Etta James

This makes me so sad. I love her singing. My prayers go out for Etta James and her family and family of choice. She has terminal Leukemia and is now on a breathing machine. I pray the Lord lifts her to heaven quickly and gives her that healing that only He can give.

http://news.yahoo.com/etta-james-breathing-machine-calif-hospital-193432587.html

video by  dynastyangel2000

Under The Stars

It is dark here now and I was standing and looking out the sliding glass doors. I put on my coat and stepped outside for just a minute and stood there. All was quiet and the stars were twinkling and I started thinking about the first Christmas. The more I thought it was as if everything receded and I was standing in a field.

Take the time and step outside and.stand there alone and stare at the stars and then envision yourself standing in a field….just you and the sheep you are watching. And just imagine that while you are standing there, from the sky you hear singing and you look up and see angels in all their glory singing and telling you a great message…a message about Jesus. Would you believe them?  I thought long and hard and wondered how I would react during those times, especially when people were so skeptical already.

And as you continue to stare at those stars and envision the angels in the sky, allow yourself to hear the singing and the message you are being told. And then imagine you decided you need to go see this for yourself. And so you head out.

Meanwhile, in another land in different places are three wise men. Pretend you are one of them who wants to see this which you knew was going to happen and so you set off on your camel to travel a long ways.  Oh my what faith these people had. I can not visualize any of us packing up and traveling by the path of a star to find a baby that was supposed to save the world. And yet they did.

Then, I allowed myself to see…a stable with this star shining brightly over it and I actually felt myself tremble with the thought. I felt like a voyeur by then as I watched in my mind’s eye a story I had heard many many many times. I could see the stable and the baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and Mary beside the baby and Joseph standing nearby. And I could see the awe and amazement on the shepherd and the wise men. And I actually felt my legs go weak and sat down right there as I continued my mental and spiritual journey.

I think it says so much that God used something as small and fragile and dependent as a tiny baby to send us a savior. It is a demonstration to me of our weakness and dependence on Him. And as I sat on the back step in the cold with the stars twinkling around me and seeing almost like looking in a snowglobe the reason for this holiday, I found tears in my eyes for it was so beautiful.

Our hearts and our faith are what keep us going in life. And faith is believing in what you can’t see but I believe we can see it….if we just take the time to open our hearts and our minds. And so, on this note…I bid you all a Merry Christmas and prayers that yours is a wonderful and joyous time and a time of peace.

thehandmaid.wordpress.com

The Scale Of Life

Life is full of choices and we are all weighing what is most important to us and what has the most value and making decisions that affect our lives in different ways.  When it comes time to make a major purchase, we unconsciously decide is this item the best buy, will it bring us the joy we want, is it worth the value and a number of other choices. And it is like the scales above.Some people make lists of pros and cons, reasons or reasons not to do this or that….and it is still the scales above.

I often use the palms up example when trying to tell someone why I justified an action. I take my hands and go up and down with them like a scales and then say hmmm…did I do this or that and this is why …one side outweighed the other.

How we weigh the scales depends on our own set of values and what we believe in. For example…spending time with loved ones far outweighs gifts I can give them. Nothing replaces loving time spent together and so the scale tips dramatically.

Do I need to purchase this or that?  I take the scales and weigh the cost to me versus the benefit. When we bought this house, we weighed the benefits of having our home totally against all the cosmetic work that needed to be done. Yes, buying this house was definitely worth it. But, when it comes to making expensive purchases in this house, we weigh the scale again. Is it worth it? Do we need it? Do We need a new one? Will a used one work as well? Do we want to go into debt to get it? Will we want this a year from now?

Another time we use the scales mentally is when we decide how much we are willing to endure. Some people, if they get their feelings hurt just cut people off totally. I find that I have to weigh the situation and see how much I am willing to take and if the relationship is worth it.  Most of the time, if we really look, we find that the person means so much that “hurt feelings” here and there are just part of having a relationship. We find that the relationship brings so much to our lives that the scales tip towards the relationship. And sometimes, like in cases where the hurt times are more than the good times, people realize that this situation is so detrimental that they need to sever ties. It is all a balancing act in keeping our lives happier and without things that are harming us.

I have things that I feel strongly about and that tips the scales immediately.  They are…don’t lie to me, don’t steal from me..whether physically or emotionally, don’t treat me one way when alone and differently when certain people are around and don’t harm those I love. I feel so strongly on those things that nothing tips the scale back the other way. I hate lies when the truth is so easy.  And nothing I hate worse than when people treat you one way alone and then when certain people are around, they act like they hardly know you. I treat people the same always. If you are my friend…you are my friend no matter who is around. And emotional vampires as I call them…that suck you dry…are not something I like in my life.

So, what are you weighing on the scales as the year comes to end?  Are you weighing a move, a sale, a job change, a trip, a purchase, a medical decision, a friend or family member decision……or even what to eat….we do tend to weigh things.  Though there are times we just react and do and don’t think about the consequences, like eating that spicy food that we know will upset our stomachs.

If you are going to choose…always choose for family, family of choice and friends…for they will be here a lifetime and every minute you chose something over them…is lost. You can never regain those moments with them that you lost.