Jude Stringfellow's Blog, page 73

Weird Dream - Ships/Windows/Kyle Wesley

 Let me preface this by saying I seem to have very odd dreams, but I do remember them. I do remember details, and I also remember words, things I've said, things said to me, numbers, etc.  That being said, let's just jump into it.  My friend Niki told me that when you jump into the middle of a story, not at the beginning, it's called "in media res" that sounds cool. Let's dive into the middle, shall we?

    I was in a place with a man, he was my boyfriend, and he called himself Mike, but I knew that wasn't his name. He told people he was from Dublin, and I knew that wasn't true either. I wasn't really impressed with the guy, so when he was flirting with another woman I looked him in the eyes (he was actually wearing sunglasses) and I said "Let me make it easy for you" and I walked away. I was wearing a really pretty black sleeveless dress, and I sort of jogged home. I used the highway to find my way home.  

     I was about to arrive home when I saw a young woman who was blond and small. The woman had a baby in her arms. She told me his name was Kyle Wesley. The woman handed me her baby. He was wearing a white crocheted outfit. She wanted me to adopt him. She couldn't afford to keep him. I told her I would. I then found myself handing him back to her and she had a man with her, perhaps the father. I was super happy they wanted Kyle back, and we prayed together. That made me happy. 

    I never made it home. I was now on a ship, not a boat, but a cruise ship and I was with my friends Niki and Jeannie. We needed to get to the other side. We HAD to get there. Suddenly it was imperative that we make it over there, and they lifted me up and I found myself standing on them to reach a window.  They weren't in danger or peril, it wasn't even hard for them to lift me. I was asking the people on the other side of the window to let me in, but they couldn't. It wasn't that they wouldn't, they actually couldn't.  I had to do it.  I began shielding Niki and Jeannie with my shirt and I broke through the thick glass with a stick or something. It took a while.

    After breaking the glass, I pulled the window out of the frame, and the frame came apart I was having to pull more than I thought I needed to, but I finally got it off and open so I could crawl through it. Niki and Jeannie went on their way. I was the only one to go through the window. There, on the other side was broken clear glass, but it wasn't hurting me or anyone. I picked it up.  A man, the captain probably, who was named Donald, was asking me why I didn't use the door. I told him there was no door. I could only use the window and I had to break it. He argued, but he realized I was right and he apologized.

    While I was talking to the others on the other side of the glass where I was now, I said "I know Oprah Winfrey so my story will be told".  They were happy to know it. As I was talking I had to pull the glass from my throat, but it wasn't hurting me. I wasn't in danger, it was just there.  I was told I needed to go to the doctor's office to be checked so I could continue the trip.  The doctor was in room 210.  His office was down a floor, so I took the stairs and noticed I was in a pink party dress now. I stopped by the staircase and had my photo taken before going to the doctor's office.

    I arrived at the doctor's office but instead of a door it was a gate, and animals were on the other side. He was a veterinarian rather than a GP, but he was nice and he let me pet all the animals. I saw a Haflinger horse, a cow, a lamb, a dog or two, and several cats, all lined up on the floor ready to be petted.  He gave me a plant and told me I was fine!  This is the last thing I remember before waking up.

    After looking up all the meanings and going through them to see what I thought was the gist of the dream, I can say that I'm on a journey, I'm going alone, leaving my friends, and I'm happy to be standing on my own two feet, holding my ground, standing up for myself, and taking control of the situation at hand.  The name Kyle Wesley literally means "Narrow Meadow to the West"  Interestingly, there is a larger park in the center towards the west side of Edinburgh City Centre called The Meadows. It is rather long and narrow.  Could that be where I'm going? I accepted it and gave it back to the owners/parents. I didn't keep it. I went on to another place.

    The number 210 is said to be a number of gratitude. To be happy with what I have and not to seek more or try to overdo it.  I'm OK with that too. I want to be content. The party dress and the elegant dress were nice, they show that I am preparing myself for a trip, a journey, something fun, and adventurous.  The ship is literally a relaxed way of cruising through my waking hours, but I must break through new windows to be where I need to be and again, alone, not with friends or family. 

    Speaking about knowing Oprah (I have met the woman) is probably more or less saying I have connections, and I'll be OK wherever it is that I go. I don't have problems finding new friends or acquaintances. I make sure I stay connected.  Basically, I think the white crocheted outfit could mean newness, innocence, first time there, that sort of thing, and that makes sense. I could also be thinking of going to another place where I haven't actually been.  We'll have to see.

    As for the doctor and the last things I saw, the animals? I think the doctor represented authority to say it's OK, you check out, you're fine, you'll make it. The plant represented new beginnings, and strong life and the animals I saw are farm-type animals, friendly and helpful. The several cats lined up for their petting was fun, it was sort of saying we're all in line now, just as you wanted us!  I'm thinking this is a good dream about my future plans to move to Scotland and just be happy and healthy, on my own, standing up for myself, and doing what I need to do to find new friends, new everything - - the journey is mine to take!

Photo Credit: Unknown / Etsy

    

Strike a Cheeky Pose!

 Now, and again, a person needs to feel confident enough that he or she can simply lean against a weight stand, cross their ankles and take a photo of themselves in the gym mirror! Do it! Do it to prove your worthiness.  Do it to prove you've been diligently working out and working toward a goal.  Do it to giggle a little inside and to show others who may have cut you down for being a bit fluffy, that YOU are back! You are the one to be contended with. YOU are beautiful, and nothing can stop you, not even slow you down now!  YOU ROCK!

    I'm not quite at that stage yet, but I could be. I mean, from the weight I was before to the weight I am now is a gloriously wonderful difference, but I'm still a bit dissatisfied with the overall shape, so I'll hold off on that cheeky pose for just a few more months. When the time comes and I do have it all in place, I'll be there with my camera, ready to show the world. The thing is, it just feels so very rewarding and so very satisfying to show off a bit knowing you did your work. You achieved a goal, and you can be the person you want to be and know you should be. 

    I'm not saying that all heavy people should show up to the gym and make themselves thinner by exercise. It's a good habit to get into for sure because no one needs to be unhealthy. What I'm saying is, if you didn't feel that you could achieve something but you did in fact make it happen, you rock, and you need to shout it to the world from the rooftops! If that rooftop happens to be a full-length mirror at the gym, DO IT.  Just don't turn around to see if someone is watching you, that may be a bit arrogant. (OK, just be a tad arrogant if you need to be. You deserve that too.) Good on anyone who makes their mind up to make a difference and then carries through with the plan.  It takes a LONG time to lose weight and build muscle. It's not an overnight fix. It is a lifestyle change. It's work!

    Today is Doga day, then around 7:30 p.m. my friend and I will go to the lake again. This will be the 3rd day in a row that we do that. I have to think it's not only a great plan, but it's also so pretty, and we meet up with some really cool people. Last night there was a cover band. We didn't have seats, but we could hear them. We walked 6.1 miles, took in another gorgeous sunset, watched a young 15-year-old girl have her professional photos taken for her Quincecera, and we watched the boats race on the lake for hours! It was an amazing time. I can't think of a better way to spend my long summer evenings now. I do believe the walks will be the way to go. Have pockets will travel. I don't carry things when I walk.

    Perhaps in a few months when I am able to afford the cryoablation process on my belly and sides, I too will strike a cheeky pose at the gym. I'd have to go inside of a gym to do that of course. I have my workout equipment at home, but I can go into a gym and borrow their mirror, why not?  Why cryoablation? I'm old, I've had babies, I've gone through menopause, and the simple truth is women don't lose weight in the abdomen like men do. It takes removal at some point. At least I can do what I can and make the process as painless and inexpensive as it can be. It's not invasive, and it's permanent. PERFECT.  I don't mind claiming I accepted and paid for assistance. Why lie? 

    Long live the healthy choices and life changes we are making. Let it be that our mantra is one of good blessings and prosperity. Our bodies are temples, aren't they? We should not let them become ruinous. Don't let someone lie to you and say it's OK to have a bigger temple than you need; be prudent!  Work out, make it happen, live well, eat well, drink only good things, and remember to pray. Prayer is the key to the entire change you are trying to make - - without God there is NOTHING. With God, there is no limit.  Be blessed. (Proud of you, Tex. I really am!) 

    

Photo Credit: Unknown, Pinterest

The Whale Express!

 From time to time I think about things that I have thought about in the past and I think to myself that maybe I could either rethink it or let the first thought be the last one. Today, I was remembering a time when the birds of the air obeyed an order from God, and they fed the prophet in order to bring not only nutrition for the man but also an awareness that birds will, even if people won't, obey God.  Well, for the record the seas will also obey God. Inside those seas (oceans) and other places on our green ball of life, are other animals and creatures who, when humans won't, have demonstrated their innate ability to do exactly that which God has commanded of them. What's funny is, that humans, like to think we're above the animals, and in most ways we are, but we have a lot to learn when it comes to being obedient to His call.

    Baalam's donkey refused to move forward to allow her rider to go to an area where he had been paid to deliver a curse to God's people. The donkey saw the angel that the man could not see, and though she was punished without cause, she did not budge. In the end, the man saw the way of God as well, and instead of a curse, he delivered a blessing on the people, which truly upset his employers. The bottom line is; that you will do what God asks whether you do it willingly or at the end of an exhaustive battle with your own ass, but you will do what you are told you will do. EVERY TIME.

    Animals were not hunted in pairs and drug by the neck to the Ark when it came time to be rescued and preserved for the future. God had already picked the pairs (and the 7 for the clean animals) that He would have on the boat, and they came from all sorts of places, walking, running, flying, perhaps on the backs of others, but they instinctively, obediently, made their way to the Ark.  People like to say that the unicorn did not make it onto the boat, but I disagree; they just got off the boat a bit early and can still be found all over the moors of Scotland. Prove me wrong.

    When Jonah was hiding from God, running away from God, he had boarded another boat to go in the opposite direction of where God had directed him to go.  The seas roared and clamored so that the men on the boat, who were not God-fearing men, knew there was something going on.  They questioned their demon gods to find out who it was that was causing the problem. Their lots fell upon Jonah, and he, knowing he was disobedient to God, knew the entire ship to be at peril. Jonah then, either asked to be thrown overboard, or he found himself being thrown overboard, but his message of who God is wasn't lost on the men who threw him!  They saw him being swallowed by a fish and then the very seas they were fighting calmed allowing them to move forward.  Jonah had mentioned it was his God who was in control of the waters. Such a witnessing moment.

    While the whale or big fish was not necessarily expected by anyone that day, it obeyed the call of God to be where it was supposed to be when and exactly at the time a man was being thrown overboard for disobeying God. Keep in mind, that God told Jonah to go to Nineveh. He didn't ask him to go.  God TOLD Jonah to go.  One way or the other Jonah was going to go to Nineveh; be it on a boat going that way, perhaps he could have walked the trails and roads, maybe he could have ridden a horse or camel, but nope, he went by Whale Express! I hear it's a beast of accommodation, but at least it's both economically affordable and it likely had a direct non-stop passage to the final destination.

    Can you imagine the people who may have witnessed Jonah being vomited upon the shore of the very place he was told to go, and how they must have felt seeing a live man walking, stumbling, falling out of a whale's mouth covered in seaweed and membrane?  Let me just say that if that man started talking about what God wanted me to do, I would not want to argue with that man - - not after seeing what he went through and how it was that he came to be able to claim what he could claim! I think I would KNOW at that point that whomever this God was, He was in fact GOD if He could keep a man alive inside a fish for 3 days and nights and have him delivered EXACTLY where He needed the man to be delivered. The simple fact that the whale obeyed God is reason enough to fear Him. We will get to our own Nineveh one way or the other - - perhaps it may behoove us to go when we're told!

    If God said yes, He means yes.  If God said no, He means no.  If God asks you to wait, the answer will always be yes but it will take a minute. He's not going to ask you to wait to be told no. You'll know fast fast if the answer is no. No doors will open, no signs will be available, and the only light that is being shown to you didn't start in Heaven.  Here's something a pastor said once that has stuck with me. He said (paraphrasing) "If God said it, He meant it, and your arguing with Him isn't going to change His mind. You're going to do what He said, whether you want to or not, but the better choice is to stop belly-aching and realize that it wasn't some nimby-whimsy, fly-by-night who asked you or told you to do something. It was Almighty God! It was the Creator of the entire universe! Just know that if He thinks you're capable, you are either capable now or you will be! He doesn't send you out there without proper training. Just say yes. It spares you the first-class seat on the Whale Express!"  

Do you know a Jonah? Are you on a boat headed for Tarshish?

Photo Credit:  HealthyLifeBox.com

Poetry - Writers

 I can't say with any certainty, how many poems I've written in the 784 years I've been alive. It's at least once a year, I can tell you that. There's no way I can possibly remember the words to every one of them; let alone the message I may have been trying to convey.  I will say this, I laugh at times when I find myself reading a poem I find in a box lost somewhere in my house or attic and then find myself saying "Oh, I think I like that" when I wrote it. I laugh. I do.  I wonder if other people do that or is it's just me. I wonder if there are people who can remember that they actually penned the words when they did it, why they did it, you know - - memories? 

    I came across a poem I wrote in the early '80s the other day and I thought about it. I thought I should publish that, but then I realized I did publish it! I not only published it in a newspaper I put it in my poetry book titled "Periwinkle".  I'd like to re-do that book if only to take out the thoughts I wrote about the title poem. I no longer feel the way I do about the man I wrote the poem for. I was never in love with him. I in fact, never loved him at all in any way, but I really can't say I even have respect for him at this point and there I am now, in perpetuity being all kind and nice -- dang it. 

    Let me see if I can make things a bit more clear for anyone out there who doesn't know me. I am a poet. I am a writer. I am a storyteller. I am an author. At any moment (whatsoever) I could spontaneously burst into words...either spoken or written. When I get upset, pissed off, mad, or otherwise angry I can write words that cut through and leave no trace of life; I destroy and destroy utterly.  Thank God for that delete button.  Thank God for erasers.  When I am happy, when I am in love, when I am fantasizing, my words can lift and create life itself. There are new colors and hues of romance as well as extemporaneously vivid genesis! I become the keeper of flames, the bringer of passion -- I'd rather be happy I think.

    Today, I will leave you with a word or two I wrote in 2020 while praying and asking God to show me His mercy as I wondered about the future of my life here on this Earth.

    "Will I be a wife again, can I bring my heart to think it?

Will there be a moment when my soul receives a kiss?

Could I know again, the panting, the whispers of  enchantment

Are there words of hope waiting, somewhere in the mist?"

Who knows? Only God can answer that one. If it is to be it will be. I will certainly not seek it on my own. I've done enough damage in that area of my life. I will simply say that the ink in my pen and the blood in my veins would be pumping at the same time if it were so -- let the words commence God if it is your will. Let me know your will.  Ephesians 5 tells me a bit of what to expect, but it's a very sharp two-party sword that one. Not only does it cut both ways, but it also unites in a way that only God can.

Let the words stir in my head and in my heart -- awaiting their release.

Photo Credit: publishedtodeath.com

Roe Vs. Wade (My Opinion)

 President Ronald Reagan said it best "It would seem that everyone who is in favor of abortion has already been born"  Let's talk about that for a minute.  I know people who have had abortions. I know people who wish they wouldn't have had their abortion because it's the one thing in their life that they can point to that caused them so much pain and self-hate that they can't seem to move forward with any respect for themselves. Two of these women are movie stars. If I told you their names you would know exactly who they are. One of them ended her life over the situation, and another tried to take her life but failed to do so and is now living with that guilt as well.  Am I happy that Roe vs. Wade was overturned today? Hell yes, I am, but I wish it would never have become law, to begin with. MILLIONS of unborn babies have been murdered for the sake of convenience who would have otherwise been thriving adults today.

    A woman on the Left will scream "My body, my choice" until you tell her that the woman on the Right doesn't want to be injected with an unknown substance. Then the woman on the Left is screaming that the woman on the Right is murdering people with her diseased breath! Wasn't the woman on the Left willing to murder an innocent unborn child?  My UK friends will say that we Americans are selfish and unmoving because we think we deserve our human rights and Constitutional rights when it comes to making decisions about being vaccinated, but what about the rights of the unborn? What about the fathers of these unborn babies? Not the ones who paid for the abortions, but the ones who never knew there was a baby! 

    We Americans are not selfish when we won't submit and surrender to wearing masks and being vaccinated "for the greater good" there is no good in the equation! It hasn't been proven, it's only been bounced about in theory on both sides of the argument. You can't find a single blind-blind study for either side that proves that there is a need to vaccinate for the virus - - it's a freaking virus, it can be cured by simple means, and the LEFT stopped our means! Literally stopped producing the chemicals needed to cheaply cure the virus and called us all conspiracy theorists even when that science was proven beyond doubt regarding the cure. The LEFT is the LEFT and will simply continue to bitch about whatever they choose to bitch about and as long as they hold the gold they think they make the rules.

    Today, with the Supreme Court ruling in Roe vs. Wade, it wasn't the LEFT that lost, it was the BABIES who won! Here's a thought, if you don't want a baby, don't have sex. If you don't want a baby, but you want to have sex, be as careful as you can be. If you can't be careful, and you still don't want that baby, adopt it out or give it to a willing and loving family who would go to the end of the world to raise a child. There are so many options - - thank you JESUS, that we as a nation can say with confidence that an unborn life is a LIFE. 

    I plant avocado seeds in every state I go to, just because I think it's a fun thing to do. I also plant sunflowers in crazy wild areas, usually around barns, and not ONE TIME has anyone said to me "Hey, I love those roses you planted by the barn" because it wasn't a ROSE that was planted.  When you plant a baby human inside the fertile uterus, a BABY HUMAN is going to be born. It's not a blob, it's not a thing, it's not an IT...it's a BABY!  Our nation will be severely judged by Almighty God one day for more than 65,000,000 unborn babies that were murdered over the years, and if you want to scream about Black Lives mattering - - more than 72% of those 65,000,000 babies were African American babies!  (Google that sh*t!)

    I for one, stand with the Supreme Court of the United States today in their decision to overturn Roe vs. Wade.  It should be understood that the American people are people who fear God and do what He commands. Judgment is real, and unfortunately, we're already in the throws of it - - the least we can do is try to ease the suffering as best we can until He returns to call us home. When that happens there won't be a single baby left on this planet for them to murder - - you don't have to Google that, you can just read your Bible - - if you have one! That's another sad statistic in our country and it's the reason we have to fight this crap in court these days. God isn't allowed in our schools, and He's not welcome in most homes, but that's another blog.  Today, our Court spoke.  Thank you!

God bless the little children - and may there be many more!!

Photo Credit: YouTube.com

    

My First Demo Trades

 I started my Trading View/Oanda demo trading today. It's so much fun to sit back and watch the market. I've not yet pushed the buy/sell buttons, what I'm doing is just playing the buy/sell position on the trade chart and watching. I know it's only demo money, but I'm just not ready to pull the trigger yet and make an official mistake. This is me being the overthinker that I am. I'm not even willing to throw out fake money! This process is real, and it's a real practice for me. Practice doesn't make perfect folks, it's perfect practice that makes perfect.

    In the world of trading, no matter what market you trade, there is no one who does it perfectly every time. It's a game, it's a market, it's a risk. There are just too many things that can go right, and too many things that can go wrong. For those of you who aren't familiar with FOREX, or the Foreign Exchange, it's another market like the Stock Market, but it's only currencies. It is money buying and selling money. You find the two (pairs) currencies you wish to trade with, be it Euros, Dollars, Yen, etc, and you buy one using the other. For instance, if I trade the EUR/USD I'm using Euros to buy U.S. Dollars, and conversely, if I trade the USD/EUR I am using Dollars to buy the Euros. The market changes second by second!  You can go long and buy, you can go short and sell, you can sit and wait - - which is what I do.

    I am mostly a Swing trader at this point, but I'm practicing using the Day Trading method of getting in and getting out so I can practice putting in the trades and finding my place in line. I could lose, I could win. I'm practicing knowing when to enter. I'm reading patterns on the Daily and 4Hr chart, then dropping down to the shorter time frames of 1Hr and 15Min. to see if the candles give me a reason to enter. It's a process, not something you learn overnight.  

    My method is simple: I do what Steven Hart of The Trading Channel suggests, but he is by no means telling me what to do. He is not giving me Financial Advice. He's showing us online what he does, and how he does it, and we can take that information and use it or not. I'm following his guidelines as much as possible, but I will be honest, I broke protocol today by a mile!  I decided to add a bit of risk just for the heck of it, and I ended up winning. I won't do that with real money! I only did it with fake demo money, and I didn't hit the buy/sell buttons either. I'm not willing to stick my neck out yet - - I will tomorrow or Friday. I'm inching my way into the market like it's a fresh cold pool of water! Once I'm in I'll be OK, I'm sure.

    Right now I'm doing the longer waiting thing just to have more fun tonight. I was in a few-minute trade earlier, and I won. I will now try the waiting game and give it 4-8 hours to see if I made target or if I was stopped out. It's a good way to practice and I don't mind losing because it's learning. When I stop learning that's a problem. I'm hoping for a 68% win ratio over the next 1000 trades and if I can maintain that I'll start pushing the buy/sell button with my own capital.....maybe! I know I will have to do that sometime, but I really don't want to lose, so I'll keep the practice going until I'm really confident that I'll make a bit more each time than I risked. I can do the shorter risk-to-reward ratio for the first 3 months to be sure I know what I'm doing because I don't want to get overconfident... yet.

    Geez this is fun - - and nerve-wracking at the same time! LOVE IT.

Photo Credit: I snipped it from Trading View today. It's the trade I'm in right now.

Besties are the Best

 You know, besties are the best and I think it would be OK if my bestie found out today that I love her! I think she's the bestest best friend ever and I don't mind telling the world. Let's just do it. HEY WORLD, I love my best friend Jeannie! She and I have been really close since the very first minute we met in August 1977.  Yes, I know, I forgot to mention that we are both immortal and we will always be hovering around the same age as when we first met. It is what it is, and maybe that's why we're so close today. Neither of us really gets any older.

    So, I was at the high school and it was the very very first day of classes. We had been there the same week to pick up our schedules, but we didn't meet on that day. I was hanging with my brother I'm sure. He had been at the school a year before me, and actually, he's in her class, I'm not. I was supposed to graduate in 1980, but I decided to go ahead and skip my junior year and graduate in 1979.  Jeannie and my brother are in the Class of '78.  West is Best!! We know this to be a fact.

    I was walking around the cafeteria on the first day of school with my best friend from junior high, her name is Jen, and she and I had been besties for about two or three years. She and I walked up to a table, then Jen decided to walk around with another friend Karen. Karen, as it turns out, was Jeannie's best friend for a few years. When Jen and Karen took off and left Jeannie and I sitting awkwardly at the same table, we had little to no choice but to at least talk to each other. I think I was the one wearing the Bee Gees t-shirt, I'm not sure, one of us was.  She and I immediately struck up a conversation about the Bee Gees, and since she was a Barry fan and I was a Maurice fan, we hit it off.  That was then, this is now.

    A million years later, we're still besties, and let me tell you (without telling you too much) she and I have been to (oh a lot) a few concerts together. I think Andy Gibb was the first, and I think .38 Special may have been the last, but there were some 300 or so in the middle. She's still attending concerts. I only go if I can stand in the back and exit if I need to.  She went recently with another friend to see Steely Dan, so that would have been really fun; if I could stand in the back and make an exit. She's right up front screaming and yelling, I'm in the back making sure no one comes in with bad intentions. See the difference? We're best friends for a reason.

    She lets me drive. I don't complain about her being a vegetarian.  She puts up with my "I was fired again" stories, and I know she's been at her one job since we met in high school, and I don't tease her about not taking change well.  She was raised in a very proper and elite household (I think they had a maid), and I was raised in a mess of a place with humble beginnings and humble endings. She fusses with her hair and nails every week, and I cut mine - both. I cut my nails and my hair. I don't have time for that sort of girly thing.  We both love animals, we both love OU football, we both hate Oklahoma State, and we both love chocolate. 

    Our friendship was tested and tested HARD when we went with her church on a canoe trip down the Arkansas River.  What made me think I could row a few miles with her, I will never know. We capsized at least four times and lost literally everything we took with us, including the sunscreen, lip zinc, and money.  If it wasn't for the fact that someone somewhere up the river was playing Saturday Night Live loudly - - we may have ended right there. I may have had to kill her. The Bee Gees SAVED US!!  We have not gone anywhere in a boat since, and we won't.

    Apart from saying she's the best and just having you accept that fact, I can tell you that when I moved away to Indiana we still kept in touch daily through Facebook, texting, and calling. It was as if we were still close.  We've been through graduation, college, marriages, kids, now grandkids - - but we've not aged. It's just what it is folks, we don't get older. We stay so healthy, so happy, so wonderfully in shape, you really should see us.  We're like something from the Twilight Zone, I swear.  Well, whatever happens, know this; because my best friend in the whole wide world is born again, and I am born again, we're going to be best friends in ETERNITY too!! Oh my gosh! Can you imagine the concerts there? I will be upfront with her and not worry about a thing. THAT will be GLORIOUS!!  

    Happy 1874th birthday friend - - you rock!

Photo Credit: Darren Clarke

    

Return of Rona!

 So, how is it that a virus that was given a cure-all vaccine and several boosters (just to be sure) can come back and haunt those people who were "brave" and dutiful enough to follow the mandates (like sheep to the slaughter)? It's a valid question. Some people never experience the virus at all, others have it, and get over it, while others get it and die.  Albeit, there really haven't been many (if any) proven cases when the people who did die weren't first diagnosed with something else.  My experience with the virus was terrible!! I won't say the virus itself isn't real, it is real. It may be manufactured, curable, and preventable, but it is real.

    My experience with C19 (Rona) was from November 2019 to February 2020. That was before it had a name, but only weeks after its release. Can we say "release"? I was coughing like no other. I had aches in my joints and all. I remember not having much of fever or anything, but I just couldn't shake the damn cough. It went on and on and on. My doctors didn't know what it was, they had no idea that it could have been completely cured by using a low dosage of Zinc and a daily dose of D3. We found that out about 2 years later - - I used over-the-counter cough syrup and took the antibiotics that were prescribed.  Antibiotics don't work by the way.

    Needless to say, my doctors later wanted to revisit with me and do more testing since they realized in March 2021 what it was that I had. I had developed anti-bodies by that time. I was told NOT to get the jabs or the vax and I didn't. I fought hard to tell anyone and everyone I could not get it. I didn't care if they were fired. I didn't care if they weren't hired. Getting an untested chemical in your body that you HOPE will cure something is stupid at best.  It was only after a couple of years that I broke down and took one jab so I could be hired at a place that utterly freaked out when I told them how healthy I was. I even have a doctor's note and an exemption from my pastor, but no, they were insistent. Then the bastards didn't hire me.

    The one thing I had going for me (thank you, Jesus) was that a good friend of mine who is a pharmacist, told me the one that starts with the letter P isn't even viable. He told me it leaves your body after a few weeks. He also told me to bathe in vinegar and baking soda to get "toxins" out of my system. So here I am, toxin-free and taking Zinc and D3 every day, and no, I've not been attacked again by the very intelligent virus that somehow realizes it can't attach itself if someone is wearing a silly piece of cloth over their face.  This virus even knows that if you're eating it can't attack. It can't attack if you're six feet from a fully engulfed sick person. It can't attack if you're given the booster - - oh wait, the only people I know who are in fact infected HAVE had the boosters and the jabs....fancy that?!

      How odd is it that this new virus that's coming down the pike is supposed to be bigger, worse, stronger, less resistant to cure - - oh yes, they'll push that agenda on us as well. Well, I can't wait to have a front-row seat at the Judgement Seat to watch what Jesus does to these men and women who have caused pain, suffering, and death without reason or cause. The almighty $$$$ is their god. My God is too wonderful. I would have zapped them all to Hell by now. He's very patient. I'm really hoping some of His patience wears off on me soon. That would be great.

    For now, I hope my "friend" is enjoying his two weeks away from EVERYONE. By that, I think I know what he's getting at. It makes me happy actually to know he'll be alone with his box sets and his guitar. Maybe he can get a bit of reflection in without the haze of the world glaring at him; he deserves a bit of self-time. Maybe I should say I've taken up with Rona as well - - Nah, she can dance with someone else. I'm not interested in her company. I do know many who have used her as an excuse to take a much-needed or wanted vacation - - cough cough, time off!

Photo Credit: Rescue7.net

 

I Found a Diary.

 When I was really young and just learning to write, I thought it was so cool that I could write something on a piece of paper and give that paper to my mom to read. She would then write me back on either the same piece of paper or another one, and we would continue our correspondence this way for a very long time. It was a fun game. I also wrote poems and stuck them on the fridge for her approval. To my amazement, she never once said it was bad or that it could even use improvement. Wow.  Imagine having someone in your life that loved everything you did. Thanks, Mom.

    I can't tell you when I started keeping a journal, I know I had several and they either got thrown away or left in a storage box. I don't know. Maybe when I'm really rich and famous mom can pull them out from where she's been storing them and she can sell them for $$$$ and make bank! LOL. Don't hold your breath Woman!!  Mom taught me to never (never) write anything down that couldn't be posted in the newspaper for everyone to read. That's some damn good advice right there.

    In 2008, I was in New York City with my dog and her manager Mike Maguire. If you need to read that last sentence again, you can. Feel free to ask...Wait, What? Your dog had a manager? Yes, she did, and she had her own attorney as well. She was a mess, but she was my wonderful mess for sure.  We were in a restaurant in NYC and a man walked up to me and began asking questions about something I had written in a blog about donations. OK. Ask.  He was trying to trap me. He was trying to say I kept the donations.  It was now up to me to prove my innocence, as far as he was concerned.  Guess where he worked? The Washington Post. The newspaper. 

    It took me a minute to find the proof for the man. I didn't live in NYC, I lived in Oklahoma City, and I didn't have the receipts and such with me. I had to wait until our tour was over, then go home, and try to find the box I had them stored in, and it was a terrible ordeal to be sure. The man was bent on ruining my reputation as well as scarring that of my dog!  Well, I found the proof, and he had to hold off on his little dirty-laundry story. Mike threatened a lawsuit for defamation of character on Faith, not on me, which I thought was hilarious. NO ONE bad-mouths the dog and gets away with it. Ask Sebastian M.  He learned the hard way, too, he and Vince V.

    The point is, I write and I blog, and I have diaries and I have journals. I leave them hanging out and laying around the house most of the time.  I don't care if anyone (you) read them because I don't lie. I don't cover things up, and I don't sugarcoat things. I say exactly the things I feel at that time. I won't go back and erase, I won't go back and apologize. That is how I felt AT THAT TIME and people who find themselves offended by my writings will literally have to get over themselves. I'm not going to say I'm sorry for having a feeling.  I can try not to make them public. I can do that.

    This morning I wrote a long long dissertation in my diary. I was trying to figure something out, and often times it helps to write it down and do the whole Pro/Con thing with my mind.  I usually come to a few logical conclusions and I'll even admit that there are times I am WAY WAY off mark, and that's not always a bad thing. There are times I'm really very happy to be wrong. When I am wrong, I am the first to raise my own hand to take the blame and/or responsibility, but you'll never see me do that if I'm right. NOPE...you'll die a slow death before you see me admit wrongdoing if I am right. I may help you through your agony over it, but I'm not going to compromise my correctness. Sorry. It's who I am. I don't have to gloat, I rarely gloat in fact, but I won't "take it back". I'll work you through it.

    I saw a funny t-shirt today that made me laugh. It said, "If you don't like me, and still watch everything I do, then let's face it, you're a fan."  So true. The same could be said about (you) people right now who are reading my blog after claiming they can't stand me. OK, so why are they (you) reading my blog? Do you think I'll say something about you? I may. You should read my diary instead. It's really where the juicy stuff is anyway.  Just sayin'.

LOVE YOU!

Photo Credit: Boldomatic.com

    

    

Fathers.

When I think about fathers I can't help but think about my own daddy. I didn't call him "Father", just "Daddy" and later as we kids grew up and had kids of our own we began to call him "Pop". Funny how that happens. I know for a fact that he wasn't born with the name "Daddy"; he has the same name as my son and his own father, Reuben Stringfellow.  My daddy is Reuben Wayne, my son is Reuben Andrew, and my grandpa is Reuben Jefferson. There are quite a few Reu in our lives.

    The Bible tells us that children are a blessing from God, and I know that's true. I have been eternally blessed with my three. I suppose I was one of the four blessings my daddy had, and I'm absolutely sure all of my siblings agree that he was (and is) one of the best gifts we could ever have received from our Heavenly Father. What I think is really cool is that we can call God "Father" and we can call him "Abba" as well, which is the Hebrew way of saying "Daddy".  I also find it funny how dads claim their baby is saying their name when the child utters something like "da-da" or "Abba", we get it, you're awesome! We know this.

    I've seen the meme and/or saying that "Anyone can be a father, it takes a man to be a Daddy", and I have to agree with that statement. In my life, I have had two separate men decide on their own to stop being a daddy or a father to their children and to choose women, lust, sex, etc, over the extraordinary blessings sent to them from God Himself. It's heartbreaking, to say the least; crushing in fact. This is another reason why I think of my Daddy and call him my hero.  He didn't have to stay; I mean, he did, mom would have killed him if he had left her, but yeah, he wanted to stay. He taught all of us lessons far beyond that what we could ever learn on our own, from friends, and even from good people who wanted to give us the best of life. God gave us a Daddy. That was and is incredibly wonderful to hold in my heart.

    My daddy wasn't the type to play football in the front yard with us. He didn't pal around with us, teach us to fight, drink, hunt, or watch sports with us. He took us camping, and fishing, talked to us about life, read the Bible to us, and showed us what a husband should be, how a husband should treat his wife, and how a man should treat his children. There's just no replacement for that sort of thing in a child's life. To say I was blessed would be a great understatement. I was impressed, stamped, dyed in the color of true love, and it will always be that way even in Heaven.  

    Daddy decided to go see Jesus on October 5, 2017. He had an appointment he just couldn't reschedule. I know when the trumpet blows his body will rise before mine if I'm still alive during the Rapture. I know that right now he's up in Heaven in his spirit and he's making lots of wonderful plans for my room, house, whatever it is. My Daddy is a carpenter, like Jesus, and with his years of experience and love, I'm sure my place will be radiant, unique, and have that special something that only a Daddy can give a kid; you know, his baby girl. 

    When we do get there, when the trumpet blows, all of our sins will be gone. Every last thing we did on this Earth, every tiny and large out-of-the-question wrong that held us back from being who we needed to be, will be destroyed.  There will be love, there will be angels singing, Seraphim with laughter. There will be Roses giving their love, blowing kisses to us, and teaching us that nothing is out of the reach of a Believer who knows Jesus.  ALL will be forgiven. We will be united with our friends, family, people we don't know, people we read about, people we thought about, people who (like us) have been waiting to be made free -- isn't it a bit ironic that the thing that sets us free also binds us for eternity? That's the love of a FATHER.

My Daddy Reuben Wayne (age 18) next to his daddy Reuben Jefferson and my uncle Billy.

Photo Credit: Grandma Stringfellow