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!
Part of the New Year Messages for today that resonated with me
Psalm 86:11New International Version
11 Teach me your way, Lord, that I may rely on your faithfulness; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name.
Hello to you! The reason behind the question mark is because of all the stuff that has been happening already in this new year! Terrorism, weird particulate fog and more people driving into crowds like in New Orleans are just a couple examples. People have just lost their damn minds and we are barely into the new year! The fog with small particles was reported in Florida and now it’s all over and it’s causing respiratory problems.
Similar experiences have also emerged from parts of Canada and the UK, sparking widespread concern.
Conspiracy theories are running rampant with people suggesting the fog could be a kind of chemical weapon or is related to the drones that mysteriously plagued the nation in December.
‘Well weren’t there drones that sprayed something? I seem to recall some videos of that somewhere… No idea of the validity though,’ asked one X user.
A Texas woman shared on X that her dog has been ‘acting strange’ when it goes outside.
She] keeps smelling the air,’ Sandra Jenkins Webb posted, adding that she was experiencing burning eyes, a mild cough, stomach aches and headaches.
Another woman in Kansas shared that there were ‘massive amounts of chemtrails’ over the area in a week, followed by a dense fog.
And a California resident shared on X Monday: ‘Here in SoCal, unusual fog the last few days. Strange smells, but I’ve been noticing the smell for months now, burns my nose. Seems like an all-out assault from the skies the last few days.’
David Bamber, from St Petersburg, Florida, shared a TikTok video of himself walking through the dense fog.
He explained that fog typically dissipates later in the day, but the the current natural phenomenon lingers into all hours of the night.
‘The weirdest part is the taste and smell,’ said Bamber. ‘It’s smells like after you set off a bunch of fireworks and the taste of the air is toxic. It is super weird.’
However, the National Weather Service (NWS) issued a dense fog advisory for multiple states, suggesting there could be a scientific explanation behind the bizarre reports.
While the particles may seem unusual, fog is a visible aerosol consisting of tiny water droplets or ice crystals suspended in the air at or near the Earth’s surface.
Shining a light in the fog makes these particles visible.
As for the ‘chemical’ smell people have described, the fog can absorb and trap polluted air near the Earth’s surface, acting as a carrier for car exhaust, industrial emissions and other airborne chemicals.
‘When fog forms, sulfur oxides, nitrogen oxides, and other polluting gases are taken up or ‘scavenged’ by fog water droplets,’ explained Rudolf Husar, a Washington University atmospheric scientist, in an article for NASA Earth Observatory.
What’s more, smells become more potent in humid air because the water droplets trap the odor-causing molecules and allow them to linger for longer and remain concentrated.
This is not unusual for this time of year.
Fog forms when the temperature cools to the dew point, or the temperature at which air can become completely saturated with water.
Much of the fog currently hanging over the US is likely advection fog, which typically forms in winter when warm, moist air flows over colder land.
This is commonly seen over the southern or central US, where many affected states are located.
(There is more to this article to include video if you use link)
So what are my biggest challenges? One of them is staying on a regular sleep schedule. Another is not wanting to eat junk food and sweets so I can lose weight. One of my biggest challenges is getting out of my small little world I share with Link. Since I don’t like to drive that much it makes it hard for me to have a social life.
I want for this in my life. Sometimes it feels like my faith alone is just not strong enough:
Psalm 34:4New International Version
4 I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears
Good evening to you. Hope this finds you well. In answer to today’s prompt the last thing I did for fun is play with Link my dog. Sometimes in the evening he gets a wild hair up his butt and wants to play with his partially broke down chewy or one of his favorite babies he likes to hide in plain sight. He’s irresistibly cute when he does this and I just have to join in the fun!
Link with a toy my Aunt Ruth gave him that is one of his favorites! He’s looking a little unkempt – before getting groomed!
Psalm 59:16New International Version
16 But I will sing of your strength, in the morning I will sing of your love; for you are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble.
Hello to you this sunny Wednesday afternoon. It was really warm here today. The sunshine felt great! As I write to you our world is in a very strange state. It feels like we are on the precipice of something big happening. You can feel it in the air – anticipation. The response for many is does any of this change whether or not I have to pay my bills, buy groceries and other essentials. Does any of this affect me personally? For me it’s a wait and see kind of thing. What comes to me is to prepare one thing for whatever is building – prepare your soul. If you fortify your temple you will be able to withstand whatever is coming.
Today’s prompt kind of ties into my thoughts on our shared future. For many the trip to the grocery store is pure sticker shock! The top 5 things I consistently get from the grocery store is water, milk, eggs, hard salami and shredded cheddar cheese. Other regular items are butter, cranberry juice and mini wheat cereal. For just me I seldom get away without spending over $100 a trip and my cart isn’t full. The hard salami is almost $7 a package! If anything happens to grocery stores I will be one of many millions who will suffer.
Inside of me all that is happening feels like a great reveal – revelation. Here is an excerpt from the book of Revelations: about the second coming of Jesus Christ:
Revelation 22New International Version
Eden Restored
22 Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb 2 down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. 3 No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. 4 They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads.5 There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever.
John and the Angel
6 The angel said to me, “These words are trustworthy and true. The Lord, the God who inspires the prophets, sent his angel to show his servants the things that must soon take place.”
7 “Look, I am coming soon! Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy written in this scroll.”
8 I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things.And when I had heard and seen them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who had been showing them to me. 9 But he said to me, “Don’t do that! I am a fellow servant with you and with your fellow prophets and with all who keep the words of this scroll. Worship God!”
10 Then he told me, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this scroll, because the time is near.11 Let the one who does wrong continue to do wrong; let the vile person continue to be vile; let the one who does right continue to do right; and let the holy person continue to be holy.”
Epilogue: Invitation and Warning
12 “Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me,and I will give to each person according to what they have done. 13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.
14 “Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city. 15 Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.
16 “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you[a] this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star.”
17 The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let the one who hears say, “Come!” Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life.
18 I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this scroll: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to that person the plagues described in this scroll. 19 And if anyone takes words away from this scroll of prophecy, God will take away from that person any share in the tree of life and in the Holy City, which are described in this scroll.
20 He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.”
Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.
21 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s people.Amen.
Hello to you. Hope this finds you well. I don’t know if you have been following the drone sighting reports but they are showing up everywhere now. I stumbled onto a Dr. Steven Greer who is saying this is all part of some kind of psyops operation. He says he has people who know what’s really going on that will be coming forward if they are not assassinated first. He has a film out The Battle For Disclosure that you can pay to see on Amazon Prime. I believe with the near hysteria about this that some of the sightings are explainable but some videos I have seen do not resemble anything of this earth. I am hoping the real ones will eventually allow for contact! Imagine the advances we could make in this world – free energy and a cure for cancer for example. We could truly have a Golden Age as a planet. 🌎
In answer to today’s prompt I would have to say it’s been a long time since I have learned anything new as far as a skill or lesson. Once you get to my age you start to get set in your ways! I try to remain teachable. The last time I really was learning something new was when I was following the Keshe Foundation. My kitchen became a lab and I was exploring making copper coils. I made healing wands as a variation of what I learned from Keshe. It’s been about 5 or 6 years since I was doing that. I was also really into making orgonite both with epoxy resin and then later with natural ingredients that I shaped into bowls. One of the bowls I made even gave off a measurable electric signature. Then there was the stuff I was doing with translating words into numbers – I got so fixated on that and was manic. I haven’t been doing that anymore! I have huge books of notes of my work that I don’t think I could read anymore.
When something captures my attention, I can get rather obsessive about it and it becomes all I think about!
As of late, like the past couple of years, I have been learning about Christianity. For example I learned that baptism when we are infants isn’t the same as doing it later in life- consciously choosing to be baptized. At some point I will choose to be baptized! Every Sunday there is a new lesson but sometimes it takes me awhile to get it. I have started to actually use the bulletins and write down things – I hadn’t been doing that before. I retain things better if I write it down.
This past Sunday we explored the garden of joy as it was near the tomb where Jesus was laid to rest and where he rose again:
John 19:38-42New International Version
The Burial of Jesus
38 Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jewish leaders.With Pilate’s permission, he came and took the body away. 39 He was accompanied by Nicodemus, the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night. Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds.[a]40 Taking Jesus’ body, the two of them wrapped it, with the spices, in strips of linen. This was in accordance with Jewish burial customs. 41 At the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had ever been laid. 42 Because it was the Jewish day of Preparation and since the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.
It was a very dramatic thing when Jesus died:
Matthew 27:51New International Version
51 At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split.
This scripture from Matthew is what we think of when we think of the birth of Jesus:
Matthew 2:10-11New International Version
10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.
This scripture from John illustrates the true joy of the garden! He fulfilled his promise and prophesy:
John 20:1-17New International Version
The Empty Tomb
20 Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance.2 So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!”
3 So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb.4 Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, 7 as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head. The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen. 8 Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. 9 (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.) 10 Then the disciples went back to where they were staying.
Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene
11 Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb 12 and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot.
13 They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?”
“They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put him.” 14 At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus.
15 He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?”
Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.”
16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.”
She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic,“Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”).
17 Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothersand tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”
Hello to you. Hope this finds you well. Yesterday was a nice day. It was Links birthday and we had sunshine for the first day in what seems forever. We get what’s called inversion here in Idaho and it’s hard for the sun to burn through it. It’s back to gray now! Sigh!
The birthday boy!
This morning I had an answer to a prayer in a dream. I have been wanting to hear from my Dad in the dream world and I finally did. We were in a car going somewhere and I had my hand on his knee and apparently it felt hot to him. He said I had fallen asleep and I didn’t remember falling asleep – I must have felt safe. Being with Dad always felt safe. Then we were on some military base because I could see a map. I was talking about a part of it that never had coverage or something. We were talking about planning another visit that coincided with an anniversary and then I woke up. It felt so real! I didn’t want it to end! What’s funny is my prayer before bed was that someday I would see all those that have passed again. That we will all be together again and I specifically spoke of my Dad. We didn’t get to say goodbye to eachother. It’s been a little over a year since he’s passed. Having visits in dreams with lost loved ones is one of my favorite things about dreams!
In Genesis Joseph had prophetic dreams. The dream world is mentioned a lot in the Bible:
Genesis 37:5-11New International Version
5 Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him all the more. 6 He said to them, “Listen to this dream I had: 7 We were binding sheaves of grain out in the field when suddenly my sheaf rose and stood upright, while your sheaves gathered around mine and bowed down to it.”
8 His brothers said to him, “Do you intend to reign over us? Will you actually rule us?” And they hated him all the more because of his dream and what he had said.
9 Then he had another dream, and he told it to his brothers. “Listen,” he said, “I had another dream, and this time the sun and moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me.”
10 When he told his father as well as his brothers, his father rebuked him and said, “What is this dream you had? Will your mother and I and your brothers actually come and bow down to the ground before you?” 11 His brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the matter in mind.
Good evening to you. Hope you had a good day. Today was another day of inversion – a frosty fog everywhere. Link and I still got out for our walk. I was going to stay in but decided we needed to go. I’m feeling better thankfully so no excuses!
I was watching a live streamer, Daniel Cruz, who was trying to take us to see the Rockefeller Square tree lighting tonight but it was taking too long and his phone battery was low. He wasn’t going to wait til 10 pm in freezing cold temperatures! So late for such a thing – especially families with kids! I’ll tune into the NBC live later to see it.
I really enjoy live streamers. I get to live vicariously through them ! Just today I was on the Celebration cruise ship, visited Ireland and New York. Tik tok is a good platform for live streamers and people like me that are interested in seeing other parts of the world without actually going there myself!
So five things that I’m good at: 1)writing 2)singing 3)dancing 4)baking 5)taking pictures not necessarily in that order but those things came to mind! Something else that I have done that I wasn’t too bad at was drawing and painting t-shirts by hand.
One of my favorites – don’t know what happened to it!
As we near Christmas its a good time to reflect on Jesus’s origin story:
Matthew 1:18-25New International Version
Joseph Accepts Jesus as His Son
18 This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about[a]: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit.19 Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet[b] did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.
20 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus,[c] because he will save his people from their sins.”
22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”[d](which means “God with us”).
24 When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. 25 But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.
What is one thing you would change about yourself?
Hello to you. Hope this finds you well. Today has been uneventful. I am feeling a little better after catching another cold. There was talk about something happening today with regard to space people but of course nothing happened! I am thinking something is brewing with the increase in sightings. I am thinking it has to do with the increasing unrest going on in the world – Sabre rattling about using nukes. If I was a space person watching all of what’s going on I think I would want to intervene too!
My answer to today’s prompt is if I could change one thing about myself I would not be Bipolar. Having this diagnosis has really limited me in so many ways. I have lost two marriages and many friendships and relationships with family. I lost a career because of this condition. The only good thing to ever come of being Bipolar was the wellspring of energy and creativity during the times I was manic. I would hardly sleep and my creative abilities seemed endless. I could draw, paint, sing, write, take awesome photos, dance, tap into the spiritual realms – all of this with little to no effort. Having the mania under control with the medication I’m on – Depakote- I can’t do much of anything anymore. This blog is my only outlet! In addition to Bipolar I have the Mal de barque syndrome where I have trouble with balance. I’m convinced it was triggered by my being tased by police when I was having a manic episode two years ago. It just won’t go away! So I guess there are actually two things I wish I could change!
Since I cannot change what I am, I have to push through with it all. I have to force myself to move forward even if I don’t want to. I pray a lot and ask for healing. I am trying to say yes more often when I would usually say no. One of the side affects of Depakote is weight gain and not feeling full after eating. With the balance challenges it’s hard to exercise to get rid of calories but I force myself to get a walk in with Link each day. I’m trying to lower my calorie count too. I am trying to say no more often to eating sweets which is my favorite type of food! Not all of what I am can be blamed on being Bipolar! I wish I could get back to size 16 jeans again. Obesity runs in my Dads side of the family so my genetics are kind of stacked against me along with my diagnosis.
Some scripture about change:
Ecclesiastes 3:1-2“To everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to uproot”.
Isaiah 43:18-19“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?”.
Psalm 30:5“Weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning”.
Romans 8:28“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose”.
2 Corinthians 5:17“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!”.
Hebrews 13:8“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever”.
Malachi 3:6“I the Lord do not change. So you, the descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed”.
James 1:17“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows”.
Ephesians 4:22-24“You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness”.
Good day to you. I hope this finds you well. Today was the last of the I AmThankful series at church today. We got to listen to the inspiring story of John and Kristin who relocated to Middleton from California last year. In the midst of their transition they were thrown a major curve ball. One day Kristin was in severe pain and it turned out she had gall stones. A large one ended up rupturing and caused septics! When all was said and done she ended up losing part of her arms and both hands. She was wearing a prosthetic arm/hand on her right side. She said it was her faith that got her through it! A very inspiring story! It goes to prove something that I’ve said and has proven true in my life that if you think you have troubles just talk to someone else!
Messages from Pastor Jayson included these key points: 1) Contentment is a choice 2) Life rarely goes the way we think it should 3) A Faith that can’t be tested can’t be trusted and The things we focus on will determine our contentment.
Something that comes to mind for me and my experience is God always has a plan even in our suffering and discontent. It’s in his timing not ours! Every trial I have faced has been for my greater good in the end. If I was still living in Texas I would be so much worse off! I don’t think I would have found the church family I have or the relationship with Jesus I have now.
Philippians 4:13New International Version
13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength.
Hello to you from the chilly yet sunny state of Idaho. I hope this finds you well – if not I hope you know you are loved and people you have never met are praying for you. I pray for the world and those who think they have no one who cares for them each day. With the latest headlines we are facing great uncertainty and as brothers and sisters need to keep eachother in prayer even more than ever!
This morning I went over to my Aunts house and road with her to meet with some ladies from the last Bible study we did. We tried to meet and have coffee at The Harvesters but it was practically standing room only! So we had a change of plans and went to the Bible study leaders home instead. We each talked about our stories – especially health. Each of us has experienced and continue to experience adversity. What we have in common is leaning on our faith in Jesus to face those trials. I have only recently started to refer to God, my Lord, my savior as Jesus Christ. Growing up Roman Catholic we weren’t really taught that. I only ever believed in God. Since moving here to Idaho I have turned my life, my soul, specifically to Jesus. What’s ironic about that is every single manic episode I’ve had has in some way involved Jesus! It’s refreshing to not be manic and have Jesus in my life.
Adversity strikes us all in one way or another. It is how and to whom we turn to that makes all the difference as we face those trials. In my not so distant past I often tried to face and figure how to navigate troubles on my own. Having a relationship with Christ has helped relieve the burden of life’s adversities and I don’t feel so alone. When I go to church on Sundays I feel so welcome and part of a family apart from my biological family.
Romans 5:3-5New International Version
3 Not only so, but we[a] also glory in our sufferings,because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.
To be 