Wanna Know What I Look Like???

Dr. Elizabeth sitting on front steps of home
January 2003. This was part of the picture set taken for our 25th anniversary - OK, about 8 months after the actual date, but the thought was there...

Today I posted this comment to the Incommunion blog:

Seems to me that saintliness involves making those minute-to-minute choices that align our lives with God's Will. The closer someone comes to that, the loser he is to sainthood. When we procrastinate, when we concentrate on our personal "druthers," when we avoid responsibility, we are choosing to not align our lives with God's Will. These are very small things, but they are telling.

God knows that I fail miserably in these minute-to-minute choices - and minute-to-minute I usually don't even recognize my failings! But as I look back on my day or my week, I see where I failed. Despite my intentions to improve, I fail again and again and again at the same, humdrum little choices. The Saint-Next-Door doesn't fail at them.

Lord, have Mercy upon us!

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Well, even as an old, conflicted public health nurse who did work in family planning for a while, I'm totally nonplussed by this:

I Had An Abortion Tee-Shirt

Can you believe it? Lord, have Mercy!

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I was referred to the Ecumenical Insanity Blog through Fr. Hans Jacobse's Blog (boy, I'm getting blogged-down... :-p.) check this out:

Ten Suggestions from the NCC

Goodness, I guess we should just tell those naughty Al Quaeda boys that they should stand in the corner for their misbehavior.

While I don't think war solves most international problems, on the other hand, occasionally it absolutely is necessary. The war on terrorism is just as much of a war as WWII - the stakes are just as high, if not higher. More people were killed at the Twin Towers on 9/11 than at Pearl Harbor - and the Twin Towers was filled with civilians, not military. The Pentegon lost more civilian employees than military members. So this is somehow not an action meriting our reasoned response? I don't think so!

Lord, have Mercy!

Elizabeth

Today is the Feast for St. Anthony of the Kievan Caves, Saints Leontius, Maurice, Daniel, Anthony, and the 45 Martyrs of Nicopolis in Armenia. Glory to God for All Things! Blessed Saints pray for us!
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The ol' curmudgeon is going through cardiac rehab, and I'm tagging along. Each session throws me into a "flare" of fibromyalgia, but the flares don't last long. Overall, I'm feeling a little better, I think. Having to go to rehab is "making" me exercise and I need that impetus. I got him an exercise bike because his hips are bothering him so much when he tries to use the treadmill. Now he has no excuse for not excercising! Of course, neither do I, except my own laziness. The ol' curmudgeon has set up the other TV downstairs in front of the bike. Now I just need to get a really cheap DVD/VCR to play DVDs and tapes while exercising. TV is such a vast wasteland. Ninety-nine channels of BLEAH programs and nothing to watch.
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Why do we need another "layer" of bureaucracy - the Intelligence Czar recommended by the 9-11 commission? Seems to me that just refurbishing the CIA Chief's position in line with the 1949 law that created the CIA would do it.
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Mr. Magnus, the big black cat, eats separately from "the girls" so they won't steal his food and so he won't eat theirs. Having a cat on a special diet is very interesting. The girls are convinced his food must be better than theirs. He's convinced their food must be better than his. I'm not convinced either food is better - just different. Figuring out how to get the Magnatronic to drink more water was a pain - but managed to do it. Now, if I could just keep them from using the corner of the dining room as a sand box I'll be happy.
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May God bless all who read this.

Our "Journey to Orthodoxy" page is nearly complete. Just need to have the ol' curmudgeon check it over and be sure I didn't leave anything out.

Have a really bad nerve-pinch "catch" in my back today - I think there is a chiropractic visit in my near future. Got all but 4 cases completed, but those 4 are "bears." Don't think I can even pick one of them up with this catch in my back.

Interesting about the visit of Metropolitan Laurus to Patriarch Alexy. Many people are upset about it, but more are relieved that these conversations are going on. I don't think a reunion between the ROCOR and the Moscow Patriarchate will happen in my lifetime, but I do think it is going to happen in the next 30 or 40 years.

I'm continually stunned by the tasteless and sexually explicit ads on TV. There isn't a channel to go to in order to avoid them, unless I want to watch Disney, Nickolodeon or the 'Toons channel - to whicih I say "bleah." I don't think I would object quite so much except these ads are on during the day and in the early evening when kids are watching. What kind of information are they picking up with all the ads for aphrodisiacs, feminine products, incontinence and gastrointestinal products? One of the grandchildren asked if I used a certain product and just didn't understand when I explained that was not a topic for general conversation, and even if it were, it was none of his business.

Bah, humbug! I'm beginning to feel like Socrates when he went on his rant about the "younger" generation!

Bamma's Place is almost ready for the first pages to be uploaded to the server. I'm really looking forward to getting past that point.

Wish the "silly season" had not started so early in the year. I'm sick to death of all the political mud-slinging. The innuendos and outright lies being told by people in all the parties are disgusting. It has gotten worse in the past several years, and I no longer vote "for" someone, rather I vote "against" the opponent. I no longer believe any political figure even tries to be objective and carry out policies that are best for the country. They are all self-serving, bought and paid-for by the various special interest groups. I won't discuss who I'm going to support here, but rest assured I will vote.

Family and friends are great comforts in times of trial. When the ol' curmudgeon had a heart attack in May, so many people rallied around him and supported me, it was so touching. Thank you to all!

Still plugging away on the Calendars.

Still plugging away on the reading.

There just isn't enough time in the day to get everything done! [whine!]

Where are the reasonable people in this political season? Seems the Dems and Reps are all so extreme. After reading Zell Miller's book about the Democrats, I'm more and more disgusted with the national parties. Some of the things he said about the Dems applies to the Libertarians, too. We need people who will address the major issues in a reasonable way. The media isn't doing us any good with the slanted and innacurate reporting they do. What has happened to separating the factual news from the editorializing? This blog is editorial. It's in my little corner of the web, but certainly not on the front page.

How often will we have to re-live history because we don't learn from it? This is very sad. Ad hominem attacks just won't create viable national policies.

In my limited way, I've been creating an Orthodox Nativity Calendar. It's turning out to be much more involved than I ever imagined! First, I realised that the Calendar could not be a typical "Advent" calendar. First, most of them are rather trite, no matter how beautiful the background picture might be. Second, I didn't want my grandchildren to think that December 25 ended our celebrations - so I am taking it through Jan 7, the Synaxis of St. John the Baptist and Forerunner. Whew!

So, OK, it won't be "done" for this year. It probably will be an ongoing project, with additions of some sort every year.

So far, I have some saints for each day, along with a few of the Troparia and Kontakia. Next year I want to add an activity for each day, and maybe a craft and a song-page for each day. Eventually there will be a coloring page, a Scripture page, a Story page and a recipe page for each day, too. Whew!

Then I thought, How about a Lenten Calendar, too? So that's on the back burner, but with Lent staring us in the face in the next several weeks, I guess I'd better get it going soon! But since the Menaion is different for each day, I'll just stick to the weekly Triodion. A page for the Annunciation will be needed, of course. Any ideas out there? Contact me HERE and put "Nativity Calendar" or "Lenten Calendar" in the subject!

Happy New Year!

Resolution: to read the major documents about the founding of our country:
Magna Carta
Mayflower Compact
Federalist Papers
Declaration of Independence
Constitution
various Presidential Inaugural Addresses and major speeches.

Good News: They are available for reading FREE on-line! I am constantly amazed at the amount of really good literature that is available on-line. Check out these places: Project Gutenberg, Kellscraft, The Federalist to name only a few places. I won't go into all the places I have found poetry (both great and sappy) and song lyrics.

Cheerio!

New to blogging, but thought I'd try.

This will be a project to get organized thoughts into a diary of sorts. If this works, then maybe I'll add a blog to one of the websites.

So where do I stand on various things?
1. Orthodox Christian
2. Female in my 60s, married, have children and grandchildren
3. Politically conservative (but not reactionary) and lean toward being Libertarian, but have some major issues with each of the political parties
4. Like "classical" music, especially Baroque
5. Enjoy websurfing
6. Have health issues I deal with fairly well
7. Well-educated; fairly well-rounded
8. Watch FOX News Network; listen to radio talkshows

OK. That's all for today. Have to think about what I want to post tomorrow or the next day...