Rock climbing in 1997. But not any more...Hey, I'm 50 years old!
Saturday, December 31, 2005
I love this picture! Not sure where I got it, but I know I nabbed it from the Internet, somewhere. It seems rather in tune with the way I feel today. Maybe because I'm still feeling pretty rotten because of my rotten cold, and maybe because it's the end of yet another year. I don't know.
I'd say overall it was a pretty good year. I want to be like the guy in the picture, looking forward to new horizens and experiences. He's obviously kind of a risk taker, sitting on the side of that ledge like that! Just think what could happen if one good gust of wind came up! I used to be a little bit of a risk taker, but I guess as we get older we become more content to sit back and see what life brings to us. And if you listen to older people you realize they've become afraid of living as they've gotten older. I'm a good example of that. I used to swim in the Gulf of Mexico every chance I got as a child, but you won't see me out there anymore. Too many sharks! What about that undertow?!
Anyway, I wish you all a Happy New Year and may 2006 be even better than 2005 was!
Thursday, December 29, 2005
Hot Donuts Now
I have a cold, and I really don't like feeling sick! They say nurses make the worst patients and I think there's some truth to that! Fortunately I didn't have to work today...and I don't have to work tomorrow. I think I've just been forcing myself to keep going to get through the holidays. In a way, I'm kind of glad they are over for another year.
I've been working pretty hard the last couple of weeks because we've had a lot of people out of town for the holiday. So we've been filling in. Yesterday I was driving across the bridge a little after 7 a.m. The sun was shining so pretty and glistening off the water. Very beautiful! Sometimes it's nice to be reminded that God is in the heavens and all is well.
And driving home after a hard day I pass by the local Krispy Kreme and see the "Hot Donuts Now" sign flashing. Just thinking about those warm, sugary donuts just coming out of the oven was a great temptation! I remember as a teenager when we used to go swimming we would stop at Krispy Kreme and get some donuts. I would be ravenous from all that swimming. Every once in a while we would hit it just at the right time when they would be warm right out of the oven. One of my girlfriends' mother worked there, so she would give us a dozen donuts FREE! I would gorge myself on 3 of them. Oh yeah...those were the good ole days.
Guess I'll go take my vitamin C and make a cup of tea!
Monday, December 26, 2005
Heaven A Matter Of Faith
This is an excerpt from an article I read this morning in the Editorial section of our local newspaper:
Heaven a matter of faith
Barbara Walters' television program "Heaven" presented a comprehensive view of a subject easy to accept for many but controversial for others.
From my Christian perspective, it is all a matter of faith: the confident assurance that something we want is going to happen; the certainty that what we hope for is waiting for us, even though we cannot now see it up ahead.
God gave His love letter, the Holy Bible, to mankind so that every person could read it and determine, by our free will, to accept or reject it as the Word of God. I believe God's marvelous plan for mankind included His road map to Heaven, the Bible.
The only way to get there is through His Son, Jesus. He said, I am the (only) way, the (only) truth and the (only) life: no man comes to the Father, but by Me.
Needless to say, I am in complete agreement with what was said above. Below is a copy of a response I wrote to someone who had left a comment. Wish I'd seen the program about Heaven.
I don't know you, but it seems from your posts that you are searching for answers in your life. Like most of us, we question our lives sometimes asking, "Is this all there is?" It's okay to not be sure just what you believe, or to question why things have happened to you. I think that's completely normal. You said in your post "I'm the only person my age that has a reason for not believing in him". I would like to respond to that and say you are NOT ALONE even though you may feel that you are sometimes.There are so many people that have had to grow up in very bad environments. There are people who have lost the people they love through illness and death. I am a Hospice nurse, so I have seen even young people who are terminally ill and know they are going to die. We live in a world that is not perfect, and we know that every one of us will eventually die.
You said you feel like being close to God, yet the whole concept of God is laughable. I guess it's just hard for most of us to believe in something we can't actually see, or hear, or touch. We have probably never seen the Indian Ocean or the Arctic Ocean, but we believe they exist because we have seen a map that shows us they are there. We have FAITH, we believe, even though we have never actually seen, or touched them, or smelled the salty air on the wind. God IS real, I can tell you that with 100 percent certainty, yet I can never prove to you that He exists. He doesn't just live up in the clouds, looking down on us and marking in His little book every time we are bad.
God speaks to us today, not in the literal way that He did to Adam and Eve, and Moses and the Prophets in the Old Testament times. Today He speaks to us through His Word, the Bible. The Bible was being written during the time they were alive, and God spoke directly to them. That's how the Bible came to be, by someone writing down the history of how the world was created, of how God created us with the free will to make our own decisions. He could have made us like zombies, or puppets that would act when He pulled the strings. But God didn't want that. God wanted us to LOVE Him back. God wanted us to WANT to do the right things. He knows what is best for us, because He created us. If you think about it, if everyone followed the Bible, don't you think the world would be so different today? Today people say, well how do you determine what is the right thing? What's right for me may not be right for you. That's why we need a standard, because otherwise everyone would do whatever they wanted because they say that is right for them. The Bible gives us that standard.
You said you feel as though all your mistakes and bad judgments are published for everybody to see. If you read the Bible, you will see MANY people who made some very bad mistakes, yet God loved them and forgave them of those mistakes. Every one of us has done things we aren't proud of. We'd like to somehow go back in time and do things differently with what we know now. But that's not possible, so we learn from our past mistakes and go on. That's what is so wonderful about knowing God is real, and He cares and He hears us when we talk to Him. It breaks His heart to see us sad and just living our lives in a way that He knows will make us unhappy, yet He allows it because we have been given free will to make our own decisions.
I'm glad you haven't given up on God, because He hasn't given up on you. Go to church on Sunday and really listen to what is said. If you really believe that things happen for a reason, then you will find that God loves you so much and if you make a move to get closer to Him, you will see more and more of His plan for YOUR life.
Heaven a matter of faith
Barbara Walters' television program "Heaven" presented a comprehensive view of a subject easy to accept for many but controversial for others.
From my Christian perspective, it is all a matter of faith: the confident assurance that something we want is going to happen; the certainty that what we hope for is waiting for us, even though we cannot now see it up ahead.
God gave His love letter, the Holy Bible, to mankind so that every person could read it and determine, by our free will, to accept or reject it as the Word of God. I believe God's marvelous plan for mankind included His road map to Heaven, the Bible.
The only way to get there is through His Son, Jesus. He said, I am the (only) way, the (only) truth and the (only) life: no man comes to the Father, but by Me.
Needless to say, I am in complete agreement with what was said above. Below is a copy of a response I wrote to someone who had left a comment. Wish I'd seen the program about Heaven.
I don't know you, but it seems from your posts that you are searching for answers in your life. Like most of us, we question our lives sometimes asking, "Is this all there is?" It's okay to not be sure just what you believe, or to question why things have happened to you. I think that's completely normal. You said in your post "I'm the only person my age that has a reason for not believing in him". I would like to respond to that and say you are NOT ALONE even though you may feel that you are sometimes.There are so many people that have had to grow up in very bad environments. There are people who have lost the people they love through illness and death. I am a Hospice nurse, so I have seen even young people who are terminally ill and know they are going to die. We live in a world that is not perfect, and we know that every one of us will eventually die.
You said you feel like being close to God, yet the whole concept of God is laughable. I guess it's just hard for most of us to believe in something we can't actually see, or hear, or touch. We have probably never seen the Indian Ocean or the Arctic Ocean, but we believe they exist because we have seen a map that shows us they are there. We have FAITH, we believe, even though we have never actually seen, or touched them, or smelled the salty air on the wind. God IS real, I can tell you that with 100 percent certainty, yet I can never prove to you that He exists. He doesn't just live up in the clouds, looking down on us and marking in His little book every time we are bad.
God speaks to us today, not in the literal way that He did to Adam and Eve, and Moses and the Prophets in the Old Testament times. Today He speaks to us through His Word, the Bible. The Bible was being written during the time they were alive, and God spoke directly to them. That's how the Bible came to be, by someone writing down the history of how the world was created, of how God created us with the free will to make our own decisions. He could have made us like zombies, or puppets that would act when He pulled the strings. But God didn't want that. God wanted us to LOVE Him back. God wanted us to WANT to do the right things. He knows what is best for us, because He created us. If you think about it, if everyone followed the Bible, don't you think the world would be so different today? Today people say, well how do you determine what is the right thing? What's right for me may not be right for you. That's why we need a standard, because otherwise everyone would do whatever they wanted because they say that is right for them. The Bible gives us that standard.
You said you feel as though all your mistakes and bad judgments are published for everybody to see. If you read the Bible, you will see MANY people who made some very bad mistakes, yet God loved them and forgave them of those mistakes. Every one of us has done things we aren't proud of. We'd like to somehow go back in time and do things differently with what we know now. But that's not possible, so we learn from our past mistakes and go on. That's what is so wonderful about knowing God is real, and He cares and He hears us when we talk to Him. It breaks His heart to see us sad and just living our lives in a way that He knows will make us unhappy, yet He allows it because we have been given free will to make our own decisions.
I'm glad you haven't given up on God, because He hasn't given up on you. Go to church on Sunday and really listen to what is said. If you really believe that things happen for a reason, then you will find that God loves you so much and if you make a move to get closer to Him, you will see more and more of His plan for YOUR life.
Wednesday, December 21, 2005
But Then Again...
Maybe this explains why we don't know how many wise men there were. And why they had to come from so far away!!!!!!
Friday, December 16, 2005
Did you know...
The Bible doesn't say that there were three wise men that traveled from afar riding on camels to visit the baby Jesus lying in a manger? Matthew 2:1 says: Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem . . .
The Bible doesn't say how many wise men there were that came from the east, doesn't mention their names, and doesn't provide any details about how they made their journey.
It has generally been assumed that the wise men (or magi) were three in number because Matthew 2:11 makes mention of three gifts: " . . . they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense and myrrh."
And despite the familiar lyrics of the Christmas carol "We Three Kings," no biblical source depicts the three wise men as kings.
The Bible doesn't say that these wise men arrived just after the birth and found the baby Jesus lying in a manger. Matthew 2:11 states: And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him . . .
The wise men came "into the house," not the stable, and they saw a "young child," not a newborn. This passage indicates that the wise men didn't arrive until quite some time after Jesus' birth. (According to Luke 2, it was shepherds, not wise men, who visited the infant Jesus in the manger.)
We DO know from the Bible that wise men came from the east, that they followed a star to Bethlehem to find the Christ child, and that they brought him gold, and frankincense and myrrh.
(from our Sunday Church Bulletin)
The Bible doesn't say how many wise men there were that came from the east, doesn't mention their names, and doesn't provide any details about how they made their journey.
It has generally been assumed that the wise men (or magi) were three in number because Matthew 2:11 makes mention of three gifts: " . . . they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense and myrrh."
And despite the familiar lyrics of the Christmas carol "We Three Kings," no biblical source depicts the three wise men as kings.
The Bible doesn't say that these wise men arrived just after the birth and found the baby Jesus lying in a manger. Matthew 2:11 states: And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him . . .
The wise men came "into the house," not the stable, and they saw a "young child," not a newborn. This passage indicates that the wise men didn't arrive until quite some time after Jesus' birth. (According to Luke 2, it was shepherds, not wise men, who visited the infant Jesus in the manger.)
We DO know from the Bible that wise men came from the east, that they followed a star to Bethlehem to find the Christ child, and that they brought him gold, and frankincense and myrrh.
(from our Sunday Church Bulletin)
Thursday, December 15, 2005
Taking Christ Out Of Christmas
It's kind of scary how some people are being so aggressive and are trying to keep God out of everything! Our children can no longer bring a Bible or pray in school. The courts don't want our children to quote the line "One Nation Under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance. While I respect a person's right to believe or not, We DO live in this country, which was founded on the principles of God. Can we now not have "In God We Trust" on our currency? Why are people so adamant about changing this?
When I was driving to work the other morning I passed by a High School in the area. The sign outside read "Politically Correct Holiday Stories" and it gave the times for this. Meaning that there would be no religious connection to these stories, is my guess. I am so tired of both the public in general AND some members of the Church making such a big commotion about "taking Christ out of Christmas".
Yes, I am a Christian, and Yes, I know that the Bible does not tell us the exact date on which Jesus was born. I am in agreement that, as the church, we don't have any authority to celebrate December 25th as the birthday of Jesus. We go to church throughout the year on the first day of the week. So I don't think we need to have some kind of special Christmas program as a church. But, neither do I see anything wrong with personally remembering the birth of Christ on a specific date either.
I put up a Christmas tree. I have presents under the tree, and have lots of food with family members visiting. But I also use this time to remember the birth of a little baby, born in a manger in Bethlehem, who came to this world to suffer an excruciating death because I am a sinner. He died in my place. He rose on the third day and is now in heaven, sitting at the right hand of the Father. Because He did all this for EVERY ONE OF US (whether we believe it, or accept it, or even care, it still happened) we now have the hope of spending eternity in heaven if we are obedient Christians in this life.
The part that frustrates me is the CHURCH seems to be going out of the way to NOT say anything about the birth of Christ, or to NOT sing the traditional songs usually sung at this time of year about Christ. So the church is doing its share of taking Christ out of Christmas as well.
I say let's take advantage of this time of year to teach people about the birth of Christ. But that's just the beginning. That opens the door to telling them about WHO Christ is and WHAT He did for us. His birth, His life, His death, His resurrection!
How can that be wrong even on December 25th?
When I was driving to work the other morning I passed by a High School in the area. The sign outside read "Politically Correct Holiday Stories" and it gave the times for this. Meaning that there would be no religious connection to these stories, is my guess. I am so tired of both the public in general AND some members of the Church making such a big commotion about "taking Christ out of Christmas".
Yes, I am a Christian, and Yes, I know that the Bible does not tell us the exact date on which Jesus was born. I am in agreement that, as the church, we don't have any authority to celebrate December 25th as the birthday of Jesus. We go to church throughout the year on the first day of the week. So I don't think we need to have some kind of special Christmas program as a church. But, neither do I see anything wrong with personally remembering the birth of Christ on a specific date either.
I put up a Christmas tree. I have presents under the tree, and have lots of food with family members visiting. But I also use this time to remember the birth of a little baby, born in a manger in Bethlehem, who came to this world to suffer an excruciating death because I am a sinner. He died in my place. He rose on the third day and is now in heaven, sitting at the right hand of the Father. Because He did all this for EVERY ONE OF US (whether we believe it, or accept it, or even care, it still happened) we now have the hope of spending eternity in heaven if we are obedient Christians in this life.
The part that frustrates me is the CHURCH seems to be going out of the way to NOT say anything about the birth of Christ, or to NOT sing the traditional songs usually sung at this time of year about Christ. So the church is doing its share of taking Christ out of Christmas as well.
I say let's take advantage of this time of year to teach people about the birth of Christ. But that's just the beginning. That opens the door to telling them about WHO Christ is and WHAT He did for us. His birth, His life, His death, His resurrection!
How can that be wrong even on December 25th?
Wednesday, December 14, 2005
O Christmas Tree
We got the tree up finally, but still need to put on the rest of the bulbs. This is the first time I've put the lights on the tree. I guess they look okay!!!
Friday, December 09, 2005
My Birthday
Well, on Sunday I will reach the big 5-0. Yeah...that's right. It's kind of hard to believe I'm really that old. I used to think someone that was 50 was old enough to have one foot in the grave already!
The last couple of years have been ...well...interesting. My body has gone through several changes. All that junk you hear about "the change" is true! It's been difficult at times, for me and I'm sure for my husband as well. The worst part about it for me was the lack of sleep caused by waking up in a drenching sweat, throwing back all the covers, and then freezing to death 5 minutes later! Made me cranky to say the least. Plus it's just going through that lack of control. It's like your body is turning against you all of a sudden. So there's a degree of anxiety associated with that.
I've been coloring my hair, putting various shades of this and that on it, since I was in my 20's. So I had decided in January of this year to stop. I knew I had some gray up there among the light brown hair dye, but wasn't sure just how much. I would rather let my hair turn gradually than to keep putting hair color on it and have it be all white when I stopped.
I have found that I have quite a bit of gray in my hair already. My husband wants me to keep coloring it because he says it "makes me look older". (He's 53 and has a fair share of gray hair himself. But he wouldn't even consider coloring it!) I don't really want to though...and anyway...I kind of like it. I'm proud of my age, and I like it.
He's not given up though. He asked me the other day if I would do something for him for my birthday. I had to ask him what, and he wanted me to color my hair dark brown! Now I know that if you love someone you want to do things that make the other person happy. But it seems a person's hair is such a personal matter. It should be up to the individual as to how they want to wear it.
I'm not going to color my hair, but I love him anyway!
The last couple of years have been ...well...interesting. My body has gone through several changes. All that junk you hear about "the change" is true! It's been difficult at times, for me and I'm sure for my husband as well. The worst part about it for me was the lack of sleep caused by waking up in a drenching sweat, throwing back all the covers, and then freezing to death 5 minutes later! Made me cranky to say the least. Plus it's just going through that lack of control. It's like your body is turning against you all of a sudden. So there's a degree of anxiety associated with that.
I've been coloring my hair, putting various shades of this and that on it, since I was in my 20's. So I had decided in January of this year to stop. I knew I had some gray up there among the light brown hair dye, but wasn't sure just how much. I would rather let my hair turn gradually than to keep putting hair color on it and have it be all white when I stopped.
I have found that I have quite a bit of gray in my hair already. My husband wants me to keep coloring it because he says it "makes me look older". (He's 53 and has a fair share of gray hair himself. But he wouldn't even consider coloring it!) I don't really want to though...and anyway...I kind of like it. I'm proud of my age, and I like it.
He's not given up though. He asked me the other day if I would do something for him for my birthday. I had to ask him what, and he wanted me to color my hair dark brown! Now I know that if you love someone you want to do things that make the other person happy. But it seems a person's hair is such a personal matter. It should be up to the individual as to how they want to wear it.
I'm not going to color my hair, but I love him anyway!
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