I have not taken leave of my senses. The legislature in Maine has though. They are considering a bill which will restrict a "woman's right" to have an abortion if she is doing so to rid herself of a baby carrying the homosexual gene.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1. 22 MRSA §1597-B is enacted to read:
§1597-B. Prohibited basis for abortion
An abortion may not be performed when the basis for the procedure is the projected sexual orientation of the fetus after birth, based on analysis of genetic materials of the fetus in which sexual orientation is identified through the presence or absence of a so-called "homosexual gene."
I am so thoroughly appalled by the whole mess. Is there really a homosexual gene? If there is, doesn't it only indicated a predilection? Why does the bill allow provisions for both the presence or absence of the gene? Don't we make choices in how we live our lives regardless of the DNA we carry? If the termination of a gay baby is discrimination, then every other abortion should be considered discrimination of straight babies.
I find it ludicrous for law makers to say abortion is acceptable as long as you don't abort babies we are trying to place in a protected class. All life is precious. Your sexual orientation has nothing to do with the value of your life.
I think what the Maine legislature needs to do is to decide to save all babies. If a little gay baby's rights are to exceed his mom's right to kill him, the straight baby deserves equal representation.
24 February 2005
23 February 2005
Connections
Today the last of my sisters made the switch to high speed internet. Now we can send lots of pictures back and forth without worrying that she'd be tied up forever receiving them. More importantly I no longer have to IM the kids and ask them to get off-line so I can call their mom.
E-mail and the internet have changed how we reach out to each other. Stop and think for a minute about all the people who have become part of your life even though you have never "met" them.
I now know several people who contacted me after reading my blog. Groups, webrings and message boards brought me new friends. Even a few old friends have re-connected electronically.
Getting to know someone in this remote fashion is challenging. You can edit what you let them find out about you. If you wish you can only let the best part of yourself show. Conversely, it is easier to be totally honest about yourself when you don't have to look into someone's eyes. You get to choose your approach.
At any rate, you just got to love anything which allows you to make more friends. You can never have too many.
E-mail and the internet have changed how we reach out to each other. Stop and think for a minute about all the people who have become part of your life even though you have never "met" them.
I now know several people who contacted me after reading my blog. Groups, webrings and message boards brought me new friends. Even a few old friends have re-connected electronically.
Getting to know someone in this remote fashion is challenging. You can edit what you let them find out about you. If you wish you can only let the best part of yourself show. Conversely, it is easier to be totally honest about yourself when you don't have to look into someone's eyes. You get to choose your approach.
At any rate, you just got to love anything which allows you to make more friends. You can never have too many.
19 February 2005
Pain, Prayer and People
This week has been a collection of a lot of crazy moments.
I went to work Tuesday with a migraine. They seem to be a frequent part of my life lately. Unfortunately the roof at the store needed some repairs. This led to banging and hammering. Picture a metal roof and you start to see how my day had gotten worse. I got there at 8:30 am, I did my best to ignore the whole situation. By 12:30 pm, I was willing to admit defeat. I left to head home to my bed and large amounts of legal pharmaceuticals.
That led to crashing for the rest of the day and most of the next. Back to work on Thursday. Noises were gone. Sadly, we were now up to the tarring part of the repair process. Still, nausea alone was easier to bear than excruciating pain and nausea from days gone by.
Friday I worked a shift for a friend. She needed to be with her husband for doctor visits. I caught up with another co-worker to ask how his tests at school had gone. He reported he'd done well. I had promised to keep him in my prayers this week and to pray during his test. I asked the Lord to help him remember all that he knew and to make up the rest. He said I was right on target. I have also been spending some time in prayer for another colleague and his wife as they are trying to start a family.
Aside from all the fun I have at this job, perhaps the best thing has been making new friends. As an Air Force brat my life was a steady stream of moves. Learning to reach out to strangers became a necessary skill for me. This job gives me the opportunity to do that on a daily basis.
Today seven different people who had been in before came to give me a hug and thanks for help I had given the previously. No amount of money can make you feel as good as gratitude from a kind heart.
I went to work Tuesday with a migraine. They seem to be a frequent part of my life lately. Unfortunately the roof at the store needed some repairs. This led to banging and hammering. Picture a metal roof and you start to see how my day had gotten worse. I got there at 8:30 am, I did my best to ignore the whole situation. By 12:30 pm, I was willing to admit defeat. I left to head home to my bed and large amounts of legal pharmaceuticals.
That led to crashing for the rest of the day and most of the next. Back to work on Thursday. Noises were gone. Sadly, we were now up to the tarring part of the repair process. Still, nausea alone was easier to bear than excruciating pain and nausea from days gone by.
Friday I worked a shift for a friend. She needed to be with her husband for doctor visits. I caught up with another co-worker to ask how his tests at school had gone. He reported he'd done well. I had promised to keep him in my prayers this week and to pray during his test. I asked the Lord to help him remember all that he knew and to make up the rest. He said I was right on target. I have also been spending some time in prayer for another colleague and his wife as they are trying to start a family.
Aside from all the fun I have at this job, perhaps the best thing has been making new friends. As an Air Force brat my life was a steady stream of moves. Learning to reach out to strangers became a necessary skill for me. This job gives me the opportunity to do that on a daily basis.
Today seven different people who had been in before came to give me a hug and thanks for help I had given the previously. No amount of money can make you feel as good as gratitude from a kind heart.
15 February 2005
Great voice, good man
Today it has been forty years since the voice of Nat King Cole was silenced.
I have always been a fan of his music. He had a voice that reached out to touch your soul. I would have to say he had a voice which would make angels weep and saints deny their god. He was also a genius at the piano, his interpretations were to music what Michelangelo's paintings were to art. Truly this man had been gifted by God.
He also had a gentle heart. Members of a white supremacist group attacked and tried to kidnap him at a show in Birmingham Alabama. He finished the show and apologized to the audience for the disturbance. This got him a reputation as an "Uncle Tom". Thurgood Marshall even referred to him as such. He endured harassment when he and his family settled into an all white neighborhood. He refused to perform at segregated establishments.
Many questioned his handling of all these things. Perhaps he knew that you can't change the way people think without changing their heart. Just because one doesn't holler and scream doesn't signal acceptance. Sometimes the quiet and steady working for change is best. In his own way he made just as big an impact as Martin Luther King.
Maybe he knew as he had sung "the greatest thing you will ever learn is just to love and be loved in return" -Nature Boy
I have always been a fan of his music. He had a voice that reached out to touch your soul. I would have to say he had a voice which would make angels weep and saints deny their god. He was also a genius at the piano, his interpretations were to music what Michelangelo's paintings were to art. Truly this man had been gifted by God.
He also had a gentle heart. Members of a white supremacist group attacked and tried to kidnap him at a show in Birmingham Alabama. He finished the show and apologized to the audience for the disturbance. This got him a reputation as an "Uncle Tom". Thurgood Marshall even referred to him as such. He endured harassment when he and his family settled into an all white neighborhood. He refused to perform at segregated establishments.
Many questioned his handling of all these things. Perhaps he knew that you can't change the way people think without changing their heart. Just because one doesn't holler and scream doesn't signal acceptance. Sometimes the quiet and steady working for change is best. In his own way he made just as big an impact as Martin Luther King.
Maybe he knew as he had sung "the greatest thing you will ever learn is just to love and be loved in return" -Nature Boy
14 February 2005
Love
One word frees us of all the weight and pain of life: That word is love.
Sophocles 496 BC - 406 BC
Today is the day set aside to celebrate and ponder the meaning of love. There have been poems, songs, and oratories written about love and it's meaning.
Despite of the profusion of words dedicated to explaining it, love can only truly be defined by the feeling of it.
Love takes up where knowledge leaves off.
St. Thomas of Aquinas 1225 AD - 1274 AD
From a personal perspective, I love love. God loves me so much He sent His son to save me. That is the ultimate of love.
Sophocles 496 BC - 406 BC
Today is the day set aside to celebrate and ponder the meaning of love. There have been poems, songs, and oratories written about love and it's meaning.
Despite of the profusion of words dedicated to explaining it, love can only truly be defined by the feeling of it.
Love takes up where knowledge leaves off.
St. Thomas of Aquinas 1225 AD - 1274 AD
From a personal perspective, I love love. God loves me so much He sent His son to save me. That is the ultimate of love.
12 February 2005
Acoustics
Last night I was with my favorite little girls again. We spent the first part of the evening making cookies. After watching a bit of video and reading several stories, we were getting everyone ready for bed. This involves making sure all the tiny pearly white teeth were well cleaned from the cookies sampled when they came out of the oven.
Only one girl can fit on the step stool at a time so we were taking turns brushing teeth. Julia was waiting for her chance at the sink and serenading us with all of her favorite tunes. I was helping her sister when I heard her voice changing. I look back to see her leaning over the toilet and singing her heart out.
I tried not to laugh and told her we don't sing over the toilet. She asked "Why don't we sing into the toilet? It sounds real good and loud." I explained that the shape of the bowl made for good acoustics. I then explained acoustics. I admitted the sound might be better focused but that as a general rule singing into the toilet is not something usually done.
Someday when she is a huge recording star I will remind her of her first "studio".
Only one girl can fit on the step stool at a time so we were taking turns brushing teeth. Julia was waiting for her chance at the sink and serenading us with all of her favorite tunes. I was helping her sister when I heard her voice changing. I look back to see her leaning over the toilet and singing her heart out.
I tried not to laugh and told her we don't sing over the toilet. She asked "Why don't we sing into the toilet? It sounds real good and loud." I explained that the shape of the bowl made for good acoustics. I then explained acoustics. I admitted the sound might be better focused but that as a general rule singing into the toilet is not something usually done.
Someday when she is a huge recording star I will remind her of her first "studio".
11 February 2005
09 February 2005
Ash Wednesday
This was my first day off in a long while and I was looking forward to catching up on sleep and a few errands.
One of the ways I volunteer my time is to be a coach for young girls who have no one to help them as they accomplish the difficult process of labor. I never know when I leave the house how long it will be until I return. Needless to say I did not make it to the noon service I had planned on attending.
Since I moved down here I have had the opportunity to learn more about how other denominations keep Lent. My Greek Orthodox friends observe a strict account of Lent. What I find intriguing is how informed their children are about what the season means and why they do what they do. I think it is great that the young are so well informed about their faith.
No matter what your personal customs are it is good to take this time before Easter to contemplate just why we need the saving grace of God. I hope this season brings you much comfort.
One of the ways I volunteer my time is to be a coach for young girls who have no one to help them as they accomplish the difficult process of labor. I never know when I leave the house how long it will be until I return. Needless to say I did not make it to the noon service I had planned on attending.
Since I moved down here I have had the opportunity to learn more about how other denominations keep Lent. My Greek Orthodox friends observe a strict account of Lent. What I find intriguing is how informed their children are about what the season means and why they do what they do. I think it is great that the young are so well informed about their faith.
No matter what your personal customs are it is good to take this time before Easter to contemplate just why we need the saving grace of God. I hope this season brings you much comfort.
08 February 2005
What?
I was cruising around the internet and got a tip from a friend to check out an article that had made her say what?
In the first place I don't think I would look to a multi-married celebrity for any marriage advice, but this is just too bizarre to ignore. Evidently Mr. Smith believes his marriage will survive because they have agreed that honesty is the basis for a long lasting relationship. While this is true, they have also concluded that fidelity is not a necessary part of the same. This made my head and heart hurt. If you can't count on the most important person in your life to be just for you, what is the point?
Even sadder is the fact that this is considered newsworthy and that so many are seeing it as an enlightened view of marriage in this century.
I think I'll try to find the brain cells I used reading about this and see if I can have them wiped clean.
In the first place I don't think I would look to a multi-married celebrity for any marriage advice, but this is just too bizarre to ignore. Evidently Mr. Smith believes his marriage will survive because they have agreed that honesty is the basis for a long lasting relationship. While this is true, they have also concluded that fidelity is not a necessary part of the same. This made my head and heart hurt. If you can't count on the most important person in your life to be just for you, what is the point?
Even sadder is the fact that this is considered newsworthy and that so many are seeing it as an enlightened view of marriage in this century.
I think I'll try to find the brain cells I used reading about this and see if I can have them wiped clean.
07 February 2005
The great part of being wrong
"It is better to have enough ideas for some of them to be wrong, than to be always right by having no ideas at all." Edward de Bono
Here is someone who recognizes the importance of being wrong. I have learned more from my mistakes than all my lessons combined. I have always felt comfortable with the fact that I am a hopelessly flawed individual.
There is great comfort in not being perfect and allowing yourself the luxury of being wrong. It takes the pressure off and frees you. Some of my most colossal goof ups have brought forth great achievements. It's hard to argue with the "success" of failure.
I was chatting with a friend tonight and she was feeling upset she had a project at work to flop. She was entrenched in the feeling of failure and didn't want to leave it. I shared the quote above with her and reminded her of all the ideas she had seen through to completion. She's truly brilliant and generous to others. I just suggested now might be a good time to be generous to herself. She'll bounce right back now that she has cut herself some slack.
Here is someone who recognizes the importance of being wrong. I have learned more from my mistakes than all my lessons combined. I have always felt comfortable with the fact that I am a hopelessly flawed individual.
There is great comfort in not being perfect and allowing yourself the luxury of being wrong. It takes the pressure off and frees you. Some of my most colossal goof ups have brought forth great achievements. It's hard to argue with the "success" of failure.
I was chatting with a friend tonight and she was feeling upset she had a project at work to flop. She was entrenched in the feeling of failure and didn't want to leave it. I shared the quote above with her and reminded her of all the ideas she had seen through to completion. She's truly brilliant and generous to others. I just suggested now might be a good time to be generous to herself. She'll bounce right back now that she has cut herself some slack.
06 February 2005
Practice
I am so tired now I am going to need a nap before I go to bed. Today was the last day of our big sale. I went in for five hours of the final mayhem.
In spite of the extreme exhaustion the past weeks have brought, I really enjoyed the whole process. I spent every day doing space planning. I am glad for the opportunity to refine my skills. Practice doesn't make perfect, but it does make pretty damn good.
I can do a better job now just because of the sheer number of hours I have invested in the process. This whole experience reminds me of the first few months after I started doing yoga. For a long time I was inept and struggled with every workout. Then one day things started to click. I could move from pose to pose without having to really think about it.
As with anything, the more I do it, the better at it I become. So....I should do more often the things I want to be good at.
In spite of the extreme exhaustion the past weeks have brought, I really enjoyed the whole process. I spent every day doing space planning. I am glad for the opportunity to refine my skills. Practice doesn't make perfect, but it does make pretty damn good.
I can do a better job now just because of the sheer number of hours I have invested in the process. This whole experience reminds me of the first few months after I started doing yoga. For a long time I was inept and struggled with every workout. Then one day things started to click. I could move from pose to pose without having to really think about it.
As with anything, the more I do it, the better at it I become. So....I should do more often the things I want to be good at.
03 February 2005
A bumpy start
Every morning I start the day with prayer and yoga before I get out of bed. No matter how the rest of the day goes, the beginning is always grand. Sometimes that's the only comfort for the day when you happen to live with chronic pain.
That being said, today got off with a bang. Arthritis has been a pretty overwhelming companion this winter. When I went to get out of bed he reared his ugly head and getting up became a battle of what seemed to be gigantic proportions. Too stubborn to give in I waged war against my own body. Normally this is a battle I can win, today I lost. In what can only be described as the least graceful moment of my life, I managed a few steps before my knees gave out and I fell bashing my head in to the wall.
Now you may be wondering why I shared this story with you. Well, I was feeling pretty confident as I lay in bed this morning. I was certain I could handle whatever today saw fit to throw my way. This of course is a prime example of arrogance, and I should know better. This stumble was a perfect way to disabuse myself from the idea I could manage the day on my own. Nothing like an up close and personal object lesson.
So, the day started again as I lay on the floor chuckling over the whole thing and the way my stupidity constantly amazes me.
That being said, today got off with a bang. Arthritis has been a pretty overwhelming companion this winter. When I went to get out of bed he reared his ugly head and getting up became a battle of what seemed to be gigantic proportions. Too stubborn to give in I waged war against my own body. Normally this is a battle I can win, today I lost. In what can only be described as the least graceful moment of my life, I managed a few steps before my knees gave out and I fell bashing my head in to the wall.
Now you may be wondering why I shared this story with you. Well, I was feeling pretty confident as I lay in bed this morning. I was certain I could handle whatever today saw fit to throw my way. This of course is a prime example of arrogance, and I should know better. This stumble was a perfect way to disabuse myself from the idea I could manage the day on my own. Nothing like an up close and personal object lesson.
So, the day started again as I lay on the floor chuckling over the whole thing and the way my stupidity constantly amazes me.
02 February 2005
Farewell to the Las Vegas airport
Tonight was the last session of my Calvinism in the Las Vegas Airport class. I was a bit late and snuck in the back. I had missed last week's class as I was in Dallas. I have enjoyed this series and this book is one I have truly loved and will recommend to others.
A Charles Spurgeon quote was in the required reading and also noted in class tonight. It is fast becoming one of my favorites.
" We win hearts for Jesus by love, by sympathy with their sorrows, by anxiety lest they should perish, by pleading with God for them with all our hearts that they would not be left to die unsaved, by pleading with them for God, that, for their own sake, they would seek mercy and find grace."
This touches on what has become a center point of my life. An Iraqi friend's family has made me welcome in their midst. This has been a great opportunity to reach out to some in Islam. Volunteering with an AIDS group gave me the chance to reach out to many homosexuals. In both cases it has been a blessing to me to be able to share God's love. For some it was the first time a "christian" ever approached them with anything other that condemnation. (christian is in lower case not as a slight to Christ but because I do not believe that a true follower of Christ could be so harsh) As a firm believer in "relational evangelism" I am grateful to have this experience.
I think the thing I value most from this series is the reassurance that I am only where I am right now thanks to the grace of God. He has led me here. This is comforting because where I am in my life path is uncertain and would be frightening without sure knowledge that God is with me. Drop me a line if you find yourself in a similar situation. I'll be glad to share how He has hepled me.
A Charles Spurgeon quote was in the required reading and also noted in class tonight. It is fast becoming one of my favorites.
" We win hearts for Jesus by love, by sympathy with their sorrows, by anxiety lest they should perish, by pleading with God for them with all our hearts that they would not be left to die unsaved, by pleading with them for God, that, for their own sake, they would seek mercy and find grace."
This touches on what has become a center point of my life. An Iraqi friend's family has made me welcome in their midst. This has been a great opportunity to reach out to some in Islam. Volunteering with an AIDS group gave me the chance to reach out to many homosexuals. In both cases it has been a blessing to me to be able to share God's love. For some it was the first time a "christian" ever approached them with anything other that condemnation. (christian is in lower case not as a slight to Christ but because I do not believe that a true follower of Christ could be so harsh) As a firm believer in "relational evangelism" I am grateful to have this experience.
I think the thing I value most from this series is the reassurance that I am only where I am right now thanks to the grace of God. He has led me here. This is comforting because where I am in my life path is uncertain and would be frightening without sure knowledge that God is with me. Drop me a line if you find yourself in a similar situation. I'll be glad to share how He has hepled me.
Not the easy way...
Karol Josef Wojtyla knows what it means to take the more difficult path through life. He was living in Nazi occupied Poland when he felt the need to study to be a man of the cloth. At the time he made that decision he knew he would have to accomplish this objective in secret. While almost everyone is aware of the horrific price paid by Jews in concentration camps, fewer know how many Polish Christians were rounded up to die as well. To even contemplate his plan was risky. The fact that he was able to carry it out was nothing short of miraculous.
This gives us a small glimpse into the perseverance he still shows today. He has been instrumental in calling the faithful back into fellowship during the most tumultuous time the Catholic church has faced. His being willing to take the hard line and not follow political correctness has served the church well.
He has been plagued with chronic health problems but has not allowed them to sway him from what he feels he needs to do. Whether you agree with him or not, you can't help admiring the steadfast determination he exhibits in everything he does.
While I am not Catholic myself, I respect the witness this man's life has been in his devotion to Christ. A friend of mine who is a priest says he uses the example of this man to spur him on when he feels his own faith is flagging.
That is perhaps the best thing anyone can say of a Christian. How wonderful it is to be someone who can inspire others just by the way you live. I think we should all hope to be such a person.
Today I will be saying a few prayers for healing for Karol and thanks for all he has been able to do as Pope John Paul II.
This gives us a small glimpse into the perseverance he still shows today. He has been instrumental in calling the faithful back into fellowship during the most tumultuous time the Catholic church has faced. His being willing to take the hard line and not follow political correctness has served the church well.
He has been plagued with chronic health problems but has not allowed them to sway him from what he feels he needs to do. Whether you agree with him or not, you can't help admiring the steadfast determination he exhibits in everything he does.
While I am not Catholic myself, I respect the witness this man's life has been in his devotion to Christ. A friend of mine who is a priest says he uses the example of this man to spur him on when he feels his own faith is flagging.
That is perhaps the best thing anyone can say of a Christian. How wonderful it is to be someone who can inspire others just by the way you live. I think we should all hope to be such a person.
Today I will be saying a few prayers for healing for Karol and thanks for all he has been able to do as Pope John Paul II.
01 February 2005
Me, as I am now
“In my music, I’m trying to play the truth of what I am. The reason it’s difficult is because I’m changing all the time.” Charles Mingus
I like this quote. For those of you who have somehow missed out on what should be required education, Mr. Mingus was a legend in jazz. Equally gifted on the bass or piano, he was even better as a composer.
In this quote he perhaps caught one of life's best lessons. We are not static beings. If you are the same person today that you were a year ago, you are not doing something right. This reassures me that I must doing well.
I know I am a more patient person now than I ever hoped to be. I find it easier to love more now. I like to think I am wiser than I thought would be possible. I trust time will show this to be true. The reason all of these things have come to pass is a simple one.
As I have journeyed through life, many things have happened. I decided the best thing was to see what lessons I could learn along the way and how they could make me, a better me. (The original model had lots of room for improvement) This gives me much anticipation for the future. I look forward to the next chance to learn something new, or refine a skill.
I have known a few people who seemed to make their travel through life an enjoyable trip. My grandfather was one such man. He always seemed to be learning new things to keep up with the times. He radiated joy wherever he went and was always great fun to be with. I remember the grand times we had when he came to England to visit us. He was at an age when many slow down and lose their sense of adventure. Even now, when he has been gone for many years, I think of him and he seems as near as my heart. I hope I grow up to be just like him.
I like this quote. For those of you who have somehow missed out on what should be required education, Mr. Mingus was a legend in jazz. Equally gifted on the bass or piano, he was even better as a composer.
In this quote he perhaps caught one of life's best lessons. We are not static beings. If you are the same person today that you were a year ago, you are not doing something right. This reassures me that I must doing well.
I know I am a more patient person now than I ever hoped to be. I find it easier to love more now. I like to think I am wiser than I thought would be possible. I trust time will show this to be true. The reason all of these things have come to pass is a simple one.
As I have journeyed through life, many things have happened. I decided the best thing was to see what lessons I could learn along the way and how they could make me, a better me. (The original model had lots of room for improvement) This gives me much anticipation for the future. I look forward to the next chance to learn something new, or refine a skill.
I have known a few people who seemed to make their travel through life an enjoyable trip. My grandfather was one such man. He always seemed to be learning new things to keep up with the times. He radiated joy wherever he went and was always great fun to be with. I remember the grand times we had when he came to England to visit us. He was at an age when many slow down and lose their sense of adventure. Even now, when he has been gone for many years, I think of him and he seems as near as my heart. I hope I grow up to be just like him.
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