13 July 2023 Bedtime

July 13, 2023 by saymber, posted in animals, Health, Home, Leading Life by Example, Mental Health, Nature, photography, Spirituality and Religion, Veteran Affairs, Writing and blogging

What time do you go to bed and wake up currently?

Hello to you. I’m just back from Grace House where we have a prayer meeting each Thursday at 9:30 am. Today it was Lois, Brie and me. We are hoping that may be this fall our group will grow some. I walked over and back. My lower back wasn’t happy but the prayers helped. I have been having some vertigo/swaying spells the past couple of days. I hope this isn’t a side effect of the new medication I’m on! We prayed for my Aunt and Dad too. Just found out my Aunt is having shoulder surgery later this month.

So bedtime and getting up are something I’ve been having to work on. I try to start going to bed at 9 pm and I usually wake up around 8-9 am. It takes me a long time to fall asleep and I don’t like getting out of bed right away. I think the reason I have trouble falling asleep has to do with being on screens before bed time. Last night I didn’t have anything on after lights out and I don’t remember falling asleep! Just takes good practice and consistency I think.

Today was good because I needed to be up early to go to the prayer meeting. It’s good to have a reason to get up and have something to look forward to.

Psalm 4:8New International Version

⁸In peace I will lie down and sleep,
for you alone, Lord,
make me dwell in safety.

4 July 2023 Future

July 4, 2023 by saymber, posted in animals, history, Home, photography, Spirituality and Religion, Veteran Affairs, Writing and blogging

What are you most worried about for the future?

Happy Independence Day! I’m looking forward to seeing family today and getting a bike. My cousin had a friend give him a bike that could go to a disabled vet which so happened to be me! We are getting together at my Aunt and Uncles house this afternoon. I am not looking forward to the evening – lots of people fire off fireworks around here and it sounds like a war zone! Thankfully Link doesn’t seem to be bothered by them.

Todays prompt kind of makes me think of Jesus’s message about not worrying or having anxiety about tomorrow:

Matthew 6:34New International Version

³⁴Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

I used to be a worrier and very anxious about things I had no control over. I still on occasion have anxiety. It does nothing for me! There are things to plan for and look forward to but all I really have control over is my today – the moment I am in. Who knows but God what is going to happen next! Something Kyle my ex used to say to me when I was worrying about something is “what are you going to do about it? If your not able to do anything quit worrying as it does no good.” He was usually right! I can remember one time our front yard was flooding and I was worrying and I had to focus on what I wanted to happen and not on the flooding. Everything was fine – we were watching Twilight Zone and the episode was about an Angel and that comforted me.

In times of crisis I have had to train my mind to focus on what I want to happen not what I don’t. What monster do you want to feed kind of thing. Prayer also helps with focusing on what I want to happen in my present and future. It takes a lot of practice for me not to be a worry wart!

I thought Link looked beautiful in the afternoon light

3 July 2023 Teacher

July 3, 2023July 3, 2023 by saymber, posted in animals, history, Nature, photography, trust, Veteran Affairs, Writing and blogging

What makes a teacher great?

Hello to you. How are you doing today? It’s already 81 degrees here today. I didn’t take my phone on the walk last night so no walk pictures. Everything is drying out or there are weeds. One of my neighbors yards is almost completely overrun with weeds. They are waist high! I don’t know if the city has a code enforcement to tell them to cut their yard.

Link is so good at posing for pictures. He is a teacher in my life – especially patience and unconditional love

Todays prompt reminds me of a special teacher I had when attending grade school. The teacher in grade school was Mrs. Maxwell. She encouraged me to write and even gave me a certificate saying I was the most likely to be an author some day. She genuinely cared about me on a personal level as well. She could see how difficult a classroom setting was for me and tried to help. I can remember one day she helped me work through a crisis. I thought my dog Pita had eaten a rabbits foot and was going to die. Mrs. Maxwell reassured me the whole day that Pita would be alright. Thankfully she was. I don’t remember finding the rabbits foot!

I don’t think teachers are compensated nearly enough for what they do for our children!

Teachers are not limited to human beings. All my animals I have shared my life with have taught me patience and non-verbal communication. My dogs and cats taught me about nonverbal communication and patience. I have learned things from insects and other non- humans. I’ll never forget what a couple different species of wasps taught me. One dragged the body of a spider in right in front of me. It was like it was saying “see what I can do?!” The spider was two to three sizes bigger than the wasp. Another discharged its stinger as I was looking at it – like someone putting down their weapon. Another got trapped in the house and I caught it and let it outside where its fellows were waiting like they knew what I would do! The other insect I learned from was flies. I put tuna on a plate and they would go to the tuna and I could get them outside. Most of the behavior that annoys about flies is stuff they do while freaking out at being where they don’t belong- they freak out just like we would if we were trapped somewhere we don’t belong. People forget that insects have been here longer than we have – not just stupid insects! I did a video about the flies once – if I could make peace with a fly why can’t we make peace with each other? I think our brains and thoughts make things so complicated. I haven’t been able to make peace with ants like when they invaded the house- just too many!

These days, as an adult, my teachers are all around me. Like I remember my Dad telling me once “ You are never out of school.” Its important to remain teachable and not get set in your ways. This is difficult for me as I don’t like change very much but nature continues to teach me that change is a part of life.

Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

2 July 2023 Surgery (ever had one)

July 2, 2023 by saymber, posted in animals, Bipolar life, Health, history, Home, Leading Life by Example, Mental Health, Nature, photography, Spirituality and Religion, Veteran Affairs, Writing and blogging

Have you ever had surgery? What for?

Hello to you. I’m just back from church and groceries. The message today came from Thessalonians in regards to the return of Christ. Pastor Daniel from the Nampa campus gave the message. It was good to see familiar faces and get caught up on things. Dear Penny lost her Dad recently and she shared her peace about that. The grocery trip was kind of disappointing. I wanted to get some Tillamook ice cream to take over to Ruth’s on the 4th but they didn’t have vanilla and the freezer was failing – a lot of the ice cream was melted. I picked up some Dreyers that wasn’t too melted! Hope it will be ok!

Todays prompt takes me back to the two surgeries I had to remove fibroid cysts. The first surgery removed a cyst the size of a 5 month embryo and second surgery, in August of 2005, when I had my hysterectomy to remove fibroid cysts and all my baby making parts. It was a life changing decision we made to have the hysterectomy. I remember just before being put under anesthesia for the second surgery the technician asking me if this is what I wanted to do. It rained that day as Kyle waited for me to get in and out of surgery. I remember it was hard to wake up from the anesthesia for both surgeries.

I never had children and having the 2nd surgery shut the door on that. It was for my best. From time to time I wonder what my life would have been if we had tried for a child either in my first or second marriage but it passes. Looking back at the wreckage of my being Bipolar, it really would have been rough trying to raise a healthy child. A large part of my dog Links early life was me in the hospital. It would have been worse if he had been a human child.

28 June 2023 Overcoming Darkness

June 28, 2023 by saymber, posted in animals, Bipolar life, Health, Leading Life by Example, Mental Health, Nature, photography, Spirituality and Religion, Veteran Affairs, Writing and blogging

Hello to you. How are you? I just had a good talk with my Aunt. She was concerned about what I wrote about yesterday regarding spirituality. She felt it was a little dark and that we need to be moving on from those memories. I reassured her the best I could. I had to remind her that in addition to writing for me I’m writing to help others like me or the family and friends of those like me. By sharing my experience, strength and hope I am hopefully helping someone else who might be going through similar circumstances and have no place to turn to.

What I learned through AA is the more we share our stories of recovery the less it hurts and the more people we help. Each day someone is diagnosed with Bipolar and it can be devastating and overwhelming. I still don’t completely understand it and I’ve been living with it for many years now. I just know Mania and crippling anxiety is what we want to prevent from happening! The Mal de Barque syndrome is also going on too and there is no cure for it or even real tests that can definitely identify it.

My family and friends, my church all encourage me to lean not on my understanding but to lean on God through all of this. I’m trying! I want to make it clear that I’m not seeking sympathy or attention by sharing. I am sharing to help understanding about a condition that doesn’t make sense! There are people who think mental illnesses are something you can just get over and it’s like diabetes or heart disease – you just can’t see it by looking at a person but it’s very real and needs special treatment with both medication and therapy. It’s an inside job until the bad stuff happens and can be seen in behavior!

My Aunt directed me to a great passage in the Bible that she wants to memorize:

Philippians 4:8
New International Version
8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

Took my phone along for a short walk last night

12 June 2023 Tagline

June 12, 2023 by saymber, posted in animals, history, Home, Leading Life by Example, Nature, photography, Spirituality and Religion, Veteran Affairs, Writing and blogging

If humans had taglines, what would yours be?

Hello to you. How are you? I’m doing ok – just back from a walk around the block – it’s really sunny out. I took a few pictures so you could come along with me!

The neighbor that these belonged to recently passed away

Todays prompt brought to mind “little things.” If I were to have a tag line that would be it. I believe it’s the little things that mean a lot. I’ve talked about that before here. How often is there significant or big events in a life? So much of life is little things and those are what I like to dwell on. How many mornings I wake up to my sweet Link with his messy furry face after emerging from underneath the covers. Stopping to notice and smell flowers big and small, “weed” or cultivated roses. Recently I found out one day for us is a week in a dogs life! No wonder they appreciate everything so much!

One of my favorite Saints lived her life valuing the little things too:

What is the main message of St. Therese?

Saint Thérèse is known as the Saint of the Little Ways, meaning she believed in doing the little things in life well and with great love. She is represented by roses. May everyone who receives this message be blessed.

10 June 2023 Time

June 10, 2023 by saymber, posted in animals, Bipolar life, history, Home, human rights, Mental Health, Nature, photography, Spirituality and Religion, trust, Veteran Affairs, Writing and blogging

Who do you spend the most time with?

Hello there. How are you doing? I’m doing ok. It’s a beautiful Saturday. Lots of sunshine!

Who do I spend the most time with? My dog Link and my cell phone! Being divorced and untrusting of the internet dating apps and I don’t get out much means spending a lot of time by myself….staying at home.

I would say the other being I spend the most time with is God. I will say though that for the past couple of years my relationship with God has been different. Almost strained if I can use a word for it. I have to work at it more than I used to. This last episode really tested my relationship. I know everyone thinks God didn’t abandon me but that’s not what it felt like to me getting tased by people I was always praying for – the police and fire fighters. May be that’s just what needed to happen to prevent a complete downward spiral and God knew it. I was not safe on my own. I just know our relationship isn’t what it used to be. I try to stay close but some days God seems so far away. Thankfully I have beautiful family and friends to remind me of Gods love for me.

My best friend with paws – Link is Gods feet on the ground to help me not be completely alone day to day

Isaiah 59:1-2New International Version

Sin, Confession and Redemption

59 Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save,
nor his ear too dull to hear.
²But your iniquities have separated
you from your God;
your sins have hidden his face from you,
so that he will not hear.

3 June 2023 Saturday

June 3, 2023 by saymber, posted in animals, Home, Nature, photography

Some sights from last nights walk – I took a different route to see some new things.

Hello just a short post today. Link just got his nails ground for the first time and he was not loving it! There was flying pee and poop! The girls from Pampered Paws Mobile Manicure LLC were able to get it done. They were really nice. It was really nice that they came to the house.

3 June 2023 Saturday

June 3, 2023 by saymber, posted in animals, Home, Nature, photography

Hello just a short post today. Link just got his nails ground for the first time and he was not loving it! There was flying pee and poop! The girls from Pampered Pets Manicure LLC were able to get it done. They were really nice. It was really nice that they came to the house.

1 June 2023 Job

June 1, 2023 by saymber, posted in animals, history, Leading Life by Example, Nature, photography, Politics and Government, Spirituality and Religion, Veteran Affairs, Writing and blogging

What jobs have you had?

Hello to you. How is your week going? Can you believe it’s June already? This year is flying by.

So todays question is what jobs have you had. The only job I had was for 16 years active duty in the United States Air Force. I was a Personnelist or a secretary. I worked in the MPF (Military Personnel Flight) at the bases I was stationed at. Personnelist were responsible for taking care of other military members on base – their careers, evaluation reports, retention contracts, training, retraining, assignments and more.

When I worked in Customer Service I would have to do Identification Cards for widows and widowers. It was such a sensitive thing I would cry after they left. I was a very sensitive person! My favorite job was Personnel Systems Management- working with computers and really fun guys was way better than Personnel. It was short-lived bliss though as they outsourced our jobs to civilians shortly after I retrained into the job! Being the highly sensitive person that I was, I just wasn’t cut out for military life; I didn’t make it to a full retirement. I got so attached to people, places and things that when it was time to say good-bye it was just so hard each time. The people you work with you grow to love like family! I hate good-byes!

My first duty assignment was a Travis AFB California and that’s were I met and married my first husband. Our second assignment was in Germany at Bitburg ABS I really loved being in Europe – didn’t want to leave! Our third assignment was in Colorado. I was stationed at Falcon AFB and my husband Peterson AFB in Colorado Springs. I was at Falcon then HQ Air Force Space Command and then the MPF at Peterson. I loved Colorado because I got to see my Grandma and my Uncle Bill more often, she lived in Ft. Collins and he was living in Golden and was a CEO at Coors. The natural beauty of Colorado was amazing. My first husband loved to fish and I would go with him. I loved falling asleep on the shore of a lake on Pikes Peak – the quaking Aspens would lull me to sleep. My last assignment was at Patrick AFB. I had my breakdown there and was medically retired. I was doing some really unhealthy things trying to cope with my failing marriage and too much work. I liked Florida but missed Colorado! Living in a beach type world is definitely a different lifestyle.

Link doesn’t make it far before we have to stop

Colossians 3:23-24 says: “Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.