Grave Theif

I am astonished by the lack of consciousness from some human beings. What kind of person steals a flag from a veteran's grave? A friend of mine is extremely distraught because someone actually stole the flag and flag pole from her husband's grave. I'm not certain of the cost for replacement but whatever it is, she cannot afford it as she is raising a child alone and has little to spend on extras. She had sacrificed once to purchase this out of respect for her husband and his service in the military. Then, poof, it's gone. Stolen from the grave.

I am curious to know if the thief is flying it at their own home or did they sell it? Who buys used (and previously located on a grave site) flags? I understand that stealing in general is wrong. And, yes, all sins are equal in the eyes of the Lord. But don't you think that stealing from the deal ranks a little higher on the scale of evilness than, say, shoplifting a shirt? I would honestly be afraid of lightening striking me dead if I were to attempt to steal from a dead person's grave. Sad. Pathetic. Disgusting. Shameful. I am simply appalled.

Blog Design

Well, I've changed my blog design AGAIN but this time out of necessity. I just realized how difficult it was to read my blog with a picture as my background! I'm learning as I go, so please excuse my indecisiveness.

Have a wonderful Monday!

Happy Birthday Ocalablue :)

Wishing my new blogging friend, Ocalablue, a very very Happy Birthday this weekend!

I'm so glad we "met"! Have a wonderful weekend & enjoy your birthday!

I Will "Pray For You" (and you and you and you and you!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=atBg9zLI2bA

This is my new fav song! I know it's wrong, yet I absolutely adore it! There are a couple of people I have in mind to pray for.

Lord help me. My last post was about going to church and here I am today singing a song like this. Let's hope lightening don't strike me dead in my tracks. But I'm only human. I would be lying if I said there were no people who got under my skin. The truth is there are a lot of people who get under my skin. I generally don't dwell on it though. I just let them be. But there are days that "enough is enough" and I explode (on my blog).

How 'bout you? Do you have anyone you need to "pray for"?

Jesus Withdrawals

I haven't been to church in a couple of weeks now and I miss it. I even posted this on my facebook status a few days ago. Someone  commented that I didn't have to go to a building to have Jesus. I could simply open up my Bible and read it. Well, they're right. I could just read my Bible but it's not the same experience as actually attending church. I rarely quote the Bible because even though I grew up in church, I wasn't very good at memorizing verses. But I do remember somewhere in the Bible, it speaks of where two or more people are gathered, then God will be among them. I believe this to be true because I don't get the same feeling at home by myself as compared to being in church.

I'm not a one of those church/religious fanatics. In fact, I just recently started going back to church (April). Before then, I had not been to church in years and years. But there was always a part of me that missed it very much. Growing up, my family went to church every Sunday, sometimes on Wednesdays and at least once a month on a Saturday night (Singing night). It was a very social experience for me. Mom and Dad would have friends from church over and I would get to play with their kids while the grown-ups mingled. This was our community, our village, our social network, our support group, our safe house. I am very appreciative to my parents for raising me this way.

I read a post this morning about raising a "churchless" child. (Here). I totally disagree. The entire reason I started going back to church was because I want my son to grown up in a church community like I did. I want him to learn the morals and values they teach. In fact, not only to I want this for him, I feel that it is my obligation as his parent to expose this to him. The world in which he will grow up in is filled with so many "wrong" paths. If taking him to church will prevent him from going down just one of those, it is worth every second spent there. I know that one day, he will question his beliefs like I did. But at least he will have a solid basis of religious knowledge to build upon.

It's Not My Birthday but Thanks Anyway Doggy!

I love my dog but his little gifts have got to stop! This morning, rushed to get to work as usual, I open the door to go outside and almost fall trying to avoid stepping on one of his "gifts"! Then I have the "grossed out jerks" all the way to work. It was a dead baby possum! Thanks a lot doggy, but the least you could do is wrap it and put a big bow on top! I'll get over it. In fact, I'll go on with the rest of my day and completely forget about it. At least until I get home and realize that I'm the one responsible for the disposal of it. Oh no, I'm getting the "grossed out jerks" again.

Happy Tuesday!

My Mother

My mom is my reality check in life. When I was young she grounded me but now she keeps me grounded. She is so many different things to me at different points in my life. At times she is my best friend, other times she is my enemy. I love her and hate her (not really). I just get mad at her and she gets mad at me. It is a constant give and take relationship between us. I'm always grateful to have her and cannot begin to imagine the day that she will no longer be here.

Nonetheless, as stated in my previous post, I have the right to bitch and gripe about her. She's family. This post is one of those bitch and gripe sessions. Today she was rear-ended. Nothing major, just a fender bender. But it did result in some minor damage. Her trunk is now off center and I'm guessing that when it rains, the trunk will leak. I wasn't with her when it happened but she called me right after. I asked, "did you call the police?" She answered, "no." What? That's right she let the lady go without getting any information about her nor did she file a report. This was simply irresponsible on her part. If I had done this, she would have fussed at me for a month of Sunday's. Yet, if I point out that she made a mistake, then she gets mad at me.

Okay, let me try to understand this rule in our relationship. If and when I make a mistake, she will not only point it out to me repeatedly but she will also reprimand me for it as if I were still a child. However, if and when she makes a mistake, I should completely ignore it and not so much as point it out to her. It's not considered a mistake if made by my mother. Shew, I had better add this one to my rule book quickly, lest I forget.

Am I going to act this way with my son when he is a grown man? Please, Lord, do not let me turn into my mother.

Family

What on earth would I do without my family? They have stuck by me through thick and thin. They have been there for the good, the bad, and the extremely ugly. They love me unconditionally. They are my life boat in this sea of chaos. They are truly my rock.

God first, family second. This is the way it should be. This is the way it is for me. My mother has always said, "husbands and wives come and go, but family is forever." It took some time for me to believe her on this one but after two divorces, I know she's right. This is one of the things about family that help create that unbreakable bond. Family doesn't file for divorce. Family doesn't sue for child support. Family doesn't quit each other. Although the "vows" are never formally spoken as in a marriage, family upholds those "vows" better than any husband or wife.

Another thing I find interesting about the family is their defensiveness for one another. We talk about each other within the family and always will. But, I dare an outsider to talk about one of us. That's right, I can bitch and gripe about my mother or cousin or uncle, but you had better not say the first word against them. If you do, then you'll bear the brunt of the entire family against you. It's true, there is power in numbers.

I'm lucky to belong to such a strong and loving family unit. The "family" life is becoming less and less common in our fast paced American lifestyle. It's sad because as a result, children who grow up without the emotional stability of a family do not usually develop strong morals and values. I thank God that my son has already developed a strong attachment to his grandparents and great grandparents. He will grow up knowing what it means to belong to a family.

"FRIED!"

My diet is FRIED, literally! It ain't southern cooking unless you batter it and slap it in a skillet full of lard! That is the God's honest truth! Growing up, every meal I consumed included at least one and usually two fried items. Our bread was the most common food fried as my mother normally served fried Corn Bread for every dinner. But she also served up a whole lot of other foods fried, such as, potatoes, tomatoes, cabbage, chicken, pork chops, apples, potato cakes, salmon patties, french fries, okra, corn, onion rings and even our eggs! It's hard to believe that we are not overweight but in fact, I'm a size 6 and my Mom's even smaller than me. I'm guessing that our arteries are probably not as healthy as our weight is. In fact, my Dad had to have open-heart surgery a few years back and was advised to stop eating a lot of fried foods. However, his view is that the surgery gave him all new "plumbing" and it should be like starting over for him. So, no, he has not followed his doctor's advice.

Out of all the fried foods we have consumed over the years, I am shocked that I have only tried two of the items listed on the 25 awesome foods you never knew could be deep fried. I've had fried pickles and fried macaroni & cheese. Both delicious, I must say. After looking over this list, my mouth was watering for the fried cheesecake and fried Oreo's. However, it does leave me wondering who in the world first picked up an Oreo and thought, "hm, I'm gonna try it fried,"? What thought process results in someone frying up a piece of cheesecake? These are truly southern artists and should be awarded recognition for their creativity. I'm surprised my mother didn't think of these herself.