I can't believe its May already!!

Wow--I really cannot believe it is May...doesn't it just feel like this year is speeding by??  At work I keep trying to date everything for March...  The summer is coming up so fast!  I don't have a lot of big plans this summer...we're running very short staffed at work, so I'm not able to take a lot of vacation...which is OK, every 3 or 4 weeks I take a day off here and there and it really does help!

I've been thinking a bit lately about being "depressed" and what exactly that means....I think maybe that there's quite a lot of difference between being depressed and being upset or down over a certain set of circumstances....I think depression supercedes your circumstances, kind of like its counterpart...joy.  When you're depressed no set of circumstances can really pull you out of this, even an incredibly good day only makes you smile half-way.  But I've noticed something else about depression...you tend to focus a lot on yourself.  Its like you can't get over, around, or out of yourself.   And I think that's the key, in part, to getting over depression....climbing out of yourself and beginning to focus on others....depression is a sort of selfishness in some ways.....I can't say this is something fast and hard for all aspects of depression, b/c I think there is some physiological component to some forms of depression--chemical imbalances.  But as I've been thinking about it, it seems maybe we should stop focusing so much on ourselves.... (because goodness knows for me that's pretty depressing) and start focusing on Him and helping others, praying for them, and doing for them.  What do you think?

Happiness is....

Frisbee golf

Homemade pizza

and Speak and Spell....

What a great Saturday

Is it possible to eat your body weight in chocolate?

Yes, yes it is........Happy Valentine's day!!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Merry Christmas!!  What a neat-o time of year this is--it definitely is my favorite.  I wanted to share some stuff that I've recently been going through the past couple of weeks and what the Lord has been doing in my life.  This summer at Aletheia has been hit home to my heart in a startlingly real way.  As you know my friend Christa and I have been witnessing to Jessica a girl we both work with.  At first I felt her very receptive and even that she may be close to making a decision (?)  or at least considering spiritual things.  I've learned since then that Jessica has gone to our supervisors and complained about Christa and I talking about this to her.  I think that this hit me so hard because 1) she didn't come to us first  and  2) we had no knowledge of her going to them.  I felt like the rug had sort of been pulled out from under me and someone I thought I could trust (?) was no more.  She began acting differently, at first I didn't really notice it, but after a while I noticed her language was more and more vulgar and ugly, cussing and such and not hampering what she said, or how she said it . . . almost like she was wanting me to say something to her....  She began to act very much like she was a better nurse, a better person and subtly put me down . . . It all kind of cumulated this past week when Christa posted an email forward she had gotten; it was about how everyone has started to say "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas" . . . to be more politically correct.  It was in our break room and I had glanced at it a couple of times and thought, yeah that sure is true . . . and then on Tuesday, Jessica wrote on the paper "inappropriate for work"  Boy-o-boy, Christa sure got upset, I think she was scared that our managers would be mad.  She took the issue to our managers straightaway, but not before she confronted Jessica and asked her about it (which I was glad she did).  Jessica (Christa later told me) said--I just don't think its appropriate--and Christa asked her if she would next time come to her and tell her when she felt something like that.  I didn't really hear if she said that she would or not....our managers fortunately stood up for us and said that really they saw nothing wrong with it, they said "freedom of speech and all". 

So let me just tell you (confess) that I was so mad at Jessica, so totally done with her and the whole mess--tired of her actions--fed up with the mind games--and .... angry . . . and then driving to work on Thursday, I heard the speaker on the radio quote these verses from I Peter 3: "Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers be tenderhearted, be courteous; not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing......And who is he that will harm you if you become followers of what is good?  But even if you should suffer for righteousness sake, you are blessed.  'And do not be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled'  But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear--having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed...it is better to suffer for doing good than for doing evil"  Oh how wonderful He is--at the exact right moment--there He was--comforting me and teaching me at the same time.

Its still so hard when I see Jessica--I have to confess the anger I feel towards her--she is doing the only thing she knows how to do . . . she has no new nature, she has no blessed Holy Spirit living inside her . . . she is acting in the flesh, the only nature she knows--I can expect no different--but please pray for Christa and I as we work with her--that we would NOT hinder the Spirit's work in her life and that we would speak out for Christ--in His way and His time.  Letting His glorious gospel shine through us . . . let me tell you my friends, this has been a trial for me--but I am slowly opening my arms to it--as from Him . . . in His way, making me more like His blessed Son!  Thank you so much for your prayers!

Fwunky fwesh!!!

So tonight on the van picking up kids for Awana--one of the younger boys laid back in the seat of the van waved his arms and kicked his legs and yelled "fwunky fwesh! I'm fwunky fwesh!"  I wish you could have heard him!!!   It may have totally made my night--I'm not sure the exact pronunciation, but there were a lot of "f's" and "w's" and a lot of giggling.  My sister made him repeat it and made it into my "ringtone" . . . or "wingtone" as he would say, then I made her keep calling me so I could hear it.  Keep it weal and fwesh guys!  Latew!