Hello to you. Hard to believe another Sunday is here and about gone already. Link and I cuddled our way through neighborhood fireworks last night. He just stayed by my side through it all. I always feel bad for the pets, birds and squirrels! Some of the fireworks sounded like gunfire and sounded like they were in the house. We got to bed about 2 am. Things had pretty much stopped by then
Hello there! How are you? If you’re American you are probably having a cookout and preparing for fireworks tonight. I hope if you are reading from America and you have pets that you secure them. I know a lot of people have to give their pets tranquilizers to get through this night. Thankfully my Link doesn’t get worked up like most dogs. So many people like fireworks! They are pretty to watch but aren’t very eco friendly!
There has been quite a hoopla over today marking 250 years – we made it this far and I have hope for the future despite everything going on right now. Freedom isn’t free! It’s good to see so many people loving our country.
I had a wonderful meal and visit with my Aunt, Uncle, cousin and his wife and two of my Aunts Granddaughters Richelle and Tatum, Tatum’s husband Kyle and baby Liam. We had hamburgers, hotdogs, potato salad, corn on the cob, fruit, watermelon and ice cream and brownies for dessert. Liam was definitely the star of the show. Once he got acclimated to everybody, he had a great time. Great Grandma my Aunt gave him some metal measuring cups he loved clanging together. We all know what he’s getting for Christmas! My Uncle, Great Grandpa said he’s going to get Liam a drum set! lol! 😂 We made a special memory today! So special!
My sweet Auntie and I – Grandma Becker would be so proud! She loved celebrating the 4th in her backyard in Ft. Collins CO My beautiful Grandma Becker (I couldn’t flip picture!)
If God could talk it wouldn’t be in English or Latin or Arabic It wouldn’t be in Yiddish or Spanglish or pidgin
If God could talk the words would crack like thunder pour down like a torrent of jewels flooding our basements with shining ideas, sparkling conclusions.
If God could talk a thought would be a redwood a word an ocean a sentence a century.
If God could talk I would not have to for all the words today requires would flow in on the morning breeze and find their way to the morning news.
If God could talk God’s word would be carried on the wings of eagles the ankles of gnats in the pouches of kangaroos and the paws of polar bears.
It would spread through the sound of honey bees and hyenas be translated into a rainbow by blue herons and cardinals, blackbirds and yellowjackets pink flamingos and gray whales, purple martins and chameleons.
It would cause rivers to flow, tides to rise, moons to wax, suns to set, sparrows to fly, planets to revolve, universes to expand if God could talk.
What’s the best way to deal with negative thoughts?
Hello there! How are you today? Today’s prompt is timely. Every day is a battle for me when it comes to thoughts. The best way to deal with the negative ones is to think of positive ones! Pull the lever on the train of thoughts and attach a redirected car – make the train go a different direction. This practice is something I’ve learned dealing with chronic anxiety. Another thing I do is pray or watch something uplifting. I reach out to loved ones and that helps too. Another thing I do to combat negative thoughts is write here. Writing gets my thoughts out of my head.
I really miss Pope Francis. I found this on the Prayer Wheel today:
On this day, I would like all of us to hope anew and to revive our trust in others, including those who are different than ourselves, or who come from distant lands, bringing unfamiliar customs, ways of life and ideas!
For all of us are children of God!
his final address – pope francis – easter sunday 2025
What’s something you used to believe as a kid that seems ridiculous now?
Hello to you. How are you? My prayers go out to the people of Venezuela as they struggle to recover and discover bodies in the rubble.
Thinking of today’s prompt, I had and still have a vivid imagination. As a child I was a dreamer. From an early age I was a writer of stories and poems. I wanted to be famous – a singer, dancer, artist and writer. As I look back now, I never really had a chance to realize those lofty aspirations. My stepmom popped me into reality early on by telling me I didn’t have to be famous to be somebody! She was right! I could have never made it as a famous person with my conditions and probably wouldn’t still be here to write to you.
I found the following on the Prayer Wheel today:
Blessed be the Earth and those who tend her, for she is the source and sustenance of our lives.
Blessed be the children who hunger for food, learning, and homes that are safe, for their future is shaped by our choices today.
Blessed be the refuges fleeing the violence of war and poverty may they find shelter, peace, and work that sustains them.
Blessed be those who are calling for freedom, resisting oppression and risking their lives in the struggle for justice, for they are the shapers of a brighter world.
Blessed be the persecuted and wrongly judged, for theirs is a sorrow lessened only by mercy and human kindness.
Blessed be the prophets who speak and write of a world beyond war, for theirs are the words becoming flesh.
Blessed be the story-tellers, music-makers, and artists at life, for they are the true light of the world.
Blessed be the tender-hearted who mourn and grieve the wars we’ve fought, the lives we’ve lost, may peace ride in on the river of their tears.
What’s the best advice you’d give to someone younger than you?
Hello to you! It’s Tuesday evening as I write to you. How are you?
Today’s prompt makes me think of my younger self. The best advice I would give is to slow down! When I look back on my 58 years, much of those years I can’t even remember. Everything is a blur. I burned a candle at both ends through much of my life. I barely have any memories of my childhood. The memories I do have are just fragments of mostly traumatic events. Most of my memories are highlights. I used to write in journals everyday but stopped because I was running out of storage space! I have a big black cedar lined trunk full of journals, calendars and sketch books. I have wrestled with what to do with everything for years now. I don’t have any children of my own to pass my stuff on to so someday whomever takes over my estate will probably just send everything to the dump. Most young people these days don’t want stuff from their elders. I am the end of a tree.
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus”
Hi and hello to you. Today we had our annual vet visit at the Intermountain Veterinary Clinic for Link. He only had a couple vaccines and got blood work done to see if his organs are functioning well. As I feared, he needs his teeth cleaned and at the minimum it will cost over $700! At the high end over $900. I don’t know how regular people can afford these kinds of prices! The blood work should tell us whether or not he’s at risk going under anesthesia. I am worried with him being 11 that he might not do so well. He needs to lose weight too. She wants him to only have 300 calories a day. My poor little man! He’s a foodie like me – we both need to lose extra padding. They always tease him about his big booty butt lol!
Last night I was missing my cat Amber. She used to purr me to sleep at night. I found this:
Lord our God, be merciful to us. Be our strong refuge. Help us on all our ways. Help us on the dark and difficult paths we must often travel on earth. Grant that we may see your light, for you are with us. You help us, and you let the power of the life of Jesus Christ be with us so that your name is honored on earth through many who love you and come to you, pleading with you in prayer. Give us the light of your Word, that we may hear and live rightly. Give us increasing strength for the fight to which you have called us. Bless us all. Shine into our hearts so that we can carry out all you have promised through your Word. Amen.
Hello to you. I just got my hopes dashed about getting a GLP-1 to help me with weight loss. I went in today to the VA to ask about getting Wegovy and found out my provider had already put in a request for me to qualify for Zepbound – the VAs choice above Wegovy. Unfortunately it had been since 2024 that I had been to the MOVE orientation class which was too long ago and I didn’t qualify for all three other criteria they had for me. So my nurse is putting me in a consult for the MOVE program. I hope it will help me!
So the answer for a way out of this weight battle is not what I hoped for but God has a plan. I think with the MOVE program I will have to be more responsible with my eating. In the long run it may be better for me. After starting MOVE may be I will eventually qualify for a medication solution or may be won’t need it after all!
What is Zepbound:
Zepbound is an FDA-approved, once-weekly injectable prescription medication (tirzepatide) for chronic weight management and the treatment of moderate-to-severe obstructive sleep apnea in adults. It is used alongside a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity to help individuals lose excess weight and keep it off. [1, 2, 3]
A simple grounding prayer I found for today:
Dear Lord, thank you for the gift of this new day. Please guide my path, my thoughts, and my words. Grant me the wisdom to navigate whatever comes my way, and the strength to show kindness and grace to others. May my actions today bring honor to You. Amen
Good evening to you. It’s starting to get dark as I write to you. I just finished watching a PBS show about the marriage of Queen Victoria. I enjoy watching programs that are about historical figures:
Jason asked us to come up with one word that describes what the wilderness means to us. For me the word was loneliness. When I’m alone I am the most vulnerable. Loneliness is like a vast desert and company quenches the thirst. I use to really like going off on my own and communing with nature. Ever since I’ve been having problems with my ears and lower back, the most time I spend alone is walking in the neighborhood.
One of the songs we sang today nearly brought me to tears:
When I have completely surrendered my will to that of the Holy Spirit drastic change has occurred. Both when I quit drinking and smoking I gave up my will to Gods will and claimed victory!
Hello to you in your here and now. I hope you are well. I was just watching a video on Tik Toc that made me very nostalgic for my teen years that I want to share with you. It was a compilation of 80’s movies:
I am a Generation Xer so a lot of my core memories are from the 80’s. My generation is the last to know what life could be like without smart phones and the internet. My favorite music was also in that time period. I remember seeing the beginning of MTV! One of the first videos I remember seeing:
I grew up without cell phones. I was a latch key kid who relied on a hard wired phone to keep in touch with my parents. I also relied on phone booths when I was away from home. In my early years in the military I worked on computers when they had data cards that had to be processed.
This is what I used early in my military career
If you didn’t want to be found you had an answering machine to collect your calls. I feel like the Internet has been a blessing and a curse! When I went to my first concert, David Bowie, the crowd didn’t have phones to capture it. Everyone was in the moment. Thats not the case these days:
A part of me really aches for simpler times. Nowadays everything is moving so fast. We are already into June when it seems like we just had Christmas! Every single moment has a planned event it seems like! Can we keep up?!
Hello to you. I hope this finds you doing well. I had a nice start to my day by going and seeing my Aunt and Uncle. My Aunt felt like I needed their company and she was right. She made me a cup of coffee and a yummy breakfast sandwich which I appreciated. I had called the VA to schedule an appointment for a follow up with my primary care provider. They didn’t have me scheduled for anything other than my talking doctor. When I called to make an appointment I couldn’t come up with the words to ask for the help I needed. It doesn’t seem like anything can be done for me. My Aunt wants me to persue the weight loss pill Wegovy as I am prediabetic and should qualify for it. My cousin who came by while I was there helped me get an appointment scheduled to talk to them. I may have to have a sleep study in order to qualify for it. I would need to get help getting to a sleep study as they do them at the Boise VA. I will see a doctor next Tuesday and we’ll see what happens. I just know I hate the way I feel right now. I really need to lose weight! We talked about how I can eat better – healthier snacks and meals. I may have to take the MOVE class through the VA which is designed to help with weight loss. I’m not good with following instructions so this whole part of my journey may be a test to change that!
What is MOVE!?
VA’s MOVE! Weight Management Program for Veterans can help you adopt a healthy lifestyle, meet your health goals, and manage your weight. Participating in MOVE! can increase your ability and confidence to make healthy behavior, nutrition, and physical activity changes.
If you have a higher body weight, losing 5%-10% of your weight can improve your health. Keeping a weight that is healthy for you can help you feel good and have energy to do the things you want to do.
With the help of your MOVE! care team, you can:
improve your quality of life, and even live longer
reduce health risks
prevent or reverse certain diseases
VA also offers weight management medicines and surgery. These options can be helpful when used along with lifestyle changes that are part of MOVE!. Talk with your health care team to learn more about these choices and how they can help you meet your goals.
Dear Jesus I pray that you guide my path as I am seeking relief from my health issues. I thank you for my family and friends that are trying to help me with their prayers and support. As always I ask you to be with my family and friends. I pray for your loving arms to reach out to the sick, the poor, those healing (Heidi), to the hungry, the addicted, first responders, those in harms way and victims of war. Thank you for being present through my family today, Amen.
To be 