MT

I was trying to think of what to post today, and then I saw the news that Baroness Margaret Thatcher, The Iron Lady, had passed.  I was just a teen during her time in office, and not really interested in political goings on (still am not interested too much!), but I remember that her name and Ronald Reagan's name were mentioned together, and that her name was a good name.  Now I know a bit more about her policies and what she did for Great Britain---and Margaret Thatcher is still a good name.  She wasn't perfect I'm sure, but I believe she was the right, strong leader at a time when Britain really needed one.  Policies aside, I admire her for daring to do what she wanted to do.  When she was elected Prime Minister, she was blazing a trail of her own making.  No woman had ever done what she did (in Britain).  I don't know if any had ever attempted to get elected in the first place--let alone be elected more than once!  But she had a vision, she wanted to do it, she did it.  And then, once elected, she stood where she stood and if you didn't like it that was your problem!  I admire that.  I have such difficulty letting go of my fears and just doing what it is that is in my heart to do.  I admire people who just do it and forget about being afraid; who don't worry if everybody likes them. We call her The Iron Lady, which in my book is a compliment.  Too many countries' leaders are all talk and no backbone, and you don't really know where they stand, but you're pretty sure it's not in the country's camp.  Not so with Margaret Thatcher.  You knew where she stood and she stood there firmly.  She was a Patriot, a Leader and a Lady.  America has lost a friend, and we mourn her passing.  Rest In Peace, Iron Lady.

Patience---or Long-Suffering

Patience or Longsuffering?  I've had this post idea nibbling at the edges of my brain for some time now.  Let's see if I can get it written down.  A while ago I started thinking about how some versions of the Bible use the word Patience while others use Long-Suffering, and I decided that I liked Long-Suffering better.  Why?  Because for me the word Patience has such nice connotations---like it's referring to someone who has it together, and is in quiet and complete possession of themselves while they wait for something.  Long-Suffering, on the other hand, just says it like it is: suffering looooong.  It's not really nice, not pretty, not all put together.  Long-Suffering, to me, refers to someone who is slogging through the trenches with muddy cold feet, trying desperately to keep their rifle dry as they wait for reinforcements. (Please forgive the military reference.  I can't help myself!)  There are 2 particular verses that come to mind when I think of this comparison.  One of them is the description of the Fruit of The Spirit, where Patience (Long-Suffering) is put right in there with Love, Joy, Peace and Kindness.  Seems so nice doesn't it?  Now please don't get me wrong.  I'm not saying there is anything wrong with 'nice' Patience!  But when you get right down to the nitty gritty in life and you are waiting desperately for something, and so many times you feel like you can.not.wait. another moment, you don't run to Patience!  You go to Long-Suffering.  Because you can DO long-suffering.  You do it every day while you wait.  You slog through the mud of life and you push on and you continue and you stay determined and you work HARD at keeping faith.  You suffer long.  The other verse I think of is in The Love Chapter where it says "Love is patient and kind".  The other version says "Love suffers long and is kind".  Makes a difference, don't you think?  Sometimes loving others takes Patience, but at other times it takes Looong Suffering!  Oh you know what I mean, and someone's name or face just popped into your head didn't it?  Admit it!  There are some people who are easy to love and there are others who cause you to hunker down for a siege of suffering long! lol  Jokes aside, though, there are people we meet/grow up with/are related to, etc.  who take some suffering in order to love them, aren't there?  There are many facets to this suffering long in order to love thing, but that's a whole other tangent I will not get off on here.  This post is already gonna be long enough! =)  My point here is that if you are going to love someone else with any depth or strength you are going to need a portion of 'patience' or 'long-suffering'.  And once again, when it gets hard to love, you don't run to Patience, you run to Long-Suffering.  That's the only way to get through, the only way to keep loving. Long-Suffering. I don't think the word Patience says enough.  'Patience' seems like it should be easier somehow than 'Long-Suffering'.  When I try to be Patient and it's not easy, I feel like I somehow have fallen short---like I should be better at this 'Patient' thing.  Then I get frustrated.  But if I think that in this particular situation in life, or with this particular person I  have to be Long-Suffering, I know it's gonna be hard right from the start! No ifs ands or buts about it!  I like that better because I don't have to feel like I've failed when it's hard to wait--or when it's hard to keep loving.  I'm doing wth the Bible says:  Suffering Long.  =)  Of course, the bottom line here is, it's not about how hard it is to wait or to love.  It's about the not giving up.  If you can do Patient, then be thankful.  It's a gift from God.  Really.  But if all you can do is Long-Suffering, be thankful for that too.  Because it's also a gift from God.  Long-Suffering (or Patience--depending on your version!) is what keeps us from giving up, from quitting, from letting go, from losing hope. And not.giving.up. is a very good thing.

Thinking Ahead

Why do I never learn to plan ahead?  You would think after being around this planet for 40 years I would have learned at least a LITTLE bit about planning!  *sigh*  So here I am, once again up against the wall because I haven't thought ahead.  This time its the lawn mower.  It's the 3rd of April, here in NC the grass is getting thick, and just today I went out to see if the mower would start.  Can I blame my lack of organization in this particular department on the fact that I was born and bred in the North?  I mean, in Upstate NY it's still snowing at this time of year!  You're barely thinking about flowers blooming, let alone lawn mowing!  So yes, let's put the blame right there.  I've only been in the South for several years---not nearly long enough to sweat the Northern Winter habits out of me yet.  =)  Anyway, the lawn mower.  So I attempted to start the thing and miraculously it did!  Off I went, round the front yard, thinking I might just cut some of the longer sections.  I got about 5 rows done and then it died.  Kaput. Dead.  And yes, it does have gas and oil in it! lol  I tried restarting Multiple times--and it starts, but then dies immediately.  So.  Off to Sears I must go, mower in tow, for servicing (the mower, not me!  Though maybe I should ask if they can fix me too! lol).  The problem is that they send out mowers on Mondays and get them back the next Monday--which means it will be more than a week before I can get ANY mowing done!  Oy.  Thankfully most of the yard does not need done yet.  The side yard however, is getting a bit shaggy.  By the time I get the mower back I may need to invest in a sythe instead!  I suppose there is always next year for thinking ahead..........=)

Whew.  As you can see, I have been gone for an entire month plus.  And what a goat-rope of a ride it was.  Don't ask me to explain that phrase. I heard it from a Marine.  But you know what it means without my telling you, don't you?  =)  That's what I love about Military expressions.  They might use a strange sounding phrase, but you don't have to ask anyone what they are talking about.  Anyway.  March was a hard month, but thankfully its gone and done, and hopefully April will be better.  Its not that the whole month was bad, just most of it! lol  I did have a 12-day vacation in the middle, which was great, but the time before and the time after............well, let's just not talk about that, shall we?  I'll just say that emotional issues, work issues, computer issues, and cold weather don't mix! Period.  lol   So.  I'm trying to get back in the swing of blogging.  I'd also like to try following one of those Photo-a-day challenges, but I don't know if I can do that right now or not.  I was all set to try one in March---started it even---and then the computer issues started. Grr.  Which led to the rest of March.......oof.  So one thing at a time.  But at least now I'm looking forward to trying some things again.  And this is a very good thing.


PS. My drain no longer looks like something from the Redneck Home Journal!  Yay!  Thanks Annie!!

Redneck Plumbing & Blog Vacation

If you've ever used a small ball of polymer clay to hold your drain stopper open you might be a Redneck.............  I finally got tired of the water not being able to go down the drain properly, so I did this---at least until I get around to Googling it to see how to remove/replace the crazy thing! And before you say it, yes, I have tried to adjust the lever behind the faucet that raises and lowers the stopper.  But even set at its furthest point it still won't keep the stopper up where it needs to be.  Hence my "ingenuity".  I never need to stop the sink for anything, so the little clay ball is a perfect remedy for now.  Goes right along with my tomato can side-table risers...........=)

Oh hi.  Yes, I'm back.  Yes, I went on a vacation from blogging.  No, I didn't announce it because I didn't know I was going to do it at the time. lol  I just got too busy and too tired to blog for a while.  The busy part included a little trip to Hilton Head Island, SC.  My very generous Aunt and Uncle have a time-share and were so kind as to invite a bunch of us there to share the time-share with them.  I had never been to HHI, so it was nice to see and explore.  We were just a short walk from the beach, and a short drive to just about any kind of store and dining place you can imagine.  I don't know when I've seen so many shopping opportunities in one small area!  Amazing.  So I walked on the beach, laughed with aunts, uncles and cousins, shopped, went to Starbucks almost every morning (2 miles away! yay!), surfed on Pinterest, crocheted, and ate.  Whew.  I had to come home to rest up! lol  It was really a nice time.  I just didn't feel like blogging about it then.  Now you know.  And the tired part?  Don't know why.  Maybe it's just time for Spring.  Not that I can complain about the weather here in NC.  Today it's already almost 50 degrees and it's not even 10am!  It's wet out there, but the sun is shining and there's not a speck of snow in sight.  The field across the road has been plowed up and I'm expecting them to plow the one in front of the house anytime now.  Wonder what he'll plant this year?  So I don't know why I should have Spring Fever.  Its not as if I'm buried under snow and cold.  But I think maybe our bodies have an inside clock that still longs for Spring, no matter what our Winter looks like.  =)  Anyway.  Here's hoping for more energy and more blogging!  In 2 weeks I'm back to the beach with my sisters.  Can't. Wait.  Maybe I'll blog better at this beach than I did at the last! lol  TTFN!

Chaos and Sunsets

Ooh today was a day!  One of those days with it's own particular brand of chaos that is hard to describe.  One of those where the only thing you can do is put your head down and slog through it one hour at a time.  Well, it's either that or cry.  Which I felt like doing. Several times.  But thanks be to God I made it through and I don't have to go back tomorrow!  Yay!  Sometimes I hear people say they love their job.  I dream of having a job I love, one that I don't mind going to.  I'm sure that even if I loved my job there would be days I didn't want to go, but it would be nice to at least not dread it!  lol  I'm not complaining.  I'm thankful I have a job in an economy such as ours---a job that makes me a good living too.  But I can't help but dream of doing what I love.  In spite of my day though, there was a gorgeous sunset this evening---like a message from God that He has everything under control.  I didn't take any pictures (gasp!), just stepped outside to admire the view.  So beautiful.  Isn't it amazing to think that the sun sets like that whether anyone is looking or not?   Nature does her thing as God intends and to His Glory.  We're just happenstance spectators to the show. 

Monday Muse

This quote was on the sermon outline insert in the bulletin at church yesterday.  Very thought provoking.  (The sermon was great too, by the way. Just in case you wondered.)

"The demand for absolute liberty brings men to the depths of slavery."~~Dietrich Bonheoffer


Have a great week!