August 29, 2009 worship

Bible verse of the day: Matthew 4:9-11

(New American Standard Bible)
8Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory;
9and he said to Him, "All these things I will give You, if You fall down and worship me."
10Then Jesus said to him, "Go, Satan! For it is written, 'YOU SHALL WORSHIP THE LORD YOUR GOD, AND SERVE HIM ONLY.'"
11Then the devil left Him; and behold, angels came and began to minister to Him.

This week's celebrations:Aug. 26th Jason woods celebrated a birthday. He shares a birthday with Mother Teresa. Lisa Cloinger celebrated a birthday on the 28th. Lisa special day is also the day two youngsters started a delivery service in Seattle Washington later developing into UPS. Even UPS started small. Of course that was in 1907. Sam Caery celebrated a birthday today. Sam shares his special day with Oliver Wendell Holmes and Ingrid Bergman. Both legends in their field during their time. (Just like Sam!)

Random thoughts: Ingrid Bergman had a couple of quotes worth repeating. On the subject of a kiss she said, "a kiss is a lovely trick designed by nature to stop speech when word become superfluous."

The other quote she had which I happen to like much better..."Be yourself. The world worships an original."

Who do we worship. A rock star, an author, politician, even an evangelist. Are any of these on our "Worship" list? Hope not. Who should we worship? Why should we worship? When should we worship? What should we worship? Where should we worship? Well, I think those answers are pretty simple myself. We should worship "our Father, who art in heaven." Why should we worship? In obedience to His will. We should worship every day, all day long...from morning til night. What should we worship? That one is kidda tough. We should worship for being alive. For our health or our sickness. We should worship for our family or the loss of our family and friends. We should worship for what we see as bad as well as what we see as good. That one is tough to swallow sometimes. We should worship anywhere we are and what ever the circumstances. Good, bad or indifferent.

The hardest part of the equation is this....What is "Worship?"

Is worship just singing praise or just saying a prayer or just saying we "love" Jesus while we are in public?
I ask for a definition and here are a few responses I got...
Ellen Deaton
What we were made to do...glorify and worship God.
Linda Gage
offering praises and sacrifices to the Lord God !

Blake Davis
Worship is being totally committed to Christ and being submissive to His will.

Linda Dixon Householder
being totally obedient to God so that we can glorify Him through our hearts and our actions.

Of course all those answers are correct. I like Linda G's answer a lot. Just what is a sacrifice for us? Do we go above and beyond what our normal day entails just to do something extra special for God. Is it just the pocketbook or is it words, deeds and actions.

What do we do to glorify God? Does God look down and smile on our deeds or is He frowning on what we have or haven't done?

The old saying that actions speak louder than words are very true when it comes to God. He wants us to be"doers of the word". God can see every action we do. Every day. All day. We cannot tell God how good we are. He knows more so than us just how good we are.

Do we have what it takes to worship God...You bet.

Do we worship Him every day; all day; His way...Maybe not so much.

Let's just keep at it, shall we,

Til next time,

Vera

August 24, 2009 Choices

Bible verse of the day: Joshua 24:15 (New American Standard Bible)
"If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD."

Today's celebrations:Happy birthday to Don Light and my first daughter-in-law Caroline Davis. hope you have a great day!

Random thoughts: Does the weather alter our moods? Do sunny skies make most people happy and rainy days make them grumpy? Do pretty, colorful sunsets give us warm fuzzy feelings and lightning make us tense? That is the way most people like it, but there are some of us oddballs that like stormy nights, overcast days and well just sitting in the window watching it rain. I should know. I am one of them. A cold November day with a cup of hot tea, sitting in the bay window watching it drizzle outside while smelling a pot of chili on the stove is divine in my book.
Some people would say "yuck" but not me. That is my perfect Saturday afternoon. Now mind you, it never happens. That time of year there is so much to do that there is no lazy Saturday afternoon. That is my favorite time, though.
Sunshine is great if it is 20 degrees outside. If the temps are 80 plus, no thanks. The best time for sunshine in my book is after a very pristine snow has blanketed the earth and the world is quiet and time stands still.
Now I know I am different but what if we all liked the same thing. The same weather, the same clothes, the same foods, the same thing on tv or in the movie theaters. Life would be BORING!!!
God gave is a mind so we might have options. We can decide what weather we like. What food we like and what type of book we like to read. We choose what clothes we wear and what style we wear our hair.
We even choose how close we follow Him. Now I know He desires us to be Perfect in our Christian choices but even the Bible states that God knows we are not perfect. "No, not one."Bro Terry Gage had a sermon yesterday that says we have to be totally dedicated. We all should be in one accord on that fact. But even being totally dedicated means different things to different people.
That is okay, too. Because God gave us each different gifts and we choose to serve according to the gifts we have. My dedication may be to teaching and your dedication my be to missions while our friend may have a dedication to tending the sick. Wow, isn't it great that we have options. We can think for ourselves. We are not all robots roaming around this earth doing exactly the same thing. If we all lived in exactly the same house we might get confused and go to the wrong one. What if we all drove the same car. Now Wal-Mart parking lot would be a riot. We all had the same jobs making the same money, spending our money the same way. UNREALISTIC!
Thank you, God, for giving me a mind and the ability to use it. To choose and to think for myself. Thank you God for making me unique.

How about you. Aren't you glad we don't all like brussel sprouts?

Until later,

I am glad I can choose...

Vera

August 23, 2009 Salt

Bible verse of the day:

Matthew 5:13 (New American Standard Bible)
13"You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men.

Today's celebrations:Bryan Elder, Beth Ann Caery, and Pat Bassett share a birthday with Gene Kelly. He was the guy with the umbrella prop in the "Singing in the Rain" song. One of my all time old time favorites!

Random thoughts:Salt. Doug watched a show on salt last week. I wish I could see it again.(I know they will play it again soon on the History Channel) However, I did catch a few facts about salt that I found interesting. Over 90 % of our water is salt water, but, if we drank a gallon of salt water there would be enough salt in it to kill us. How sad. One of our most natural resources is so bad for us. The refining process cause an astronomical amount of money to be able to use the most abundant of liquid. Not to mention that the salt they take out is also refined to see to us to place on our food. Take it out to put it in. How strange is that.

I think they said that next to water, H2O, that salt, sodium chloride, is the second most abundant compound that we have on earth. Like, how odd that the two biggest compound items are found together.

Kind of a contradiction of wants and needs, isn't it. We need fresh water to maintain our body needs. But too much will make us sick. We need salt to maintain our body needs, but too much of that will be the crux of a death for us.

Physically, we are made up of a vast amount of liquid. The Bible says we are the salt of the earth. Now, talk about a two edged sword. If we are the salt of the earth, most people probably need us in small doses. Too much of the good thing might choke a person out and smother them. OUCH! We are good. We are bad. There is a fine line between the two.

The program also stated that some salt is much more rare than others. Some salt sells for over $150.00 a pound. Are we an ordinary salt or extraordinary salt. Hmmmm.

Does salt become tasteless? Jesus said if the salt becomes tasteless it is worth nothing but to be trampled under the feet of man.

Not only is salt refined from the ocean but it is also mined. Man has to go digging for salt. So we as Christians have two sources to receive salt . We can be refined by separating the bad things that need not be in our lives. Or, we can have a lode of salt in our bodies that has to be dug out and processed. Not much difference. Just that sometimes there is so much sludge in our bodies that we do have to refine before we are able to use it.

Have you ever noticed how salty tears are? We we cry, we are draining the salt from our body. A cleansing, so to speak. The refinement in this case is pulling out the hurt and pain to be able to get on with life.

Until we meet again, I am still...

Refining my salt,

Vera

August 22, 2009 forgiveness and grace

Bible verse of the day(How about week):

Ephesians 4:17-32 (New American Standard Bible)
The Christian's Walk17So this I say, and affirm together with the Lord, that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind,
18being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart;
19and they, having become callous, have given themselves over to sensuality for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness.
20But you did not learn Christ in this way,
21if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught in Him, just as truth is in Jesus,
22that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit,
23and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind,
24and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.
25Therefore, laying aside falsehood, SPEAK TRUTH EACH ONE of you WITH HIS NEIGHBOR, for we are members of one another.
26BE ANGRY, AND yet DO NOT SIN; do not let the sun go down on your anger,
27and do not give the devil an opportunity.
28He who steals must steal no longer; but rather he must labor, performing with his own hands what is good, so that he will have something to share with one who has need.
29Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear.
30Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
31Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.
32Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.

This weeks celebrations:17th Belinda Doyles' daughter Bridgett Huckabee...19th we remember the birthday of Ogden Nash... 21st is a tribute to Kenny Rogers and I know that a few of our young mothers at church celebrated a birthday but when I went back to retrieve that information it was gone. Sorry. Happy birthday, girls.

Random thoughts:This week has been very active. Monday night Bruce Raley was our guest preacher for Sunday night on Monday. The scripture reference he used was Ephesians 4:32. Forgiveness. A very simple subject that we tend to forget about from time to time. Very good sermon.

Tuesday was an evening of working on photos on the computer. My new computer needs my forgiveness cause it sure makes me mad from time to time. Like any time I try to work on a program. Uuuuurrrrrrggggghhhhh! It did like me Tuesday night. On top of that Tuesday night was not one of my better sleep night. Lack of sleep makes me grumpy and I don't want to forgive any body when I am grumpy. Just get our of my way and you will be okay.

On Friday Doug took me to work then forgot me when it was time to go home. Should I forgive him? Still thinking about that one. BUT, since he did cut me out 21 Christmas ornaments Friday maybe I could cut him a little slack.

I am so ready for Christmas to get here this year. I cannot wait to have Christmas with my two grand boys. My first Christmas to be a Nana. What joy. But the way, I guess I should forgive my sons of everything I have held against them since they have given me a couple of sweet little cherubs to love. (And spoil)

Think back and see if there is something that burdens you because you have never forgiven some one for something they did to hurt you. When we are hurt we don't want to forgive some one but it is scriptural. We want revenge. It's human. As Bruce pointed out Monday night, forgiving someone is not for the other person's benefit. It is for our own. So we can lay the past to rest. If we have something that keeps boiling up in our mind for days gone by that someone has done to hurt us, we have not let go. We have not forgiven them. We haven't prayed for God to help us put it in the past.

Do you know anybody that brings up stories from the past about how someone mistreated them. As they recant the story they get mad all over again. Well, they haven't put it to rest. Haven't forgiven the person. Haven't made peace with themselves about it.

Take it from experience, you can get an ulcer or work yourself into a physically distraught state if you don't find peace. The other party could care less if you are hurt. They could care less if you forgive them or not. Don't do it for them. Give yourself peace of mind. Be the person God wants you to be. If you are at odds with someone else you cannot go about doing the work of the Lord and be productive for Him.

I choose not to be out of grace with God. I had rather He be pleased by my actions than disgusted at my reactions.

Still striving,

Vera

August 16, 2009 Mowing the Grass

Bible Verse of the day:Matthew 5 (New American Standard Bible)
The Sermon on the Mount;

1When Jesus saw the crowds, He went up on the mountain; and after He sat down, His disciples came to Him.
2He opened His mouth and began to teach them, saying,
3"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4"Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
5"Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth.
6"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
7"Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
8"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
9"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
10"Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11"Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me.
12"Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Disciples and the World 13"You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men.
14"You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden;
15nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.
16"Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

Random thoughts: Why does the grass grow more when it gets hotter. That just means more work for me. Not any more. I officially hired someone to mow my yard for the rest of the year as of today. But seriously, when the weather is nice and it would not hurt to get outside, the grass hasn't popped out yet. 100 degree weather, 100 % humidity and it needs mowing every other day.

The hotter it gets, the more work we are required to do. oh, wait, am I talking about mowing the grass or tending to God's Kingdom? Hmm! Could be either one. Could be both. When things get a little sticky in life our work for the Kingdom needs to be fortified. Some extra hard work. God won't allow us to sit on our laurels when there is work to be done. We cannot hire some one to tend to the Kingdom of God like I hired someone to tend to my yard. We are accountable for our own work. God won't allow anything less. There is NO WAY God will tell us"Well done" if we don't do anything. Our goal is God's blessing and folks, it ain't a gonna happen if we don't do our part.

It is like, well, say, you work in an office and everyone gets bonuses for a job well done. Instead of getting individual bonuses, it all goes in a pot. At the end of the week, all the pot is split between every one. All have contributed except you. Is it fair for you to reap the benefits? I don't think so.

God will open the gates and let us into heaven regardless. The extra blessings are ours on our own. We work for them. They will be ours. We don't, we won't. Guess we will just walk those streets of gold, just wondering why everyone else is happier than we are. Huh.

I really don't know what we will get in the way of rewards. I do know Jesus said our rewards will be great in heaven. I do know that I look forward to that day. Not that I am in any hurry to leave this earth. But , I am ready when that time comes. Don't hold me back when God calls. I might make something bad happen to you after I get there. I am excited to see what is going to happen in heaven.

I am also excited about what is happening on this side of heaven. I am excited to be one of God's creatures. I praise God for the ability to work for Him. Just let me pay the A/C bill and all will be right with the world.Ahhhhhh.

Main point is....we are all responsible for working for God's Kingdom while we are still on this ole earth. You always have to be prepared. You never know when God will call you to do something exceptional that He has prepared only you to do.

Still working til later,

Vera

August 15, 2009 Playing hooky

Bible Verse of the day:

Psalm 119:11 (King James Version)
11Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.

This week in Celebration:Celebrations I have missed this week. This is the 40th anniversary of Woodstock. How funny is it that "peace signs and tye die colors are all the craze this year. Ha! Also Alex Haley and Cecil B. DeMille along with Elias Howe had birthdays this week. On the 14th, my sons will be interested in knowing Steve Martin and Gary Larson both share birthdays. Today is Julia Child birthday along with Terry Barnhill and Cassie McQuay. Gang you share a birthday with one great cook!! I should know, saw the movie today . As I sat in the theater waiting for the movie to start, checked my facebook. There was a note that today was her birthday. How ironic is that!

Random Thoughts:This has been a very hectic week. On Monday it was clean house, Tuesday, Sunday school party and the mourning of the passing of one of my friends' Mother in Law, Wednesday was church and a migraine, Thursday was nail day so I was late getting home, Friday was fish night with the Thompson's, visitation for Mrs. Gamblin and, ahhhhhhhhhhh, it is now Saturday. Saturday, work, a trip to Paragould for work, home, work in Sunday school lesson, Julie and Julia, trip to Paragould , dinner at Whiskey Creek,and now it is time for me to catch up on the blog.

Why do we make ourselves crazy with the things in life we don't have to do. Now, don't get me wrong. Many of those things are necessary but I could take some time to get my priorities straight.

Which is why I have played hooky this week. I have relaxed my priorities on blogging. Today the movie was about a year of blogging Julia Child recipes. Made me feel guilty that I had skipped a few days.

Of course, it really would stress me out if I had to cook 500 plus hard recipes in one year. What a goal. Now Jennifer H. could probably bake at least 300 cakes in a year. Love the pictures she post about her cakes. Glad she enjoys it. Seems like she does it with a passion. How wonderful to have such a good passion. YUM.

What happens when we play hooky. Doug and I try to walk at least 5 nights a week. If we skip 3 or 4 days in a row, we are so out of shape we are huffing before we get finished. IF and that is a big IF I were to be exercising at home (on the ball Doug has blown up for me) every day for a month then quit, only to come back three weeks later, I could not pick up where I left off.

If I set my Bible on the shelf for a few weeks or months I would be rusty when I came back to it. Now bare in mind, once we get out of the habit of doing something, it is SOOOOO hard to get back into the routine. After skipping the walk for a few days, it is like "Do we have to?"

After putting the Bible on the shelf we distance ourselves from God. Sure, we can say we are still walking but are we really. We are not being fed daily. We are malnourished.

If we are malnourished, we aren't strong enough to be the whole Christian God wants us to be. Testifying for Him on a daily basis. Ouch! That kinda hurts. We make sure we get our sugar or caffeine rush. Why are we not as anxious to get our Bible rush?

Can we still remember the verses we learned as youngsters? I will admit that I can finish verses but can never quote the book , chapter and verse. We cannot pull these verses out to make the case for Christ if we cannot find where they are in the Bible. Knowing the verses helps keep us keen even when we are away from the Book but as we read the Bible we should be able to pick up new verses to add to our memory. One such passage that has stuck with me because I have come up three times in two different studies in the last 2 weeks that has given me some answers is 2 Corinthians 1:3-5 (New American Standard Bible)
3Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort,
4who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.
5For just as the sufferings of Christ are ours in abundance, so also our comfort is abundant through Christ.

This has been helpful in understanding suffering. Another suffering passage I came upon this week was 2 Thessalonians 1:5 (New American Standard Bible)
5This is a plain indication of God's righteous judgment so that you will be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which indeed you are suffering. I honestly don't know why I have been brought to task about suffering but God has shown me these two scriptures to etch in my memory bank.

Well, in keeping up the thought of being busy, I must finish my Sunday School lesson for tomorrow. Don't want the teacher to flunk Mad Mary tomorrow. It is a good study if anyone is interested in doing some type of new Bible study.

Back to studying,

Vera

August 10, 2009 Rain

Bible verse of the Day:

Mark 3:31-35 (New American Standard Bible)
31Then His mother and His brothers arrived, and standing outside they sent word to Him and called Him.
32A crowd was sitting around Him, and they said to Him, "Behold, Your mother and Your brothers are outside looking for You."
33Answering them, He said, "Who are My mother and My brothers?"
34Looking about at those who were sitting around Him, He said, "Behold My mother and My brothers!
35"For whoever does the will of God, he is My brother and sister and mother."

Today's Celebrations:Happy Birthdays go out to Chrissie Collier Wright, Gina Roberts and Dianna Turner and it is the start of Elvis week in Memphis. You share a birthday with Eddie Fisher and Jimmy Dean along with Herbert Hoover.

Random thoughts:As I sit here listening to the rumble of thunder and an occasional flash of lightning (yes, I know I should not be on the computer) it is relaxing. Having gone through the '73 tornado I do respect storms but I love to listen to the rain. That can calm me down after a stressful day like nothing else. I love to sit at work and watch the rain fall on a slow day, also. I wonder how many years the earth existed before God flooded it with the first rains? I guess the folks lived longer because the rain had not washed thru the beta rays or gamma rays or what ever those rays are called that allow us to sunburn and get cancer. If you read the Bible, people lived for many, many years prior to the flood. After the flood the life span of man shortened drastically. Just think how many people could be on the earth if we all lived to be 900 plus these day. Just think of how much insurance would sky rocket. Oh, my. Naw, truthfully, I figure if we lived that long our bodies would be so much healthier than they are today.

Now those guys pre flood differently knew what old age was all about. Can you just imagine what people thought when the first rain drops came falling down from heaven. These guys had laughed at Noah for building this huge structure of safety for him and his family. Bet they were laughing when Noah loaded all the animals, too. Also bet they were beating on the walls of the ark begging to be let in as the waters rose.

Do we laugh until the waters rise? Do we think things are funny until it hits home? How about just being indifferent about situations half way across the world. It doesn't involve us, anyway. We ARE our brothers keeper. Across the street , across town or half way across the world. War, famine or monsoons half way around the world should be our business just as well as the street flooding outside our front door.

There are times I cannot even keep my own head above water, much less taking on the concerns of others. That just isn't scriptural. God is frowning down on me when I feel that way. He ain't happy with this ole gal.

I always hate the feeling I have when I feel I have disappointed my Father.

Until tomorrow..Striving to do better,

Vera

August 9, 2009 Stars

Bible Verse of the day:1 Corinthians 15:41 (New American Standard Bible)
41There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for star differs from star in glory.

Today's celebrations: Vernon Petty shares a birthday with P.L. Travers, the author of Mary Poppins.

Random thoughts:Tomorrow starts a time when meteor showers should be prevalent in the U.S. Yep. You guessed it. Stars.

The verse states that star differs from star. Each star in heaven is just as different as each person on earth. Hmmmm. Maybe that is what God is talking about to Abram in Genesis 15:5 (New American Standard Bible)
And He took him outside and said, "Now look toward the heavens, and count the stars, if you are able to count them " And He said to him, "So shall your descendants be."

We are plentiful.We are descendants of Abraham. We are God's creation. We are God's stars on earth. But what about those up in the galaxies? I find it amazing how people can find stars that have never been named before and people get to pick them out and name them. What is with that? How do you just get to name a star. Aside from that. Telescopes are getting stronger and man is getting to look further out into space and see more stars and even more galaxies. Isn't it amazing how widespread God's touch is? As humans, think how small we are to the overall size of the universe.

Some people make predictions on the stars. Remember the song Aquarius for the sixties? "When the moon is in it's second phase, and Jupiter aligns with Mars." or something like that. That is how seers make predictions. I can predict just as much as them.....We are born, we live, we die and we spend eternity depending on how we choose while we live. Period. End of story. Pretty simple if you ask me. If we remember, there were even seers back when Jesus was born. Herod ask about the stars, call for the Magi on the seer's story. Some things just never change. Some things always stay the same. False prophets have been around since the serpent told Eve she would be equal to God if she ate the fruit. The stars have hung in the heavens since God designed them and placed them there. False prophets will be around til the end of time when they will be destroyed along with all other unbelievers. The stars will all be in the heavens til the end of time.

We are God's stars on Earth. We shine for our Lord. I think we shine better than any Hollywood star. We shine for "The Cause".

Keep on a shinin',

Vera

August 8, 2009 prayer

Bible Verse of the day:James 5:13-16 (New American Standard Bible)
13Is anyone among you suffering? Then he must pray Is anyone cheerful? He is to sing praises.
14Is anyone among you sick? Then he must call for the elders of the church and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord;
15and the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him.
16Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.

Today's Celebrations:Happy birthday, Cindie Collier Modelevsky, you share a birthday with Dustin Hoffman.

Random thoughts: Summer is half over and school is about to start. I see parents trying to get the supply sheets to load up on supplies to send to school the first day. When our kids were young no one got a supply list until the first day. It was expected that all those supplies would be brought to school the second day. Now, bear with me here. If you have shopped in the last month, you know how much "back to school" business the stores have. Can you imagine if all this shopping by all these parents was done on ONE evening. We stood in lines for hours just to check out. And on top of everything else, everyone was grumpy. Can you imagine why?

We have come a long way in school. Not only in how the teachers handle supplies but how much more advanced education is. I think there are many fourth graders that can do math way beyond my comprehension. It is scary how much they learn so early now.

Not only do they get a school education early. There are a lot of children that get a street education early, too. Some by merely being a victim of abuse. Some being taught by older siblings things they think is cool. We as Christians have to educate children on what is right and wrong. Yes, I know, they have taken prayer and everything else important out of school. We simply have to take every opportunity we can to let them know the behavior they exhibit is unacceptable. Whether it is our own family or the ones we see in public. Hard to do, but with God's help, we can find the right words to be good examples of what these children need to learn. That takes prayer. As we face our day, encounter people hard to love( for any reason) we should as God to walk with us and talk through us.

One day of "National Day of Prayer" is not enough for our schools nor our teachers. We need everyday with prayer for our educators. If we prayed every day for everything that needs prayer, well, we would be in a state of prayer all day long. That might not be a bad thing. Hmmm. I will start right now with my extra prayer.

"Lord, as I write this page, I lift up every person that reads it. Walk with them today and give them strength to carry out your will all day long. Open their hearts and attune their ears to hear what you want them to do. Give them direction to be your servant in everything they do today.

Love to my brothers and sisters in Christ. Amen."

Praying for you,

Vera

August 7, 2009 Take good care of yourself, you belong to Me

Bible verse of the day:

1 Corinthians 6:18-20 (New American Standard Bible)
18Flee immorality. Every other sin that a man commits is outside the body, but the immoral man sins against his own body.
19Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?
20For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.

Today's celebrations: Happy Birthday to Debbie Fletcher, Marshall Border and Dana Dunkerson. You share your birthday celebration with Mata Hari and Garrison Keillor.

Random Thoughts: Remember the old song that say, "take good care of yourself, you belong to me."? Don't know who the singer was or if it was just an ad jingle but the verses in 1 Corinthians tells us to take good care of our self because we do belong to HIM. We have been bought with price so glorify God with our bodies.

Mentally, physically, spiritually?None of the above. All of the above. I think it is all of the above. We need to be sharp mentally. Readings, studying and trying to further our education often helps keep us sharp. There have been reports that working a crossword puzzle every day helps prolong the keen mental balance of the mind for an extended period of years.

Physically, ( I know I am not one to preach this one) if we abuse our body in any way we are not glorifying it for God. My habitual sin is food. Been overweight all my life, I guess. I will stress that I am trying to curb my weight and do some exercise every day. It is a start.

Spiritually, oh, yeah. We need to hone our spiritual knowledge on a daily basis. We need to refresh our Bible in our minds often. Even if we have read the Bible through, do it again and again. There will always be something that we did not grasp the last time we read that passage. At this time, our Sunday School class is doing a study on Mary Magdalene. There are many assumptions and fallacies about her role in the Bible. She had demons, not a prostitute. She came from the city of Magdala which is known for prostitution, but no where in the Bible does it say she was a prostitute. She also was older than Jesus. Many of the Gnostic writings portray Jesus and Mary M. as having an intimate relationship. One would assume Mary M. is older than Jesus mother, Mary, since in identification, Mary M. most often takes top listing of the group of people. Seniority thing, you know. They were big on that back then.

Boy, I am on my soap box. Really random today, since the idea is to take care of the body. Guess the fact that I have just been studying Mary Magdalene made my ramble in that direction. Oops.

Here is the deal. Take 15 minutes a day. Can be broken into three segments. Spend 5 minutes on yourself. Be greedy. Do something just to please yourself.

Next, spend 5 minutes, working a puzzle or reading something educational. Lastly, spend at least 5 minutes reading the Bible or a devotional.

Don't over do. You might be overwhelmed. Once you get comfortable with doing each for 5 minutes, expand. Work up to finishing a puzzle and reading a couple of Chapters in the Bible each day. It will make the soul feel better. When our mental state is better, so is our physical one. I don't do yoga but everyone says it is good. Meditate, relax and enjoy your own company. If you don't like yourself, why should anyone else.

Until later,

I am gonna pamper myself!

Vera

August 6, 2009 Peace , not War

Bible Verse of the Day:

Daniel 9:24-27 (New American Standard Bible)
Seventy Weeks and the Messiah 24"Seventy weeks have been decreed for your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy place.
25"So you are to know and discern that from the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince there will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; it will be built again, with plaza and moat, even in times of distress.
26"Then after the sixty-two weeks the Messiah will be cut off and have nothing, and the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary And its end will come with a flood; even to the end there will be war; desolations are determined.
27"And he will make a firm covenant with the many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering; and on the wing of abominations will come one who makes desolate, even until a complete destruction, one that is decreed, is poured out on the one who makes desolate."

Today's Celebrations:Happy Birthday to Mary Ridge Caldwell. She shares a birthday with Lucille Ball. On this day in 1945 the U.S. dropped the first atomic bomb in history on Hiroshima. For all you Beatles fans, they released the album "Help!" on this day in 1965.

Random Thoughts: Lucille Ball was a hoot. She could make anyone laugh. There didn't have to be a crude comment to get a chuckle. She just produced good, wholesome fun for the whole family. If you are old enough, you can remember when the whole family would sit around the one tv in the house and everyone would watch the same tv program. If you are under 40 I bet that sounds like that statement came out of the stone age. What ever happened to good clean fun. Everything is so blue anymore it embarrasses us older folks and should embarrass young folks, too.

Lucille Ball did some skits with Harpo Marx that were so hilarious. She could also portray herself as the dim wit to get laughs. But, don't kid yourself. She was one smart cookie.

On the thought of "The Beatles", I never was a groupie of them but they did have some pretty cool music. In the sixties when they came on the scene in America, I was probably in fourth or fifth grade. Music wasn't on the top of my priority list. I was never a groupie of any band. I enjoy music and movies yet bands or actors don't phase me. If I enjoy it, I enjoy it. If I have the opportunity to see someone in person, great! If not, I haven't lost anything in life.

If there were one person or band I would like to meet in person, who would it be? I don't know. Like I said, I am not impressed. There is no politician or religious phenom I would like to sit down and have a cup of coffee with. Am I weird or what?

Well, the third thing on my today's celebrations, It is political. Since it was before my time I don't have to voice an opinion on whether I approve of what they did or not. I think we are all God's children and would love to see the world get along. The dreamer in me, I guess.

As one of God's children, I can pray for world peace, but God has promised it won't happen til Christ comes back again.

Pondering...

til tomorrow,

Vera

August 5, 2009 Dragonflies

Bible Verse of the day:
Revelation 21:22-26 (New Living Translation)
22 I saw no temple in the city, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. 23 And the city has no need of sun or moon, for the glory of God illuminates the city, and the Lamb is its light. 24 The nations will walk in its light, and the kings of the world will enter the city in all their glory. 25 Its gates will never be closed at the end of day because there is no night there. 26 And all the nations will bring their glory and honor into the city.



Today in History : Marilyn Monroe was found dead on this day in 1962. Neil Armstrong has a birthday today.


Random Thoughts: I have never given much thought to dragonflies. Tonight I googled them. Just the last few days they have been all over our yard and a lot of other places across town. I think they are pretty and I love the way they dip and sway when I watch them. The reason they are dipping and swaying is because they are catching mosquitoes. The mosquito is one of the favorite foods of the flighty insect. As far as I am concerned, the dragonflies can stay around alllllllll summer long. They are kind of like the lightning bug. Fun to watch and kind of mesmerizing. Cutting down on the mosquito population is merely a plus.

The mosquitoes on the other hand...well, let's just say Noah could have forgot to put those two on the ark as far as I am concerned. We have had so much rain this year they are all over the place, very small and carry a big bite. Ouch. I have four or five bites that have really really hurt this week.

Why did God give us good insects and bad insects? Why couldn't we just have the dragonfly and let them feed off something less menacing. Same way with snakes. Why do we have to have poisoness snakes and spiders that rot the skin and do awful things to our bodies.

Why do we have to have evil in our world at all. Not saying that mosquitoes are evil but they sure are a pain in the neck! I guess if we didn't have pest, literally and the human kind, we might not appreciate all the glories we will receive in heaven. Give us something to look forward to.

What really bothers me about heaven.......with all the glow, will this hot natured gal be miserable all the time. Is there going to be a fan to keep my cool? Am I going to be a comfortable 68 degrees all the time? I sure hope so.

If God can put the dragonfly on the earth to reduce the mosquito population, He can surely find a way to keep me comfortable in heaven.

Well, I keep searching for the perfect 68 degrees,

Until tomorrow,

Vera

August 4, 2009 girly girls and tom boys

Bible Verse of the Day:

Ephesians 2:8-10 (New American Standard Bible)
8For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;
9not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.
10For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

Today's Celebrations: Micah Elder Putman and Leiandrea Higgins

Random Thoughts:When I think of Micah there are many things I think about. Flutes, majorette, 'lil blue mustang and girly girly just to name a few. Micah was the quietest girl I knew when she was growing up. I know she talked, but she was always so quiet that you hardly knew she was around. Micah and Blake shared some elementary classes together, they fought for first chair flute in Junior high and Micah went band and Blake went sports manager in high school. We made a lot of the same trips for football games,though.

Micah comes across as being a girly girl but I wonder if the occasion arose if she could be up to the challenge of digging in amongst the bugs or mud or a snake or gator where she lives now? She might, but just as quick as the opportunity arose she would revert back to the shopping, scrap booking and foo foo girl. (Micah, there is nothing wrong with that.)

I wish I could be that way. I know. I know. Wishing for what we don't have. Really, I grew up on a farm, lived in blue jeans, never wore heels, no make up. I was a tom boy all the way, until it came to the snakes. No thanks!!!

I envy a gal that can portray the feminine side all the time. Even some of the time. I was a rough tough tom boy and then I never got the chance to foo foo with a daughter. I was deprived I say, deprived. For as many bows as I have tied in my life, none of them have been for my little girl. I on the other hand, would not be caught dead in a bow. Talking about a duck out of water, now that would be me for sure. I don't do dress clothes and my Sunday clothes are just as casual as I can possible make them.

I would love to be graceful and dainty but a 500 pound bull moose is NOT dainty.

As I have said before. Why can we not accept who we are and not wish for something we aren't or don't have . I should be content to be a bull moose 'cause I sure wouldn't be comfortable as a dainty doe deer. See, I even talk in outdoor animals. A head doctor would have a hay day with me. He would be more confused than me when I was through. I must remember, I am His workmanship, Created for Christ Jesus. Must accept who I am and what I was put on earth to do.

Anyway, my salute to your my girly girl friend. Hope you had a wonderful day today and many more just like it.

God Bless,

Ms. Vera

August 3, 2009 Domestic Diva?

Bible Verse of the Day:John 8:7 CEV

They kept on asking Jesus about the woman. Finally, he stood up and said, "If any of you have never sinned, then go ahead and throw the first stone at her!"

Today's celebrations:Martha Stewart has a birthday today.

Random Thoughts:Martha Stewart comes across as the wonder woman of all things domestic. How domestic is she? She has had numerous shows on tv and always had people in the background prepping everything for her. Makes her look like she knows everything. I wonder how many "tag" sales she has ever been to. (She used to talk about that a lot.) Common folk don't go to "tag" sales, we go to yard sales or garage sales. We find other peoples' junk. She finds linens, china and fine silver pieces. She carves her pumpkins and gathers colored eggs from her rare chickens, decorates the perfect wedding cake.

How can any of us mere women compare. Alas, we will never be able to stand beside "Super Martha". If she is so great, she could come sweep the cobwebs out of my corners and dust bunnies out from under my beds. She portrays herself as Jesus amongst us sinners.

Now, don't get me wrong. Even if it sounds like I am dissing Martha, I am not. Personally, I have learned a few tricks from her shows. First and foremost she had taught me how to string lights on a Christmas tree. Thanks to her, might lights shine pretty good. She even gave me inspiration for seasonal decorating. Not that I do that any more, but when I was younger I did.

So I will wrap up my thought for the day. Do we act like we are the "Perfect Christian" and think we have the ability correct others about what they do wrong? We don't like it when they correct us about what they assume is wrong. They might not know the full story. Before we go correcting our brothers and sisters in Christ, stop to realize, we just might know the whole story about what we want to criticize them about.

The old saying about measure twice, cut once applies to our mouth, also. Think that there may just be two sides to that window we are looking through. If we see something wrong when we look, it might just be our reflection instead of seeing what is on the other side.

I know it sounds like I am a yo yo today, but I am not. I was using Martha Stewart as a reference of how we percieve people when we don't really know what we are talking about.

Until tomorrow,

I'll be looking with my mouth shut!

Vera

August 2, 2009 Kindness

Bible Verse of the day:Ephesians 4:32 (New American Standard Bible)
Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.

Today's Celebrations:Happy birthday to Bryant Rushing and Michelle Reid.

Random thoughts: Have you heard the stories about people going through the line in a drive thru coffee shop and someone has bought the drink for the person behind them, when you pull thru, you can take your free drink or pay for the person behind you. There have been reports on tv about how many hours this can go on. Obviously, we live in a smaller town where there are not that many drive-thru coffee houses, but the idea is great.

Doing something nice for the other guy. Doesn't have to be big. Just something for the fellow man. I could probably think all day and not come up with anything as great as the coffee bit, but what if the guy behind you in the grocery store just had a loaf of bread and a jug of milk. Telling the cashier to just add that to your bill would blow every ones mind. The cashier who has to deal with grumpy people complaining about prices all day, (not their fault)the person behind you wondering what the catch is and why he shouldn't trust you. Even other people in line.

I have offered to let a person go ahead of me if they just have one or two items to check out and they even seem leery of someone being nice enough to let them check out ahead of you.

We do live in a society that doesn't quiet trust the goodness of the people they don't know. Rightfully so, BUT if we don't go on faith occasionally we live our whole life in fear. If we don't adventure out from time to time, we live a boring life. If at twenty we go to work 8-5 five days a week and at 60 we are still going to work 8-5 five days a week at the same job, let's hope it is a great job. Otherwise we have led a boring life. Yes, I know. I am one who doesn't venture out. I have the same job I did in the twenties and I am fussing at me more than anybody else.

If I had dream job, what would it be? I don't really know. When you think about it, no job is absolutely perfect. I have heard people say " If I just....had the next job up the ladder, the job down the street, a small pay raise... whatever! Everything would be perfect." Reality check. Nothing is perfect. Not even the perfect job.

So do your part to make life a little better. Take time to smell the coffee and then do something great for your unknown friend. Yes, friend. You just might make a friend that you find you have tons of stuff in common with. You might make somebodies day. You might be the smile someone needs to get through an awful day or week.

Kindness doesn't have to be expensive, just thoughtful.

What do you get in return. Absolutely nothing. And if you brag to others about it, well, you actually loose the concept of doing good for others. You are tooting your own horn and wanting someone else to pat you on the back. No, this is your own personal feel good thing to do.

Be nice to at least one person this week that doesn't expect it.

Be quiet about what you do.

Be sure and thank God for the opportunity to do a good deed.

Be thankful you can do it.

Be yourself and I will be me,

Until next time,

Vera

August 1, 2009 Watermelons

Bible Verse of the Day:

Matthew 7:1-4 (New American Standard Bible)
1Do not judge so that you will not be judged.
2"For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you.
3"Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?
4"Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' and behold, the log is in your own eye?

Today's Celebrations:Happy birthday to Craig Gammon

Random thoughts:I cannot let this date pass without having my tribute to the watermelon. If any of you really know me, you know that I love watermelon. My daddy grew watermelon, brokered watermelon and taught me a lot about the watermelon.

Just last month I was at the farmers market and the man had a pickup truck loaded with melons. The gentleman was moving some of the melons around to shift his load when I walked up. The melon he had was blistered on the bottom. (Sunburned, I call it.) I ask the man to let me see where the melon was slipped.( the little pigtail on it) When he turned the melon to me, the pigtail was just a little dried up, kind of like the umbilical cord of a baby just before it falls off. Told him that would be a great melon. I wanted it. Paid for the melon then this 70 plus year old fella offers to take it to my car for me. "Naw, no need. I'll just carry it." As I walked away, melon balanced on my shoulder, I heard him say"She had done this before."

Yes, I have. Many times. I never did and still do not like farming but farming did put food on the table as I grew up.

Back to why today is watermelon day. I had a dear uncle that was both born and died on this date. I don't remember him growing melons but for years he bought melons for the produce companies. Was great at what he did. I always remember his birthday and I always think of melons. When I was a teen, he was home on his birthday. Right now I do not remember why, but it was unusual, since this was a busy season for him. I am sure someone was sick or had died, but anyway, I went to the local bakery and had them make me a cake with a truck hauling a huge watermelon on the back of it.

Watermelons are interesting. They are first cousins to the cucumber. Most of both have seed down a row in the center. That is really where the similarities end. Cucumbers are not sweet, bitter or tangy. Just have a unique taste all there own, I guess. Now the watermelon, even though it is a first cousin, is sweet, and if it is ripe enought will just about deslove in your mouth. Can't really say melt in your mouth. If the melon has a lot of seeds in it, there is a lot of work to get the sweet flesh and seperate the seeds. If you cut is just right, you can cut the heart out and have a lot of pieces that are seedless. If you are serving younger people, you might want to give them the heart. I think that is the best part of the melon, myself. Most folks cannot tell much difference.

Another thing about the watermelon. It is mostly water. Duh!! Why else would it be called a WATERmelon. We never really know how good the melon will be until we slice it open. Most of the time, the watermelon that looks prettiest from the outside is the worst tasting once you get it open.

Some of the time, the person that looks the prettiest from the outside leaves the worst taste in our mouths when we get close. Notice I said "some of the time". People tend to let us down and disappoint us, just like cutting open the melon and finding it light pink or green instead of red and ripe. The melon won't get riper by just letting it sit. It has to ripen on the vine for the best flavor. Some people are green when we get close to them instead of ripe. They did not stay on the vine to ripen. Age. Mature. Be socially ept.

We won't know until we get close enough to find out. Sometimes that hurts. Sometimes it is the most Delicious friendship to come along. We never know til we get close enough to try. Someone that looks stuffy my really have something in common or be the life of a party. We have to step out on faith to meet new people and let God handle the rest.

Until later,

Wish I had a watermelon, Wish I had a watermelon,

Wishing,

Vera

July 31, 2009 Imagination

Bible Verse of the day:1 Corinthians 12:6-12

(New American Standard Bible)
6There are varieties of effects, but the same God who works all things in all persons.
7But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.
8For to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, and to another the word of knowledge according to the same Spirit;
9to another faith by the same Spirit, and to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit,
10and to another the effecting of miracles, and to another prophecy, and to another the distinguishing of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, and to another the interpretation of tongues.
11But one and the same Spirit works all these things,distributing to each one individually just as He wills.
12For even as the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ.

Today's celebrations: Happy birthday, Jenny Walton Gammon, Jennifer Swymn and J.K. Rowlings.

Random thoughts: J.K. Rowlings says "You sort of start thinking anythings possible if you've got enough nerve." Now I am NOT a "Harry Potter" fan. Never read a book nor have I watched a movie all the way to completion. I just cannot get into the "Harry Potter" stuff. I will say, however, that I think I am in the minority. Kids of all ages know and understand all that stuff . To be an outsider to one of these conversations where the movies or books are being discussed is like being in a foreign land listening to people converse in their native tongue. Give the lady credit where it is due, by using her imagination, she has brought family together at the dinner table where conversation is interesting to all generations. She has brought a bond among families where no or very few bonds existed before.

To be honest, she has used her imagination to make millions of dollars and much popularity. She has been interviewed a few times and you get the feeling she is much more comfortable with her imagination and story lines than with the time she is in the spotlight. I don't think the fame part is her goal. Maybe I am wrong, but even the last interview I saw of her, humility was the tone she portrayed.

As Christians, the way to use imagination is to be creative in ways to spread the gospel. Tell the Good News. To allow for the fact that if we ever get in the spotlight, it will be for God's glory in the things we have done in His name. Sure, we dream. If we didn't have hopes and goals, there would be no going forward for us. But as we dream, let us dream of what will give God the glory and turn it over to God. He will show us what we can do that will be pleasing to Him.

Just imagining,(dreaming)

til later,

Vera

July 30,2009 Comfort or frog jumping

Bible Verse of the day: What then shall we say to these things?If God is for us, then who is against us. Romans 8:31

Today's Celebrations: Happy birthday to Sandie Dixon ,Arnold Swarzenegger and Henry Ford.

Random thoughts: Henry Ford was quoted as saying..."When everything seems to be going against you, remember the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it." What did Henry Ford know about airplanes? I thought he was the one that worked on improving the car. Wrong mode of transportation.

I remember as a kid, yes, way back when, one summer we traveled to Flint, Michigan to visit with family. While we were there , everyone went to the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn. I was so fascinated with all the "stuff" that was in there. I remember there was a plane hanging from the ceiling and a locomotive that took up soooooo much space. I didn't realize how big those things really were. Wow. Even at that young age, I knew the man that worked on the motorize vehicle had to be a really smart cookie to come up with all those neat little contraptions way back when. But, boy, have we not come a long way, baby, to get where we are today.

There are cars that even stop by themselves if you get too close to the car in front of you. Bet 'ole Henry wishes he had thought of that, too.

Ford was wise when he made the comment about feeling like everything is against you. A person that overcomes adversity grows stronger as an individual. Remember, God never puts more on us that we can handle and when we go through the stresses and overcome we become closer to God and have learned a lesson to boot.

I read a verse this week that has stuck with me. 1 Corinthians1:3-4 say" Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort: who comforts us in all our afflictions so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

God comforts us when we have afflictions. We learn to comfort others in the same manner as we learned from the way God does it for us. Now we know how to comfort others. Let's do it instead of sitting on the sidelines watching people hurt.

We hurt. We get comforted. We see others hurt. We comfort them. They learn. And so the circle goes on. We cannot take the credit, but we can obey God's direction. We become all the stronger for doing what is right.

Well, you know this thing is called "random" thoughts and I am like a frog today, jumping around everywhere.

Until later,

I will just jump off my soapbox,

Vera

July 29, 2009 Ice Cream Ice Cream

Bible Verse of the day:Return to your rest, O my soul, For the Lord has dealt bountifully with you. Psalms 116:7

Today's Celebrations:Peter Jennings birthday.

Random Thoughts:July is national Ice Cream month. Duh. Go figure. But, any way, since I am late writing this I will tell you that today I really, really want a chocolate turtle sundae from Andy's. I am fighting it so hard 'cause I know it isn't good for my blood sugar. Haven't been that good today. I guess I am saving for a day when I feel I can treat myself.

Why do we feel that we have to do something good or starve ourselves to get a treat? We should be good all the time. Right? Well,I guess we slip occasionally.

Jim Corter just wrote on facebook about " if you want to finish every day with a sense of accomplishment, then you must..." Hummmm. What must we do or be able to do.

Here is a plan.

1)pick a pet project you want to work on. Be realistic. Something you can devote 15 minutes a day to.

2) stay faithful to your project.

3) see what you have accomplished in a months time.

4)reflect to see if you are happy with your accomplishments.

If you are, then proceed with your task or if it is finished, start another. Devote some time to yourself each day.

Peter Jennings was a high school drop out. Can you imaging what kind of goals he had to set to accomplish what he did with his life. He became a household name and was as political savvy as anyone on television. He made goals and strived to complete them. Before he died, he even became a U.S. citizen so he could cast his vote in the country he had grown to love.

Are we dedicated like that? Well, if I was I would be a much smaller size than I am now. That is for sure. So obviously my answer is "no". But, remember we cannot take on monumental task and expect to complete them without first taking baby steps. I think I could make a list two pages long of things I need to do or finish. Why do we start things we never finish. Lack of interest. New interest comes along. Frustration with not being able to finish things as quickly as we expect.

We are a "hurry up and get it over with" society.

Maybe if we just don' try to cram so much into the day we could slow down and eat that chocolate ice cream I have been dreaming of.

Until later when I will still be screaming,

Vera