red is good

Who knew people are actually doing good things in this world and care about others? I think this is a new concept...

Recently, I've been made quite aware of the situation going on in Africa in regards to the AIDS epidemic. I know this is nothing new, and I knew it was going on, but it never hit home as much as it has recently. We just did a two week series in our small group (check out the White Castle link in my blog roll for more information) called 'Hope and Action' that detailed what was going on over there and what we could do to help. It was amazing to see what could be done for so little and help so many. Some of the information is listed below for reference for anyone interested in learning more, or in helping out.

U2, led by Bono, has been a major leader for this campaign and some amazing sites to jump on the bandwagon are One and Red. Both of these sites allow you to have a voice and even let you get the 'cool gear' to go with it. On the One site, there are things that can be ordered (t-shirts, wristbands, etc), but you can also have a voice and - most importantly - get the facts about what is going on and become educated. On the Red site, it lists items that we can purchase and companies will contribute to the cause. These items range from clothing, to cell phones, to i-pods. Not all of them are things I would buy everyday - and not all are available in the U.S. yet - but I think I'm going to check here first when needing to get gifts, etc. Anything I can do to help is worth the money.

Either way, whether contributing financially or not, the important thing to me is learning more about it. The more I know, the more of an asset I become - and the more focused my prayer can be. One of the main things they talked about in the 2 week series we did was that above everything else, prayer is helpful, important - and FREE. So...the worst thing we can do is pretend it isn't happening, and go about our daily lives. I'm the first one to run in the opposite direction as fast as I can when I hear these commercials, or pitches for money...but I couldn't get away from this one. It gives too many facts, and also too many practical ways we can help...

I know too often I'm comfortable worrying only about me (see previous post about worry), but it seems every time I do, I am reminded that I really don't have it so bad. No matter who you are, or where you are in life's journey, things could always be better - and they could always be worse. I guess it's up to us to appreciate where we are and let God tell us who needs our help. I'm starting to believe that the more I help others, the more it comes back to me. So for those of us that are selfish (I may only be speaking to myself), we could be selfish and help others knowing that our reward will be coming...and having God owe you one is huge...wink...

"I was hungry and you fed me, I was thirsty and you gave me a drink, I was
homeless and you gave me a room. I was shivering and you gave me clothes, I was
sick and you stopped to visit, I was in prison and you came to me...Whenever you
did one of these things to some one overlooked or ignored, that was me - you did
it to me." Matthew 25:35-36 Message Translation

A Few Facts (Believe me, this is only the tip of the iceberg):
- Nearly 40 million people are living with HIV worldwide.
- HIV/AIDS is the leading cause of death worldwide for people ages fifteen to fifty-nine.
- AIDS has orphaned more than 14 million children; that's the equivalent of every child under age five in North America.
- Over 2.3 million children under age fifteen are living with HIV. Ninety percent of them live in sub-Saharan Africa. Without treatment, most will die before their fifth birthday.
- Worldwide, nearly 60 percent of people infected by HIV are women.

Information:
www.unaids.org
www.one.org
www.pbs.org/frontline/aids
www.avert.org/aidsinafrica.htm
www.usaids.org

Organizations:
Compassion, www.compassion.com/aids
International Justice Mission, www.ijm.org
Opportunity International, www.opportunity.org/lendinghope
World Relief, www.worldrelief.org
World Vision, www.worldvision.org/hope

christmas - i think it really lasts for 30 seconds...

Who knew something so anticipated can fly by so fast? I always try to pay close attention as it does...

Christmas came and went...and I have posted a few pictures of the process...it's always fun to wake up and open presents as a family. I always enjoy watching each one open the gifts we have picked out for them. Taylor always wants everyone to open the gifts she got for them first - she is the opposite of me when I was a kid - she always prefers to open her gifts last. As always, Santa seemed to know what we all wanted and everything worked out well, including the cinnamon rolls we had for breakfast.

Before...

During...

After...

pssst...don't tell anyone but Christmas is coming...

Who knew a Holiday, or season, could create such excitement?

We put up our Christmas tree the Friday after Thanksgiving...that is always a great time. Pulling out the ornaments and talking about the stories that go along with each one. This year, I took a lot of grief during the Thanksgiving season because last year at that time, we were in Orlando, Florida at Disney World. J came up to me and said, "Last year we were at Animal Kingdom right now." It's a great reminder and we have been remembering all of the fun we had together. We have some ornaments from there as well, and that sparked another conversation about the trip.

I love getting to spend time together as a family, and I truly enjoy getting to remember all the stories about where the ornaments came from, who gave them to us, why, when, etc. It's one of those family times I look forward to every year. Once we get to Thanksgiving, it's all downhill from there. It's going to be 2007 before we know it...and there is no stopping it. It's ok though, always worth it getting to go through the celebration of Christmas.

Here is a picture of our tree...can't wait for Christmas...

what, me worry?

Who knew worrying could be a problem?

Do you remember Mad Magazine? Not the show that's on TV now, but the magazine that was out in the 80's and 90's (and probably before and after that)? I remember playing the game...it was sort of like Monopoly, but hilarious. The object of the game is to lose all of your money, and the squares are interesting. One of them said, "if everyone is sitting down, lose $1000, if one is standing, lose $2000." The best part was having to pick a card...that always makes you sweat. The cards were great and would say things like, "Act like a rock lose..." "Stand up and imitate your favorite pet..." "If you can make the person on your left laugh, lose $1000..." There was one that said something like, "This card can only be played on Tuesday." Even if it was Tuesday, it didn't tell you what to do anyway. It was a good time. The reason I bring all this up is because the main 'character' of Mad Magazine is Alfred E. Newman, and his saying was always, "What, me worry?"

To quote one of the greatest songs of all time (well, maybe that's a bit of a stretch, but I guarantee most of you still remember the words whether you like the song or not), "In every life we have some trouble, when you worry you make it double. Don't worry, be happy.....When you worry your face will frown, and that will bring everybody down. Don't worry, be happy." I always thought the song was kind of catchy, but never really thought about the words much (probably because it's a little hard to take the song seriously). It's interesting to think that worry and happy don't go together, but it seems to be true. In my life, no matter how much stress I have, it seems like I can still have fun - unless I'm worried about something. When I worry, it's all I think about and takes what limited mind power/capapcity I have. If it's a relationship with a friend, I worry about making the call to them, seeing them, what to say, how to say it, should it be in person, on the phone, etc? And that takes a lot of time and energy. The worst is when I worry about things I can't control...and there are many examples of that. Those take the most energy because I'm using so much to figure out how I can make it stop raining, or how I can slow down time...no matter how much time and energy I put in, I will never change them. It's only when I give up my worry, that I find relief. Not relief from the stress, but relief from the daily worry about the issue. It helps me see more clearly and be able to listen for the answer, instead of trying to create the answer. It's in those times that fun seems to creep back into life. Those are always good times.

Watching Extreme Home Makeover on ABC a few weeks ago (yes, my secret is out, I watch the show and it usually chokes me up at some point), they had a quote about worry. it was actually this quote that got me started thinking about this whole subject in the first place. The quote is, "There's a lot of things to think about, but nothing to worry about." Thinking about it that way, thinking about all of life's issues without worrying about them, is a nice reminder to me to keep things in perspective.

As is common with me, I started with leaning on TV and media to gain insight into life...funny thing about that is I think I've already heard about this topic...I think it was in a book...

More for my reference later than anything, here's some of what that "book" had to say about worry...

Matthew 6:25-27
"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?"

Matthew 6:34 (this is one of my favorites)
"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."

So, I guess if it's in the bible, it must be important. The interesting thing to me is how it simply tells us not to worry about worry. It's like defining a word using the word you are defining. It seems to work in this case though and is actually a bit comforting. I love that tomorrow will worry about itself. That's like checking something off my 'To Do List.' "Hmmm, go to Kroger, do some laundry, finish my homework, worry about tomorrow - oh wait, tomorrow will worry about itself, check!"

Well, the next time I worry, guess I'll just have to point myself to this blog entry, at a time when I have it all figured out. I'm sure anyone that reads this will have insight and wisdom far beyond where I've gone here and I would love to hear any comments, suggestions, helpful hints, etc...

Either way, guess I know one thing for sure...I'm not going to worry about it.

day off

Who knew Mondays could be good? Well, maybe that's because I knew I had Tuesday off...

Days like today remind me how much I truly appreciate the union and their ability to negotiate time off. November is my favorite month because there is only one week where we must work five days. Not a bad deal to say the least.

I had high hopes to get a lot done today, and still hope to accomplish most (if not all) of my tasks. The weather isn't cooperating much though and since it's raining, I guess the yard work will have to wait. It is always great for me to have time to catch up on tasks...I'm big on keeping lists so it's always wonderful to be able to cross things off...and that's the goal for today, cross as many things off as possible...but then there is the other side of having a day off...the side the polar bear is reflecting quite nicely. Just taking the day to enjoy doing nothing. Ok, there is a new goal for today, to do both...have a time of doing nothing, and also to get work done...maybe my time of doing nothing will be when I'm in line to vote. I'm starting to think that absentee voting is the way to go.

It's funny how breaks come just when you need them. It's almost like some one is watching out for me. Things have been so busy, and non-stop that taking a break has rarely been an option. We are all looking forward to the holidays and the days of rest and fun that come along with them. It's funny how in our world today, taking a break isn't widely accepted, but working so long and hard that we get burned out is. Seems like priorities are a little out of sync.

I was talking about being young last night, and the trips we would take down to the farm. I always enjoyed being down there and seeing a slower pace that life can take. Definitely not 'easier,' they work longer and harder than I ever will, but it seemed like they always knew how to take time to relax and restore their energy. Something I need to learn and incorporate into my life on a regular basis. I have started to do that on a limited basis, recovering is something necessary to keep our sanity. I don't think God gave us life to be always stressed, striving, and on the go. I think he also gave us life to have fun, relax, and enjoy the world he put around us. During the weekend, Tay and I were able to jump in the pile of leaves...man, that just never gets old. It was a great break to working on the yard cleaning it (didn't get that finished, still on my list). Trying to find ways to enjoy what must be done is another thing I have been working on - still a long way to go with that one, but I have seen the fruits of it none the less.

I have come to realize there will never be a time where we have absolutely nothing to do. As I always say, the goal is to keep life at 'normal levels of chaos.' Funny thing about that is the only way to do it is to stop trying...stop controlling, stop working to cram life into my mold. The only way to keep things at normal levels of chaos is to let some one else lead, some one more understanding of the big picture, who can guide our steps when we have no clue where to turn next. Good thing I know some one up to that challenge...thank you God...

Another small item I learned is focus...I seem to lack it when there are too many things going on at once. I seem to do a little of each project without actually finishing any of them. My new resolution (yeah, I know, 2 months early) is to stay focused on the tasks I am presented with and follow them through to conclusion. By doing this, I can be more effective for those items I have been put here to accomplish, I can excel at the tasks God puts before me - instead of being average. Seems like whenever I do things my way, I barely get by and do a mediocre job. When I stop and force my feet down the path I'm supposed to follow, I always seem to shine...to come out above average, to feel a sense of accomplishment. Whether that's at home, school, work, play, whatever. I'm always amazed how that works out.

Well, apparently I'm still good at going on about nothing. Just felt like I needed to keep adding posts to my blog...what's the point in having one if you never post?

dad

Who knew a parent would have such an impact on your life? Guess that means I better shape up since I am one...

Last year, I found some old pictures of my dad at my uncle's house. It was the first time I'd seen pictures of him when he was really young. By the time I showed up, he was already in his 50's - no slouch, he could still take me in a wrestling match - but older than most none the less. Looking at these pictures I was able to really see where I had come from, first time looking at 'myself.' I've always looked like my dad, but it's always been who I would become. Seeing the older pictures allowed me to see myself in him as I am now.

Dad has been amazing in my life over the years. He has helped mold me and shape me into who I've become. I give him credit for all of the good traits I have and I take credit for all of the negative traits...I'm sure he warned me about them along the way and I didn't listen.

As much grief as I've given him over the years, I really do thank God everyday that he was/is in my life. We may not see eye to eye on everything, but we do on the important things. We are from two COMPLETELY different generations, but the gap has never been a problem. He has given me more than I could ever express and I am truly blessed for the example he set for me...

Good thing I'm so tall, he's left me with HUGE shoes to fill...

cambridge study

Who knew only the first and last letters of a word really matter?

Check out this excerpt...I always find it interesting they are right, it doesn't really matter what order the letters are in, you can still read it without any problems...I'm not sure how valid the statement about 'research at Cambridge' is, but it still proves the point none the less.

Aoccdrnig to rseaerch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a total mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe.

See what you can learn when you have too much free time?

no spoon

Who knew insight could come from many different sources?

When I first started this blog, the question was asked, "What does no spoon mean?" It's a bit of a late response, and I'm sure it is actually redundant of what my answer was the first time the question was asked, but it's my blog so I can do whatever I want.

Again, this idea is from the movie 'Matrix' and if you haven't seen the movie, don't worry about trying to figure out the quote. If you have, this may still make no sense to you...again, this is my blog, and therefore my thoughts, so it's a small look into the way my mind works, or more accurately the way I process life and events as they pass me by.

Ok, here is my answer to the question of long ago...

Why no spoon? Because it is a symbol reminding me of my reality...this is a place I'm passing through...and when I see it for what it is, I can be superman. Not in the way the movies show, but in the way that changes me into who I'm supposed to be. Every time I face a challenge I don't think I can get through, I simply remind myself of one simple thing...

There is no spoon.

Like I said, it may help, or it may be something that is just makes sense in my head...either way, I'm smiling about it.

wow

Who knew there were options for your blogger template?

Yes, this is the same blog...but with a new look...

So I'm curious...is the new look an upgrade, or was the other one 'more me?'

football

Who knew I'd be this excited for football season to start?

So Michigan home opener was on Saturday...and yes, I was there. It's always good to be at the game with 109,000 of my closest friends. Game was good (of course we won - tough game against Vanderbuilt), although I'm a little nervous about the offense this season...we'll see I guess.

Here is a pic of the stadium...view is about what I had, except I was on the opposite end of the field...

As I'm sitting there, doing the wave, then slowly, then quickly (anyone that's been there knows what I'm talking about), I started thinking a little. Thought about all of the times I've been there, some as a student, some with friends, but always a good time. Sometimes slowing down just slightly puts things in perspective - who knew I could 'slow down' at a Michigan football game? Seems like these times with friends and family, the ones we remember and enjoy, are really the important things. Meetings I go to, work I do, it's all a means to an end...and the end is being able to spend time with people - to have relationships.

Makes me wonder why we are wired this way - why do we require relationships? Even when I say I don't need anyone, or any help, it still is nice if either come along. Seems like in a small way, we can tangibly see we require support. Tough to take sometimes, but helps us grow into who we are supposed to be - yes, getting help from others can actually make us stronger.

Anywhoo, guess that's a whole lot of talking that could have been summed up by two words - GO BLUE!