Insanity, Procrastination & Change

One of Big Daddy’s favorite quotes is the following from Albert Einstein:
Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.
He uses this in his messages from time to time. He illustrates it by walking into a wall several times. Then he will finally stop and turn, or open a door. It drives the point home.

So, today, dear readers, I’ll let you in on a secret. From the biggest things in your life to the smallest, don’t expect any change for the better until you change. The “you” is “me” and I’m writing this to myself. God will send you help if you want to change for the better, but He expects some effort on your part. Only the smallest effort. A hand reaching up. A sincerely whispered, ‘I’m sorry.” A realization. Aha! But if you continue in your old patterns and habits, things will stay the same or get worse.

I will not be happy, completely happy until I pick up a paintbrush, or pencil, or charcoal or something REGULARLY and put it to paper! The dry spell won’t stop until I start. Doing. Regularly. Like. Brushing. My. Teeth.

What insanity are you striving to overcome?

I am also striving to floss daily. I hate it, but I know it’s good for me.

He was a good actor

Rest in peace, Paul Newman.

The Caylee Protest Melee

It’s difficult to live in Florida without being aware of the disappearance of Caylee Anthony. My Mom lives in Central Florida, where this occurred, and has been following the story in the news due to sympathetic concern. This story has also made national headlines, so the chances are fairly certain that many throughout the USA have heard about it. It’s a sad story and it merits our prayerful concern, to be sure. I am also concerned about one other aspect of the case. For many reasons, this has caught people’s hearts and attention in such a way they feel a strong need for a public demonstration. This case has provoked many people to gather daily outside the home of the Anthony Family. Some gather in support, and some in protest of the Anthony’s, see here. There have been yelling matches and shoving confrontations outside their home, and none of it has done any good toward solving the mystery of what happened to this little girl. I urge those who feel compelled to protest (or support) the family, to really think hard about what they are doing, and what possible outcome it could provoke. If they still feel obliged to react in public, please review and adopt the non-violent and peaceful methods that Gandhi, Rev. Dr. King and many others used in protests. They have proven to be just as effective, if not more so, than the shouting and hoopla that have so far characterized the Caylee protests. Granted, Gandhi and Dr. King were protesting major and grave social injustices. Their campaigns were successful. How much more successful could these methods be if applied to those gathering in sad unity and outrage over the possible kidnapping or murder of this child? I think very effective. Please consider that while the Anthony family does appear suspicious, they are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. They are experiencing this loss and grief in a way most of us cannot imagine, and God forbid any of us should have to walk in their shoes. Please bear in mind that the entire neighborhood where the protests occur is impacted by the demonstrations. Many innocent bystanders are negatively effected by this, and they deserve consideration. How could the protest continue, but with the least amount of disruption to all of the neighbors? I beg the protesters to think hard about all of this. Why not adopt the non-violent and peaceful protest methods of Gandhi and Dr. King? If the point of protest is compassion for a little girl in peril, a silent and prayerful candlelight vigil is more productive than a messy screaming match. If the point is to show antagonism and suspicion toward the Anthony family, I believe a silent sit-in would be the most effective course of action. For those that suppose the Anthony’s guilt or compliance in the disappearance, wouldn’t a silent protest show that many are wary of them? Yet it would still be respectful of the grief that surrounds the entire situation, and show respect to the neighbors. Just imagine yourself in this situation - first as the Anthony’s, and then as the neighbors. How would you feel if this was going on outside your home and down your street?

E-mail Frauds, Forwards and Inaccuracies

PreacherPen had a recent post on his blog regarding an e-mail he received about Barack O’Bama. There has been an abundance of incorrect information going about these days via e-mails, blogs, and the web. The political season we’re in here in the USA has seen much buzz all over the internet particularly pertaining to the candidates. Before you pass on any sort of email forward, please check it and verify if it is true. My two favorite forward fact checking sites are snopes.com and truthorfiction.com. PreacherPen also has a good one linked in his post.

We got our first internet hook-up around 2000 or 2001. When people sent me email forwards, as they inevitably did, they were part of this whole new world opening up for me. I was so amazed by it all, I did not think very deeply about the forwards. I just passed them on. Some were funny, inspirational, or sad. Some were little editorials supposedly by well known personalities and pundits like Andy Rooney, George Carlin, and Ben Stein. Some were prayer requests, and some were chain letters. Some were warnings, petitions and newsy. My wake up call came when I forwarded this one particularly horrible and tragic story to a friend. She had the wisdom to gently ask me not to send her and forwards or stories like that anymore. It was too painful and upsetting, she said. And you know what? She was right. Even now, I shudder at remembering such a sad, disturbing, and true story. For an instant I was embarrassed of myself and then had an epiphany: Why in the world was I sending such stuff? I began to do research and discovered snopes. I finally made a decision to not forward anymore. The straw that broke the camel’s back for me was another forward for a gut-wrenching prayer request with a photo of a little boy. According to the verification sites, no such person ever existed and it appeared to be a random story with a random picture, a complete fabrication. Then I discovered that the petitions are also a fluke and I said no more forwards! I don’t think this helped my popularity with some, for I don’t get many emails anymore from some of the people who used to forward me things. I would enjoy hearing from them about their life. Give me an update on you, as I’d love to hear about what is really going on with you. Brag about you kids, complain about your boss, tell me about your vacation, whatever! Email me anytime and tell me how you are! On the other hand, some people, like my honest friend were alienated or annoyed by my penchant to forward ghastly and gloomy stories or “witness” to them with the inspirational forwards. For that, and to those people, I do apologize.

Occasionally there are a few good forwards going around. I’m not adverse to the occasional one, so long as it’s true and/or really, really good.

“And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.”

Hodgepodge vol. 3

Here’s an assortment of things I’ve come across, serious, funny, and interesting. Enjoy.



Advent Conspiracy

Cool Memory Game

I’m A Stay-At-Home-Dad

The Five Stages of Exhaustion

Beware of the Piranha Syndrome

The Oldness Factor

Zombie Shirt

Barak Roll

Tron Guy
I still respect & admire him after all these years, for letting his freak flag fly! God bless every fun and eccentric soul!

The Nest

In the late spring of 2007 God sent a mama bird to nest in one of my hanging planter baskets. I was able to gently take the basket off the hook and observe the nest. This was for me, a direct answer to a prayer. Let me explain why.

Earlier in the spring a person from an online message board community of which I was then an active member, posted of a similar experience. (You can read "Kingdom Minded's" original post here.) I remember reading his story with interest. I thought and prayed, “God, that would be so cool! I wish something like that would happen to me.” Imagine my surprise when it did - and only a short time later!

The children and I watched the light brown, speckled eggs, checking on them nearly every day. There were four of them. We observed them as they hatched and grew, the mama bird busily bringing her hatchings food. I suspect that they were house swallows, but I can’t be sure. Then one day she taught the four baby birds to fly in our backyard. In one afternoon, they went from shed to swing-set, patio table to porch rail, and back over their practice circuit again - and then they were all gone. It was a delightful and encouraging experience for our family.

At that time I was really, really busy and concerned about some things regarding our living arrangements. The Lord brought to my mind those Bible verses on birds and His Providential Care. We are not wealthy by the world’s standards, we don’t most of the latest and most popular things (and when we do they are gifts from relatives), but I felt so rich, that this little bird family had taken shelter under our porch roof, and the simple yet profound truths they taught me. This really, really blessed me, it literally stopped me in my busy tracks and reminded of all the little things that were important. It also made me feel very loved and cared for by my Heavenly Father. To have a prayer like that answered so specifically and quickly was a miracle for me. Now, I have witnessed God working miracles and healings, I know He does. But for Him to answer a “little prayer” I mumbled hastily and breathlessly about something that was not a big deal, or essential, well, it really reminded me of how a Daddy loves His child.

Notes from Mid-September

I have not posted in awhile. My heart & prayers go out to those in TX, LA, Haiti, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Turks & Caicos, and elsewhere. I was merely inconvenienced by the storms and hurricanes, whereas these places, and the people who live there, are devastated.

Things have been a bit hectic with storms, evacuations, my husband working out of town and so forth. It is a bit overwhelming to have to handle family and church responsibilities all by myself, and I am glad my husband is back to resume his part in things. Frankly, the ugly tendrils of depression are trying to drag me down again, and by the help and grace of God I have been withstanding it. One of the first areas I seem to neglect when sinking, is anything artistic. As you may know my artistic talents are already hanging by an anemic thread. And this blog has been a bit of an artistic outlet, writing and journaling are helpful and somewhat cathartic in rekindling that part of myself. I had set up a little work area with a drafting table in my bedroom. I had begun to make some little sketches with pencil and paint. You know what kind of paint I bought? Tempera! Let the “inner child” play! Baby steps. It smells good the way Play-Doh smells good. Tempera is not widely used today like oils, acrylics and watercolor, but it gets the job done.