Penguins

Sometimes I forget how blessed I am. I have a Heavenly Father who loves me and wants only the best for me. I have a wonderful husband who is faithful and has always worked so hard for our family. I have five wonderful children here on earth and one waiting in heaven for me. I have a wonderful mother and an awesome brother who takes care of her since my daddy died. I have a wonderful church family and a terrific pastor. My kids are blessed with wonderful friends. We have a wonderful home and enough cars to look like we are running a used car lot when everyone is home. And there's usually some of their friends here so that makes for more cars. We have very tolerant neighbors, also. :)

We have food to eat and clothes to wear. Our kids are all responsible young adults who work hard and are loyal to each other. We have four wonderful cats and a brilliant dog. Now Ben will argue about my cat, Yoda, being wonderful, but that's beside the point. That's his viewpoint and not mine at all. I love how each of our children have their own personalities and so do each of our pets. And I am grateful how Donald tolerates all our pets even though he's not a pet lover like some of us.

I love how God is faithful to work in our children's lives. I love how he has blessed them in spite of very imperfect parents who have made tons of mistakes. I am grateful for his mercy and grace. I love how I can trust Him when I am concerned and I love how He always comes through. Not necessarily in my time frame and definitely not how I think or desire, but it's always perfect in the end. He does have our best interests at heart.

There are things I desire for our children that I don't see happening in the physical. But I know that God is their All in All and I can trust Him with their lives.

I love how this is my blog and I can ramble on and on and not have to make sense or worry about anyone disagreeing with me. It is, after all, my opinions and viewpoints and you may or may not agree with them. But that's okay. I'll still be your friend if you want to be my friend.

I am grateful for the many friends in my life. I am grateful for old friends who have chosen to no longer be a part of my life. They helped shape who I am today. I am grateful for the ones who have remained my friends through the years, and love me and accept me for who I am, even when I'm stinky with a rotten attitude. And I am grateful for the ones I am just beginning to get to know and love.

And I think it's totally great that I can title this entry "Penguins" and put a picture of them up when this has absolutely nothing at all to do with even one penguin~!

no cruises please

Is it really possible I have been married for thirty-two years? On one hand it seems like I have spent my whole life loving Donald. Then again there were almost twenty years of my life when I didn't even know him. We lived about five miles from each other, went to schools in different towns, and never met. I was immediately smitten from the first time I spoke to him. He was so cute and so nice and I really really wanted to know him.

I sometimes still can't believe he chose me. I am so very thrilled because he did. I am blessed beyond measure; he is the most wonderful man a woman could want. We have had our ups and downs of course, like any relationship. We have a good life with wonderful children. We have a nice home, food to eat, cars to drive, and many extras. We have a God who loves us and blesses us with peace, joy, and hope.

Donald has always helped with the kids and even the housework when they were small. He changed their diapers, gave them baths, soothed their tears, played with them, and prayed for them. He works faithfully to provide for us and spends time with us. I'm not sure they are fully aware of how blessed they are. He's a good man, a faithful man, and most of all a Godly man.

Happy Anniversary, Donald. And please don't ever plan to take me on a cruise for an anniversary gift. You probably already know that, but just in case, I want you to know that's totally not something I want to do.

I love you!

Rhetorical questions and their answers

Why me?

Why not me??

How much nasal mucus can one person produce? (give me a break, i could of said "snot")

Not sure yet.

Who goes there?

Open the door and find out.

What's for dinner tomorrow night?

What's for dinner tonight?

Why am I the one who usually changes the roll of toilet paper?

Maybe it's a special gift only a choice few can handle.

Why does the trash can fill up so fast?

So I can empty it.

Why am I sitting here making this stuff up?

To avoid algebra. (sorry I couldn't resist this one)

Why did I get hundreds of calls regarding the election when I'm on the DO NOT CALL list?

They liked to hear me scream before I let the answering machine get it.

How long has it been since I've dusted the furniture?

Old Wolf brand chili commercial.........well, it's been too long!

a tribute

There is much I could write about today. I could rant about the Dallas Mavericks' trying to trade several of their best players for one Jason Kidd. I am glad Devean George is blocking that one; I hope he continues to do so. I could write about our special meal that Bethany and Hannah cooked last night, and the good movie we watched afterward with Charity and Josiah. I could write about working in the back yard and Bright running around like a mad dog. I could even verbalize about algebra, but I'm sure you are sick and tired of that as am I.

What I really want to say is something I have thought about all week. You see, one of the members of our church body died last Saturday. Our pastor talked about Richard during our Sunday service and really helped us with accepting his death. The funeral service was Wednesday; Pastor Paul did an awesome service there also. They were both perfect. Richard would of loved both of them!

Richard was.......well, Richard. He had a huge heart and always came in with a smile. Even when he had good reason not to. You see his leg had been broken in a farming accident and he was in a lot of pain. God was healing his leg though and we were all excited, especially Richard. He was always more concerned with others than himself. He had met a lovely lady and their relationship was progressing. Robbin came to the funeral and Connie and I were blessed to get to know her just a little. She is an awesome lady and we can understand why Richard was excited about their relationship. More importantly, he was growing leaps and bounds in his relationship with the Lord. God was working in his life; many exciting things were happening for him.

Then God takes him home unexpectedly. Why, Lord? Some may say it's not right to ask God. I say God understands and isn't offended. I think He realizes it's part of our grieving process. Part of our body is missing and God understands the void.

I Corinthians chapter 12.......
12 The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ.
26 If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.
27 Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.

The grief we all feel is for us. Richard is with God. If any of the saints needed help, I'm sure he has already taken care of it. That's Richard.

what??

I just read an article about a couple who stole $8,000,000 from an armored car company to escape financial hardships. "I knew taking the money from AT Systems was wrong, but I wanted a better life," the lady confessed. They admit their guilt and then plead not guilty. I wonder if prison will give her a "better life'"?

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22887939?gt1=10755

I'm glad I have a conscience. Really glad. Without the Lord maybe I would be in search of a "better life" also. I mean, we have financial hardships. Most people do. But even in them we are SO blessed. I guess a mission trip into the "cardboard village" in Mexico changed my perspective. Suddenly my carpet and flooring didn't seem so bad. My home wasn't made of cardboard and sitting on a dirt floor. Perspective.

Now do I still want new flooring?? Definitely! But it's not as important as it once was. In time, I'll have it. But now there are other things that are more important to us.

Entry Word: perspective
Function: noun
text: a way of looking at or thinking about something

don't categorize

I just read an article that makes me so sad. You can read it here if you'd like.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22813570/?GT1=10755

Basically a church is going to protest Heath Ledger's memorial service because he played a gay character in a movie. This is the same ones that protested at funerals of American soldiers who lost their lives in Iraq. I think these people are using all their energies in the wrong direction. Now I believe that homosexuality is a sin according to the Bible. But so are a LOT of other things. It is wrong to categorize sin. It seems many people put this one on the top of their list. When the people were wanting to stone a woman caught in adultery Jesus simply told them that whoever hadn't sinned could cast the first stone. Needless to say the woman lived. Jesus forgave her and her life was changed. Why can't Christians show some of Jesus' love to people instead of criticizing and condemning?

Addendum (sounds fancier than p.s. doesn't it??)
I have always thought the actions of men the best interpreters of their thoughts.
John Locke

y=mx+b

I have a blogging friend who asked an interesting question the other day. This is her question.....
Do you think blogs should only show the good days or times or do you think it is ok to be open and real about "some" things?

I started my blog during a very "up" time in my walk with the Lord. I had lots of positive thoughts and entries. Things seem to go in a cycle in my life and then I started struggling and walking through some hard things. I don't share everything on my blog, but I decided I was going to be real and share some of my struggles also. I don't know as there is a right or wrong answer to her question. People are so different.

Today has been a struggle. In Algebra we are given the slope and a point on a line and are having to find the y-intercept. Honestly, I could care less. However it is important in our schooling. So after struggling through the explanation in the textbook (a very technical explantion of why the example worked) and having no success we finally pulled out the tape from Friday's lesson. Bless our teacher's heart. She very plainly puts it in a one, two, three simple step explanation and suddenly there is much less stress in my life. I never thought my life would involve so much algebra!

I started thinking about Isaiah 26:3. I love the way The Message puts it........
People with their minds set on you, you keep completely whole, Steady on their feet, because they keep at it and don't quit.

Do you suppose God is considering algebra in this scripture??

Saturday's thoughts

Our pastor has mentioned the need for integrity quite a few times lately. I guess because I live a fairly sheltered life at times I am not aware of the condition of things. Suddenly I become aware of the need and see it again and again.

Our daughter works in a doctor's office. They have had to hire a couple of new people. There were several who accepted the job, and then on the day they were to start called and said they had changed their mind, etc. One person even agreed to full time work and the day she was to begin called and said she could only work part time. What is it with people? It's sad when your word doesn't mean anything.

Proverbs 22:1
A good name is more desirable than great wealth. Respect is better than silver or gold. (God's Word Translation) Obviously to some people this doesn't matter. That makes me sad for them and for our world.

Here are a couple of quotes that I like.

Real integrity is doing the right thing, knowing that nobody's going to know whether you did it or not. Oprah Winfrey (1954- ) in Good Housekeeping

Integrity combined with faithfulness is a powerful force and worthy of great respect.
Real Live Preacher, RealLivePreacher.com Weblog, January 27, 2003

My prayer...........

Psalm 25:21
May integrity and uprightness protect me, because my hope is in you. (NIV)

Nostalgia

I was being lazy this morning. It was time to get up, but we're on Christmas break and I didn't have to get up for any pressing reason. I decided to stay in bed. The ceiling fan was on, the air was cold, and I was all comfy in my bed. It was just too cold to get up. My mind wandered back in time when I was young and living at home. My bedroom had a north window and since we didn't have air conditioning we slept with the windows open. Every so often a cold front would come through in the summer and cold air would blow across my bed. It felt so wonderful. The air was cold, my bed was warm, and it was a weekend so I didn't have to get up for school! One definition for nostalgia is what I experienced this morning: a wistful or excessively sentimental yearning for return to or of some past period or irrecoverable condition. Now in no way do I want to return to the past, but at least in my memories I was taken back quite a few years. Nostalgia, what a wonderful word.

Main Entry:
nos·tal·gia
Pronunciation:
\nä-ˈstal-jə, nə- also nȯ-, nō-; nə-ˈstäl-\
Function:
noun
Etymology:
New Latin, from Greek nostos return home + New Latin -algia; akin to Greek neisthai to return, Old English genesan to survive, Sanskrit nasate he approaches
Date:
1756

Laura Norder

I like words. I don't know why exactly. I like to look words up in the dictionary and thesaurus. I hate misspelled words on billboards and signs. There is one on one of our main streets that advertises "fountian" drinks for such and such cents. Now I'm sure I shouldn't get so emotional over this, but it really irks me. And it's not even on the 100 MOST OFTEN MISSPELLED WORDS IN ENGLISH list. http://www.yourdictionary.com/library/misspelled.html

I received an email this morning. The person was needing "chester"drawers. Now I don't know if it's because my hearing isn't that good or if it's where I grew up, but I have heard this one before. I actually found this http://www.yourdictionary.com/library/mispron.html online. Some I had heard, some enlightened me, and a few I have used incorrectly. I would like to set the record straight though: these listed I no longer use incorrectly.

These are some of the ones I knew:
1. Old-timer's disease for Alzheimer's disease
2. bob wire for barbed wire (now I am guilty of saying this one; in fact it was years before I knew the difference, but then I'm from small town Texas)
3. chester drawers for chest of drawers
4. duck tape for duct tape (once again I am guilty of this one)
5. prostrate for prostate (I've heard this on NYPD Blue, maybe they meant to use it that way)
6. sherbert for sherbet (guilty as charged)

There were a couple that enlightened me.
1. card shark for cardsharp
2. chomp at the bit for champ at the bit
3. spitting image for spit and image

And finally these are the ones I found funny:
1. Heineken remover for Heimlich maneuver
2. Laura Norder for law and order

What is the point in all this? I haven't a clue. At least I have something to blog about. But now I know not to say I'm chomping at the bit or she's the spitting image of her mother. Does anyone have a chester drawers??

Altogether Lovely

It's 4:40 a.m. I should be in bed sleeping. What am I doing blogging at this hour??

Well, it's like this..........I am struggling with asthma/bronchitis junk and some other stuff that I won't go into. Let's just say I can't sleep and leave it at that. But in the middle of all of this I have this phrase from a song going on in my head:

And here I am to worship,
here I am to bow down,
here I am to say that you're my God
You're altogether lovely,
altogether worthy,
altogether wonderful to me.

How awesome is our God~!

Chocolate or Chocolate???

I received an email with the following signature line:

"Save the Earth; it's the only planet with chocolate!"

Now that is one Save the (Whatever) slogans that I can really get into. While I don't have a problem with save the whales or save the spotted owls I just don't feel really passionate about either of them. They are fine in themselves and I'm glad God made them, but it's not my cup of tea.

Chocolate now, that's another matter~! I read where women need chocolate at certain times. I was really glad to see that someone else agreed with me. It really didn't matter though, because my daughters and I already knew that. We have made many chocolate runs from this house. It's a good thing we don't live far away from the store or I would have to stockpile it for those occasions. Then it would be really hard not to indulge.

The first picture is one of our favorites. It's a Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cake and it is served with Hot Fudge Sauce. Um...Um...Good~! Even the guys at our house love this one. In fact, Daniel requested this for his last birthday, hence the candles.

The other is a delicious cheesecake that Rebekah made for me on my birthday.
See the delicious chocolate drizzled across the top? It was sooo good~!

I can already tell that this is one of those days when I'll be needing some chocolate.

Lamentations, not what you may think~!

It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. Lamentations 3:22-23

It's fantastic the way some days are just different. I had been up but a few minutes this morning when the words to a song started going through my thoughts. "Oh Lord, great is thy faithfulness." You know how usually when you ask someone how they are doing you do it just to have something to say? Or maybe to be kind and let them know you care about them? Have you ever had someone really tell you how they are doing in reply to your question? Did it catch you off guard? Did you really want to know?

I find it very hard to hide my feelings. When I'm happy........I'm happy. When I'm down, I'm down. Maybe I'm one of those people who make you feel uncomfortable when you ask me that simple question. Perhaps I need to find some even ground with my emotions. "Tears of a clown" just doesn't describe me.

His mercies are new every morning
New every day
Oh, Lord, great is your faithfulness.

hallelujah~!

Good night and may God bless

I was thinking about my childhood and remembering some of the TV shows I grew up watching. Weeknights I could choose what to watch, but Saturday nights belonged to my mother. We watched Ernest Tubb, Whispering Bill Anderson, Buck Ownes, Lawrence Welk, and others. I was enthralled with the Lennon Sisters; Janet, the youngest, was my favorite. I even had Lennon Sister paper dolls which I painstakingly cut out and kept in suburb condition. On weeknights I watched shows such The Mod Squad, Daktari, Mission Impossible, Carol Burnett (with Harvey Korman, Tim Conway, and Vicki Lawrence), The Wonderful World of Disney, and remember seeing the Beatles on Ed Sullivan for the first time.

For some reason I loved Red Skelton. Mostly I remember him as "Clem Kadiddlehopper," but he also did "Gertrude and Heathcliff, the Two Seagulls" and "George Appleby." He was a true clown and his gentleness always showed through, as least to my child eyes. He would end his show each week by saying, "Good night, and may God bless."

As I grew older I watched my teen idols, Bobby Sherman in "Here Come the Brides," David Cassidy in "The Partridge Family" and swooned over The Everly Brothers and later Davy Jones of the Monkees. I watched Tom Jones sing "Deliah" and "It's Not Unusual" (or at least I think that's the names).

There wasn't much going on in the small town I grew up in, but thanks to our black and white television I was transported to another place most nights. And now I think I need to transport myself off to bed. I'll leave you with Red's gentle words, "Good night, and may God bless."

Negating Negativity

I just got off the phone with someone I love dearly. However, I really struggle with the negativity I always hear. It really is hard to remain upbeat for any length of time before I am looking for excuses to get off the phone. I would love to be able to negate the negativity in my own life and I can't do that listening to it.

I think the phrase "negating negativity" really appeals to me. The Merriam-Webster online dictionary defines it this way:

negate: to cause to be ineffective or invalid

negativity: marked by absence, withholding, or removal of something positive

I think I'll strive toward this goal (the end toward which effort is directed )

Don't you just love dictionaries?

A song for today

The Lord is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation. Psalm 118:14

I'm pretty sure I've discovered how important it is for me to have a song in my heart. Some days I just wake up with a line from a song in my heart and I find myself singing it over and over all day. I used to NEVER sing out loud for I am not blessed with a good voice. God tells us to make a joyful noise to the Lord and I'm afraid I fall into that category. But I can, and often do, offer this sacrifice of praise to my God.

The past week I have not had a song. Life has been a struggle and I have not had much joy in my life. I have let circumstances and words control me. I have really tried to snap out of it.......maybe that's my problem. The "me" in my life usually gets me in trouble. I really can do nothing of myself. The only way to have peace in this life is through Him. He lives in me so I am set. I have victory through Him. Why do I not "know" that some days and let "me" be in charge?

The fact is I need His salvation EVERY day. I know my name is written in His book and I do not need to continue asking Him for that kind of salvation. But I still need saving. I need saving from myself mainly. I need saving from circumstances that I let control me........not the circumstances themselves but from the way I view them and think of them. I need a new perspective; His perspective, not my own.

I'm asking God for a song for today. And I'm listening.

However, Wherever, Whenever

"The Lord does whatever pleases him." Psalm 135:6a NIV
The Message, modern translation, says it this way, "He does just as he pleases - however, wherever, whenever." I really like that translation.

Our pastor spoke on this today. It is true and should be so simple.......I am not God (duh). I do not know what is best (duh again). I am not in any position to decide what is best for me or anyone else. I am NOT in control. Left to myself I would be doomed.

However I find myself trying to figure out ways that God can do things. These instances usually come about when I am praying for something I need or think I need. Like God needs MY help in figuring out what and how to do something. Just who do I think I am??

Romans 12:3 says: "I'm speaking to you out of deep gratitude for all that God has given me, and especially as I have responsibilities in relation to you. Living then, as every one of you does, in pure grace, it's important that you not misinterpret yourselves as people who are bringing this goodness to God. No, God brings it all to you. The only accurate way to understand ourselves is by what God is and by what he does for us, not by what we are and what we do for him." (The Message)

God brings it all to me; He doesn't need my help in figuring things out. Understanding who God is and what he has done for me........that's what I need to contemplate.

Thinking Thoughts

Blogging requires thinking. I do a lot of that anyway, but most of what I think about isn't good blog material. I seriously doubt anyone cares how many loads of laundry I do each week. Or that our water was off for several hours yesterday afternoon and I thought I'd have to go to Celebrate Recovery with oily hair. Also the brain power I use in deciding what to cook for dinner doesn't seem to be a worthy topic.

My life is what it is............my life. I really enjoy it most days. Still I get stressed out at times. Like in algebra yesterday when I couldn't get the lesson on determining the unknown sides of special right triangles, like the 45-45 right triangle, or the 30-60 one. I watched the tape, worked the problems she showed, and it was only while trying to explain it in school this morning that I finally realized it wasn't as hard as I was making it. And it has been a while since I've dealt with Trigonometric Ratios. All this from someone who adamantly refused to even consider homeschooling~!

Thirty-one Years

Today is our anniversary. We made our vows to each other thirty-one years ago. Can it really be that long ago? Much has happened over the years; there has been much happiness, times of sadness, countless victories, and numerous trials. By God's grace we are still together. Many times it would have been easier to just stop trying; but here we are.

Some of our greatest joys have come with having children, also some of our greatest sadness. Sometimes life seems to be one big contradiction, but God is in control. I wish I had trusted Him through the years as much as I do now. Maybe that is why the hard times are necessary. But then again I hope to trust Him more in the future than I do in the present.

So much living has been done with this one man. He told me in our first years of marriage that he was going to keep me until I turned 40 and then trade me in for two 20's. He remembered that conversation when I turned forty, but I told him he couldn't manage me and what would he do with two? Who has been blessed the most? Probably me, but then again..............

Spring Fever

I have a bad case of spring fever today. The only problem is that I don't have time to have spring fever. The last several weeks have found me running around at a maddening pace. The problem with that is that my frustration level peaks and then I get crabby. And I hate being crabby~! (If my family reads this they will probably think, "Oh, really??? I never would have guessed.")

I guess that's one of the benefits of walking in the Holy Spirit. After you've had a taste of it you don't want to settle for less. At least that's the way it is for me. I think I've had just a smidgeon of a taste and I long for more. I find myself thinking of everything I have to do, ought to do, am behind in doing, and am doing at the present time, instead of thinking about God. I need to focus on Him instead of things.

At least I'm not condemning myself over it. I've had a lot of experience in self-condemnation, believe me. Slowly I'm changing for the better. I wish it was faster or more noticeable, but it's there.............hidden amidst all my scurry-ings. What Jesus has done for us is so incredible and so freeing.

"Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered." Psalm 32:1 (KJV)