15 July 2025 Feeling Better

July 16, 2025 by saymber, posted in Animal Rights, animals, Bipolar life, dreams, Health, human rights, Mental Health, Nature, Spirituality and Religion, Veteran Affairs

Hello to you. Hope this finds you well. It’s another hot day here in Idaho as I write to you – 91 degrees! I walked about a mile this morning after I got up. I’m trying to walk every day and offset the side effects of the medication I’m taking. Both the Depakote and Olanzapine are known to contribute to weight gain. I need to lose about 100 lbs! I’m tired of carrying all this extra weight.

I wanted to share a praise about how I felt yesterday. I haven’t felt that good in over a month! I finally got relief from anxiety! The Olanzapine (generic Zyprexa) has been making all the difference. The side effect of drowsiness has lead me to restful naps and sleep at night. I hope this lasts!

Oh! I had a very vivid short dream about mosquitos last night. I dreamt some really big ones landed on me and my trying to stop one that had a body that was like a syringe from some man’s neck. When I went to flick it away, some of the fluid in its body got in my mouth – that woke me up! It was like a genetically modified insect. Weird dream! I wonder where that came from?!! I think it’s from hearing about huge mosquitos at the detention center in Florida.

A prayer:

Dear Lord Jesus I pray for this world and all of the life within it. I pray for all the sick, the hungry, the poor and those who are lost in this world because they don’t know you or refuse to surrender to your loving care. I pray for all the lives human beings share this world with and that there can be an end to cruelty and neglect of our fellow animal brothers and sisters. I ask all this in your precious name Jesus. Amen.

30 May 2025 Yellow Rose

May 31, 2025 by saymber, posted in Animal Rights, animals, history, Home, Nature, photography, Spirituality and Religion, Veteran Affairs, Writing and blogging

Hello to you! Hope this finds you well. I’m just back from my daily walk. I didn’t even try to take Link as he hasn’t been wanting to go. We went to the vet today for a follow up on his ears and it was good news! No more inflammation and discharge. I was kind of irritated to be told now the next step is getting his teeth cleaned which cost me a small fortune last time! I try to get Link to the vet once a year but as he’s getting older they keep finding ways to nickel and dime me! It’s not cheap to have a pet these days. He’s worth it so I continue to do my best.

St Francis Prayer For Pets

Blessed are you, Lord God,
maker of all living creatures.
You called forth fish in the sea,
birds in the air and animals on the land.

You inspired Saint Francis to call all of them
his brothers and sisters.
We ask you to bless this pet.
By the power of your love,
enable it to live according to your plan.
May we always praise you for all your beauty in creation.

Blessed are you, Lord our God,
in all your creatures!

Amen.

6 April 2025 Change and Best Pets

April 7, 2025 by saymber, posted in Animal Rights, animals, Bipolar life, Mental Health, Spirituality and Religion

What animals make the best/worst pets?

Hello to you. How are you? So much is going on! Be it weather or demonstrators there is a lot of unrest. In my own life I am experiencing change. My church has moved. Last night we gathered at the new location and prayed. I got kind of lost and left early because it was getting dark. Before I left, I prayed with a woman I have a Thursday prayer meeting with, Amy, and her children at the entrance to the building. She was crying and tears fell down her cheeks. So beautiful! This morning the auditorium that seats 900 was almost full! Our prayers the previous night were surely answered! I was a bit overwhelmed as was my elderly friend Roy – the seats were more comfortable but shorter and harder to get up and down in. He sat much of the service. I am not a fan of big crowds so I was a bit out of my comfort zone – I fought the urge I had to flee several times! My friend Jeannie, Roy’s sister-in-law, encouraged me not to give up on things just yet. She was glad I was there so Roy wasn’t alone. I will have to pray about all of this.

I kept thinking of the scene with Mary and Jesus in The Chosen as we read this:

Israel’s Only Savior

43 But now, this is what the Lord says—

he who createdv you, Jacob,

he who formedw you, Israel:x

“Do not fear, for I have redeemedy you;

I have summoned you by name;z you are mine.a

2 When you pass through the waters,b

I will be with you;c

and when you pass through the rivers,

they will not sweep over you.

When you walk through the fire,d

you will not be burned;

the flames will not set you ablaze.e

Best pets – for me it’s a toss up between dogs and cats. Cats are much more independent but have the litter box thing going on. Dogs are more dependent and have their litter box that you need to clean in the yard! I miss the purring and calm nature of my cats. My Amber used to purr me to sleep and I miss her every night! Link is a barker and that’s not very soothing – everything is his job to alarm me about! I think what makes a better pet is your lifestyle. If you work a lot a dog isn’t for you. That’s why when I was active duty we had cats. I think it’s cruel to leave a dog home alone by itself for hours and hours.

5 Jan 2025 Connection

January 6, 2025 by saymber, posted in Animal Rights, animals, Bipolar life, Health, Home, Mental Health, Spirituality and Religion, Veteran Affairs, Writing and blogging

Hello there! How are you? Hope this finds you well. I went to church today and there were a lot of good messages. What resonated with me was the word of the year: Connection and how God uses people in our lives to do what he cannot tangibly do. I had been struggling with a decision about whether or not to join my Aunt in a Bible study. She reassured me today when I went over to her and Uncle Johns place to visit that Pastor Jayson’s message was for me! First of all there were hugs! I’m so grateful for those! It couldn’t be more loud and clear! So I’m planning on joining her for the Bible study I just won’t order the workbook – they tend to be a waste of money for me. Some days it’s a real struggle to get out of my own head! She also filled out a prayer card for me to pray for healing from the balance issues I have that make it difficult for me to do most anything physical. I’m so blessed to have such a wonderful support system. Sometimes I feel so alone but like what happened today reassures me that I am far from it. My family and my church friends are there to fill the void in my life. Link can only do so much!

Part of the reason I am reluctant to be gone a lot and hold back from connection in my life is I don’t like leaving Link by himself a lot. This is a dilemma common to pet owners. I know what it’s like to be alone without him around and it’s almost unbearable! I have always had a problem with being away from my animals or leaving them in someone else’s care. That’s probably why I don’t know if I will have any more after Link journeys on. Part of my thinking that way is I don’t know if I can take having my heart broken again!

Psalm 86:11New International Version

¹¹Teach me your way, Lord,
that I may rely on your faithfulness;
give me an undivided heart,
that I may fear your name.

5 Dec 2024 Wild Animals

December 6, 2024 by saymber, posted in Animal Rights, animals, Nature, Spirituality and Religion, Writing and blogging

Do you ever see wild animals?

Good afternoon! How are you? It was another icy and frosty day today. I had morning prayer today so I had to scrape my car windows! It was just Lois, Pastor Jayson and me. There is always a lot to give praise about and equally as much to pray about.

Matthew 18:20New International Version

²⁰For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”

We are hoping our little group will grow in 2025!

Today’s prompt is rather random. As I’ve mentioned before, I live in a small town that could be considered rural. We have a current population of approximately 11,501 in Middleton and growing. People have cows, horses, goats, chickens and ducks. A month or so ago there was talk of seeing a wild mountain lion wandering about. I don’t know what became of that. The only wild animals I’ve seen in town were a bunch of wild turkeys one morning! They seemed so lost. With the growth we’ve been experiencing, the open spaces for the wild animals native to this area are disappearing.

Here are some Bible verses about love from the NIV – (love is one of the most used words in the Bible – 551 times in the NIV version):

1 Corinthians 13:4-7: “Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things”
Mark 12:30-31: “
Mark 12:30-31 says, “And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.
1 Chronicles 16:34: “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever”
Deuteronomy 7:9: “Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments”
Jeremiah 31:3: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness”

Jesus taught that the two greatest commandments were to:

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind”
“Love your neighbor as yourself”

4 Dec 2033 Eating Meat

December 4, 2023 by saymber, posted in Animal Rights, animals, Food, Home, Nature, Spirituality and Religion, Veteran Affairs, Writing and blogging

What are your feelings about eating meat?

My feelings about eating meat is guilt most times. I know that most meat animals in commercial farms suffer horrible living conditions. I eat meat with gratitude for the lives given so that I might live.

Isaiah 11:6-9New International Version

⁶The wolf will live with the lamb,
the leopard will lie down with the goat,
the calf and the lion and the yearling^[a]together;
and a little child will lead them.
⁷The cow will feed with the bear,
their young will lie down together,
and the lion will eat straw like the ox.
⁸The infant will play near the cobra’s den,
and the young child will put its hand into the viper’s nest.
⁹They will neither harm nor destroy
on all my holy mountain,
for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord
as the waters cover the sea.

8 August 2023 Days Like These

August 8, 2023 by saymber, posted in Animal Rights, animals, history, Home, human rights, In the News, Leading Life by Example, Money, Politics and Government, Science (Keshe Foundation and other innovations), Social media, Spirituality and Religion, trust, Veteran Affairs, Writing and blogging

Hello to you. It’s Tuesday and another lovely day. We got some much needed rain again yesterday – I even took a walk in it! No scary dreams last night just something about paying out money to family to include my parents lol. What strange movies the brain makes!

The title of my blog today is me being in observer mode and seeing a pattern with the world. We’ve had dark days before and come through but will we come through these? There is a lot of stuff on social media I’m seeing that is painting a dark confusing picture. This is nothing new really. These are the worst of times. These are the best of times. These are confusing times – which way to go?! Everything is put on us all at once- thank you internet! We have major cities being taken over by homeless who are on drugs, AI and robots taking over the world, inflation, an election coming up, increased veterinary fees, no access or little access to decent medical care, war, weird stuff going on with the beings living in the oceans and seas and now aliens…on and on! No wonder the average American is burned out and doesn’t care! Most people just tune it all out and don’t pay attention unless what’s happening directly affects them. So many people are in survivor mode!

As Christian’s and children of God we must keep our lights on even as hard as it can be. Earth school is definitely in session! I’m glad I’ve chosen team Jesus. There is hope in him and his promises.

Psalm 18:28New International Version

²⁸You, Lord, keep my lamp burning;
my God turns my darkness into light.

A couple areas of interest I pay attention to is animals and robotics. Both categories don’t have a very good track record with regards to rights:

Euthanized animal statistics – we’ve got to do better!

On average, 1.5 million shelter animals are euthanized every year in the United States. Shelters around the country euthanize an estimated 670,000 dogs and 860,000 cats each year. 45% of all cats who enter shelters are eventually euthanized.Jul 11, 2023

https://youtu.be/MS-m3UWw-To – more pets abandoned with rising cost of post pandemic

https://amp.sacbee.com/news/local/article276077491.html – Sacramento shelters surge with abandoned animals in past year after COVID slowdown

https://ktla.com/news/local-news/food-delivery-robots-under-attack-from-vandals-thieves-local-businesses-starting-to-be-affected/amp/ – what would happen if humanoid robots like Sophia or Ameca were attacked?

30 April 2023 Turkey and Holy Sacrifice

April 30, 2023 by saymber, posted in Animal Rights, animals, Health, history, human rights, Nature, Spirituality and Religion, trust, Veteran Affairs, Writing and blogging

When I came home from church this turkey was running down our road! What were they running from?

Hello to you. Hope this finds you doing well. I’m a bit frustrated. The ants found Links food and water bowl and swarmed it. I managed to take care of it- Monday can’t get here soon enough! SO annoying!

Church was good today. We are going over the covenant between God and Abraham. There were a lot of “its” involved lol. The only thing that bothered me was the sacrificing of animals. The way things were done in the Old Testament was pretty gory. I don’t understand why things have to be so bloody to be holy for God. When I think of animal sacrifice in our modern time I think of the turkeys that die in the millions for Thanksgiving. Think of all the places that sell meat – lots of living sacrifices that we might live. Most people don’t think like I do about that and still eat meat. I am extremely grateful for the lives, the sources of energy, that die so I can live. In some cases there is so much needless suffering beforehand.

Romans 12:1 (NIV)”Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.”

22 November 2022 A Goal

November 22, 2022 by saymber, posted in Animal Rights, animals, Bipolar life, Health, Mental Health, Spirituality and Religion, trust, Veteran Affairs, Writing and blogging

Hello to you. How are you? I hope well. I just had a telephone consult with my psychologist through the VA and it was pretty intense. She is a short term therapist with goal orientated treatment. I don’t know if she and I will be a good fit or not but will give it a try. She wants me to come up with a goal for treatment. The goal I am thinking of involves leaving the house more. This means leaving Link alone more and that’s hard for me. I don’t like leaving him alone a lot. We shall see what comes up. I talked to her about my swaying sensation being a problem about me doing things. She is going to forward a note about it to my nurse.

Something I’m struggling with with volunteering is driving too. May be there is something I can do that doesn’t involve a lot of driving. I will lift this up to God. I will be useful some how.

12 November 2022 Doggy pills

November 12, 2022 by saymber, posted in Animal Rights, animals, Health, Home, trust, Writing and blogging

Hello there. Hope you are well. Link and I had to go to the vet again yesterday. He was coughing really bad so they sent us home with antibiotics. Probably got something when he was at the pound. So now we are up to 4 pills I have to get him to take! He tolerated the peanut butter but I don’t know for how long. Why don’t they have doggy pills that are more pet friendly? I hate having to force him to take things.