today is Halloween and I've just added the finishing touches to the "Bone Yard" in front of the house,complete with yellow caution tape some small flying witches, pumpkins and skeletons. why you ask am i going through all this? first because we are Halloween people in this house,second because the kids like it and third because the dog thinks this is her private bathroom and try has we do to keep it clean you
just never see everything.so last but not least we're trying to stay on good terms with the parents of the ghost and ghouls.
my husband likes Halloween its one of his favorite holidays.we all remember being
children and trick or treating and maybe getting into a little trouble but it was all in good fun and everyone needs to blow some steam off every now and then.
when i was in catholic school the nuns did not think very highly of this holiday they wanted you to go to church at night, it was all souls day you know, and if you were to dress up to wear things that did not cojure up the demons.personally i say let kids be kids but it doesn't hurt if you do push them away from the really creepy costumes after all their only kids.
now that my son is an adult i in all honesty can say i like being home rather then dragging a bunch of kids out in the dark cold weather,its nice to be the one handing out the candy rather then worring about getting run down by passing cars.
So happy Halloween to all and watch out for the black cats and scary noises.boooo....
Friday, October 31, 2008
Thursday, October 30, 2008
book reading: My Jesus Year
i have been reading a book called My Jesus Year written by Benyamin Cohen.
although the book is not the most exciting it does have allot to say.
Benyamin was raised in an orthodox Jewish family. his father and 3 brothers are all rabbis and his sister is married to one. his wife is an ex christian who converted to Jewish orthodoxy,her father was an ex minister who left his faith when she was a child.
Benyamin has tired of his religion with so many rules and the loss of joy from a personal relationship with God he had once known has a child. he decides he wants to know why the christian church across the street draws so many people on Sunday while his own Synagogue draws very few on the sabbath. he goes to the rabbi who helped his wife convert to Judaism, who agrees that Ben may spend one year attending christian events but only if he wears his skull cap and his name badge from the magazine he writes for and at no time is he to fool any one into thinking he is in any way a christian,he must be honest with every one he interviews.
being from Atlanta gives him the opportunity to attend all sorts of things from mega churches to wrestling matches and christian concerts.he tries out Christmas at his in laws home, complete with kosher cooking and gift giving and goes to an outdoor Easter morning sunrise service, he attends multiple small church services from baptist to methodist,evangelical to episcaple. from a black jewish group who beleave in plural marriages to trapist monks.
has iam reading this book i'm begining to see the same problems we has Orthodox Christians are trying to wrestle with for example how important are things like: food,riual, songs or no songs, prayer, chanting. How do we get nearer to God and still follow rituals? how can we get more people to fill the pews (especially our own people)? how do you move forward but still follow church tradition? does services have to be on the sabbath or when its more convent to peoples schedules?what can be changed in the faith that makes church relevant to the people attending but still follows the letter of church law? how do we make church an important part of our every day lives?
At the end of every chapter Benyamin begins to under stand what he has to do to make every thing in his religion more relevant to his situation. maybe this is why people convert over from other faiths because we are looking for the real reason to be nearer to God, trying to find relevant answers that allow us to make our faiths a living relationship with God. Following the rules but not allowing the rules to be the most important part of our relationship.
although the book is not the most exciting it does have allot to say.
Benyamin was raised in an orthodox Jewish family. his father and 3 brothers are all rabbis and his sister is married to one. his wife is an ex christian who converted to Jewish orthodoxy,her father was an ex minister who left his faith when she was a child.
Benyamin has tired of his religion with so many rules and the loss of joy from a personal relationship with God he had once known has a child. he decides he wants to know why the christian church across the street draws so many people on Sunday while his own Synagogue draws very few on the sabbath. he goes to the rabbi who helped his wife convert to Judaism, who agrees that Ben may spend one year attending christian events but only if he wears his skull cap and his name badge from the magazine he writes for and at no time is he to fool any one into thinking he is in any way a christian,he must be honest with every one he interviews.
being from Atlanta gives him the opportunity to attend all sorts of things from mega churches to wrestling matches and christian concerts.he tries out Christmas at his in laws home, complete with kosher cooking and gift giving and goes to an outdoor Easter morning sunrise service, he attends multiple small church services from baptist to methodist,evangelical to episcaple. from a black jewish group who beleave in plural marriages to trapist monks.
has iam reading this book i'm begining to see the same problems we has Orthodox Christians are trying to wrestle with for example how important are things like: food,riual, songs or no songs, prayer, chanting. How do we get nearer to God and still follow rituals? how can we get more people to fill the pews (especially our own people)? how do you move forward but still follow church tradition? does services have to be on the sabbath or when its more convent to peoples schedules?what can be changed in the faith that makes church relevant to the people attending but still follows the letter of church law? how do we make church an important part of our every day lives?
At the end of every chapter Benyamin begins to under stand what he has to do to make every thing in his religion more relevant to his situation. maybe this is why people convert over from other faiths because we are looking for the real reason to be nearer to God, trying to find relevant answers that allow us to make our faiths a living relationship with God. Following the rules but not allowing the rules to be the most important part of our relationship.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
imploder vs. exploder
this morning started out by my thinking about explosive and implosive people.
so after having breakfast i went to kiss the boo-boos site and Laura had posted on anger. funny how things happen..esp...woo i wonder..scary...God works in mysterious ways....
any ways when i was in nursing school during my last quarter we had to do what was called "leadership", we were required to go to the hospital site early ,pick 7 patients, read their case histories, then assign each students a patient, give them a run down and pass all the meds to these 7 patients,oh did i tell you after we got the meds we then had to explain the drugs,there side effects, why its used and why this patient is using this drug.at the end of the day you went to each student found out how his/her patient was and do a general review, give a report about each patient how their day went and out comes of test.
when my day came to do this my instructor decided one of the patients i was to do had over 20 medications and 2 shots i explained to the instructor i though this would be to difficult for me,she just walked away.
in the hospital they use machines to dispense the medications you push the patients code and doors start to open,hit the wrong button and all the doors and draws open, hit another and they all slam shut and to add to the excitement other nurses on the floor trying impatiently to get what they need.
this machine and i were not on friendly terms it always gave me a hard time and frustration turned into anxiety and true to form my leadership day was no different.
after what seemed like forever i got all the drugs for this woman then drew up the syringes after explaininmg all the drugs to my instructor we walked down to the patients room, only for me to almost have an anxiety attack.with sweat dripping off me and my heart racing to the point i thought i would pass out we walked into the room i did all the right things and when i uncapped the syringe with the insulin the needle was bent.i just stood there and stared at it thinking my nursing career was melting in front of my eyes.my instructor took the needle away from me,we told the patient we'd be back.she then told the other students to get ready they were passing their own drugs today.
later the instuctor told me there are two types of people exploders and imploders and i was definitely an imploder.needless to say i spent the next 3 days proving to her i would be safe has a nurse passing all the other students drugs with no problems,even the machine co operated with me.
so here we are some people are exploders, my husband is one of these,every little thing can set him off not finding a pen or book can send him into a state of panic and anger with all those names of the almighty coming out every where.my remedy i either try to help him find what he's looking for, laugh because i can't see why any one would get so upset over some thing so mundane,or i take off until he feels better.in his defense he has calmed down with age and with going to church.
i on the other hand am an imploder i tend to get angry with myself and feel like a failure.usually i walk away or ignore what just happened, my mother used to say "once
you say something you can never take it back the wound will always be there so watch what you say". in my defense i have become better my friend fr. peter has made me see that its alright to get angry we all do.now i try to pick my battles and decide if this is worth my anger, am i getting angry because of the problem facing me or some thing else under lying that is just setting me off.
we all have anger issues we just need to put them into context try to figure out why were angry,ask for forgiveness for what we've done and remember even Jesus got angry but when he did he did it for a reason or to prove a point. Jesus also shows us that every one needs quite times, meditation and prayer we need to center our selves
in order to handle our problems.
usually if we are always angry its because we are not taking the time to let God help us. we think we can do it all by our selves handle every thing alone.it goes against our grain to love an angry person but sometimes we need to understand that is what God meant when he stressed love and forgive, not only of others but also of our selves
so after having breakfast i went to kiss the boo-boos site and Laura had posted on anger. funny how things happen..esp...woo i wonder..scary...God works in mysterious ways....
any ways when i was in nursing school during my last quarter we had to do what was called "leadership", we were required to go to the hospital site early ,pick 7 patients, read their case histories, then assign each students a patient, give them a run down and pass all the meds to these 7 patients,oh did i tell you after we got the meds we then had to explain the drugs,there side effects, why its used and why this patient is using this drug.at the end of the day you went to each student found out how his/her patient was and do a general review, give a report about each patient how their day went and out comes of test.
when my day came to do this my instructor decided one of the patients i was to do had over 20 medications and 2 shots i explained to the instructor i though this would be to difficult for me,she just walked away.
in the hospital they use machines to dispense the medications you push the patients code and doors start to open,hit the wrong button and all the doors and draws open, hit another and they all slam shut and to add to the excitement other nurses on the floor trying impatiently to get what they need.
this machine and i were not on friendly terms it always gave me a hard time and frustration turned into anxiety and true to form my leadership day was no different.
after what seemed like forever i got all the drugs for this woman then drew up the syringes after explaininmg all the drugs to my instructor we walked down to the patients room, only for me to almost have an anxiety attack.with sweat dripping off me and my heart racing to the point i thought i would pass out we walked into the room i did all the right things and when i uncapped the syringe with the insulin the needle was bent.i just stood there and stared at it thinking my nursing career was melting in front of my eyes.my instructor took the needle away from me,we told the patient we'd be back.she then told the other students to get ready they were passing their own drugs today.
later the instuctor told me there are two types of people exploders and imploders and i was definitely an imploder.needless to say i spent the next 3 days proving to her i would be safe has a nurse passing all the other students drugs with no problems,even the machine co operated with me.
so here we are some people are exploders, my husband is one of these,every little thing can set him off not finding a pen or book can send him into a state of panic and anger with all those names of the almighty coming out every where.my remedy i either try to help him find what he's looking for, laugh because i can't see why any one would get so upset over some thing so mundane,or i take off until he feels better.in his defense he has calmed down with age and with going to church.
i on the other hand am an imploder i tend to get angry with myself and feel like a failure.usually i walk away or ignore what just happened, my mother used to say "once
you say something you can never take it back the wound will always be there so watch what you say". in my defense i have become better my friend fr. peter has made me see that its alright to get angry we all do.now i try to pick my battles and decide if this is worth my anger, am i getting angry because of the problem facing me or some thing else under lying that is just setting me off.
we all have anger issues we just need to put them into context try to figure out why were angry,ask for forgiveness for what we've done and remember even Jesus got angry but when he did he did it for a reason or to prove a point. Jesus also shows us that every one needs quite times, meditation and prayer we need to center our selves
in order to handle our problems.
usually if we are always angry its because we are not taking the time to let God help us. we think we can do it all by our selves handle every thing alone.it goes against our grain to love an angry person but sometimes we need to understand that is what God meant when he stressed love and forgive, not only of others but also of our selves
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
universal health care
i work in the state of Massachusetts and because i do i belong to a HMO.
in case you do not know this state has mandatory health insurance.all residents of this state are required by law to have health insurance.i am fortune my company helps pay for my insurance. but i know many people who can not afford health insurance
because they are self employed,they make $30,000.00 or more and are considered to wealthy to get assistance from the state.where does it leave these people?in the position of being fined by their wonderful state when they file their state taxes. having spoken with these people they tell me its easier to pay the fine then try to pay the insurance.most of these people are single and do not have a spouse to help relieve the burden placed on them by the state and its mandates.
so where does all this leave the state of Massachusetts? in trouble I'm afraid.several months ago the state said they were going to be one billion dollars in debt and this month Gov. Patrick has been making attempts to cut back on all sorts of things. allot of the people who are poor have been getting assistance from the government through medicaid, which is not what this money is to be used for, for several months now the government has been threatening to stop funding related to the fact that this money is ear marked for the disabled and the elderly through out the country.
Gov. Patrick is now saying he wants companies to start paying more into the state to help with these shortages. we'll that will really make a company want to stay here now won't it.
lets talk about the burden being placed on the health care system it self.with every one having health insurance there is now a shortage of doctors and nurses. my own doctor now works 2 days in Webster and 3 days in auburn and trying to get to see him requires me to call for a physical months in advance.
so whats the answer? im not sure but what i do know there is not enough working people out there to pay for the people who don't work and need health insurance.
besides why work at a good paying job and advance if you know the more money you make the more will be taken from you to pay every one else insurance? if we get universal health care who will be entitled to it and how much will you get? will every one be entitled to the best or just basic care? will research companies and pharmacies still be willing to make progress and advancements if they know the government will not be funding everyone to use thier products and inventions?
capitalism requires all people to work for what they have but what about those who are unable to work, should we be paying for illegal aliens to go to emergency rooms in order to get free health care or should they be turned away or sent back to their own country for their needs.
this health care situation is truly a mess and until our politicans can sit down and work these problems out, for the good of the people, we are just going to keep drowning
in case you do not know this state has mandatory health insurance.all residents of this state are required by law to have health insurance.i am fortune my company helps pay for my insurance. but i know many people who can not afford health insurance
because they are self employed,they make $30,000.00 or more and are considered to wealthy to get assistance from the state.where does it leave these people?in the position of being fined by their wonderful state when they file their state taxes. having spoken with these people they tell me its easier to pay the fine then try to pay the insurance.most of these people are single and do not have a spouse to help relieve the burden placed on them by the state and its mandates.
so where does all this leave the state of Massachusetts? in trouble I'm afraid.several months ago the state said they were going to be one billion dollars in debt and this month Gov. Patrick has been making attempts to cut back on all sorts of things. allot of the people who are poor have been getting assistance from the government through medicaid, which is not what this money is to be used for, for several months now the government has been threatening to stop funding related to the fact that this money is ear marked for the disabled and the elderly through out the country.
Gov. Patrick is now saying he wants companies to start paying more into the state to help with these shortages. we'll that will really make a company want to stay here now won't it.
lets talk about the burden being placed on the health care system it self.with every one having health insurance there is now a shortage of doctors and nurses. my own doctor now works 2 days in Webster and 3 days in auburn and trying to get to see him requires me to call for a physical months in advance.
so whats the answer? im not sure but what i do know there is not enough working people out there to pay for the people who don't work and need health insurance.
besides why work at a good paying job and advance if you know the more money you make the more will be taken from you to pay every one else insurance? if we get universal health care who will be entitled to it and how much will you get? will every one be entitled to the best or just basic care? will research companies and pharmacies still be willing to make progress and advancements if they know the government will not be funding everyone to use thier products and inventions?
capitalism requires all people to work for what they have but what about those who are unable to work, should we be paying for illegal aliens to go to emergency rooms in order to get free health care or should they be turned away or sent back to their own country for their needs.
this health care situation is truly a mess and until our politicans can sit down and work these problems out, for the good of the people, we are just going to keep drowning
Monday, October 27, 2008
traditional medicine vs. holistic
we live in a world with all kinds of choices of health care. you can go traditional which deals with medical doctors and pharmacological drugs derived from natural and non natural ingredients or holistic.
if you get a chance go over to fr.peters website you can listen to his Shepard of souls pod cast number 33.in this episode he interviews a nurse practitioner who deals with holistic medicines.
holistics deals with not only the body but the mind and spirit.they believe stress, misalignment and diet can cause pain and sickness to the body. what we eat has well has what we think are all part of our make up this equals our wholeness.
i believe in both i think if you can handle a problem with traditional or holistic medicine and it works for you and go for it,who am i to know how your body make up will react to each treatment.
the only problem i have with holistic medicine is it can cause allot of guilt to the sick person if he has done these approaches and still ends up with cancer,heart disease or has a stroke.we all are made up of genetics which are programed at some point to kick in and cause disease of some sort.unfortunately we are all going to die from something and that's one of those things we have no control over.
but until we get to that point we need to do what ever we are able to to try and be the healthiest we can be not matter which approach we choose.
if you get a chance go over to fr.peters website you can listen to his Shepard of souls pod cast number 33.in this episode he interviews a nurse practitioner who deals with holistic medicines.
holistics deals with not only the body but the mind and spirit.they believe stress, misalignment and diet can cause pain and sickness to the body. what we eat has well has what we think are all part of our make up this equals our wholeness.
i believe in both i think if you can handle a problem with traditional or holistic medicine and it works for you and go for it,who am i to know how your body make up will react to each treatment.
the only problem i have with holistic medicine is it can cause allot of guilt to the sick person if he has done these approaches and still ends up with cancer,heart disease or has a stroke.we all are made up of genetics which are programed at some point to kick in and cause disease of some sort.unfortunately we are all going to die from something and that's one of those things we have no control over.
but until we get to that point we need to do what ever we are able to to try and be the healthiest we can be not matter which approach we choose.
palm plant ,my new boarder
yesterday when i came home i had a pleasant surprise there sitting on my newspaper recycling bin was a friend of mine from church,he stands about 3 feet tall and his green silky leaves were spread out to me one over the microwave and one peeking down my small hall way.
this sweet little palm plant got to make his performance on Palm Sunday then after Pasha he became relegated to the out doors behind the church with his other 2 palm plant friends.
during the summer while fixing up the patio area on the side of the rectory, Laura and i decided to take a minute and admire the new windows being put into our church. i happened to walked around the back of the building and found these 3 sad little plants looking very courageous with their little pots sitting on a sand pile.
we'll being nature loving people, Laura and i decided that these little guys needed a place of honor again, so we moved them to the patio area to be eyed and enjoyed by all who came to visit st.Michael, through the summer and fall.
but alas the warm weather is over and they ended up in the church basement. i asked my husband Sunday to pick one up after coffee hour, to make his home with us through the cold months and maybe,if i don't send him to his demise, he will be able to make his grand appearance next Palm Sunday.
i have to admit Palm Sunday has always been a favorite of mine. i can see Jesus sitting on a donkey riding into the city while people are throwing palms and robes on the ground for this simple animal carring this great and holy cargo on his back.i can almost hear the crowds yelling "hosanna, hosanna blessed is he"
i was very fortunate to be chrismated on this holy day, i really did not feel worthy enough to be made a part of the orthodox church on pasha evening, but Palm Sunday made me very happy.there is truly something so wonderful about this holy and blessed day and i feel lucky to be able to take this little plant home and see him every day unil spring comes again and maybe if all works out he will be back in St.Micheal in his place of honor again.
this sweet little palm plant got to make his performance on Palm Sunday then after Pasha he became relegated to the out doors behind the church with his other 2 palm plant friends.
during the summer while fixing up the patio area on the side of the rectory, Laura and i decided to take a minute and admire the new windows being put into our church. i happened to walked around the back of the building and found these 3 sad little plants looking very courageous with their little pots sitting on a sand pile.
we'll being nature loving people, Laura and i decided that these little guys needed a place of honor again, so we moved them to the patio area to be eyed and enjoyed by all who came to visit st.Michael, through the summer and fall.
but alas the warm weather is over and they ended up in the church basement. i asked my husband Sunday to pick one up after coffee hour, to make his home with us through the cold months and maybe,if i don't send him to his demise, he will be able to make his grand appearance next Palm Sunday.
i have to admit Palm Sunday has always been a favorite of mine. i can see Jesus sitting on a donkey riding into the city while people are throwing palms and robes on the ground for this simple animal carring this great and holy cargo on his back.i can almost hear the crowds yelling "hosanna, hosanna blessed is he"
i was very fortunate to be chrismated on this holy day, i really did not feel worthy enough to be made a part of the orthodox church on pasha evening, but Palm Sunday made me very happy.there is truly something so wonderful about this holy and blessed day and i feel lucky to be able to take this little plant home and see him every day unil spring comes again and maybe if all works out he will be back in St.Micheal in his place of honor again.
Sunday, October 26, 2008
canadian fest
after work yesterday my husband and i went to Putnam for the first ever Canadian fest.they boasted of crafts,food and traditional Canadian music.
i thought since all of my grandparents came here from Canada it would be interesting to hear traditional music and see traditional dance since I'm not sure what is traditional to Canada.my priest fr.peter has ancestors who came from Scotland and settled in nova scotia. so his traditional dance should be something Gaelic. my relatives came from France and settled in Quebec, so what do we do the minuet? just kidding
to my surprise the music and dance was very much like what the people who came from Canada and settled in Louisiana do,i think arcadian is what its called and the dancing reminded of what people the in the hills of kentucky did in the 1930s'.
it was also nice to hear french Canadian spoken,when i was a child that's all my grandparents could speak, i never really got to verbalize much with them although every time we would visit my grandfather would try his hardest to get me to say " good night" in french, poor man try has he would i just couldn't get it or remember it.
now days i'm much better at understanding Parisian then Canadian french. but for my grand fathers sake here goes...."Bonne nuit, grand p`ere
i thought since all of my grandparents came here from Canada it would be interesting to hear traditional music and see traditional dance since I'm not sure what is traditional to Canada.my priest fr.peter has ancestors who came from Scotland and settled in nova scotia. so his traditional dance should be something Gaelic. my relatives came from France and settled in Quebec, so what do we do the minuet? just kidding
to my surprise the music and dance was very much like what the people who came from Canada and settled in Louisiana do,i think arcadian is what its called and the dancing reminded of what people the in the hills of kentucky did in the 1930s'.
it was also nice to hear french Canadian spoken,when i was a child that's all my grandparents could speak, i never really got to verbalize much with them although every time we would visit my grandfather would try his hardest to get me to say " good night" in french, poor man try has he would i just couldn't get it or remember it.
now days i'm much better at understanding Parisian then Canadian french. but for my grand fathers sake here goes...."Bonne nuit, grand p`ere
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