Back to Blogging!

Seems worlds away from where I was the last time I wrote here. My birthday has passed and so has my husband's. The AARP continues to want to be our new bff.

Our new president was sworn into office at the same time that our prodigal son returned; both are setting their houses in order, literally! (By the way, I see no point in opposing President Obama because he is not as pro life as I am. He is the president and I have this very old fashioned notion that God IS in control; so, let's give the president a chance; you don't know where God's hand will lead him.)

My family discovered Facebook, found some dear old friends, and made some new ones, including one of the cohosts of Midday Connection, which comes online live at 1:00 est -- Moody Broadcasting Network. It's really a good program, especially for those of us who are of the female persuasion.

God Tube turned into Tangle, a family friendly site for silly and serious videos and song ...and blogs, which made me remember this one...Thot' I'd dust it off, break the winterized coverings, and let the spring shine in! So, here's to the Holy Week and Easter, or Resurrection Sunday -- whichever you prefer. I don't think Jesus cares about our religious correctness any more than He does about our political correctness. I believe he just cares that we consciously accept Him as the way, the truth and the life...and that we accept his gift of grace as we try really to fathom the depths of what 'grace' really means.

The little blue rectangle at the bottom of the screen automatically pushed iself into its "save now" mode. Today is two days until Good Friday -- so Save Now sounds right to me! :)

Three Prayers for the Three Children

Psalms 33:18..."Behold, the Lord's eye is upon those who revere and worship him, who wait for him and hope in his mercy and loving kindness." And so in this day when miracles still do happen, having had my prayer answered, I wait for His eye to continue to guide my insight -- so that I become a true and clarity filled expression of mercy and loving kindness in this dark, but promise filled moment for my own prodigal son. For this day and night, and for the inevitably difficult talks in months to come, I pray for wisdom in Jesus name, Amen.

For my daughter a different verse: Psalms 34:1..."I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My life makes its boast in the Lord; let the humble and afflicted hear and be glad. Oh, magnify the Lord with me and let us exalt His name together." So I pray for my daughter of Eve's time of conviction to come so that she will find peace and take not umbrage but comfort in being her brother's keeper ... I pray in Jesus name, Amen.

And for the eldest: Luke 24:1 ..."But on the first day of the week, at early dawn the women went to the tomb, taking the spices which they had made ready. And they found the stone rolled back from the tomb. But when they went inside, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. And while they were perplexed and wondering what to do about this, behold, two men in dazzling rainment suddenly stood beside them. And as the women were frightened and were bowing their faces to the ground, the men said to them, "Why do you look for the living among those who are dead?" He is not here, but has risen!" And so my son, our erstwhile Billie Budd, as you are already at the doorstep, do not travel to Emmaus, but travel on to Jerusalem to be with your family! I pray in Jesus name, Amen.

Give Hope a Chance

The die is cast as were our votes. I don't know who President Obama will be, but if he stays true to the spirit of his victory speech last night, America is in very good hands. Maybe we can ignore the media and actually pull together as a country again. Give hope a chance.

Uncommitted

My head was still on the pillow this morning when I decided I was absolutely not going to be lured by Obama. I threw the covers off with a big whew-I'm-glad-that's-over sigh of relief but as soon as I visualized McCain, I flinched. I wonder how many other people out there are just like me.

Our daughter asked us to watch a video about Ralph Nader. I kept telling her we knew about Nader, but I guess she thinks we're too old and addled to figure things out the postmodern way. Unfortunately Nader is still Nader except that it appears his ego has grown abit and while he was a superlative advocate for consumer safety, I don't think I want him setting foreign policy.

Sigh. So, considering that Bob Barr reminds me of Mr. Potter and Nader won't do, that leads me back to Mr. Flimflam and Mr. Tunnel-vision. Drats.

It's Almost Over

The blogosphere seems a bit sleepy today! I think all of us are burned out from the constant electioneering by the media who are just reporting -- their slants.

Here we took the time off to get away into our safe backyard islands of self and family. It was a comfortable corduroy fall weekend -- just warm enough today to get outside, inside all the unraked leaves, and replace the TV and the telephones with the neighbor's barking shelties and the pond's honking ducks.

Hope all of you had a good weekend, too. It was a good 'take a long, deep breath' interlude. Tomorrow it's back to the crazy quilt stock market panic and another (thankfully the last full) week of politics before we vote. We are some kind of cool and tough people to put up with all this mess! Cross your fingers and say a prayer, maybe we're through the worst of it. At least we know the election is going to be over!!!

Um..oh, yeah, Acorn. Oh, well, I don't want another Florida and I haven't heard much of an appetite for that spectacle from anybody else, either. Maybe ... just maybe... the partisans on both sides will lower the volume and the real people of America who are overwhelmingly decent and honest will outnumber the lawyers that both sides have lined up!! And then we will have a new president elect ...and the stock market will settle down....uh...yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus and Frank Capra is my hero. So let's get through next week and go to sleep after whatever decision there is on Nov. 4th. with visions of sugarplums ... and Jimmy Stewart going to Washington in our heads.

Empty Portfolios and Full Pantries

So, oh woe is us! We've all been worshipping at Mammon's altar and its let us down. Stock market? We can't get any real stock there,you know, unless we think that side bets on derivatives are worth having for dessert. Time to push that chair away from the imaginary 'futures' table and return to an old staple --a loaf of bread and vintage wine; sustenance from the Lord's Supper and a pantry filled with calming grace will satisfy -- en vigor -- clarify body, heart, and spirit mind. From now on, maybe we should concentrate on saving.

The Fall

I forgot last night and now the begonias out on the deck that were so pretty and luscious and red all summer -- are toppled over on themselves and quite definitely dead. It wasn't really an early freeze or even a hard one, but then begonias are fleshy.

So are people. Paper says the homeless shelters here are filled in this time-out-of-kilter year of constant surprises.

Most of us are still busy carving pumpkins and hoping for Indian summer. We path over our mallard heavy backyard ponds -- glory in our New England crimson fens peaked with burnt orange and burnished gold of turning leaf and yawning limb.

It is humiliatingly long before winter splays its hoary sleep over this normally self sufficient granite land -- a sad time for begonias and people who have already fallen.