Just two things

OK two things to say. Number one....with the onset of real winter temperatures (Global Warming my Aunt Fannie's Garter Straps!) my fingers are all cracked at the fingertips and feel like I have a bazillion paper cuts. Ouch! Ouch! Ouch!

And the second thing is , last night while watching I don't know what, some mundane TV show, the statement was made that God doesn't send you more that you can bear and of all things, my Husband, Mr. I am an independent thinker and need no spiritual guidance , well didn't he point out to me that I had better remember that as I whine my way through February (always a nasty mood month for me). I retorted (love that word) that I know that and lean on it heavily but that still didn't mean that I wouldn't feel sorry for myself from time to time to time.

I am so happy that he has those thoughts and is probably only putting up that macho thing, no Religiosity here while he truly is a man of deep spiritual thoughts.

I Hate Re-runs

Talk about emboldening our enemies. That foolish and cowardly non-binding vote that Congress feels is okey dokey has just pulled out of the mothballs every one of those tired leftovers from the Vietnam War era --- POWER TO THE PEOPLE. Gag and wretch...why don't they, the press, talk evenly about this issue. The thousands who marched Pro-Life were swept away like dust and the rag tag rubble following Cindy Sheehan and that damned fool Jane Fonda are touted as the next coming. HELP ME! I couldn't stand this back in the 70's and the re-runs are so horrible it makes the return of the Partridge Family seem heavenly.

Imagine David Cassidy dressed in his Partridge Family togs, on stage wrinkled and Steven Tyler saggy... that is what this whole "peace" crap is to me. Peace in their minds merely means surrender and run away with your tail between your legs. Then the "peace" activists can puff up with self righteous congratulations and speak for all of us when they say "We are so Sorry Sorry Sorry." And they damned well should be. They have been a sorry excuse for productive humans for all of these past decades.

And so on and so on and my blood pressure is too high to continue.....Later

Conversations with an angel

Reading NRO book reviews and The Truth About Muhammad-Founder of the World's Most Intolerant Religion by Robert Spencer is reviewed by Andrew McCarthy. I think I might buy it since I read Spencer's blog from time to time and he seems very scholarly in his discussions. No emotion but researched fact is more in line with his comments. Anyhow, as I read the review he talked about Spencer discussing all of Muhammad's life and it seems that Muhammad claims to have taken dictation from an angel and the words he wrote are directly from Allah. Now I may be wrong but didn't the founder of the Mormons also claim to have had direct conversation with an angel, Moroni or something of that sort? Abraham as well had angelic conversations and Mary did too. So whose angel should be the right angel? Maybe the research and arguments should begin there....

The Mighty Brady was Intercepted

This is like that Mudville poem but the mighty Brady got intercepted. Gloom and dark skies abound here in New England. Our mighty Patriots had feet of clay and showed their human side. The first quarter was spectacular but our team is a last quarter team. They wore it out in the first quarter and had no reserve to draw on. Flu and aches and injuries and might extra efforts all year took their toll and left our boys on the field but at least the score was a respectable one. And on the bright side? That Superbowl Party? She is a thing of the past. Whew! the entertainment options are boundless now and include the option of no company, no football and Lifetime movies.

We are having a light and snowy morning here. It seems right for some reason. I guess this means winter has officially begun. That global warming thing is behind us for a while. Damn!

Faith not Works

Heard this morning on the way to work. A man in the radio minister’s congregation was well to do and a wonderful pillar of the community. He owned his own business, treated his employees well, paid a higher than average wage with full benefits. He contributed to the local charities, endowed a wing at the hospital, sponsored scholarships at the high school, was a mentor to many. He was a good father, a loyal husband and caring son and brother. This was a good man. Following the sermon which dealt with the fact that you are saved by faith not works he stopped the minister to explain to him why, after all that he has done with his life, is he no better than a pimp or murderer who repents and is saved? The answer was rather limp, I thought.

The minister explained that there is no perfect person and even when you think you are 99.99% perfect, the truth is that there are sins and imperfections that you are unwilling or unable to see. Everyone needs Jesus since He is the only way to be washed clean. I understood that answer but there is still, in my mind and many, that nagging “Why? Why did I live my life watching out and taking care and doing good deeds when I might rather have gone out with my friends? Why when it doesn’t matter?’’ I have struggled with that one forever but what I have found is that the person who toes the mark has fewer regrets and less to repent of. I don’t think the person who dishonored his mother and father, stole from his friends, assaulted his loved ones and generally lived a disreputable life was having fun. I think that when that person is brought to his knees and cries for mercy, he will be granted mercy and forgiven. God won’t remember your sins and hold them against you but he doesn’t wipe them out of your memory. You have to live with that and that’s when that WHY is answered. No one wants to tote that bag around, the one we have is full enough and we think we have behaved. Yikes! Who wants to add to the load. Not me! God’s plan is perfect since we sure aren’t.

Thank you God for running the show.

Don't Ask, Don't Tell

And now the news for the day!!!!

I had a dream last night about civil rights and minorities, yes that's right. How can I waste all that dream time on something like that as opposed to being queen of the universe and indulging in expensive pastimes that will never be available except during that dream time? And yet, that is what happened. I was in some kind of focus group and we were being presented with the Homosexuals are a minority group and their quest for equality is on the same level as the civil rights efforts in the 60's. I must have had the radio on and the discussion pushed it's way into my dream so that I would not wake up. I was awakened at some point and the radio was not on nor do I recall putting it on at any time so that reasoning is not very powerful. Any how back to the point at hand. The argument that homosexuals are a minority group began and I was very hung up on the fact that they were not recognizable until he or she put on extreme mannerisms which would identify them as a feminine man or a masculine female. What of the homosexual man who was manly or the lesbian female who was feminine? After all, in a couple aren't there usually a male and female or whatever the combination should be called? I don't know enough about this but in this case aren't we saying that the minority position has to be self declared as opposed to immediately evident? Am I into the don't ask don't tell and if so don't you have to tell and tell and tell everyone everywhere all the time and isn't that exhausting? If there are no distinctions unless you tell then how can you claim discrimination? I just wonder.

Today's Prayer

When I woke this morning I thought about the prayer of Jabez and how that book has sold millions and how people pray that prayer. It's a simple one 1 Chronicles 4-10 "Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory.! Let your hand be with me and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain."

I was saying that in my own words and it became kind of a chant. Not good. A mindless chant is like some pagan ritual. A prayer is a chat with God. I think it should be from the heart and changing each time as your circumstances change. It should be a running conversation keeping the Lord informed of your failings and appreciation and needs.

Oh Lord, You are so powerful and loving and good. The world You have created for me is magnificent and contains all that I love and need. I thank You for my family and friends, my employment and dwelling. I am so grateful to be living where I am. I can see the ocean every day. I walk the streets of my childhood where my memories are stored. I am able to indulge myself in my nostalgic trips through the neighborhood and then sort through the pain I caused and the pain I survived. Dramatic as it sounds it was nothing compared to others. It was all I could bear and grow from and I thank You for Your loving kindness.

Please keep me from evil. Keep my feet on the path that pleases You. Protect me, my family and friends from pain and evil. Bless my enemies for I have those as well. Change their hearts and mine to achieve some peace in our lifetime. I know You are with me always.

Bless my country and our President. Hasten a victory for him and us. Keep his enemies at bay and protect our country from the bad intentions of the press, from the good intentions of the peacenicks and turn the ill wishes of our enemies inside and outside of our borders against them.

I pray these things in Jesus name. Amen

Hard Hearts

Sometimes that "still small voice" you're supposed to listen to is on the radio. I have posted tons of times about the radio ministers I listen to in the morning and often, if I wake up in the middle of the night and I am here alone, I will put the radio on for that automatic time and there they are, the radio ministers, to soothe me back to sleep. Anyhow, last night and this morning the messages wereconcerning meekness. Meekness is submission, strength under control Give it up to Jesus. Another message was about how your heart can harden. Consider Pharoah, he had all those plagues sent to him and each of them hardened his heart. At first he hardened his own heart and then, the Bible says that God hardened his heart. If you hear the truth and deny it, knowing it is true, that is a step toward hardening your heart. If that still small voice tells you to aplogize to someone for whatever and you know that is the right thing to do but you don't, your heart is a little bit harder. If you disobey God's commands, there goes that hard heart thing.

Submit and obey and your heart will not harden. Glory be to God. On with my day. Remember, that submission thing is to God and His commands.

Once again. On with the day. Bless you all and me too.

Football Fever

Yesterday, Sunday, football, friends, food and what else do we need to make life good? To top it off, our team won. Who is better than Tom Brady? We had such a nice time and the dog? She relaxed into it and never once had a melt down. Every now and then she thinks we are all her playmates and Yikes. The house is small and cluttered. Add one large puppylike Rottweiler and stir her up. There you have it folks. A quick and wild ride to total mess, broken whatevers and bruised folks. Thank God that didn’t happen. She walked and walked beautifully before the company arrived and after a very short but vigorous greeting she threw herself down on the Pupopedic mattress and never again frolicked in the house. YAY.

Happy New Year

Had some friends in on New Year’s Eve and Hubby and I were the only non-Democrats at the table. Naturally talk turned to politics as it always does. One of the couples is our age and the other about ten years younger. We older types get into it and voices are loud, sometimes only because our hearing is not as it used to be. The table is always pounded for emphasis, we shout and pound and then have a drink with our after dinner desert. The younger couple is way too liberal but we love them anyhow. She couldn't stand our line of discussion and yelled at all of us to “Shut UP” as she left the room. I had to point out to her that she, the most liberal, had no tolerance for spirited discussion. Funny. Huh? She really couldn't believe that we could all be so vehement and not get angry with each other. I had to explain to her that if she listened to the discussion she would not have heard any insults of a personal nature. We all like each other. We don’t like the political leanings of each other. We talk facts and figures. We question each others sources and go deep. Sometimes we even change our minds if the information is real and persuasive. At the very least we think about differing points of view brought to the table by sincere and honest people. They are not twisting facts to make a point. We had a great time.

:Yikes, time flies

Last post was December 14th. I can't believe the time has gone by so quickly....and then again there have been moments or two of draggingly slow motion. I have to say that the most horrible thing about the Christmas event was the fact that I never got the tree up. I also have to say that the best thing about the Christmas event was the fact that I never got the tree up. On the day after Christmas I looked around, saw that the majority of the mess was cleaned up and to put the decorations away all I had to do was remove the red candle from the mantle and carry on. How amazing is that? Years past I was still staring at that tree in February. One year I thought that if I just changed the ornaments to birds and flowers I could just leave it there year round. People would eventually stop staring and move on with their comments.

Well, the Christmas Eve dinner festival was so nice. Days before, because of that no gift exchanging and Hubby not passing the word to the people we would spend Christmas Day with, we baked cookies and cookies and more cookies. Bags were bought - of the small variety and then of course more were bought since I couldn't find a bag of those that I bought and cookies were wrapped and wrapped and decorated and wrapped and packed into bags and bags and. You get it right? Next year? Gifts.

Christmas Eve. Standing Prime Rib. Giant Spiral Sliced Ham. Wine. Food. More Food. More wine. Seventeen of us. It was great and we ate early and the kids (in their 20's) reminisced like old timers. I loved it. My niece's two little ones were the hit of the night. It couldn't be Christmas without little ones and Hubby's dad was there -- what a really nice time.

New Year's Eve. Quiet dinner at home with good friends and watched the ball drop, said good night and asleep by 12:30. Perfect.

Hope all went well with everyone out there and by golly, 2007 will be such a good one. We're overdue for some smooth sailing aren't we?

God Bless.