Happy Birthday, Damian!

Damian is 29 years old today. We had a quiet little celebration for him and a long discussion about what his 28th year was like and his intentions for the coming year. Very interesting. I am constantly impressed by the intentionality of Damian’s life, and how he always strives for excellence. I am so proud of him! I remember giving birth to him 29 years ago (could it really be that long??) and how beautiful my labor was. It was a cool and gorgeous spring day in Indiana on the farm. The sun was streaming in on the bed where I laid, relaxing and going with my “rushes”, excited about the new person who was about to join us and grateful for my friend Mary Katherine who was attending the birth and was like a mother to me…very comforting. I remember feeling so full of love for Steve as he kept asking me if I needed anything and busied himself getting me things, fielding calls, sitting with me and talking in a very caring way. He was wonderful. I was so filled to the brim with thankfulness! And then, that beautiful baby came out, and I was in love…again. I know why I had so many children. It was all that love. Thanks, Damian, for choosing us. We have been blessed and blessed and BLESSED by you!

A Serious Consideration

I was working out at the gym today when I ran into a former student from 7 years ago. She told me that my Bradley class had been a life-changing experience for her. She no longer automatically believes what authority figures tell her. She has more confidence in herself. She’s learned to think for herself and come to her own conclusions that she trusts. Then she proceeded to “sell” my class to two pregnant women who work at the gym! Talk about great advertising! There was an alarming side to our conversation, though. She said that when she was 6 and a half months pregnant with her second baby her doctor told her that, according to her scan, her baby was not developing normally. His head was the right size, but the rest of his body was “two weeks behind”, presumably due to placental malfunction. His solution was to induce immediately so the baby could be properly nourished and could grow normally. She thought about it and then refused. She had to resist lots of pressure and “guilt trips” laid on her from then on, but she stuck to her decision. Three days before her due date she went into spontaneous labor and delivered naturally an 8+ pound, perfectly-proportioned, healthy baby boy. The scary thing about this is that if she had done what the doctor told her to do she may HAVE HAD a malformed baby! She certainly would have had an immature baby with possible complications from being early. Talk about “iatrogenic”! This brings into serious question the routine use of diagnostic testing in pregnancy. They are always looking for something wrong. And they are always finding reasons for doubting the normalcy of a woman’s pregnancy. My question is: Are we really meant to be constantly peering into the womb? And do we UNDERSTAND what we are seeing? Perhaps we need to let Mother Nature quietly take care of things on the inside while we do our part by keeping ourselves healthy and expecting a wonderful outcome.

What Lead to Performing

What a night! We had a great night at Pappy and Harriets, with a very enthusiastic crowd. What fun!! Then, I had the privilege of going to a performance at the dome next door that was really special. “The Cracked Eggs” performed. They are a bunch of people who are disabled in some way or other, either mentally or physically, and they dance, sing, and act in very uninhibited, innocent, and charming ways. I loved it! This was followed by some great middle eastern dancing by a very talented girl named Tasia. I love to see people really able to move their bodies in beautiful ways. It’s so inspiring. It makes me want to dance again. The years that I took dance were SO fun! It opened up a whole new world for me and really boosted my confidence. In fact, I think it set the stage for me wanting to perform with Steve again. And look where that took me! I’m singing in a band every weekend!

Life is Good!!

Well, now that I know whose side I’m on I can relax. I’ll let Jesus take up the banner for non-violence. What a relief! He’s far more influential than I am anyway. (Who’s gonna listen to me?) Life is good. LIFE is good. LIFE IS GOOD!! Thank you, Lord!!!

And the Answer is….

Ok, ok, I can’t wait for someone to answer the question from the previous post, so I’ll answer it myself. The answer is “no one”. That means I’m on Jesus’ side.

Let’s Pause…

Think about this with me for a minute. Four years ago some people from another country who did not like our government and the “American Way” came to our country and killed a large number of innocent people. Bad. Very bad. We were outraged. So what did our government do? Did they find the people who were responsible and bring them to justice? No. They took revenge by sending thousands of our innocent boys and men over to murder vast numbers of people from the other country, which they have done. In doing so, a large number of those boys, our beloved sons, have been killed in the process. Too bad. But, it had to be done, right? And, what do we have to show for all of this bloodshed? Are we any closer to justice? Are we safer now? Is the mass murdering coming to a speedy end? No. There is no end in sight. All we have to show are lots and lots and lots of dead bodies. Lots and lots and lots of beloved sons, from both sides of the ocean, gone forever. If I was calling myself a christian, I would have to ask the question I saw on a bumper sticker recently: “Who Would Jesus Bomb?” An excellent question. One of the most important questions I’ve heard in a long time. The answer to that question would make or break me as a christian. Can anyone give me an answer? Think carefully now.

Intoxicating!

And did I mention that every time I walk out my back door, I am nearly knocked over with the intoxicating aroma of wisteria? It’s currently in full bloom! Mmmm…. heavenly!

Ain’t Life Grand??

When I look around outside I see at every turn LIFE bursting forth! Man! I can hardly STAND the excitement of it all! I have to restrain myself from making the rounds and examining all my baby trees and plants (and there are a lot of them) many times throughout the day. If they’ve grown a little bit since the last time I looked, I’m so thrilled! (And they always do.) If those plants could make an audible sound as they grow, the sound outside would be deafening! I’d like to be able to hear that.

Religious War?

I believe this war is about oil. But, to those who believe that this is a religious war, I ask to be directed to the verse in the Bible where Jesus says, “Kill people who do not believe in me.” Feel free to submit that information below as a comment, or you can email me directly. Thanks very much.

Yes, I’m Mad!!

As much as I agree with Dr. Laura on some of her passionate tirades, I believe she is a complete hypocrite and way off-track when it comes to the subject of war. She endlessly rails on people about protecting their precious children, but turns around and proudly sends her boy off to fight in Iraq and then BRAGS about it on the radio. WHAT’S WRONG WITH HER??? I don’t want her son to go out and murder people! That’s not honorable!! That’s horrific!! These “enemies” in Iraq are perfect strangers… somebody elses’ precious children, who have been, just like her son, brainwashed into thinking that shooting people with guns is going to solve problems. That’s NONSENSE!! Shame, shame, SHAME on Dr. Laura for doing this! A few weeks ago, a marine and some of his comrades came into Water Canyon to play for our Thurs. night show. He announced that this was the last time he’d be in for a while, because he and his buddies were being shipped off to Iraq in a couple of weeks. These were fresh-faced BOYS who didn’t know any better, but were doing what they were ordered to do, what they’d been trained to do, and, if history repeats itself (and they survive), many of them will live to regret it. Some day they will be sitting down with their families to watch the “Iraq war movies” that will surely be made, just like we watch the movies made about Vietnam and WWII today, and they will say to themselves, “What was I THINKING??” or “That’s not how it was!” I imagine that all they will be able to do about the grim reminder of this time of their lives will be to GO NUMB. When I was looking straight into the eyes of those innocent young men and the moment was ripe to send them off with words of good faith and encouragement, I was struck speechless. I wanted to CRY. That’s all. Not say, “You go, boy!! Go out and murder those people over there so that I can continue to have as much gasoline as I can afford! Yeah, you do me proud, boy! And if you die, boy, well it won’t be in vain because I will feel just a little bit safer for it. Your life won’t be wasted, because I will be just a little bit freer. Thanks, boy!” Nonsense! What I’d really like to say is: “Get the heck out of the military! Go back home and find something worthwhile to do that truly makes the world a better place to live!” But, of course, it’s too late for that. So, I wish them a safe return and CRY inside.