I have experienced some hard grief in my life. When my mom died, when my sister died and when my dad died are the main times. Before those deaths I hadn't realized how painful, how encompassing, how life-changing grief was. Grief affected my stomach, my chest, my heart, my appetite, my eyes, my thoughts, my responses, my ability to carry out my responsibilities. It was overwhelming and miserable. In remembering back to those deaths, grief still takes me by surprise at times. Not so hard or so thoroughly--but still makes me very sad for a while.
I think about the day of another death--the death of Jesus Christ. We now know the big picture about Christ's death--and His burial and miraculous resurrection--about the meaning and the effectiveness and the promise for the future for all who believe. But at that time the people who surrounded Christ including His disciples, His friends and His followers didn't have much understanding. Some understood parts of the plan. After all, Christ had told Him he would die and then be raised up again. But it's like their eyes were blurry and they couldn't see clearly.
So, Christ died on Thursday or Friday late afternoon. All His followers were broken hearted and extremely disappointed. They were sick with grief. They didn't know how life was going to continue. Many had thought Christ was the King and the Messiah, and now he was dead. There would be no kingdom, no freedom from Roman rule, no more taking care of their need for food. The great provider and teacher and THE Messiah was gone. How would they continue? How could things go back to what they had been before Christ came?
On Sunday morning some of the women went to the tomb where Christ was buried--terrible grief. The stone was gone and so was the body of the Lord. Later some of the disciples came to see if He was really gone. He was and the angel announced, "He is not here. Come see the place where the Lord lay."
I'm sure the light was breaking through the darkess of death and of their minds. Could it be true? It was true. Not only had Christ come back to life, but He would later show Himself to many of His followers.
The words of Scripture say it all? "Oh, death, where is thy sting? Oh, grave, where is your victory?" Christ won the victory. He completed the plan of salvation by his death, burial and His glorious, miraculous resurrection! Praise God for our blessed hope in Christ! Let us live our lives as if that was true--IT IS!!
Have a wonderful Easter. Remember what Christ did for us!
Saturday, April 7, 2012
Saturday, March 24, 2012
Where you at?
About 11 or 12 years ago I worked for the CSU book project for about a year and a half. There had been a flood in Ft. Collins when the river flooded mostly from water from further up the canyon. The library at CSU flooded and many books were ruined--1000s, maybe 100,000s. Each book had to be evaluated, and it had to be determined if part of the book was salvagable (sp?) and if pages could be replaced. If pages could be replaced and the book repaired, the copies of those pages were made by other libraries and then sent to the CSU book project where one aspect of the process was to take the bad pages out and replace them with the new pages.
Anyway, I said all that to talk about how people around the building (2 floors of a condemned dorm) communicated. The main people carried walkie talkies. The phrase that could be heard the most often was, "Where you at?" The lack of good grammar was a thorn in my ears and my brain. I guess it took too long to say, "Where are you?" Actually, I think mostly people didn't even think about the correct sentence.
In my own home, my husband and son play an online game together. They defeat aliens, destroy ships and planets and save the world regulary. From the living room I can't really hear distinctly what they are saying to each other (their computers are in separate bedrooms, but the doors are often open). But what I do hear very distinctly is, "Where you at?" I've tried to teach them the error of their ways, but alas they are stubborn. And I think they like to irritate me (surely not).
I guess...not certain, but I guess that if this is the worst thing to bother me, I've got a pretty easy life. Truthfully it's not the worst thing to bother me, but it may be in the top ten!!
Anyway, I said all that to talk about how people around the building (2 floors of a condemned dorm) communicated. The main people carried walkie talkies. The phrase that could be heard the most often was, "Where you at?" The lack of good grammar was a thorn in my ears and my brain. I guess it took too long to say, "Where are you?" Actually, I think mostly people didn't even think about the correct sentence.
In my own home, my husband and son play an online game together. They defeat aliens, destroy ships and planets and save the world regulary. From the living room I can't really hear distinctly what they are saying to each other (their computers are in separate bedrooms, but the doors are often open). But what I do hear very distinctly is, "Where you at?" I've tried to teach them the error of their ways, but alas they are stubborn. And I think they like to irritate me (surely not).
I guess...not certain, but I guess that if this is the worst thing to bother me, I've got a pretty easy life. Truthfully it's not the worst thing to bother me, but it may be in the top ten!!
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Edgar and Audie
I have been fascinated with two very different individuals. I think I was a teenager when I first heard about Edgar Cayce. He was a man who claimed to "know" things. Other people believed he knew things as well. He was able to put himself to sleep while lying on a couch and then he would answer any number of questions about many topics. He seemed to know things from the past, the present and the future. He was a "psychic." Since the time of his death in 1945 his "prophecies" and "readings" have been collected along with books and articles written about him into a museum of sorts. From what I have read now he is even more well known than he was in his lifetime.
When I was a teen and reading about Cayce, I didn't really believe he had powers or abilities. I guess now as an adult, I've changed my thinking about him and others like him. I think that if they have abilities, they come from Satan. We know that God does not use people to prophesy since the Bible was written. We also know that back then there were people who "knew" things outside of God's influence and were called "witches." There was a woman in the New Testament who was used to make money for some men because she could "prophesy." After she trusted Christ as Savior, her abilities went away. God changed her and she could no longer be used by Satan.
While reading about Edgar is very interesting, I wouldn't think it would be wise to do an all-out study of him and his "readings." I believe the more we are fascinated by ungodly things, the more power they can have over us.
Another man who fascinated me in my life was Audie Murphy. I first became aware of him as an actor in black-and-white westerns and war movies. I found out he had been a World War II hero, and as a matter of fact he was the most decorated soldier of World War II, receiving 33 awards including the highest honors possible. He personally saved or directed the soldiers under his command to save many, many people during battle. He was a fearless fighter and an extremely accurate marksman.
Audie was put on the cover of Life Magazine as the most decorated soldier of the War where his picture was seen by James Cagney who invited him to Hollywood. He became an actor and acted in 44 movies, some with small parts and others as the lead. He had written his biography, To Hell and Back, and it was turned into a major motion picture with him as the reluctant star (he wanted Tony Curtis to play his part). It was Universal's top grossing movie until Jaws. I thought he was wonderful and made wonderful and inspiring movies.
Audie even wrote some country western songs, some of which became famous. He was an amazing man with many talents.
Because Audie Murphy was a small man when he tried to enlist in the service (5'5 1/2" and 110 pounds), he had a hard time getting into the service. Several of the armed services turned him down, but he was finally accepted into the Army. What an impact he had on many people's lives.
I think he is one of my personal heroes.
When I was a teen and reading about Cayce, I didn't really believe he had powers or abilities. I guess now as an adult, I've changed my thinking about him and others like him. I think that if they have abilities, they come from Satan. We know that God does not use people to prophesy since the Bible was written. We also know that back then there were people who "knew" things outside of God's influence and were called "witches." There was a woman in the New Testament who was used to make money for some men because she could "prophesy." After she trusted Christ as Savior, her abilities went away. God changed her and she could no longer be used by Satan.
While reading about Edgar is very interesting, I wouldn't think it would be wise to do an all-out study of him and his "readings." I believe the more we are fascinated by ungodly things, the more power they can have over us.
Another man who fascinated me in my life was Audie Murphy. I first became aware of him as an actor in black-and-white westerns and war movies. I found out he had been a World War II hero, and as a matter of fact he was the most decorated soldier of World War II, receiving 33 awards including the highest honors possible. He personally saved or directed the soldiers under his command to save many, many people during battle. He was a fearless fighter and an extremely accurate marksman.
Audie was put on the cover of Life Magazine as the most decorated soldier of the War where his picture was seen by James Cagney who invited him to Hollywood. He became an actor and acted in 44 movies, some with small parts and others as the lead. He had written his biography, To Hell and Back, and it was turned into a major motion picture with him as the reluctant star (he wanted Tony Curtis to play his part). It was Universal's top grossing movie until Jaws. I thought he was wonderful and made wonderful and inspiring movies.
Audie even wrote some country western songs, some of which became famous. He was an amazing man with many talents.
Because Audie Murphy was a small man when he tried to enlist in the service (5'5 1/2" and 110 pounds), he had a hard time getting into the service. Several of the armed services turned him down, but he was finally accepted into the Army. What an impact he had on many people's lives.
I think he is one of my personal heroes.
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Frankenstein Revisited
Maybe I was wrong. Maybe it wasn't a second head. Maybe it's where the Frankenstein screw fell out of my neck and the doctor had to replace it with stitches. I still have the stitches. I'm getting them out tomorrow. They have become a little bit irritating. The cut is almost healed. I'm just hoping my original head doesn't come off when the stitches are removed.
There was a man who wasn't happy with himself and so he decided to have his arms and legs removed so he could be more streamlined and perfect. However, once he got used to having no arms and legs, he realized he still wasn't happy. He went back for more surgery and had the doctor remove everything but his head. He really liked living this way. He just rolled everywhere he wanted to go. Even if he rolled into the gutter, he could just roll right back out and get to a better place.
One day he decided he was going to go a step further in his search for the ultimate existence. He went back to the doctor and asked him to remove everything but one eye. He thought he would have the very best view of the world if he only had an eye. He lived as an eye for awhile. It seemed to be a pleasant way to live. He had few distractions and had clear vision.
One day while he was seeing the world, a man with big feet was walking near him. While the man was seeking his own clear vision of the world, a bird in the sky distracted him and before he knew it he had stepped on the man who was only an eye.
The moral of this story is...the man should have quit while he was a head.
There was a man who wasn't happy with himself and so he decided to have his arms and legs removed so he could be more streamlined and perfect. However, once he got used to having no arms and legs, he realized he still wasn't happy. He went back for more surgery and had the doctor remove everything but his head. He really liked living this way. He just rolled everywhere he wanted to go. Even if he rolled into the gutter, he could just roll right back out and get to a better place.
One day he decided he was going to go a step further in his search for the ultimate existence. He went back to the doctor and asked him to remove everything but one eye. He thought he would have the very best view of the world if he only had an eye. He lived as an eye for awhile. It seemed to be a pleasant way to live. He had few distractions and had clear vision.
One day while he was seeing the world, a man with big feet was walking near him. While the man was seeking his own clear vision of the world, a bird in the sky distracted him and before he knew it he had stepped on the man who was only an eye.
The moral of this story is...the man should have quit while he was a head.
Sunday, February 5, 2012
When You Lose a Second Head
For a number of months I have had a bump on my neck--some kind of cyst, I guess. It wasn't beautiful, but it wasn't terribly ugly either. A couple of weeks ago it became larger, and my husband (gracious man that he is) said it looked like a second head. It was very ugly and very painful. I decided it was time to go to the doctor and have it removed.
When the doctor saw my second head, she said I needed to be on antibiotics for a week before she worked on removing it. So I took antibiotics and it diminished in size and pain. Because it was still ugly, I kept it covered with a large band aid which had the added benefit of irritating my skin. So now I was sporting a second head and a skin irritation that made me look like I had been exposed to something like agent pink.
I went to the doctor again this past Thursday. After many little shots of anesthesia and after she worked on the head for about 50 minutes, it was all removed. Four stitches were added to seal the deal, and I was told to put cream on the site along with a bandage and to use paper tape to help the skin irritation.
Now three days later the whole thing is looking much better. The stitches aren't pretty, but they have reaped some sympathy for me here at home, and I think they'll do the same thing at work. The paper tape has not worked very well--it tends to migrate to other parts of my neck or onto the neck of my shirt. I think I will only wear a band aid when I'm out and about for just a couple more days.
I hope with the removal of my second head that I didn't lose any important brain cells. It didn't seem to know much anyway, so I think I'm good.
The moral of this story seems to be when you have a growth, have it taken care of before it morphs into something very painful and unpleasant. I probably won't learn that moral. I'm a great one to procrastinate. That's one of the rules I live by.
When the doctor saw my second head, she said I needed to be on antibiotics for a week before she worked on removing it. So I took antibiotics and it diminished in size and pain. Because it was still ugly, I kept it covered with a large band aid which had the added benefit of irritating my skin. So now I was sporting a second head and a skin irritation that made me look like I had been exposed to something like agent pink.
I went to the doctor again this past Thursday. After many little shots of anesthesia and after she worked on the head for about 50 minutes, it was all removed. Four stitches were added to seal the deal, and I was told to put cream on the site along with a bandage and to use paper tape to help the skin irritation.
Now three days later the whole thing is looking much better. The stitches aren't pretty, but they have reaped some sympathy for me here at home, and I think they'll do the same thing at work. The paper tape has not worked very well--it tends to migrate to other parts of my neck or onto the neck of my shirt. I think I will only wear a band aid when I'm out and about for just a couple more days.
I hope with the removal of my second head that I didn't lose any important brain cells. It didn't seem to know much anyway, so I think I'm good.
The moral of this story seems to be when you have a growth, have it taken care of before it morphs into something very painful and unpleasant. I probably won't learn that moral. I'm a great one to procrastinate. That's one of the rules I live by.
Sunday, January 29, 2012
I Have a Dream
Before my husband and I had been married five years, I had a dream that we would celebrate our 5th anniversary by going to Hawaii. I had the same dream for the 10th, the 15th, the 20th, the 25th and maybe for a couple of others.
Then my dream changed. I decided I would rather go on an Alaskan cruise for one of our main anniversaries. I hoped to do that for a number of years. Then my dream changed.
Next summer we will have been married 40 years. What I'm hoping for now is to spend several days and nights in Estes Park in the beautiful Colorado mountains. That's a dream that matches my energies and motivations. I've seen Hawaii and Alaska and the whales on TV. I know it's not the same as going for real, but it's certainly much easier and definitely less expensive.
When I was younger I wanted to learn to play the violin and to go back to school to get an MA. Later I changed my wants to learning to play the guitar instead of the violin, and I'm finished with schooling, although I do think about taking a class online.
I still have the desire to write a book. But I do wonder if I wait a few years to actually write one, how all the new technology will affect that enterprise. Besides wanting to say something, I also want to make money. In the future will this dream be worth anything?
It's good to have dreams. It's good to be realistic. I do dream about living to be 95 like my grandma did, although that may take too much work and it may take too long!
Then my dream changed. I decided I would rather go on an Alaskan cruise for one of our main anniversaries. I hoped to do that for a number of years. Then my dream changed.
Next summer we will have been married 40 years. What I'm hoping for now is to spend several days and nights in Estes Park in the beautiful Colorado mountains. That's a dream that matches my energies and motivations. I've seen Hawaii and Alaska and the whales on TV. I know it's not the same as going for real, but it's certainly much easier and definitely less expensive.
When I was younger I wanted to learn to play the violin and to go back to school to get an MA. Later I changed my wants to learning to play the guitar instead of the violin, and I'm finished with schooling, although I do think about taking a class online.
I still have the desire to write a book. But I do wonder if I wait a few years to actually write one, how all the new technology will affect that enterprise. Besides wanting to say something, I also want to make money. In the future will this dream be worth anything?
It's good to have dreams. It's good to be realistic. I do dream about living to be 95 like my grandma did, although that may take too much work and it may take too long!
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Skirting the Issue
A true story
I was attending Bible college in Denver at least a few years ago now. Cinderella City, a mall in Englewood, was very new--probably a couple years old. I had gone to the mall by myself, and in the middle of the open floor space a petting zoo had been brought in.
What I remember the most were the baby goats. The were very cute and pretty active. I was bending over to pat some little guy, and suddenly I felt a tug on the back of my skirt. I turned quickly around. There was another little "precious" goat with the whole back of my skirt in its mouth. I yanked on it. It all came out very easily, but I was left with a very large (bigger than a frisbee) circle with a lovely green tint to it.
Of course I was embarrassed. If only someone else had been there with me--we could have smirked and laughed together. By myself I could only look around to see who was watching. There was no one as far as I could tell. I think I went and sat down to let the wet spot dry for a little while, and then I left the mall quickly like a prairie dog running for cover.
Good times and good memories.
I was attending Bible college in Denver at least a few years ago now. Cinderella City, a mall in Englewood, was very new--probably a couple years old. I had gone to the mall by myself, and in the middle of the open floor space a petting zoo had been brought in.
What I remember the most were the baby goats. The were very cute and pretty active. I was bending over to pat some little guy, and suddenly I felt a tug on the back of my skirt. I turned quickly around. There was another little "precious" goat with the whole back of my skirt in its mouth. I yanked on it. It all came out very easily, but I was left with a very large (bigger than a frisbee) circle with a lovely green tint to it.
Of course I was embarrassed. If only someone else had been there with me--we could have smirked and laughed together. By myself I could only look around to see who was watching. There was no one as far as I could tell. I think I went and sat down to let the wet spot dry for a little while, and then I left the mall quickly like a prairie dog running for cover.
Good times and good memories.
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