OK, before you read on, understand that I GET EMOTIONALLY INVOLVED...not just in the lives of my friends and family...but in fictional characters, celebrities, politicians and often just random 'people on the streets'. This probably could have been nipped in the bud early on...but my parents thought it was cute.
When I was around 3 years old, my mother heard me crying one day and came into the living room to find out what was wrong. I looked up at her with tear-stained cheeks and said, "Mommy, can Casper come live with us? He doesn't have any friends and I love him." (AKA--Casper the Friendly Ghost) I'm sure at that point that Mom tried to explain the difference between reality and fiction...but somehow I never got it.
Right now I am angry, sad, heartsick and want to hop in my car and head off to Hollywood. Why have we let these beautiful talented CHILDREN become crazy, raving, drunken, drugged lunatics?!!? Why has no one sent undercover cops along behind them to close down some of the clubs they frequent...I know that Lindsay and Brittney are "of age" now...but they weren't when this all started. It was going on back when Drew Barrymore was a little girl. Where is the law? Where are their parents? Why are we as a public "devouring" all the press and publicity and yet not CRYING OUT in RAGE!!!???!!! Where are all those people who are so obsessively worried about polar bears and trees? Why aren't they as worried about our children?
I've seen the little first and second grade girls walking around looking like Britt and Fergie (the singer, not the former princess)...why do moms think that is cute OR appropriate?
Why are children allowed on the computer at all hours of the day? (I'm smacking my own hand on that one...I do try to check on where he is and what he's doing...but MUST begin limiting time spent on the machine.)
Why are we allowing professional athletes to continue playing when they've been arrested for DUI's, public intoxication, drug possession, etc? Do we really have no other alternatives? Is having a winning team all that important? especially when it is affecting our kids?
We give them excuse after excuse after excuse ... ADHD, ADD, etc. etc. etc. (I am NOT saying that doesn't exist...I just think we hand out labels and medication much too quickly.)
Let's rise up and set some standards. Let's find some political role models who don't think it's really ok to cheat on your wife, or lie or steal. Let's find some sports figures who believe in practice and exercise and taking care of the talented bodies they have. Let's find some entertainers who don't need to be drunk or on something to have a good time. Let's let our kids know that they can have a good time WITHOUT anything more than a good slice of pizza and an icy Coke.
Let's get our families back to church and let our kids know the stories of Jesus.
Let's find some new role models!
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Monday, July 23, 2007
Wallpaper
So, someone said, "wouldn't it be nice to have to have lovely patterns all over the wall?...maybe some nice mallard ducks" and they invented wallpaper. I want to hurt that person.
The big move is coming. The upstairs of the house (Carol and her boys' rooms, living room, dining room) have all had fresh coats of paint, new carpet, hard wood floors will be in in the next couple of weeks, etc. Zack and I have 2 large rooms in the basement and Carol said we could use whatever left over paint there might be (there's plenty), but she wanted the wall paper to come down first. No problem! She gave me a jug of DIF...wipe it on and peel it off...'you can have it all down in 2 hours'. Well, I DIF-ed and peeled and pulled and scraped for about 8 hours Saturday...2 walls done...2 to go. (My room is going to be painted-over wallpaper...not even gonna go there again.) At about HOUR 4, when I was thinking Zack really could have lived with Noah's Ark, I started praying for a better attitude. I continued praying and thinking as I worked and of course, there really is another life lesson here. (Probably several.)
Thank God for His patience and kindness. Humans come 'wallpapered'...maybe not mallard ducks, maybe gossip or gambling or lying, cheating, stealing...you get where I'm going. I'm sure I have several layers. But God doesn't look at me and say 'just paint over it'...he puts on the goop and starts peeling, and peeling, and peeling, and ... I'm sure you get the point. It's not easy...sometimes the peeling hurts...we don't want to let go of some of our "stuff". Again, God doesn't give up on us. He can see what the final product is going to be. He sees the beauty behind all the years of layering.
The big move is coming. The upstairs of the house (Carol and her boys' rooms, living room, dining room) have all had fresh coats of paint, new carpet, hard wood floors will be in in the next couple of weeks, etc. Zack and I have 2 large rooms in the basement and Carol said we could use whatever left over paint there might be (there's plenty), but she wanted the wall paper to come down first. No problem! She gave me a jug of DIF...wipe it on and peel it off...'you can have it all down in 2 hours'. Well, I DIF-ed and peeled and pulled and scraped for about 8 hours Saturday...2 walls done...2 to go. (My room is going to be painted-over wallpaper...not even gonna go there again.) At about HOUR 4, when I was thinking Zack really could have lived with Noah's Ark, I started praying for a better attitude. I continued praying and thinking as I worked and of course, there really is another life lesson here. (Probably several.)
Thank God for His patience and kindness. Humans come 'wallpapered'...maybe not mallard ducks, maybe gossip or gambling or lying, cheating, stealing...you get where I'm going. I'm sure I have several layers. But God doesn't look at me and say 'just paint over it'...he puts on the goop and starts peeling, and peeling, and peeling, and ... I'm sure you get the point. It's not easy...sometimes the peeling hurts...we don't want to let go of some of our "stuff". Again, God doesn't give up on us. He can see what the final product is going to be. He sees the beauty behind all the years of layering.
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Construction
Ok, if you don't know it by now, I can be a negative thinker. Example: My glass is half empty...that's the first thing I notice. I start to take a drink and think, 'wait a minute, I'm supposed to think the glass is half full...not empty'...so I correct myself and am very thankful for what I've just had to drink. Whether it was half full or half empty, the contents were what I needed to quench my thirst. Hmmmmmm.
So, what does that have to do with construction? A few months ago, a small plot of land (across the street from our house) that was covered with weeds and bushes started getting cleared. This did not appear to be a large area, and I couldn't imagine what was going to be built there. Then the construction started. The whole time it's been going up I've watched the progress with wonder and amazement. When it was just a frame, I couldn't see nor make any sense of what the final outcome would be. Well, it turned into a very large, magnificent house. It's really beautiful and again, I remember back to when I wondered what could go on that little plot of land (obviously not as little as I thought).
The point of this illustration? My life is like a construction site...sometimes nothing seems to be fitting where it should...sometimes I look around me and can't figure out what in the world the finished product is going to be.
But, I know the Master Carpenter. He hasn't built a bad house yet. He knows what He is doing. I have to trust Him and follow His directions.
Brings to mind a very old song called "Kids Under Construction"...the only line I can remember from the whole song is "God isn't done with me yet".
Ok God...keep building.
So, what does that have to do with construction? A few months ago, a small plot of land (across the street from our house) that was covered with weeds and bushes started getting cleared. This did not appear to be a large area, and I couldn't imagine what was going to be built there. Then the construction started. The whole time it's been going up I've watched the progress with wonder and amazement. When it was just a frame, I couldn't see nor make any sense of what the final outcome would be. Well, it turned into a very large, magnificent house. It's really beautiful and again, I remember back to when I wondered what could go on that little plot of land (obviously not as little as I thought).
The point of this illustration? My life is like a construction site...sometimes nothing seems to be fitting where it should...sometimes I look around me and can't figure out what in the world the finished product is going to be.
But, I know the Master Carpenter. He hasn't built a bad house yet. He knows what He is doing. I have to trust Him and follow His directions.
Brings to mind a very old song called "Kids Under Construction"...the only line I can remember from the whole song is "God isn't done with me yet".
Ok God...keep building.
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Change
I have never really liked change. Sometimes it feels like everything is changing around me, whether I like it or not.
We're in the midst of moving. My room-mate bought the house next door. So, we aren't moving too far...but it doesn't matter, all the boxes STILL have to be packed and moved. Both houses have to be cleaned, the new one has to be painted amongst other MAJOR repairs that she and her boyfriend are doing.
She's in charge of the new house, I'm in charge of the old house. So, these past couple of days I have been going through boxes that have been sitting in the garage for over a year...trying to deplete them as much as possible. If it's been there a year without use, how important could it be.
So, I'm seeing pictures of Zack as a little boy, and reading cards he wrote to me, papers he did in school...he was so sweet and innocent. In the midst of that sorting I get a call from his Dad. He had just checked Zack's text messages and wanted to read one that he had found that Zack was sending to a girl. OUCH! I wouldn't dream of repeating what it said, needless to say, it was really disappointing. I am not naive. I know what all the other kids are doing. OK, so I am naive...I don't want to believe that my baby talks that way.
He lost his phone privileges for a week (at least) and he and I had a long conversation on the phone. He has also lost some trust and that takes awhile to build back up. I don't want that innocent little boy (the one in the photographs) to be like everyone else.
Being a parent is hard. I don't like change.
We're in the midst of moving. My room-mate bought the house next door. So, we aren't moving too far...but it doesn't matter, all the boxes STILL have to be packed and moved. Both houses have to be cleaned, the new one has to be painted amongst other MAJOR repairs that she and her boyfriend are doing.
She's in charge of the new house, I'm in charge of the old house. So, these past couple of days I have been going through boxes that have been sitting in the garage for over a year...trying to deplete them as much as possible. If it's been there a year without use, how important could it be.
So, I'm seeing pictures of Zack as a little boy, and reading cards he wrote to me, papers he did in school...he was so sweet and innocent. In the midst of that sorting I get a call from his Dad. He had just checked Zack's text messages and wanted to read one that he had found that Zack was sending to a girl. OUCH! I wouldn't dream of repeating what it said, needless to say, it was really disappointing. I am not naive. I know what all the other kids are doing. OK, so I am naive...I don't want to believe that my baby talks that way.
He lost his phone privileges for a week (at least) and he and I had a long conversation on the phone. He has also lost some trust and that takes awhile to build back up. I don't want that innocent little boy (the one in the photographs) to be like everyone else.
Being a parent is hard. I don't like change.
Thursday, July 12, 2007
Harry Potter
Call me crazy! Tuesday night I picked Zack up (from his Dad's house) and we went to the nearby theater to stand in line 2 hours so we would have good seats for the 12:05 AM showing of the latest "Harry Potter" movie. We have gone to the opening day of the movie since they began 4 years ago. I finally got home at about 3:00 AM and had to get up and come to work yesterday morning...needless to say I was tired and groggy most of yesterday.
The movie was GREAT! I love the "Harry Potter" series...can't wait until the last book comes out next week. Someone commented to me about my enthusiasm over something so "un-Christian". I've heard the arguments and debates, but I honestly think that those who argue against it haven't read the books.
Yes, Harry is a "warlock" and yes, the story is about witches and ghouls and goblins...but come on people, IT IS FICTION. And it's about so much more: good vs. evil, prejudice and tolerance, the importance of friends and love...it's about a boy, who after years of feeling unloved and unimportant, suddenly finds that he has "gifts" and that he is special. I'm excited to get the next book, but disappointed because it is probably the end of the series. I know it will be a group of books (and movies) that I will re-read and re-watch for many years to come.
I was reading a blog the other day written by a mother who had to explain to her 8 year old daughter that Hogwarts is pretend. The daughter was so disappointed because she had been hoping to talk her mom into letting her go to school there. I know just how she feels...I want to be a teacher there!
The movie was GREAT! I love the "Harry Potter" series...can't wait until the last book comes out next week. Someone commented to me about my enthusiasm over something so "un-Christian". I've heard the arguments and debates, but I honestly think that those who argue against it haven't read the books.
Yes, Harry is a "warlock" and yes, the story is about witches and ghouls and goblins...but come on people, IT IS FICTION. And it's about so much more: good vs. evil, prejudice and tolerance, the importance of friends and love...it's about a boy, who after years of feeling unloved and unimportant, suddenly finds that he has "gifts" and that he is special. I'm excited to get the next book, but disappointed because it is probably the end of the series. I know it will be a group of books (and movies) that I will re-read and re-watch for many years to come.
I was reading a blog the other day written by a mother who had to explain to her 8 year old daughter that Hogwarts is pretend. The daughter was so disappointed because she had been hoping to talk her mom into letting her go to school there. I know just how she feels...I want to be a teacher there!
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
I did a bad thing yesterday. I was thinking negative thoughts. Once I get started, they breed. Maybe it was because it was Monday, maybe because I had a rough weekend...I don't know why, but it grew after I blogged my "pet peeves". I couldn't get my mind off of them...the list kept growing and growing. I finally realized how bad it had gotten when I began wondering how much damage a walker would do to my car if I ran over it (had to do with my pet peeve of people who start walking in the cross walk RIGHT before the light changes).
OK, I really wasn't thinking about running over someone with a walker...just wanted to make a point. That's NOT how God wants us to be. Oh sure, we will all have pet peeves, and people or things that annoy us...but our mind should be dwelling on God and all the good things in life...not the bad things.
So today I will correct what I did yesterday:
THINGS THAT MAKE ME SMILE:
A baby laughing. That contagious, sounds like they just swallowed a balloon full of helium, belly laughs.
A movie that makes you laugh, cry, and then laugh some more. "Steel Magnolias" comes to mind.
My son (Zack) telling me he loves me.
Getting thanked for something I didn't even know I did.
Flowers, flowers, flowers.
Seeing a ferry cross the Puget Sound, snowcapped mountains in the background.
Music.
Ice Cream. Pralines and Cream, YUM!
The Grand Canyon and Mt. Rainier. And other grand displays of God's handiwork.
Sunshine.
Watching people greet each other at the airport. You don't want to see me watching people say goodbye.
A good cup of coffee. Remember I'm still a transplant to the Pacific Northwest...so I still think Folgers makes
a pretty darn good cup of coffee.
Small surprises.
Making someone happy with a gift.
Old couples still holding hands.
My dog trying to bite waves.
Zack sleeping. Not that I don't love him just as much when he's awake...but when he's asleep I can still
pretend that he's my baby.
Friends.
KNOWING THAT GOD LOVES ME IN SPITE OF MYSELF.
What makes you smile? Do it a lot today.
OK, I really wasn't thinking about running over someone with a walker...just wanted to make a point. That's NOT how God wants us to be. Oh sure, we will all have pet peeves, and people or things that annoy us...but our mind should be dwelling on God and all the good things in life...not the bad things.
So today I will correct what I did yesterday:
THINGS THAT MAKE ME SMILE:
A baby laughing. That contagious, sounds like they just swallowed a balloon full of helium, belly laughs.
A movie that makes you laugh, cry, and then laugh some more. "Steel Magnolias" comes to mind.
My son (Zack) telling me he loves me.
Getting thanked for something I didn't even know I did.
Flowers, flowers, flowers.
Seeing a ferry cross the Puget Sound, snowcapped mountains in the background.
Music.
Ice Cream. Pralines and Cream, YUM!
The Grand Canyon and Mt. Rainier. And other grand displays of God's handiwork.
Sunshine.
Watching people greet each other at the airport. You don't want to see me watching people say goodbye.
A good cup of coffee. Remember I'm still a transplant to the Pacific Northwest...so I still think Folgers makes
a pretty darn good cup of coffee.
Small surprises.
Making someone happy with a gift.
Old couples still holding hands.
My dog trying to bite waves.
Zack sleeping. Not that I don't love him just as much when he's awake...but when he's asleep I can still
pretend that he's my baby.
Friends.
KNOWING THAT GOD LOVES ME IN SPITE OF MYSELF.
What makes you smile? Do it a lot today.
Monday, July 9, 2007
Pet Peeves
What is a peeve? Thought I would share some of mine with you today.
- People who wait an extra 10 seconds when the light turns green. Are you waiting for another shade of green?
- People who are chronically late. Once in a while it can't be helped...but every single time? Come on.
- Car stereos so loud it vibrates my car. I'm pretty sure you wouldn't want to hear my music so what makes you think I want to hear yours?
- People talking on "hand-less" cell phones. I can't begin to tell you how many conversations I have had with people who WEREN'T talking to me! And I'm the one who feels like an idiot!
- People who feel that it is ok to talk loudly on cell phones in public. Truthfully, I don't want to hear you conversation while I'm eating, shopping, standing in line...turn that thing off and talk to people around you. Are you really so important that someone must be able to reach you at ALL times?
- Popping gum. I don't need to say more.
- People who complain all the time. I could be dangerously close to that category myself...but (not naming names here)...2 people very close to me complain about aches and pains ALL THE TIME (I'm not a nurse) and the same 2 people could go to a 4 star restaurant and STILL find something wrong with their meal.
- People who don't listen. Again, no names...but at least ask me once or twice during the conversation how I am.
- Saggy pants. I don't want to see anyone's underwear...if they saw themselves on tape would they be able to see that they are walking funny to keep their pants from falling down. Whatever happened to the good old days when you could actually see the outline of a guys "tush"?
- Saying "and, yeah" in the middle of a sentence. This is a kid thing, like, come on, like does "and, yeah" even fit like in the middle of your sentence? Like, use good grammar already!
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