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!!!

3 day bender???

I just got done reading on one of my online pages that I belong to that a friend on that page is recovering from a 3 day bender. This friend is a "Christian" and this is exactly what I am talking about. This is such a misrepresentation of God and His word. If you are truly a Christian you are not going to be going on 3 day benders. You are not going to be using drugs and if you smoke cigarettes you will be doing your best to stop. It states in the Bible that our body is a temple and we should treat it as such. Gluttony is a sin and that means overindulgence in anything. I'm not saying that I am not guilty of gluttony in one way or another but I'm not going to post it on a page as if it's a good thing to go against God's word while calling myself a Christian. I just don't understand this kind of thinking. I see "Christians" posting things all the time about going to bars or other parties and how much fun they had and how drunk they got. I'm not saying that drinking alcohol is a sin, it's the over indulgence of it that makes it a sin. You might see me having a cold beer one day, because I am one of those strange people who really enjoy the taste. What you won't see me doing is pounding down one beer after another with the goal of getting intoxicated. I just want someone to explain to me how this is christian-like behavior?

I think many "Christians" need to get back to the basics of the Bible and God's word. You know how when you were young and you would go to ball camps, rather it be baseball, softball, basketball or football, they would take you back to basics, because after playing for so many years people get away from the basics. Those are the things that taught you to play the game right in the first place and helped you to focus on how to be the best player you could be. We need a back to the basics camp for Christians so that they can remember how to be the best Christians that they can be. If you are going to represent God, please do so with Jesus in your heart and leading your day. I am positive that there is not one day that Jesus will lead you into a bar, party or any other gathering with the intention to get drunk.

Where does it say

that as the times change the word of God can be changed to fit the society of that time? I wonder where the churches who try to change the word of God to keep people coming to their church have received the authority to do so. I have, yet, to come across, or know anyone else who has come across, a scripture in the Bible that states it is okay to change the meaning behind God's word to make it easier to follow as more people, and society in general, move farther away from God. The problem with today's society having such a problem with following God's word is that each new generation has gotten farther and farther away from the true meaning of God's word, The Gospel. If people followed the Gospel and taught it to their children, who in turn taught it to their children and it was taught, the way it was intended, from generation to generation, it wouldn't be so difficult to follow because we would have never got away from it to begin with. I want to know who has the right to change God's word? I have actually heard people tell me that they talked to their Minister, Pastor, Priest, about certain situations in their life trying to figure out how to handle it according to the Bible and what God wrote, only to have their Clergyman tell them that God's word can't be used the same in today's world as when it was written. That just blows my mind ... who gives them the right to change what God wrote? There are too many clergymen out there preaching watered down versions of The Gospel. There are too many people calling themselves "christians" and representing God in very un-Godlike ways. I will discuss more about the things I witness on a daily basis that I can't understand how anyone can think it is what God intended for His world or His children living in it.