Oddly, I have no recollection what the first computer was that I owned… but I remember the waiting for systems to load, before the screen would even look at my eager face.
I also distinctly remember the sound of dial up, as we had to listen to it at any and every attempt at getting online. Everything went through the phones.
Memories of everyone in the house vying for a spot on the smart box, transitioning into needing cheese to go with all the whining that went on within the ranks of the peasants out in the laundry fields!
There is a great amount of humor, in considering how fast our current generation would fold like a deck of cards, if we handed them an actual old PHONE to do anything with, in trade for their shiny new SMART one. How small are those things gonna get, anyway?!
I will openly admit that even I have to check my Smart phone to confirm my own cell number. Notice how I keep writing we and I, instead of You… it’s all for one in the truth department! It seems like the smarter our technology gets through advancement, the lazier we become!
Todays society seems to be so forward thinking, that we forgot all the effort spent pulling technology into that FORWARD. I wonder if we treat things like people or history, as we do our older and more obsolete forms of technology… out of sight out of mind… just sayin!
I suppose that there are times when all one can do is stand… even if the water rises or the wind blows all the windows open!
Maybe in my case, it’s writing instead of physically standing, who knows…
Often by talking too much about our feelings or circumstances, we end up feeling worse than before, as dwelling on things out of ones control does no one any good!
When you see me write that I am tired, you already know that’s my code word for things being a bit much. I will leave it at that, as far as circumstances go.
It got me to pondering the art of Sharing Thoughts and Feelings without actually having to share specific thoughts or actual emotions.
If you’ve ever seen the movie Stargate, there is a scene early on in the movie where the young scientist is giving a lecture, trying to explain a new theory and everyone just simply gets up and walks out, leaving him standing there looking confused. Sometimes, when I talk or write too deeply, it can feel sort of like standing alone on that stage in confusion.
I guess its a bit like standing in line at the grocery store, trying to tell everyone in line what you’re buying and why you want or need the items. Why on earth do they want to listen, when they all have their own carts filled with the things they want and need for themselves.
Things would be different, I think, if those people were traveling or staying with you, thereby, requiring everyone to know what your cart had so they did not accidentally buy the same thing… in this case sharing is everything. Strangers at the grocery store, however, simply consider it OVER sharing.
There is nothing like trying to share a thought or feeling with someone, only to see them visibly raise or roll their eyes, or worse, to see the eyes go vacant, the feet begin to shuffle, and the hands begin fidgeting.
What is also interesting, is the newfound openness people have to verbally doubt your statements, to voice their disbelief out loud, as if you are cartoon character that just tried to put one over on them!
I have my theories, as to why we, as a culture, have become so callous and downright impatient when communicating with each other, but since I stated earlier that I would share my thoughts and feelings without actually SHARING mine… I will let you come up with your own theories.
Has it really become so difficult to fully engage with each other in an authentic way?
Are we to be forever lost in some form of Therapy session somewhere, JUST to receive compassion, empathy and some dad blamed Understanding?
Most have either heard of or seen the movie The NeverEnding Story, starring Barret Oliver and Tami Stronach. *F.Y.I.* This is a spoiler alert if you haven’t seen it yet. At the end of the movie, there is a scene in which the two main characters are sitting in complete darkness. The young Empress (Stronach) is holding the tiniest piece of sand in the palm of her hand, telling Bastian (Oliver), that it only takes the tiniest bit of belief to restore everything in the land. Without oversharing here, thereby ruining the beautiful experience of the whole movie, I want to simply point out a perfect example of what I think it could be like, if one by one, we all try just a little harder with each other.
I know, I know, I’m not exactly saying that everyone is a BOOB, but there is definitely, a great amount of boobish behavior going on in the world right now! (yes, this phrase is loosely pulled from the movie Battleship, with Taylor Kitsch). Don’t judge… I’ve no idea how I can remember such odd details, when I cannot, for the life of me, remember the name of any of my childhood teachers or friends names.
Anyways, I will leave you guys and gals with a bit of encouragement, if I can. Let’s be a village! If it takes a village to raise a child, it goes without saying that there will be a good many carers, sharers, listeners, givers, teachers, healers and providers. They should strive to offer love, compassion, grace, mercy, understanding, patience, kindness and more, but the one thing that binds the entire village to accomplish raising a healthy human being… is LOVE!
I learned from a very early age, being scared of something only made me rise to the challenge out of defiance!
I became a kind of dare devil, whenever I came upon a situation that scared me, many times skirting very close to disaster… I guess I simply don’t like being scared anymore!
Age, wisdom, fortitude and just plain tenacity pulled me through life’s ups and downs…
But once I learned to walk by faith, the fear that fueled me to become scared of an obstacle or roadblock I was facing… simply evaporated!
I am human and therefore, not immune to fear of something… but when I am faced with something that scares me, my faith in God brings me round rather quickly!
I can do all things through Christ who is in me… there is nothing our God cannot do!
Stick that in your little AI Prompt hat!
Here, have a cookie, but be warned!!! These cookies are pretty scary looking…
I’ve no idea how I lucked out, but somehow the camera on my smartphone did a stellar job of capturing the depth of color in this leaf. I feel quite pleased with myself, even if it was just a happy accident!
The most difficult things for me to overcome, which I still struggle with occasionally, is N words! Before anyone gets their panties in a bunch… I am referring to words of Negativity, words about Nobody loving me enough, or Nobody knowing how sad, bad, or downright ugly my life can be at times! These are the real Nasty words that the enemy uses to keep us Not in a good place…
I am attempting to undo this Negative way of thinking by turning Nothing, Nobody and Never into their positive state… let’s face it we will Never get these words out of the dictionary. Point in fact, the words themselves are available for use in both good and bad forms, as are all the other words we need for communicating thoughts and actions.
My new practice in being a better WordSmith has brought out these new phrases to call up whenever I find myself using them in an unhealthy way…
How about saying, Nothing can separate me from the love of God, or Nothing can remove me from the palm of Gods hand, or better yet, absolutely NOTHING can undo the Seal of God’s Holy Spirit, that has been placed upon and within this vessel? These are a great start!
Let’s move on to the next Negative Nancy Word, Nobody is one of the more commonly used words in my vocabulary that must be overturned!!! It is much more difficult for me to turn this into a positive, as it is used quite often in its negative form by a vast majority. I still believe that it is possible to bring it round from the dark side, if you get my meaning. Saying that Nobody knows how another might feel, or understand what that person is experiencing, should be seen in a positive light because it opens the door to discovery. In a way, it can be seen as a “get out of Jail free card” because God might be showing us that we can NOT do what He CAN… and we need His help in understanding one another.
Nobody left behind, Nobody forgotten, Nobody rejected by God… these are all positive and true! If there is any negative to be associated with the word Nobody, it’s not done by God, but rather by us when we leave Him behind, when we forget about Him, or the ouchie one… when we reject God! God has given us all that we need, but we have to choose to accept it for good… our choice, or in this case, my choice… hence, the rewriting of these Naughty words!
Never say never… that’s an impossibility! If I am going to find this word popping up in my verbage, then I am choosing to do a back atcha whenever I catch it at the doorstep of my lips! When I find myself thinking or saying anything like “things are never going to change” or “I will never trust that person again”, or my favorite, “I will never be enough, never get things right”… things like that… I must counter them with Gods truths. I find that the Bible says it best,
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:35-39
If this doesn’t have enough really positively used N words, I don’t know what else would. It has become the next section of scripture to be memorized, as I tend to fall back on the negative N’s too easily sometimes. So, my thinking is… out with the bad and in with the good. There is NO time like the present, and I see NOTHING stopping me from making a positive change. NOBODY will ever say that I NEVER tried to improve my mindset, NOR will I ever be forgotten nor forsaken!
I’m home everybody!!! Did you miss me? It feels amazing to be back in the comfort of my office, after such an extended absence! While this assignment turned out to be such an amazing experience for me, as a journalist… I was still quite thrilled to step into the shower and feel the steam rise in my nostrils, as the hot water cleansed away the dirt and grit I’d been covered in from my travels.
As soon as I arrived at the paper this morning, everyone was already waiting in the newsroom! We here at WTL News make a habit of meeting together as a group, whenever one of us returns from an assignment. This is a great time to unload much of what one learned, while out in the field, as well as catching up with the daily comings and goings of the newspaper, itself.
When I walked into the room, heading for my usual seat in the far corner, I was intercepted by J.C. who guided me over a seat that was located right in the middle of the group. Awkwardly, I took my newly assigned seat at the boardroom table, situated between our news teams Senior Staff! Everyone in the newsroom was sitting quietly, without belaying any expressions that might give me a clue, as to the odd behavior occurring in the staff meeting. Quite honestly, I was unsure if I were being celebrated or about to be reprimanded for something. Since no clues would be forthcoming from my coworkers, I simply sat quietly to await our CEOs appearance. He appeared shortly after I took my seat, so there wasn’t really a great amount of waiting.
If you remember my last message I sent back to you from the field, shortly after I’d arrived at my assignment, I’d just been informed that I was there to learn some lessons, rather than interview someone else. Well, what I wasn’t aware of, was the fact that I’d been sent there to be evaluated by WTL News… go figure!
As I sat quietly in my seat, listening to our CEO open the morning meeting, he walked down the table to where I sat and came to a halt behind my chair! The lights lowered, followed by the projector screen lowering, and then began a slide show of the very place I’d just been. There were pictures of all of us, from when we were standing at the city gates, to walking among the hills and valleys surrounding Jobs home, and finally, of us all sitting around the fire in the evenings, laughing and telling stories.
Afterwards, when the lights in the newsroom began coming back on, my CEO still stood behind my chair… but this time, the senior staff that had been seated on either side of me, began standing up. My boss turned my chair around, gesturing for me to stand up, as well. When I’d gotten up out of my chair, fully confused, I was handed a set of keys… one for the Senior Staff floor of WTL News, and another key that belonged to an office on the above mentioned level.
I think I just got promoted?!
After all the hoopla ended, the meeting concluded and most of the attendees wandered back to their offices. I was still very confused as to what had just happened, nervously standing along side J.C. and several other senior staff members that had remained, as well as our CEO. It was then explained to me that I’d been sent forth on a Pilot test run of a new line of articles to be written for WTL News… and I had just become the newsrooms first Time Traveling Journalist!
According to my boss, I fit perfectly into this new role, as shown by the photos somebody had taken of me, out in the field. For several moments I tried sorting through memories of my recent trip, pondering how somebody was able to take photos of my work, as I saw no cameras or folks that looked suspiciously out of place. Finally, I opted to simply accept that someone had INDEED been watching and recording my comings and goings.
I trust my CEO, as well as J.C., so it wasn’t difficult for me to just accept how things were playing out and step into this new role, freely. My boss knows me better than I know myself, so who am I to fear or doubt His decisions, as they have always benefitted me in some way.
WTL News has been raised from the ground up, by my CEO, with me actively working towards bettering His establishment. If the one who carries this company on His shoulders, seeks to use my skills and abilities… little ole me… then I am all in! Besides, who could ask for a better dream job, than to wander the paths of history, meeting and interviewing some those who have come before us?
While I’ve no idea, as of yet, where or when I head to next, I shall devote myself to being ready to pack up and go at a moments notice. With an adventurous job like this one, who needs a regular shower, anyway?
Being that I’m in my mid 50’s, living in an old RV with only my laptop and a walking trail as my company, I no longer participate, watch, or actively pursue any sports venue… at all!
If you had asked me this question 30 years, I could have given you numerous examples of my involvement and love of differing sports, primarily, anything involving horsemanship!
Being born on a farm in Oregon, I was riding horses before I was even out of diapers… I’ve seen pictures!
Over the years I was an avid audience member of countless, horse shows, equestrian events and breeder venues. When I was only 18, I lived and worked for a woman who bred, raised, and trained purebred Appaloosas and Quarter Horses. Later, after I had attended Bible Seminary, I was recruited to work as the wrangler for a Christian Girls Horsemanship Camp in Battleground, WA. The children were taught general Horsemanship and Husbandry, along with learning how to ride Dressage, as well as Vaulting.
All my life I worked hard… and played hard! I’ve been bit, kicked, thrown, stomped and drug through the hills by my ankle. While I regret none of the life of adventure upon the back of a horse, it did come at a cost, later in life. I can no longer sit ON a horse, but I can most assuredly, still appreciate the magnificence and beauty of everything about these amazing creatures.
Even today, I can fully enjoy watching any Dressage competition, Hunter/Jumper event, Breeders Cup race, or any Disney movie ever made about a horse. Though many movies have been made about horses, my all time favorite is still the 1979 version of The Black Stallion with Kelly Reno, Terri Garr, and Micky Rooney!
I will end this prompt answer with a little trot down memory lane…
Often times I wonder what idea the Lobby could stand for, in terms of what I want to reflect to those stopping by.
I have decided on a song that I think we should put in the Lobby, but I want you to listen to it first. Once we decide if it is suitable or not, I will either use this song, or one that perhaps you have suggested.
Who knows, maybe we could choose a new song each month, to reflect the depth of love and acceptance that the Lobby represents… you realize that what I mean is, if you don’t make any suggestions, then I will simply choose on my own.
I have a deep love and appreciation for music, and though I am a pretty competent person at speaking and writing out thoughts, many times, a song can express how I feel, so much more clearly than I could ever do on paper.
I suppose you can consider whatever song that gets left in the Lobby, as a constant reminder of things like Gods Love, my Love, encouragement for the hurting, healing for the broken hearted and shelter for the weary!
Don’t we all just need to be reminded that we are not alone, not invisible or cast out?
That is what I seek many times, with you, as each of you reflect love and acceptance toward me, when you visit. Each time I write and share my heart with you… there is never any judgement or rejection from any of you! Thank you!
So don’t forget to vote! Some form of song will be installed in the Lobby by the end of the week.
I’ve not been able to do any audio content at the moment, due to technical difficulties with my headset… technical means broken, just in case I was being too vague… lol! It’s a good thing that words are free, for the most part, so writing I shall do… til the lights go out!
I think it’s sort of funny, how often one might think that money can make things so much better… don’t get me wrong, we all keep a mental list of what we would do if we suddenly had a plethora of cash on hand!
In truth, the first thing that popped into my head when I read the prompt, was how nice it would be to have a hot shower… not in a hotel or high-rise apartment, mind you, but right here inside my little RV. Sure, I can come up with many different ways to bless the whole of the earth with my newly won riches, but if I don’t feel safe, secure, and clean within the very place I reside… what good is any of it?
It’s like when the Three Amigos are laying in bed, the night before they were supposed to defeat El Guapo, thinking they were just putting on a show for money, one asks the other two what they were going to spend their earnings on after they got home. Dusty rattled off something about a new car, Lucky mentioned some other expensive dreamy item, and then Ned chimed in that he wanted to help all the less fortunate… both the other two promptly chime in that they were gonna do that too! We all like to make suggestions or promises about things like money or good will towards fellow man, when we are feeling good about things. Though the move was ridiculous, in nature, by the end of the story the Three Amigos left all the money, never actually accepting payment… maybe they found out that the journey was much more important than the money, who knows.
I’d like to think that I could offer anything within my means to help my fellow man, in whatever situation I find myself in, with or without winning a lottery. I suspect that a great many of you feel the same way, so however we choose to answer the prompt today is neither here nor there.
What would be very telling is if the question were to be answered in the form of
“What do you think others would expect you to do, if you won the lottery?”
Go ahead, give it a try… see if you can guess what I might spend the money on, were I the one winning the lottery!
Here are three choices of cookies to motivate you, this might give you better odds at guessing correctly…
As I left the book of Exodus behind, heading into Leviticus, a thread of thought began pulling my mind towards Moses brother, Aaron. By the time I got midway through Chapter 8, where God told Moses how to consecrate and present Aaron and his two sons as the priests to be in service within His holy dwelling… I began to wonder how Aaron felt about everything. Don’t forget that this wasn’t too long after that little incident with the Late Night Bovine Hoo-ha! Aaron wasn’t exactly looking or feeling like a winner, after his last leadership catastrophe!
As I was reading along, I began to wonder about the life of Aaron, before Moses returned to Egypt with Gods instructions, that included both brothers. Was their conversation that of two brothers, men of God, in full alignment and agreement as to how things would go? Or was their initial reuniting more like a recruiting session, with Moses laying out Gods plan like a sales pitch, hoping to entice Aaron to come along?
The only thing I saw clearly in scripture, was the part where Aaron melted down the Golden Calf, while Moses was on the mountain retrieving the Stone Tablets of Gods Law… it was for sure, Aaron that did the deed!
Chapter 8 of Leviticus was the next time I really focused on Aaron, as well as, all the other parties involved in the building and service of Gods Holy Dwelling, situated in the midst of His people. It can be easy to do, as there were a great many details, and a myriad of rules to be adhered to… for every single man, woman and child.
When I arrived at the part of the story where Aaron and his sons had been sanctified and placed in service to God and the people, it was very troubling to my heart when Aarons sons were instantly killed for not obeying the rules. Oh, I wasn’t caught up in why God destroyed them, but rather, how had they so quickly become lazy and flippant in their tasks. When it happened, God instructed Moses on how to handle things, leaving words with Moses on what to say to his brother Aaron. The part that has stuck in my mind ever since then, was when Moses told Aaron what God said, regarding their deaths, and the bible only states that Aaron remained silent… that’s it!
Now enters two more of Aarons sons, for service in the dwelling place of God. As a parent, I am already considering how difficult it may have been for Aaron, to watch yet two more of his children picking up where the first two had left things. This was not anything like a posh position in an elite executives office, it was a do it or die if you fail kind of job, if I am to be blunt! Being in service to the Most High God is not a job to perform by the law, without the heart being All In!
How many times, as a parent, did I think my children would do the right thing in questionable circumstances, only to see them choose poorly? How many times did my kids say they were sorry for something, not because they really felt contrite, but because they got caught? I am supposing that Aaron was no different, as a parent, than you or I might be, watching our kids make the wrong choices. Once, when my oldest was a teenager, I discovered that she had stolen some items from her job, so I took both her and the items back to the company, making her return what she had taken and apologize. The police were called, she was terminated and escorted off the premises. My then husband was furious with me, and my child did not speak to me for nearly a month… but I would do the very same thing to this day, as I don’t think she ever shoplifted again.
I imagine that Aaron was heartbroken, at the death of his sons, but also very aware of the sanctity of God and His dwelling place. God was actively establishing His Holiness, and the life one must live to become separate from the sin of the world. Sin always starts really tiny, barely noticeable if you are not quick to catch it. These people had been living beneath the feet of the Egyptians for generations, but they also picked up on many bad habits of a “Worship Who You Want, How You Want and When You Feel Like It” kind of people.
The amount of rules, regulations, Laws and By-laws God set down in both Exodus and Leviticus, leaves me to believe that there were many behaviors and habits that were far from Godly, which had gotten the Israelites into this mess generations earlier.
Wickedness was rampant in every fiber of society, at that time, and not just with the Egyptians and Israelites, but throughout the lands. It was apparently normal, on any given day, to spy your neighbor down the path sacrificing one of their children to a false God.
Cleanliness was far from being on any ones list of concerns, as well as many of the same criminal acts we face currently… same stories, different times, as far as I can see. The problem that the Israelites faced was the fact that they had become so accustomed to the norm, they didn’t even realize how many bad habits they had accumulated over the generations spent in bondage.
God is a Holy God, flawless and more glorious than our minds can even fathom. The Creator of all, fully intended to dwell in the midst of His people, as they traveled to the promise land. Because of all the Stinkin Thinkin, as I like to call it, going on in the minds of the Israelites, God had to ensure that His children approached with reverence at all times.
Perhaps Aaron was so overcome with sorrow and disappointment, in his sons flippant behavior, it simply robbed him of anything worth saying to his brother that day. Knowing what is right and doing what is right are two separate things, and often they do not end up hand in hand… for any of us.
There was a time, back in the day, where I would skim over much of what was written in any of the books of the bible involved in, whosoever beget whom, or how many cubits high and wide, because it either seemed like someone’s ancient family tree or just a bunch of rules by an angry God. There is so much more in those passages… so very much! As it stands now, I can barely get through a chapter or two each week, without having to go back and reread something that I’d previously skimmed past, that now had a great deal to do with what I’d been studying.
It says in Gods Word,
“All scripture is God breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”2 Timothy 3:16, 17
I believe this to be true, All of it!
The more time I spend in the Bible, reading what was written so long ago, I find it just as applicable today as it was back then. Aaron may have been serving as high priest for God Almighty, but he was also a man with human flaws, bad habits, weaknesses and emotions. The beauty I found within this story is shared, not only by Aarons desire to stay the course in his service to the Most High, but God’s tireless efforts to bring the whole of His people out of a very sinful gutter, so to speak!
One of my lessons here, is that I too have bad habits needing to be replaced with good ones, one of which, is my skimming over of things I deem unnecessary for my study. If the Bible tells me that it is ALL God breathed, and that it is All useful for my learning… skimming ANY of scripture, could be causing me to miss many of the words given to me by God, for my journey home! Trust me, there are a good number of lessons I’m getting from the book of Leviticus, but if I keep sharing them all at one time, none of us will ever get anything else done.
Journey With Me! 