I'm Mad Too, Eddie!!

“I’m Mad Too, Eddie,” was a popular bumper sticker from the late 1970’s, along with the “misery index,” the sum of the rate of inflation and the unemployment rate. Eddie Chiles was the one that started the craze by being quoted as saying, “I’m Eddie Chiles and I’m mad as hell and I’m not taking it anymore.”

Well, this post isn't about inflation, or the "misery index" or the unemployment rate...it's about me being mad about satan continuing to think he can take over the lives of my friends and their marriages. I got word today that yet another marriage is on the brink of ending. So yes! I'm mad! I'm not going to take it anymore!

I'm no stranger to the Big "D" and I don't mean Dallas! Been through one myself, personally. I'm a product of Divorce and I Know full well what it does to children and the family. I also am a Christian and I know how God looks upon Divorce. In my own situation, I was not walking with the Lord in my daily life. At the same time, I am not going to sit and tell you that things would/could have been different. I try not to even go there, because had I not chosen the path I did, my life would not be what it is today. I believe that God has purpose for everyone and everything and He can bring Glory to every situation. I am a walking testimony to that. What I will say is this; If you are walking with God and you know exactly how He feels about Divorce, then you should want to do whatever it takes to take back control of your family and your marriage and not allow satan to benefit one bit! There can be reconciliation. Even when there has been huge hurt. It's not too late to try before you take that final step to end that bond. What brought you together? What was it that you loved about that person in the beginning? Get back to discovering each other. When was the last time you spent an hour or more just talking? What is your excuse? Newlyweds become oldyweds, and oldyweds are the reasons that families work. I love this quote: "A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person." ~Mignon McLaughlin

Satan wants nothing more than to rip apart the family. He wants to kill, steal and destroy. That's his mission. It's his goal because he wants to destroy what God so desires to bless! Why would you want for him to have a successful mission?

Please don't think that I am not understanding to certain situations...I hear you out there. I know all the ones who are no doubt saying, "but you don't know what he did" or "she never does this" or "I just don't love him anymore". The reasons are endless. I've been there...and I'm not passing judgment. All I'm saying is. Don't let satan have the upper hand.

Okay, just had to vent that out. Take back your family! Take back your marriage! Have conviction! The Pre-k/KG kids that I help teach on Sunday mornings can tell you what that is. CONVICTION: "Standing up for what is right, even when others don't"

Get MAD Too!

It's Life

This post was originally written on my mychurch.org account back in September of 2008. A year and a half later and it is still relevant and I am still learning.

"People come and go so quickly here!"

Probably one of my favorite lines from The Wizard of Oz. Why? Well, I equate it to friendships. How they come and go...just like the ebb and flow of the ocean's tide. Lately I have learned a lot about friendships verses acquaintances. What are they and more importantly...what are the differences.

Let's go to Webster:

Friend: a person attached to another by feelings of affection or personal regard; esteem. (worth, value)

Acquaintance: a person known to one, but usually not a close friend.

Hmmm, now let's take it just a little further...shall we?

Personal regard...what does that mean, exactly? It's like saying you have a personal concern for them. A fond attachment. Where in the case of Acquaintance...you just "know" them.

I'm the kind of person who "gets involved". LOL It's my personality. I have a huge heart and I reach out to others. I am a compassionate soul. When you are a person such as this...you tend to get hurt pretty easily. It's kinda of your lot in life. It has to be expected. Some day...you are going get hurt. It's okay, really...I have had many a person come and go in my life. There is that poem or saying that goes:

Reason, Season or Lifetime.

I won't repeat it here...but it talks about how people come into your life for a Reason, a Season or a Lifetime. You have to be prepared in your heart for whatever the case may be. I sometimes have a hard time with this. I want everyone to stay! LOL I love people. But....some leave. Sometimes I don't even really know why. They just do. If only we could all just be that proverbial fly on the wall...then we could all have the answers. :) Then...there are the times that I have to leave. I realize that I have done all I can do and I have to just step down...or step away. That is probably harder than anything else.

In all of this rambling...I think the hardest part to talk about is that I have not been the best friend to some that I should have been. I get self consumed. It happens....it really does. You fall to temptations of talking, gossiping...the drama. Most of the time the drama just happens all on it's own. It doesn't need a catalyst... and sometimes you don't even really realize what you are doing. You are carrying on harmless conversations and things just come out. We are ALL guilty of it. ( we all fall short of the Glory of God) Then..there is that ugly one called satan. He knows your weaknesses....he will draw on every single one of them. I have had my eyes wide open of late to that.

I'm sorry. I repent before you all.

So...I endeavor to be a better person.

It's all I can do. Strive to be the woman that God has called me to be.

I wasn't put on this Earth to please anyone else but HIM.

You can love someone with all your heart
For all the right reasons
And in a moment they can choose to walk away
love 'em anyway

Thanks for reading.

A Time of Remembrance...May We NEVER Forget.

This is my first blog post on the new blog. Do you like the title of my blog site? I got the idea from a friend at church. I simply had to use it, because it’s just a fitting title.

So, today marks the 15^th Anniversary of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building Bombing. It’s hard to believe that 15 years ago this state that I live in became the home of terrorism; terrorism from someone who was supposed to be one of our own. Many lives were changed forever that day, including my own. You see, my father was in that building that day. He was an employee of the Veterans Affairs on the 6^th floor. He had just got up from his desk when the bomb went off. His body was thrown all the way into the other room. Pelted by glass, and not being able to see, he and others in his office crawled and found their way to a back stairwell to get out of the building. This stairwell was covered in debris and like I said, he couldn’t see. It took him a little while to figure out that he had a shard of glass stuck right through his eye. He couldn’t use his left hand and he finally decided to just pull out the glass stuck in his eye.

On the outside was help. Many people were there to offer assistance to help those who had escaped to get the medical attention that they needed. All this time, I wait in my home not knowing whether he is alive or dead. My mom and step-dad were to also be at the building that day. I couldn’t reach them by phone, so I had no idea where they were. My father-in-love also to be there; hadn’t heard from him either. Two hours later, I finally hear something from my mom. She is safe. Shortly after I get a call that my Father-in-love is safe as well. Three down, one to go. Four hours later, I finally hear the news that my dad has been taken to the hospital, he is alive. My wait seemed so long, but compared to those who never heard, I can only imagine their horror and grief. Rescue efforts continued through the night. Tirelessly the workers continued to search for possible survivors. By the time it is all over, the dogs called back and the workers told no more can be done, the death toll is 168 in all.

To close this out, I will tell you that my dad lost an eye and completely severed the tendons in his left wrist. To this day he still pulls glass out of his body. He has been changed in a way that I would rather someone not be changed. He has grown fearful in ways that he most likely would never have feared and no longer works the job that he so loved and helped so many people. If you have never been to the National Memorial, go. If you have never been to the museum, go. May we NEVER forget these lives and these people and what they have endured because of terrorism.