It was GREAT to have my daughter home for the week. I still had to work. I even had to work on Friday. But sitting with her in the Family Room, with a fire burning in the fireplace, and knowing she was asleep in her bedroom each night gave me a certain contentment that I had not experienced since August.
Thanksgiving is tough on some. I received news on Wednesday that a former college classmate's son had overdosed and died. I thought of her often during the last few days knowing that Thanksgiving would never be the same for her again. Sad! Very, very sad! There are simply no words.
Yesterday, November 30th, marked the 25th anniversary of my Mom's death. I know that it should not have been any different than 23 or 24. But for some reason, the whole "quarter of a century" thing made me think of her a lot more this year. Mom died a long, long time ago. Yet, in so many ways, it feels like yesterday.
In thinking of my classmate's loss and the anniversary of Mom's death, I am once again reminded of very specific directions in the Bible, when it says to "Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn."
I cannot seem to do either one. My self-centeredness prohibits it. I can only view your happiness or sadness through my own life's experiences and it renders me incapable of rejoicing or mourning with you. If you just received a promotion and got a pay raise, I'm jealous that I did not. I can't genuinely be happy for you. On the other hand, if your Mom just died, I will WEAR you out with stories of my Mom's death. And trust me. At the moment you are grieving the loss of your Mom, you could NOT care any less about when I lost mine.
These thoughts are really not an opinion as much as they are my real experience. Of the 700 people who passed by my Mom's casket and hugged my neck, it seemed like 75% of them found it necessary to recount their Mom's death. I was in shock at what I perceived as their sheer stupidity.
But you know what? In this instance, people really aren't stupid and they really aren't insensitive. They just have NO IDEA what to say! Just like me, they have no earthly idea how to "mourn with those who mourn."
The truth is, the classmate who lost her son, really has no fondness for me. She and I just didn't have many things in common and didn't see "eye to eye." I haven't reached out to her yet and I'm not sure that I will. But my heart aches for her. She is experiencing something and going through things that I pray I will never experience. I have no words. I just don't know how to mourn with those who mourn.
Over the years, as my friends have started to lose parents, I am often the first person they call. They call me because they know "I've been through it." I often share what I just shared above.
People really aren't stupid. They really don't mean to be insensitive. They are not mean-spirited. They are just at a complete loss. Because when it comes to rejoicing and mourning, they just can't seem to do either one.
Sunday, December 1, 2013
Monday, November 25, 2013
But It Feels Much Worse
If you are reading this post, you are a true fan of CTT. The reason is that I could not stand the pain any longer and deactivated FB once again. I have such an incredible love/hate relationship with that medium of social interaction. I really hope to stay away this time until after the new year!
Last week was a tough week. I was not able to heed Ray Wylie Hubbard's advice and my expectations crippled me. Even today, expectations just ate my lunch!
Does anyone else despise Meteorologists as much as I do? Is it really necessary to SENSATIONALIZE the weather forecasts as they do? What a joke this weekend turned out to be! The problem is that it's a year round deal. In Texas, we don't even need weathermen (persons to some of you). The forecast is the same every day for 6 months. For the other 6 months, however, these clowns are getting paid to read computer models. I suppose it's a great gig if you can get it!
I can pretty much remember "wind chill" for most of my lifetime. "It's going to get down to 27 degrees tonight. But BUNDLE UP! Cause it's going to feel like it's 25!" Please tell me NO!
Maybe, I'm wrong. But I think this "Heat Index" thing is fairly recent---as in the last couple decades. "Expect the high to be 108. But, it's going to feel like it's 112!" Find me some shade!
Let me go on record as saying that Wind Chill and Heat Index are two of the STUPIDEST things I have ever seen! I just don't get it! And I don't see the need to sensationalize the weather. And I don't know what it says about the state of man, in general, that we absolutely INSIST that things must be much worse than they really are.
The Dallas/Fort Worth area got YET another dose of that over this past weekend. Not watches. Not advisories. Not potential. No! We had Winter Storm Warnings in effect all weekend because the Ice Age Armageddon was on the way! Did anyone really believe it? But more importantly, will anyone pay any attention to the next forecast? What a joke? And some of these esteemed meteorologists are insisting that flurries are possible tonight! Is it really necessary to forecast snow flurries?
So, it's hotter than it really is. It's colder than it really feels. SO, I'm going to blame the stupid weatherman for making it okay for all of us to explain that things are much better (or worse) than they really are. You are happier than you really deserve. Your kids are more successful than they'll ever be. You're making more money than you ever have.
And let's not even go on the negative side. Those of you who are just the opposite...especially those of you who are defined by your WEEKLY Doctor visits.....we know! We All Know! We know more than we EVER wanted to know about you! You are much worse than the Doctor believes!
So, let me encourage everyone to just continue the "Wind Chill/Heat Index" paradigm in your life. Please share your true temperature. But please go on to convince us that it feels much worse than it is! Better yet, put it all on Facebook! Especially, while I'm away!
Last week was a tough week. I was not able to heed Ray Wylie Hubbard's advice and my expectations crippled me. Even today, expectations just ate my lunch!
Does anyone else despise Meteorologists as much as I do? Is it really necessary to SENSATIONALIZE the weather forecasts as they do? What a joke this weekend turned out to be! The problem is that it's a year round deal. In Texas, we don't even need weathermen (persons to some of you). The forecast is the same every day for 6 months. For the other 6 months, however, these clowns are getting paid to read computer models. I suppose it's a great gig if you can get it!
I can pretty much remember "wind chill" for most of my lifetime. "It's going to get down to 27 degrees tonight. But BUNDLE UP! Cause it's going to feel like it's 25!" Please tell me NO!
Maybe, I'm wrong. But I think this "Heat Index" thing is fairly recent---as in the last couple decades. "Expect the high to be 108. But, it's going to feel like it's 112!" Find me some shade!
Let me go on record as saying that Wind Chill and Heat Index are two of the STUPIDEST things I have ever seen! I just don't get it! And I don't see the need to sensationalize the weather. And I don't know what it says about the state of man, in general, that we absolutely INSIST that things must be much worse than they really are.
The Dallas/Fort Worth area got YET another dose of that over this past weekend. Not watches. Not advisories. Not potential. No! We had Winter Storm Warnings in effect all weekend because the Ice Age Armageddon was on the way! Did anyone really believe it? But more importantly, will anyone pay any attention to the next forecast? What a joke? And some of these esteemed meteorologists are insisting that flurries are possible tonight! Is it really necessary to forecast snow flurries?
So, it's hotter than it really is. It's colder than it really feels. SO, I'm going to blame the stupid weatherman for making it okay for all of us to explain that things are much better (or worse) than they really are. You are happier than you really deserve. Your kids are more successful than they'll ever be. You're making more money than you ever have.
And let's not even go on the negative side. Those of you who are just the opposite...especially those of you who are defined by your WEEKLY Doctor visits.....we know! We All Know! We know more than we EVER wanted to know about you! You are much worse than the Doctor believes!
So, let me encourage everyone to just continue the "Wind Chill/Heat Index" paradigm in your life. Please share your true temperature. But please go on to convince us that it feels much worse than it is! Better yet, put it all on Facebook! Especially, while I'm away!
Monday, November 18, 2013
Tis the Season......for Stupid!
Many readers of CTT are not familiar with my love/hate relationship with Facebook. In my mind, Facebook is just a continuing social experiment where I try to be as inflammatory as possible, in order to see how you will respond. It typically brings me great joy.
However, I have deactivated my account on more than one occasion. Usually, a deactivation occurs during a couple of Seasons. One is vacation season. I struggle with the sin of ENVY. In my mind, all of you check in from the French Riviera and brag of this glorious destination. My envy takes over and I cannot bare to read about it. I know that ALL of you are not in the South of France. But, that's what my narrow mind sees.
We are now in the second season of the year when I am most likely to deactivate. Tis the Season! Dear friends, people I love, people I admire, along with people who generally irritate me will be posting some of the most RIDICULOUS thoughts and opinions to ever be blasted into cyber-space! It truly drives me insane and deepens my conviction that this little experience here on the Planet is just an exercise in futility.
For starters, this overwhelming gratitude that is about OVERCOME you is probably not a bad thing. The world could use some gratitude. I even mentioned it last week. What I did NOT say is this: "Okay folks, I mentioned gratitude in my Blog. Now, in the next 10 minutes, if you do not create a gratitude blog, post 30 things you're grateful for, copy it to everyone's page, link it to Pinterest, and invite 13 homeless people to your house for Thanksgiving......then you are a SPAWN of Satan and the fires of Hell cannot, in any way, be hot enough for you!"
I know this is America. I know that we turn EVERYTHING into a competition. It's kind of like the other day when I saw a link to the Yoga Championships! I couldn't wait to call the Denton Yogi and inquire as to the origins of the "breathing, meditating" competition! Really? BTW, the Denton Yogi does not approve of any such contests. Just like, I don't approve of these "off-putting" gratitude contests that so many of you try to drag me into.
Of course, these Thanksgiving Gratitude Contests pale in comparison to the "Keep Christ in Christmas" campaign that will soon adorn the Timelines of the Christians. Is it really any wonder that Christians are so despised? It would be comical if you were not just so STINKING sad!
I saw my first Christmas Rant last week. I love this man deeply and will not identify him by name or nickname. He's been mentioned in CTT before. I was hoping that someone had hijacked his FB Account. We've not discussed it yet. I'm still holding out hope that a "hijacking" was indeed the case.
Regrettably, I commented on the post. Now, I owe an amends to the Timeline Owner and the MORON who decided that arguing with ME would be a good idea! But, please, let me quote quote this DEBATER with an IQ evidently smaller than his shoe size:
"As I see it, any opportunity to celebrate the birth of Christ is a good opportunity to spread the Gospel, and why wouldn't one encourage pagans to NOT celebrate a holiday that is meaningless without Christ?"
From the numerous private messages I received like "Bless his heart" and "That guy is pitiful", I am certain that I do not need to break down the glaring inconsistencies in that comment!
This will not stop the Christians, however, from fighting the good fight. With intolerance, malice, contempt and venom, they will demand that we keep Christ in Christmas during the next 30 days! Moreover, they will be DISGUSTED by any Agnostic, Jew, or Atheist that dares to put up a tree!
Why does NO ONE else see what is crystal clear to me?
Tis the Season! Merry ChrismaHannaKwanziKuh!
However, I have deactivated my account on more than one occasion. Usually, a deactivation occurs during a couple of Seasons. One is vacation season. I struggle with the sin of ENVY. In my mind, all of you check in from the French Riviera and brag of this glorious destination. My envy takes over and I cannot bare to read about it. I know that ALL of you are not in the South of France. But, that's what my narrow mind sees.
We are now in the second season of the year when I am most likely to deactivate. Tis the Season! Dear friends, people I love, people I admire, along with people who generally irritate me will be posting some of the most RIDICULOUS thoughts and opinions to ever be blasted into cyber-space! It truly drives me insane and deepens my conviction that this little experience here on the Planet is just an exercise in futility.
For starters, this overwhelming gratitude that is about OVERCOME you is probably not a bad thing. The world could use some gratitude. I even mentioned it last week. What I did NOT say is this: "Okay folks, I mentioned gratitude in my Blog. Now, in the next 10 minutes, if you do not create a gratitude blog, post 30 things you're grateful for, copy it to everyone's page, link it to Pinterest, and invite 13 homeless people to your house for Thanksgiving......then you are a SPAWN of Satan and the fires of Hell cannot, in any way, be hot enough for you!"
I know this is America. I know that we turn EVERYTHING into a competition. It's kind of like the other day when I saw a link to the Yoga Championships! I couldn't wait to call the Denton Yogi and inquire as to the origins of the "breathing, meditating" competition! Really? BTW, the Denton Yogi does not approve of any such contests. Just like, I don't approve of these "off-putting" gratitude contests that so many of you try to drag me into.
Of course, these Thanksgiving Gratitude Contests pale in comparison to the "Keep Christ in Christmas" campaign that will soon adorn the Timelines of the Christians. Is it really any wonder that Christians are so despised? It would be comical if you were not just so STINKING sad!
I saw my first Christmas Rant last week. I love this man deeply and will not identify him by name or nickname. He's been mentioned in CTT before. I was hoping that someone had hijacked his FB Account. We've not discussed it yet. I'm still holding out hope that a "hijacking" was indeed the case.
Regrettably, I commented on the post. Now, I owe an amends to the Timeline Owner and the MORON who decided that arguing with ME would be a good idea! But, please, let me quote quote this DEBATER with an IQ evidently smaller than his shoe size:
"As I see it, any opportunity to celebrate the birth of Christ is a good opportunity to spread the Gospel, and why wouldn't one encourage pagans to NOT celebrate a holiday that is meaningless without Christ?"
From the numerous private messages I received like "Bless his heart" and "That guy is pitiful", I am certain that I do not need to break down the glaring inconsistencies in that comment!
This will not stop the Christians, however, from fighting the good fight. With intolerance, malice, contempt and venom, they will demand that we keep Christ in Christmas during the next 30 days! Moreover, they will be DISGUSTED by any Agnostic, Jew, or Atheist that dares to put up a tree!
Why does NO ONE else see what is crystal clear to me?
Tis the Season! Merry ChrismaHannaKwanziKuh!
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