Albuquerque sunset at the end of a relaxing day...

 

Some Absolutes I Live By and Why

 Life is short – eternity is long, but it begins NOW!

This gives me a big picture perspective regardless of my circumstances. It keeps me balanced, knowing that I must number my days, enjoy the blessings and realize that the tests and trials are only for this life…IF you know where you will spend eternity. Prepare and live as though eternity is real life, while making the most of every moment presented to you in this one.

I am not the Master of the Universe, but I know the One Who Is

This One is always good and makes my life an amazing adventure worth living!

 

Life is precious, especially human life

Be careful not to create a new life if you’re not ready to take responsibility for it and provide for it. This is how we get closer to ending poverty. However, it is never a mistake if God chooses to allow you to have a child, but a blessing. If you don’t feel that it is, offer life to a childless couple. They certainly will!

 Also, never end a life unless it is truly in self-defense and all other means have been exhausted.  Always promote peace. Why?...do I really need to explain?

Teach your children how to sustain humanity through stable families with a father and a mother and some siblings if they so choose; but also prepare them to possibly be unable to reproduce. None of us knows the future, and we need to remain resilient.

The Earth is precious, and we must be good stewards of it wherever we are

No explanation necessary.

Truth is truth 

 When two ideas conflict, only one of them can be true.

When feeling down, give thanks

We truly need very little...but gratitude for it makes us feel rich! Make a prayerful "Happy List" starting at the top of your head, that you have a functioning brain...to the tip of your toes, that you can walk. Food, clothing and shelter, acceptance, a sense of belonging for most, security, and for some, a more heightened sense of accomplishment are just about all. When we have everything we need, we can experience so much more joy and peace just using the senses God gave us.

God is never late

When something is broken or missing from your "Happy List", ASK and keep on asking God for it. Everyone knows a watched pot never boils.  Waiting for the Lord is much easier if we just pray, leave our request with Him, and move forward with thanksgiving and gratitude for all He is and all He has done. Don’t get stuck standing over the pot!

 

Try to find the fast, easy way to do things

There are so many things I want to do and experience, even pushing 60, that I can’t waste any time.

Know your limits and never apologize for them

Our bodies and minds are rechargeable, but we must take responsibility to plug in to rest and re-creation. Practice healthy boundaries. It gets easier with practice and many times relationships do too.

Try not to jump to conclusions

Things are not always what they seem.

Speak little and listen much

2 ears and 1 one mouth make this a no-brainer. that.is.all.

 

My girls took me to see Les Miserables last night. It's an old story, and beautifully demonstrates some of these absolutes and more. Much love...

 

 

 

"When we pray for others, GOD listens and blesses them. SO when you are safe and happy, REMEMBER that someone is praying for you and thank God for them and send some blessings back. Prayer is never in vain ... and neither is your life if you pray!" Rosa Knickelbine

Altogether now!...THANK YOU, Lord for listening. Thank You that I am safe and happy. Thank You for those who pray for me. Please bless their socks off! Thank You for each rare and precious life, so valuable that You gave Your own for them.

Just dreamin' today...

The introvert in me had had enough. After spending the morning running to 2 doctors offices, the pharmacy, and dropping something she forgot off for daughter #2 who's traveling tonight, I was ready for me time! That consisted of catching up online and and playing a couple of games. It was a wooonnnderful time. AHHH! Just two more little gifts to get tonight, so daughter #1 treated us to Happy Hour and we made a not-too-bad trip to the mall. I was really surprised and relieved it wasn't busier. Goodnight, Blogosphere.

oh, mary, joseph, rest your eyes
try not to think of the ending
world full of empty, He will die
but tonight He is still just a child

***
 

 the silent night drifts all away
and the angels are dancing around you
there's the joy of knowing He'll save the world
overshadowing the pain that He'll go through

***

have you cursed at the wind
have you cried to the heavens
have you fought with this mercy you don't understand
when the wise men kneel down
to kiss the hand of this king they found
in bethlehem town

***

will you hold back the years a while
will you dream that this man could always be a child
and never carry all the weight
of the dirt and the distance and the company we keep

***

and did the stars shine much brighter that night
you gave birth to the death that would bring us to life
and did the mystery keep you awake
was the sound of His little heart too much to take

***

oh, i don't understand
when the wise men kneel down
to kiss the hand of this king they found

***

in bethlehem town

 

***

Jars of Clay

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Yesterday's adventure was a bump in the road. It involved a mistake, setting boundaries, letting go, remorse and forgiveness. I believe it truly was just a bump because for the last couple of months there have been days that involved grace, concern, fun, transparency, also letting go and respect of boundaries. It was an adventure that was bound to happen. It also left me too tired to write until today.

Today, my craft room has been my refuge. Perfect for a cold and blustery day.

Today was Adventures in Chemo for Michael. His doctor who's very quiet and looks like Santa asked him all about everything and gave us a little grin and said "that's good to hear" at how well he's doing. :0)

Aly and I have been watching The Tudors online. Not too sure about truth, afterall, it's historical fiction. Some joy, but more beauty and love. There's a whole lotta crazy in it, too! Maybe I need to rename my blog.

I'm counting on Heaven being filled with joy like these bring me. A few of my favorites...

 

 

 

  

  

I have no words or pretty pictures today when some parents have only sobs and unopened Christmas presents.

In solidarity with Sandy Hook.

Sorry I can't post any pics of what I did today because it's a surprise! I hope the recipient really likes it. I'm having alot of fun and some tugging at my heartstrings at the same time. Anyone else having fun making gifts?

I can show you where we'll be going to dinner with a dear friend on Michael's birthday gift card. MMMMM! http://www.flyingstarcafe.com/

I fully expect to see some joking comments, lose some friends on Facebook where I spend the majority of my time online, and maybe gain a few more who are in those friends’ “woo woo” category…I just have to finally share this. Especially today! I’ve shared my experience over the last year with just a very few close and highly trusted friends and family members. One of my children still explains it as “the brain” being an amazing thing, even after I told her this morning what had happened. OK, but what part of the brain, or rather, where did the thought to act come from?

I have some online and in person friends who are very “spiritual”, but don’t necessarily agree with me about everything. Those who know me, know that I unashamedly profess my faith in Jesus Christ as the virgin-born, crucified, buried, risen Son of God, the Savior Who has allowed me to look forward to Heaven.

 

Since committing my life to Christ, I have always been very careful to follow God’s rules in the Old Testament about not consulting mediums, witches, the stars or any other occult or pagan practices, but some of my online friends are not so careful. I do believe in the angelic realm, including fallen angels, and am fascinated by science and the direction it’s been going in areas of  “the God factor”, brain science, heart science, healing and bringing spirituality and science together. It is so exciting to me to see more and more science explaining what we read in scripture. I know that numbers have significance in scripture, but I don’t know if this falls under “numerology” as such. It does concern sequences of numbers, especially 1’s…11:11.

Since I was introduced to the idea that there is a “shift” coming, some are looking for the rapture of the church, doomsday or for aliens or angels to come to our aid with amazing new information, I became one of those who began to randomly see these sequences of numbers when I happened to look at a clock. It started at the end of 2010, and became so frequent that I started recording it on my calendar in January of this year.

The Fall of 2010 was a stressful time for me and my co-workers, as the company I worked for was sold and began to downsize. I made it through this time partly because of seeing these numbers, and began to take them as signs that God had dispatched angels to minister to me. As the ax fell on co-worker after co-worker, I was comforted and had no fear of the future. Each time I saw a sequence, I was delighted and calmed. I continued my usual routine every day of spending time with the Lord, reading scripture and praying. The first day I recorded was January 2 – 11:11. Then 11:11 and 3:33 on the 3^rd and 4^th. Sure enough, I was laid off on the 6^th. During January and up until today, it has been at least once every week, usually more than once.

Last night, I woke up and glanced at the clock – 12:12...on 12/12/2012! And then, driving home from the grocery store, again! 12:12! I think you can understand how this has left an impression on me. I plan to continue my daily routine of going to the Lord whether I get hit by a truck, the world ends in 9 days or ET’s come to my door!

What about you? There is so much uncertainty and are so many reasons to be anxious. Can you face the next hour, day, week and eternity with no fear? I never needed or looked for any signs, but I honestly believe that they are a gift to me, maybe because I already believed. My faith in a good and mighty Savior was enough. This has been quite a bonus!

 

 

More Frienemies

My former co-worker went through Michael’s first diagnosis and treatment of head and neck cancer with me. She was a good support. At the same time, she was going through a major transition moving her mother-in-law from Florida back to Albuquerque to live with her and her husband. They have no children, and she hadn’t really known her mother-in-law very well before this. She and her husband are very active in their Protestant church, so we shared our faith… I came to realize that she was pretty selfish when she complained almost daily about her mother-in-law. She was extremely nit-picky from my point of view, since the lady was ill and not long for this world. They considered putting her in assisted living when she fell, got sick and died. Later, I found out that she had thrown me under the bus. The business was in trouble, and duties were being shuffled around. I was assigned to help her without a pay raise. I was thankful for the job, and I normally did assist her with no complaining as part of my new job description. One day was particularly difficult, Michael was really sick and needed me, so I took an extra long lunch without pay, which put me behind. Near the end of the day, I let her know that I wasn’t able to get to the task. I received a frown, and nothing more was said. A few weeks later, I was called in and reprimanded by our boss. I let it go, eventually was layed off and she went to another job. A few months later, she took me to lunch since she knew I was out of a job and Michael was still sick.

Now Michael has been on hospice, and we had a date for lunch again today…her treat. When I told her that his doctor’s appointment had been changed to a later time, and asked if she could be flexible since she was taking a ½ day off work anyway, she said quite shortly, “No, I’ll be gone.” I told her fine, and I was sorry and maybe we could do it another time. I decided to write her off as a friend. While I was considering erasing her name from my contacts, she called again and said, “I think I’ll change my mind. Where and when would you like to meet? I feel bad.” I’m glad she reconsidered, because I don’t think she has many friends. Maybe that’s why, and maybe she’s changing for the better. It was really nice to get out. Update – at lunch, we were talking about girl stuff and I was saying that my hair is getting too long and I had been cutting it myself. She asked me, “Where do you get your hair done?”. I told her Supercuts, and she said, “let’s go and I’ll get it for you.” I needed to go get Michael at the Cancer Center, so I thanked her and said, no, that she’d done enough. The following week, I got a Supercuts gift card from her in the mail. She’s a blessing, and I’m glad I was able to let a few things slide, be patient and didn’t write her off.