Halloween...

RIGBY -- Seventh District Judge Brent Moss has ruled that an Idaho Falls sex offender must submit to a polygraph test if he wants his name removed from the state's sex offender registry.

Jeramy Freckleton has been on the sex offender list since 1998, when he pleaded guilty to felony sexual battery of a minor 16 or 17 years old.

He has no criminal record since his probation began, but Freckleton said having his name on the registry is making it difficult to find a job as an accountant. That's because the State Board of Accountancy requires applicants to submit to criminal history background checks.

On Monday, Moss said Freckleton would have to take a polygraph test before he makes a decision.

Repeat, aggravated and violent sex offenders are placed on the sex offender registry for life, but Idaho law allows other offenders who to petition to be removed after 10years.

DH drove my car and the next time I got in - my radio was switched to talk radio. Because of the election, I have left it on and am listening to whoever is talking when I am driving. Yesterday afternoon, it was a local host who brought up this Story and asked the audience, Should sex offenders be allowed to ever get off a SO registry?

First of all, I was shocked ( DH too) that being on a SOR had an experation date. It never dawned on me that there was even that option. As you could imagine, this was a volitile issue on the subject and most thought there shouldn't even be trials - just a firearm was all that was needed to take care of this problem and there would never be any repeat offenders. One guy brought up forgiveness and Christians. He was not met with much understanding. One guy told about being in college and how a kid streaked during a football game and because there were kids in the stands, not only found himself on the SOR but also in prison. There were a few people who said if the crime was a 18 year old guy and his 16 year old girlfriend, that was a different issue but that all SO are lumped into the same pie. Another older gentlemen said, Sure, as long as they agree to castration first.

I have my own opinions and bias. It is my understanding that this kind of behavior doesn't stop with castration - the urge is always there. I come away with that experience so my POR is that these people are never cured. Amother thing I was told is that for every time one of these people is caught, they have on average committed this activty 20 times already. I am still shocked and wonder how many people in our state, have been successful at getting off the list.

The last caller was a woman who wanted to talk about Halloween. She gave a Speech Of Epic Porportions. Without taking too much of a breath, she said these people have always been around and always will be. We have to watch out backs and our kids backs. She said we spend 364 days a year telling our kids not to take candy from strangers but 1 night a year, it is ok. By now, her voice was full and strong. She went on to say that is was our responsiblity to take care of our kids and if we are doing our jobs, SO on Halloween won't be an issue. Don't let them go to homes of people you don't know and don't let them go by themselves. Be Responsible. I agree with her and by the end of her speech, it hit me that while we can't protect our kids from everything, we do have some control and we sometimes we don't it wisely.

God wants us to love our neighbor but that is hard when you are afraid of said neighbor. We are getting ready for our Halloween party - Indiana Jones, Bobo Fett,( from Star Wars) and Hannah Montana are said to be in attendance. I can hardly wait!

When I was a kid growing up, Halloween was all about the candy. My father insisted on going through our candy first - we were always hobo's, with pillowcases tied to a stick - not for safety but so he could get the best candy first. There was no anti Halloween issues in the atheist household and over the years I have run the emotional gambit on Halloween. I am very comfortable with where I am with it now And after tomorrow, my month for Thanksgiving begins.

So however you choose to spend tomorrow night, be safe. Stay close to your kids and everything will be all right. We do live in a scary world but a little common sense can go a long way. I told my friend the other day, as my God gets bigger - the impossible doesn't seem so...impossible.

A friend shared this Oswald Chambers quote today and it was a perfect fit. We are not limited to human reasoning. We are not bound by the natural but by the supernatural. There is so much I can't see - doesn't mean it isn't there...

fast, faster, fastest...

I literally ran into Walmart last week. I even timed myself - so much for living in the Moment. I just wasn't available - can't remember why the rush but it seemed important at the time. When I returned to my car, I noticed it immediately. Funny, not sure I would have seen it any other day. Maybe it was the light that got my attention but I saw it as soon as I got close enough to see - a spider web from the car to the left of me to the front door of my van. 6 minutes, that was how long I was gone - just 6 minutes.

I stared at it for a minute. It did stop me in my tracks. I guess I had never considered how long it would take a spider to weave a web but I know I never thought it could be done in 6 minutes. Did he see me coming? Was he just waiting for someone to pull in and be in a rush? Most likely, he was just messing with me.

Alan Greenspan told Congress last week that from a economical viewpoint, This is a lifetime credit Tsunami. Tsunami - good word for where a lot of us are finding ourselves these days. It happens fast and hits hard. No time to catch your breath and some, are not going to make it. The numbers are staggering, everything from housing to job losses, with no end in sight. Hard to know the right thing to do - changes have to made and sacrifice is across the board.

I finally got in the van, turned on the radio and headed home - just a five minute. As I pulled into my subdivision, the Hallejulah Chorus, sung by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir started playing and a big smile fell across my face. Someone on the radio station decided to pull out some Christmas music - for me, it was a spiritual Tsunami and just what I needed...

a certain smell...

Woke up this morning with a certain memory with a familiar smell. It was a few years ago - after a few nights engagement, I took my book to the speaker to get his signature. Before I got right up to him, I smelled the very familiar smell. It is a smell I have smelled for as long as I can remember. It is a childhood smell. One of those things you recognize the instant you smell it. It is as familiar as anything else you know to be true.

I remember being taking back a bit as I tried to to put the smell and the speaker together. I love and still love this author. His message of God's character has changed my life, more than once. It doesn't change my mind about him, his message or God.

I don't know why it was so strong this morning. It has been a long while since I have thought about that smell. Once in a great while I will get a whiff as someone goes by at the grocery store. As the smell and this man continued on my mind this morning, I prayed for him like I never have. I don't know why he was brought to me and I don't really care - I am learning to just pray when this stuff comes my way. I don't need to waste time figuring out why - that ship has sailed. After a while, it was time to start my day.

Last time he was here, I told myself to say goodbye. It was probably the last time he would be back and I thanked him, on the inside for all he had taught me. I said my final goodbyes and was good with it.

I don't know why the smell. I don't know if it was a physical smell or a godly smell and again, don't care. What I do care about is listening when I do smell it. There is a reason that it comes my way and it is to get my attention and paying attention is what I do care about...

we are mavericks...

We had planned this day every since we found out that High School Musical 3 would be coming out. We had a plan - just like we did for Hannah Montana 3D, I would take the 2 little kids with me to stand in line and Mommy would pick up Keaton from school and run to the theatre. The plan was in place. Everyone knew the plan.

Friday afternoon when we picked up Gage from Kindergarten, I asked about breaking Keaton out of school so we could just have a fun day. Mommy thought it over and decided we could do that. Keaton wasn't sure what was going on but as soon as he found out that he wasn't in trouble and nothing was wrong - he was so excited at the unexpected change of his day.

We had lunch, made a few stops and headed for HSM 3, all together. We all loved the movie. There were tapping toes and cheers as we spent the next 108 minutes in the world of Troy, Gabrelia, Sharpay and Chad.

We all have days that we need to shake things up. When you are a kid, you are at the mercy of adults but thanks goodness, the kids have me to talk mommy into great adventures. When you are the mommy,it is tougher to make that call but that is what nanas are for.

I was a maverick way before it became popular. Being a maverick has not traditionally been seen as a positive. Sometimes it is downright looked down on. Times will change but don't see me changing so much - I will just ride the maverick wave for the next 8 days and call it good. Maybe you will find yourself needing a maverick Moment in the next week, go for it!

Christmas shopping...

Up and out of the door early Saturday morning, it was a perfect fall day. The air was crisp, it just grabbed you as you walked into its presence. No hint of warmth yet no ice-cold in sight. One who was less warm blooded might have wanted a coat but I truly was just enamoured of the perfectness of this gorgeous morning.

Christmas plans for the kids had been solidified and as we were getting one large gift, I wanted to get it now. We are looking at a layoff in 9 days of which the length is still in question so it was the perfect time and as it turned out, on the perfect day.

The woman in front of me at the check-out was in the middle of a Story when I came up. She was telling her Story of how many years ago she was trying to save money by making her own salsa. She went on to say the salsa blew up, cost her an eye and cost $22,000 - all she was trying to do was save a few bucks. I imagine if I could have spent more time with her, she would tell me that her life looked different after that experience, I know mine would. She probably doesn't try to cut as many corners now. What a Story she must have! I am so glad I got to hear some of it.

Grabbed my big gift and headed down the road to do my next errand. Again, yanked in by the crispness of the morning, I smiled when I saw the football games going on at the local middle school. I immediately pulled to the side to the side of the road, to get a shot to remind me of one of the delights of fall. Living in the Moment has given me the sight to be able to be ready for Stories when they come my way and stopping the car on a dime, to take a picture that will make me smile every time I see it. Christmas shopping in October - who would have imagined how marvelous it might be ...

quick fix...

Quick fix is mostly an oxymoron. In the midst of my week of editing photos, watching the dow and marveling at the falling price of gas - that has become painfully, obvious. If something can be fixed quickly, it is not a quick fix.

In the conversations I have had the privilege to be a part of this week, it is even more obvious. If you are in a situation and looking for the quick fix, you might better use your time to figure out how you are going to wait it out.

In the midst of editing pictures which really is painstaking love affair, you have to go one step at a time. There is no quick fix, no running up to the head of class and pushing my way in. One step is based on the step before or the next one to come. You need time to acclimatize yourself to the change that the fix will bring. I perceive that a quick fix is to restore something to its original shape/function/feeling. The original is broken and we have to fix it before mom gets home. Glue, tape, marshmellow creme - whatever it takes. The truth is once something needs fixing, there is a new reality looming close. Another chance to learn and that is no little thing.

I will take this information with me to tomorrow... and all the tomorrows that will come my way. Can't imagine that cam be anything but a quick fix...

watching the dow...

In between watching the dow go up and down, I manage to do a few real life things. Nothing is better than getting a little camera love going on. It not only flex's one's creative muscle, it is a distraction from real Life and there is not one of us who doesn't need that these days.

Each morning as I turn on MSNBC, as soon as the market opens, the state of the Dow is now a permanent fixture on the screen, They usually are spot on before the market opens as to whether it will start up or down. In the last couple of weeks, we have seen the highest high and the lowest low ever recorded in the same week. The day of the Big Drop, I sat and watch the as numbers plunged. Lots of things go through your mind as you see your little financial nest egg tumble out of the nest, knowing there is nothing you can do but watch.

The one good thing is that more of us are paying attention to things we have pretty much paid ignored. We may have no control over what direction the dow goes but if you look at gas prices this week, maybe cutting back had a little something, something to do with gas being a bit more affordable. Maybe one person can't make a huge difference but understand you can still make a difference. Size doesn't matter. We each have an equal voice. Good or bad, America is us.

At our very worse, may we be aware.
At our very best, may we be humble.
For all the moments in between, may we be all about the Moment...

safe haven law...

LINCOLN, Neb. - Stung by the abandonments of children as old as 17 under Nebraska's new "safe haven" law, the governor and lawmakers agreed Monday to narrow the legislation's broad wording to protect only the parents of newborns from prosecution.

At least 18 children, the youngest 22 months and many of them teens, have been abandoned since the law took effect in July. Nebraska's law doesn't define the word "child," so it has been interpreted to let anyone leave child up to age 18 at a state-licensed hospital without fear of prosecution for the abandonment.

Apparently Nebraska didn't dot all their I's and cross all their T's when then put their legislation into law. They have amended it now to accept up to a 3 three day old baby. Who could have imagined that anyone would take advantage of the loophole in this law? Obviously, these two parents decided that it was worth crossing state lines to take advantage of the state's oversight.

The rash of drop-offs included a teenage girl from Iowa and a Michigan boy whose mother drove to Omaha to leave him at a Omaha hospital.

I have had a teenager and like any one who has had one knows, there have been times when taking a little trip to Nebraska would have seemed a great little place to vacation. I kid but teenagers equal wanting to pull your hair out and I am assuming that these parents must have been at the end of their emotional ropes. For the kids, imagine trying to comprehend being abandoned by your parent. What a horrible place to find yourself, whether parent or child.

The first case I heard of was a widowed father who left all nine of his children at a hospital. I can't judge. My family was in a similiar situation. Apparently my grandfather's mother died and the father kept the five oldest children and adopted out the two youngest, my grandfather and his sister, the one I was supposedly named after. I don't remember much of the Story but there were bitter feelings between the father and the two he chose to abandoned. It changed their lives and how they reacted to those around them. Both were a bit wild and showed scars of losing their identity that lasted throughout their lives.

The idea of the safe haven law brought up a whole different kind of issue, one that lawmakers say they never saw coming. Don't know that there is an answer but if there is, it is no longer in Nebraska...

the grim reaper...

As I waited for my kids at the pumpkin patch, the grim reaper walked by. He surprised me and I was taken back for a minute. Then his mother followed him out to the parking lot. Never thought about TGR having a mother but it makes sense.

As I continued standing there, I was caught off guard again when he and his mom pulled up and asks if I would like any apples. Momma leaned over and explained that they had just picked them the day before. I thanked her/them/him but declined. It might sound crazy but it just doesn't feel right to take apples from TGR even though I know it was only a teenage boy in a costume. The only other costume I saw in the three hours I was there was a tiny boy in his Spiderman costume.

There has to be a Story there and part of me would love to know what it is. The mom seemed perfectly normal and even jolly. She had to be aware of the unbalance of the situation but she took it all in stride. Sometimes, we wonder if we are doing the right thing. We don't want to make a mistake. We want to make the best choice and whether it makes sense or not, it just didn't seem like a good idea to take an apple from the Grim Reaper - even today, I wouldn't have had it any other way...

the best sarah palin ever...

16 days...

After school Friday, we headed out to Linder farms for some pumpkin patch action. The place was hopping and we jumped in enjoying the sweet, sweet fall weather in the midst of hayrides,a petting zoo, picking pumpkins and lots of snacks. After three hours of way too much fun, we settled in for our second round of treats. I have video footage that has made me smile big over the last few days but it would embarrass Keaton to show it so it will slip into my photo vault and will forever have a special place in my heart but here is the written version.

while mommy was getting a third round of mini donuts, Keaton started telling me about what he was learning at school. Apparently they are talking about the election in health in the fourth grade. He went on to tell me that when McCann dies in four months, Little Miss I Know Everything will come along, and do everything that he (McCann) didn't want to do. I didn't realize that this kind of thinking would come under a health class curriculum. He went on to say that Obama would lower taxes and make drugs high. Ok, now you've got my attention...

So I pose the question to each of them, If you had to vote today, who would you vote for to be the next president?

Keaton answers in a resounding tone, Obama.
Hopefully because of lowering taxes and not the drug high.

Gage is voting for The Old Man.
He is impressed by his being in jail for such a long time.
He also gives OBottom, a thumbs down.

Miss M, choses Obama - the first time.

There is a little more talk. Gage asks Keaton how many are running and Keaton explains 4, two each for president and vice-president. I've got to be honest here, I don't think I knew there was a president until high school. Politics are not discussed much at their home so it has got to be outside influences bringing all this information to them. They were telling me that Nickelodeon wanted kids to vote and they were going to do it.

The second round - I gave them a chance to change their minds, only made Keaton and Gage more sure of their choices. This time, Miss M choose The Old Man with Gage. She is an equal opportunity sister and would love to make both of them happy.

I have lots and lots of pictures documenting this wonderful fall day where we made such great memories but I have to admit, the tale of OBottom and The Old Man will stay with me for the rest of my days and when I forget, I will always have the video...

a normal day...

Normal day, let me be aware of the treasure you are. Let me learn from you, love you, bless you before you depart. Let me not pass you by in quest of some rare and perfect tomorrow. Let me hold you while I may, for it may not always be so. One day I shall dig my nails into the earth, or bury my face in the pillow, or stretch myself taut, or raise my hands to the sky and want, more than all the world, your return. Mary Jean Iron

I found this quote on Miss Ali's blog this week and have started each day with it close to my heart. Each and every day is a treasure - I forget that so often. Always running to the next thing, it is difficult for Miss Left Brain to see normal for what it really is...Something pretty special.

no hunger or thirst...

I thought it seemed so a few days ago but today confirmed it. Apparently with sinus issues comes the loss of taste. Nothing tastes right. My Diet Coke seems to be flat and, without any flavor even my Route 44 Diet Cherry Coke from Sonic is failing me. Today both my breakfast and lunch could not be identified without sight. This could be one of the greatest diet aides every if someone could market it.

It feels very strange. I have no appetite except when my stomach growls, I realize is time to throw it a bone. It reminds me of times that I have no appetite for other things, even spiritual things. We all have dry times. Times when we feel all alone. Times when we are feeling like we are on top of things spiritually, is the easiest time to store up for the next barren time.

As I lay on the couch last night, I had one of my food daydreams. I don't have them as much as I use to but when I need a food fix, I imagine eating that food. I try to experience each bite and how it tastes. Last night I started with my favorite hamburger ever, The Steunberg in Caldwell and ended with fried chicken dipped in melted butter. I could taste the flavor and was in little girl pretend piggy heaven.

The same can be said for our spiritual life. When we can't taste or feel God - we can remember what it was like and how it will be again. Just because we feel a certain way, doesn't make it true. This is God talking to Mack about perception. From The Shack/WM Paul Young.

Don't ever think that what my son chose to do didn't cost us dearly. Love always leaves a significant mark," she stated softly and gently."We were there together".
Mack was surprised."At the cross? Now wait, I thought you left him - you know- "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" It was a scripture that had often haunted Mack in the Great Sadness.
You misunderstand the mystery there. Regardless of what he felt at the moment, I never left him."
How can you say that? You abandoned him just like you abandoned me!"
"Mackenzie, I never left him and I have never left you"
"That makes no sense to me, he snapped.
I know it doesn't, at least not yet. Will you at least consider this: When all you can see is your pain, perhaps you lose sight of me...

Whether you agree with the theology or not - and apparently there is a lot of disagreement, you can't disagree that God's ways are not our ways and when we try put God in our box with much authority, we are out of line. God is so much bigger and we have so much to learn. The bigger my God becomes, the bigger my heart and life get. The times with no thirst and hunger can be endured because I can't explain why. Why is bigger than me. Why won't get me anywhere. Why will be answered Someday.

In the meantime, I will enjoy this different part of the Journey and hope it might last for a while. Ice Cream doesn't sound good - impossible but true. Imagine how much more is impossible but true???

calling in sick...

DH has been sick since 2AM and it is rubbing off on me. While having the flu is not fun, it does give one time to hang out and just think. We have had a lot of sickness and fall has just started. DH is not sick very often but when he doesn't go to work, he is sick. The phone has been ringing constantly as he does work from the couch. He is suppose to work at midnight tonight but doesn't look like he will make it. Makes for a long night of phone calls for us.

I mustered up enough energy to hit Happy Hour at Sonic for the both of us. I didn't turn my computer on until last in the day. That speaks volumes.

Wherever you are today, I pray for an abundance of gratitude for today. Despite it all, God is good all the time. All the time, God is good...

independence...

By the time deputies came to escort Addie Polk out of her home of 36 years, the 90 year old had taken out her life insurance policy and placed it next to her pocketbook and keys in the neatly kept home.
She shot herself in the chest before she could be taken away from the foreclosed home which was worth less than its mortgage from the day she took out the loan.

Hard to talk about the elderly without someone getting offended. When it comes to money, I think there is a straight-across-the-board sprinkling of those who have made bad money choices for less then stellar reasons. We live in a world or rather, we use to live in a world where the sky and beyond were the limit.

She took out a 30-year, 6.375 percent mortgage for $45,620 four years ago when the house was appraised at $31,230.

There is so much wrong with that sentence, it is hard to know where to start but here is the bottom line - we humans use the same mind that makes this financial deal sound like a great choice, to explain who God is and how He works. The independence we want, not just the bank or government but our greed can lead to even worse choices as it did with Miss Addie.

And Polk, as she recovered, sounded a bit regretful.
She said this was a crazy thing to do, said her neighbor Robert Dillon, 62, who visited her in the hospital. He said her told her, "That's crazy to you. The good Lord could have been in control.

One out of 6 people live in homes that are worth less than they owe. In the next 12 to 18 months, 20 million households could find themselves in the same situation. Up to 40 percent of all home mortgages - it is almost unbelievable.

It is time to take a look at what we value and why. Are we valuing things that are costing us more each day than they are worth and find that paying the price while making us independent, which we perceive as a strength, is taking us further and further from where we really want to be? I pray for Miss Addie that she takes her neighbors advice and trades her independence for the dependence that brings real value. The kind that money can't buy...

hindsight...

2 weeks ago - It was two weeks ago that a friend read it on a flight back from Florida and said I needed to read it, and we would talk. This is always a sign to do it. We have a unwritten code to share all things that lead to God directly. I take it seriously.

Wednesday - There was a thread on one of the digi boards about this book, The Shack. It was on the verge of being heated. One who had a degree in bible theory said she had to stop because it was biblical. Others pointed out that is was a work of fiction and thought it was great. The back and forth of the conversation was intriging.

Friday - Found the book at Costco, threw it in the cart and started reading late Friday night. I read 50 pages and couldn't put it down. Yet, the tireds came and my lights went out. I woke up about 2AM, read a bit more. The day came and went, then off to bed only to wake up at 5AM to finish it.

In hindsight, this all makes perfect sense. I have been in a personal battle with some spiritual issues for the last few months and the pieces have come in a certain order that I still have a hard time believing. This has been a process of growth that I didn't see coming until now. Not liking taking one step forward and two steps back - more like going down a different path. Hard to explain but when it happens to you, it just falls all together.

Here is the bottom line - God is bigger than I can comprehend. I have spent most of my believer life thinking I had to know how He worked so I could explain it to others. The last few months have turned that theory completely around. God is bigger than I can explain and more than anyone I could tell, could comprehend. That is the lesson I know now. I don't know how it will change my life but I can feel that it has and there is more to come. As long as there are humans, someone will be trying to explain God completely. I will not be one of them.

And I took the one less traveled by
And that has made all the difference Robert Frost.

friday...

I have been a day behind all week. Sometimes it is as if my reality default has been reset. I will spend the week trying to remember what day it is and to do that, I will have to not defer to my default and just do it.

This isn't a good way to spend your week. I had chores to do and people to meet. It is ok to be in a timewarp if you are at home waiting for your hair to grow but I am a busy gal. Not really, just sometimes.

The truth is I like to keep my options open so when something comes up unexpected, I am good to go. As a kid, these unexpected times were nuts. My dad and uncle would get up on numerous Friday mornings and decided not to go to work in Long Beach but travel to Idaho instead. If it got me out of school, count me in yet I was uncomfortable with the lack of planning and with no time to be anal, there was much confusion for me.

But these are different times. There is purpose in being spontaneous and available. To drop everything and go on a moments notice can be the best thing you can do even if it looks like it is for someone else. I spent some time yesterday with a friend as we did for a friend. I wouldn't have missed the opportunity for the world. While I didn't have time to cook for DH, he more than understood and happily was munching on KFC when I got home. Not as good as yours,but it got the job done.

Nothing on my calendar for the rest of the week so I am going to go with the Friday thing. Maybe by the weekend I will have my days and nights regulated again but for now, I am just going to go with the flow. so what if I have 2 Fridays or no Saturdays. I once knew a woman who missed her 40th birthday altogether. It finally caught up to her when someone did the math and told her that what she thought was her 40th birthday was really her 41st. Happy Friday...

days...

There are days that remind us how lucky we are,
There are days we wish we were someone else.
There are days that 24 hours seems like forever,
There are days that are beyond fair.
There are days we never saw coming,
There are days we wouldn't trade with anyone in the world.
There are days that are so ordinary you wish for some kind of action,
There are days you want to give up.
There are days that you wait by the phone.
There are days you go and come home, in the dark.
There are days that are filled with tears,
There are days where you just wake up happy.
There are days where everything you touch, falls apart,
There are days you realize this isn't how you planned it.

Life is about all these different types of days, averaged out and the experiences we walk away with. The more days, the more the experiences that gives us the sight to keep walking. Today won't look like tomorrow but I will take today's experience with me to tomorrow - and it might come in pretty handy. There are days where understanding all of this is exactly what I needed to hear...

survival guilt...

Several months after I was downsized from a job of 25 years, I was offered another. I was hired along with three VP's on the same day. Two days before I was hired, DD and several hundred others were let go from the same company, same location. That is survival guilt.

Last week there were several situations where SG was to be experienced again. The loss of a grown child and a devastating medical situation. The bible reminds us not if but when trouble comes... There is a part of us that wonders if it is right to go on with our lives while someone else's has come to a complete halt. Life as they knew it the day before is gone... and they will never be the same. Doesn't seem right that we should go out have fun or move on with our plans.

There is a time for everything and we will each have times in our lives where people will go on with their lives while we deal with those things that we never imagined. The only right thing to do is to go on. Those who need to will draw strength from those who are able to help carry them. We can't help share their grief if we are wrapped in our own.

These are tough times. Day to day, we don't know what is coming. There is no way to prepare a fatal motorcycle accident, an unexpected diagnosis or an unknown financial future. We need to lift each other up and pray that Someday, when our when comes - there are those around us who will help and not be wasting time hanging around with SG...

economy...

Obviously lots of talk about losing jobs, saving money, cutting costs, everywhere. Another longtime local restaurant closed its doors last week and no doubt, there will be more to come. Women are finding ways to make the family money stretch farther. Food is a big concern. DH and I have worked in the food processing industry all our lives - for him it is going on 43 years.

We call him the french fry guy. He takes care of all the cooking oil they use to make french fries, tator tots, etc. The main customer has is and has always been McDonalds. It is a relationship that goes back over 50 years ago between Ray Kroc and JR Simplot. There is nothing and I mean nothing, that compares to a fresh McDonald's french fry, cooked right off the line in perfect conditions. I know, I work QA for 10 years and it was my favorite line to work. Every 20 minutes, you would fry up a two pound batch after checking length, temp, defect control and color. Lightly salted, there is not a better food. I can still remember the taste and for a poor 17 year old forty years ago, this was my main meal of the day.

Back to the economy, DH and I were discussing how this whole mess was going to trickle down to french fries and in turn, us. Not much, he tells me, In times of financial crunch, those who normally eat at McDonalds - stop and start eating at home. You lose that market for a while. They eat at home and stop eating out but there is a whole new demographic that comes in to take their place. All those people who have been eating $10 hamburgers at Red Robin and Applebee's start dining down to McDonald's. That led me to think that McDonalds should play up to this new group of diners but if you know anything about McDonalds, their business is based on being the same, all the time and everywhere.

39 days to go until the election and our president says it will not be an easy fix for our country. Today's paper said you might be hard pressed to buy a stove, car or house right now - no matter how good your credit is. Christmas may look a bit different this year but that is not a bad thing. Creativity can flourish during times like these and you may even like the results well enough to make them new traditions. It is time to see these days are a chance to learn Something new - hope you can enjoy the Journey...

fishermen...

Casey Wells Siren Skateboards from BWALL on Vimeo.

They come in all styles and shapes. Traditionally we think of a guy in a vest with a million pockets and a Gilligan-style hat. He has his handy 2-color tackle box in one hand and his trusty fishing pole in the other. We have seen him and all variations of fishermen all our lives and rarely give them a second look.

Matt 4-19.. And he said to them, Follow me and I will make you fishers of men.

This kind of fisherman looks different. In fact, there is no one particular look and we sometimes, don't realize what we are seeing. The truth is that each of us have been given the task to be a fisher of men and that is done but living in the Moment and being present to those around you.

Everything looks different. The fishing pole, the tackle box - we each bring our own way of fishing. I love Casey's way. What a privilege to to fish the open seas in such a fabulous way. Never underestimate the power of being a fisher of men and whatever that looks like for you, hang on...

overwhelmed...

Laying on DD's couch as nausea ebbed and flowed, we opted for Oprah. A working mom of two came on to tell her Story of how she left her 2 year old in a hot car for 8 hours with fatal consequences.

An assistant principal - first day of school. It was usually the husband job to take the two girls to different day cares but a dentist appointment left the job to the mother that morning. She was too early to drop her child at the day care so she went to get donuts for the teachers. The security camera captures her taking the donuts out of the back of her vehicle and going in the building. She goes through her day, even talking about her kids but is so focused, she never remembers her daughter is in the car. About four o'clock, a teacher comes is to tell her that she passed her car and the her daughter was in there. She runs out with her keys and opens the door. Even as she looks at her daughter, she knows she is dead. Physical details make it obvious.

There were 33 kids in the US that died because of being left in cars last year. Most of the rest of the program was about people being overwhelmed trying to do it ALL and making mistakes like this one. If that is really the case, we have some big issues that need to be addressed but what really grabbed me was when the mom said she was so focused on her day, all she had to do that she was not in the Moment and that is why this happened.

Is it possible that not only is living in the Moment good for the soul but even could save a life? Have we really got to a place as a culture that being overwhelmed is leading to choices that are life changing? I have my own questions and am trying not to be overly judgemental. The whole highway hypnosis thing - where you are driving down the road and all of a sudden, you realized you have lost a few minutes -I get that, 8 hours I don't get. I am not very good at compartmentalize life but understand that some people do work that way. There was mention that something had happened similar to this before with the older girl ( to be fair, I didn't see the whole piece) and it did not serve as a wake up call for the mom. I also don't know if she faced any criminal charges. I have my own opinion about that too but understand that she will live in her own hell for the rest of her life.

What was also mind-boggling was listening to Oprah's three producers talking about how their lives have changed. They told how they have thought about this Story everyday since they have been worked on it and have made some changes in their own lives. Any good that can come from this can only help.

So my question is am I overwhelmed and if I am - DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT. Ask it 100 times a day, whatever it takes. Don't let yourself make a mistake of this magnitude for something you have control over. We can't do it all, let it go, understand and embrace your humanness. Life is too short to live unpurposefully...

24 hour ish flu...

What everyone else in my family has had, caught up to me yesterday and still this morning but there are still kids that need to get to school. Mommy's surgery came right in the middle of a long week.

One rallies when needed. I want to remember how stubborn I am this morning as I head off. When times comes when I could rally because it is in me. As I lay on the couch this morning in the midst of waves of nausea, I thanked Him for today.

If I can thank him in this situation, I can do it in any situation...