That's odd!

Hmmmm....
Why is it that things you are thinking about, wrestling with, pondering, seem to appear over and over again in the most unexpected places? How do seemingly unrelated circumstances/discussions end up in that same spot? Am I just more aware, or is it truly more than coincidence? Dunno.
It is what it is......

The Power of Touch

"It is the magic of a touch, the power of a hug... that make life joyful."

"A touch provides comfort in a freezing night. It makes us feel secure because it unites us with an affectionate, loving, and feeling human being. The warmth it brings is better than the warmth a fireplace can provide."

"A touch shields us from the worries of today because of the confidence it brings. Like internet, it allows high-speed access to another soul."

"A touch makes the body aversive to stress. Indeed, touch is the best remedy we need to own and claim forever and it's free."

Dr. Michael G. Rayel

"I Bruise Easily"

My skin is like a map
Of where my heart has been
And I can't hide the marks
It's not a negative thing
So I let down my guard
Drop my defenses down by my clothes
I'm learning to fall
With no safety net to cushion the blow

I bruise easily
So be gentle when you handle me
There's a mark you leave
Like a love heart carved on a tree
I bruise easily
Can't scratch the surface
Without moving me underneath
I bruise easily
I bruise easily

I found your fingerprints
On a glass of wine
Do you know you're leaving them
All over this heart of mine too
But if I never take this leap of faith
I'll never know
So I'm learning to fall
With no safety net to cushion the blow

I bruise easily
So be gentle when you handle me
There's a mark you leave
Like a love heart carved on a tree
I bruise easily
Can't scratch the surface
Without moving me underneath
I bruise easily
I bruise easily

Anyone who can touch you
Can hurt you or heal you
Anyone who can reach you
Can love you or leave you

So be gentle...

I bruise easily
So be gentle when you handle me
There's a mark you leave
Like a love heart carved on a tree
I bruise easily
Can't scratch the surface
Without moving me underneath
I bruise easily
I bruise easily

I bruise easily
I bruise easily

"Keep Me From Blowing Away"

Well I spent my whole lifetime
In a world where the sunshine
Finds excuses for not hangin' 'round
I squandered emotions
On the slightest of notions
And the first easy loving I found
But soon all the good times
The gay times and play times
Like colors run together and fade
Oh Lord if you hear me
Touch me and hold me
And keep me from blowing away

There's times when I trembled
When my mind remembered
The days that just crumbled away
With nothing to show
But these lines that I know
Are beginning to show in my face

Oh Lord if you're listening
I know I'm no Christian
And I ain't got much coming to me
So send down some sunshine
Throw out your lifeline
And keep me from blowing away

Oh Lord if you hear me
Touch me and hold me
And keep me from blowing away

Linda Ronstadt (Paul Craft)

I sound like a lifetime smoker.....

Oh my goodness - has it ever been a long week. I have bronchitis - and it's been so bad I've missed an entire week of work. Finally the fever is gone, and the cough is 100 % better than it was - but still not good. On top of that, I fell - down the stairs - you should see the bruise on my posterior. No, forget that. You shouldn't. But it's huge and well, lets just say I couldn't get outta bed because I was so sick, and I couldn't lay in bed because I was in pain.....
Someday I'll laugh. Probably sooner than I think, cuz my friends are already laughing at me - and it probably is pretty funny....

So what has happened since I last posted?
The play. It was excellent and quite funny. Thanks to everyone who came and supported Carissa and Rachelle. Especially VC family. That meant a lot to them.
Christopher lost his job. He is currently trying to find employment.
The snow on the roof formed an ice dam and we returned home (on Monday - I should not have been out that day - lesson learned) to find a waterfall outside and inside our back door.
I managed - finally - to finish the FAFSA and the PROFILE for Carissa.
I slept. I coughed. I slept. I coughed. I coughed. I coughed.
I watched Jesus Camp. Anybody seen it?
I tried to read. I tried to watch TV. I tried to stop coughing.

So, yeah, that was pretty much my week. Now you are all caught up. And I have a serious case of Cabin Fever....

A person who, alone, has seen something beautiful, who has heard something harmonious, who has tasted something delicious, who has smelt something fragrant, may have enjoyed it, but not completely. The complete joy is in sharing one's joy with others.

Pir-O-Murshid Hazrat Inayat Khan

To be nobody but yourself in a world which is doing its best day and night to make you everybody else, means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight, and never stop fighting.

e.e. cummings

Break a leg!

My daughter's play opens tonight. :D I have never heard of the play, but this is the synopsis I found:

Stardust
~ Walter Kerr

This wonderful spoof of The Method, and even Actor's Studio itself, concerns the students of a dramatic academy awaiting a famous artist who will guest star in one of their plays

They are all trying to "live" their art

The director is very conscious that he studied under Stanislavsky and reminds the students of this fact at every opportunity

Into this madhouse comes the famous actress

To the dismay of all, she is a normal, hard-working girl who teaches the students that there is no substitute for hard work and good sense

It is supposed to be quite funny and I am sure they will all do a wonderful job. If you're in this area and looking for something to do this weekend that's inexpensive, here's the info:

Mental Health Day :D

So, yesterday we had a snow day. The second this year. Has to be a record. We NEVER get snow days. So I totally took advantage of it and slept till 11:30. Couldn't help it - I was tired. Ask my friends - I have been incredibly crabby lately, and short tempered.
Then, after the girls and I finally managed to drag ourselves outta bed we had cereal for breakfast and watched a three hour movie - Anne Frank - The Whole Story (2001).
A couple phone calls after that (one of my friends loves to talk..... ;) ) it was time to make dinner. Nothing better than a pan of hot lasagna on a cold winter's night!
So, that was my day. Did nothing. Just what the doctor ordered. And to those of you I have been crabby with, I apologize, and hopefully the rest yesterday, and the sunshine today have cured me!

Pernicious Pastor....

This amazes me.
I don't even know what to say. Not just the wrong doing, but the audacity of blogging, bragging and trying to sell a book about it? I don't know - I have so many thoughts rolling around in my brain right now - where was the accountability? Did he have friends? Should we put/have total trust in our pastors? Maybe blind trust would be a better descriptor. Were there no signs? Was he ever honest to begin with? How did he get there? Opportunity? Wow.

We are, each of us angels with only one wing; and we can only fly by embracing one another.

Luciano de Crescenzo

But what is my petty offering to your sacrifice?

Jesus taught his disciples, saying: “And indeed, which of you here, intending to build a tower, would not first sit down and work out the cost to see if he had enough to complete it? Otherwise if he laid the foundation and then found himself unable to finish the work, everyone who saw it would start making fun of him and saying, ‘Here is someone who started to build and was unable to finish.

Wow, this was the passage from fixed hour prayer this morning. I've heard this passage many times, but today it really struck me. How many of us TRULY count the cost of following Jesus? How many of us jump in feet first, all gung ho, and by golly, can't finish what we started? It's too hard, or inconvenient, or uncomfortable. We are told to count the cost - why do we ignore that admonition? Sure, safe Christians, those who basically buy fire insurance, who do their duty by sitting in a pew week in and week out probably don't notice the cost as much. But for those who really get in and dig, and understand just what is being asked of us - the cost is astronomical. And we are surprised to find ourselves in over our heads struggling to stay afloat.

In our zeal to "win" souls, we so often neglect to make people aware of what is required, of the real cost. Jesus was up front with his followers. And if they chose to turn and walk the other way he did not push them to follow with all kinds of empty promises. We need to let the Spirit work. Do our part, and let God do his. We need to tell the whole truth. Following Jesus is hard. Uncomfortable. But to be part of his story, his plan - to participate in his reconciliation of the world - how cool is that? Our rewards may not be what we imagine them to be, but I think I can confidently say they will be much, much better than we can imagine.

Count the Cost.

I gave up my home
But you gave up Paradise
What You called me to offer
Has really set me free
Cause you left everything to be with me
So with joy I embrace a faith that calls me from home
And I will cling to Your Promise that I am never alone
And with each passing moment I'll keep hoping it's true
I left everything to follow you.

So little time......

So, I'm in one of those spots where I feel like I have nothing in my head but fluff. Nothing of any import to say. No resources to help my friends. Huh. I guess I have just gotten so busy that I don't have time to reflect and think. That's not a good thing. I feel like I totally lose touch with every important area of my life when this occurs. It just reinforces for me the fact that we all need to rest. To take time to sit. To listen. To read. To think. In our busy world that is so, so hard to do. I am busy to the point of exhaustion every night and I don't have the desire to do anything but veg in front of the TV or sleep. Sad, but true.

So, how do I decide what to cut out? Work things? Family things? Church things? Down time with friends things? Something has to give - but how do you prioritize? It's frustrating, especially when you have a family, and a home, and responsibilities. And how do you cut out the things that are helping others? Things that they can't do on their own? There is so much need out there. And, how do you justify going to yet another meeting or gathering where you are doing nothing but "feeding" yourself? Learning new things just because you want to?

Boundaries, how do you learn to set them - and should you? I struggle with this. If someone needs me, or needs help, how can I possibly set a boundary there and say no?

Even if what they need emotionally drains me, how can I set a boundary and say no? Isn't that what it's about? Helping others, entering into life and problems with them instead of sitting in my room and looking out for my needs? I don't get boundaries. My friends tell me I should. But I don't. How dare I say no if I have something to give? I suppose people could take advantage of that, but who am I to judge? That's a whole other kind of neediness.

Wow, how did I get there anyway? Rambling thoughts. That's how it's been lately. I have five minutes to sit and my mind hops, skips and jumps down one rabbit trail after another with no resolution anywhere. Hence the post.

Grrrrr.

Time to get L O S T !

Woo Hoo!!! Lost is back tonight! I am soooooooooooooo excited. Um, you know where I will be at 9:00 pm. I will not answer the phone - so don't even try..... ;)

OK Kevin, I tried the quiz you found.....

You are 89% of the way to being a Bible Scholar

Well done. You are awesome! It looks like you have some good knowledge. It never hurt to keep at it though.

Bible Challenge
Quizzes for MySpace

Library Thing coolness....

This is sooooooooooooooooooo cool!

Laughter is carbonated holiness.
Anne Lamott

Hmmmmm

I have nothing to say about this......

That's weird.....

I have had 8 hits from 8 different places in China today. Wonder what's up?

So - here's the scoop....

Best to Worst

Best to Worst Drivers' Astrological Signs for Tickets & Accidents

1. 1. Leo
2. 2. Gemini
3. 3. Cancer
4. 4. Virgo
5. 5. Capricorn
6. 6. Sagittarius
7. 7. Taurus
8. 8. Scorpio
9. 9. Pisces
10. 10. Aries
11. 11. Aquarius
12. 12. Libra

How does our family rank? - Kim and I - Leos. Daughter #1 - Libra. Daughter #2 - Cancer.
Son - Aquarius. And that one my friends, is pretty much right on..... LOL

BIBLE college pays off...... ;)

Yep. Good to know. Ready for anything...... ;)
Has to give me some brownie points..... :P

You know the Bible 100%!

Wow! You are awesome! You are a true Biblical scholar, not just a hearer but a personal reader! The books, the characters, the events, the verses - you know it all! You are fantastic!

Ultimate Bible Quiz
Create MySpace Quizzes

We're Back!

Well, we are back safely, and it was an interesting weekend. I had forgotten just how smothering and irritating it can be to be completely surrounded by Devout Christians who have all the answers, and if they don't, well, they want you to think they do. I'm not talking about the College, no, they were great. I'm talking about the other parents that were there for this particular weekend that we had to spend the entire time with. Wow. Talk about Christianese, and the need to be perceived as spiritual and having it all together. And then, to top that off, to totally brag about how wonderful their children were. Blech. Not everyone was like this of course, and we met some wonderful parents and children. Especially a cool mom and son from Naperville. But some parents don't seem to know how to converse or relate to others without centering everything on their child and his or her accomplishments. Is that the only commonality they can find? And, if not that, conversation after conversation about fundamental, evangelical, one-way-only-to-do-things Christianity. Just who were they, these parents, trying to impress anyway? Hey! It's NOT about you! It made me all the more grateful for my family, and my church family.
Interestingly, Carissa found much the same with the other kids. In group discussion there were the typical "give 'em a Bible and all will be well" answers. I've got the answer that your looking for answers. Superiority. Degrees of Christianity. Again - blech. But she did find kids of the same mindset, with well thought out individual answers, not parroting a pastor or youth leader. These kids she connected with and you could see it in their faces.
The college itself is wonderful. Very similar values to our church. It was founded on missional and social justice issues. It has room for discussion, spiritual formation, questions and doubts. It meets you where you are on the journey. And it encourages you to develop into the thinking, incarnational person God wants you to be.
We watched a clip from Little Miss Sunshine in chapel, and they discussed the movie. Cool. Uh-Oh, was there a bad word in there? ;) Very cool. Very relevant.
Every time I go back to this college I feel like it is a safe home for my child. One that won't stifle her, but allow her to grow as just the person she is, the person God created her to be.
Despite the "Christians"......
We again were fortunate enough to see a play. Quilters was the story of women as they faced hardships and challenges of life. It dealt with life, death, illness, tragedy, abortion, tornadoes, prairie fires, friendships - and so much more. (One of the authors is Molly Newman who is a television writer and producer most known for work on shows such as The Larry Sanders Show, Northern Exposure and Brothers & Sisters. She was nominated for Broadway's 1985 Tony Award as Best Book (Musical) with collaborator Barbara Damashek for "Quilters.")
They did an excellent job. It was refreshing to see a play with a healthy take on the woman of the prairies....
The day was long, and very full, but very enlightening.
Saturday we picked up Jen and headed into Boston. It was FREEZING! Non the less we walked the first half of the Freedom Trail - backwards, but that was the best way to go for us. We tried a new Starbucks flavor, Jen bought a city mug, we laughed and had a blast in Build A Bear - Carissa was making a birthday gift for Brad. A brown bear in a lobster costume with a cheesy Happy Birthday Song built in, named GORDON. After that we walked to Old North Church and visited there for a while. Then we piled back into the car and headed for Rockport. Ocean, clam chowder, walking, and visiting our old artist friend Corey Tevin, who had some excellent new pieces of art that I would have loved. Mike, and Julie, Jen thinks you would really like this shop.....
We went in to Gloucester to the Fisherman's Memorial. Jenn has all the pix from this trip - I did not take a camera..... In Gloucester we found a gorgeous chocolate Lab who was lost. Jen and Carissa caught it and tried to call it's owner. He wasn't home. We don't know the town, so the address did us no good. As they stood and puzzled about what to do a lady pulled up and offered to help. They first tried calling the police, who were less that helpful - "Let the dog run" ...IN TRAFFIC? So she put the dog in her car. After finding the street we needed was up past the fi-uh bahn (um, that's fire barn, Jen) and we all weaved through town trying to locate "Jake's" home. We finally found it, delivered Jake home safely - thanked by the owner, and having had an adventure in Gloucester. LOL.
We reward ourselves with a seafood dinner at Gloucester House. Lobster, calamari, scallops, shrimp, clams.......YUM!
We had a good weekend. Good conversation in the car, in the airport, on the plane. We got some reading done, and learned new things from experiences and new people. We remembered where we came from, glad for who were are now, and thankful for our church, and our VC family. And Jen learned more about herself, and Agape. But for that, you'll have to ask her.... :)