My New Friend Jane

I have a new friend, Jane. I’ve never met Jane and I don’t know anything about her but she just sent me an email. Jane said she saw my profile and thought we could be friends. I don’t know what profile she’s talking about but she sent me her email address and told me to hit her up on MSN messenger. I’m thinking about it, NOT.

I’m sure, like me you get these emails all the time. Every day I’ve got someone new sending me a message requesting friendship, companionship or they want to be another sort of buddy. I’m a little more selective about who I choose to be friends with. We have to have something in common. I have to actually like the person because to be honest if you don’t like your friends it makes it rather difficult to be around them.

I have a few virtual friends. People I’ve met through forums or message boards. We had something in common, started messaging each other about our common interest and eventually exchanged email addresses. I have face to face friends. Those are people I met through school, work, church or other friends. We enjoy each other’s company and we enjoy doing things together.

To Jane or anybody else thinking or emailing me to become friends. Don’t take it personal when I ignore your request.

Right Where I'm Suppose to Be

Have you ever wondered how your life would be different if certain events hadn’t happened the way they did? When I was in seventh grade we moved to a new neighborhood. My parents looked at a lot of houses in various suburbs of Chicago until they picked our house. If we would have moved to the any of the other houses I would have gone to a different high school, had different friends which might have influenced my choice of career. Even if I did choose the same career path I might have gone to a different college, started working at a different hospital and never have known some of my best friends.

My brother died when I was 21. He was 19 years older than I was and I looked up to him. He influenced a lot of decisions I made. What decisions would I have made differently with his guidance? My dad died in 1990, my mom died in 1994. It wasn’t until after my mom’s death that I accepted Christ and started one of the greatest, most awesome journeys of my life. Would I have made the same journey if my mom were still alive? I’d like to think I would but I’ll never know.

Someone once told me that a lot of people accept Christ when they’re at their lowest and have no where else to turn. I couldn’t see where I was at a low point but I was searching. I’d been searching for something for years but didn’t know where to look. It wasn’t until after my mom died that I felt free to look. Not that my mom wasn’t a believer. She believed in God and Christ, she just didn’t make Them a daily part of our lives. At least she wasn’t outward about her beliefs.

I’d seen other’s with this “thing.” I didn’t know what it was but I wanted it. I wanted that joy and fulfillment they had. I wanted to learn more of the bible stories I’d heard when I was little. Once I had it I realized I was right where I was suppose to be, with the people I was suppose to be with. All those decisions that were made and events that happened years before had brought me to the place I needed to be to have the very “thing” I was meant to have.

Don't Take My Internet Away

I never realized how much I depended on the internet, OK, I'm addicted to it. It's my version of Valium and Prozac combined. I HAVE to use it twice a day for work. Once in the morning to download files and again in the evening to upload files. It’s the in between times I have trouble with.

Last week our cable was cut. I was going through withdraws until we got it fixed. My fingers were getting twitchy and I constantly wanted to look something up. A phone number, directions or the price of something. I wanted to look up definitions and actors in movies. I also get my news by reading the local paper online as well as other sites and links I find in message boards and forums I frequent. I have to read the days ahead for the only soap opera I watch, Days of Our Lives. Then there are some of my favorite blogs. Life Is Funny Wearing Purple Colored Glasses; Simply Vicki; Surviving at Home; Ugly Ass Opinion and Women Have Pet Peeves Too. Let’s not forget the hours spent deleting all the emails offering me better sex and telling me I won the Australian, Canadian or UK lottery and I can't ignore all the people I’ve never met that want willed me millions of dollars.

I have a lot that I need to do on the internet so, I beg you, PLEASE DON’T TAKE MY INTERNET AWAY FROM ME AGAIN

A Match Made in Heaven

Yesterday I was sad I no longer lived in Illinois. A trailer with 14 tons of Double Stuffed Oreos overturned about 50 miles southwest of Chicago. There were boxes of cookies all over the road. If you’re going to be stuck in traffic due to an overturned truck at least they provided snacks. The only thing that could have made it better would be a milk or Hagen Daz truck stopping to help. That would be a match made in heaven.

Source:KCCI8

I Wanted to be a Dog

There was an article on Fox News yesterday. Dr. Norman Spack from Boston’s Children’s Hospital launched a clinic for transgendered kids. The doors are open to patients as young as seven. The younger patients are offered counseling and drugs that delay the onset of puberty. These drugs stop the natural release of hormones that make it difficult to have a sex change later. He feels this gives the patient’s more time to decide if they want to make the change. Teenagers are offered hormone therapy.

A child of that age can’t get their ears pierced or get a tattoo without parent's consent. Many optometrist's won't give contact lenses to a child of that age. Why is this guy able to give sex altering, puberty halting hormone therapy to the same children? What about the parents who take their children, babies really, to this guy and authorize hormone therapy?

When I was that age I wanted to be a boy. I wanted to be able to straddle a chair facing the back. I wanted to be able to pee standing up. I hated wearing dresses. Was I confused about my sexuality? No, I was a kid. To me that’s all being a boy meant. As I got older and those hormones started kicking in, I was glad I was a girl. I suddenly liked dressing up and being feminine.

I know there are advocates on both sides of this story. There are those, like me, who feel this is WRONG. It’s abuse and child endangerment. You don’t know what long term effects this hormone therapy can have. Then there are those who feel it’s abuse to force the child to live as a sex they don’t want to be.

I have one question for those in favor of this. When I was little I went through a phase where I wanted to be a dog. Should my parent’s have taken me to the vet?

Because Oprah Said So

I received an email today and the subject line said something abut Green Tea and Oprah. I really didn’t care to read it so it went straight to the trash. Why do people feel that if they put Oprah’s name on it I’ll be interested? I’m sure everyone’s seen the email or forum posts “As Seen On Oprah.” This refers to an email scheme to get people to send you money. Half of the emails proclaiming Oprah endorses this or that are false. Do a search on Snopes and you’ll find partial to no truth at all to these claims.

I’m not against Oprah. I watch her show occasionally and I really enjoy her “Favorite Things” episodes. I just don’t go out and buy something because Oprah told me to. I don’t worship Oprah and follow every lifestyle change she’s told me to. When Oprah went on her liquid diet and lost a ton of weight I refused to starve myself just to be like her. When Oprah hired Rosie as her chef to help her loose weight I did buy Rosie’s cookbook but I didn’t hire my own cook. When Oprah hired a fitness trainer to help her loose weight AGAIN, I didn’t follow suit and get my own personal trainer. Heck, I don’t even exercise without a trainer.

As I said before, I have nothing against Oprah. I just don’t put her up on that pedestal and worship her as god. I don’t even share her beliefs on God. Actually I haven’t figured out what her beliefs are. I think she feels we are all our own gods and should worship ourselves but as I said, I’m really not sure. I know who God is. I know I’m not God and I know God is in me. Nobody, not even Oprah will make me believe otherwise.

Please people. Stop sending me emails telling me to try something or believe something just because Oprah does. It’s not working.

The Trip of a Lifetime

Do you ever have see, hear or experience something that brings back a memory of something that may be only slightly related to or totally unrelated to the current experience. That happens to me a lot. It usually catches my husband off guard because we’ll be talking about something and I suddenly change the subject mid conversation.

That happened to me today when I saw a commercial for Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. There were Peanut Butter Cups floating in the sky. The voiceover said “It’s like you died and went to heaven, without that awkward dying part.” That brought to mind an evening about twelve years ago.

I’d been a Christian about a year and was attending an Apologetic’s class led by the pastor of my church. There were about six people in the class and it was very informal. We met in a local restaurant. One evening we were just talking and somebody asked Pastor Phil if he thought we’d get to see God when we went to heaven. Pastor Phil said he thought we would and mentioned how awesome he thought that was. He asked us how we thought we’d feel meeting God and Jesus. I was overcome with this feeling I usually get when I’m planning a vacation and have all my reservations. I blurted out “I feel like I’m planning the trip of a lifetime and I’ve already purchased my one way ticket.”

Ellie & Stretch

I don’t understand how people can mistreat an animal. I’m not on the PETA bandwagon but I get sick to my stomach when I read about someone who burns, beats or starves their pet.

I have two adorable dogs. They’re my babies and they have personalities. I’ve seen them get a hurt dejected look just from my husband or me yelling at them I can’t imagine harshly punishing them.

Our youngest, Ellie, she’s the reddish dachshund in side picture was adopted from a shelter when she was two. We’ve had our rough spots with her. She spent a year in the shelter and when we got her she had severe separation anxiety. The first time we left her alone she tore up some floor tile. We learned she needed to be locked up when we were gone. As soon as we walked out of the room after locking her up she’d start yelping without stopping. She was so loud we’d hear her as we were getting in the car. When we’d get home we’d hear her yelping. I don’t know if she started up again when she heard us or if it was constant the entire time we were gone.

One night I noticed something fluffy on the sofa. She’d chewed holes in the back and arm of the sofa. We almost got rid of her that night but I couldn’t bear the thought of her being given away again. I knew she had feelings and her heart would break if she was abandoned once more.

About a month after that my sister-in-law gave us Stretch. She’s the black dachshund terrier mix in the photo. She’s about seven and my sister-in-law got her when she was less than a year. She’d been abused, was very timid and was loosing her fur. She quickly adapted to their house but an incident with their, then 4 year old, grandson prompted them to give her to us. She knew us and adored my husband so it was a fairly easy transition. With Stretch’s presence Ellie started to blossom. They play together, run through the house and tackle each other. It’s not unusual to find them curled up next to each other sleeping.

We continued to lock Ellie in the kennel but Stretch was left loose. One day as I was trying to put Ellie in the kennel Stretch went in. OK, I locked them both in there. Ellie didn’t yelp when we left and she wasn’t yelping when we got home. That became the routine when we left. We’ve had Ellie a year and a half and decided to see if we could trust her outside the kennel so we opened the curtains and went out. Peeking in the window she was curled up on the sofa and looked content so we went out. That was about 2 weeks ago.

Last week my husband woke up and found a hole chewed in the love seat. We got upset and yelled at her but the anger didn’t last as long and we know we won’t get rid of her. We just have to figure out a way to keep a closer eye on her.

Furniture is expensive but can be covered or replaced. A tortured, abandoned animal can’t be fixed and the empty spot in my heart if we got rid of her would never mend. So, again I repeat. I don’t understand how people can mistreat an animal.

Ah Ha Moment

Have you ever had an Ah Ha moment? Those moments when you have the solution to a problem or something is suddenly very clear. I have those every once in a while. They mostly occur when I’m asking God a question. (I ask Him a LOT of questions) It’s usually a very simple answer to a question or something I’ve been perplexed about suddenly makes sense. I had one of those today.

My husband and I were talking about people making bad, sometimes life threatening choices in their lives. These same people who are just squeaking by, not getting burned by their actions or choices will say “God protected me.” My husband said that God wouldn’t encourage or support that type of behavior. I responded by saying, Satan may keep you safe just to keep you in his control. I know that didn't sound right even as I was saying it but it did get me to think about it. Suddenly it was very clear “Satan gives you what you want God gives you what you need.” I was amazed by the simplicity of it.

There have been other moments like that. I’ll be pondering something and BAM, the light bulb goes off and there’s the answer. Like the time I was thinking about a bad train wreck in Bourbonnais, Illinois. An Amtrak train hit a semi truck killing 122 people. I was questioning why God lets things like this happen. As soon as I asked the question I had the answer. God doesn’t make those things happen, he allows them. We have free will and we make choices, some good some bad. As a parent you can tell your children not to touch the stove or they’ll get hurt. They keep going back to touch the stove. You have to let them touch it once and feel the heat before they’ll learn. As a loving, caring parent you’re right there scooping them up, comforting them and drying their tears. That’s the same with God. He tells us not to do something or we’ll get hurt. We keep pushing it and God keeps reminding us not to do whatever it is. Eventually he say’s OK. I tried, He lets us make our own choices and we get hurt. It’s at those times God, the loving, caring Father, picks us up and holds us tighter.

When I have those moments I’m very surprised that my simple mind could think that deep. I can’t explain how the thought happens it just pops into my head as if someone flipped a switch or whispered it in my ear. I like to believe those Ah Ha moments are God speaking back to me.

Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium

I just finished watching Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium. I love watching fantasy type movies. It takes me back to my childhood when magic existed and anything could happen.

When I was younger I believed if I wanted something and wished hard enough it would come true. I remember going to bed at night praying that I’d have green suede boots next to my bed like a girl in school. I really believed that when I opened my eyes they’d be there. It didn’t matter that they never appeared, there was always tomorrow morning.

I grew out of that phase and came to believe that God doesn’t make things magically appear just because I asked Him. Whether I believed that God couldn’t or wouldn’t doesn’t matter. The fact was I started believing that He didn’t work that way.

I’ve done a complete 360 and I’m back to believing that God can do anything if I asked. But I now realize that God doesn’t do things just because we want Him to. God does what He knows is best for us. If God felt I needed those green suede boots He’d find a way for me to get them. Whether I’d see them on sale tomorrow or someone gave me a pair as a gift it wouldn’t matter because I’d know they were from Him. He’d make it happen, but I don’t need those green suede boots anymore. My prayers are much less materialistic now. I pray for the safety of a friend in Afghanistan, for the comforting of a friend who recently lost her mother. I pray for continued health and I pray that God would intervene in the life of my niece to help her through a very rough period and help her turn her life around. I’ve learned to ask and let God work in the way only He can.

I’ve learned that magic still exists and anything can happen. I once again believe that God can make those green suede boots appear when I open my eyes in the morning.