speak kindly, but please, SPEAK!

For the past few weeks I've been writing blogs for a couple of different web sites and just today realized I was missing something.  me time. 

So here I sit, in front of my computer screen, fingers typing on the key board, and suddenly I don't know what I want to say.  And that almost NEVER happens! At least not for the last 40 years.

When I was growing up I was very very very shy.  I was the child in the classroom who never raised her hand to answer the question, not even when I knew that I knew that I knew the answer!  I didn't join in during the lunch time conversations, I didn't join clubs except for pep club!  of all the clubs why that one?  Because I could yell my heart out and still not say anything to anyone!  hahaha go figure!

But then I joined the military, I don't know exactly what happened but somewhere between basic training in Alabama and my active duty time in Germany, someone or something flipped my "it's ok to talk" switch on.  I haven't stopped since!  When I went back to visit my favorite English teacher, Mrs Fladaboe, it took some convincing before she believed it was really me because I was talking so openly and so MUCH.  I'm still shy and it's easier for me to talk in a small group or one on one.  But I'm not afraid of speaking my mind and talking to other people.

 Hmmmmm, let's see, where was I going with this?  Oh yes.  I guess what's been on my mind lately is how little we value our freedom of speech.  We are so fortunate that we live in a country that we still enjoy the freedom to speak out loud and share our opinions.  But so many of us don't take advantage of this freedom.  It makes me sad.   Why do we let others make us afraid to share what we think, what we feel?  We should never be afraid, not of what others say, not of our government, not of anything.  But we are, aren't we? 

I'll admit it, I still get afraid from time to time, especially when I'm faced with something big.  But I don't allow fear to rule me.  There is NO FEAR allowed to stay around for very long!  Sometimes I just stomp my little foot and fight my way through it.  But most often I have to pray my way through it. 

I don't mean a 2 hour on my knees prayer, but usually just a quick, "Father, please help me get through this" prayer.   Yes, even after 40 years since the military broke the ice for me, so to speak, I still have to lean on my Heavenly Father.  (and I hope I never stop leaning on Him!)

Ok, enough is enough.  I think you get the idea now?  While I still choose my battles, I refuse to let fear rule me and I enjoy speaking my mind.  I encourage you to speak your mind also.  I don't encourage anyone to speak rudely or hurtfully to others, but at the same time we need to feel free to speak openly.

Ok, that's it for me tonight, I hope this finds everyone well and please, leave me a note or a comment if you'd like, kindly of course. 

Blessings and Shalom!

HATE: YOU CAN'T MAKE ME!

They used my pen name,  but this is mine. Let me know what you think?

http://libertycannonmedia.com/2015/03/17/hate-you-cant-make-me/

The Pains Of Multi-Tasking (Previously- I Had A *Brain Gasp*!)

 Just a little less than 2 weeks ago I managed to really goof up. I was getting ready for work, carrying my bag, my water, phone, keys, shoes, last nights tea cup (so I could put some coffee in it) and who knows what else from the bedroom to the living room. I stopped at the bedroom door to remove the baby gate (or in my case, the puppy gate), leaning over with all my *stuff*, I tried to move the gate, it fell and hit my left foot. At first the pain was what you would expect, ouch! I put my stuff on the dining room table just by the door, picked up the stupid gate, took one step and knew immediately I was in BIG trouble! It felt like a knife jabbing up through my foot where the toes join to the foot. EXCRUCIATING!  And all this before I'd even had one cup of coffee.  Which meant I was in REALLY BIG TROUBLE!  Pain before coffee is never a good thing!

Wait! Don't go yet, this really does relate to our lives!  Even maybe to politics & the media, just not in the usual way. 
I did what I could to bandage my foot (no blood by the way), continuing to get ready for work, hobbling along as best I could.  The first few days I could barely walk, used the epsom salts, padded the painful areas, and gradually it got a little better.
About the third day into this horrible episode, I suddenly had a *brain gasp* (less fancy word for epiphany).  What I had done to my foot that Terrible Tuesday morning reminded me of what I often due in my every day life, what we all do, and what is happening to our country right now.
I try to do too much at one time and end up not focusing on what's really important, getting from point A to point B.  Multi tasking is NOT necessarily a good thing.  Lack of focus, caused by multi tasking, is DEFINITELY NOT a good thing.

But we all do it!  We all multi task.  I was once told that a successful person must be able to multi-task.  To that I say, HOOEY!  Yes, I said it, HOOEY!  Perhaps if I had slowed down that morning, tried to do only one thing at a time, carry one thing at a time, I wouldn't have injured myself.  If I'd been paying more attention to what I was doing,  I wouldn't have had to wince with every step I took for over a week and a half.
I used to do this all the time, but Terrible Tuesday taught me one thing for sure; slow down, pay attention, focus & don't try to carry too much at one time.
So, how does that relate to where we are as a nation?  Isn't that what our media and yes, dare I say it, even our supposed government leaders, have us doing every day, trying to do much at one time, carrying too heavy a load and not paying attention to where we are going?  How so?  Look at all the nice little topics of conversation they throw at us every day.  The email drama of h.c., little miss "what difference does it make?".  Ferguson, the Boston bombing trials, a fake agreement with Iran, ignoring the speech of someone who should be our friend, our ally, some silly dress on the internet and what color it is, (like I care), etc.   Meanwhile, b.h.o. & his cronies undermine (on the left and right!) our country, our constitution, our lives in every way he possibly can, not just skirting the law, but ripping the skirt off!  (i.e. amnesty, dirty dealings with iran and other terrorists! Yes I know that word isn't pc these days, don't care. I said it and I meant it.)
Just like I had to do some immediate triage on my foot, we need to do some immediate triage on our country, for the sake of our country.  What is the most important thing we need to do for our country that we can do right now?  Just one thing.  Focus, on what?  And just so you know I'm about to say something some people might not like, but like applying medicine to a booboo causing us pain, sometimes we have to do something that will hurt for just a minute, to remove what's causing the pain, (like an infection or broken bone or......).
So here it comes.  Are you ready?  We must get back to focusing on the Scriptures.  The Scriptures that tell us to Love Elohim first and foremost, above all else, and His scriptures tell us to love our brothers as we love ourselves.  We start there.   Psalms 105:4 "Search for YaHUaH and for His strength, continually seek Him".  Proverbs 3:6  "Seek His will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take".   Luke 12:31 "But seek the reign of Elohim and all these shall be added to you".  (read all of Luke 12!)
Instead of our focus and our purposes and our loyalties being divided (i.e. race baiting, gender baiting, all kinds of baiting), we need our purposes, our loyalties to be focused on Him, His scriptures and all these other things will stand a much better chance of getting fixed.
If I'd been paying attention, if I'd been focused on what I needed to do, I wouldn't have had major pain for almost 2 weeks.   I could have been part of my own solution.  Of course I wouldn't have learned a lesson I should have learned a long time ago.  (Just ask my old cell phone that now has a large fracture on the screen because I was walking up my front stairs, while bringing my dog in on his leash and talking on my phone at the same time.  I don't recommend that combination by the way.)
We can keep going like we are, wandering around, carrying more burdens than we can handle, pointing fingers, growling (like saying OWWWWWY really loud), we can continue to be a part of the problem.
Or we can stop, and focus, on Him, His Scriptures, His purposes for us.  We can be a part of the change, a part of the solution.   It won't be easy, it means paying attention where we should be paying attention.  It won't be easy, it means that we might have to let go of some things we shouldn't be carrying around all by ourselves, and certainly not all at one time.   Don't shout me down for talking about Elohim & His scriptures.  Where else should we turn?  To a grove of trees?  A statue?  A superhero?  I firmly believe and shall not waiver, we need to pray & focus on His scriptures, Luke 12:31 "But seek the reign of Elohim and all these shall be added to you".
It doesn't mean we stick our heads in the sand and ignore what's going on around us, we pray & we focus on His scriptures.  It doesn't mean we don't voice our opinions about what we think is wrong, we pray & we focus on His scriptures first.  It doesn't mean we don't hold criminals accountable, wherever & whomever they are. But we have to hold ourselves accountable first!  We pray & we focus on His scriptures.  We have to be part of the change before we can be part of the solution!

Also posted @ rednationradio.com~brain-gasp