Category: Community

A few months ago, I stumbled upon this cartoon. It made me laugh.

I’ve seen my share of people interacting in various discussions where they simply have to be ‘right’ on whatever issue is being discussed. I shake my head and think to myself… You both made your point… just let it go. But no… you’ll have the same folks going round and round on the same issue, determined to have the last virtual word. A bit silly if you ask me.

I’m not sure what drove me to post this now. I haven’t stumbled upon any online train-wrecks in a while, and when I do encounter them, I go out of my way to avoid them. I dislike that type of foolishness. Then again I’m not active on any ‘drama filled’ forums/sites. The sites I do visit tend to be  drama free, so that might explain why I don’t see this behavior often? 😉

Calvin always makes me smile.

A bit of a narcissist, isn’t he? Keep living in that bubble, buddy! 😉

There are areas which I can improve… and I actively work on making improvements.

I don’t make New Years resolutions. I’ve always found them to be a bit silly. Why should I wait to make improvements? Nope,  I make short and long term goals throughout year.

Happy New Year Everyone!

Do I really need to say anything? Whether you watch the video or hear Caro live, her voice doesn’t really change. She’s got it like that… The voice/style are simply amazing. Enjoy!

“See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven continually see the face of My Father who is in heaven.
New American Standard Bible; Matthew 18:10

One of the many things I enjoy about my Lutheran church is the amount of outreach that goes on within the surrounding communities.

Our church is equal opportunity, and won’t shy away from you because of your race, socioeconomic background, etc., what better way to be a great witness to others, than by having the spirit of giving. Homeless shelter, food pantry, helping build homes, giving money to those who are in need, etc. It’s truly a blessing to be part of such a loving church.

Each year there’s an angel tree in the annex. The tree is beautifully decorated, and filled with angels. Each angel belongs to a needy child that has written down what they’d like for Christmas. I let my daughter pick our angel this year and at the time, I promised myself I’d chose another angel the following Sunday. Well… that didn’t happen since all the angels were snapped up the day it was available. How awesome is that?

Tomorrow, my daughter and I will visit a few stores, and try to turn our angels wish into a reality. The parents/guardians make the requests for the children.This girls provider only listed clothing such as the coat, socks, scarf, gloves.  Hmm…  I wonder if she would like something else. With the young girls I mentored, even though they didn’t have much,many of them would talk about the typical gadgets that appeal to children their age, so I’ve decided to include a few ‘fun things’ as her gift too.

I do know that our angel is an eight year old girl. Which makes her one year younger than my daughter. If she’s like my daughter was at that age, she’ll appreciate a few fun things that can entertain her, and so we’ll be purchasing a few toys also. I’ll be knitting/crocheting a few items (such as a scarf and mittens) they were on her list of needs. They’ll be much softer/warmer than what I could purchase in a store. The only thing it requires me to do is use some of my yarn, and of course time to make the items. Additionally,  I’ll purchase her a coat at the local department store, along with a nice pair of shoes. Those were on her list.

I must say I’m a bit of a loss, since the colors she likes wasn’t listed, and I dislike not knowing things such as this when I‘m purchasing clothing. So I’m torn… I might see if I can contact the organizer and have them ask the parent what their daughters’ favorite colors are. In doing so, my daughter and I’ll be able to give her something that is warm, and is in colors that she loves.

Which Golden Girl Are You?

I’ll take that. She was always my favorite Golden Girl, as I’d tell my friends… she’s an older version of myself.

I must say, I now have patience! My daughter taught me well! Which Golden Girl are you?

You are Dorothy. You’re a strong, domineering and intelligent person. Sometimes you can get a little sarcastic and impatient with people, but that is only because you want to get to the point. Your family and friends are gold to you, and although you may tell them things they necessarily don’t want to hear, they know you’ve got their back. You are the best kind of friends to have!

The past week or so, it’s been busier than normal. Of course this means that my time for extra curricular activities, such as personal blogging, has been pushed to the backburner to simmer, while my focus has been on more important things.

Outdoor workout

A lot of yard work was complete, such as chopping and stacking wood. Which is an excellent workout, planting fall vegetables, and of course taking my daughter to the numerous after school activities that she’s involved with.  Crochet and knitting usually accompany me during those activities and it’s usually a simple project so that I can still interact with others while I watch my daughter practice.

Knitting, sewing, and some crochet

Knitted amigurumi has been the main items on my circular needles, which of course makes my daughter happy— but I’ve been working on other small projects too; mainly clothing.  Additional books have been gotten, many focused on knitting but one that focuses on sustainable living….which is something I try to incorporate into my daily life, so it’s nice to see other like-minded souls that practice this too.

Yesterday (Sunday) I was out of the house shortly after 4:30 am, on my way to the only homeless shelter in the county. I’ve been volunteering at this particular shelter, since I joined my Lutheran church last year. It’s one of the numerous ministries that our church is involved with, in fact, I’m the Homeless shelter coordinator for my Lutheran church.

This summer, because of my daughter’s schedule, I was only able to volunteer once; she accompanied me — we prepared and served dinner. It felt great to be back doing something I truly enjoy. I enjoy cooking, and the shelter gives me a chance to prepare larger quantities of food for those who stay there. Yesterday, there were 26 people in attendance. This homeless shelter has enough space for about 35 guests; 29 beds for men, 6 for women. The women have another facility (houses women and their children) available that’s not too far away.

The shelter is part-time during the week, most of those who work at the shelter are volunteers, just like myself. The guests have to leave shortly after by 8:00 am. But on weekends, the guests don’t have to leave. Many of the guests have jobs, that don’t pay too much. I’ve encountered many that lost their primary job, and are just struggling to get by. With this economy, I’m seeing this a lot more.  Food provided at the shelter is all given by the various churches who also cook and serve food to the guests.

At times, I hear a lot of inaccurate information about Christians. Many automatically assume that we ‘preach at the guests’ before they can eat. We don’t, we interact with them as with anyone else. The guests know those who serve them are of Christian faith. It shows the groups that support this ministry (on their bulletin board.) Faith based ministries, in this case Christian churches, are only ones that are funding this homeless shelter. Some of our guests do talk about religion, at least some of them have talked about it with me, and it’s nice to share, interact, and occasionally pray with them — or for them.

You can’t lump all groups a certain way. I see that happen often with political and religion organizations, and I can’t help but shake my head. Since I know the same people making inaccurate stereotypes about people who vote or worship differently, would be up in arms if someone was to use those same labels to describe a race of people. I live by a simple rule, I treat others how I want to be treated. Of course it’s much easier to apply this rule to people who think like us, but how many make the effort to use that same rule to those who might disagree? I do…