Happy Birthday Jesus!

Christmas is such a joyful time of year. A time where friends and family join one another to celebrate their lives together, the greatest blessing that God has given to us through His Son, Our Lord Jesus. It is a time that we reach out to those who are alone or unwanted, hungry and poor. Christmas is the time of year that we truly become Christian. As we remember the precious birth of our savior, please remember to keep Christmas in your hearts all year long. Have a very Merry and Blessed Christmas. May the peace and love of His beautiful birth bring everyone comfort, courage, love and hope. God bless us all.

Mike Huckabee's A Simple Christmas

I just finished reading former Governor Mike Huckabee's latest book A Simple Christmas. What a wonderful book. I laughed at some of his childhood antics and his delightful sense of humor. I love Governor Huckabee anyway, but this book is without a doubt a genuine, from the heart book. This is beautiful addition to any library. I truly enjoyed this and I believe you will too.

Innocence

I think this picture makes me feel like five. It probably should since I down loaded and colored a preschool coloring picture. I have always heard that when you get older you long for those days when life was innocent and carefree. I have to admit that is somewhat true for me. Not that I want to be a child again, because in all honesty I truly do not. My childhood was happy and I have many fond memories, but I also had a lot of trauma and tears that I surely don't want to go through again. I do long for those people that I loved so dearly who have passed on. I miss my mom and how she rocked me on her lap and would read stories to us from the Childcraft books we owned. Mom was really good at embellishing those stories too. When I learned to read they just didn't have the same plot, and sometimes not even the same characters.

Sometimes I can close my eyes and smell the Sunday roast cooking with Nanny making dumplings to go in the gravy. I can see in my minds eye Nanny and Francy (her sister) sitting on the couch playing Chinese checkers and arguing about one or the other making an unauthorised move. Or the time we went to Murphy's to go shopping and then we would stop at the drugstore to buy an ice cream soda or go to the candy store for fudge or chocolate covered pretzel. Yeah I have many nice memories.

As I got older my sister and I actually became friends; although we still had our moments. All I wanted as a child was to grow up and do great things. I cannot remember the author off hand, but one of my favorite short stories was the Secret Life of Walter Mitty. For those of you who do not know the story; I will give you a very brief summary. Walter Mitty was a day dreamer. He always imagined himself in different situations and occupations and he was always a sort of hero. I identify with him. When I first read the story I was relieved, I thought I was the only person in the world that did that.

Today I am still a day dreamer; at fifty-six that is a bit scary. Maybe that is why I write, so that I can bring to life all those silly day dreams.

Tribute to Brenda

When we hear the word courage we automatically think of a soldier. However courage is what Brenda had, more courage than I could ever hope to have. For three and a half years she fought her battle with ovarian cancer. For a brief time she actually went into remission, and we her family, thought she had beat the odds. Unfortunately the joy was soon followed by disappointment as the cancer numbers went up and came back with a vengeance; with in a year it had attacked her bowls and her liver. Finally after excruciating suffering, she passed away on November 29, 2009.

Brenda Like most ovarian cancer patients was diagnosed at level 4. (Level 5 is immanent death). That is why ovarian cancer is a silent killer. Pap test cannot locate this killer. The following was taken off the Mayo Clinic web site and gives the symptoms of the horrid disease. EVERY woman should read this and keep the symptom guidelines in a place where you can periodically look at them. Time is an element that is crucial to this disease.

Symptoms of ovarian cancer are nonspecific and mimic those of many other more common conditions, including digestive and bladder disorders. A woman with ovarian cancer may be diagnosed with another condition before finally learning she has cancer. Common misdiagnoses include irritable bowel syndrome, stress and depression.
The key seems to be persistent or worsening signs and symptoms. With most digestive disorders, symptoms tend to come and go, or they occur in certain situations or after eating certain foods. With ovarian cancer, there's typically little fluctuation — symptoms are constant and gradually worsen.
Recent studies have shown that women with ovarian cancer are more likely than are other women to consistently experience the following symptoms:
Abdominal pressure, fullness, swelling or bloating
Urinary urgency
Pelvic discomfort or pain
Additional signs and symptoms that women with ovarian cancer may experience include:
Persistent indigestion, gas or nausea
Unexplained changes in bowel habits, such as constipation
Changes in bladder habits, including a frequent need to urinate
Loss of appetite or quickly feeling full
Increased abdominal girth or clothes fitting tighter around your waist
Pain during intercourse (dyspareunia)
A persistent lack of energy
Low back pain
Changes in menstruation

I hope that you will save the above guidelines. I dedicate this Blog to Brenda and I promise to spread the word so that this killer can be silenced. Brenda, know that we love you and always will.

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! This year of 2009 has seen a lot of somber things with the rise in unemployment, loss of homes, and loss of retirement savings. I am among the ranks of the unemployed; and some days I find that I am feeling sorry for myself; however today I will put that negative energy away and remember all that I have. God has been very good to me. Even with my lack of employment I still have a roof over my head and food to eat. I have a loving family and friends. I am active in St. Vincent de Paul where I am able to help others in need. I have to say that belonging to St. Vincent de Paul is a true blessing for me. Being able to help others helps me to remember that we are all brothers and sisters in God's family, so at those times when I feel alone, I know that I am not.

Today join with me in thanking God for our families, our friends, and our country; and as we thank Him for these blessings, let us also pray for peace and economic health. May God our Father bless each and everyone of us. HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Shophia and me

She is such a ray of sunshine in my life. This little Norwegian Lundehund mix is a pup full of energy and mischief. I love her dearly. I cannot imagine someone simply abandoning this animal, but they did. I had lost my Jack Russel Terrier a week or so before. His name was Norman, I only had him for four years, he was five years old when my grandchildren gave him to me. As you can see in the picture of him and I (he is giving me a kiss) were very close too. I was sad to have to put Norman down, we struggled with his epilepsy for the entire time he was with us, he had a severe allergy problems and last summer we nearly lost him to pancretitis; he was never the same after that. Then August 18 he had what appeared to be a mild stroke. He was miserable. He wanted me to let him go. Putting him down was one of the hardest things I ever had to do. The emptiness in my heart was nearly overwhelming; we went to the Humane Society to get another Jack Russel, but there was no chemistry. I was standing by Sophia's cage and she came over to me brushing up against her cage for me to pet her. When the attendants took her out of the cage it was love at first sight. I filled out the eight pages of paper work and waited to be approved. Sophia has been a ray of sunshine ever since. She was only seven months old when we got her, so there is still a lot of puppy behavior to deal with, but I wouldn't have it any other way. Dogs, God's little gifts of love to us. Thank you God for loving us so much!

The Berlin Wall Anniversary

It was November 9, 1989; a day that I will never forget; the Berlin Wall was being hacked away by the citizens of East and West Germany. The horror of the Berlin Wall loomed over my childhood like a dark cloud. I grew up during the cold war, always in the back of our minds there remained a fear of total annihilation. Not a raging fear, just a small voice to remind us of our mortality. Perhaps that is why to this day I do not take anything for granted. As I was growing up I read countless stories of the brave men and women that risked or gave their lives trying to cross over from Soviet occupied East Germany into West Germany and freedom. The Soviet Union finally broke apart and the Wall was coming down. Unless you have lived during the shadow of the Wall you cannot know how much a miracle we saw taking place. The Soviets took over Russia in 1917 and spread their communist propaganda as far as they could, swallowing in it's wake all of Eastern Europe. Now it was over and all rejoiced at seeing the reunion of families torn apart by this Wall for nearly thirty years!

I have attached some photos of the wall taken in 1961. The LH picture at the top, is of the Church of the Reconciliation that was closed by the building of the Berlin Wall. The picture under it is a picture of the wall and the RH picture is of West Berliners trying to see their friends and relatives living in the East. Imagine that kind of heartbreak! I got the pictures from Berlin Wall on line. If you get a chance you may want to take a look at that web site. Very interesting. As you do, thank God that we live in the USA and thank Him too for the freedom we so richly enjoy.

The beautiful moon

I have been fascinated by the moon since I was a little girl. The full moon is my favorite, especially when it is rising or setting. I am awed at the large mysterious disc in the sky. I always call the moon at that stage a harvest moon. Usually I notice it in the fall season of the year; but I believe I have noticed it in the spring as well. I remember one beautiful trip to work crossing Sundusky Bay. Dawn hadn't come yet, and as I was crossing the bay the reflection of the moon on the water caught my eyes, it was so beautiful.

I no longer work in Sandusky, so I hold it as a picturesque memory. I see God in nature. It is His beauty that illuminates the night sky and I am privileged to be be able to see the wonders of His creation.

When is a baby a baby?

This is a picture of a baby in his mother's womb. It is quite obvious that this is a baby. This particular baby was born and is now a happy and healthy little boy. Did you know that babies, just like the one in this picture are being aborted even at this stage in the pregnancy? It is called partial birth abortion, and I feel it is the most atrocious thing that has ever been allowed in this country and the world. To call this choice, in my opinion gives people the right to kill. For killing a child at any stage is wrong, but how can we in any way justify killing a baby just weeks before it would be full term? Where are our ethics? Where is our appreciation for life and it's sacredness? When did we decide that death to a child was justifiable? We need to speak out to prevent this from happening. A child in the mother's womb is the most defenseless of all God's children. Let us all promote life and let us start with the unborn. May God's blessings be on all of you, especially the innocent babies.

autumn is waning

It is late October and the season of fall is past its peak. The colors and brisk crisp air is giving way to the cold and damp. Fall is a transition from the warmth and sunshine of summer to the stark cold and bland atmosphere of winter. I find it comparable to our lives; youth which is spring, vitality is summer, wisdom and wittiness of the aged that relates to fall; and the still quietness of winter which reflects death.

Winter though is pure in the blanket of snow, and the quiet of the earth has a beauty all its own. So if winter reflects death, than death too holds the promise of new life; which all Christians firmly believe. And that my friend is hope.

Fear, an unfortunate part of life

I have always perceived myself to be an optimistic person; yet I have to admit that occasionally I am paralyzed with fear. Since March 13 of this year I have been unemployed; I am now on my extension and starting to feel a bit scared. This isn't the first time for me. Twenty-six years ago I had been besieged by the same fear. The difference was that I was laid off from a factory and I knew that I would eventually have a job again. Now the factory has been closed since 2007 and I have been working temporary jobs ever since. Make no mistake I am over fifty and even though I know that no one can legally discriminate against me (which is really hard to prove); I know that with twenty people all after the same job, my chances dwindle with each passing day. Patiently I wait and pray; and I have a very hard time being patience; all I want is to work so that I can pay my bills and dream of ways to spend on Christmas gifts, birthdays, and just because I love you gifts. I, at this point, can barely pay my bills and of course the extras are just faded dreams.

Recently I have tried to find work from home jobs. Very scary, so many of them seem to be scams; I have approached a couple and I hope I didn't waste my money. It seems I always learn life's lessons the hard way. All I want is to be back at work again.

I promise to be more optimistic in my next blog, but right now I know that there are a lot of people out there that need to know they are not alone.

I keep myself busy with charity work. I belong to the Saint Vincent de Paul Society. When I get to feeling too sorry for myself, I look at the people that I am helping for courage to continue on. I help so many wonderful people, and I thank God for the opportunity to be of help to them. It keeps me focused that God is there and He will never abandon me. I just need to keep the faith, not lose hope and keep pressing forward.

Out of the mouths’ of of babes

This has been an interesting past few days. On Thursday the world was sitting on the edge of their seats praying that a run a way balloon with a six year old boy in it, would be found safe and unharmed. It is funny that the Heene's would probably have gotten away with this hoax if it hadn't been for the innocent response of a child. When Falcon Heene was asked why he went into the attic, he told reporters that it was for show.

It is obvious the boy's parents wanted a few minutes of fame; but at what cost. Not just the monetary cost that will run into the tens of thousands, or the waisted time of emergency personal. What cost to these children, whom we now know were all involved in this hoax? I become dismayed from time to time about the irresponsibility of some parents today. In the case of these children, their parents are teaching them to be liars. In a world that already has so little trust, that's just what we need more dishonesty!

Our society today has so little regard for the sanctity of life. Parents who pollute their children's minds with this kind of grandstanding, cheapen the values that made this country great. Worst still, when our youth become uncaring and trained that it is okay to lie, cheat or avoid responsibility for their actions; our country and our world's future is at risk. Out children are the future. We should encourage them to do the right thing and to be courteous and caring to family and friends and neighbors. I know it's possible because that's how I raised my kids.

Let me know what you think.

My first blog on life

I have to say without a doubt that when my family and I get together we have a good time. This picture surely tells you that. I love them all so much and thank God they love me too.

Family is the core of life. Whether your family is blood or just a family of love, family is what makes life purely interesting. My family is a combination of both, blood and love. I have a son and a daughter. My son I gave birth to (yes Donny I love you too!) but my daughter was a gift of love. I am her godmother and her natural mother was my very best friend. Through these two beautiful children I have six grandchildren and one great grandchild. Life is good.

Well I guess I had better post my very first blog. I dedicate it to my beautiful family. Yep that's life and life is good.