Category: Leading Life by Example

30 Jan 2026 Emma Hugs

by saymber, posted in animals, Bipolar life, Food, human rights, Leading Life by Example, Mental Health, Spirituality and Religion, Uncategorized, Veteran Affairs, Writing and blogging

Hello to you. I am writing from the Sunrise Cafe. I walked over as I couldn’t stand my own company any longer. My ear condition is real bad today too. I got what I needed even before my meal – a big hug from Emma the manager! She is such a joy! Sometimes that’s all we need is a big hug and a warm hello and Emma does just that. When I left I thanked her for the hug and she thanked me back! She needed the hug too that’s why she did it.

Their slogan is so true! I feel like family when I go here.

When you live alone like I do physical contact is rare. I cherish every hug I get! I’m grateful for Link but he can only do so much.

Dear Jesus thank you for Emma and the staff at the Sunrise. Thank you for them being your body that comforts people like me in the world. I pray for all those in the parts of the country experiencing extreme cold – may there be warmth, food, clothing and shelter. I pray the same for any homeless and wild animals. I pray for any and all regions of this country and world experiencing unrest. Lastly I pray for my cousin Heidi and all who love her as she will be having surgery on her brain Monday. Guide her surgeon and staff and grant her a speedy and complete recovery. Amen.

John 15:1-8New International Version

The Vine and the Branches

15 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes[a] so that it will be even more fruitful. 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

27 Jan 2026 Being a Light

by saymber, posted in Bipolar life, history, Home, human rights, In the News, Leading Life by Example, Mental Health, Spirituality and Religion, Veteran Affairs, Writing and blogging

Hello to you. It’s bedtime as I write to you, I hope there was good in your life today. My day was good. I forced myself to take an extra 1/2 mile walk in addition to the 1/4 mile with Link this morning. It was quite chilly but there was sunlight which was welcome!

As I lay here contemplating recent events near and far away I am determined to stay in the light. To be a light and rest in my hope of Jesus. No matter what is going on we know who won the battle against death and darkness. This world right now presents a great opportunity- the more the enemy leverages against us the more we can lean into Jesus.

I’m not going to let myself be brought down by fear mongers. I am trying more and more to be careful what I consume via social media. I’m not sticking my head in the sand and acting like everything is hunky dory either! We must not be afraid to speak up when that challenge is placed before us. I have this blog and I am using it to be my voice.

Dear Jesus I pray for this world that is so lost right now. May what we are facing in every facet of our lives be an opportunity to love you more and trust in the plans you have for us. Please be with all who are hurting and need you right now. Amen.

John 1:5New International Version

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

26 Jan 2026 Alex and the Might Macs

by saymber, posted in history, human rights, In the News, Leading Life by Example, Mental Health, Movies, Spirituality and Religion, Writing and blogging
Alex Pretti

It is with a heavy heart that I write to you tonight. Another innocent person was murdered by ICE in Minnesota. He, like Rene Good, being labeled as a domestic terrorist that deserved to be shot. This madness needs to stop! Everything I’ve seen about him shows a kind and compassionate person. My prayers go out to his family, friends and the people of Minnesota.

Changing gears to Sunday afternoon. My Aunt invited me over for soup and to watch a movie. This was a happy time for me and welcome reprieve from being alone. The chicken soup she made was really good. Afterwards we watched a feel good movie called The Mighty Macs:

The Mighty Macs” refers to the women’s basketball team from Immaculata University(formerly Immaculata College) which won the first three women’s national college basketball championships in the early 1970s. Their inspiring true story was also the subject of a 2009 sports drama film of the same name. 

The movie was really positive and worth seeing more than once. I was surprised that David Paul Boreanaz, who was in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, was in the movie. Since we don’t have Sister Boniface and Father Brown to watch it was nice to see some nuns! Auntie made me a delicious cup of coffee and we had peppermint stick ice cream as a treat while we watched. Link was happy as always to be with his favorite people. Spending time with my Aunt and Uncle helps me see there is good in the world despite all the negative news. They are so gentle and kind!

21 Jan 2026 Stay With Me

by saymber, posted in Animal Rights, animals, Bipolar life, history, human rights, Leading Life by Example, Spirituality and Religion, Veteran Affairs

Hello to you. I am writing to you after listening to Jonathan Roumie praying a prayer from Saint Padre Pio – it’s beautiful and spoke to me. May be it will speak to you too:

Saint Padre Pio

Stay with me, Lord, for it is necessary to have You present so that I do not forget You. You know how easily I abandon You.

Stay with me, Lord, because I am weak
and I need Your strength,
that I may not fall so often.

Stay with me, Lord, for You are my life,
and without You, I am without fervor.

Stay with me, Lord, for You are my light,
and without You, I am in darkness.

Stay with me, Lord, to show me Your will.

Stay with me, Lord, so that I hear Your voice
and follow You.

Stay with me, Lord, for I desire to love You
very much, and always be in Your company.

Stay with me, Lord, if You wish me to be faithful to You.

Stay with me, Lord, for as poor as my soul is,
I want it to be a place of consolation for You, a nest of love.

Stay with me, Jesus, for it is getting late and the day is coming to a close, and life passes;
death, judgment, eternity approaches. It is necessary to renew my strength,
so that I will not stop along the way and for that, I need You.

It is getting late and death approaches,
I fear the darkness, the temptations, the dryness, the cross, the sorrows.
O how I need You, my Jesus, in this night of exile!

Stay with me tonight, Jesus, in life with all it’s dangers. I need You.

Let me recognize You as Your disciples did at the breaking of the bread,
so that the Eucharistic Communion be the Light which disperses the darkness,
the force which sustains me, the unique joy of my heart.

Stay with me, Lord, because at the hour of my death, I want to remain united to You,
if not by communion, at least by grace and love.

Stay with me, Jesus, I do not ask for divine consolation, because I do not merit it,
but the gift of Your Presence, oh yes, I ask this of You!

Stay with me, Lord, for it is You alone I look for, Your Love, Your Grace, Your Will, Your Heart, Your Spirit, because I love You and ask no other reward but to love You more and more.

With a firm love, I will love You with all my heart while on earth
and continue to love You perfectly during all eternity. Amen

https://youtu.be/yZT9csjPHXE?si=2brzzMPbt7kL5aUx – Jonathan Roumie praying prayer of Padre Pio

Dear Jesus I give you thanks for this day. I lift up to you my cousin Heidi as she continues to heal. I lift up this world and all of the uncertainty and chaos – all the most vulnerable be they human or animal to your loving care. I pray for all your children. I pray for this planet and all of its majesty. I give you thanks for all my blessings. Amen.

19 Jan 2026 World Affairs and Martin Luther King Day

by saymber, posted in Bipolar life, history, Home, human rights, In the News, Leading Life by Example, Politics and Government, Spirituality and Religion, Veteran Affairs

Hello to you. Today has been good. It started by my waking up in time to get to the ladies coffee time at Grace House. It was good to see everyone and get caught up. I took the opportunity to share about my cousin Heidi and we prayed for her and also I asked that we pray for this country and world. Especially Minneapolis and Iran. Also I am very concerned about what Trump is doing with Greenland and our European allies! What he wants isn’t what most Americans want. I feel like he’s acting like a spoiled child! We want affordable housing, food and healthcare! Every day I live in regret for having anything to do with this administration. I let myself be influenced and that won’t be happening come midterms!

Today was Martin Luther King Day – hopefully not our last! My grandparents would be so sad to see what is going on in our country. Both of them fought for civil rights. Here are some of his most famous quotes:

On Love & Hate

  • “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”
  • “I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear.” 

On Justice & Injustice

  • “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”
  • “The time is always right to do what is right.”
  • “A right delayed is a right denied.” 

On Courage & Action

  • “Faith is taking the first step even when you can’t see the whole staircase.”
  • “If you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.”
  • “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” 

On Dreams & Reality

  • “I have a dream that one day little black boys and girls will be holding hands with little white boys and girls.”
  • “You can kill the dreamer, but you can’t kill the dream.” 

On Service & Humanity

  • “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?'”
  • “We have learned to fly the air like birds and swim the sea like fish, but we have not learned the simple art of living together as brothers.” 

30 Dec 2025 Friendship

by saymber, posted in Bipolar life, Food, Health, history, human rights, In the News, Leading Life by Example, Politics and Government, Spirituality and Religion, Veteran Affairs

Hello and good evening. It’s the end of the day as I write to you from here. Today began with a blessing of friendship. My friend Jeannie and I met for breakfast at the Sunrise Cafe here in town. We had a good visit and got caught up on family, church and world affairs. She shared a strange dream she had that I was in. I was the best part of the dream. I wasn’t much help in deciphering it!

Jeannie is one of the only people in my life that I can talk to about political matters. We both are pretty disillusioned about the cluster of a mess Trump has made! The only good thing I can see about what he’s done is people buying less cheap plastic things that end up in the landfills.

I have been recovering from a cold since before Christmas so I stayed away from everyone. My cousins wife showed her friendship and brought me chicken soup, juice and losenges and my Aunt brought some food by on Christmas Day. All I wanted to do was sleep! There has been a super flu going around and even as isolated as I am I still caught some of it! I am not feeling 100% but will stay positive! I am so blessed to have family and friends that are looking out for me.

Mark 9:23New International Version

23 “‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for one who believes.”

16 Dec 2025 Joe The Uninvited Guest

by saymber, posted in Bipolar life, drawing, Health, Leading Life by Example, Mental Health, Spirituality and Religion, Veteran Affairs

Hello to you. It’s early afternoon as I write to you after my therapy session through the VA. I am blessed to have a really good therapist. Today we talked about how my physical symptoms affect my life. She came up with something that resonated with me. She said imagine you are hosting a party and your neighbor Joe shows up. He isn’t the most pleasant smelling or behaving person. He is the uninvited guest that you have to keep tabs on the whole party so he doesn’t ruin it. She likened what’s going on with my head and lower back pain to Joe. If I focus on these things like I would focus on Joe, the party will always be ruined for me. I have to find a way to not let these thorns to my life stop me from living my best life.

Are you struggling with some kind of physical and or mental condition that won’t go away? What will you do with your Joe?! As for me, I’m seriously considering whether Joe ever gets invited in the first place! 😂

Oh how I wish Jesus would heal me and all those I do and do not know! It must have been amazing to be healed by him:

Matthew 4:23New International Version

Jesus Heals the Sick

23 Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people.

Drawing I did of my birth mom Jeannie many years ago

15 Dec 2025 VA Visit and Ladies Coffee

by saymber, posted in Bipolar life, Health, Leading Life by Example, Mental Health, Spirituality and Religion, Veteran Affairs

Hello to you. I’m back from appointment with the VA. Apparently every 6 months or so they are supposed to make sure I’m not having adverse physical effects from one of the medications I’m taking – Olanzapine. Everything checked out good. Apparently if you have adverse effects you can have involuntary body movements that make you look like you have Parkinson’s Disease! It’s called Tardive Dyskinesia: Uncontrolled or unusual muscle movements, especially of the face, tongue, arms, or legs. This can be permanent in some cases.

Sorting gifts

This morning I went to the ladies coffee at Grace House. We helped sort and label Christmas gifts for a few families. When I went I didn’t know that’s what we were doing. My back wasn’t happy but I was still able to help. I can’t imagine doing all that alone but the past couple of years that’s kind of what happened! It felt good to help even if it was just a little. We have such wonderful ladies at Grace!

Dear Jesus I pray for this world and all its life. There is so much going on! We need you now more than ever. Please wrap us in your loving arms and bring us all peace and healing.

13 Dec 2025 Hug and King of Kings

by saymber, posted in Bipolar life, Home, Leading Life by Example, Mental Health, Movies, Spirituality and Religion, Veteran Affairs, Writing and blogging

Hello to you. I’m home from spending some quality time with my Aunt and Uncle. I really was feeling like I needed some company today! I went over earlier in the day before it gets dark. I got the one thing I really needed and that was a hug from my Aunt and Uncle! Living alone I don’t get physical contact with humans very often. It’s such a simple thing but means the world to me! I am so grateful to have them in my life.

A really well done telling of the life of Jesus

https://youtu.be/HDhet3EVRac?si=1-JzSsyJOTnlt5dT – trailer of Angel Studios King of Kings

We watched King of Kings: An animated Christian film from Angel Studios, based on Charles Dickens’ The Life of Our Lord, telling Jesus’ story from the perspective of a young boy and his father.  We all thought it was really well done.

My Aunt made spaghetti for dinner and it was really good. She even got me to eat and like cucumbers in my salad! She is one of the few people in my life that can get me to try and like things I normally don’t eat on my own!

1 Timothy 6:13-15New International Version

13 In the sight of God, who gives life to everything, and of Christ Jesus, who while testifying before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you14 to keep this command without spot or blame until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 which God will bring about in his own time—God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords,

11 Dec 2025 Low Energy

by saymber, posted in animals, Health, Leading Life by Example, Mental Health, Spirituality and Religion, Veteran Affairs, Writing and blogging

Hello to you. It’s evening as I write to you. Today was pretty uneventful but I did finally get my butt to the grocery store and Link and I got a big walk (1/2 mile) in today. He’s been willing to go so I take him. I am happy his legs aren’t bothering him right now.

Older picture I have of Link wearing his walking gear

The past couple days I have really had low energy. The thing going on with pressure in my head and ears has been real bad. My back hasn’t been kind either. When that’s all going on I don’t want to do even the most menial of tasks. I am like a water spigot that flows either full blast or barely a dribble! I have seen both an ear and head doctor and neither one found what is causing the stuff in my head and ears. We have prayed about it ever since it started but God hasn’t relieved me of it. This bible verse keeps coming into my mind about what I’m going through and what I need to do:

2 Corinthians 12:9New International Version

9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 10 That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.