Reflections - Author Unknown

I received this from Patti. Thought it belonged here.

Reflections....

Reflections.. and then it's winter before we know it....

You know, time has a way of moving quickly and catching you unaware of the passing years.

It seems just yesterday that I was young, just married and embarking on my new life with my mate. And yet in a way, it seems like eons ago, and I wonder where all the years went. I know that I lived them all...

And I have glimpses of how it was back then and of all my hopes and dreams... but, here it is... the winter of my life and it catches me by surprise...

How did I get here so fast? Where did the years go and where did my babies go? And where did my youth go?

I remember well... seeing older people through the years and thinking that those older people were years away from me and that winter was so far off that I could not fathom it or imagine fully what it would be like...

But, here it is... wife retired and she's really getting gray... she moves slower and I see an older woman now. She's in better shape than me... but, I see the great change... Not the one I married who was young and vibrant... but, like me, her age is beginning to show and we are now those older folks that we used to see and never thought we'd be.

Each day now, I find that just getting a shower is a real target for the day! And taking a nap is not a treat anymore...it's mandatory! 'Cause if I don't on my own free will...I just fall asleep where I sit!

And so, now I enter into this new season of my life unprepared for all the aches and pains and the loss of strength and ability to go and do things.

But, at least I know, that though the winter has come, and I'm not sure how long it will last... This I know, that when it's over... its over... Yes , I have regrets. There are things I wish I hadn't done... things I should have done. But indeed, there are many things I'm happy to have done Its all in a lifetime...

So, if you're not in your winter yet... let me remind you, that it will be here faster than you think. So, whatever you would like to accomplish in your life please do it soon!

Life goes by quickly, so do what you can today, because you can never be sure whether this is your winter or not!

You have no promise that you will see all the seasons of your life... so, live for good today and say all the things that you want your loved ones to remember...

"Life is a gift to you. The way you live your life is your gift to those who came after. Make it a fantastic one."

LIVE IT WELL!!

~author unknown~

Cribbed from Sara . . .

1. FIRST NAME: Elizabeth
2. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? Yes! My grandmother and grandfather, and "The Little Colonel"
3. WHEN DID YOU LAST CRY? Yesterday
4. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? Nope
5. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT? Depends on the day. Sometimes beef, sometimes ham.
6. DO YOU HAVE KIDS? Yah! 3 + 11 grandkids!
7. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? I think so
8. DO YOU HAVE A JOURNAL? This blog and an another one I post to occasionally.
9. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT? Not much.
10. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? Nope
11. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? Absolutely NOT!
12. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? Alpen
13. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? No - have a hard time bending to re-tie them.
14. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? No.
15. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM? Breyer's Dulce La Leche
16. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE? Their eyes.
17. RED OR PINK? Red
18. WHAT IS YOUR LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? My slothfulness and procrastination.
19. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? 3 people - my Mom, and both my mothers-in-law
20. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO SEND THIS BACK TO YOU? No, just blog it.
21. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES YOU ARE WEARING? I'm wearing my bathrobe and nightie! :-)
22. THE LAST THING YOU ATE? Toast and cheese.
23. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? Watching TV - Animal Planet.
24. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? Any shade in the blue-green spectrum!
25. FAVORITE SMELL? I don't know - can't put my finger on it.
26. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? My DD
27. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU? Picked it up from a blog.
28. FAVORITE DRINK: Schweppes Raspberry Gingerale!!
29. FAVORITE SPORT: To do: Swimming. To watch: Figure skating
30. HAIR COLOR? multicolored - gray, brown, auburn, white
31. EYE COLOR? Brown / hazel
32. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? Used to. Wish I still could!
33. FAVORITE FOOD? Nearly anything! Especially if it's bad for me! :->
34. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDING? Happy endings - of course
35. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
36. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? Teal
37. SUMMER OR WINTER? Summer
38. HUGS OR KISSES? Both! I'm greedy!
39. FAVORITE DESSERT? Creme Brulee AND Caramel Nut-Roll (vanilla ice cream rolled in broken pecans in a sundae dish with caramel sauce, whipped cream and a cherry on top!!
40. MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND? Who knows?
41. LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND? Dunno!
42. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING? "Kill All the Lawyers" - a murder mystery about a pair of attorneys
43. WHAT'S ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? The mouse and some cat hair from the 3-K's
44. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON TV LAST NIGHT? I didn't watch TV last night - watched a movie!
45. FAVORITE SOUNDS? Depends on my mood. Birdies chirping and singing, children laughing, Orthodox chant, Sarah Brightman and Charlotte Church singing "Pie Jesu"
46. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES? Beatles!
47. THE FURTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME? Canada
48. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT? Teaching.

TAG! You're it, now!!

Fun Christmas Survey - - - - - My Answers!

TAG! You're it!

Fun Christmas Survey - - - - - My Answers!

1. Hot chocolate or apple cider?
Both! Anything worth doing is worth overdoing!

2. Turkey or Ham?
I prefer Turkey, but we usually have ham because it is so soon after Thanksgiving

3. Do you get a Fake or Real cut it yourself Christmas tree?
Fake now for lots of reasons

4. Decorations on the outside of your house?
One artifical wreath

5. Snowball fights or sledding?
Neither - when you live in the Hotlanna area, there either is zero snow, or not enough for either! But later in the winter we might be able to have an ice fight...

6. Do you like hanging around the fireplace because it's warm?
Fireplace doesn't "work." I'd love it if it gets cold enough. Hasn't so far...

7. Do you enjoy going downtown shopping?
NO NO NO NO NOOOOOOOOOOO

8. Favorite Christmas song?
A lovely carol called "Walking in the Air" and nearly anything by John Rutter

9. How do you feel about Christmas movies?
Hate most of them

10. When is it too early to start listening to Christmas music?
On Christmas Eve! We don't celebrate Christmas until Christmas.

11. Stockings before or after presents?
Before

12. Carolers, do you or do you not listen to them?
If it's kids from the various local churches, I love them!

13. Go to someone else's house or they come to you?
Since we celebrate on civil calendar Jan 7, the family comes to us!

14. Do you read the Christmas Story?
The Gospel is read at Church, but we read it individually at home, too.

15. What do you do after presents and dinner?
Just have fun together

16. What is your favorite holiday smell?
Cinnamon with cloves and pine needles and bayberry candles all mixed up into one ambience (Christmas potpourri works).

17. Ice skating or walking around the mall?
Neither!

18. Favorite Christmas memory?
Every year brings a new favorite!

19. Favorite part about winter?
Eventually it will end!

20. Ever been kissed under mistletoe?
Of course! What red-blooded southern belle hasn't been? ;-)

Cribbed from Meg . . .

xx Years Ago I....

30 Years Ago I...
- was 34
- had just remarried after an unwanted divorce from XH
- didn't know my mother would die the next year
- was an Anglican

25 years Ago I...
- Was 39
- had been Orthodox for 3 years
- was living in Decatur GA
- had 2 teenagers and one elementary-school kid

20 years Ago I...
- Was 44
- was working at Clemson University
- had a "commuter marriage" as DH was working in Atlanta and commuting to Clemson on weekends :-(
- was planning to get PhD

15 Years Ago I...
- was 49
- was in the throes of getting PhD
- had oldest son back from military living with us
- worked as a graduate research assistant and as a nurse practitioner in my "copious spare time"
- had just taken over moderatorship of the Orthodox Women's List

10 Years Ago I...
- was 54
- had my PhD in hand
- had buried my father 2 years before
- "only" had 4 grandchildren
- was looking for a job

5 Years Ago I...
- was 59
- was dealing with husband having heart problems
- was settling into new house in Lawrenceville Ga (!!)
- was working at home in my own business
- "only" had 5 grandchildren

4 years ago I...
- Was 60
- doing the same stuff as at 59
- went to the one and only college reunion I've gone to
- spent time with my best friend from college!
- "only" had 6 grandchildren

2 Years Ago I...
- Was 62
- welcomed 10th grandchild into the world!
- nearly lost husband to another heart attack
- put kitchen renovation on the wish list in case we ever win the lottery

1 Year Ago I...
- Was 63
- welcomed 11th (and probably last) grandchild into the world!
- gradually became more and more crippled
- continued to work at business

Yesterday I...
- slept most of the day
- washed bathing suit and towels in anticipation of today's aquatic therapy
- listened to some music tracks DH downloaded from the internet
- ate some of DH's wonderful chicken soup!

Today I...
- went to aquatic therapy
- had a *good* day!! :-D
- talked to XH's sister on the phone
- finished the next to last case on my plate for the moment!

Tomorrow I...
- will finish the last case (for the moment!)
- babysit the 4yo grandson (happy-happy joy-joy!!)
- do various therapy exercises
- prepare supper for GS and DH

Tag: To anyone who wants to pick it up.

Great Day!!

Friday was miserable. My hands were swollen and just plain HURT! I decided this is how I would have to live the rest of my life, and tried to resign myself to it. Took the Methotrexate and soaked my hands in hot water at every chance. Have to get some paraffin, I decided.
Saturday morning I woke up and it was as if it had never happened. I don't know why, but I'm not asking any questions! Just accepting the grace given. Sat and Sun I was dragging around and just couldn't stay awake, so I decided being asleep 3/4 of the time was a small price to pay for the lack of pain.
Woke up today and I had energy! Not like when I was in my twenties, of course, but more than I've had in months - maybe years. Went to aquatic therapy and stayed in the pool for nearly 2 hours.
I was tired when I got back, but didn't even nap. Was able to get an urgent case finished, and do a little stuff around the house, even.
Gee, if this continues, I might even get the house cleaned up by Nativity!! Wow! What a concept!
Tomorrow is an early pool day (6am), and the day I babysit the 4yo GS - Happy-Happy Joy-Joy!
Thursday is early swim, hand therapy and then lunch and shopping with uncle. I think I'll sleep all day Friday...

Things I Have Done

Well, I swiped this from Meg, who says she swiped it from Phillipa! The things I have done are in BOLD.

Things I've Done (Or Not Done, as the Case May Be)

What about you???

01. Bought everyone in the bar a drink (all 3 of them!)
02. Swam with wild dolphins
03. Climbed a mountain (if you count Blood Mountain, Grandfather Mountain, and other peaks in the Southern Appalachians - they don't approach the Rockies, much less Everest, but they ARE mountains!)
04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive (No, but I did take a jaguar
05. Been inside the Great Pyramid
06. Held a tarantula.
07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
08. Said “I love you’ and meant it!
09. Hugged a tree
10. Bungee jumped
11. Visited Paris (Does Paris KY count?? LOL)
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea (Not at sea, but from the top of Blood Mountain - spectacular!)
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise (MANY times! We used to climb Stone Mountain on New Years Eve after the party was over just so we could watch the sun come up! This was long before the Gondola...)
14. Seen the Northern Lights
15. Gone to a huge sports game (Can't get too much bigger than GA-GA Tech or GA Tech-Auburn; then there are the Braves games...)
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables (actually, it was my X who was the gardener, and we ate the veggies all summer and fall. Winter, too, if I were energetic enough to can them)
18. Touched an iceberg
19. Slept under the stars
20. Changed a baby’s nappy (3 children, 11 grandchildren - and you think I haven't changed diapers!! Not to mention being an OB nurse and nurse-midwife...)
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
22. Watched a meteor shower - in the desert SW - gorgeous!
23. Drunk champagne
24. Given more than you can afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment (at my mother's memorial service - I was remembering some of the silly things we used to do - had to pretend I was crying so I wouldn't shock all the little old ladies)
27. Had a food fight
28. Bet on a winning horse.
29. Asked out a stranger
30. Had a snowball fight
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
32. Held a lamb (and baby goats and a couple of calves, numerous kittens, not to mention delivering lots of babies)
33. Seen a total eclipse (Mama took me out on our back driveway. We could see the whole thing from there. She made me use about 8 layers of blackened film to keep from hurting my eyes. I really resented it - wanted to look at the "real" thing.
34. Ridden a roller coaster (LOVE roller coasters! Can't ride them anymore, but if I could, I'd join the American Coaster Enthusiasts and trek all over the country riding different ones!
35. Scored a winning goal (playing "Speedball" in college - this is a combination of soccer, football and basketball, played on a football-sized field. You can't hold the ball (as in soccer) but it's scored like basketball. Really great!
36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment (actually, most of the time I do feel happy about my life. Family calls me a "space biscuit" [light and flakey] and a "happy camper")
39. Visited all 5 continents (Don't I wish!!)
40. Taken care of someone who was drunk (YUCK!)
41. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
42. Watched wild whales
43. Stolen a sign
44. Backpacked
45. Taken a road-trip
46. Gone rock climbing
48. Midnight walk on the beach
49. Gone sky diving
50. Taken a train through Europe
51. Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love
52. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger’s table, and had a meal with them (at Rich's, in the 50's and early 60's, they used to ask people eating alone if they were willing to share their table. I always said yes, and often was seated at someone's table who also had said yes.)
53. Milked a cow (lots)
54. Alphabetized your CDs (even as I post - for the 43rd time...)
55. Sung karaoke (There's a karaoke bar in downtown Lawrenceville - less than a mile from the house!)
56. Lounged around in bed all day
57. Gone scuba diving
58. Kissed in the rain
59. Gone to a drive-in theatre (Especially the Moonlit in Conyers when I was at EaO. We called it the "Moonlit Passion Pit"
60. Started a business
61. Taken a martial arts class (Tai Chi)
62. Been in a movie
63. Crashed a party (in my foolish and jmisspent youth we used to do this all the time!)
64. Gone without food for 5 days (make that 25 days! Have not always acted with intelligence.
65. Gotten a tattoo (betcha didn't now that piece of useless trivia!)
66. Got flowers for no reason (well, there's always a reason if you count, "I just want them" as a reason!)
67. Performed on stage
68. Been to Las Vegas - but didn't stay - drove right through on the way to San Francisco from Salt Lake City
69. Recorded music
70. Eaten shark
71. Buried one/both of your parents. (Both)
72. Been on a cruise ship
73. Spoken more than one language fluently
74. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
75. Walked a famous bridge
76. Had plastic surgery
77. Survived an accident that you shouldn’t have survived
78. Wrote articles for a large publication.
77. Tried to lose weight seriously (doesn't work for long, but I keep trying...)
79. Piloted an airplane
80. Petted a stingray.
81. Broken someone’s heart (I should be beaten for that one!)
82. Broken a bone (Does my pinky toe count??)
83. Eaten sushi (favorite meal!)
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Parasailed
86. Skipped all your school reunions (so far, skipped all but 2)
87. Shaved your head (may do this, yet, depending on how much of my hair falls out with the new medicine)
88. Caused a car accident
89. Pretended to be “sick” (Meg sez: who's pretending? I call it "sick and tired leave") (I sez: I call them "Mental Health Days!")
90. Swam in the Pacific Ocean (and the Atlantic and the Gulf of Mex)
91. Saved someone’s life.
92. Fainted
93. Been in the room while someone is giving birth (too many times to count!)
94. Hitchhiked
95. Adopted a child
96. Been caught daydreaming
97. Been to the Painted Desert
98. Called off a wedding engagement
99. Donated your blood
100. Become a follower of Jesus Christ

I don't know if that last really counts. I can't remember when I was not a Christian.

Hair Yesterday - - Goon Today!

      Since I'm going on Methotrexate tomorrow, today I had my 3 1/2 feet of hair chopped off. Locks of Love got 20 inches of it after ends were trimmed. I now don't need to "do" anything much to my hair - just rub conditioning cream and then styling mousse into it and "scrunch" it in my hands. I can do my hand exercises while I "scrunch!"
      Don't much like it, prefer long hair, but this is an interesting change. And, if part or all falls out, at least Locks of Love got it! I'll post pics as soon as my DD sends the ones we took today.
      The change of weather plus "pushing too hard" and "overdoing" the past several days is catching up with me. I don't dare stop going to the pool, but I'm going to have to take a break - take a really decent nap each day tomorrow and Saturday.
      DD went with me to get myhair cut. She made lots of good suggestions to the hairdresser. My hair is soooo naturally curly, it is really hard to handle. She is just marvelous. DIL likes my hair, so that's 2 who like it. Ol' Curmudgeon says I'm still his "Windy-Girl." I don't know, yet, whether I like it, though.
      I can almost be grateful that I have developed RA - it has brought DD, DIL and me closer together. They have both been so supportive it has truly touched my heart.

The Current Dilemma

      Recently I've been remiss in posting here. With the new diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis, I have been struggling with whether to post about how it is going or simply to ignore it. I don't want this blog to degenerate into a pity party.
      Yesterday I had an appointment with my rheumatologist (a wonderful man!) who is very successful in treating his RA patients. He's somewhat aggressive, but believes that "throwing the book" at RA fairly early in the disease process is more likely to achieve remissions. And for most of his patients he is correct. So I am assuming he is correct in early aggressive treatment in my case. The long and the short of it is that I'm going on methotrexate (Rheumatrex). This is an old cancer drug that is pretty successful in achieving remissions in early, mild to moderate RA. I start on it on Friday. As with any therapy with powerful drugs, there are good things and bad things. The good is, of course, the high percentage of remissions achieved with it. The bad things are: high possibility of major hair loss :-( and serious nausea.
      So tomorrow (Thursday) I will go get my 3 1/2 feet of thick naturally curly hair chopped off and donate it to Locks of Love. It will make my aquatic therapy easier, as I won't be so reluctant to get my hair wet. It will also remove a serious source of vanity. Those are the "up" sides of the possibility of hair loss!
      The "up" side of the possibility of serious nausea is, perhaps I'll actually lose serious weight. That would be good for the joints in my feet, ankles, knees, hips and spine.
      As my dear, dear friend Meg says - "Glory to God for All Things!" We need to remember - and I, in particular need to remember - that God is, indeed, in charge of all. He both can and will redeem all things in His time. That is a great comfort.
      So, there is no "pity party" here - just the daily struggle to improve my spiritual life and to keep my physical health as good as possible as long as possible.
      Now, I'm going to aquatic therapy and get my joints moving!

The Republicans Missed the Boat

In 1994, the incoming Congress, with substantial Republican majority, set forth with a mandate to implement the Contract with America. (See below.) They managed to implement parts of that contract. Had they truly worked with their collegues in both the House and the Senate, however, all aspects of the contract would have passed - and Presidential vetos could have been overcome.

Now, as we approach the 2006 interim elections, there is a question as to whether the Republicans will retain their majority. I contend they will not and that it is because of 2 major things - failure to continue to honor the spirit of the Contract with America and an arrogance that led both to pervasive immorality and fiscal corruption. That arrogance, that immorality and that fiscal corruption are the chief reasons people do not trust them. Now, I do not think that Republicans are any more or less immoral or fiscally corrupt than any other political group, but their arrogance, hubris if you will, has led to their current problems. Am I going to vote Republican this election? Yes - but only because my Senators and Representative were true to the Contract. If I were in another state or another district, however, I most probably would be having second thoughts.

We need smaller government, not ever-larger.
We need fewer taxes, not more.
We need simpler tax laws, not ever-more complex ones.
We need committment to family and family values - lived by our Senators and Representatives, not just given lip service.
We need a judiciary that much more strictly adheres to the basic constructs of the Constitution.
We need to be able to live safely - from criminals, from invasion.
We desperately need strict term limits so that representational "dynasties" cannot be created as easily.
We need a morals clause for both Senators and Representatives that will automatically remove from office any member who *during tenure* practices, supports, seeks, or advocates pederasty, pedophilia, adultery, bribery, vote-buying.
We need to forbid any and all lobbying by corporations, political action committees or other groups.

The safety of this nation is paramount - we need less partisan wrangling and more unity supporting both diplomatic and military protections.

= = = = =

REPUBLICAN CONTRACT WITH AMERICA

As Republican Members of the House of Representatives and as citizens seeking to join that body we propose not just to change its policies, but even more important, to restore the bonds of trust between the people and their elected representatives.

That is why, in this era of official evasion and posturing, we offer instead a detailed agenda for national renewal, a written commitment with no fine print.

This year's election offers the chance, after four decades of one-party control, to bring to the House a new majority that will transform the way Congress works. That historic change would be the end of government that is too big, too intrusive, and too easy with the public's money. It can be the beginning of a Congress that respects the values and shares the faith of the American family.

Like Lincoln, our first Republican president, we intend to act "with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right." To restore accountability to Congress. To end its cycle of scandal and disgrace. To make us all proud again of the way free people govern themselves.

On the first day of the 104th Congress, the new Republican majority will immediately pass the following major reforms, aimed at restoring the faith and trust of the American people in their government:

• FIRST, require all laws that apply to the rest of the country also apply equally to the Congress;
• SECOND, select a major, independent auditing firm to conduct a comprehensive audit of Congress for waste, fraud or abuse;
• THIRD, cut the number of House committees, and cut committee staff by one-third;
• FOURTH, limit the terms of all committee chairs;
• FIFTH, ban the casting of proxy votes in committee;
• SIXTH, require committee meetings to be open to the public;
• SEVENTH, require a three-fifths majority vote to pass a tax increase;
• EIGHTH, guarantee an honest accounting of our Federal Budget by implementing zero base-line budgeting.

Thereafter, within the first 100 days of the 104th Congress, we shall bring to the House Floor the following bills, each to be given full and open debate, each to be given a clear and fair vote and each to be immediately available this day for public inspection and scrutiny.

1. THE FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY ACT: A balanced budget/tax limitation amendment and a legislative line-item veto to restore fiscal responsibility to an out- of-control Congress, requiring them to live under the same budget constraints as families and businesses.

2. THE TAKING BACK OUR STREETS ACT: An anti-crime package including stronger truth-in- sentencing, "good faith" exclusionary rule exemptions, effective death penalty provisions, and cuts in social spending from this summer's "crime" bill to fund prison construction and additional law enforcement to keep people secure in their neighborhoods and kids safe in their schools.

3. THE PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY ACT: Discourage illegitimacy and teen pregnancy by prohibiting welfare to minor mothers and denying increased AFDC for additional children while on welfare, cut spending for welfare programs, and enact a tough two-years-and-out provision with work requirements to promote individual responsibility.

4. THE FAMILY REINFORCEMENT ACT: Child support enforcement, tax incentives for adoption, strengthening rights of parents in their children's education, stronger child pornography laws, and an elderly dependent care tax credit to reinforce the central role of families in American society.

5. THE AMERICAN DREAM RESTORATION ACT: A S500 per child tax credit, begin repeal of the marriage tax penalty, and creation of American Dream Savings Accounts to provide middle class tax relief.

6. THE NATIONAL SECURITY RESTORATION ACT: No U.S. troops under U.N. command and restoration of the essential parts of our national security funding to strengthen our national defense and maintain our credibility around the world.

7. THE SENIOR CITIZENS FAIRNESS ACT: Raise the Social Security earnings limit which currently forces seniors out of the work force, repeal the 1993 tax hikes on Social Security benefits and provide tax incentives for private long-term care insurance to let Older Americans keep more of what they have earned over the years.

8. THE JOB CREATION AND WAGE ENHANCEMENT ACT: Small business incentives, capital gains cut and indexation, neutral cost recovery, risk assessment/cost-benefit analysis, strengthening the Regulatory Flexibility Act and unfunded mandate reform to create jobs and raise worker wages.

9. THE COMMON SENSE LEGAL REFORM ACT: "Loser pays" laws, reasonable limits on punitive damages and reform of product liability laws to stem the endless tide of litigation.

10. THE CITIZEN LEGISLATURE ACT: A first-ever vote on term limits to replace career politicians with citizen legislators.

Further, we will instruct the House Budget Committee to report to the floor and we will work to enact additional budget savings, beyond the budget cuts specifically included in the legislation described above, to ensure that the Federal budget deficit will be less than it would have been without the enactment of these bills.

Respecting the judgment of our fellow citizens as we seek their mandate for reform, we hereby pledge our names to this Contract with America.

= = = = =

To see how the various items of the Contract With America fared, and why, check out this Wikipedia article.

USATODAY.com - Official warns US could face North Korean missile

USATODAY.com - Official warns US could face North Korean missile

Updated 10/10/2006 2:47 AM ET
SEOUL (AP) — A North Korean official threatened that communist nation could fire a nuclear-tipped missile unless the U.S. acts to resolve its standoff with Pyongyang, Yonhap news agency reported Tuesday.

"We hope the situation will be resolved before an unfortunate incident of us firing a nuclear missile comes," the unnamed official said on Monday, according to a Yonhap report from Beijing. "That depends on how the U.S. will act." MORE...

Gee, didn't I just blog about this the other day?

Wars and Rumors of Wars

Well, Korea is threatening to test a nuke. So I guess we are back to the days of the "Cold War" of the 60s. Shall we again have "put your head between your legs and kiss your a-- goodbye" drills in the schools?

Seems we have not learned from history and so are doomed to repeat it. Contrary to what the tree-huggers and other liberals would have us believe, simply treating everyone "nicely" won't work - because too many people and nations are not "nice." They are just evil. No matter how "nice" we are to them, they are going to try to bully the world. When will we learn?

To deal with bullys, you have to demonstrate that you are stronger and won't take their bullying any longer. So far, we have proven our weakness by keeping on stepping back. It's like being a mother dealing with a brat:
"Johnny, Mother doesn't like it when you do that!"
"Johnny, now stop that, sweetie!"
"Johnny, didn't I tell you to stop that?"
"Johnny, must I put you in time out?"
"Now, Johnny, I've told you again and again not to do that!"
"I'm going to have to tell Daddy!"
"Johnny!"

Johnny isn't going to stop until he is actually punished - and don't tell me about "time out." He just goes to his room and plays computer or video games. Or watches his TV. Or plays with his other toys. That's not exactly a punishment!! And neither are sanctions - as proven by Saddam Hussein in Iraq. Dictators don't care about sanctions - no matter what they do to their subjects.

No, they need to be "paddled." On the national and international level, a "paddling" involves war. Sad to say. Yes, people will die. But what will happen if we don't? Even more than that will die from one nuked American city, however.

Imagine - Seattle, Portland, and Sacramento going up in a nuclear cloud? What if San Francisco is nuked? Would it unsettle the San Andreas fault and set off the major earthquake we've been expecting? Any or all of those are possible given the estimated ranges of Korean missles.

To Realize - The Loss of Steve Irwin

To Realize The Value

by Anonymous

To realize the value of a sister
Ask someone who doesn't have one.

To realize the value of ten years:
Ask a newly divorced couple.

To realize the value of four years:
Ask a graduate.

To realize the value of one year:
Ask a student who Has failed a final exam.

To realize the value of nine months:
Ask a mother who gave birth to a still born.

To realize the value of one month:
Ask a mother who has given birth to A premature baby.

To realize the value of one week:
Ask an editor of a weekly newspaper.

To realize the value of one hour:
Ask the lovers who are waiting to Meet.

To realize the value of one minute:
Ask a person Who has missed the train, bus or plane.

To realize the value of one-second:
Ask a person Who has survived an accident...

To realize the value of one millisecond:
Ask the person who has won a silver medal in the Olympics

Time waits for no one.

Treasure every moment you have.

You will treasure it even more when you can share it with someone special.

To realize the value of a friend: Lose one.

= = = = =

On Sept 4, 2006, the world lost a friend in Steve Irwin. For those who don't know who Steve is and was, go to:

http://www.crocodilehunter.com.au/crocodile_hunter/about_steve_terri/main.html#

and click on the "Tribute" link. It will pop up a new window.

I have been weepy and in shock for over a week. I was raised on the books by and about Martin and Osa Johnson, on the original "Wild Kingdom" TV show with Marlon Perkins, on the stories and books by Ernest Seton-Thompson. Given different circumstances, I probably would have moved to Australia, studied midwifery there, and been an midwife in the Outback and done natural history kinds of things on the side. I used to capture snakes for fun, and raised black widow spiders for a CDC venom project.

I just loved Steve Irwin and his family. Theirs was the kind of life I used to want to live. I took great joy in the marriage of Steve and Terri, and in the births of their children. He was young enough to be my son, yet I learned so much from him about various animals and their habitats, their lives, their place in God's world. And I came to value God's world even more because of the Irwins - but especially from Steve. His ebullent personality, his infectious enthusiasm, his self-acquired but valid knowledge about animals, their niches in the natural world, the roles they play in our overall ecology - he taught us all about the importance of each specie. He made the unattractive and scary somehow less mysterious, more attractive, and less scary.

One of the many dreams of mine that will not be fulfilled is to go to Australia, visit Australia Zoo and meet Steve and his family in person. Perhaps, health and finances permitting, I will someday make that trip and meet Terri, Bindi Sue and Bobby. I would tell them how much Steve meant to me, an old woman in Georgia in the USA - how much I learned from him and that I miss him.

The love he had for his family, his pride in his wife and children, his unashamed devotion to his late mother and to his father as well as his friends - these were only some of the things that were endearing about him. Any woman would have been proud to have a son like him.

Now Steve Irwin is with God, and the world is emptier. I pray that his lessons on conservation will be spread even farther. My prayers are with his family - his father, his lovely wife, and their children, with his colleagues at Australia Zoo, and his world-wide circle of friends.

May his Memory be Eternal!

Brussels Journal Editor Threatened with Prosecution over Homeschooling | The Brussels Journal

Brussels Journal Editor Threatened with Prosecution over Homeschooling | The Brussels Journal

All you homeschooling parents out there - beware! This will be coming to a community near you - in the all too near future!

FOXNews.com - Report: $1.4 Billion Went to Fraudulent Aid for Katrina Victims - Politics | Republican Party | Democratic Party | Political Spectrum

WASHINGTON — The government doled out as much as $1.4 billion in bogus assistance to victims of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, getting hoodwinked to pay for season football tickets, a tropical vacation and even a divorce lawyer, congressional investigators have found.

Prison inmates, a supposed victim who used a New Orleans cemetery for a home address, and a person who spent 70 days at a Hawaiian hotel all were able to wrongly get taxpayer help, according to evidence that gives a new black eye to the nation's disaster relief agency.

Agents from the General Accountability Office, the investigative arm of Congress, went undercover to expose the ease of receiving disaster expense checks from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

The GAO concluded that as much as 16 percent of the billions of dollars in FEMA help to individuals after the two hurricanes was unwarranted.

The findings are detailed in testimony, obtained by The Associated Press, that is to be delivered at a hearing Wednesday by the House Homeland Security subcommittee on investigations.

To dramatize the problem, GAO provided lawmakers with a copy of a $2,358 U.S. Treasury check for rental assistance that an undercover agent got using a bogus address. The money was paid even after FEMA learned from its inspector that the undercover applicant did not live at the address. MORE

= = = = =

Unfortunately, this story is a "duh." Too many people are just dishonest. And this is the problem with a distant government doling out aid money. Charity belongs to the local areas - to the churches, to the charitable organizations. Charity does not belong at the national governmental level. Our tax dollars should not be used in this way. If I want my money going to people who live in a known hurricane zone who don't bother to prepare or evacuate, then I should be able to designate where it goes and how it is used. The government should not be holding a gun to my head, taking my hard-earned money and just throwing it away like this!

I support the Fair Tax!! And I support *gradually* removing all charitable purposes from the government and turning them back to private charities and churches. If people want to eat, they should work. (2 Thessalonians 3:10-11: "For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat. * For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busybodies.") If they cannot work, then they should be supported by their families or at the discretion of private charities or the churches.

Harsh? Perhaps. But when nearly 30% of the country receives their support from the government, then something is definitely wrong. I'm disabled, but I work from my computer at home. I take no money from SSI.

10 flagrant grammar mistakes that make you look stupid

TechRepublic is one of my favorite places on the internet. This is an older article I managed to miss. Don't know how that happened, but I picked up on it today. The replies were marvelous. Nearly every grammar error that grates on my nerves was covered. Spelling errors, too. and abbreviations. Read and take to heart.

holyoffice: The Interpretative Dance Theocrats

This is totally tongue-firmly-in-cheek, and *funny!*

John J. Miller on Music on National Review Online: Rockin' the Right - The 50 greatest conservative rock songs.

"On first glance, rock ’n’ roll music isn’t very conservative. It doesn’t fare much better on second or third glance (or listen), either. Neil Young has a new song called 'Let’s Impeach the President.' Last year, the Rolling Stones made news with 'Sweet Neo Con,' another anti-Bush ditty. For conservatives who enjoy rock, it isn’t hard to agree with the opinion Johnny Cash expressed in 'The One on the Right Is on the Left': 'Don’t go mixin’ politics with the folk songs of our land / Just work on harmony and diction / Play your banjo well / And if you have political convictions, keep them to yourself.' In other words: Shut up and sing."
more . . .

Doing What is Right in the Sight of God

Abba David said, "Abba Arsenius told us the following, as though it referred to someone else, but in fact it referred to himself. An old man was sitting in his cell and a voice came to him which said, 'Come, and I will show you the works of men.' He got up and followed. The voice led him to a certain place and showed him an Ethiopian cutting wood and making a great pile. He struggled to carry it but in vain. Instead of taking some off, he cut more wood which he added to the pile. He did this for a long time.

Going on a little further, the old man was shown a man standing on the shore of a lake drawing up water and pouring it into a broken receptacle, so that the water ran back into the lake. The voice said to the old man, 'Come and I will show you something else.' He saw a temple and two men on horseback, opposite one another, carrying a piece of wood crosswise. They wanted to go in through the door but could not because they held their piece of wood crosswise. Neither of them would draw back before the other, so as to carry the wood straight; so they remained outside the door. The voice said to the old man, 'These men carry the yoke of righteousness with pride, and do not humble themselves so as to correct themselves and walk in the humble way of Christ. So they remain outside the Kingdom of God. The man cutting the wood is he who lives in many sins and instead of repenting he adds more faults to his sins. He who draws the water is he who does good deeds, but mixing bad ones with them, he spoils even his good works. So, everyone must be watchful of his actions, lest he labor in vain." END

from "The Desert Christian," by Benedicta Ward, (New York; Macmillan, 1975), p. 15-16

Exerpt from: The Ascetic Podvig of Living in the World

by Metropolitan Laurus of Eastern America and New York

Being a true Orthodox Christian, prepared to preserve unto death one's faith in Christ our Saviour, is much more difficult in our day than it was in the first centuries of Christianity. It's true there were persecutions then and Christians were tormented, but the Christians well remembered the Saviour's words, " . . . fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul" (Matt. 11:28). Being fortified by God's grace, they joyfully went to their martyrdom and gave up their lives for Christ. This was also the case in Russia during the torture and persecutions. Now nobody threatens us, living here in freedom, with persecution and torture, but in spite of this, a persecution in its most diverse forms is being carried on against Christianity and against the Christian way of life. Today we see that everything connected with faith in God, with the teaching of God's Word, with Christ's teachings and the teachings of the Orthodox Church, in one way or another is being driven out of a person's life. This process that is taking place in the contemporary world is a process of apostasy, and it can be detected in every aspect of life.

The Old Testament says, "God, to be sure, framed man for an immortal destiny, the created image of His own endless being; but, since the devil's envy brought death into the world, they make him their model that take him for their master" (Wisdom 2:23-25).

We have been given our holy Christian faith so that we might obtain eternal life in blessedness. But to conform perfectly with the spirit of the Founder of our faith, Christ our Saviour, and with His teaching, to really cleanse ourselves morally, to increase in virtue, to become acquainted with spiritual perfection, all this demands special, grace-filled cooperation from above, in addition to an Orthodox person's own efforts. This grace-filled cooperation is called sanctification and is given to us by the Lord. It is achieved by the Holy Spirit in the holy Church founded by our Lord Jesus Christ for our sanctification and salvation.

The Canticle of Pascha

Easter Canticle

Let God Arise - and let his enemies be dispersed!

The Holy Pascha is revealed to us today:
The Pascha new and Holy;
The Pascha Mystical;
The Pascha all honorable;
The Pascha which is Christ the Redeemer,
The spotless Pascha,
The great Pascha.
The Pascha of the Faithful.
The Pascha which has opened unot usthe gates of Paradise,
The Pascha that sanctifies all the Faithful.

As smoke vanishes so let them vanish

Come from that scene O women bearers of glad tidings
And say to Sion:
Receive from us the glad tidings of joy, of Christ's Resurrection:
Exult and be glad and rejoice O Jerusalem,
Seeing Christ the King who comes forth from the tomb
Like a bridegroom in procession.

So the sinners will perish before the face of God,
But let the righteous be glad.

The myrrhbearing women at the break of dawn
Drew ner to the tomb of the life-giver.
There they found an angel sitting upon the stone,
He greeted them with these words:
"Why do you seek the living among the dead?
Why do you mourn the incorrupt amidst corruption?
Go: proclaim the glad tidings to His disciples."

This is the day which the Lord hath made
Let us rejoice and be glad in it!

The Pascha beautiful,
The Pascha of the Lord,
The Pascha,
The Pascha all honorable has dawned for us
The Pascha!
On which let us embrace one another with joy.
O Pascha!
A ransom for sorrow.
For today shining forth from the tomb as from the bridal chamber
Christ filled the women with joy,
Saying, "Proclaim the glad tidings to the Apostles!'

Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
Both now and ever and unto the ages of ages, Amen!

It is the day of Resurrection
Let us be glorious in splendor for the feast,
Let us embrace one another.
Also, brethren, let us speak to those who hate us
And in the Resurrection let us forgive all things.
Therefore, let us cry:

Christ is Risen from the dead;
Trampling down death by death,
And upon those in the tombs bestoring life!

(From the Matins of Pascha)