15 September 2023 Leader

Do you see yourself as a leader?

I don’t think of myself as a leader but I’m not a very good follower either – somewhere in between. When I was in the military I questioned authority quite a bit! It was hard having so many bosses. I had my direct supervisor who had a supervisor which was also my supervisor all the way up to the President of the United States.! There was a lot of inconsistency along the way.

My sunshine boy

Colossians 3:12-13New International Version

12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.

26 August 2023 Excitement

Tell us about the last thing you got excited about.

Hello to you. How are you today? I’m feeling tired. I got up several times in the night again and this was without taking the new medications. I’m so tired of this struggle with getting the right medications!

I can’t really remember the last time I was excited about something. Excitement for me really translates to gratitude for me. The last time I was really grateful was when I purchased this house. Getting it how and when I did was definitely a God thing.

Going and getting Link from my friend Erin 8 years ago was a time of excitement!

Psalm 37:4New International Version

4 Take delight in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.

23 August 2023 Motivation

What motivates you?

Hello to you. How are you doing? I’m doing ok just really tired and groggy. I’m sitting outside on the porch with Link writing to you to clear my head.

Todays prompt makes me think of a phrase I’ve said many times before agreeing to do something – “check your motives at the door.” Ask yourself why you are doing something before you agree to do it. Are you doing it just to get something in return? Are you making a debt to be paid? When I do something for someone I’m not expecting anything in return. A thank you would be nice but not expected. When I put expectations on the things I do I get a resentment if my expectation is not met.

There is a lot we can learn from our pets about motivation and perhaps that’s why we love them so much – their motivation is pure. They just want to give and receive affection without getting anything in return.

I just love you

Proverbs 16:2New International Version

2 All a person’s ways seem pure to them,
but motives are weighed by the Lord

22 August 2023 Top Ten

What are your top ten favorite movies?

Hello to you. How are you? I’m feeling tired but ok. Todays prompt is a fun one as I enjoy movies:

One of my all time favorite movies – Blade Runner

Blade Runner, Somewhere in Time, Cat People, Smoke Signals, What We Do in the Shadows, Black Panther, Queen of the Damned, Fried Green Tomatoes, Brams Stoker Dracula, The Fifth Element, Superman (Christopher Reeve), Purple Rain and Tombstone.

There are so many! These are just a few that I’ve watched more than once.

Who is a handsome boy?

John 1:5New International Version

5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome[a] it.

18 August 2023 Goals

How do you plan your goals?

Hello there, how are you? I’m doing ok. The pest control people came out this morning and took care of a large wasp nest. I feel kind of bad but more than likely they were they were the ones trying to build a nest in my weed wacker – the ones that stung me. My hand is still itchy and swollen!

The new medication, Ambien, showed up today. It will be interesting to see how my body reacts to it. It’s another bed time medication. Hopefully it won’t interfere with my getting and staying asleep.

So how do I plan my goals? I used to be much more organized and a planner – a worry wart. Now bring retired and Bipolar 1 so long I hardly plan at all! The best thing for me is my calendar. I keep organized and am able to have short term goals using it.

Jeremiah 29:11New International Version

11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

17 August 2023 Emergency Plan

Create an emergency preparedness plan.

Hello there. How are you today? Todays prompt makes me think of when I was living in Florida where we had frequent hurricane evacuations. In a moments notice we had to have our cars packed up and be ready to leave. We usually grabbed the file cabinet with important documents, my trunk of journals, picture albums, suitcases of clothes and supplies to take care of the two cats we had at the time. One year while living in Florida I want to say we evacuated like 3 or 4 times!

The natural disaster that happens in Idaho is fires that

Living here in Idaho I’m kind of spoiled. The only thing I think we might need an emergency preparedness plan for is a fire or a flood. If there was a fire I would just grab Link and go to my Aunt and Uncles house. A lot would depend on where the fire was burning and how fast it was spreading. My priority would namely be getting Link and I out alive! I pray we never have to go through such a thing. I’m thinking of the people of Maui trapped on an island and no where to go but out in the ocean!

Isaiah 43:2New International Version

2 When you pass through the waters,
I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers,
they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire,
you will not be burned;
the flames will not set you ablaze.

15 August 2023 Peace

What brings you peace?

Hello to you. How are you? I’m doing ok. Todays prompt is thought provoking for me as it’s rare that I am at perfect peace – relaxed. It feels like I’m always thinking and worrying about “what’s next.” Sometimes food gives me peace, sometimes it’s the company of someone, sometimes my spirituality gives me peace. It’s not a consistent thing. Last year, before the episode that landed me in the the hospital, what gave me peace was long walks in nature and praying for everybody next to the water canals down the street before they tore everything up.

Some of the beauty that existed next to the water canals.
A drawing I did in honor of Sam our cocker spaniel – how I imagined he looked as a human in heaven. I’m sure he will be one of the first angels I see when it’s my time and he’ll be a dog. I have had several dreams about him since he passed and he always looks so healthy as a dog. I was at peace when he was here with us.

What used to give me peace was creativity – drawing, singing, painting both on canvas and on t- shirts and making jewelry. What happened is I became self conscious. I realized everything I was doing had an environmental impact – especially our water. It takes water to make the paints and water to use the paints. I started paying attention to where my supplies were coming from like metals I was using for my wire jewelry – Pakistan! Hardly anything from the USA. There was a hefty price for my fleeting peace. I haven’t been doing any of it.

I tried to draw in chalk here but it just wasn’t the same as having the privacy of my backyard.

John 14:27New International Version

27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

14 August 2023 Early Morning Wake up

Hello to you. I hope this finds you well. I just finished an online seated workout through the VA and it was good. I actually got tired and felt it! She wants us to work out on our own at least once this week – strength training.

In this home they put the fire alarms way up on the ceiling!

This morning began really early. The notification of a low battery in my bedroom fire alarm went off. It literally scared the poop out of Link. Poor little man just ran around the house pooping. Eventually it stopped chirping. What sucks about changing the batteries on these is the height of where they put them on the ceiling. My Uncle is coming over today to change out the batteries – I hope he will be able to reach! I’m so grateful for my Aunt and Uncle – otherwise I was going to have to hire somebody. I don’t own a ladder anymore!

What’s wild is before bed I had one of my doubting Thomas conversations with Jesus, my Guardian Angel and Spirit Guide. I asked for a sign of their presence and sure enough something like this happened. Of course they are watching over me! I need to quit asking dumb questions. My rational self thinks this was more than likely just a coincidence but it’s interesting that only my bedroom battery got sucked and not the other two.

I guess this could be an opportunity for a public service announcement – when is the last time you checked your fire alarm batteries?!! They take 9 Volt batteries.

1 Kings 18:38-39New International Version

38 Then the fire of the Lord fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench.

39 When all the people saw this, they fell prostrate and cried, “The Lord—he is God! The Lord—he is God!”

12 August 2023 Most Important Thing

What is the most important thing to carry with you all the time?

Hello to you. How are you doing on this sunny hot day? It’s 88 degrees here right now as I write to you. Link and I are on the porch getting some vitamin D. Had trouble getting to sleep and staying asleep again last night so I checked for a movie to watch and Amazon Prime had the movie Megan. That movie about a little girl robot gone rogue. Another movie warning us about what is possible with the direction we are headed with robotics and AI. A lot of messages woven through it about raising children too. How many overworked parents have turned the care of their children to video games, television and smart phones?!

This movie made me think of movies like AI, Prometheus, Humans and Blade Runner. What if in all this that we are doing the quantum computers and robots develop consciousness and can’t be turned off? What if they decide to hate their makers? We will have to vote with our pocketbooks and not get sucked in to the hype. Once these cats are out of the bag there will be no way to stop it – kind of like people not wanting to part with their cars and guns. People develop emotional attachment – the Humans show did a good job of illustrating that with William Hurts character and his ailing robot. He didn’t want to replace him because he had so many memories stored inside of him….like our smart phones!

William Hurt as George Millican(series 1), a retired artificial intelligence researcher and widower who suffers memory loss and physical disabilities secondary to a stroke. He forms a special bond with his outdated caregiver synth named Odi.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org › wiki

Humans (TV series) – Wikipedia

Feedback

Todays prompt is tough for me as other than my phone most of the time there isn’t anything I carry with me all the time. Sometimes I will carry a crystal in my pocket but that isn’t very often as I’m afraid I will forget it and it will end up in the laundry! I like having Link with me most everywhere but he can’t be everywhere with me because he is a spoiled child lol!

You talking about me again?

Psalm 40:1-3New International Version

Psalm 40[a]

For the director of music. Of David. A psalm.

1 I waited patiently for the Lord;
he turned to me and heard my cry.
2 He lifted me out of the slimy pit,
out of the mud and mire;
he set my feet on a rock
and gave me a firm place to stand.
3 He put a new song in my mouth,
a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear the Lord
and put their trust in him.

8 August 2023 Days Like These

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

28 You, 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?