Unlaced and Undone PLEASE read this blog post. Its short. I'll wait.
Did you do it? Did you catch it? The part about the boy who got his shoes tied? I don't think I will ever be the same again. Ever.
"He headed into that transparent human place where poverty extends
kindness to privilege, when there is no earthly reason for it to do so.
We’ve heard that story before too, but we don’t know what to make of it.
It’s an upside down legend that questions everything. And answers
everything. Because most days we just wonder if we are letting Jesus
wander around homeless out there. But some days, we know it for sure."
Wow. Have you come undone too? I sure have.
Saturday, March 14, 2015
Covered Wagons and Chaos
So I left my kindle at the nail salon last night while getting a mani pedi. All last night I felt like I was cut off from the world. Sure I had my iPhone and my laptop and Daddy playing cards iPad and laptop and iPhone and Little Queen's tablet and the other kindle we let the kid use...but still. Can we take a moment of silence for my First World problems here? I mean, really, I didn't have the Kindle Fire that I prefer to use because I left it at the nail salon while spending almost $100 on a mani/pedi combo. What has this world come to. But all is well, I got it back when they opened this morning. That is after Daddy made fun of my for my world devolving into covered wagons and chaos without my Kindle.
In all seriousness, lets take a moment to be thankful for how truly wealthy we are in this country. I may not be a 1%, but my goodness we are wealthy according to world standards. We have not one, but TWO working newer cars. That we can easily afford to put gas into. And we have never worried about going to the grocery store., or paying the cable bill or any utilities for that matter. Sure we have debt but in the grand scheme of things its really not the end of the world. We don't have so much that we are drowning in it like some Americans we read about. We didn't need to be bailed out of our mortgage or risk losing our home a few years ago. Yes I really wanted to move a few months ago and was sad that we missed out on it. It was a learning experience.
I took that learning experience and turned into something positive, something to be thankful for. I learned that there really is a big difference in what realtor you pick and that Realtors DO make or break the sale of a home. I learned that if it is not the right time to move, then it won't happen, and I learned that even though I THOUGHT I had been patient for 12 years with this house, I truly hadn't been patient enough. So this year I am teaching myself to LOVE the home I am in, not to just be OK or satisfied with it, but to love it. LOVE where I am at, because this place is not just a house, it is my HOME. As part of this little endeavor I took on the task of being thankful for something different everyday. It can be a person, or a thing, or a place, or an article, anything, just no repeats. For an entire year. Its only March and my task has turned out to be daunting already. Daddy may be correct when he mentioned chaos today because that is what my life feels like sometimes.
In the past three months I have been thankful for my neighbors and my facebook friends, my doggie cuddles, and late night text messages from my out of town hubby. I've even found myself thankful for a random hi from a neighbor when I was having a bad day. Its easy to be thankful for good books and warm cups of steamy chai tea. It is NOT so easy to be thankful when three out of four of your kids are sick and the fourth one is crabby and crying and a baby and doesn't understand why mommy has a migraine and daddy is in New York and no one will hold her. Its not so easy to be thankful when your own parents won't return your phone calls over religion that has been warped and diluted and not in any way Christ-like in the first place. But, I push forward because I must. For my daughters. To be the role model for them and not the oppressor against them. To use the good things from my parents and throw away the bad.
So in this Wealthy First World that I am raising my girls, I WILL raise loving, thankful, thoughtful daughters. Daughters who praise, daughters who cherish, daughters who are thankful for what they have, not who are constantly wanting for more. Daughters who can be happy and praise and encourage their friends without being jealous. Daughters who can strive for their best and achieve their goals while still maintaining their morality.
So if it takes Covered Wagons and Chaos to get there, so be it. You can have my Kindle (but get your hands off my yarn...)
In all seriousness, lets take a moment to be thankful for how truly wealthy we are in this country. I may not be a 1%, but my goodness we are wealthy according to world standards. We have not one, but TWO working newer cars. That we can easily afford to put gas into. And we have never worried about going to the grocery store., or paying the cable bill or any utilities for that matter. Sure we have debt but in the grand scheme of things its really not the end of the world. We don't have so much that we are drowning in it like some Americans we read about. We didn't need to be bailed out of our mortgage or risk losing our home a few years ago. Yes I really wanted to move a few months ago and was sad that we missed out on it. It was a learning experience.
I took that learning experience and turned into something positive, something to be thankful for. I learned that there really is a big difference in what realtor you pick and that Realtors DO make or break the sale of a home. I learned that if it is not the right time to move, then it won't happen, and I learned that even though I THOUGHT I had been patient for 12 years with this house, I truly hadn't been patient enough. So this year I am teaching myself to LOVE the home I am in, not to just be OK or satisfied with it, but to love it. LOVE where I am at, because this place is not just a house, it is my HOME. As part of this little endeavor I took on the task of being thankful for something different everyday. It can be a person, or a thing, or a place, or an article, anything, just no repeats. For an entire year. Its only March and my task has turned out to be daunting already. Daddy may be correct when he mentioned chaos today because that is what my life feels like sometimes.
In the past three months I have been thankful for my neighbors and my facebook friends, my doggie cuddles, and late night text messages from my out of town hubby. I've even found myself thankful for a random hi from a neighbor when I was having a bad day. Its easy to be thankful for good books and warm cups of steamy chai tea. It is NOT so easy to be thankful when three out of four of your kids are sick and the fourth one is crabby and crying and a baby and doesn't understand why mommy has a migraine and daddy is in New York and no one will hold her. Its not so easy to be thankful when your own parents won't return your phone calls over religion that has been warped and diluted and not in any way Christ-like in the first place. But, I push forward because I must. For my daughters. To be the role model for them and not the oppressor against them. To use the good things from my parents and throw away the bad.
So in this Wealthy First World that I am raising my girls, I WILL raise loving, thankful, thoughtful daughters. Daughters who praise, daughters who cherish, daughters who are thankful for what they have, not who are constantly wanting for more. Daughters who can be happy and praise and encourage their friends without being jealous. Daughters who can strive for their best and achieve their goals while still maintaining their morality.
So if it takes Covered Wagons and Chaos to get there, so be it. You can have my Kindle (but get your hands off my yarn...)
Wednesday, March 4, 2015
My religious past
So all this talk about my parents and religion has me thinking about my upbringing and how I was raised and if I suffer from Post Traumatic Church Syndrome or not, I honestly I have to say maybe a little, but just a teeny tiny bit. See despite how my parents are acting now, that their youngest child is 35 with children of her own, I was raised in a very secular home. My parent's idea of religion was driving us to church on Sunday, showing up right as it starts, and being one of the first ones out the door to beat the parking lot traffic. If dad was home for dinner (he worked the second shift) we would say Grace at the dinner table. About junior high we stopped going to church altogether. We NEVER talked about religion at home, if I had a question, my mom would say, read the bible. If I asked her where in the Bible, she would say look it up (meaning she didn't know) after a while I stopped asking, after that I stopped caring.
Unless Grandma was around. Then I was the bad kid. I was the rebellious one, the troublemaker, the reason my mom has grey hair, blah blah blah. Basically she just liked to complain and for some reason I was a target. Whatever. Knowing the things I do now, I am pretty sure my mom made crap up to get sympathy from her, mom liked attention.
In high school I started going to church and Wednesday night youth group with a friend and learn amazing concepts like God wants to have a relationship with me (WHAT?!!!) and hes not just this untouchable angry being that doesn't care about us. Crazy! I got a version of the bible I could understand (sorry King James folks, it just wasn't working for my 15 year old self) and actually started to READ the Bible, like read and understand it.
Then college came and I found Campus Crusade for Christ and I met my first judgey judgersons. I've been made fun of before for having a conscience, for being a fuddy duddy, for being boring, but NEVER in my life, have I ever been ostracized for being "not good enough for Christ". I kid you not! I was betrayed, stabbed in the back, laughed at, judged, and kicked out of a Bible study for WORKING (like earning a paycheck working). It was bad enough I actually turned completely away from God for a while.
So now I'm back, outside of the box, in my own world. Been hurt many more times by so-called Christians, and decided I am done with this shit, I am going to do something about it. I don't know what yet, but I am going to do something.
But isn't that what spiritual growth is? Spiritual, personal, deep? No one can tell you have to do it, and it has to be a journey and no two journeys are the same? I think that is what prompted the Through the looking Glass Project in the first place. My spiritual journey. I want, no I NEED to figure out how I want to worship MY God and what exactly My God means to me. What is the Holy Spirit saying to ME? What is the Holy Spirit telling ME to do with my family and my kids? Hopefully studying and learning more will help.
Unless Grandma was around. Then I was the bad kid. I was the rebellious one, the troublemaker, the reason my mom has grey hair, blah blah blah. Basically she just liked to complain and for some reason I was a target. Whatever. Knowing the things I do now, I am pretty sure my mom made crap up to get sympathy from her, mom liked attention.
In high school I started going to church and Wednesday night youth group with a friend and learn amazing concepts like God wants to have a relationship with me (WHAT?!!!) and hes not just this untouchable angry being that doesn't care about us. Crazy! I got a version of the bible I could understand (sorry King James folks, it just wasn't working for my 15 year old self) and actually started to READ the Bible, like read and understand it.
Then college came and I found Campus Crusade for Christ and I met my first judgey judgersons. I've been made fun of before for having a conscience, for being a fuddy duddy, for being boring, but NEVER in my life, have I ever been ostracized for being "not good enough for Christ". I kid you not! I was betrayed, stabbed in the back, laughed at, judged, and kicked out of a Bible study for WORKING (like earning a paycheck working). It was bad enough I actually turned completely away from God for a while.
So now I'm back, outside of the box, in my own world. Been hurt many more times by so-called Christians, and decided I am done with this shit, I am going to do something about it. I don't know what yet, but I am going to do something.
But isn't that what spiritual growth is? Spiritual, personal, deep? No one can tell you have to do it, and it has to be a journey and no two journeys are the same? I think that is what prompted the Through the looking Glass Project in the first place. My spiritual journey. I want, no I NEED to figure out how I want to worship MY God and what exactly My God means to me. What is the Holy Spirit saying to ME? What is the Holy Spirit telling ME to do with my family and my kids? Hopefully studying and learning more will help.
The blow up!
WOW, I'm really making up for lost time, aren't I? I really wasn't intending this to be a religious blog, but since that is the topic running rampant through our home right now, it needs to be addressed.
So here's the issue. Daddy playing card and I have had a few issues come up in conversations with the little weirdieland inhabitants that we weren't very fond of. Things like, "mommy when I grow up I want to be an architect but Meme's church says women shouldn't work because its not proper"...hmmm OK so we addressed that one and told her very affirmly that she is allowed to be anything she wanted to be and that God wouldn't give her brains and talents if He didn't want her to go out into the world and use them. If she chooses to stay home with her children that should be a chose she and her future husband make together and not something she feels like is her only choice, and besides, she would always have daddy and I for free babysitting. (What a conversation to have with an 8 year old, right?)
Then later on a couple months later little mad hatter this time tells us that, again at Meme's church she was told that she needed to stay away from people of different religions and not talk to them because they could "taint her and make her sin". ALRIGHT. HOLD THE PHONE. WTF? So being the lazy parent that I am I never really looked into the church. Its the same church my parents used to drag me to when I was little. Drag being the key word here. Turns out the church isn't Southern Baptist like I was led to believe my WHOLE ENTIRE FREAKING LIFE, but Independent Fundamentalist Baptist, which is a whole separate world. Scratch that, its a whole separate plane of existence. Don't believe me? Google. That's all I'm going to say.
So in keeping our family sane and avoiding confusing conversations that seriously stress out my little mad hatter that genuinely loves everyone, Daddy and I just decided we would really prefer it if the girls just not go to church with my parents any more. We didn't say they couldn't spend the night. We didn't say that we wouldn't associate with them or ever come to visit, we just said we would prefer it if the girls didn't go to church anymore with them. We then even said we would be at their house bright and early on Sunday mornings to pick up the girls before church as to not inconvenience them and they can still have their Saturday night sleepovers. Sounds fair, right? OMG, you would have thought we set into motion events to start the apocalypse!
There was several attempts from my mother at "well if you aren;t bring them to Sunday School, SOMEBODY has to!" (WHY does somebody have to? WHERE in the Bible does it say they HAVE to go to Sunday School? It DOESNT! It says raise your children in the ways of the Lord, but never, anywhere does it say you actually have to physically attend a church to do so). Further issue with this was I asked her HOW she knew if my kids were going to church or not and she replied because she asked them. WAIT A MINUTE! Its important enough that you actually think they will go to hell if they don't show up every single week, but not important enough to actually talk to ME about it, and further more, you went BEHIND MY BACK and talked to my 7 and 8 year old daughters about it and then asked them not to mention it to me. hmmmm.....
Then it was followed with "Well I guess you have already made up your mind" um, YES, why WE, being Daddy playing Card and I, PARENTS of the weirdieland inhabitants have already discussed, in detail, and came to a decision. Prior to talking to you. You know because we are adults, and a family, and capable of making rational decisions for OUR children. So then she gets mad and throws the phone at my dad.
Dad comes on the phone. He states the the church doesnt really follow the things they have listed on their own church website. Yes, read that again. The church doesn't follow the things they have listed on their own front page of their own website. They just put that their to "attract members" and he has never seen anything like what I'm talking about. Ohh. oookkk. Because an organized fundamentalist church would NEVER do anything shady...Moving on...
He then tells me that the church's main thinking is to Love the Sinner, Hate the Sin. So I ask him, so you are OK with your grandchildren learning Hate? No, we don't hate, we hate the sin! Its totally different? See the point here dear readers, is that you can't use the word HATE in defending yourself against the fact that you teach hate. After all, hate is hate is hate. Just because you don't agree with somoene else's view point doens't mean you have to hate them. You can not like something but still not hate, so why is the word HATE used at all? Not something we chose to teach our children. If it works for you, great. It doesn't work for us. Thats the whole point is that we are a family and this is what we chose for our family. Then again goes back to the, "well I guess you have already made up your mind then..."
It all boils down to issues that we have been dealing with on both sides of the family since Daddy and I met each other. We are not adults. We are not people, but extensions of our parents. We should not make decisions for our family but go to our parents and allow them to make the decisions. But our parents didn't act that way towards their parents. Why do we not get the same respect that our parents got from their parents? My grandmother may have her faults, oh so many of them, but she respected that my mother and father were their own family. If they wanted to come over for a holiday, they were invited, but not expected. If they didn't come, they didn't come and had their own plans and that was OK. My grandmother understood that my mom got married, had kids, and had her own life. So why doesn't my mom understand this?
Lack of respect from my parents, lack of respect from his parents. We are people too. Hopefully Daddy playing card and I can learn from our past and not make the same mistakes with our kids that our parents made.
In the meantime its been two weeks, 5 voicemails and 10 phone calls and my parents haven't called us back. Little Mad Hatter has a choir performance tomorrow night. We'll see if they show up.
UPDATE: The parents did NOT show up to Little Mad Hatters First Grade Musical. No call, no show. She was heart broken. We talked to her about it and just said we haven't heard from them and ten took her out for ice cream. She hasn't brought it up in a week. No one has asked to see them. Little Cheshire Cat at 4 years old told me yesterday that Poppy's (grandpa) church won't let him see her. She hopes someday he'll come over. I just gave her a hug and said me too and changed the subject. What do you say to a four year old when her grandfather chooses a church over his grandchild?
So here's the issue. Daddy playing card and I have had a few issues come up in conversations with the little weirdieland inhabitants that we weren't very fond of. Things like, "mommy when I grow up I want to be an architect but Meme's church says women shouldn't work because its not proper"...hmmm OK so we addressed that one and told her very affirmly that she is allowed to be anything she wanted to be and that God wouldn't give her brains and talents if He didn't want her to go out into the world and use them. If she chooses to stay home with her children that should be a chose she and her future husband make together and not something she feels like is her only choice, and besides, she would always have daddy and I for free babysitting. (What a conversation to have with an 8 year old, right?)
Then later on a couple months later little mad hatter this time tells us that, again at Meme's church she was told that she needed to stay away from people of different religions and not talk to them because they could "taint her and make her sin". ALRIGHT. HOLD THE PHONE. WTF? So being the lazy parent that I am I never really looked into the church. Its the same church my parents used to drag me to when I was little. Drag being the key word here. Turns out the church isn't Southern Baptist like I was led to believe my WHOLE ENTIRE FREAKING LIFE, but Independent Fundamentalist Baptist, which is a whole separate world. Scratch that, its a whole separate plane of existence. Don't believe me? Google. That's all I'm going to say.
So in keeping our family sane and avoiding confusing conversations that seriously stress out my little mad hatter that genuinely loves everyone, Daddy and I just decided we would really prefer it if the girls just not go to church with my parents any more. We didn't say they couldn't spend the night. We didn't say that we wouldn't associate with them or ever come to visit, we just said we would prefer it if the girls didn't go to church anymore with them. We then even said we would be at their house bright and early on Sunday mornings to pick up the girls before church as to not inconvenience them and they can still have their Saturday night sleepovers. Sounds fair, right? OMG, you would have thought we set into motion events to start the apocalypse!
There was several attempts from my mother at "well if you aren;t bring them to Sunday School, SOMEBODY has to!" (WHY does somebody have to? WHERE in the Bible does it say they HAVE to go to Sunday School? It DOESNT! It says raise your children in the ways of the Lord, but never, anywhere does it say you actually have to physically attend a church to do so). Further issue with this was I asked her HOW she knew if my kids were going to church or not and she replied because she asked them. WAIT A MINUTE! Its important enough that you actually think they will go to hell if they don't show up every single week, but not important enough to actually talk to ME about it, and further more, you went BEHIND MY BACK and talked to my 7 and 8 year old daughters about it and then asked them not to mention it to me. hmmmm.....
Then it was followed with "Well I guess you have already made up your mind" um, YES, why WE, being Daddy playing Card and I, PARENTS of the weirdieland inhabitants have already discussed, in detail, and came to a decision. Prior to talking to you. You know because we are adults, and a family, and capable of making rational decisions for OUR children. So then she gets mad and throws the phone at my dad.
Dad comes on the phone. He states the the church doesnt really follow the things they have listed on their own church website. Yes, read that again. The church doesn't follow the things they have listed on their own front page of their own website. They just put that their to "attract members" and he has never seen anything like what I'm talking about. Ohh. oookkk. Because an organized fundamentalist church would NEVER do anything shady...Moving on...
He then tells me that the church's main thinking is to Love the Sinner, Hate the Sin. So I ask him, so you are OK with your grandchildren learning Hate? No, we don't hate, we hate the sin! Its totally different? See the point here dear readers, is that you can't use the word HATE in defending yourself against the fact that you teach hate. After all, hate is hate is hate. Just because you don't agree with somoene else's view point doens't mean you have to hate them. You can not like something but still not hate, so why is the word HATE used at all? Not something we chose to teach our children. If it works for you, great. It doesn't work for us. Thats the whole point is that we are a family and this is what we chose for our family. Then again goes back to the, "well I guess you have already made up your mind then..."
It all boils down to issues that we have been dealing with on both sides of the family since Daddy and I met each other. We are not adults. We are not people, but extensions of our parents. We should not make decisions for our family but go to our parents and allow them to make the decisions. But our parents didn't act that way towards their parents. Why do we not get the same respect that our parents got from their parents? My grandmother may have her faults, oh so many of them, but she respected that my mother and father were their own family. If they wanted to come over for a holiday, they were invited, but not expected. If they didn't come, they didn't come and had their own plans and that was OK. My grandmother understood that my mom got married, had kids, and had her own life. So why doesn't my mom understand this?
Lack of respect from my parents, lack of respect from his parents. We are people too. Hopefully Daddy playing card and I can learn from our past and not make the same mistakes with our kids that our parents made.
In the meantime its been two weeks, 5 voicemails and 10 phone calls and my parents haven't called us back. Little Mad Hatter has a choir performance tomorrow night. We'll see if they show up.
UPDATE: The parents did NOT show up to Little Mad Hatters First Grade Musical. No call, no show. She was heart broken. We talked to her about it and just said we haven't heard from them and ten took her out for ice cream. She hasn't brought it up in a week. No one has asked to see them. Little Cheshire Cat at 4 years old told me yesterday that Poppy's (grandpa) church won't let him see her. She hopes someday he'll come over. I just gave her a hug and said me too and changed the subject. What do you say to a four year old when her grandfather chooses a church over his grandchild?
Religion (Through the Looking Glass series)
Religion seems to be a hot topic in our lives everywhere, and no matter what we can't avoid it.
If we follow this religion, then we are put in Box A, if we don't then we are put in Box B. Everyone in Box A must believe this set of rules. Everyone from Box B must believe that set of rules. NO INTERMINGLING. Even more importantly; never, under any circumstances, EVER EVER think for yourself. We were put on this planet to blindly follow like sheep, do what we were told without question and never exert any form of free will. Because free will is blasphemous. Free will is rebellious. Rebellious is BAD. Nothing GOOD has EVER come from a rebellion. Just ask the founding fathers of the United States, The courageous men and women involved in the underground railroad, Oskar Schindler, Moses, the 12 Disciples, (and for you sci-fi fans, the Rebel Alliance).
See Rebellion isn't necessarily a bad thing. Teaching that rebelling is bad is just another form of control. If they can control everything, then nothing will ever change. If nothing ever changes, then nothing will ever change. Just the way the people in charge want it.
So what happens when God doesn't fit in your pre-designed boxes? Are we rebelling then if we think outside of the box? What if we want Box C? Or no Box? OR we like the God in Box A but we want to Worship Him like the B Boxers do? Its really hard to control someone who thinks for themselves or who designs their own Box, isn't it? My question is, How is this a bad thing? If we all rebelled against this fundamental strict boxed religion that seems to be rampant in our country right now, would that be a bad thing, or would it bring forth a change for the good that is needed like rebellions of that past have done?
We shall see.
If we follow this religion, then we are put in Box A, if we don't then we are put in Box B. Everyone in Box A must believe this set of rules. Everyone from Box B must believe that set of rules. NO INTERMINGLING. Even more importantly; never, under any circumstances, EVER EVER think for yourself. We were put on this planet to blindly follow like sheep, do what we were told without question and never exert any form of free will. Because free will is blasphemous. Free will is rebellious. Rebellious is BAD. Nothing GOOD has EVER come from a rebellion. Just ask the founding fathers of the United States, The courageous men and women involved in the underground railroad, Oskar Schindler, Moses, the 12 Disciples, (and for you sci-fi fans, the Rebel Alliance).
See Rebellion isn't necessarily a bad thing. Teaching that rebelling is bad is just another form of control. If they can control everything, then nothing will ever change. If nothing ever changes, then nothing will ever change. Just the way the people in charge want it.
So what happens when God doesn't fit in your pre-designed boxes? Are we rebelling then if we think outside of the box? What if we want Box C? Or no Box? OR we like the God in Box A but we want to Worship Him like the B Boxers do? Its really hard to control someone who thinks for themselves or who designs their own Box, isn't it? My question is, How is this a bad thing? If we all rebelled against this fundamental strict boxed religion that seems to be rampant in our country right now, would that be a bad thing, or would it bring forth a change for the good that is needed like rebellions of that past have done?
We shall see.
Thursday, March 27, 2014
The Through the Looking Glass Project
So a lot has been going on in our little weirdie world. I mean a lot. Friends have come and gone, the world has turned round, and eyes, hearts and minds have been opened. Now when this blog was first started it was not supposed to be about religion, but with the state of the world today, it always seems to keep going back there. Whether through fear, or hate, or just misconception or miscommunication, religion is a serious hot-topic button right now in the US. As a Christian myself I still find all this turmoil a bit disconcerting.
This country was established in 1776 by a group of deists looking for religious freedom. Deists are people that believe in a God. The founding fathers wanted simply to worship the God of their choosing in their own chosen manner. They weren't necessarily Christians. Some of them were, some of them weren't, some of them were atheists. The point was, they wanted a country where they were free to be who they were, not a country where everyone had to be the same. So off to the new world they went. The United States as it is today, is a VERY Christian society. For me and my family, I'm comfortable with that. We're Christian, its what we know, what we grew up with, what we believe. BUT, what if we weren't. What if we were Buddhist, or Muslim, or even Pagan? How would we feel then? How would we feel if we were a young, Buddhist, going through puberty and being bullied everyday by people that called themselves Christians and were raised to "love their neighbors" and being allowed to bully under the guise of "religious freedom"?
Well that is what has gotten me started on this little campaign of religion. Most people bully out of fear and fear the unknown. After talking with a good friend of mine who is a Pagan, I discovered EVERYTHING I thought I knew is wrong. That's right. Everything I was taught about other religions growing up is a big fat falsehood of a lie shrouded in foggy misunderstandings wrapped up in rumors. I intended to get to the bottom of those lies and expose these religions for what they really are. To bring the truth to the forefront and learn the traditions and experiences that make up the core of each individual sect. I will be doing my own research both through real books and online, as well as talking to real people, hopefully in the area, that are active members in their particular communities.
About 70-74% on the US identifies as Christian. That leaves me 26-30% of the US to get to know and understand. I'm not trying to like everyone or convert myself to every single religion. This project is about truth and dispelling rumors, like all pagans worship the devil. This is one false mainly because most pagans don't believe in a concept of a devil and its hard to worship something that you don't believe in. So wish me luck, or wish me patience as i weed through everything and get down to the truth of the matter. As Christians we are taught not to study other religions, but I always asked myself why. If our religion is so infallible and Jesus is the way, the truth, and the light; then what harm can come from looking at other religions?
This country was established in 1776 by a group of deists looking for religious freedom. Deists are people that believe in a God. The founding fathers wanted simply to worship the God of their choosing in their own chosen manner. They weren't necessarily Christians. Some of them were, some of them weren't, some of them were atheists. The point was, they wanted a country where they were free to be who they were, not a country where everyone had to be the same. So off to the new world they went. The United States as it is today, is a VERY Christian society. For me and my family, I'm comfortable with that. We're Christian, its what we know, what we grew up with, what we believe. BUT, what if we weren't. What if we were Buddhist, or Muslim, or even Pagan? How would we feel then? How would we feel if we were a young, Buddhist, going through puberty and being bullied everyday by people that called themselves Christians and were raised to "love their neighbors" and being allowed to bully under the guise of "religious freedom"?
Well that is what has gotten me started on this little campaign of religion. Most people bully out of fear and fear the unknown. After talking with a good friend of mine who is a Pagan, I discovered EVERYTHING I thought I knew is wrong. That's right. Everything I was taught about other religions growing up is a big fat falsehood of a lie shrouded in foggy misunderstandings wrapped up in rumors. I intended to get to the bottom of those lies and expose these religions for what they really are. To bring the truth to the forefront and learn the traditions and experiences that make up the core of each individual sect. I will be doing my own research both through real books and online, as well as talking to real people, hopefully in the area, that are active members in their particular communities.
About 70-74% on the US identifies as Christian. That leaves me 26-30% of the US to get to know and understand. I'm not trying to like everyone or convert myself to every single religion. This project is about truth and dispelling rumors, like all pagans worship the devil. This is one false mainly because most pagans don't believe in a concept of a devil and its hard to worship something that you don't believe in. So wish me luck, or wish me patience as i weed through everything and get down to the truth of the matter. As Christians we are taught not to study other religions, but I always asked myself why. If our religion is so infallible and Jesus is the way, the truth, and the light; then what harm can come from looking at other religions?
Sunday, March 23, 2014
The Lessons I WILL Teach My Daughters
100 Lessons I WILL Teach My Daughters
1. Chocolate is only a temporary fix.
2. A properly-fitting bra is not a luxury. It is a necessity.
3. Your happiness is your happiness and yours alone.
4. You are NOT responsible for someone else's happiness
5. How to apply red lipstick. Make sure to wear the crap out of that red lipstick
6. A boyfriend does not validate your existence. EVER.
7. Eat the extra slice of pizza.
8. Wear what makes you feel gracefully at ease.
9. Love the world unconditionally.
10. Seek beauty in all things.
11. Buy your friends dinner when you can.
12. Wear sunscreen like it’s your second job.
13. Try with all your might to keep in contact with far-away friends.
14. Make the world feel at ease around you.
15. You are too pretty to walk with your head down.
16. Order a cheeseburger on the first date if you want to.
17. Never, ever bite your nails.
18. Swipe on some of that red lipstick, put on your leather jacket, and do something rebellious.
19. Learn from your mistakes that night.
20. Dental hygiene is not multiple choice.
21. Your GPA is not a confession of your character. All I ask is that you try your best.
22. There is strength in breaking down.
23. Yoga. Tai Chi, simple meditation, bible study, bubble baths. I don't care what but find SOMETHING to restore your inner peace.
24. Pick a tea.
25. Take care of your feet.
26.Learn alternatives for cleaning products and medications even if you don;t use them.
27. Even if you’re tall, wear the heels anyway.
28. Classy is a relative term.
29. Drink whiskey if you like whiskey; drink wine if you like wine, or Pabst Blue Ribbon strait from the can if you want.
30.Pretending to like something to impress someone else will only make you look the fool when the truth comes out.
31. Like what you like; sci-fi nerds unite!
32. Offer no explanations for weirdness. Being weird is like being a limited edition. It means you are special and one of a kind.
33. Advil and Gatorade.
34. You are no less of a woman when you’re in sweats and gym shoes than a woman in stilettos and a pencil skirt.
35. A woman is a woman is a woman.
36. Love your fellow woman with all your heart and soul (this means all your sisters), there is no room to be catty in sisterhood.
37. Cry, uninhibited, with your friends.
38. Laugh until you can’t breathe with your friends.
39. Tell me everything.
40. Exercise to be strong and healthy. A beautiful soul needs a sturdy vessel.
41. There is no shame in hoping for love, but there is shame in being desperate for it.
42. My cooking is the best cooking.
43. Do not take sex lightly. EVER.
44. I mean it. SERIOUSLY.
45. Anna Karenina. I’d like it if you read it.
46. The world spins on the principle of inherent tragedy.
47. Do not be blind to it.
48. Men are effectively idiots until somewhere between the ages of 26-30. (YES, even your father)
49. Carbohydrates are not the enemy.
50. Involve yourself in an organized activity of your choosing.
51. Listen to classical music occasionally.
52. Take hot baths.
53. Epsom salts and baking soda can do wonders to detox your body and soul.
54. You are more than capable.
55. I promise.
56. Don’t smile if you don’t mean it.
57. Mean your anger. Mean your sadness. Mean your pain. Never be fake.
58. I am always, ALWAYS listening. Even if it's something I don't want to hear, I am still listening.
59. Travel.
60. Get stuck in a foreign country with $4.67 in your account or some other desperate situation. Put on your big girl panties and deal with it. When you make it home call me and tell me all about it.
61. Make me furious.
62. Make me worry.
63. Come home smelly, tired, and with a good story. Remember I am always listening and I want to hear it!
64. Your story isn’t really yours, remember you are a compilation of others' stories.
65. Remember this when you meet someone for the first time, even if it will be the last time you ever see them.
66. Well-fitting and modest is ALWAYS sexier than too small and tight. Be comfortable, be you.
67. Who cares if glitter isn’t tasteful?
68. It’s too much makeup if you have to ask. You make you beautiful, not the makeup.
69. Learn to bake for when you’re sad and I’m not there.
70. Humility and subservience are not synonyms.
71. Wash your face twice per day.
72. Be gentle with your skin.
73. Science is really cool.
74. So is literature.
75. And history.
76. And math.
77. There is no substitute for fresh air.
78. Carry your weight. Love yourself and your body. Love the skin you're in.
79. Make up for it later if you can’t.
80. That salad is not better than pasta and it never will be.
81. You’re fooling no one.
82. Find at least three green vegetables you can tolerate.
83. A smoothie is not a meal. There is no such thing as a meal replacement.
84. Expect the best from everyone.
85. People will let you down.
86. Bask in the sun (wearing a sunhat and SPF 90).
87. There is a certain kind of man you need to avoid at all costs.
88. You’ll know it when you meet him. If you are unsure, ask your sister. That's what sisters are for.
89. What other people say is right doesn’t always feel right.
90. What feels right is where your happiness is.
91. Give thoughtful gifts. Always. A prepaid credit card gift card is not thoughtful.
92. Form an opinion.
93. Stick to it.
94. Exfoliation in moderation.
95. Argue with people when you need to.
96. If it’s worth fighting for, fight fiercely.
97. Don’t fight for acceptance. You shouldn't have to.
98. Take pictures, but not too many. Put down the camera sometimes and make some memories.
99. Follow your bliss at all costs. (I’m cutting you off at 22 though).
100. Ice cream, however, might just be a permanent fix.
*Based on 101 Lessons I Will Teach My Daughter by Leah Froehle as seen on Thought Catalog
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