All You Need Is Love...and a Visa Card

Love. That's the word that keeps coming up again and again for me lately. This past Sunday it was 1 Corinthians 13 and the love passage. The one that will NOT be read at my wedding. That is if I ever have a wedding. Then everyone at the VA...OK a few of the veterans...have been talking nonstop about V-Day coming up. Talking about buying roses for their wives and going to a fancy dinner. In bible study today we talked about Jesus asking us to love our neighbor. Then I open my news paper this evening and I read, "Love doesn't make the world go round. Love is what makes the ride worthwhile."

Now I love the idea of love but I'm not so sure about it's praticical applications. It seems to have a short shelf life. It seems sort of flaky to me. I have this theory that people equate love with passion and those are not similar ideas in my book. Passion is something that can fade and die but love, well it never ends. Modern ideas of love seem too commercial for me. I don't want roses or candy. I want someone to listen when I talk and who is willing to wash the dishes with me and fold the laundry. Love...love is someone remembering to bring you a cold ice tea on a hot day.

So tell me all of you who (all three of you) who read this...what is your idea of love and am I just jaded at the young age of 28.

I just had too...

My Peculiar Aristocratic Title is: Reverend Countess Responsible Grace the Weird of London by the Bow Get your Peculiar Aristocratic Title

It sounded like such fun and I've always wanted to be a royal!

The iPod Meme

The Idea: Totally 'borrowed' from GirlGoneGreat
The Rules: Go to your music player of choice and put it on shuffle. Say the following questions aloud, and press play. Use the song title as the answer to the question. NO CHEATING.

How does the world see you? - "Boston" by Brenda Weiler

Will I have a happy life? - "Cry, Cry, Cry" by Joaquin Phoenix

What do my friends really think of me? - "Come On Eileen" by Dexy's Midnight Run

How can I make myself happy? - "In My Room" by The Beach Boys

What should I do with my life? - "We Shall Be Free" by Garth Brooks

Will I ever have children? - "Only the Wind" by Billy Dean

What is some good advice for me? - "California Dreaming" by Mamas and the Papas

How will I be remembered? - "Divorce Song" by Liz Phair

What is my signature dancing song? - "Santa Fe" - Rent (Broadway Cast)

What do I think my current theme song is? - "Desperado" by The Eagles

What does everyone else think my current theme song is? - "Teach me Tonight" by Dinah Washington

What song will play at my funeral? - "Take a Look" - Liz Phair

What type of men/women do you like?
Men: "Mojo Pin" by Jeff Buckley
Women: "Down to One" by Melissa Etheridge

What is my day going to be like? - "I'm Thru With Love" by Diana Krall

Freedom of Christianity?

I was working on a Spiritual Assessment at work several days ago and talking to a veteran. I asked this veteran one of the questions on the VA Spiritual Assessment form which was about things that cause you to not feel peaceful. This veteran said that the current state of the world makes him not feel peaceful. Well, AMEN to that. I don't even watch the news anymore because I would rather not know. If it is really important someone will tell me. Anyway, this veteran talked for sometime about the current war. He talked about how the soldiers fighting joined the army, they were not drafted, they willingly went into the Army. Now sure many went so that they could go to college but they still joined. What this veteran ultimately said is "You joined that Army, quit your bitching about being at war."

A lot of the veterans I work with were drafted during WWII, Korea, or Vietnam. They had no choice. They went into the Army because they had not because they wanted to or they needed money for school. WWII veterans especially don't complain about the service they gave. They did what they had to do. It's no wonder that that particular generation is called "The Greatest Generation."

OK, so the veteran I was doing a Spiritual Assessment with kept going and talked about people in Iraq didn't want to be Christian and we shouldn't be there anymore because at least in the United States we have "Freedom of Christianity."

Now, really how true is that statement. We can be any kinda Christian we want in the United States as long as its Christian. I know that what he should have said was "Freedom of Religion" but to a great extent that isn't true. Yes, we have many other religious beliefs but lets look at the religious beliefs of the people who run and own this country, mostly Catholics and Protestants. How do you feel when you hear that term? Does it make you ticked off like it made me? Stop and think about it for a moment and then drop me a line and let me know how you feel.

A little calm controlled chaos

Today was one of the quarterly memorial services at the VA and I was a bit wound up because I was giving the sermon for this service. I didn't sleep last night and well...lets just say there are times when I'm an anxious eater...but at least I know that eat when I'm anxious. The service went beautifully. Everyone did a wonderful job in the roles that they took on. I could critique my sermon until I'm blue in the face except...I left the front of the church happy with what I did. I didn't feel as if I could have done anything more or anything better. This is what the sanctuary looked like for the memorial service.

Saint Cloud VAMC Chapel

Twice in one day...but I can't sleep and I feel inspired to post a picture of the Saint Cloud VA Medical Center chapel. It was all decked out for Christmas. I am going to give the memorial service sermon on Wednesday and all I can think about is standing infront of all those people. Maybe that's why I can't sleep.

There really are Twelve Step programs for everyone

I was sent an email a few days ago from a friend who knows that one day I wish to have children and they will inevitably be preacher's kids. So in preparation for that historic day I was given a copy of "Twelve Steps for Preacher's Kids." I'm not so sure I want to have children now...or maybe I need to become an accountant first.

1. We admitted we were powerless to choose our parents, so we made their lives unmanageable.

2. Came to Believe that The Force within ourselves (a Power under ourselves) could restore us to normalcy.

3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over the the care of God, as we understood God, and not as our parents understood God.

4. Made a searching and fearless inventory of loopholes in our parents' rules.

5. Admitted to God, ourselves, and to all other human beings within earshot the exact nature of our parents' wrongdoings.

6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all their defects of perfectionism.

7. Humbly asked God to remove our parents and bring us new ones.

8. Made a list of all children our parents scorned but we secretly envied, and then became willing to associate with them all.

9. Made direct contact with all such children wherever possible, especially those who needed our "ministry."

10. Continued to take personal inventory and when we were right we promptly admitted it.

11. Sought through Zen meditation to improve our conscious contact with Yoda, as we understood Yoda, praying only for knowledge of the Force within us, and the power to use The Force.

12. Having had a reality check as a result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to other preacher's kids and to practice these principles in all our activities.