird in our neighborhood. The birds were singing loudly in the trees and they were all chasing that one squirrel. I sat on the porch wondering....if birds can understand each other, even though their music all sounds different to us. I wondered why they appeared to be working together, even though they can all come and eat in the yard and totally ignore each other. I also wondered if they were all swooping down on that squirrel because of something he did to one of them, or to all of them. Then the answer appeared. Under my car and coming into my yard were a bunch of smaller birds. At first, I thought they were just a smaller kind of bird. Then I realized that they appeared to be baby birds. And there were a bunch of different kinds all playing together. Now isn't that too cool? Even baby birds don't see color. I'm sure eventually their parents will tell them that robins don't play with cardinals. But today, they're all one happy bunch. And their parents are in one accord as well, since they're all protecting the kids. I guess we do that - to some extent. I am so glad that Dad suggested to me years ago that I might enjoy watching the world wake. He was so right. I would miss so much if I slept too long. |
| Hubby has been pondering how I can string a small notebook around my neck with a pen. Someone else suggested maybe wearing a fanny pack with them in. Hmmm. I also need to be able to wake up now and then in the middle of the night. I started keeping a notebook by my bed when I was quite young. I discovered that I had some pretty neat thoughts in my sleep and if I could write them down quickly, I could retain them.This past week, I had some strange dream/thoughts in my sleep. I created an entire story one night and an entire poem another. With the poem, I read it aloud - in my dream, of course - and tweaked it and edited to perfection. Then, when I finally woke up, the only thing I was remembered was the process, not the results. I couldn't even tell you what I was thinking/writing about in my sleep. Dagnabbit. Spent most of the morning hugging that white thing in the smallest room of the house. Tired. Sicky. Don't know why. |
| If you haven't seen the Zimmers on YouTube, you really have to. I think it was ABC News that mentioned them. I don't think this video has been on for all that long, but it's been viewed over 1.4 million times. It's a bunch of folks old enough to be my parents (seriously, the main dude was born in 1927). They're singing and dancing to music from The Who - My Generation. And they do a scene that will remind you of the Beatles' Abbey Road album cover. It's really a hoot. Trust me. You'll have to  ...or at least . Unless you're dead, and then I think you'll at least Here's the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNV5bgsv984 W A R N I N G.......... HEALTH/FIBRO STUFF COMING NOW... You know I've been volunteering at the church - in the office - on Wednesday mornings. I was prepared to be hurting and tired after those mornings, and I wasn't surprised. I've been working on a booklet for the pastor and finally got the gazillion pages (300 copies each) copied. There isn't much room in the church office, so I brought those pages home, figuring I could fold them here easier. Well...I discovered pains in places I didn't know I had places. And that after folding only about 100 pages. Grrr. I used to do things like this all the time. I worked as a secretary for years. I was a regional sales director and did newsletters every month. Back then, it was nothing to fold a gazillion pages. Not any more, I found out. I ended up taking half of a pain pill and finishing one stack - 300 pages. At that rate, I won't even have them all folded by next Wednesday. AND... I have decided that the only way I'm going to survive the foggy brain stuff is to carry a notebook around everywhere, even in the house, so I don't forget things. I'm really understanding the frustration my dad had with Alzheimer's now. Mom has it easier that way, I guess. She doesn't know that she's lost her mental abilities. Okay, that's enough sad stuff. I have to figure out what to feed my hubby. Payday is tomorrow, so the cupboards aren't very full. |
| Did you know...I get email comments about this blog? I wish everyone was comfortable just making public comments, rather than emailing me privately. I don't mind that some of those private comments are negative. Perhaps your comment will be a wonderful addition to the blog. Perhaps it will be what causes another to think or ponder or do a bit of research. Why should I be the only one to benefit that way? Seriously. It's okay to disagree with me in public. I can take it. So. Yesterday I wrote some stuff in my blog about tithing. I also wrote a static item for my port about the same topic. If you're interested, just find the "What's New?" folder in my port. I actually wrote four new items in April and three so far in May. Not bad for this 'ol foggy self. I commented yesterday about how sad it is that those who have tithed - or even been obedient in other ways - and kept quiet about it ('cause that just seems right) might sometimes need to share so that those who have never tithed or who ar not so obedient understand what a generous God we serve. Oh, I know that folks might get the idea that you're boasting. Paul sometimes prefaced his remarks with, "I'm not boasting, but..." I also know that some may get the idea that God is a cosmic vending machine. Put in prayers and petitions and tithes and get back gobs of blessings in return. That's not how God wants us to think. It's certainly not how God wants us to present Him to the world. And I know that He is none too thrilled when we present Him in the wrong light. As human beings, we're just so stupid sometimes. Me included. Taken as a whole, God's awesome instruction manual lays out exactly what we should do, and how, and when, and even why. It's in there. And when we're wise enough to follow the manual, what results is PEACE. If we're smart enough to just lay down our hurts and pains, our fears at the feet of our Lord and walk away, knowing that He is in control, we will find that peace. That's really the key, folks. Acknowledging that He is the Lord of our lives, living in obedience to Him even when the urgings we're getting don't make a lick of sense to us, but are a part of His larger plan for us. Allowing Him to control every part of our lives, not just one or two, but every single part of our lives. That's when we truly discover that our lives are full of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. The FRUIT (not fruits) of the Spirit. Every one of those glorious things are available to us as a whole, when we bow down to Him. When we submit to Him. We're not given just one or two of these, but all of these, when we follow His commands. When we "delight in His commands." We're all human, of course. Or as Budroe   always says, "the belly button crowd." And being human we think 1) that we can keep control of some of our lives and that we know best for parts of our lives. Right. And 2) that some things are just too small or petty to take to Him. Nothing is too small to take to God. He already knows everything anyway. Why not admit our failings? Why not admit that we just cannot do this on our own? That we are not able?I think God must shake His head at us a bunch. He gave us free will, of course. But He must wonder why we keep trying things that just don't work, when His way will work each and every time. When doing things His way will give us such peace and joy, which we all claim to be chasing. In case you've forgotten, here's what Galatians 5:22-26 (NIV) says, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other. I urge you to read what comes before this passage. The part about our sinful natures. Verse 17, "For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature." Or the words of Verses 13-15: "You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love. The entire law is summed up in a single command: "Love your neighbor as yourself." If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other." Everywhere you look, if you choose to look and seek, the Bible - especially the New Testament - speaks of love. There's a reason for that. Are you really loving God? Are you showing love to your neighbors? To your spouse? Your children? To your fellow writers? Am I? For, when I took my very first Lay Speaker class, the instructor reminded us that when anyone - lay person or clergy - preaches, he/she is speaking first to him/herself. And so it is. Our pastor has been given a "new" idea for helping his flock. (Obviously, there's nothing new under the sun, right? ) His plan is for us to learn to love and serve one another so much and so well, that the light will shine brightly from us and from our church that others will be intrigued and want what we have.The same thing could happen to each one of us. If we served and loved God the way we should, then our lights will shine brightly. Our love and joy and peace - plus patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (especially self-control!!!) will be so obvious to the world around us that they want what we're experiencing too. Have you noticed how excited new Christians are? How they fairly glow like a new bride? How they want to devour God's word and learn everything there is to learn - NOW!? That's how we should become again and again and again each and every day. For each day brings us a new opportunity to be the person God created us to be. Have a great day. One filled with sunshine and SONshine. |
| I remember when TexansBeatTheMiamiDolphinsBy3 arrived on the scene here at WDC. As I sometimes do, I found her port and some of her writings before others. I mentioned that while she might identify with storm clouds, my nickname had been Ms. Merry Sunshine. Friendship developed from there. On Friday, TexansBeatTheMiamiDolphinsBy3 was in a car accident. She's okay. Bruised. So is Apryl, (her son's fiance) who was also in the car. She's more worried about having damaged two parked cars. And that fact that her car was totaled. I talked with her on the phone last night for quite a while. If you've never visited her port, now's the time. Here's a link to her blog. You'll note that her entry about the accident was rather....well, out there. http://www.writing.com/main/books/item_id/1156288 Yesterday, I got my first issue of Discipleship Journal. I don't remember why, but for some reason, I have a few free issues coming. In this one, there was an idea mentioned that might help those who swear they don't have enough time for praying or studying God's word. The magazine suggested taking a calendar and writing prayer notes or requests on each day, then laminating and hanging in the shower. Everyone bathes, so having prayer requests right in front of you might just work. I figured while you're making the monthly calendar, you might just copy some Bible verses on each day while you're at it. You could hang the calendar anywhere in the bathroom and be reminded prayer petitions and God's word each day. The frugal - and practical (since most folks don't have laminaters in their homes) part of me says, rather than laminating, why not pick up a big roll of clear contact paper. It will keep the calendar dry, and there should be enough left over to do a few more months while you're at it. I guess I don't understand not having time to pray or study God's word. I cannot imagine not starting one's day in prayer and reading the Bible. (I guess that's because I've been doing that since I was a kid.) Oh, I know a few folks who think that setting the alarm for 15 minutes less sleep would be a disaster. They think that losing that small amount of time would make them more sleepy throughout the day. I say, "Try it! You might discover that starting the day with God will be refreshing and you'll never miss that 15 minutes." I guess it's much like tithing. We look at the money we have available and think it would be impossible to give God 10%. I guess we forget God's promise. "Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it." Malachi 3:10 NIV Everything we have was given to us by God. It's on loan to us. In my small group on Sunday, one of the women said, "If you borrow something from a neighbor, you usually take better care of it than if it were your own." How right she was, and that's exactly the way we should take care of the earthly treasures God has bestowed upon us. We should take better care of them than if they were truly our own. I wrote about this topic at ezinearticles.com, and this article is the most downloaded of all the articles I have there. http://ezinearticles.com/?Who-Is-Really-Tested?&id=367412 I have also shared my grandmother's simple way of thinking about what we OWE to God. "Time, Talent, Treasure" Oddly enough, while searching the Internet for snippets about tithing to put in our church bulletins, I found very few. I also found very few sermons on the Internet about this. Perhaps that is because in the US, the average giving is now down to about 2.5%. We don't have many church members who can give testimony to the wonderful blessings they have received by just doing what God asked. Well, I can. The woman mentioned in the story at ezinearticles was me. When I have tithed, I have been blessed. When I have not, I have struggled financially. There were times when I was a single mom, receiving only Worker's Compensation, that I was tempted to keep that 10% tithe for myself and my son. Surely, God would not miss that small amount, but I could have used it to buy groceries or gas for my car to get to the doctor or physical therapy sessions. Reluctantly, I would put my money in the offering plate. Then I would watch - always astonished - as God provided. I should not have been so surprised. One week a retired pastor, who lived in the same apartment building, knocked at my door with a huge bag of fresh fruits and veggies. One of the members from his church showed up with the food and told him to give it where it was needed. The pastor gave some to each of the three single moms in our building and had enough left over for himself and his wife. Another week, I received a check in the mail that was quite a surprise. Someone who had owed me money for years found my address on the Internet. (That didn't exactly make me happy.) This old friend had owed me $100 for over 20 years, and because of that he added another $100 for interest. Still another week, I discovered that one of my writings had been accepted. The envelope contained a letter and a check for $100. A neighbor found that he had been transferred, and he and his wife had just filled their refrigerator and freezer. They didn't want to try to transport those foods and risk that some would spoil in their quick move. Books that I listed on Amazon.com sold within ten minitues of listing them. Am I convinced that these blessings came from God? You bet I am! And I am just as convinced that when I do not tithe, the blessings are not as quick to flow.  |
| I keep forgetting whether or not I have shared this picture. If I did already, I'm sorry. But it's still worth a laugh. No, no, not because it's my hubby. That's not nice. This is a picture taken in Lake Jackson, Texas. Even before hubby and I were married, I had been telling him about lil' 'ol Lake Jackson. You see, the guys who designed it weren't really city planners nor street designers. You should see this place. The streets - in what is considered "downtown" - are pretty strange. They also have strange names. Like: This Way, That Way, Any Way, Which Way, His Way (There is at least one church on His Way. Pretty neat.) They also have Parking Way and Circle Way. Most of the streets could be called Circle Way, 'cause they all weave around and almost catch themselves going the other way. Really odd. This picture is of hubby (that's Incurable Romantic for those of you who don't know) standing at the corner of This Way and That Way. And isn't it a hoot that they also have a yield sign there???Lake Jackson, TX has the only downtown I've ever seen without any stop signs. At each corner, you just slow down to see if anyone else is coming. They also have great turn arounds at every intersection in case you took This Way instead of That Way. |
| Boy, oh boy, a sermon on anger management. Was that something I really needed to hear? Me? Little Ms. Merry Sunshine? Well, our pastor also spoke of self-control in general, and that's certainly something I needed to hear. The sermon series continues....about Building Character. Some of my margin notes:  Anything uncontrolled can destroy you.Anger is not necessarily sin. Sometimes anger is justified. (Remember Jesus in the temple?) But see the note above? If it's uncontrolled...Are you a skunk or a turtle? What kind of question is that? I'm neither, right? Hmmm. What are we talking about here? A skunk is one whose anger (and other behaviors, I would think) affect everything and everyone around them. You know a skunk when you see him (or smell him). A turtle hides from everything. When there is conflict, a turtle just pulls his head back into his shell waiting for everything to calm down again. In the US, there are an average of 32 shootings every day. We don't get excited about them. Unless it's all in one place and time, like the VA Tech massacre. And that day, there were probably 32 other shootings we didn't hear about or care about.Why are we so stressed? Fast paced lives. Irresponsible people. (Us and them.)Men speak an average of 20,000 words each day. Women? 30,000 words. We spend 1/5 of our lives talking.Joke: One man to another: "Don't you resent it when your wife gets the last word?" Second man: "Are you kidding? I'm just glad she's finished." Hahaha. Grrr. Oops. Controlling anger. You're never going to get to the top if you keep blowing it. (Your top, that is.) What we say with our mouths comes from our hearts. Thankfully, God is the best heart surgeon around. "I will never let another man control my life by making me hate him." ~ Booker T. WashingtonOkay...on to the fill-in-the-blanks... Self-Control is Possible if.... I commit to controlling it.Proverbs 29:11 (NIV) A fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise man keeps himself under control. Circle and underline the word "keeps". We must decide in advance to control our anger. See also Philippians 4:13. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. I must calculate the cost.Proverbs 11:29 (TLB) The fool who provokes his family to anger and resentment will finally have nothing worthwhile left. He shall be the servant of a wiser man. As a parent, do you want short-term obedience (fear?), or long-term respect? I must curb my comments.Titus 3:9 (NCV) But stay away from those who have foolish arguments...Those things are worth nothing and will not help anyone. James 1:19-20 (TLB) Dear brothers, don't ever forget that it is best to listen much, speak little, and become not angry; for anger doesn't make us good, as God demands that we must be. See also: Proverbs 21:23 (about keeping your mouth shut) I must count before I counter. Reflect before react.Proverbs 21:11 (NEB) A stupid man gives free rein to his anger; a wise man waits and lets it grow cool. God was the first one to say, "Just chill."Ephesians 4:16 (NIV) In your anger do not sin: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry. Myth: Your anger is a reservoir that will finally empty. Nope. It's a factory. More and more anger is made if we let it... Chek out Provers 19:11 too. How to Turn It Around: Return blessings for curses.Romans 12:17-21 (NLT) Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honarable. Do your part to live in peace with everyone, a much as possible. Dear friends, never avenge yourselves. Leave that to God. For it is written, "I will take vengence; I will repay those who deserve it," says the Lord. Instead, do what the Scriptures say, "If your enemies are hungry, feed them. If they are thirsty, give them something to drink, and they will be ashamed of what they have done to you. Don't let evil get the best of you, but conquer evil by doing good. Release the rudder to the redeemer.(Note to readers: Our pastor races sailboats, and he always tries to get something into his sermons about boats.) James 3:4-5 (TLB) And a tiny rudder makes a huge ship turn wherever the pilot wants it to go, even though the winds are strong. So also the tongue is a small thing, but what enormous damage it can do. A great forest can be set on fire by one tiny spark. Personal Prayer: "Lord, help me control my tongue; help me be careful about what I say." Psalms 141:3 (NCV)Matthew 12:34 (NKJV) Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. 2 Corinthians 5:17 (TLB) When someone becomes a Christian, he becomes a brand new person inside. He is not the same anymore. A new life has begun! Don't have lots of time for studying the Bible? (Although how can we not have time for that?!?) Try short daily doses. At least vow to start your day with a small portion of God's word. It WILL help you cope. It WILL help you control your anger. Suggested small doses this week: Monday Proverbs 29:11 Tuesday Titus 3:9 Wednesday Ephesians 4:26 Thursday Romans 12:17 Friday Matthew 12:34 Saturday James 3:4-5 Sunday 2 Corinthians 5:17 |
| “A pile of rocks ceases to be a rock pile when someone contemplates it with the idea of a cathedral in mind.” Saint Exupery |
| I wish. Weatherwise, that is. It's a bit chilly this morning. The TV says that it's 49 with 7 mph winds. Feels colder than that. Son was just complaining. His room is always the hottest or the coldest. I don't know how or why I found this (isn't that always the way?) but here's a link for A Time Line of Recent Worldwide School Shootings. Recent here is defined as about the last ten years. The time line starts with February 2, 1996 in Moses Lake, Washington and ends April 16, 2007 in Blacksburg, Virginia. You know what I find amazing? Two things. 1) That I don't remember most of the US shootings. Most of the US shootings were fewer than 6, so I wonder if the number decided how much new coverage there was. I feel badly that I don't remember... 2) I am downright certain that I never heard about most of the shootings that were outside the US. And that's just not right. I surely don't remember this one: March 13, 1996. Dunblane, Scotland. 16 children and one teacher killed at Dunblane Primary School by Thomas Hamilton, who then killed himself. 10 others wounded in attack. Or this one: April 26, 2002. Erfurt, Germany. 13 teachers, two students, and one policeman killed, ten wounded by Robert Steinhaeuser, 19, at the Johann Gutenberg secondary school. Steinhaeuser then killed himself. Here's the link: http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0777958.html Some folks left comments about Viva paper towels. That got me to thinking. I know some folks who just won't buy anything but the most expensive name brand stuff. Personally, I think I've been blessed by those really lean years as a single mom. I discovered that Kroger's brand of chocolate syrup is better than Hershey's. And that Kroger's macaroni (with the creamy cheese, not the powdered stuff) is better than Kraft. Those are great discoveries, since you can save a bunch of money. Of course, when we my son and I first bought these - and other store brands - it was because of economics. We also discovered Angel Soft toilet paper. Lots cheaper than some of the major brands. A little bit more than the store brands. But soft and not scratchy, and that's real important for tp. Here's another "I don't remember how I got there" link. America's Most Literate Cities. Is your city on the list??? http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0932809.html Here's one for America's Smartest Cities. {http://money.cnn.com/2006/08/29/real_estate/brainiest_cities/index.htm} Seattle, Washington is at the top of both of these lists, most literate and smartest. Cincinnati made the top ten most literate, but is not on the top 25 smartest list. My dad passed away two years ago in August. Still, there are stories about him that I must share from time to time. (Hubby says I have to. )I was complaining to my folks once about a 3 day stay I had in the hospital to see why I had abdominal pains. They never did discover anything, but at 6 am the third day, the doc arrived to tell me I could leave. They had me so drugged that I couldn't even hardly lift my head, but suddenly I was supposed to shower, dress and drive home. I did. My insurance was that 80/20 stuff. And as I went to check out, the hospital insisted that I pay my 20%. I didn't have the money in my checking account, so they insisted that I put it on my credit card. I thought for sure that Visa would reject the charge, since it would make me over my limit. But they didn't. The hospital maxed out my credit card and I was off, still not knowing why I had such bad pains. As I relayed that story to my parents, my dad just did his wonderful daddy grin. "What?" I asked. "You should have done like I did. When they told me I couldn't leave without paying, I picked up my bag and started walking back the way I had come. The lady at the desk asked where I was going. And I said, 'Back to my room. I can't afford to leave." I told my dad that I surely wished he had shared that when it happened, 'cause I might have tried it myself. Dad was a great example in the area of finances. When he was a working man, he never touched a credit card or check book and didn't really know much about either one. My dad was the bread winner, and Mom took care of spending and paying bills. (She was NOT a good example. But more about that another time.) When Dad retired, Mom and Dad tried being nomads for a while. They traveled to California to visit relatives. Oddly, they never took any pictures of their trek from Pittsburgh, PA to Chula Vista, CA. I have no idea what route they traveled or where they stayed along the way. As one who loves to document trips, I always found that rather odd. They also visited relatives in Virginia and Tennessee. Again, there are no pictures to document their trips.  But they didn't like the traveling life, and ended up living in a retirement mobile home village in St. Petersburg, FL.. Mom went back to work part time and Dad did some odd jobs around the mobile home park for widows - mowing grass, cleaning out gutters, etc.He also learned how to shop for groceries, make bank deposits, pay bills and balance a check book. Each day, after the mail man had left the mail in the mail box, Dad rushed to write checks for the bills he had just received. Then, he rushed outside to meet the mail man coming down the opposite side of the street. At first, I thought that was a bit strange. My dad was a true Scotsman. He liked hanging onto his money. But he soon explained that by rushing those bills off in the mail, he paid less interest on the balances. Yep, he was a great example. |
| Okay, okay, so maybe it isn't sludge. But doncha just love that word??? I'll admit that it will be a hodge-podge, though. Another great word. I think I love words as much as I love pondering about them. Anyway... I almost finished cleaning the kitchen yesterday. Hey, that's a big accomplishment. Or almost accomplishment. Our kitchen is big enough - well, sort of - to have in it: a dining room table (without the big leaf in the middle) and four chairs, a china closet, book shelves, my computer desk and computer, plus the normal refrigerator and stove and sink and cabinets and counter space. And it's big enough - definitely - to accumulate lots and lots of junk. So, almost getting it spiffed up in the midst of fibro pains, fibro fog, and a computer that calls to me is something. While I was cleaning the microwave oven (I wonder who splattered?), I had some thoughts about being rich and poor. I did rush to my computer and put a note in my blog, marked private, with the words rich and poor. Trouble is that now I cannot remember what in the world were he other more complete thoughts. Grrr. That makes me so mad. Here I thought I was being smart just putting a shorthand note down. I did come across some "better" paper towels while I was sorting things. They came from my storage unit in Texas. You know the ones. I think they're Viva. I love how they feel and work. I just don't love their prices. I think back in Texas, because I was dealing with so many things alone - my son's long spell with mono, then depression and his brief experiments with drugs, plus my pain management for my back, then my knee surgery and physical therapy, then dealing with Worker's Comp and attorneys - that buying the "nice" paper towels was one way for me not to feel so poor. Or beaten down. That was one thought that crossed my mind as I cleaned the microwave. But I don't think that's why I rushed to the computer to make a note. I guess if it comes back to me, I'll write about it then. Earlier today, the local news folks had two things that I made note of to share here. Remember when I wrote about the death of the 3 year old foster child a while back? The one whose foster parents had tied him up and left him in a closet while they went out of town for a family reunion? The poor boy died, then they pretended he had been lost in the park. (They had at least partially burned the body and buried it.) They have finally been sent to prison and Marcus was finally buried this week. Some local talent wrote a song about Marcus Feisel and recorded it. It's not my kind of music, but here's the link if you'd like to listen: http://www.myspace.com/tssw Also in the news was information about a University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music student's tribute song to the families of the April 16 Virginia Tech shooting victims. The song/video is on YouTube and has received over 280,000 hits. This music is much more to my liking. I think it's called, "No Sunset in Virginia." http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4G0hdZeK7ss The other thing that I wanted to pass along was that in one of the writing newsletters I received this week, the publisher said that she had signed this petition. It seems that the Atlanta Journal Constitution has decided to to eliminate its book editor position—and, possibly, its book review section. The petition says, "The AJC's book section is one of the best-edited literary pages in the country. It provides Atlanta, which ranks #15 on the University of Wisconsin’s list of most literate cities in the U.S., with a powerful and necessary cultural dialogue. Under the astute guidance of the section’s editor Teresa Weaver, the books page has demonstrated an admirable commitment to both literature and nonfiction works which have grappled with some of America's most complicated issues and themes." I'm not so sure that internet petitions work, but here's the URL. You also might want to write to the newspaper editor(s). http://www.petitiononline.com/atl2007/petition.html I hate to think that anyone is serious about getting rid of the book review part of any large US newspaper. Personally, no matter how much one can read on a computer screen, it's just not like curling up with a book. I have trouble reading long works, even here at WDC, myself. If I do, I have to stop and rest my eyes quite a bit. With a real book in my hands, I can read and read and read until I've finished the entire book. Perhaps having a laptop would help. But could it - and an e-book - really join me for a walk in the woods? Or by the shore? And they're just a bit bulky to cuddle up with in bed. Call me old fashioned, I guess, but I like having a book in my hands. And on my shelves. Hubby and I - and my son - could probably have an entire library room filled, if all of our books were displayed. Guess that's it for now. |
| Yesterday, I poked around in some of the groups and forums - elsewhere - where I've been a rather inactive member. I read some posts from my school mates at Classmates.com. I discovered that one high school classmate recently sold a picture, a photograph, of her dog. She captured him jumping for a Frisbee, and when she really looked at that picture, she knew it was good. She enlarged the photo, then sent it off to a company that makes calendars. This woman was not a photographer, but she knew a good picture when she saw it. She also knew this particular calendar company, because she had purchased calendars from them for five years. She knew the kinds of pictures they used, because she looked at them on her wall everyday. The company paid her $50 and she was pleased. In another forum, a woman bragged about having had two items published in Reader's Digest. She doesn't claim to be a writer. She doesn't want to be a writer. But she had two cute stories that she knew fit the pattern of those in Reader's Digest. Why? Because she had been a subscriber for ten years, and before that her parents had subscribed. She received $50 and $100 for her stories. Not long ago, I was feeling a bit useless, so I finished something I had been working on and sent it to a magazine that had published something of mine before. The first time my story was published in this magazine, it was a non-paying market. Frankly, I just wanted something of mine in a beautiful magazine for my portfolio. When I submitted again, I didn't know that they had become a paying market. (My mistake. I should have kept up with that. They now pay $75 for a story.) The editor sent back an email the same day. Her response? "THANKS! I wondered where you were! This falls under the theme of our November issue, and payment will be after publication. Do you still want three copies so you can send one to your mother? I really need to read more of your work to see if anything else fits." The point is that it is much easier - even for those who are not photographers or writers - to be published in markets that they know. You always hear, "Write what you know." It's just as important to write where you know. That's the reason that writer's guidelines often include the message that the writer needs to read the magazine to discover their voice, and why they often include the price for one magazine in those writer's guidelines. Knowing the publication is important. I think this is why my own experience with editors and rejections has been different. Here, and at other writer's sites, folks are always saying that writers must be tough to handle rejections. It's why some defend giving rather ugly or mean reviews of the works of others here. I have never had a mean or ugly rejection. Rather, I've had editors almost apologize for not being able to use my work and even suggest other markets that might be interested. I think that's because if I have been a subscriber of a magazine for 2 or 5 or 10 years, I make sure they know that. They don't want to lose me as a subscriber. Don't get me wrong. If you only subscribe to the biggest and best women's magazine, it won't be easy to get a featured article there, no matter how long you've been reading - or even writing. What you can do, though, is get fillers published. At one online writer's group there was a woman we called the "Filler Queen." In a bad month, she made $75 in filler income. In a good month, her earnings might be $500 or more. No, her works were not among the featured writings. And sometimes, those fillers didn't even mention that they were "submitted by XXXX." But it is highly possible that she will get that break into a feature article before the rest of us because her name has become familiar to the publication because of the fillers she has provided. For some, the ultimate goal of writing is to publish that novel that will soar to the best seller's lists. But maybe, just maybe, we need to crawl before we walk. There's nothing wrong with writing short pieces and being paid for them. And don't forget...that being familiar with magazines doesn't mean you have to subscribe to them all. Most libraries have a magazine section where you can view hundreds of magazines. What a great way to spend an afternoon. Especially a rainy one. |
| A card for you: http://www.crosscards.com/cards/cardform.aspx?ino=1&no=193 2 Chronicles 7:14 KJV If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. |
| The news yesterday (and Yahoo's front page today) reminded us that if stay-at-home moms were paid for all the jobs they do, they'd make $138,095. That's an increase of 3% over last year. They list that these jobs that moms do: housekeeper, cook, day care center teacher, laundry machine operator, van driver, facilities manager, janitor, computer operator, chief executive officer and psychologist. I think they've missed some things. What about gardener? And...activities director, appointment secretary, lifeguard, teacher (all moms are teachers, not just those who home school). In the summer, aren't they the trip planners and tour guides? And navigator if the dad is driving? Sure we have those navigational devices now, but they're not always accurate. She's also a great knee kisser and all around hugger, right? (Not to mention nose blower. ) Of course, she's like a home health aide when everyone else in the house is down sick.The news item also said that those moms who work outside the home should be paid a full $85,939 in addition to her job's wages, for the work she does at home. Now, I'm certainly not saying that men don't do a share of work in the home. Nope, I'm just not saying that at all. But I remember reading once that dads who work outside the home should be paid an extra $17,000 or so for the work they do at home. Big difference.And, I'm certainly not saying that dads cannot have the role of the stay-at-home-parent. I have a cousin who did just that, back when it wasn't very popular. (He's about 8 years older than I am, I think.) But there is a difference in having a stay-at-home mom and a stay-at-home dad is this, at least in the instances I've seen. When the work day is over and the working mom comes home, the stay-at-home-dad hangs up his apron and becomes like every other dad. The working mom becomes like every other working mom, taking over everything as soon as she hits the front door. The study did not show what a housewife without kids would be worth, but it's not hard to see that there is definitely value. I guess that's why I get feeling down about what I can and cannot do in the house anymore. I see what needs done and just cannot do it. When I was a regional sales director, I always recommended to my sales reps - many of whom also had full time jobs and had children at home - that they use some of the extra money they earned to hire help with cleaning. Those who did that were always happy that they did. I was working in my first job in retail management - long, long ago - when my boss first suggested that every working woman should hire help with housekeeping, even if it was only once a month. Personally, I think that's an excellent idea and never wasted money. I have considered having someone come in and clean our house, since I'm not very able any more and hubby's aches and pains are worse at night than during the day. (Besides, a man never sees what a woman sees! ) But you know...I'm like most other women. I'd have to clean the house before the cleaning lady got here. Suggested Bible readings today: Matthew 2:1-22, Acts 1:12-26, Psalms 3-4, Genesis 4-7 Warning! Health stuff coming... Pain level: 6 That's a bit higher than yesterday. Energy: 2 I feel a nap coming on. Just being at the church office for a few hours on Wednesdays makes me awfully tired on Thursdays. I wonder...can I find a paying job that's only 4 hours a week? That seems to be my tolerance level.Mood: 4 The sky is gray and it looks like rain. I guess that could have something to do with my elevated pain level, as well as my lower mood level. Hmmm. Digestive: Pain is minimal today. Tender to the touch a bit, though. And my IBS is active. |
| Don't get used to this. It's NOT going to be an every day thing. Today was another research day, but this time was for the church. I'm still trying to find blurbs about small groups/fellowship, being a servant of God, Christian maturity, prayer, devotions, community, tithing and evangelism. So...if you have something short that fits any of those categories or can point me to some wise words, do tell. At our small group on Sunday night (and hubby's last night) we talked about what small obstacles we face as Christians in the US as compared to Christians in other parts of the world. I think the women's group spoke a bit more about martyrs. And in my searching today, I discovered something a pastor from India wrote. He's Pastor Paul Ciniraj. His whole mini-sermon can be seen here: http://www.sermonillustrator.org/minisermons/folder2/MY%20BANNER%20IS%20CLEAR.ht... Here's what got me. The beginning starts with, "I'm a part of the fellowship of the unashamed. I have the power of the Holy Spirit. They dye has been cast. I have stepped over the line. The decision has been made. I'm a disciple of Jesus. I won't look back, let up, slow down or be still." It ends with these words: "I won't give up, shut up, let up, until I have stayed up, stored up, prayed up, paid up, preached up for the cause of Christ. I have a great hope of His coming back. So I preach till all know and work till He stops me. And when He comes for His own, He will have no problems recognizing me, for my banner is clear!!!" Wow. You know, if just a few of us had had that kind of strength, our country might not be in the shape that it's in today. We might have stood up and said, "No! You will not take the teaching of moral behavior out of our schools. You will NOT teach that every kid can just do his/her own thing and define his/her own truth. It is wrong to kill and to steal and our kids need to know that. It's wrong to treat people badly, it's wrong to have fist fights in school, and it's wrong to be disrespectful of teachers." Maybe if we had stood our ground on these kinds of things, we wouldn't be shaking our heads and saying, "Tssk, tssk, tssk. I wonder how things got this way." Anyway, do click on the link above and read the whole mini-sermon. Then print it out - like I did - and put it on the wall where you can read it again. ********* I had a few emails about reading through the Bible in a year by just reading 15 minutes a day. Some said that it depends on how fast one reads. That's certainly true. I read FAST. I zip through books. If you've never read through the entire Bible, or if it's been a while since you did, maybe now is the time to start again. Our pastor hands out "Parson Larsen's Quiet Time Notebook" that shows how he reads through the Bible. Each day, he provides two New and two Old Testament readings. He reads Monday through Thursday, making notes, then re-reads his notes and selected passages on Friday, then reviews and rests on Saturday and Sunday. If you'd like to start today reading through the Bible, here's where he would suggest you start: Matthew 1 Acts 1:1-11 Psalms 1-2 Genesis 1-3 That's week one in "Parson Larsen's Quiet Time Notebook." Now...I don't think I'll be back again tonight. Three entries in one day would be a bit much. I keep forgetting to share. My sister (she's 6 years younger than me), got promoted with Dow Chemical again. Now she's a Corporate Vice President. Before she was just a regular vp. Whatever that means. Here's the latest about her: http://www.dow.com/corpgov/leader/dudley.htm |
| Yesterday, in one of the writers newsletters I get, there was mention of this article. What an interesting way to write about restaurants or food choices in foreign countries. http://www.travelpostmonthly.com/archive/dining/misadventures_with_chinese_cuc/ Here's a quote for writers or anyone submitting creative works: "I take rejection as someone blowing a bugle in my ear to wake me up and get me going, rather than retreat." ~ Sylvester Stallone May Holidays Fibromyalgia Education and Awareness Month I should do a contest. In fact, I am thinking of something. Two somethings, actually. One contest for fibro sufferers, and one for everyone else. May 6-12 – National Hug Week May 13-19 – Reading is Fun Week May 3 – Lumpy Rug Day Also on May 3: National Day of Prayer, National Day of Reason May 4 – National Candied Orange Peel Day May 7 – National Tuba Day May 8 – No Socks Day May 9 – National Night Shift Workers Day and National Third Shift Workers Day May 12 – Fibromyalgia Awareness Day May 13 – Mother’s Day May 15 – National Chocolate Chip Day May 17 – Pack Rat Day May 18 – National Bike to Work Day Also on May 18: National Pizza Day, National Send an Electronic Greeting Day, National Visit Your Relatives Day (Strange, isn't it, that National Bike to Work Day and National Pizza fall on the same day?) May 20 – National Neighbor Day May 23 – World Turtle Day May 24 – Brother’s Day May 25-28 – Old Time Player Piano Days May 27 - Pentecost May 28 – Memorial Day May 30 – My Bucket’s Got a Hole in it Day For the sports minded, the Kentucky Derby and the Indianapolis 500 are also in May. I didn't include them, though. |
| But I did warn you on the last one, right in the subject line. I said I would be back today. And here I am. Earlier today, a friend from Texas sent some wonderful pictures of the beach at Surfside. He likes to walk the beach with his dogs early in the morning. His dogs romp in the sand and water while the sun comes up. Tom writes some wonderful poems, all about and for God, and I'm sure that's because he takes time each morning to be with God at the beach. Anyway, along with the 20 pictures, he sent a few words of poetry, but they were not lines he wrote. He included them with the words, "author unknown" at the bottom. As you probably know by now, that always bothers me. Author unknown? Why!?! The words were surely not penned by themselves. So, I set out on a search for the writer and it was really a simple search. Took just a few seconds, actually. I think some don't realize how sophisitated Googling has become. One only has to type a line of poetry and - poof! - there's the information about the poet. I found a few more lines from that same poem, but not the whole thing, which is supposedly 180 lines. It's in the last entry, but just so you don't have to go back: "Question not, but live and labour Till yon goal be won, Helping every feeble neighbor, Seeking help from none; Life is mostly froth and bubble, Two things stand like stone, Kindness in another's trouble, Courage in your own".- ~ Adam Lindsay Gordon (1833-1870). I got curious about this writer, and trail lead me to some other writers and a bunch of quotations. I found a quote that I've used before by Anais Nin - "We don't see things as they are, we see things as we are." Then I found LOTS of quotations by Anais Nin: "We write to taste life twice, in the moment and in retrospection." "We are the sculptors, constantly carving out of others the image we long for, need, love or desire, often against reality, against their benefit, and always, in the end, a disappointment, because it does not fit them." "Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage." All of those were by the same writer. I discovered that this writer started keeping a diary at the age of 11, and that her journals ended up being published. And that those words written day in and day out were also the inspiration for her fiction novels and poems. That's the reason why we keep blogs. Because as we're writing and thinking and pondering, other ideas emerge - ideas we can use for stories or poems. I did it, you know. I had an entry for every day in April. Same thing for February. But not for March, since that's when hubby and I went to Texas to get my sfuff out of storage. But, yes, I had an entry for every day in April. I'm not sure that will continue for the month of May. One day at a time. The rest of this is about health stuff, so beware. If you dont' want to know, stop reading now. You have been warned. Pain level: 5 When one has chronic pain, it is usually measured on a scaled of zero for none to ten for the worst pain ever. Actually, I have had pains I would define as fifteens. Mood level: 5 That's my own measurement. I figure that there is no zero. I have to be in some kind of mood, right? But one would be pretty depressed and ten would be super-duper happy.Tiredness level: 7 Is that a word? Tiredness? For this time of night, that's not a bad thing, being at a level 7 of tiredness. Stomach yuckiness: 7 That's not such a good thing. My gastro doc called me today - him personally, not a nurse or other staff - to tell me that the CAT scan showed absolutely nothing. He said that there's nothing that shows up that could be the reason for my pains. Not to mention the burping and passing gas that I do all the time?!???! I asked if it could not just be part of my fibromyalgia. I've read that lots of fibro patients have stomach/digestive problems. He said that it could. Although I have a muscle relaxer already for skeletal muscles, he's probably going to prescribe a muscle relaxer for my digestive tract muscles. Yippee skippy. I am certainly pleased as punch that there was nothing on the CAT scan, no abnormality, no growth. I really am. I'm not thrilled about taking yet another medication. Although, since they cannot find anything wrong, perhaps I can stop taking the two digestive meds I take now and just take the relaxer when I need it? That could be a good thing, I guess. Perhaps I should watch at least part of the news. Later gators. |
| "Everybody walks past a thousand story ideas every day. The good writers are the ones who see five or six of them. Most people don't see any." ~ Orson Scott Card "Question not, but live and labour Till yon goal be won, Helping every feeble neighbor, Seeking help from none; Life is mostly froth and bubble, Two things stand like stone, Kindness in another's trouble, Courage in your own".- ~ Adam Lindsay Gordon (1833-1870). (It's towards the end of a 180-line poem titled Ye Weary Wayfarer. Finis Exoptatus.) "Some people like my advice so much that they frame it upon the wall instead of using it". - Gordon R. Dickson |
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