TOP 10 THINGS ONLY WOMEN UNDERSTAND
10. WHY ITS GOOD TO HAVE FIVE PAIR OF BLACK SHOES
9. THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CREAM, IVORY AND WHITE.
8. CRYING IS NECESSARY.
7. FAT CLOTHES.
6. A SALAD, DIET DRINK, AND A HOT FUDGE SUNDAE MAKE A BALANCED LUNCH
5. DISCOVERING A DESIGNER DRESS ON THE CLEARANCE RACK CAN BE CONSIDERED A PEAK LIFE EXPERIENCE
4. THE INACCURACY OF EVERY BATHROOM SCALE EVER MADE.
3. A GOOD MAN CAN BE HARD TO FIND, BUT A GOOD HAIRDRESSER IS NEXT TO IMPOSSIBLE.
2. WHY A PHONE CALL BETWEEN TWO WOMEN NEVER LASTS UNDER TEN MINUTS.

AND THE NUMBER ONE THING ONLY WOMEN UNDERSTAND:
1. OTHER WOMEN.

Computer and Life Crashes!

She’s Baaaaacccckk!

You have been warned! ;)

I will start my return to the blog world with a post entitled:

Computer and Life Crashes!

I began blogging and then had a computer users worst nightmare, the crash of the hard drive.

No, I did not “back up.” (I’d love to know how many of you actually do?) I lost everything. All the photos, all the files, and the use of a computer until I could replace it. I thought I’d be off for just a short time, and then….

My life crashed!

I’ve learned so much since then. Mind if I share? (It’s my blog, deal. That’s what Joisey girls say, ha!)

A computer crash results in a loss of information, history, research, and kids homework, etc.

A life crash often results in much more. Loss of identity, loss of financial security, loss of employment, loss of reputation, and loss of friends, etc.

Those who know me personally know that I divorced after 20 years of marriage. For a conservative woman who came from a pious religious background, this is just not done!

What have I learned?

God hates divorce. He loves divorced people.

The favor of God can still rest on a divorced person.

Happiness and joy are two different things.

God is an awesome husband.

Friendships are precious, and their value can’t be measured. When you’re hurting, those that still love and support you are your dearest friends. (Thanks Jersey girl!)

Being alone does not mean you have to be lonely.

Recently my daughter graduated (as Valedictorian, I’m not proud!) from high school. That morning I was having my quiet time when my sister came down and caught me with tears rolling down my cheeks. Her face showed her concern until I shared “I’m so blessed. I’m so incredibly blessed.” I can’t begin to list the blessings in my life. Is it hard? Yes. Is it good? Yes.

I’m just sayin…

Message from God

I came across this and thought you'd enjoy it, too.

"Good Morning!

This is God.

I will be handling all of your problems today.

I do not need your help.

Have a good day."

Good reminder, wouldn't you say....I'm just sayin....

What do you smell like?

My daughter got a new perfume, I love it and find myself wishing she'd get a new one, so I could smell like this every day. The fragrance is light and just makes me happy. I love perfume but they always smell better on someone else. Until this one. So I borrow it often....thanks, honey!


A person I admire greatly shared this prayer with me.
This leader embodies what this prayer talks about and I pray that I, too, can radiate Christ
even through hard things, through devastation, and loss, oh that I could be His fragrance. That I would not carry an odor of unkindness, or cruelty, or indifference, or haste, or busyness, or callousness, or carelessness. Let me, oh Christ, carry Your fragrance and wear it well!

Radiating Christ
by John Henry Cardinal Newman (1801 - 1890)
Dear Jesus,help me to spread Thy fragrance everywhere I go.
Flood my soul with Thy spirit and life.
Penetrate and possess my whole being so utterly
that all my life may only be a radiance of Thine.
Shine through me,and be so in me that every soul I come in contact with
may feel Thy presence in my soul.
Let them look up and see no longer me but only Jesus!
Stay with me,and then I shall begin to shine as Thou shinest,
so to shine as to be a light to others; the light, O Jesus,
will be all from Thee; none of it will be mine;
it will be Thou shining on others through me.
Let me thus praise Thee in the way Thou dost love best
by shining on those around me.
Let me preach Thee without preaching,
not by words but by my example,
by the catching force of the sympathetic influence of what I do,
the evident fulness of the love my heart bears to Thee.
Amen.

Cue the music.....Feelings.....nothing more than Feelings....

That's all they are....feelings.

The struggle is, we often let them define our experiences. We let them rule our actions. They have the power to dictate the outcome of our day, and, left unchecked, dictate the course of our lives.

What can we do then? We are affected by circumstances, by the actions of others, by our own choices, by life. And, in this day and age, our kids are told they should do what they feel, express themselves, no matter what they are feeling, its ok. Its validated.

There is a Proverb that says "Better to meet a bear robbed of her cubs, than a fool in his folly."
Why? How can this be? Left to let our feelings rule our lives, we lead ourselves to folly. We rob ourselves of life. Of peace. Of health. Of well-being.

We all, at one time or another, will face struggles, disappointment, loneliness, loss, illness, pain, fear, rejection, anxiety...because we are human, and live in a world that is not perfect.

What then, can we do? Here is an exercise I practice (currently on a regular basis). For every feeling, I list it.

I feel anxious.

I feel overwhelmed.

I feel fear.

I feel depressed.

Then I look in the Bible until I find one (or several) Scripture that speaks truth to what I feel. I then say it over and over, or pray it until the Truth overcomes my feelings. (Sometimes I am comforted immediately and sometimes it takes time, but I continue to speak the Truth over what I feel)


I feel anxious.....Psalm 127:2 "It is useless for you to work so hard from early morning until late at night, anxiously working for food to eat; for God gives rest to His loved ones."
I Peter 5:7 " Cast all your cares on Him, for He cares for you."

I feel overwhelmed....Psalm 53:3 "There they were, overwhelmed with dread, when there was nothing to dread."
Isaiah 26:3 "Thou will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee."

I feel fear... Isaiah 43 "Fear not, for I have redeemed you....when you go through fire, water, rivers, I will be with you...you are Mine" (paraphrased)

I feel depressed... I learn from the example of Elijah (the Prophet who became depressed I Kings 19) and Job (Job 10:1) and David in so many of the Psalms that depression is real. I love that in so many of the Psalms David cries out in anguish and yet ends with, "Yet I will praise Him" or he speaks to his soul, "Soul, why are you downcast, hope thou in God."

Like exercise (which I hate) profits my body, so this exercise profits my spirit.

Try it, it will work for you, too.

And, please, someone get this (Feelings) song out of my head!

I'm just sayin....

My Hero on TV

In a previous blog, I wrote about my sister who is a cancer survivor, and has become my hero. If you know anyone battling cancer or any serious health issue, I invite you to visit her website, read about her, and pass the word along.... http://cherylowenspatterson.org



On Thursday, she was on a Christian talk show. If you'd like to view her portion, click on this link http://www.harvest-tv.com/video/VOD_GetShow.cfm?ShowID=239

The news is just before her 10 minute segment.



Makes a sister proud....I'm just sayin....

October is for Women

It's already the 8th of October and I've not yet blogged about women and breast cancer. Shame on me. I was reminded of this just today when speaking with a new friend and discovering she was diagnosed at the same age as my sister...37!

I hope that you are checking yourself regularly, and if you have never done so, please schedule a mammogram. Here are some tips I received by email to help prepare you for your first mammogram.

Many women are afraid of their first mammogram, and even if they have had them before, there is fear. By taking a few minutes each day for a week preceding the exam and doing the following exercises, you will be totally prepared for the test, and best of all, you can do these simple practice exercises right in your own home!

EXERCISE 1: Open your refrigerator door, and insert one breast between the door and the main box. Have one of your strongest friends slam the door shut as hard as possible and lean on the door for good measure. Hold that position for five seconds. Repeat in case the first time wasn't effective.

EXERCISE 2: Visit your garage at 3 a.m. when the temperature of the cement floor is just perfect. Take off all your clothes and lie comfortably on the floor sideways with one breast wedged under the rear tire of the car. Ask a friend to slowly back the car up until your breast is sufficiently flattened and chilled. Switch sides and repeat for the other breast.

EXERCISE 3: Freeze two metal bookends overnight. Strip to the waist. Invite a stranger into the room. Have the stranger press the bookends together as hard as she can. Set an appointment with the stranger to meet again next year to do it again.

You are now properly prepared!

Women, please, be good to yourself, and to those you love, check yourself and get checked.

I'm just sayin...

Under the Circumstances

There was a man I would greet every Sunday morning at church. I would say "hello, how ya doin?"


His response was always the same...."well, under the circumstances"....and go on to tell me he was fine or had a good day at work, or the family was planning a trip."


I was always puzzled why he started every greeting that way and began to picture Eeyore's face(since their voices were much the same) when he spoke.


One day I heard myself say the following...


"Hi, (John, not his name, of course) how ya doin?"


And as always, "Well, under the circumstances...."

I heard myself blurt out, "Well, what are you living under there for?!"


I've thought of that many times when I'm going through tough things. I have a choice, to live "under the circumstances" or in spite of them. I choose to live joyfully in spite of them. Is it easy, not always. Do I fake it? Sometimes. But it takes a lot less toll on me in the long run if I choose not to live "under the circumstances."


I'm just sayin....