Like Rolling off a Blog

It's hardly fair, I say, I say, It's hardly fair, I say For life to travel blithely on As if a normal day. A life is gone, the widow weeps I know not what to say. We know the truth, but maybe she Knows not the narrow way. "Whate'er it takes," he used to say. He often would repeat That if his wife would closer be, He'd glad accept defeat. It's our turn now, it is, I say For us to meet her need. What would be worse, in this or next, His word she wouldn't heed? Don't turn away, o, grieving one. Don't turn away, I say. It's only in Christ's sacrifice You'll meet again one day.

No, that's a big fat lie. What I hate is the hold food has over me. Why does something so simple as daily food consume (pun almost intended) my thoughts? Why do I have to think about what I'm going to eat? When I'm going to eat it? How much? It's because that simple daily food consumption is not so simple. The need has turned into entitlement and on to gluttony. I get the impression that most sin is the living-outside-the-boundaries of a God-given need. For example... adultery/ fornication/ homosexuality are outside the boundaries of the God-given satisfaction of sex. Greed is the o-o-b result of daily needs being met. And gluttony is the o-o-b result of our daily need for food. This morning I went to a Weight Watchers meeting with Ingrid. I really like the facilitator. She is upbeat, balanced in her approach, but what rankles me about the meetings is the focus on food...recipes, what people did and didn't eat, how to eat more and get away with it. This is the very ...

As the old adage goes: something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue. Not that I would be superstitious. No, it's tradition! So the morning of January 15, 1977, I dragged my maid of honor (well, matron, I guess) to a Penney's store and found a blue garter that I could throw away. Hey, it qualified for the traditional garter, something new, and the blue. And the garter I wore on my other leg (that I wouldn't dare throw away) had belonged to (borrowed from) my mom. So ... in my estimation at the time ... old. It was the first year that the Air Force was celebrating the commemoration of Martin Luther King's birthday, so our wedding had to be postponed by two hours. No problem. My m-o-h had helped me move stuff into our new townhome, and Mark would move his things in after the honeymoon. In the meantime, that townhome became my home base. And that morning was when I remembered that I had forgotten the new blue garter. Due to circumstances that I will not ...

I cannot weigh 2009 in a balance and come up with any semblance of equality or tipping. The hurts were deep, but the joys were soaring. And to say that one would outweigh the other is not going to work. Life just doesn’t work that way. I get a visual of a giant hand shaking a tray of hilly sand. Once shaken, it all levels out. As a literary device it might work for some illustrations, but not for the emotions and spiritual lessons of a year like 2009. Death was waiting at the doorstep in January. And yet in February, a job of mammoth proportions was given out. Anxious waiting and financial stresses. And yet the year ended with two new grandsons, beautiful and healthy. No, you can’t shake this year down and make it level. But my favorite Bible verse still applies. I love it. I cling to it. I repeat it even when I don’t believe it. Romans 8:28 (NASB) And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose....

2010 is waiting on my doorstep. I think I want to open the door to see it. But right now I just don't have the time, and I'm running in circles, doing and not doing stuff. Both the "doing" and the "not doing" are causing me anxiety. "Just stop it!" I say. Doesn't work. "Pray" I say. Does it work? Is it supposed to "work"? That sounds rather formulaic to me. Prayer is communication. Private, personal, supposed to be two-way, if I would just listen. So part of prayer is silence? Maybe that's what I've been missing. The listening part. Prayer, blogs, Facebook...it's all a pouring out. The soul stretched out for all to see. Except for the prayer part. My soul is always stretched bare for God to see. The difference is that He sees the REAL me, not the one I'm trying to show others. The "got it together" person. Or the "always anxious" person. He sees who He made me to be...who I am right now......

I signed a "no social dancing" policy, but I don't think this is social... is it? Hahahaha! Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Yes, folks, Grandma turned 100 on November 1, the first in living memory for a family member to hit that mark. Several got to 98 and 99, but this milestone was elusive until Grandma achieved it. If God so chooses, I certainly hope I am this lucid at the century zone.

It's coming soon! My grandma Nelson is turning 100! November 1 is her birthday and we're heading west to celebrate. So, here's something that we should read at her party. You've probably heard it before, but it's certainly true that Grandma will have bragging rights! Do you realize that the only time in our lives when we like to get old is when we're kids? If you're less than 10 years old, you're so excited about aging that you think in fractions. How old are you?.... "I'm four and a half "....You're never 36 and a half....you're four and a half going on five! That's the key. You get into your teens, now they can't hold you back. You jump to the next number. How old are you? "I'm gonna be 16." You could be 12, but you're gonna be 16. And then the greatest day of your life happens....you become 21. Even the words sound like a ceremony....you BECOME 21...YES!!! But then you turn 30....ooohhh what happened the...

Happy Birthday to me... :-) Warning! When I am Old I will wear Purple! When I am an old woman, I shall wear purple - - With a red hat which doesn't go, and doesn't suit me. And I shall spend my pension on brandy and summer gloves and satin sandals, And say we've no money for butter. I shall sit down on the pavement when I'm tired and gobble up samples in shops and press alarm bells and run with my stick along public railings, and make up for the sobriety of my youth. I shall go out in my slippers in the rain and pick flowers in other people's gardens and learn to spit! You can wear terrible shirts and grow more fat and eat three pounds of sausages at a go, or only bread and pickles for a week, and hoard pens and pencils and beermats and things in boxes. But now we must have clothes that keep us dry, and pay our rent and not swear in the street, and set a good example for the children. We must have friends to dinner and read the papers. But maybe I ought to practice ...

All in all, I like the U-Verse package from AT&T, however, the download and upload speeds (and we're paying for the highest end of home Internet) are pathetic!!! If you go to speedtest.net you can find out just how fast your Internet service is to your computer. When we had Comcast, we had speeds of 21 Mbps download and 14 Mbps upload. Now, with AT&T, this is what we struggle to get. It's not even hamsters running in their wheels. It is the turtle family doing laps.

This was the lead cartoon for the movie, UP! It's amazing what emotion can be evoked through animation. Cloud - Watch more funny videos here

Check this out! It's an Aussie Burger, and you have to ask for it by name, because it isn't on the menu. The menu is located at the Lakeside Grille in Petersburg, Kentucky. Better known as the site of the Creation Museum. And it takes some creativity to put this thing together...burger, cheddar, bacon, fried egg, shredded carrots, pickled beets, lettuce, tomato, onion, and pineapple! Practically a rainbow in a bun. Which is very appropriate for the restaurant. The Creation Museum has multiple allusions to the global flood (billions of dead things, buried in rock layers, laid down by flood water, all over the world). You really should try it... and I don't just mean the burger. Head for the Creation Museum as fast as you can! It's worth it!

Do you supposed God "gifted" us with addictions? Something in us wants to either be devoted to something (or someone) or at its zenith... addicted. I find that just like the "whack the mole" game, my addictions just switch places. When I think I've got one mastered, another pops up. Perhaps I'm addicted to shopping online. So I quit cold turkey and, voila, I'm staking out Dairy Queen for the latest Blizzard flavor every day. Neither is true, but I do find that when I'm relying on food, for example, my reliance on the Lord wanes. And when my food love is under control, my love for the Lord increases. This may not be true for everyone, but if you look at my waistline, you'll get a pretty good indication of how my soul relationship is doing. Right now, it is inversely related. Not a pretty picture. Remember Anne of Green Gables? She spoke of her "besetting sin." Mine shows itself in too much food. What's yours?

Or I could blame it on the Sixties. The 1968 Congress that decided to begin the unraveling of history. Ever since, we've leaned on convenience rather than truth (oh, now *that's* an inconvenient truth!). Instead of celebrating Lincoln's birthday on February 12, it's whatever Monday Congress declared. And Washington's birthday...February 22, but unless you read the fine print on your calendar,you and your kids just assume you get a federal holiday somewhere in February. Not that this was an intentional dismantling of American history, but I do believe it has served as such. It's sad to watch our generations lose their moorings because they don't know history, or the importance of that history. So, it is with equal distaste that I come upon my Grandmother's 100th birthday. Oh, no, I'm excited about her turning 100, don't get me wrong. But part of the family decided it would be convenient to hold her birthday a month earlier than the actual date. I ...

Late 1970s, the headlines read that The King has Died... Elvis Presley. June 25, 2009, the headlines read that The King has Died ... Michael Jackson. Circa 30 AD (depending on which calendar you trust), the people alternately chanted and mourned: The King has Died. Newspapers for the last 30 years have had "Elvis sightings." No doubt there will be "MJ sightings." But Jesus appeared to more than 500 people AFTER his death and resurrection. No Photoshop retouched images. Go ahead and mourn your "king." Mine is alive!

It seems like I blog in bursts and then sit on my haunches for long periods of time. Much like the rest of life for someone who is very intense. So, it is with great pleasure, fear and trepidation that I delve into where that intensity originated. Fathers Day. My dad was 24 when I was born, just shy of 35 when going into the Air Force as a chaplain, and is "pushing" 80 now. But he never slows down. Well, maybe slows, but doesn't quit. He is still out there visiting in the hospitals, feeding AIDS patients, preaching at his home church and at the Alzheimer's unit, and cuddling babies that come to church for dedication. Yep, that's the public dad that he is. Fond memories include camping and also my 18th birthday, when Dad took me on a "date" to a country kitchen type place where you drink out of mason jars. He bought me a small amber colored glass pitcher to commemorate the time, and that pitcher still sits by my front door. If you boiled it all down, I th...

If you haven't already seen it, you really must go see the Pixar movie, UP. They have masterfully crafted a story and animation that will make you laugh hysterically and weep (if you're not careful, you may sob). 3D version is not necessary, but when the DVD comes out, I'll be in line to get it.

This is on a t-shirt and refers to the "hate speech" legislation up for review. I think I'll buy one. What a weird and warped country we live in, because people have not understood, nor have they cared to understand, the founding fathers' intentions on free speech. Nor do they understand, nor care to understand, sin. Scripture says that "they call evil 'good' and good 'evil.'" We've reached that day.

Several years ago, shortly after we moved here, Mothers Day was celebrated with our daughter at a Teppan dinner house. I love Japanese food, and love the atmosphere of Teppan style cooking . At the end of the meal, the wait staff took our picture and presented me with a paperframed photo with the caption... Happy Mathers Day Rhonda Family! We've laughed about it ever since. So why am I weeping this morning? I don't have any right to. I received yellow tulips from my hubby on Friday (so I would have them in the house for our house-guests on Saturday), and on Saturday I received a gorgeous bouquet of red roses from Marshall and Lara. Tonight I will go to the "in-laws'" house to have dinner with Ingrid and family. Part of why I'm weeping is my heart breaks for Lara this Mothers Day. Empty arms instead of a card and kisses are really hard to bear when, all around you, mothers are being feted. And I ache for Britany who really would like the family to be their own ...

Our friends, the Wingers, are coming to visit this afternoon. I haven't seen them in years. They were very close friends when we lived in northern California, and he was our family dentist. Jacque is a gem. We left northern CA the last time in 1991. Seems like yesterday, but I'm sporting more gray, a set of progressive bifocals, and a whole lot more pounds. Now, I ask you, are you embarrassed to see people you haven't seen in a long time? Am I the only one? And then there's the house. We have never, and I mean never, made a killing in the real estate market. Every time we move, we start at ground zero. Need I tell you what a successful dentist who rides the market has in the foothills? Gorgeous. Now I'm in the coveting category as well as the slippery slope of having my husband feel like he hasn't provided. We do well, mind you. I'm proud of my hubby and thankful for all God has blessed us with over the years. But we've also made some bad decisions finan...