Breast Cancer, Respect Life & Where have I been?

  Thought I would start here for today.   My Auntie Merrie died of breast cancer 33 years ago next month.  There were not the advances then . . . I think radiation was the only course of treatment then.  She had a radical bi-lateral mastectomy 6 years before her cancer returned on its path of destruction. After the 2nd diagnosis, she lived only 3 months. 

This is national Breast Cancer Awareness Month.  We can help the research.  Information is on the website.  Just go to my side bar and click on the pink button to help fund mammograms for women who can't afford them.  I've had that site on my tool bar for about 3 years.  Go there.  Click.  Look in the store.  Buy something and help more.  Go on . . . you need to do this.

             

Today is also Respect Life Sunday.  I have been reading journals and their comments.  I have also commented.  My precious grand-daughter was born at 32 weeks gestation.  She had to be in the NICU ~ the doctors told us she would be there for months and that she might die in the next two days because her little lungs were too weak.  She came home in 12 days.  She's 22 years old now.  Should my daughter have aborted her?  She was just 17 years old - so very young!  I was young when I had my first son - 16 years old.  I didn't abort or keep him. I have the privilege of knowing him and his family.  We would have lost so much if we had scraped them away.  Enough said. 

              Okay now about why I've been gone so long.  No details needed except to say that I have been sick.  Not the best way to lose weight, but for now I'll live with it.  Truly I could not believe that it had been over a month since I had been to my journal and that was a meme.  I sometimes like doing them, but feel I have cheated in a way.

The house is still standing, the crisis has been put on the back burner for now and I'm 46 lbs less than I was in May.  We are thinking about moving somewhere not so costly to live.  We just don't want to live in a dust bowl.   Rents here take a great deal of our disability incomes.  There are some very beautiful places where we could make house payments that would be less than our rent.   I have read journals in the past month, but rarely comment.  I haven't been to great at comments anyway. 

I'm not making any promises about when I will write again.  I have good intentions, but get sidelined.  I love being a part of J-Land.  It's like home for me.  No matter where I go, I can open up the laptop and be "home" again.   Many blessings to you all . . .                  

                      

 

Tags: Breast Cancer Awareness, Respect Life Sunday, where have I been?,

Labor Day - and LOL Scattergories

   

 

          

     Remembering our nation's workers on Labor Day

 

I got this next from Donna's journal this morning while looking for graphics.  Donna got it from Marina's journal (private). I had a lot of fun doing it.  I hope you jump in on this day that we celebrate our American workers and Unions.

 

       

scattergories

          

Use the 1st letter of your name to answer each of the following. They have to be real places, names, things...nothing made up! Try to use different answers if the person in front of you had the same 1st initial.

You CAN'T use your name for the boy/girl name question.

 

What is your name?  Penny

4 letter word: Putz

Vehicle: Plymouth (I know . . . shows my age, huh?)

TV Show: Paid programming (hate them)

City: Pasadena

Boy Name: Percy

Girl Name: Priscilla

Drink: * \ *Pop* / *

Occupation: Public Relations 

Something you wear: Purple unmentionables
Celebrity: Patsy Cline (on my cell- "Crazy . . .")

Food:  Plums oooh yummy

Found in a bathroom: Perfume 

Reason for Being Late:  Poor planning - I hate when that happens!

Cartoon Character: Pooh-Bear

Something You Shout: PUh-LEEZE!!!

 

Leave a link if you decide to put this in your journal.

 

It would be great if you also sent the link to Donna. 

 

   

Tags: Labor Day, Silly, Donna, Scattergories

Are you ready for this?

Good Sunday to all of you.  Most of you know that I'm a jump up and down, raise hands in the air, Bible-thumpin' holy roller.  No - I won't thump that Bible so hard - that I end up trying to shove it down your throat.  Holy roller is just what I am. If your worship is not the same or you are offended easily by people like me, read on at your own risk.  I make no excuses.  My God is the one for me.       

 

                     

I was reading a devotional this morning that really touched my heart and brought back some wonderful memories.  Even for some Christians, this may not be something liked or believed in.  I was the same way for many years.  I was brought up Christian, made my personal decision for him when I was 13.  My church was mainly Presbyterian with Lutheran generously sprinkled in.  Years passed & something in me changed.  This great change for me was this . . . are you ready?

             The baptism of the holy spirit

First let me tell you - if you accept Christ, right then you receive the Spirit of God in you.  The devotional uses Ezekiel 36:26, 27 as an early example of this.  Basically it says he will give you a new heart and spirit in you and you will walk His way and live by His statutes.  It was a promise to the Jews back then and to all of us now.  This in 1Cor 5:17 where the word says: "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new."   

Look at Acts 1:4,5.  Take time to read the whole chapter.   At that time, Jesus tells the disciples they will soon be baptized not in water, but fire.  It's wonderful!  I have known that promise and that is why I am writing this today.  I would like to share my memory of that day.

While reading,the devotional the Lord brought to my mind the day I received the Holy Spirit.  I had been so resistant . . . my old church? "others" out there who told me how stupid it was . . . too Holy Roller!  In the end it wasn't any of that.  It was the fear of what would be required of me . . . I was so close.  It was a Saturday afternoon, the fourth day of camp meeting.  I was in the parking lot  talking to Brother Robert, and he said to me . . . "you're not using the gift the Lord has given you!"  he placed his hand on my stomach, the other hand on my forehead.  Oh what a feeling!  Something rolled through me and I began to groan and speak words I did not know.  What power and joy overcame me!  I can not speak or write words sufficient to share the feeling.  Others saw it in me and gave thanks.

It wasn't the way I thought it would happen for me, in the church with people surrounding me in prayer.  I was in a parking lot speaking with an itinerant preacher and evangelist touching me gently and without another word . . . he let me find what was probably buried within me for many years . . . the Holy Spirit bubbled up from deep within me to set me free and give me the power He meant for me. 

Lord, as your Spirit comes from within me today, let me be all you want me to be for you.  Allow me to represent you by offering Jesus to all I meet, that they might feel your Spirit welling up from their very souls. Thank you, thank you, thank you, Lord  In Jesus' name I pray   Amen

               
                             

 

Tags: Bible thumpin' holy roller, read at your own risk, Christian, Presbyterian, Lutheran, baptism of the Holy Spirit

Rants, Needs and Thanks

                   

This is a mild rant.  Just some short things that bug me:

   Bathroom sign meaning it has handicapped facilities.  Why then is the handicap stall way at the end?  If I am pushing my walker it's a long way.

 Some days I am able to walk and when I can, I do.  Guy with a cane starts bi***ing at me telling me I should have saved that space for people who were really handicapped.  What?

AOL Well, you probably know.   It didn't let me put graphics last night.  So I wrote an entry anyway.  AOL sent it into the hinterlands.  I got angry and went to bed.

That's it for today.  If I have to think more than 15 seconds, there are no more rants.

          

I do need help with something . . . to save my computer, it had to be reformatted.  Brought it back to the original . . . as it was when we took it out of the box.  I could not find discs to pull off my graphics so . . . can you help?  I need graphics!  Do you know how hard it is for me to journal without graphics?  UGH!  Can you send some?  I would appreciate it.  I'm heading over to Sugar's  to snag some.  I even lost my precious taggies.  OK ~ enough.

Our huge family crisis has been downsized to from hurricane 5 to a stong tropical storm!  We feel like we can breathe now.  Still there, but God is on our side.  We still need prayer, however.  I want to thank those who have commented or sent an e-mail to let me know they will pray.

This is going to be a wonderful day!  Yesterday I adopted a kitty.  She's about 1 1/2 yrs old, tortise shell color and seems to ignore the birds.  I love her.  Pictures later. 

Guys you can't possibly know how much I appreciate and love you all.  I pray your needs and some of your wants are met.  Blessings,

            

Tags: Rants, Disabled, AOL, Help, Graphics, Thanks, Kitty, Prayers

Pumpkins Meme

      

                Special thanks to Donna - I borrowed this tag from her

I got this from Joann's Journal who found it on Donna's Journal and came from Dawn's Journal, linked below.

Pumpkin made a meme of her own and made me promise to put in my journal. 

She would also be very excited if some of you do it, too.  It is only 10 questions.

Here goes:

1   What's your favorite movie???

My Fair Lady with Rex Harrison and Audrey Hepburn

2    What's your favorite color???

RED!!!!  :)

3    What's your favorite ice cream flavor???

Caramel swirl with Butterscotch topping . . . mmmmmmmmmmm!

4    Where do you want to go on vacation??

On a tour of the 13 original states ( Betsy Ross, anyone?)

5    What's your favorite animal???

Spider Monkey - my grandmother had one when I was about 9 years old.  He was very cute.   

6    What's your favorite T.V. show???

The Dog Whisperer on National Geographic Channel and all animal shows 

7    What's your fav. drink???

Diet Coke, Caffeine Free -- Water and Gatorade

8    What's your favorite flower???

Snap-dragons - have you ever pinched one to see its mouth open?

9    What's your favorite pet???

Currently my 4 doggies (Precious is my special Pomeranian)

10   What's your favorite book???

The Bible and one called Katie the Kitten that I had in my childhood.

I pray that many more of you will answer this beautiful little girl's meme.  I'd love to know if you have, but send your links to Pumpkin please, at her mom's journal, Carpe Diem.  Go on now!  What are you waiting for?  I'm finished here.                             

Tags: Pumpkins Meme, Joannes Weight Loss Journal, This, That and Hockey, Carpe Diem

Another Sunny Morning

                            

Good morning my friends!  This will just be a short entry to let you know I am alive and kicking.  It's a beautiful sunny day here near the ocean in Southern California

Our lives at the moment have been turned upside down.  There is nothing we can do to change it, so we are just putting one foot in front of the other.  We pray every morning, throughout the day and before we go  to sleep.

               

Please don't think me selfish as I ask you not to ask questions about this disaster.  Simply pray for all of us, Rob, Penny and Andrea. Those prayers are like a sweet, sweet song to Him.  If you don't know how to pray, just ask the Lord to watch over us.  If your between a pillar and post and wonder if Jesus is right for you, talk to your Christian friend or neighbor or a Pastor to explain it to you.  I will pray that you will ask Him into your life.  The difference will be amazing!  Oh - and if you want to talk to me - I'm here.

Some of you will remember when there were marches spreading all over because of what Martin Luther was saying (gee, am I that old?) .  I marched for black equality, singing "We shall overcome . . ." time after time.  So this is what I want to say right now:  we are over comers!  We shall overcome this present tribulation and will have a story to tell.

I thought this was going to be a short entry . . . oops.  I have typed what came to my mind.  Now I ask a blessing for you all, straight from my heart.  In the love, joy and service of

                

 

 

Tags: Sunny So-Cal, lives upside-down, Prayer, Selfish, Prayer for us, Ask Jesus into your life, Martin Luther King, Overcomers, JESUS Name Above All Names

                                     

                                                        Thanks, Sugar for this lovely graphic

I have been chewed out by the best in J-Land for the lack of entries.  My life has been on overload for a few weeks.  I'm not going into all of it right now.  Suffice it to say we've been busy around here.

This will be a short entry, because although it is only 6 p.m. here, I am tired.  We did a lot of work this morning, went out in the afternoon and worked a bit more.  Busy day.  Maybe I'll join  these little guys and take a nice nap soon.                      

We took Andrea on her first trip to Disneyland in the first week of the month.  She loved it so!  She wanted to go on the roller coaster in California Adventure, but she couldn't talk me into it.  I don't deal with coasters anymore.  I actually stopped when I was 25 or 26.  Took the kids to Six Flags Magic Mountain.  A lot of walking there and very hot in the summer.  Water rides are on the top of the list.  We go on one that didn't look bad, rode around, got splashed then reached a place where the stoped the ride.  I had time enough to look down the long drop and said to myself, "I don't want to do this" and the ride operator said, "Too late now" and let us go.  I was sick to my stomach, had palpitations etc,.  So there!

VBS Camp started a couple of weeks ago and Bible camp starts next week.  Just time enough to get all the laundry done and go again.  I feel like I have been washing for years.

We are all feeling well if tired.  I've lost a little weight and that helps my pain level.  Also the Dr has modified my medications to help them work to my advantage.  Rob has lost a bunch of weight . . . I think he passed a bit on to Andrea. 

Well guys, I have yet to clean the kitchen and fold the clothes.  I don't mind if you pop over to remind me that I haven't posted.  I've missed you all.  Many blessings to those I love so well,

 

                                             

 

 

 

 

 

Tags: Disneyland, overwhelmed, rollercoasters,