Those of you who have been around me a while, have probably read this many times because I post it every now and again just as a reminder. Every single one of my friends know that I call myself a Christian. They also know that I am human and that I don't always live up to the expectations that people have set for Christ followers and that I don't even always agree with fellow believers.

One of my favorite quotes is: "I do not live for what the world thinks of me, but for what I think of myself." ~Jack London. Like I told a woman today who ultimately decided to "unfriend" me on facebook, if you are offended by me, my entries or the way I live my life in general, feel free to "unfriend" me. It wont hurt my feelings one bit. I need people in my corner who encourage me without judging me, who stand by me through all the ugliness that comes along with being human and who LOVE me in spite of my imperfections. If you are not capable of this type of friendship, I understand and I wish you the best.

Here is my all-time favorite poem. Enjoy.

When I say "I am a Christian"

When I say, "I am a Christian," I'm not shouting, "I've been saved!"
I'm whispering, "I get lost! That's why I chose this way"

When I say, "I am a Christian," I don't speak with human pride
I'm confessing that I stumble-needing God to be my guide

When I say, "I am a Christian," I'm not trying to be strong
I'm professing that I'm weak and pray for strength to carry on

When I say, "I am a Christian," I'm not bragging of success
I'm admitting that I've failed and cannot ever pay the debt

When I say, "I am a Christian," I don't think I know it all
I submit to my confusion asking humbly to be taught

When I say, "I am a Christian," I'm not claiming to be perfect
My flaws are far too visible but God believes I'm worth it

When I say, "I am a Christian," I still feel the sting of pain
I have my share of heartache which is why I seek His name

When I say, "I am a Christian," I do not wish to judge
I have no authority--I only know I'm loved

~Carol Wimmer

Dear January 16th

Dear January 16th. I am taking you back!
I will no longer fear and dread your bad juju!
I will live you to the fullest and without regret!
I will choose to be happy and grateful for what I have today,
Instead of mourning what you have taken from me.
I will control this day and my destiny!
You have no power over me anymore!
Carpe Diem!

Death of Common Sense

In light of my last post and for your reading pleasure:

The Death of Common Sense

Hooray for automatic car starters! I absolutely LOVE mine! I think this is one of the best gifts I've ever received. I'm still a little embarassed that Ken spent SOOOO much money on me for Christmas though. I know it's not about money and he was genuinely happy to spoil me, but I still have a hard time with my lack of financial freedom to spoil him like I want to. In addition to the car starter, he also bought be a diamond nose ring. He knows I don't like a lot of expensive, flashy jewelry, but I do wear a nose ring so he bought a tiny little diamond and had them make me a nose ring using white gold. I thought that was very creative and thoughtful.

I'm in Moses Lake for the weekend. I'll likely be spending most weekends here. I'm drinking a cup of coffee and writing and it feels good to just relax for a bit. I'm meeting Ken for lunch at Firefly around noon and I brought some work with me that I really should be working on. I have to write a telephone etiquette policy for my office. One would think that 50 and 60 somethings would have enough common sense to know how to answer the phone, transfer a call and take a message. Especially 50/60 somethings who have spent most of their adult life working in professional offices. One would think that common sense would stop someone from transferring a solicitor/telemarketer into the 911 Emergency call center supervisor. Did she really think that the supervisor had nothing better to do? Or transferring a call to someone's voice mail when they are sitting there in the office waiting for that particular call, instead of announcing the call and giving the director the option to take the call or tranfer to voice mail. Ugh!

While I'm at it, maybe I should also write up a Common Sense Training, a Respecting Personal Space Policy and a How Obtuse Can You Be quiz. And maybe even a tip sheet on What Not To Do When the Supervisor is Around (Or EVER), which would include falling asleep at your desk, facebooking or shopping online, bad-mouthing coworkers and superiors, etc.

I truly wish common sense was something that could be taught.

On a different note, THANK GOD FOR TYLENOL PM!!!

QOTD

"Promise me you'll always remember: You're braver than you believe and stronger than you seem and smarter than you think." ~Christopher Robin to Pooh