December 23, 2009
Aries (3/21-4/19)
You're about to be on the receiving end of several pieces of really great news. Expect the word to arrive from a higher-up you weren't sure had ever noticed you. You'll be amazed to discover you definitely haven't been overlooked. Once that news sinks in, you may need to make a decision. A serious, wonderful decision. If it doesn't happen right away, be patient. It's coming. (From Yahoo)
The air could hold a feeling that something's not right, and you may be in the odd position of being your own watchdog today, Aries. You need to be sharp, and know your rights so you can tell when they are being threatened. If you defend what you value, you will be victorious in some way. Today is not good for taking aggressive actions against others. Don't let your suspicion extend to loved ones. If you speak up about the issues you are facing to others, you'll gain many allies, and maybe new friends.
(From Facebook)
I gotta say, I love the Yahoo one.
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Christmas and the Blues
I never truly get in the Christmas spirit. I try. I try really hard but it just never gels. I can't really name what it is that keeps me blue. Maybe it's because this world is pretty unfair. There are good people out there without even the most basic necessities and truly evil people out there with more than they need.
But those boundaries aren't always solid. Because there are certainly people who are good, giving people who have abundance in their lives. And there are those who, in our estimation, may deserve having next to nothing. There are God filled people with barely a roof over their heads and those who denie God with coffers over flowing.
There is no way to predict what happens here on earth. How things shake out down here is largely based on blind luck or absolute miracle. Don't get me wrong some people, most people, work very hard for what they have. It's a crap shoot. And I don't like thinking that because I believe in God. I further believe He bestows abundance on us. Sometimes when I look around though, I find it hard to believe God would bless some of these people. Being the forgivness business, I guess He knows more what He's doing than I ever could.
I guess I'm just lost. I feel it more so this time of the year than any other. The lines between the haves and the have nots just seems to be a little more harsh at Christmas time. I think that's because it is just sooooo commercial. Everyone wants the coolest and latest. It seems a lot of people feel really entitled to get the coolest and the latest without really earning it.
Like a lot of people I feel that our priorities have been so skewed for so long I don't think we can find our way back. Even people of God are running around killing themselves to get the greatest and the latest for their kids. Their kids who coudn't careless what it is to earn anything but who are entitled to take. I see this in my family (kids/grown ups....myself even) and I see it widespread.
Raise a glass, here's hoping we can all find our way back. :: clink ::
But those boundaries aren't always solid. Because there are certainly people who are good, giving people who have abundance in their lives. And there are those who, in our estimation, may deserve having next to nothing. There are God filled people with barely a roof over their heads and those who denie God with coffers over flowing.
There is no way to predict what happens here on earth. How things shake out down here is largely based on blind luck or absolute miracle. Don't get me wrong some people, most people, work very hard for what they have. It's a crap shoot. And I don't like thinking that because I believe in God. I further believe He bestows abundance on us. Sometimes when I look around though, I find it hard to believe God would bless some of these people. Being the forgivness business, I guess He knows more what He's doing than I ever could.
I guess I'm just lost. I feel it more so this time of the year than any other. The lines between the haves and the have nots just seems to be a little more harsh at Christmas time. I think that's because it is just sooooo commercial. Everyone wants the coolest and latest. It seems a lot of people feel really entitled to get the coolest and the latest without really earning it.
Like a lot of people I feel that our priorities have been so skewed for so long I don't think we can find our way back. Even people of God are running around killing themselves to get the greatest and the latest for their kids. Their kids who coudn't careless what it is to earn anything but who are entitled to take. I see this in my family (kids/grown ups....myself even) and I see it widespread.
Raise a glass, here's hoping we can all find our way back. :: clink ::
Friday, December 18, 2009
Dying of old age
So my mother is 83-years old and she's in fairly good health. Here lately though she had lost a great deal of her minerals; her potassium and sodium plummeted and her electrolytes were crazy. She had no strength to do anything. All she wanted to do was sleep. One day my eldest sister was over helping mom out with some stuff. Mom was kind of out of it. She wasn't speaking right and then my sis had me take her blood pressure. It was high, not crazy high, but high enough to get us concerned and get her to the emergency room.
She was admitted that night and spent a week in the hospital and then was released to a "skilled nursing facility" (nursing home) for a week as well. Now she's home and she's getting stronger but I warned my sister, my eldest especially, that what we may be witnessing is mom dying of old age. Her appetite is not what it use to be. Her energy isn't either. Her body is slowing and thought she hasn't thrown in the towel just yet, she's on that road.
It was a mistake to tell my sister I thought this what "dying of old age" meant. She kind of overreacted, in my humble opinion that is. I got to thinking, this is how one dies of old age. It's a long, slow process. It begins with the metabolism and then the body starts shutting down. This can go on for years.
It's kind of sad. I mean of all the choices out there for death a slow lingering death is not exactly the most sought after. Quick and painless! That's what we all want. At least I do. My dad died of a massive myocardial infarction....a great big heart attack. He was sick leading up to the big one. He slept a lot and was completely off his feed and then WHAMMO! Gone. I came home from work and there's an ambulance in the drive. Crushed me for many years.
In a way I'm glad my mom may be going out the long lingering way....although I must take a minute and be completely selfish, it's a pain in the ass for me, I'll explain in a bit....that way she and I can say our goodbyes. I can have some time with mom to learn some things before she goes. She can tell me how much she adores her grandchildren more than the children she actually had. (Thanks mom.)
OK, the "pain in the ass" part. Well, I'm socially active. I truly am. I have a non-profit group of artists who meet once a month for shows, some of us also gather socially. I have friends who like to go to bars and play pool and for general bar mayhem. I like going to art shows. I like going out to dinner. I like being out of the house as much as possible. But living with someone who needs extra attention, not 24/7 type attention...not just yet...but just some extra attention, is binding. I don't like being bound. But this is what my life is just now. And that's OK because I know things will change again and whatever I learn from this time I'll need for the next change.
We all take lessons learned from station to station, or at least we should.
She was admitted that night and spent a week in the hospital and then was released to a "skilled nursing facility" (nursing home) for a week as well. Now she's home and she's getting stronger but I warned my sister, my eldest especially, that what we may be witnessing is mom dying of old age. Her appetite is not what it use to be. Her energy isn't either. Her body is slowing and thought she hasn't thrown in the towel just yet, she's on that road.
It was a mistake to tell my sister I thought this what "dying of old age" meant. She kind of overreacted, in my humble opinion that is. I got to thinking, this is how one dies of old age. It's a long, slow process. It begins with the metabolism and then the body starts shutting down. This can go on for years.
It's kind of sad. I mean of all the choices out there for death a slow lingering death is not exactly the most sought after. Quick and painless! That's what we all want. At least I do. My dad died of a massive myocardial infarction....a great big heart attack. He was sick leading up to the big one. He slept a lot and was completely off his feed and then WHAMMO! Gone. I came home from work and there's an ambulance in the drive. Crushed me for many years.
In a way I'm glad my mom may be going out the long lingering way....although I must take a minute and be completely selfish, it's a pain in the ass for me, I'll explain in a bit....that way she and I can say our goodbyes. I can have some time with mom to learn some things before she goes. She can tell me how much she adores her grandchildren more than the children she actually had. (Thanks mom.)
OK, the "pain in the ass" part. Well, I'm socially active. I truly am. I have a non-profit group of artists who meet once a month for shows, some of us also gather socially. I have friends who like to go to bars and play pool and for general bar mayhem. I like going to art shows. I like going out to dinner. I like being out of the house as much as possible. But living with someone who needs extra attention, not 24/7 type attention...not just yet...but just some extra attention, is binding. I don't like being bound. But this is what my life is just now. And that's OK because I know things will change again and whatever I learn from this time I'll need for the next change.
We all take lessons learned from station to station, or at least we should.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Bible Study with Beth Moore
So last night was Lesson 5 of The Inheritance with Beth Moore. If you've never done a Bible study with her, you need to. She has a unique way of looking at the word of the Lord. Well she was talking about how God drops things on you. Not like anvils or boulders but ideas, epiphanies in the subtle way He does. I've had these God dropped ideas before. They weren't earth shattering but they were exactly what I needed when I needed it.
I'm an artist and the other day I was trying to figure out how to even start a piece and I got little "visions". I know, sounds silly, but these visions were like a step by step how to on starting this piece. It's happened before. When I'm stuck I can see how things should go. I can see my hands moving the brush a certain way. I can see another alternative to an even better end result. And after I get the hint, I look up and say, "Thank you."
So I knew exactly what Beth was talking about! It's these little things that connect me to God. All this time I thought it would be some GIGANTIC EPIPHANY and God's voice would reverberate in my head and there would be mountains trembling and bushes bursting into flame but no. No. The connections we have to God, I should say the connections most of us have to God are a whisper. But its enough.
I'm not so sure I can handle the gigantic epiphany. I would probably soil myself and there I would be, before The Almighty in soiled clothes. Not that He would care of course but really...can you imagine anything more embarassing? I'll take the whispers. I need a few more whispers though. Greed little thing that I am. But I would appreciate more guiddance.
Thus far He has me working on this art bent and that's great because I'm loving it. I just don't see myself making a living on it. Everyone seems to like my work but not a whole lot of people are buying it. I just wish He'd point me in a more profitable direction. I'd like to be able to pay my bills! LOL! Patience has never been my strong suit so maybe I need to work harder on that.
Thanks for reading, Laurette
I'm an artist and the other day I was trying to figure out how to even start a piece and I got little "visions". I know, sounds silly, but these visions were like a step by step how to on starting this piece. It's happened before. When I'm stuck I can see how things should go. I can see my hands moving the brush a certain way. I can see another alternative to an even better end result. And after I get the hint, I look up and say, "Thank you."
So I knew exactly what Beth was talking about! It's these little things that connect me to God. All this time I thought it would be some GIGANTIC EPIPHANY and God's voice would reverberate in my head and there would be mountains trembling and bushes bursting into flame but no. No. The connections we have to God, I should say the connections most of us have to God are a whisper. But its enough.
I'm not so sure I can handle the gigantic epiphany. I would probably soil myself and there I would be, before The Almighty in soiled clothes. Not that He would care of course but really...can you imagine anything more embarassing? I'll take the whispers. I need a few more whispers though. Greed little thing that I am. But I would appreciate more guiddance.
Thus far He has me working on this art bent and that's great because I'm loving it. I just don't see myself making a living on it. Everyone seems to like my work but not a whole lot of people are buying it. I just wish He'd point me in a more profitable direction. I'd like to be able to pay my bills! LOL! Patience has never been my strong suit so maybe I need to work harder on that.
Thanks for reading, Laurette
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