What does this say about me?

Two erudite leaders at one of my places of employment have blogs in which they have listed the top ten suggestions given to them by Amazon.com based on past buying and searching criteria. I thought this could be an interesting assessment, so off to Amazon.com I surfed. And here's what I found...

1. Signing Time! Volume 2: Playtime Signs DVD DVD ~ Rachel de Azevedo Coleman; Alex Brown; Leah Coleman

2. Signing Time! Volume 3: Everyday Signs DVD DVD ~ Rachel de Azevedo Coleman; Alex Brown; Leah Coleman

3. Wine For Dummies (For Dummies (Cooking)) by Ed McCarthy (Author), Mary Ewing-Mulligan (Author)

4. Tom and Jerry - Whiskers Away Full 10 episode version DVD ~ Tex Avery

5. G is for Garden State: A New Jersey Alphabet Edition 1. (Discover America State By State. Alphabet Series) by Eileen Cameron

6. M Is For Mayflower: A Massachusetts Alphabet Edition 1. (Discover America State By State. Alphabet Series) by Margot Theis Raven

7. White Wine for Dummies by Ed McCarthy (Author), Mary Ewing-Mulligan

8. Red Wine for Dummies by Ed McCarthy (Author), Mary Ewing-Mulligan

9. Signing Time! Volume 4: Family, Feelings & Fun DVD DVD ~ Rachel de Azevedo Coleman; Alex Brown; Leah Coleman

10. O is for Old Dominion: A Virginia Alphabet Edition 1. (Discover America State By State. Alphabet Series) by Pamela Duncan Edwards

Apparently, I'm a 4-year old deaf oenophile with limited mental capacities!

Sunny Side Up

Last week was less than spectacular:

1. Sunday I took my husband to the airport for an 8+ day trip. We're both OK with his travel schedule, but I sure do miss him when he's gone.

2. Wednesday I got sick. Worse than I've been in almost 3 years. That time it took over 4 months to fully recover. (Did I mention that my husband was out of town?)

3. Friday my manager called and told me he was resigning his position.

4. Saturday I found out that the weekend I'll be in Pennsylvania for my brother's 25th wedding anniversary party is the weekend my eldest granddaughter has her dance recital. The big one. The one she has been working on all year. Oh, and no one can video tape it, because there will be a professional taping and they want to sell copies. I'm good with that, but do you think they will have the good sense to focus in on the most important child on the stage. Not likely!

5. Monday the Stars lost. In a totally awful game that I almost wish I hadn't watched. What were those referees smoking up there north of the 49th parallel? I don't believe in the "let them play" mentality of not calling penalties because it's a playoff game. But honestly, there were more phantoms in that game than a poltergeist movie.

On the flip side:

1. I have an awesome husband! He has a great job, and although it does require some travel, I don't have small children at home to care for by myself. AND he comes home!

2. Last time I recovered. Some people don't. I feel confident I will recover this time, too.

3. Sometimes change really is for the better. Sometimes it's just change. Either way, I have no control over this one, and I'm just looking forward to what the Lord has in store for me and what now will almost seem like a new job.

4. I have a brother who has stayed married for 25 years. No small accomplishment in this society with all its 'backdoors.' I have a darling little 6-year old granddaughter. And thanks to technology (yeah, I love that stuff!) I will have a video to watch when I get home. And she will be on there dancing her little heart out. Cute as a button, as always.

5. Marty Turco should never again be questioned about his playoff abilities. There will be some personnel changes for next year, and when they are back in the playoffs, maybe someone will be able to score some goals so that he won't have to have 4 shut outs each round for the Stars to win. Go Stars!

I'm keeping the sunny side up on this one!

Ungrateful

I have a lung disease. Probably started about 4 years ago when I had pneumonia. Ever since, I've had some somewhat serious bouts of coughing that would not cease. To the point of being hospitalized. But as diseases go, this one ain't bad. Minimal pain. Mostly functional, but I do require more rest than I used to. I have to be careful to not over commit and to not be overly busy. Or I will get sick. In spite of my care, I still get an infection every 3 months or so. And I'm off to the doc...meds, shots, breathing treatments, etc.

About two weeks ago, I had the usual quarterly infection and its tandem woes. Immediately went to the doc to ensure it wouldn't progress to the hospitalization stage again. Within a week, I felt a lot better and, other than being exceptionally tired, thought I was better.

During the night I woke up sick-- again. After two weeks. Off to the doc again. (Yes, it gets that bad, that fast!) So I stopped on my way out of the office to let my daughter-in-law know I was sick again; since I had 2 of the munchkins over here Monday, she would need to keep an eye on them in case it was contagious. Started to feel sorry for poor little ol' me. And while we talked, a lady stopped to pick up her little girl. She mentioned that she might not have her little girl in child care next semester because she was going to be having an extremely serious operation. Show stopping serious.

O, Lord. How dare I feel sorry for myself. You are so good, and I am so blessed. Thank You for a very blunt reminder to keep my eyes on You. As I said to my daughter-in-law, "Never mind. I'm feeling just fine."

Psalm 121

1 I lift up my eyes to the hills—
where does my help come from?

2 My help comes from the LORD,
the Maker of heaven and earth.

3 He will not let your foot slip—
he who watches over you will not slumber;

4 indeed, he who watches over Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.

5 The LORD watches over you—
the LORD is your shade at your right hand;

6 the sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.

7 The LORD will keep you from all harm—
he will watch over your life;

8 the LORD will watch over your coming and going
both now and forevermore.

Trick your ride, soccer mom

He is risen! He is risen indeed!

I wish I could fully comprehend the thoughts and feelings of the disciples and followers of Jesus on that Sunday morning. Feel what they felt. See what they saw. Experience what they experienced.

All had been lost. They were grieving and scared. And then....

The women came with an insane story. They knew it couldn't be true, but they wanted it to be true.

They ran....to the place Jesus had been.

Gone! Oh the possibilities of ways to explain it away. And, yet....

He appeared.

He is risen! He is risen indeed!

My Cloud Theory

Grab a blanket and head outside on a beautiful spring day. You know the kind...cerulean skies with puffy clouds scattered about. Oh, and take a friend or child with you.

Lay back and watch the clouds. Then ask your friend to try to count how many clouds they see that look like polar bears. Meanwhile, you should look for and count clouds that look like whales. (Don't tell your cloud watching companion what you're up to!) After a few minutes, ask them how many whales they saw. Odds are, they saw no whales, while you saw several.

What's the point of this pleasant pastime? We see what we are looking for. If we're looking for polar bears, we will often not notice the whales. So be careful what you look for. You will probably find it. I know a lady who thinks everyone is involved in promiscuous behavior. Guess what! She sees it. A lot. And usually there's nothing untoward going on. I know a gal who thinks it's all about her. In every conversation, in every situation, she sees it revolving around her. And guess what. It seldom has anything to do with her.

What prompted the 'cloud theory' to be presented publicly? I was recently reminded to be careful what I am looking for. A pastor I know wrote an excellent blog about Palm Sunday and the Jewish people's inability to see the obvious. You can read the blog here: http://www.mikemesserli.blogspot.com
It was right there in their Scriptures. But they were looking for the wrong thing. And when the most important right thing ever was right in front of them, they didn't recognize it.

I pray that I will be looking for the right thing!


Psalm 39:7
But now, Lord, what do I look for?
My hope is in you.

Philippians 4:8
Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

2 Peter 3:10-14
But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare. Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness. So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him.