7 June 2023 Favorite Childhood Book

June 7, 2023 by saymber, posted in books, history, Home, Leading Life by Example, Nature, photography, Veteran Affairs, Writing and blogging

Do you remember your favorite book from childhood?

Hello to you. How are you? I’m doing ok. I decided to try out volunteer work next Tuesday. Our local food pantry asked for help so I gave it some thought and decided it was an answered prayer. I had asked God for an opportunity and this came up! I just hope I have the stamina for it – I get tired so easily and my lower back is still a problem.

Todays prompt calls to mind my favorite books from when I was growing up. I don’t remember my early favorites from when I was a little spud. The ones I do remember were the Little House on the Prairie series by Laura Ingalls Wilder and Nancy Drew detective series books. My Mom encouraged me to read and bought the books for me. I tried to re-read the Laura Ingalls Wilder books as an adult and just couldn’t get through them! I think it was how much detail she went into as she wrote them in such a way that her blind sister Mary could see through them. It’s sad that an award was taken away from Laura because of the way she wrote about First Peoples. She wrote about what she knew at the time. Being PC wasn’t part of her stories. She wrote about what she knew and experienced at the time. The Nancy Drew books were fun but I don’t remember much about them – it’s been so long ago that I read them!

These little flowers are just so cheerful!

1 Peter 4:8New International Version

⁸Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.

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.

30 May 2023 Life Before The Internet

May 30, 2023 by saymber, posted in history, photography, Spirituality and Religion, technology, Veteran Affairs, Writing and blogging

Do you remember life before the internet?

Hello to you. How are you today? Todays prompt is a good one. Since I’m a Generation Xer I was born and lived much of my early life without computers or the Internet. We wrote letters and used the telephone to communicate to each other. When I was in the military I can remember computers being little bricks we sat in front of and all the data was put on cards. If you dropped the box of cards you lost a whole lot of work for that day. I remember DSN or dial up – using My Space and Newsvine for my blogs! Life before the internet was definitely different – slower I think. You could unplug more easily. Now the days and years seem to go so fast! Sometimes it’s overwhelming how much the internet puts before me.

A bunch of bees and wasps were tending to this peony bush

Proverbs 11:13New International Version

¹³A gossip betrays a confidence,
but a trustworthy person keeps a secret.

29 May 2023 Memorial Day

May 29, 2023 by saymber, posted in history, Home, human rights, In the News, Leading Life by Example, Spirituality and Religion, Veteran Affairs, Writing and blogging

Hello to you. It’s another beautiful day and a special one at that – a day to remember all those who have given their lives for this country while serving in the military. One of the best memories I have of celebrating this day was going with my ex in-laws and family to Arlington National Cemetery where they played Taps. Each horn player took a position around the cemetery and at precisely 3 pm they all played Taps.

Taps Across America Returns For 2023 The National Moment of Remembrance is an annual event that asks Americans, wherever they are at 3:00 p.m. local time on Memorial Day, to pause for a duration of one minute to remember those who have died in military service to the United States.

Taps Across America

The last Memorial Day I celebrated with him

Matthew 11:28-30

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.

My Uncle Bill came by my little house before he flew back to California

22 May 2023 Broken Bone

May 22, 2023 by saymber, posted in Bipolar life, Health, history, Home, Mental Health, Spirituality and Religion, Veteran Affairs, Writing and blogging

Have you ever broken a bone?

Hello to you. How are you today? Todays prompt calls to mind a story. It was the early morning of my husbands 35th birthday and I was awake. My spirit was moving faster than my body. I went in the garage looking for something and found a huge black cockroach on the wall. This startled me! Then it suddenly flew at me and I grabbed an old purse and threw it to try and stop it from flying on me. In doing this I lost my balance and fell. All the weight of the fall went to my left wrist. Thank God Kyle was home to take me to the emergency room! The people that helped me were kind of scary and I didn’t trust them, they put my wrist in a cast. All the while this was going on, I felt so bad to have ruined Kyles birthday!

The healing process was frustrating – I rebelled against wearing an immobilizing cast. I liked a Velcro brace best. You can tell my wrist has been broken but it healed pretty good.

Jeremiah 17:14 NIV

14 Heal me, Lord, and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved, for you are the one I praise.

19 May 2023 Choosing Joy

May 19, 2023 by saymber, posted in Art and Poetry, Bipolar life, Health, history, Leading Life by Example, Mental Health, Spirituality and Religion, Veteran Affairs, Writing and blogging

This was a birthday gift from my Auntie. She likes to find things with my middle name!

Hello to you. How are you? Today my thoughts turn to Joy. Not only because it’s my middle name but because it is indeed a choice we can make in this life. I have to remind myself! I get so set in my ways – grumpy even. I feel like as I get older I have developed an armor to try and shield myself from getting hurt. Dr. Wilhelm Reich talked about such an armor in his work. Our bodies get rigid and we get almost frozen. When I was in love I was my least rigid. When I chose to approach life with joy my body was fluid and free.

https://orgonomictherapy.com/2013/07/29/concept-of-armoring/ – if your interested to read more about Dr Reich’s theory

Galatians 5:22-23

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

18 May 2023 Early

May 18, 2023 by saymber, posted in Health, history, Home, Leading Life by Example, Nature, photography, Spirituality and Religion, Veteran Affairs, Writing and blogging

Hello to you. How are you? I’m doing alright. Just home from a prayer meeting. I was going to stop and get a breakfast burrito but changed my mind. I am glad as I ran into three dogs on the way back. Their owner lets them out unattended.

My neighbor has his flowers out – so cheerful to see

Jeremiah 17:14New International Version

¹⁴Heal me, Lord, and I will be healed;
save me and I will be saved,
for you are the one I praise.

A lot of people around me are struggling with health issues to include myself. I think part of it is age related but I am starting to wonder if some of it is from so many having Covid. We don’t really know to what extent our health and immune systems have been compromised by having it and also side effects from the vaccines. We did become sort of Guinea pigs for the pharmaceutical industry with everything that happened!

17 May 2023 To be Seen

May 17, 2023 by saymber, posted in animals, Bipolar life, Health, history, Leading Life by Example, Mental Health, Nature, photography, Spirituality and Religion, technology, Veteran Affairs, Writing and blogging

Hello to you. I hope this finds you well. My thoughts turn to being seen by God. There have been times in my life that I have felt so close to God – that we were connected. These past couple of years- since my medication change by getting off Lithium, my creativity and spirituality doors have been almost completely shut. Thank goodness for my cell phone camera! I have an eye for beauty and just because I’m no longer creative in the ways I used to be, I can capture images of God and Mother Earths creativity. I have to practice what I preach “it’s not what you can’t do in this life! What can you do – focus on that!” Seeing and being seen by God is a two way street.

Genesis 16:13New International Version

¹³She gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her: “You are the God who sees me,” for she said, “I have now seen^[a] the One who sees me.”

10 May 2023 Connected

May 10, 2023 by saymber, posted in animals, history, Leading Life by Example, Mental Health, Social media, Spirituality and Religion, technology, Veteran Affairs, Writing and blogging

Hello to you – how are you doing? It’s a sunny, blue sky day here. I went and got groceries a little while ago. Found some new chews by Blue dog food for Link. He gobbled it down!

Today my thoughts turn toward how we are connected in this world. Being my age, I have gone through so many phases of what it means to be connected to family, friends and the world. I know what it was like to not have computers and the internet! We used the telephone and letters. We used to actually go and visit friends and loved ones. Now days it’s so easy to just rely on the internet – texts messages. I am guilty of this. I am blessed to have my mom who still writes to me on occasion! It’s nice to now live near family – we will be getting together for Mothers Day on Sunday which will be really nice. To me being together is one of the best ways to be connected. What does it mean to you to be connected in this modern world?

Link makes doggy connections with other dogs via the yards in the neighborhood

1 Thessalonians 5:11New International Version

¹¹Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.

9 May 2023 Job For A Day

May 9, 2023 by saymber, posted in Art and Poetry, Bipolar life, drawing, history, Home, human rights, Leading Life by Example, Mental Health, Spirituality and Religion, Veteran Affairs, Writing and blogging

What’s a job you would like to do for just one day?

Hello there! How are you? Hopefully we’ll. Todays prompt is a thought provoking one – there are so many jobs I’m interested in that I would just want to try out for a day if I had more energy. In the course of my life I’ve done the military personnel thing (basically a secretary) and a lot of creative things like painting and drawing- photography, tried energy healing, tried local politics, so something else would be trying out being a spiritual leader for a day – like a pastor or something. It would have to be for just one day as I look at our church and how much our Pastor and his family have to be involved with and it’s exhausting to even contemplate! There is so much involved with being a spiritual leader I think. You are always in the lime light and expected to be a certain way which might be hard to live up to. You are like a doctor I imagine – never off duty. Always on call. I would probably only last a day but better a minister than a politician! I tried politics and didn’t like it.

Colossians 3:12-17New International Version

¹²Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. ¹³Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. ¹⁴And over all these virtues put on love,which binds them all together in perfect unity.

¹⁵Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. ¹⁶Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.¹⁷And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.