The reason I do my job (aka "I Win")

The weekend was...good; however, it was discouraging. Maybe in a few days I can write about it. In the mean time, here is something one of the students who went this weekend wrote and posted. In the midst of my discouragement, her words reminded me of why I do my job and that success isn't always measured by scores or the accolades of the crowds but in how my students feel about the job they did. Indeed, they won.

3793

I just want to let all of you know how much fun I had this weekend.You are all amazing!!Some of the nicest people I have met in a long time.Even though I am an authentic chorus kid you all welcomed me in and I am glad to have made some new friends.In fact spending this weekend with all of you has made me want to do more stuff with drama.Saturday was the first time I have ever had to act while singing.I thought it would be 10times harder but being comfortable with the people watching really helped.I am proud of all of you for your performance on Friday and I think you deserved way more than what was given.You have converted me from strictly a chorus geek to a chorus/theatre geek.

P.S

how you doin?

The Cast and crew of "The Winner". They are my heros and, no matter what anyone else says, they are Superior Winners in my book


Me with my seniors. They amaze me and "because I knew 'them' I have been changed for good".


The juniors...I am in awe of what they are capable of doing.


The sophomores...though there were but 3 this year; their talent, beauty and potential is incredible.


The freshmen...the future


Am I am blessed with besutiful children, or what???? They may not be mine biologically; yet, they are mine in my heart. Indeed, I have a quiver-full. I wonder, at times, if they know how much they have taught me??? Their capacity to love, encourage, perform, create, teach, learn, share and more knows no bounds.

A recent article by my brother

It is amazing the ways my brother has changed over the last 10 years. If anyone had told him his senior year he would still be in school and would be working on a PhD, I doubt he would have believed it. Ten years ago, John was coming out of a "slacker" phase. High school wasn't the greatest experience for John. Then God got ahold of him. Those 6 words don't really begin to explain his story...which is his to tell...but they do show a lot. John was radically changed. That isn't to say he wasn't already a pretty amazing person, but I am a bit biased. He is one of the most interesting, creative, fun, loving, caring, enthusiastic, radical, goofy people I know (and that is saying a lot!).

John is currently living in Edinburgh, Scotland. Yeah...I'm a little jealous. I would love to be able to live in England or Scotland for at least a year or so! (hmmmmm...God, could you open that door???). I am excited that he is having such amazing experiences. It's hard being this far away from him, though. While things are far from easy for him, the doors do seem to be tumbing open and God is directing his paths.

He recently published an article on John Owen. (John Owen is the Reformer John is focused on in his PhD writings) I have to laugh that John is so captured by the Reformation. In my 'world' the Reformation is a paragraph or so of information...the Reformers weren't exactly know for their advancements in theatre. The reformers closed the theatres...deeming them 'immoral' once again. So...John can have the reformers and I'll take Shakespeare...the Restoration...the Greeks...the Romans...19th Century...you get the idea. I guess we can come together on the Liturgical Drama...lol.

Here's the link to his article...

A thought from MLK of MLK

If a man is called to be a streetsweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music, or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause and say, here lived a great streetsweeper who did his job well.

-Martin Luther King, Jr.

I don't know if I could say anything more on this one.

More thoughts from Elizabeth Elliot, this time on Spontaneity

Carlyle wrote of nineteen-to-twenty-five-year-old youths that they had reached "the maximum of detestability." We have been telling ourselves that youth is beautiful and spontaneity one of the most beautiful things about youth. I wonder if spontaneity is not sometimes a euphemism for laziness--an indulgence which Carlyle found in youth. Isn't it much easier not to prepare one's mind and heart, not to premeditate, simply to have things (O, vacuous word!) "unstructured"?

If you leave a thing altogether alone in hopes that it will happen all by itself, the chances are it never will. Who learns to play the piano, wins an election, or loses weight spontaneously?

I have just read Jean Nidetch's book on the Weight Watchers, and while it is obvious that her basic theme (that people get fat because they eat) is hardly a world-shaking discovery, her method is one that made her a millionaire: get people to work at their problems together. Reducing doesn't just happen. It isn't a thing the majority succeed in doing all by themselves.

She doesn't let them make up their own diet as they go along--that's what put the fat on them in the first place. She doesn't suggest that losing weight is best done when you feel like it. She doesn't even say that it works only if you are being "yourself."

In fact, I was reminded throughout the book of how many analogies there are between losing weight and practicing Christianity. There are rules to obey. You will to obey them. Some people insist that the devotional life is somehow purer
or better if it is pursued only when we feel like it. Worship for some is thought to be an "experience" rather than an act. Losing weight is also an experience--there's no doubt about that--in fact, the expression "being born again" occurs in the testimonies of those who have done it. But losing weight most certainly has to begin with an act.

It is an act of the will. You decide to do this and not to do that. You must arrange, prepare, and carefully carry out your plan. The combustion of those daily calories will happen without fail, but only when the conditions are properly set up.

Love is another thing. ''But I want it to be spontaneous," people say. They think that if nothing is happening it is good enough reason for a divorce. "If it isn't spontaneous, it isn't love," they tell us. Where did that idea get started? Do we understand what spontaneity requires?

The kind of love the Bible talks about is action, and it comes from a force and an energy within. That energy is the love of Christ. His love creates the condition of heart (it does not come from nowhere) which enables us to do things: to give a cup of cold water, to go a second mile, to "look for a way of being constructive," as Phillips' translation puts 1 Corinthians 13:4.
"It is, in fact, the one thing that still stands when everything else has fallen."

Christian love is a far cry from a misunderstood spontaneity which is merely unstructured. This love is a very firm and solid thing indeed, requiring will, obedience, action, and an abiding trust in the "Strong Son of God, Immortal Love."

As I start this new year...

Lets start of with the New Year reaffirming in our hearts these truths of our position with Christ! Believe!

In Christ we are accepted:

*John 1:12 I am God's Child

*John 15:15 I am Christ's friend

*Romans 5:1 I have been justified

*1 Corinthians 6:17 I am united with the Lord and one with Him in spirit

*1 Corinthians 6:20 I have been bought with a price- I belong to God

*1 Corinthians 12:27 I am a member of Christ's body

*Ephesians 1:1 I am a saint

*Ephesians 1:5 I have been adopted as God's child

*Ephesians 2:18 I have direct access to God through the Holy Spirit

*Colossians 1:4 I have been redeemed and forgiven of all my sins

*Colossians 2:10 I am complete in Christ.

In Christ we are Secure:

*Romans 8:1,2 I am free from condemnation

*Romans 8:28 I am asssured that all things work together for good

*Romans 8:31-34 I am free from any condemning charges against me

*Romans 8:35-39 I cannot be separated from the love of God

*2 Corinthians 1:21,22 I have been established, anointed, and sealed by God

*Colossians 3:3 I am hidden with Christ in God

*Philippians 1:6 I am confident that the good work that God has begun in me will be perfected.

*Philippians 3:20 I am a citizen of heaven

*2 Timothy 1:7 I have not been given a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind

*Hebrews 4:16 I can find grace and mercy in time of need

*1 John 5:18 I am born of God and the evil one cannot touch me

In Christ We Are Significant

*Matthew 5:13 I am the salt and light of the earth

*John 15:1,5 I am a branch of the true vine, a channel of His life

*John 15:16 I have been chosen and appointed to bear fruit

*Acts 1:8 I am a personal witness of Christ's

*1 Corinthians 3:16 I am God's temple

*2 Corinthians 5:17-20 I am a minister of reconciliation

*Ephesians 2:6 I am seated with Christ in the heavenly realm

*Ephesians 2:10 I am God's workmanship

*Ephesians 3:12 I may approach God with freedom and confidence

*Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me

From the Bondage Breaker by Neil T. Anderson

Sigh...too often this is what it feels like in my world.

Some thoughts I discovered (and have thought)...

There are several blogs I read...most belong to people I know; however, there are a few I have discovered along the way. The following are some thoughts that I have thought but haven't written down. Paulie Perrette (an actress I really respect) posted these on her blog...I hope she won't mind my borrowing them to share as well!!! (I did slightly alter a few of these so they will fit into my life)

- I realized that as much as I love new or clean tube socks, they're not quite as great as the ones my dog throws around and chews on.

- I realized that some people are just disgusting and perverted and no amount of truth will change them. Best just to surround yourself with love, as always, and ignore the disgusting and perverted.

- Some people have twisted lies told about them, and it will always be recognized in the end. Be careful who and what you listen to. Liars are often charming.

- Drama should be saved only for the screen or stage, at all costs.

- I realized that some girls are hateful and jealous and awful and really hate their sister femmes. That's sad.

- Listening to cheesy songs by yourself is very satisfying and entertaining.

- I-Pod should've told us in the beginning that eventually, the battery would die and there is nothing you can do about it. An old walk-man still runs.

- I realized how happy I am to have real friends instead of only a "top" list on myspace.com. I actually hug mine every chaqnce I get.

- I remember to feed my pets more than I remember to feed myself.

- Women have to stick up for each other and stand up for themselves. My granny used to say, "I don't need no
stinkin' man around no more". Yup, that's when a girl can truly love herself, and then love a GOOD man.

-Clean sheets and pillow cases are something that should be in your thank you prayers at night.

- There is nothing finer than real friends, even when you aren't getting along, they have your back no matter what. And if they don't...? Well, there's your answer.

- Having a husband like mine (I LOVE,LOVE,LOVE YOU!)
and friends like mine (I LOVE YOU!)
and pets like mine (I LOVE YOU!)
and co-workers like mine (I LOVE YOU!)
and students like mine (I LOVE YOU!)
and neighbors like mine (I LOVE YOU!)
are all things I say thank you prayers for every night and every morning and every chance I get.

- Changing my life for the better was worth everything, in spite of all the haters, and their hate and lies make them ugly, ugly ugly, people. My loved ones are so, so beautiful.

Girl Smiles In Spite Of It All.
Very grateful for the good things right now.
In spite of it all.
(like my dog who is staring at me grinning right now)

Being alone on Christmas...is it good or bad???

Christmas is the season to be jolly, but some people want to spend it alone. Christine Aziz investigates

When you open your presents on Christmas morning with friends and family, spare a thought for those who will be spending the day alone. The chances are, as you grimace at yet another of Uncle Tom's dreadful jokes, you'll be wishing you could join them.

A solitary Christmas certainly has its perks. Since she has been living away from home, graphic artist, Marie Edmunds, 28, has spent most of her Christmases alone in her spacious Brighton flat. 'I tell my boyfriend to get lost, then I batten down the hatches and withdraw from the world,' she says with relish.

Marie is not a loner by nature. Outgoing and fun, she's always up for a party, but there is something about Christmas that makes her withdraw. But it's not easy.

'My family and friends just can't understand it. As far as they are concerned Christmas is about being with people you love, but I find it all too much,' she says. 'People try too hard on the day to enjoy themselves and it all gets tense. In my family we have our Nan down, who we hardly see in the year. All she does is pick fault in everyone and my parents get very tense. I just hate all the forced jollity that comes with Christmas. I prefer to avoid it and do my own thing.'


Her boyfriend, John, is now used to Marie's Christmas boycott and has stopped inviting her to share the day with his large and boisterous family. He's finally got the message but the problem is, no one else has. The moment anyone knows you're going to spend Christmas alone they start inviting you to spend it with them, even if they hardly know you. They can't believe you actually want to be alone,' she says.

Marie now lies about her Christmas. 'I tell everyone I am spending it with a friend or my family, depending on whom I am talking to,' she says. 'My family say I am selfish and I once had someone who knew I was lying, threaten to come over and kidnap me and take me to his house for Christmas where his family, all strangers to me, would be present. Now, personally, I can't think of anything more depressing than spending the day with a crowd of strangers. But the thought that he was doing something in the cause of not allowing anyone to be alone at Christmas made him happy. I was tempted to give in - but lied instead and faked a serious case of flu.'

So, what does Marie do on Christmas Day? 'I get up in the morning as late as I want. I open my presents one at a time when I want, not in a big rush. I have dinner either at home or in a restaurant and eat what I want, when I want to. I walk along the beach and watch all the families - most of whom you can tell are not having a good time. I go down to my neighbour downstairs, a brilliant old lady of 90, who also likes to be alone on Christmas Day. I stay about an hour, wish her well, and then leave. I spend the rest of the day either curled up with a good book or watching a video.'


If it sounds like heaven to you then go for it. But before you do:


Ask yourself why you want to be alone on a day that is traditionally a social occasion associated with family gatherings. Are there hidden agendas you haven't dealt with during the year? Are you burnt out? Are you expected to do things on Christmas Day that you don't like doing, but do them anyway to please everyone? Or do you genuinely want to enjoy some time in your own company.

Be prepared for emotional blackmail when you tell loved ones your plans. Reassure them that you are not rejecting them, but it is about your needs at this time. Appease them by fixing to spend a day with them after Christmas.

Unless you really have to, try not to lie about your whereabouts. Explain why you want to be alone and stick to it.

Put a note on your door saying you have gone for a walk, in case someone is sent to pick you up, despite your wishes. (Marie says, don't open the door!)

Make sure you have enough food in for two days, and buy lots of treats.

If during the day, you start to feel miserable and wish you weren't alone, pick up the phone and dial a friend. You have nothing to prove.

Christmas thoughts from the comics

Christmas 2006

It is Christmas Day 2006 and I'm at home alone. Tom is working a 12, Maggie is alseep on the couch, the TV is on and it is raining. Started reading a new book but just can't get into it, yet. Since the BIG gift this year is a new Sony 60 gig hard drive video recorder, I'm transfering all of the old tapes onto one of the computers and copying them to DVD. In so many ways it feels like just another day. Being alone on holidays is hard...I never thought it would happen to me. My heart and prayers go out to all of those who are alone this holiday season. May the love of God reach you and comfort you. May He make himself known to you in amazing ways.

The Christmas Coat...aka:There Really is a Santa

Is there a Santa? Find out in this holiday passalong, which will warm your heart and soul.

I remember my first Christmas adventure with Grandma. I was just a kid. I remember tearing across town on my bike to visit her on the day my big sister dropped the bomb: "There is no Santa Claus," she jeered. "Even dummies know that!"

My Grandma was not the gushy kind, never had been. I fled to her that day because I knew she would be straight with me. I knew Grandma always told the truth, and I knew that the truth always went down a whole lot easier when swallowed with one of her "world-famous" cinnamon buns. I knew they were world-famous, because Grandma said so.

It had to be true.

Grandma was home, and the buns were still warm. Between bites, I told her everything. She was ready for me. "No Santa Claus?" She snorted...."Ridiculous! Don't believe it. That rumor has been going around for years, and it makes me mad, plain mad!! Now, put on your coat, and let's go." "Go? Go where, Grandma?" I asked. I hadn't even finished my second world-famous cinnamon bun.

"Where" turned out to be Kerby's General Store, the one store in town that had a little bit of just about everything. As we walked through its doors, Grandma handed me ten dollars. That was a bundle in those days. "Take this money," she said, "and buy something for someone who needs it. I'll wait for you in the car. "Then she turned and walked out of Kerby's.

I was only eight years old. I'd often gone shopping with my mother, but never had I shopped for anything all by myself. The store seemed big and crowded, full of people scrambling to finish their Christmas shopping. For a few moments I just stood there, confused, clutching that ten-dollar bill, wondering what to buy, and who on earth to buy it for. I thought of everybody I knew: my family, my friends, my neighbors, the kids at school, and the people who went to my church.

I was just about thought out, when I suddenly thought of Bobby Decker. He was a kid with bad breath and messy hair, and he sat right behind me in Mrs. Pollock's grade-two class. Bobby Decker didn't have a coat. I knew that because he never went out to recess during the winter. His mother always wrote a note, telling the teacher that he had a cough, but all we kids knew that Bobby Decker didn't have a cough; he didn't have a good coat. I fingered the ten-dollar bill with growing excitement. I would buy Bobby Decker a coat!

I settled on a red corduroy one that had a hood to it. It looked real warm, and he would like that. "Is this a Christmas present for someone?" the lady behind the counter asked kindly, as I laid my ten dollars down. "Yes, ma'am," I replied shyly. "It's for Bobby." The nice lady smiled at me, as I told her about how Bobby really needed a good winter coat. I didn't get any change, but she put the coat in a bag, smiled again, and wished me a Merry Christmas.

That evening, Grandma helped me wrap the coat (a little tag fell out of the coat, and Grandma tucked it in her Bible) in Christmas paper and ribbons and wrote, "To Bobby, From Santa Claus" on it. Grandma said that Santa always insisted on secrecy. Then she drove me over to Bobby Decker's house, explaining as we went that I was now and forever officially, one of Santa's helpers.

Grandma parked down the street from Bobby's house, and she and I crept noiselessly and hid in the bushes by his front walk.

Then Grandma gave me a nudge. "All right, Santa Claus," she whispered, "get going." I took a deep breath, dashed for his front door, threw the present down on his step, pounded his door and flew back to the safety of the bushes and Grandma. Together we waited breathlessly in the darkness for the front door to open. Finally it did, and there stood Bobby.

Fifty years haven't dimmed the thrill of those moments spent shivering beside my Grandma in Bobby Decker's bushes. That night, I realized that those awful rumors about Santa Claus were just what Grandma said they were: ridiculous. Santa was alive and well, and we were on his team. I still have the Bible, with the coat tag tucked inside: $19.95.

Truer than many realize

This comic has been online this week. It is sad this is as true as it is. In many ways, I feel this way this holiday season.

Is this what is "wrong with kids today"?

I receive a daily devotional from Elizabeth Eliot. I admire and respect so much of what she says and God has used her to teach me so many things. Lately, the topic of parenting has been a focus. It is interesting to see her point of view; however, I haven't agreed with some of her convictions. I know, thought, that it is OK not to believe everything she says. God will convict me of the things He feels I should do, or the things I havne't done.

In the midst of today's devotion on parenting she did offer the following insight. With everything that goes on at CRHS daily it did give me pause. Is this truly part of what is wrong with students????? If this is past of the issue, what can be done to resolve this?

Excerpts from "Serious Play, Casual Work"

Something has changed. Educators have gotten terribly serious about play and terribly casual about real physical work. Billions of dollars are lavished on developing crafts which nobody really needs and forms of recreation which people have to be taught to like. We've got "toys to grow on," computer games, play groups, playgrounds. Tiny tots who would have been happy with a few Tupperware containers and some spoons are given fancy mechanical toys that do things, and taught that if they make huge messes with finger paints they're being creative, which they didn't know they wanted to be.

Is anybody paying attention to how a child works? Is it assumed that if asked to rake a lawn he'll do it halfheartedly? Will he sweep the garage in silent fury or will he rejoice in doing a thorough job of it? Will she scrub a sink till it shines and know herself to be a useful member of a household? School teachers desperately try to teach children who have never really labored with their hands to do schoolwork--not a very good place to start, it seems to me. If a child is not given to understand that he has a responsibility to help make the wheels of home run smoothly--if he is not given work which matters, in other words--why should he imagine that it matters very much whether he cooperates with teachers and fellow students? His parents have failed to give attention to a vital matter. Their attention has been elsewhere--on their own interests, jobs, amusements, physical fitness, or only on the child's health and a misguided notion of happiness which leaves out work altogether. If the "quality time" his father spends with him is limited to amusements rather than work, small wonder the child assumes nobody really likes work. His choices in how to spend his time, like his preferences in food, are taught at home--by observation of parental attitudes.

Is the situation irremediable? I don't think so. Surely we could eliminate some of the frustration and discontent of "civilized" family life if we took our cues from the "uncivilized" people who work almost all the time (and enjoy it) and play very little of the time (without making a complicated chore out of it). Happiness, after all, is a choice. Let your child see that you put heart and soul into the work God has given you to do. Do it for Him--that changes the whole climate of the home. Draw the child into acceptance of responsibility by starting very early. Expect the best. If you expect them to oppose you, to "goof off," to be terrible at two, rude at ten, intractable as teenagers, they won't disappoint you.

Thought for the day...

A rumor will travel half way around the world before the truth can even put on its shoes.
~unknown

Does everything have to become a competition?

I saw this online today. I always liked 'rock, paper, scissors'. Why does everything have to become a competition and raised to a professional level?

Hundreds to compete for rock, paper, scissors title
By Martin RobertsFri Nov 10, 8:46 AM ET

Think rock, paper, scissors is a children's game? Think again.

Top players from around the globe will gather in Toronto this weekend to compete for a C$10,000 ($8,840) prize and the title of world champion.

More than 500 contestants, including national champions from Australia, Norway and New Zealand, are expected to attend.

Tournament organizer Graham Walker said players will have to steel themselves against psychological pressure as players typically form teams to rally each other.

"The team will surround the arena, provide moral support and usually try to intimidate the opponent," said Walker, who is also co-author of "The Official Rock Paper Scissors Guide."

The simple game is often used to make decisions and resolve basic conflicts.

Author Ian Fleming had his fictional secret agent James Bond play the game in Japan, in "You Only Live Twice."

Players smack their fists into their palms and count to three before making one of three hand signals: a fist (rock), flat hand (paper) or two fingers (scissors). Paper covers rock, scissors cut paper and rock breaks scissors.

Enthusiasts disagree about the history of the game, but it is believed to have been played for centuries in Japan.

The Paper Scissors Stone Club was founded in England in 1842 and provided an environment free from the long arm of the law where enthusiasts could come together and play for honor, according to the World RPS (Rock Paper Scissors) Society Web page (www.worldrps.com).

In 1918, the name was changed to World RPS Club to reflect the growing international representation and its headquarters moved from London to Toronto. In 1925 its membership topped 10,000.

The world championships have been held since 2002.

Frustrated...

I am so frustrated. I don't know what to do...
I feel like I am doing more and more work but am accomplishing less and less. The school keeps adding work and expectations and it feels so huge. It is a burden so heavy.
Lord, help me...please.

November 2, 2006

I don't think I will forget that day any time soon.
I went to work with my head filled with all of the usual stress, ran long in rehearsal and missed my nail apt. (I still think Heidi left early, though). I went home early. Tom wasn't there and I didn't know where he was. It frustrated me some that he didn't leave a note (he ran an errand because he thought I was going to be late due to my nail apt). I fed Maggie and let her run around for a few minutes while I checked my e-mail. My intention was to let Anne out once Maggie had a few minutes. Tom got home in the interim. He was surprised to see me. He asked if I had fed Anne and I told him not yet but I was about to. He sat down next to me and said we needed to talk. He had been off all week and had been spending some extra time with little Anne. He told me she hadn't had that good of a week. She seemed to be slowing down. At that moment things ran slow. MY KITTY! She had been with me for 16 years. I adopted her when she was barely 2 months old and didn't weigh 2 pounds. She had been there through so much. She was there when the world fell apart. She was the source of so many stories and ideas. I still wanted to take more photos of her....to sit on the couch and cuddle her up while she purred.
He told me of how she seemed to be developing new problems. She had just stopped grooming...so strange for her, she was always such a princess. We went to her room and opened the door, she slowly made her way out. Maggie tried to greet her friend and we stopped her...she didn't understand, this was what she had always done. Anne tried to get back to her room for dinner...she could barely walk, her back legs kept giving out from under her. It broke my heart. I started to cry. Tom and I talked. We were going to wait until Friday, I was going to take the day off and we would take her. We talked a little more and I cried more...my heart was breaking. Then I knew I needed to call the vet. They were there and said to bring her in right away. I changed quickly and grabbed her blankets. Anne was silent, so unlike her-she always 'talked' during car rides...she did not like riding in a car at all. When we got to the vet, we were the only patients there (thank you Lord). When we walked in I started to cry. They were so kind. We went into an exam room (second one on the right) and talked to the assistant. We told him everything we could about her. I opened her kennel and she didn't even fuss, and I knew she was so sick. She didn't complain when I got her out and she just lay in her blanket on the exam table. She looked so sad...her fur was messy, eyes a little runny, ears needed cleaning, nails needed a trip, not saying anything. At the moment I thought of how I had planned to give her a bath and groom this weekend and the tears started again. The vet came in and checked her out. With him was the tech that had wrangled Anne during her check-up in July...the tech remembered my little fighter. Both of them were so kind and gentle. He told us it was her kidneys and that extreme measures would only buy us a little time. I knew I had to let her go...that if I truly loved her I would let her go. The Dr. and the tech left us with her to say good-bye and make final choices. I stroked her little face and paws. Tom and I talked to her. And I started to try to think of a house without her. The vet came back in and we talked a little more. He told us of the process, we talked about staying with her until 'the end'...we all agreed that it was probably best if we didn't...if we would have the last memory being while she was alive. (plus I don't think I could have handled to see them put a needle into her heart...she was so small that was the best way to administer the dose). I wrapped her in her baby blanket, kissed her one more time, took her tags off of her and let them take her. We hugged and I cried more (how many tears can there be???) and then we left...I cried or sat in silence all the way home. At home, Maggie knew there was something wrong. Where was her friend? I sat on the couch and tried to think. Tom gave me a small container of ice cream and I at the whole thing. Eventually, we went to bed.
My little girl is gone and it hurts. Someone once asked a minister if there were going to be animals in heaven. They responded that if animals would make heaven even better then they would be there (a paraphrase). Maybe one day I'll get to heaven and among those there to meet me will be a sweet little, grey and black tabby cat with big eyes who blessed my life for 16 years and left much sooner than I would like. Maybe right now there are angels rubbing her tummy and showing her the best spots for her to hide but still be able to watch everything. Maybe Tom's mom is in heaven and she will take care of her. All I know is that I'm not ready to have another cat...maybe not for a very long time.
Sept 11, 1990-Nov 2, 2006~Anne Shirley Tweeddale Tate...my cat, my little girl, my angel

Seeking God's peace in all circumstances

May my attitude be like that of the seventeen-year-old Lady Jane Grey, who prayed this prayer in her prison cell before she was beheaded in 1554:

O merciful God, be Thou unto me
A strong Tower of defence,
I humbly entreat Thee.
Give me grace to await Thy leisure,
And patiently to bear
What Thou doest unto me;
Nothing doubting or mistrusting
Thy goodness towards me;
For Thou knowest what is good for me
Better than I do.
Therefore do with me in all things
What Thou wilt;
Only arm me, I beseech Thee,
With Thine armor,
That I may stand fast;
Above all things taking to me
The shield of faith;
Praying always that I may
Refer myself wholly to Thy will,
Abiding Thy pleasure, and comforting myself
In those troubles which it shall please Thee
To send me, seeing such troubles are
Profitable for me; and I am
Assuredly persuaded that all Thou doest
Cannot but be well; and unto Thee
Be all honor and glory. Amen.

This made me laugh today...

How many forum members does it take to change a lightbulb?

1 to change the light bulb and to post that the light bulb has been changed

14 to share similar experiences of changing light bulbs and how the light bulb could have been changed differently

7 to caution about the dangers of changing light bulbs

1 to move it to the Lighting section

2 to argue then move it to the Electricals section

7 to point out spelling/grammar errors in posts about changing light bulbs

5 to flame the spell checkers

3 to correct spelling/grammar flames

6 to argue over whether it's "lightbulb" or "light bulb" ... another 6 to condemn those 6 as stupid

2 industry professionals to inform the group that the proper term is "lamp"

15 know-it-alls who claim they were in the industry, and that "light bulb" is perfectly correct

19 to post that this forum is not about light bulbs and to please take this discussion to a lightbulb forum

11 to defend the posting to this forum saying that we all use light bulbs and therefore the posts are relevant to this forum

36 to debate which method of changing light bulbs is superior, where to buy the best light bulbs, what brand of light bulbs work best for this technique and what brands are faulty

7 to post URL's where one can see examples of different light bulbs

4 to post that the URL's were posted incorrectly and then post the corrected URL's

3 to post about links they found from the URL's that are relevant to this group which makes light bulbs relevant to this group

13 to link all posts to date, quote them in their entirety including all headers and signatures, and add "Me too"

5 to post to the group that they will no longer post because they cannot handle the light bulb controversy

4 to say "didn't we go through this already a short time ago?"

13 to say "do a Google search on light bulbs before posting questions about light bulbs"

1 forum lurker to respond to the original post 6 months from now and start it all over again

If you watch this...prepare to smile :-)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vr3x_RRJdd4