My special Rose 2

I woke up last Sunday ... well I actually got woke up last Sunday by my 1 1/2 year old granddaughter who then preceded to call her sisters name until she woke her up. I kept hushing her and telling her that "sissy, is sleeping" ... she would say "alwight" , and then continue to yell for her ... it was raining and I was so exhausted and thought I am not getting up and getting these two little girls ready and dragging them out in this mess for church ... God will understand .... well He did better than that ... He helped the little one successfully wake up the her big "sissy" who immediately sat up and said, "it's raining, umbrella" ... I had bought her a Dora umbrella the day before ... She then said, "mon Dammie, church" ... So I got up and dragged two little girls out in the rain with one adult size umbrella and one child size Dora umbrella ... sometimes God uses children to remind us of where we need to be ... and in more ways than one!!!

"BEING TESTED BY GOD?"

On Sunday, August 9, 2009 I wrote a blog titled being tested by God. I sat reading and thought how much my faith has changed in such a short time. I really believed that
God tested me and used my mom to "help" him.
I, now, realize that God does not test me. The devil tempts me and tries to pull me away from God and "he" uses the crazy relationship that I have with my mother to make me loose my temper. I have figured this out with help of course. I now, try to keep in mind that it is the devil, not God, and I then stop what I'm doing, whatever is going on, and pray. I then loudly praise the Lord in either words or song and sometimes both. Let me tell you, the devil hates that very much. He leaves me alone and I keep my sanity. lol

My special Rose!!!

Okay, so nobody really reads this thing, but I have to share a story that I think is hysterical. I have two children, neither of who are Christians. My son and his wife were following the Muslim religion for a while, no, not the terrorist one the original one which is very peaceful. Anyway, I'm not sure what they believe now, my son thinks that all organized religion is crazy. My daughter believed in God until attending a Catholic High School, go figure. So I watch my granddaughters a lot and pray for them a lot. My son and his wife have quite a few things to still figure out with life, yet they have 2 beautiful daughters and another child on the way. You see why I pray so much? My oldest granddaughter just turned 2, yes I said OLDEST!!! Again, see where the praying is so necessary? lol Well, by the grace of God, and the new found relationship I am establishing with my daughter in law, I have been taking the oldest to AWANA at my church. She's learning about God and there are many times when she wants a book that reaches for Grammy's Bible, probably because it is so big. I tell her that it's my Bible. We have been saying the very easy prayer of , "God is great, God is good, and we thank Him for this food", before eating.
I get on my Facebook page this morning to find a comment from my daughter in law on my page. She tells me that my little Rose is now calling paper "Bible" and when my son got upset and said "Oh, God" she folded her hands, closed her eyes and bowed her head ... lol ... Children are so awesome!!! My daughter in law laughed about it, not sure about my son, but so glad God is listening to my prayers and keeping these precious children in my life where I can, as my daughter in law jokingly said, be a "bad influence" on them!!!

GOD IS GREAT, GOD IS GOOD AND I THANK HIM FOR EVERYTHING!!!

Call Me Crazy

I often wonder what would happen to the world if, on Sunday, everyone refused to work or take their children to whatever practice was going on that day? I mean what if everyone, of course medical workers, police officers and things that are absolutely necessary would need to be available for obvious reasons, but what if everyone else just refused to work or do anything other than go to church and do a nice Sunday meal. The meal could be cooked on Saturday, or put in the slow cooker Saturday night before going to bed on low or medium, and turned a bit higher before heading to church. People would go home, kick off their shoes, eat a meal with their family, sit on the front porch with family and perhaps neighbors and/or friends. I think I want to live in a town like Mayberry ... I at least want to find one to visit. One store, one bank, one gas station, one post office, one school, one doctor and they are all closed on Sunday for church and family time.
I know I'm a dreamer, but what's wrong with dreaming about a better world. In my world kids still play outside in the spring, summer, fall and yes, even winter. They do so safely from any harm that involves them disappearing or being preyed upon by adults or even other children. Everyone is friends, there are no bullies. There are no prejudices or bigotry. Everyone works hard and they are friends who get together and talk in the evenings and have socials and town fairs. Women stay home and raise their children while men go out and make a living. Women understand that their job is to take care of their children, their man and their house and they are happy to do so. Men go out and make a living and make ends meet and know that the money they make is his and his wife's because she is tending to the other part of their life that is just as important, if not more, as what he does. He adores her for taking such good care of his children, his home and of his own needs. She is totally committed and thrilled to be his wife because he is so adoring of her. It works, and when things get tough or they have squabbles they aren't running to lawyers or talking divorce. They know that they will get through it and everything will be okay. Why? Because they live everyday with Jesus in their hearts, in their souls, and in their lives, through the words they use to the actions they do.
I know it sounds crazy...but what if everyone had the same dream as me but nobody else is willing to share it? Just imagine a world like mine. A world before bra burning, and cursing on t.v., sex on t.v., violence on t.v., God was in school everyday at the start of every morning listening to every child pray while one of them led the prayer over the intercom system. Following that was the Pledge of Allegiance because it was okay to love your country and those who fought to keep you free.
It really isn't so crazy. It existed once. (With exception to the prejudices and bigotries. That is why I made sure to include that part in my dream world.) Will we ever have it again? Probably not...there aren't enough people willing to stand up and fight for God. Fight for their rights as Christians. My mom has often told me that I have an old soul and was born too late. It isn't often that my mother and I agree, but I will say she is definitely right about this. Just don't tell her, okay? lol
Keep dreaming everyone, because you never know when someone, or many others will share your dream and it will become a reality. Do you think that Martin Luther King Jr. would have ever imagined his dream coming true so soon?

Empathy

As I sit here listening to "my" dog bark and whine because he wants in the house for the 2nd time within an hour, my mind is in deep concentration about something. I do not understand how a person, meaning me, can cry from reading a story about people I don't know, from watching a movie that most would consider a little sad and/or a little happy and even commercials leaving me feeling like the wimpiest person alive. Yet, with all this empathy that just pours out of me for all these people I know nothing about, and most aren't even real I cannot for the life of me understand why anyone would want a pet. I REALLY do not understand those people who have pets and treat them as if they are people. This boggles my mind. As much as these people boggle my mind, it boggles my mind just as much that I have the feelings or lack of feelings for these animals. Don't get me wrong, I would never harm an animal or sit back and watch one being abused. I have hit, with my car, 2 cats, who are my least favorite of pets, and one hoppy toad. I cried like a baby. I felt so bad and could only think of the poor children who the cats probably belonged to and the hoppy toad, well the poor little thing just didn't stand a chance and why couldn't he just hop faster?
When this dog moves on to doggy heaven, yes I have seen the movie, I make this solemn vow that there will never be another pet in this house. If it weren't for the fact that this dog belonged to my daughter and is 9 years old, and surely must be on it's last leg, I would not have him now. He is not a bad dog. He is a good dog for the most part. I do not understand how he can see the same postman 6 days a week at the same time, pull up to our mailbox, put mail into it and then drive off and think that he has to bark at him like he is protecting us. Now mind you that if that same mailman were to get out of his mail truck to deliver something to the door, the moment he walked on to the top step coming into our yard, the dog would not only stop barking, but begin to wag his tail and jump and carry on until the mailman pets him. Does this make sense to anyone else. I would love to understand this.
When I go to the door to let him out he jumps around like a prancing horse as if I'm going to forget about him, if he doesn't do the horse prance, and not let him out when I have said to him "okay" and he knows that is the whole purpose in going to the door. He will also stick his nose in the screen door as soon as I begin to open it and pull it open out of my hands, which to me is like a defiant child with no patience, when I go to let him in.
Oh yeah, and is it just me or do most others believe that people who "dress" their animals in "cute" clothes ought to be locked up in "cute" foam rooms? They have fur ... it's there for a reason. It seems like mostly old people do this. Makes me want to get an old woman who does this to her dog and is also going through menopause, which I am, and wait for a bad hot flash and decide to put a cute little pink sweater on her. God made these animals with fur for a reason...THEY DON'T NEED CLOTHES!!!

Okay, I think I am done. Rest assured that if I ever get the chance to buy some property it will be far enough away from any animals and there will not be any allowed on my property. Unless they are deer and someone is coming to hunt them!!!

These feelings make me feel like an awful and mean person. Do you think that maybe God gave me so much empathy for humans that there was none left for animals? Just to point out that I also know someone who would step over a dying person, if they didn't like them, but has crawled into a sewer to rescue a whimpering dog. So maybe I got her empathy for humans and she got mine for the animals? HMMM ... is this possible?

MENOPAUSE!!!

I have often wondered if the word men is in there for a reason. Is it because it is wise for us to take a break (pause) from men while going through this or a warning for men to take a break (pause) from us? I can't imagine living with a man at this point in my life and this menopause going on, and believe it or not I understand men better than most women. I don't get worked up over the "silly" things that most women do. Men are men and I just get it a little better than most, I guess. So I really don't know how other women, who get upset so easily over the things men say and do, can survive menopause with a man in the house, or how he can survive it.

I have a friend who complains every month about her "dot" coming to visit. I keep trying to tell her to enjoy that "dot" because what's to follow is far worse and more than once a month. There is nothing like waking from your sleep because you feel as if someone has lit a fire within the pit of your stomach and you are burning up from the inside out. Yeah, I turn the fan on, got one of those ones with a remote control, and it gives some comfort, but that is only because I am soaking wet with sweat. Nice thought huh? Then there are the hot flashes that come during the day and the only difference with them is they don't wake you up. It is terrible to be somewhere talking to someone and have one of the hot flashes start. You immediately, start sweating and breathing heavier and looking and feeling as if you might pass out. You keep talking hoping nobody will notice, but can tell by the look on their face that they not only have noticed, but are now contemplating calling 911 or just running away. Luckily for me, and most I encounter, I'm not shy and will wave my hand in front of my face, as if to fan myself, and say "hot flash, menopause is awesome". Now, this doesn't stop the hot flash but does take the fear from the person I'm talking with, unless of course it is a man who has been through menopause with a wife. Then the look of terror increases as well as the thought of running, I'm sure.

I know you are wondering what does this have to do with faith, with Christians, with religion. Well, let me say, for the record, that if Eve had not eaten that apple and had not got Adam to eat that apple I, along with all other women, would not suffer through these things. I truly believe that in the Garden of Eden, there would be no "dots" or menopause. We would just be told, in advance as Mary was, that we are going to have a child in 9 months so as to prepare for said child. The birthing would be easy, no screaming women, no fainting men the baby would just slide out and be here. No "dots" to cause pain and blotting and mood swings ... No menopause to cause hot flashes, night sweats, mood swings and terrified husbands. So you see it does have to do with faith and God and beliefs. I have learned that we must be forgiving if we expect God to forgive us. I have also learned that some things are easier to forgive than others ... the harder ones I pray about and know that God will help me with them.

Tonight I will be praying that God will help me to forgive Eve for eating that daggone APPLE!!!!

Being tested by God

I think that there should be some scripture in the Bible that states any Christian who goes to church on Sunday will not have their faith tested on that Sunday. Although I like to consider myself as always being a Christian, I am fairly new at knowing exactly what all that entails. For instance, I thought it was okay to be out in bars drinking 4 or 5 nights out of 7 as long as I talked about God to the "troubled" drinkers. I also thought it was okay to wear clothes that were more than a little revealing because, "hey, I'm not getting any younger and I have to use what I have". So, yes, I am fairly new at all this and I fail somedays, miserably.

Today, for instance, after getting approximately 3 1/2 hours of broken sleep, because of keeping both of my granddaughter s with me all night so that my mom could get a "good nights sleep" , she gets up to inform that she slept terrible. This happens most nights that I take both girls for her to get a "good nights sleep" , and then we both end up sleeping "terrible". I say if she is going to be up and down all night anyway it only makes sense to tend to the baby so that I am at least rested and more ready to face the day. So anyway, I keep my mouth shut, passing the first test, and continue to get myself and my granddaughters ready for church. My mom, thank goodness, can still get herself ready. So off to church we go, where I enjoy the services as usual but am having a very difficult time keeping my eyes open. Did I mention that I had my alarm set for 8 am and the baby woke at 6:30 and by the time I changed, fed and got her back to sleep it was 7:30 ... not much reason to go back to sleep. So my day started at 6:30 and as much as I love Pastor's sermons, he not only makes them interesting he makes them "human" and what I mean by that is he makes himself "human". He tells stories about his life, his wife, his children and it all puts him at an even level with church members. This to me is no small feat and it is one thing I admire most about Pastor and his wife. (No, I'm not putting this in here because Pastor's wife has figured out who I am.) It's the truth, believe me when I tell you I have searched many churches over many years and this is the first one to grab my attention and keep it. A big part of that is having a "leading family" who is "human".

Anyway, after church we stay for a short, but necessary meeting, then it's off to the grocery store and home to fix lunch. Mom does feed the baby while I prepare the big, and quite delicious, salad, along with one of those already cooked and ready to eat rottissiere chickens from the deli.
We eat lunch with nothing unusual or stressful happening. My oldest granddaughter, finished with her lunch goes to the refrigerator and starts pulling on the handle saying, "yoyert" ... it has become a ritual at nap time and bedtime that we watch one of her favorite cartoons on demand while I feed her a cup of yogurt and then it's off to sleep. (There are actually times that she is so tired that she will go for the "yoyert" herself.) I open the fridge, she grabs the ritual snack, I grab the spoon and off we go. Mom takes the baby in with her and all is good. Maw Maw's precious girl finishes her yogurt with heavy eyes and is about to fall asleep when my phone rings. It's my son, her father, calling to see what the girls are doing. I tell him about to take naps and he says he will call later. She is quickly back off to la la land when once again the phone rings. This time it is my mother, telling me she is so tired she can't stay awake and the baby won't stop fussing and climbing all over her and if she puts her in her crib she is just going to scream, so would I come and get her. I feel the aggravation rise, as my granddaughter is once again awake and I'm still fighting to keep my eyes open. I can feel that I am being set up to fail a big test miserably. I pray on the way in to get the baby that I will not loose my cool and that both girls will go to sleep within a few minutes so that I may, completely, dose off this time.

Remember I said earlier that my mom helps God sometimes to test me? Well this was their conspiracy today. I got the baby in to the room with me and my oldest granddaughter. Even though they are both so young they are like little giggling school girls whenever they see each other. So for the first few moments they squeal and laugh and grab at each others faces and hair until I can get them to calm down. Within 2 minutes, the wild climbing child that my mother had is fast asleep, hmmm? I go to put her into her sister's crib and her sister notices she is asleep so she has to yell her name. Apparently the baby forgot to read the manual that says nobody sleeps if the oldest isn't sleeping. I tell the oldest to be quiet and I put the baby in the crib and pat her butt a few times. As soon as I am confident that she is fast asleep I walk away. The oldest then decides her first yell wasn't loud enough so she gives another and, yep, it works!!! So the baby is awake and screaming. I get her and put her to sleep 3 more times just to have the older sister wake her back up 3 more times.

Guess what folks? I failed the test miserably after the 4th time of putting her down and the oldest waking her back up. I lost my temper, I yelled, I spanked the oldest, put the youngest back in the crib to scream, put the oldest back in my bed and dared her to get down. I then stormed off into the kitchen like a child and began slamming things around, and thinking if I can't sleep nobody is going to. Yes, I went there, I became the oldest sister, who by the way isn't even 2 yet. Like I said I failed miserably. I put my meatloaf together while talking to God and asking Him why He must test me on Sunday of all days ... I get up with every intention of being a good christian and He has to test me when He knows I am fairly new to this.
My talk with God helped and after getting the loaf in the oven I got the baby once again, put on demand on for the oldest and within 5 minutes they were both asleep. I could have went to sleep also, but I was too worked up so I decided to get on and check my blog. The result is a new blog called "being tested by God" and as I struggle to keep my eyes open, for the second time today, I think I should end. Take care and God bless!!!