Clean Day

Today is clean day,or at least try to clean day.
Since I had to work yesterday I spent most of Wednesday making supper for Thursday.
My husband and son where in charge of getting the turkey cooked on Thursday for my arrival.
When I got home it was take everything out of the fridge and heat it up for supper.Vic and Bobby did a great job on the turkey,has a matter of fact I could smell it when I got home,even before I opened the door.
We latter went to Vic brother Bills' house where we had desert with he and Mary.
Today when I awoke a pile of dishes sat in the kitchen sink so I put on some upbeat rock and roll music and got to them.Its hard sit still while listening to the doors.
Slowly I will start to take down and put away what few Thanksgiving decorations I have laying around.I have come to the conclusion I have way to much stuff and it is time to purge.What better time to do this then when most of the dishes are out of the cupboard.
The things I no longer want are headed to Danielson,Ct.The Salvation Army store.This way I can clean house,help a non profit make money and give some one something they can admire for a low price.Its kind of a win win situation.
So I hope every one found at least one thing to be Thankful for,I have many.
Today I read that even things that do not work out right for us are experiences to be thankful for because it allowed us to learn and grow.Kind of an optimistic way of looking at things and I'm all for optimism.There are way to many cranky people in this world.Happy is good.So is Grateful and Thankful.

Just Pure Evil

Several weeks ago Ft.Hood was attacked by a crazed gunman spewing the words of Allah.
What would make any person pick up a gun and shoot innocent people for an ideal?
Saturday night while watching Mike Huckabee he had a woman on whose daughter was a reporter for the Little Rock local news station.
Because of her daughters new work hours she asked her mother to call at 5am to make sure she was up.
When the mother called no one answered after several more attempts she drove to the daughters house and found the back door opened.When she entered the daughters bedroom she found her on the bed bleeding from the neck unable to speak.
The mother called 911 to get help and went back to sit with her dying daughter.
The rescue team came into the room,the mother,who felt helpless decided to pray,as she tilted her head up she saw blood splatter all over the ceiling.
She said at that moment I thought to my self "This is pure evil".
Her 26 year old daughter died as a result of her blood loss and injuries,caused from her desperate attempt to fight off her attacker.
The mother said has she was going through her daughters computer she found bible verses every where.Her daughter was truly a good christian who shined out Gods' peace and love and because of this everyone wanted to be near her.
This mother was right maybe we face good and evil all the time.The better a person is the closer evil tries to come near them eventually trying to destroy them.
I think evil is like a drug.The more you use it the bigger the thrill and excitement is but also the bigger the guilt that follows.
Drug addicts start out liking the drug then for the rest of their lives they try to chase the dragon to get that same first thrill.The deeper an addict gets the more the thrill turns into an agony.Never able to recapture that first innocent high.It just becomes a need not an excitement.
Evil is probably the same way.You no longer need the high you need the fix.
Nothing you do can be bad enough until you take some one out with you.
The Our Father prayer,which is pretty universal to most christian religions, has a line that says "lead us not into temptation but deliver us from the evil one."
Most people do not understand the difference between God and the devil.
God loves us, he cares about us and strives to help us.He is ever reaching out to us and ever forgiving us ever calling us to him for our own good.
The Evil one,has we Orthodox Christians call him,has no real personal attachment with us nor does he desire one.His aim is only to steal us away from God.He is not there to help make things better for us nor does he even know us but he does know God and he does have a personal grudge against him.So we become his pawn in what he sees as an ultimate game of domination.
Evil is always all around us and is used to try to pull us away from God.No matter how long you have or have not been a Christian you are always up for grabs.
I tend to think the Evil One knows our weaknesses and tries to play on them.If were religious he tries to turn things making us feel we need to be zealots for the cause.
Some one like the shooter at Ft. Hood or the man who killed Dr.tiller the abortion doctor in his church lobby have this mind set.They become so deluded they miss the point of what being a Christian or Muslim is all about.
Fr.Peter once told me if you feel guilt,anger,or any thing but peace and love it is probably not from God but from the other guy.
There is a reason why in the Our Father prayer we ask God to lead not into temptation but deliver us from evil.
This is a lesson we need to learn if we leave it to our selves we lose our path.We always need Gods' presence to remind us when where veering toward the gutter.We are never with out temptations and we always need a firm,loving and guiding hand to keep us on the right path.

zoo channel

While listening to the news tonight,they showed a hospital in the Midwest,Sioux falls, who has combined with their local zoo to make the zoo channel.The idea is they have some closed circuit pictures taken at the zoos animal pens and baby enclosures and they air it to the children's hospital wards for the kids to watch while they are in their room or having procedures done.
The kids just love them.What a wonderful idea.Who ever though of this idea should be patted on the back.
There are lots of great people out there with great ideas.Some times thinking out of the box pays off.

Care Givers Responsiblity

Friday while at my doctors' office,having my yearly physical,he and I got to talking about our responsibility has health care workers among the sick,even those who may have a disease that can be spread thus putting our own safety at risk.
My doctor talked to me about being an intern in New York City in the 80's and how he was put in the position of treating those with aids.He told me the older doctors did not want to go into their own patients rooms so they sent the interns in instead.
Although I do not deal with many people with contagious diseases I have worked with a gentleman with aids.
At first I was very nervous working with this gentleman but once I got to know him I realized that as long as I took the needed precautions I could still enjoy being with this man.Seeing him has a worth wild,highly intelligent man who still had allot to offer to the world around him.
We as health care workers have to come to a point in our career of why we got into this field.
Most of us have taken vows to do no harm and be their for the needs of others.Can we honestly turn our backs on people who may in turn make us sick or put our lives in jeopardy?
Many doctors and nurses through out history have put themselves in harms way to do something for those who are sick or dying.Our own fears have to take second place.We can not deny the gift God has given to us to help comfort and possible heal others.
We all face this fear but this fear can not hold us back.Yes we need to take precautions but we also need to understand why we are in the field we have chosen. If we fear being among the sick then how can we be effective at our craft?

Who Is My Brother

Monday was a very busy day at work and when I left at 4:30pm I could hardly wait to get home,sit down,eat and have a cup of tea.Unfortunately it occurred to me that I needed to stop at Rite Aid in Dudley for something that could not wait until the next day.
Reluctantly I turned my car around and headed for the Drug Store.The lot was very crowded and I dragged myself out of the car.As I walked to the front door a very sad man standing by a garbage can said "please can you give me some spare change?" to which I shot back an angry glance of annoyance.He answered with "thank you anyways and Merry Christmas to you".
As I preceded into the store everything that had just happened replayed in my mind.
The worse part was that I looked into his eyes and saw sadness,almost tears.
I could not believe I had treated this poor man so badly and being tired and cranky was not an excuse.
When I found what I was looking for I went to the register,paid for my item and decided on my way out to give the man $5.00.But alas he was gone.
I checked around the store grounds and up and down the street but he was no where to be found.
On my drive drive home I thought about the Gospel reading form Sunday it was the story of the good Samaritan,which I definitely felt I had not been.
I began to think about this poor mans' near weeping eyes.His clothes neat and clean
and his reluctance to ask me for money.He spoke almost in a whisper.
I tried to put myself in his place and thought what must it be like to have to beg someone for food or money and how easy it is to be on the side that gets to say no and make judgements about whether or not you are a bum,alcoholic or drug user.
How much power a small amount of coins was too hold over another human beings despair.
Most people do not choose to be poor just as most do not choose to be out of work.I am lucky I have a job and we have a house and food.My child has never gone for want.
We live in one of the richest nations on earth and yet still some go with out the basics,be it for lack of desire or lack of luck.
This economy is bad and no matter how Rosy the government tries to make it sound we are going to see more and more people asking for change.
This has taught me that when some one is in need it is our place to help.
Today my friend told me she once had a priest say to her "it is not our place to judge why someone is asking for our help it is our place as Christians to help them.What they do with what we have given them is for them to worry about not for us."
So this holiday season take the time to help another who is in need even if it only cost you some pocket change.
My resolution is to try to give and not to judge and maybe next time some one ask for help I will not have to think about it but will just do it.
In the end I can not help but believe God knocked on my door and I turned away his call for help.How sad.

Veterans Day

Today is veterans day.A day to give thanks to every soldier,sailor,marine,airman(and women) and all those who served in any branch of the military.
Being a veteran is something to be proud of.These are the men and women who gave up there daily pursuits to give 3 or more years to the service to keep the rest of us safe.
No words of gratitude can ever repay those brave people who thought more of this country then most people do.
They have met the challenge,stood up to the enemy and never backed down even to the last breath.
People may say this country is a war monger but most of our critics live in countries that we helped attain and keep their freedom.These people do not understand that when we go to war it is not for our own personal gain but for the good of the oppressed.
We may not be perfect but our military is brave and will give it all in times of trouble.
So thank a vet when you see one because if it where not for our militery we would still be part of England or maybe part of germany.Makes you think doesn't it.

Day For A Walk

Today seemed like one of those beautiful days to take a walk.Now living in New England and it being November you must embrace the good days because soon they will be few and far between.
I started from my house walked down to St.Joseph Church then decided to walk through the cemetery.Has I was strolling I noticed a large flat bed truck with a gold cement vault on it.Ropes and straps being tied into place in order to help the crane arm attached to the truck ,lift and place it firmly on the ground near the hole to be someones resting place.
I thought to myself how final this all is,steering into a 6 foot black hole with a cement vault waiting for its future occupant.Life on life off.
As all these things raced through my mind I looked up to realize that I was standing in front of the statue of Christ on the cross with the women and angles around him weeping.
Walking closer to where the vault was being readied,I heard a rooster crow several times and thought of St.Peter and how when Jesus was arrested he denied him three times,then the cock crowed as an omen.
Thinking how sad and final this whole scene being played out in front of me was.The words of St.Paul came to mind "if not for the resurrection what would it matter to us how we lived our lives if all there is for us is eternal death."
You know this all became so clear to me the cross,the death and the third day resurrection,all in front of me.
It always amazes me how people can not believe in a God.How sad it must be to know that once you are dead there is no more.Its no wonder so many people are so concerned about being remembered after they are gone.They need to have their names placed on everything so the world knows they were here and a legacy can be erected for them.
In my mind its not who remembers us its about the good we do for others.We are on this earth a short time,just ask the 13 who were killed last week at Ft. Hood and as such need to realize its not all about us.Its all about the greater good we have done,its God's glory not ours.
We are God's legacy not our own.

East/West--Tear Down This Wall

"President Gorbachev,Tear Down This Wall!"
Do you remember Ronald Reagan saying these words? I do.
I am part of the baby boomer generation,although not the first part but more to the middle,I was born in 1957,but lets keep that part to ourselves,anyways I can remember quite clearly the divide between East and West Germany.
How truly sad it was growing up has a young girl watching the news on t.v and seeing people trying to cross the barbed wire fences,some making it over to freedom,many being machine gunned and dragged away.
When I was in grammar school the map of the world,which hung on the wall,Had all its continents colored in red or blue.Red for the communist nations and blue for the free nations.We always feared the "Reds" invading us and as such needed to be very strong Americans,We did not want to end up like Germany with a wall.
My father and uncles all fought in WW2, most in Japan but some in Germany and France.
All this trouble because of a leader named Adolf Hitler who wanted to dominate the world.When the war ended the Russian army drove their tanks and marched their soldiers into Germany then slowly closed the East from the West.One side free and one side imprisoned like criminals.
The sadness of people trying to escape to be free.It was terrible times in Europe many countries being made communist and others trying to get by as best they could after ww2 had devastated their homes and killed off many of their friends and relatives.
One of the happiest days of my life was watching the German wall be torn down and relatives being able to see family they had not seen for to many years.
This is probably when the after effects of the war finally settled down and democracy became reality for everyone,being free is always much better then being under someones' thumb.
Today many of the people in our new Presidents government,his so called Czars,talk about how they feel people like Chairman Mao,Castro and Stalin were such great reformers,well all I can tell you is these dictators ideals on reform benefited only themselves and not their citizens.Many Innocent,hard working people were left to speak in whispers to remain free in their hearts and minds but not in their day to day lives.
Walls are never a good idea, especially when it means some people have rights and others do not.When families are torn apart from each other and religious rights are all but gone,when just speaking the name of God can have you imprisoned or worse yet killed.This is not right,this is not free.
Thank you Ronald Reagan for having the courage to stand up and order that Germany tear down its wall.We as people are entitled to be free.All men and women,rich and poor,young and old.No leader has the right to make us second class citizens or enslave us at their whim.
We are free people and the rest of the world deserves these same God given rights.Freedom comes from God,but enslavement comes from man.

Fun Day

Today my friend Laura and I went to Dayville,Ct.to check out a new Michael's craft store.
Both of us excited about buying things on sale for our Community Thanksgiving Dinner and up coming Adult Christmas party .
Laura and I seem to have a good time doing most things together,although we are very different we are also very much alike.We are the two most driven people you can imagine when it comes to a project,especially for our church.
We have very similar back grounds both ex catholics,both have a French Canadian backgrounds,like values and a need to keep busy.
Its nice to have someone with whom to share our life experiences,marriages and children stories.
Last night during bible study we talked about love,its importance and how God expects us to love one another.
We belong to a church that most people,including our priest,care about each other and try to go out of our way to do for each other.I don't really know anyone in our church who would not give to someone in need.Trying to like each other is the key to running a church,not that we don't have our challenges from time to time.
Fr.Peter always says that the trouble with the English language is that we only have one word for love and we use the word to often for things its not intended for so it diminishes the value of the word.
In the Greek language their are many different words for love.
When we talk about loving one another we do not mean Eros we mean friendship and brotherly love.
So because of our church Vic and I got to meet Laura and her husband John and we have learned to care for each other in a very special sort of way.
When Jesus sent his apostles out he sent them by twos not only for support but to help each other because each had their own personality.where one was weak the other was strong.I tend to think this is the type of friendship Laura and I have,we tend to compliment each other and fill in the gaps where each of us falls short.
We always joke and say we are like Mary and Martha trying to decide when were together which is which that day.
In any event we do pretty well together ever looking for new projects and I can tell you right now watch out cause we've got new plans come January.God help us!thank godness I know he will.