Day 2: Who is your favorite character of all time?

OK, it is day 2, and I am playing catch-up.   I submitted my blog post for Friday just a couple hours ago, and now I am running.  Today’s prompt ask me what my favorite character of all time is.  

First of all, I hate to admit it, but I am a big Disney fan.   Yes, I am that big kid people have warned you about, lol.   Disney is not the only one with characters.   I have lots of characters that I love for different reasons, but real and fiction.  So I am not going to name my all-time favorite character.  I am going to name my favorite characters, both real and fiction.   Let’s start with the fiction:

In Disney, I love Minnie Mouse.   The reason is she is fun, cute, and she is going after her man (Mickey Mouse) no matter what.   She may get mad at him for a minute, but she loves him anyway. (What woman (Ummm mouse) wouldn’t?) She does get annoyed with her girlfriends (Daisy duck and Clarabelle Cow), but does not stay mad long.

Next there is Princess Tiana.  First she was determined to open her restaurant, willing to work two or three jobs.   When they said no, she was trying to find a way to get that building, when she was thrown into an unusual situation:  kissed a frog and was turned into one herself.   She overcame voodoo, an idiot prince, and the like to not only get her business but to change that prince as well.

OK, this next person is going to age me a bit, but I will assure you that I am not that old.   I choose The Bionic Woman’s Jaime Somers for this one.   (Yes, I am at least 45, LOL).  Look at this:   you go on a date, have an accident that have you plummet from the sky, only to be told that you cannot hear out of one ear, use one arm and cannot walk one minute, then given technology to help you do the impossible the next.   I call that strength and courage to tenth degree.   I have to give it to the acting talent of Lindsay Wagner, who did not want to see Jaime become some ditzy woman.  She wanted Jaime to have a purpose in life, and not just go on some stupid mission for OSI, but to make a difference in someone’s life.   This is the reason why I did not like the 2007’s version of the show.   It ruined the reason why Ms. Wagner fought to have her version of Jaime the way she was.   Bright, smart, and cheerful, not bitter and dumb.

OK, I have a few moment for the real people, so let’s go…

Ruth and Naomi:  two woman in the bible who did not deal with each other after Naomi’s son and husband were killed.  They could have gone their separate ways, but God brought them together, and Ruth was more than just a daughter in law to Naomi, but a true daughter.   They teach you that family does not have to be blood, and after Ruth marries Boaz, Naomi is still in her life.

Mary, the mother of Jesus:   This was a teenager who was told by god that she was to have a son, without, I repeat, without getting married.   This is why I do not talk down to single mothers, because when Mary gave birth to Jesus, she was not married, and God choose her anyway.   A person should not judge any woman who decides to become a mother, no matter what the situation is.

If you notice my favorite characters, they are all female and they have endured.  It does not matter if they are playful (Minnie), resourceful and strong (Jaime, Princess Tiana, Ruth and Naomi), or was in God’s favor (Mary), these are all characters that I would love to see more of in me.   I may have not have dated a mouse, granted super-human strength, dealt with the loss of family, turned into something I wasn’t, or given birth to someone greater than myself, but these are strengths that I most admire.

So who is your favorite character or do you have a group of characters you can draw from?   Comment below and be blessed my friend.

If you found one million dollars in the morning and had to spend it by nightfall, what would you do with the money?

I am taking part in Blogher’s NABLOPOMO for November, but I have a confession to make.   I did not have one for Yesterday, and I have already written one for today, so you are being blessed with two posts.  

The title says it all.  If I found a million dollars and had to spend it by nightfall, what would I do with the money?

First of all, I would call up my favorite charities a total of $600,000.   That would leave me with $400,000 to work with.   Next would be my church for $100,000.  This leaves me with $300,000.  Invest 100,000 of it.  (it did not say anything about I cannot invest).   $10,000 towards bills.  This leaves me $190,000.   The rest I would spend paying off my up and coming trips (March and June 2014), helping my businesses, updating my wardrobe, getting a new car, and a down payment on a house.  I will throw in some gifts for the family too.

Note:  The instructions did not say that I cannot hold on to it in some ways.  What about you?

Be Blessed, my friend.

Ye who is without sin cast the first stone….

I have been obsessed with the whole, “Burn in Hell” type concept, and I want to take a minute to address that to those Christians who feel the need to “cast the first stone” and judgment.   This has been on my heart for several weeks now, and it has me a little upset.

First of all, if you are reading my blog for the first time and you are a Christian, I am one too.   I want to ask you a couple of questions to answer to ONLY yourself:  What is a Christian and am I being the best Christian I can possibly be?  If you are reading and studying God’s word and understanding what God is trying to tell you, that’s great?  Good for you.  I attend my church weekly bible study, attend church on most Sunday, and I am active participate in my church’s activities.   I will admit that I do not pick up my bible everyday like I should, and I have access to not only a printed bible, but also a bible on my Android and Ipad.  So, I cannot say that I do not have an excuse to not read and study His word, but that is the fairly easy part.

The next part should be easy; Do you except Jesus as your Lord and Savior?   If you said yes to that question, done.   You cannot get to heaven on just God alone.   Jesus is God’s son, and I do not know how else to put it, because God did send Jesus to save the world.   To those that believe that Jesus was just a mere prophet, you are dead wrong.   People back then during his time believe that, but those who were touched by his healings and miracles knew Jesus was much more than just a prophet, and this included his disciples.  I accepted Jesus at the age of 11. For those who think that was a little young and think that I did not know what that means, no it is not, because I have been attending Sunday school since the age of 3, so I knew exactly what I was doing when the base Chaplin baptized me.   Does that mean I have days that are easy and fun?  No it does not, but I know where to go when I am having those bad days.   More on that in another post.

This last part is what I have a problem with.   Extreme Christians and showing God’s love.   I realize that there are sin being committed every day.   There is gambling, cheating on anything and anyone, extreme sex, lies, embezzlement, bearing false witness,  and the list goes on and on.   Did you know that judgment is one of them?   I am pretty sure it is one of them.   Let me give you an example: 

You have a friend.  Let’s call her Diane.  Diane is in love with this person she just met.  They are her moon and stars, and they complete her.   Did she forget to tell you that he is married with two kids?   Did she also fail to tell you that one of those kids is in her preschool child’s class?  The same kid she had with an unmarried man 4 years ago.   How would you minister to her? Now Diane has not be in church since she was a teen, and her parents did not push the issue, even though they are regular church goers.  Extreme Christians would have her in “burning hell”, splashed Holy water on her, without telling her why it is wrong for her to act the way that she does.  A Christian, on the other hand, would have loved her the way she was, asked if she know who Jesus was, and have taken baby steps with her, because she may have accepted Jesus before all of this came about, but lost her way. 

But what if Diane did not want to change at that moment?  Love her anyway.  Eventually, something would rubbed off on her to get her to change, but you are still not judging her for her actions.  You pray for her, and you show her the kindness that Jesus would have showed her if he was standing right in front of her. 

This is just the personal aspect of whole judgment bit.  Let me throw in when people take kids trick or treat, acknowledge Santa and the Easter Bunny, or if someone decides to drink.   My question is what are you doing in your own home and in your own community that makes you “Holier than thou” from everyone?  If you do not like the whole concept of “Trick or treat”, have alternatives by throwing a party.  Same thing with Santa and the Easter bunny.  This may be a good way of introducing Christ to people who do not know about him, without forcing the issue.   For drinkers, have a virgin party (same type of drinks without the alcohol).  They will not miss it for one night.

John 3:17 says, “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”  We are not perfect.  Only God is perfect, and he understands.   It is our job on this Earth to minister, but not stuff God’s word down people’s throats.  This is how you lose people, if you minister in a fire and brimstone method.   Showing God love by just being there sometimes may actually change the hearts of some of these people.  Sometimes it just takes time.    

Be Blessed, my friend.

Thinking Tuesday writing assignment: I need to leave for a moment....Talk among yourselves.

What is your favorite place to escape?   It does not matter if it is a place in your mind, another place in your home, or a favorite vacation location.   Have fun with it.   Use it as a writing prompt or you may comment below.

What society expects

nieces (Photo credit: sukhchander)

...."snips and snails and puppy dog tails
That's what little boys are made of."
Really?   Parents of another generation, is that what you think little boys are made of?   Altough I do not have children of my own, I am blessed to have four.  17,6,3,and 2 years old (the 2 year old is actually a friend of mine's child).   As I watch all of them, 17 going into a man, the 6 year old is learning to make friends, and the 3 and 2 year old learning about all the things around them, I cannot help but to wonder why I keep telling myself why I want to adopt a girl.  Boys are fascinating to watch.  I guess it is the silliness to take risks.  We as a society, encourage little boys to be adventurous, daring, and to take risks.  We tell them it is ok to be rough, tough, and to scrape a couple of knees.  I love little boys as much as little girls.  Let's move on...
...."Sugar and spice, and everything nice,
That's what little girls are made of.
Again, parents of another generation, is this what you used to think of little girls.   Sweet, cute, and whinny?   We expect little girls to learn how to be submissive and to be lady-like.  Alone with those little nephews, I have a 5 year old niece.  She is the sister to the 6 year old.   She always want to do what her brother does, but again due to society's wishes, we tell her, like all little girls to be delicate, dainty, and cute.
So what if a man likes to cook, clean, and dress nice, or a woman likes to fix cars, build things, or ride a motorcycle, what are they to society?   They are considered gay.   Not necessary.  For those of you who still think that, consider this:
How is a man or woman supposed to survive without a mate?  A person does not have to get married, or for some reason they cannot get married.   For a man, that means how are they supposed eat, when health experts tell us that we have gotten too fat off of fast food.   It is also unhealthy to live in a messy house.  If a man does not dress nice, he is considered a bum or homeless.
Likewise, if a woman does not know how to fix anything, she may never know what needs to be fix or how to fix it.   Yes, there are experts out there, but when there is a problem, the person in trouble is always the one to blame.   After all, how does a woman find out how much money is in the bank account, how to invest, and when to invest.   Are cars the only mode of transportation for a woman?  And finally, how is a woman going to make a change in society to benefit gender relationships?   I  thought so.
So, the conclusion is simply.  Yes, boys can be rough, but so can girls.  Girls can cook and dance, but so can boys. Let a person be who they want to be, and survive the best way they know how, and unless they are hurting another person, let them be.
Be blessed my friend.

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Welcome to Fall….Or is it Autumn.

It is amazing how many people say autumn vs. fall, but does it really matter?  I say fall, because it is easier to spell at 2 am in the morning.   As we close out the last few hours of summer in Central Ohio, I cannot help but to think about my summer.  Last year, I had some truths about my summer of 2012, which you can read about, and it is now become a standard tradition for me to recap summer of 2013 in th

e same manner.  So here we go:

1. Traveling with a 2 year old is fun and adventurous.  They are still at the stage where they sleep most of the time.
2. At the same time, you have to eat where they are most comfortable, and you do have to pull your hair out.
3. Disney wants a down payment on future travel dates, NOW!
4. I aged a year.
5. It is frustrating to talk to a travel agent with an accent.

Ok, so I not have the same amount of truths that I had last year, but over all, it has been one interesting summer.  Let me say I am looking forward to the following fall traditions:

1. Curling up with my blanket and a book on cool nights, and that book does not have to paper or hardback.  It could be digital-back.  I have my own Ipad this year (borrowed my mom’s for most of 2012) and a new phone (old smartphone was getting dumber by the minute), so I have plenty of curling up to do. 
2. Harvest fest at my church.  As I explained last year, we are not into Halloween, but we do allow kids to dress up if they want to.
3. Starting the countdown of paying off that vacation on the seas in April with Disney.  11 people on a cruise?  The Disney Dream will never be the same again when we are through, LOL.
4. Did I mention that it was time for my blanky?

All jokes aside, I hope you have a fun, rip-roaring, run through the fall leaves, and drink lots of apple cider, pumpkin carving, with lots of turkey fun this fall.  Soon your days will be filled with snow, ice, and all things Christmas and Hanukah.  Make the most of it, and do something fall-like (or is it Autumn-like).  Have a hayride or two, and do not forget to decorate in your favorite fall colors.  Be blessed, my friend.  This summer 2013 is in the history books.

Semi-Wordless Wednesday: Techno baby

OK, let me set up this scene:  Nephew(3) is becoming tech savvy.  He called my Ipad "black piano", because I have a piano app on it, and every time he comes over to my parent's house, he wants to play with it.  The app looks like a real Piano/organ/keyboard, and he names it because of the black keys on it (I actually have a white Ipad, and Neph3 knows his colors better than niece(4) who is in Kindergarten).  Since I was using  "Black Piano" that day, I let him play with the android phone version of the piano app.