LOWERING EXPECTATIONS -A GREAT GIFT IDEA from (me!) sandra, tvgp
often, in my imagination, i see a person in a wheelchair
surrounded by people who are saying things like, "stop being lazy! get up and walk already!
-my God, do i have to do everything for you! can't you go take care of that yourself! stop making up excuses... stop crying victim...
who cares if you lost both legs... "
and doesn't that sound ridiculous. harsh. unnecessarily cruel and insensitive.
but, i think what happens
and not on purpose
is that because for some people their limitations and handicaps are not readily visible
we accidentally do the equivalent of asking a wheelchair bound, legless person to walk.
and experience unwarranted frustration and anger over things people are not able or qualified to correct.
i think a sweeping lowering of expectations combined with a sweeping raising of compassion and forgiveness levels might be just about the best Christmas gift we can give to one another
to spread around the world.
with love to you at Christmas, ~sandra, tvgp
TO ALL OF YOU FROM ALL OF (US!)
MERRY CHRISTMAS! AND A BLESSED NEW YEAR!
with a "THANK YOU!" to
stewart reynolds, family photographer extraordinare
tim vega, for subtle/perfect edits.
QUICK CHECK for (me!) sandra, tvgp
oh my goodness
there i was at the local grocery -very crowded.
and in the distance, a familiar face from 199?
frighteningly familiar if you know what i mean. worse date of my entire life.
i did the quickest u-turn my boots would allow, and headed down the feminine products aisle for safety
"dear Jesus" i said to myself
"i just want to thank you one more time for dyin' on that cross for my sins"
then God directed me toward the quick check line so i could get the hell out of there.
~shhew, and amen.
GREATEST CHRISTMAS GIFT for (me!) sandra, tvgp
a lot of times, i'm not qualified really, to help in the ways the church might suggest. but one sunday, some time ago, they mentioned being a pen pal
writing letters to boys in kenya
at last! something i
can do!
want to do!
can't wait to do!
and now recently i received my first letter in return. -you can't imagine how this thrills me.
a
hand-written letter.
hand-written on lined binder
paper.
when, i ask, is the last time you sent and/or received a real, honest to goodness,
hand-written letter on
papernot a note. a
letter. and, once my camera battery is charged again, i'm going to post a picture of it because you must see this exquisite penmanship -how beautiful the whole thing is.
but here now, i must retype his words -this future mover, shaker & healer of our broken world
that i am most blessed to be in correspondence with
***
Dear Center Pointe
How are you? I hope you are doing well there in America. I am also doing (well) here in Kenya. Although we are experiencing summer, I think you people are preparing for winter if I'm not wrong.
First and foremost I would like to say thank you for sponsoring me. In deed I don't know how I can express my gratitude but what I know is that God who never misses to see good and evil is going to bless you for your deed.
I am working hard at school so as to meet what God has put ahead of me. My dream is to become an extraordinary Bill Gates who is my future career role model. In simple terms, I mean I would like to become a computer engineer and meet you people there in America and work with you. It will be a great pleasure for me if it comes to happen.
Lastly I would like to tell you that I always pray for you, I would like to request you to pray for me, you as members of Center Pointe. May God bless you all in each activity that you do. May he made you prosper because you have fulfilled his commandment in James 1:27.
Yours,
Moses Otieno Gratitude
***
Dear Lord, hear my prayer
first of all... thank you! so much for the privilege of this correspondence... this wonderful, delightful, gracious new pen pal
and look how this stranger, now friend, is praying for
us! what a soul!
bless him Jesus.. in every way. fill him with joy! hope! energy! faith! -may everything and everyone he touches be also blessed
with your favor, your grace, your infinite love and wisdom
hallelujah & amen!
SPILL OF THE MORNING COFFEE by (me!) sandra, tvgp
no longer interested in twitter; opted out. started getting very irritating -this dictating of how many characters i could use to say what i have to say
felt the equivalent of having someone shut my mouth mid thought, and/or being constantly corrected. (in my mind... f-you! and i shove the hand away)
i believe kmg/bbf pointed this out earlier
remain a fan of facebook though -and i like that everyone matters, and everyday things are shared -and you are welcome to share your thoughts, ideas, etc. even when those thoughts, ideas are not -by certain social standards- "fascinating" or "earth shattering"
because a lot of life is ....ordinary... so to speak. (although how anyone can consider any aspect of life, ordinary, is absurd) and if you only value the extra-ordinary, you're missing out on the majority of life
***
if i didn't divorce twitter -today i would type: really enjoying the variety of old movies on turner classic movies network
oh, i'm sorry... fan of classic movie network, just watche
fuck it... tcm.com. love it.
with no mention of 84 charing cross road, the man who came to dinner, four weddings and a funeral, biography of george stevens/a filmmakers journey.. or two of my favs: james cagney/james stewart
***
another awesome/wonderful time dancing to the live music of the one and only pride & joy! thank you again and always to mr motown... pleasure meeting his friends, and pleasure adding a new friend to our circle: ana (anna?)
didn't she fit write in with me and my sister -another soul who can't sit while pride & joy are performing. our thighs ached, our feet throbbed, but.. still! up on the platform we went and danced til the music stopped. i don't know who anna was dancing for, but me..
ilom.
and i keep promising to keep track of who sings what... but, you know.. too busy dancing
martin singing to my sister though... always a highlight. and if you could see them out on the dance floor together
big thank you's all around
****
suspiciously missing from charlie rose's interview with, lee daniels, the director of precious:
sapphire's after-thoughts (?). i need to look that up
***
three visual art pieces on my agenda -only 1 that doesn't require collaboration
***
time for some of my mom's ultra~delicious pumpkin bread w/walnuts
TBTG! ~amen.
LAUGHTER FOR BREAKFAST! from (squidmann!)
kinko's revisited. wednesday december 16th.
by
leonard stegmann
DILBERT FANS: YOU ARE NOT THAT says (God!) through (me!)
i spy another opportunity... inspired by scott adams post: business card forensics
****
you are not your business card
your illness or your health
you are a cherished child of God
ever green ~beloved.
***
excerpt from poem written/posted 11/25/08, titled: you are not that.
***
and i had to laugh at his thoughts regarding mating and background checks.
when i consider my own life history.. i realize it is best if i just go ahead and give my heart to Jesus
i'm not sure anyone else would really understand.
-all those in favor...
get baptised!
AND THIS MONTH: TRUST for (me!) sandra, tvgp
october and november, i believe God was growing my stamina. this month, my trust.
hallelujah and amen!
SURPRISED?! by (me!) sandra, tvgp
these things fascinate me
1) how humans can witness certain behaviors repeating themselves year after year, decade after decade, century after century -and still act surprised.
2) the inability for some humans to put themselves in other people's shoes
example conversation
"the media... they just used that one christian to spread a bad reputation to the whole christian population... not all christians are like that"
same person says, "did you see that one muslim on tv... i'm afraid of those muslims"
****
do you hear what i hear....
do you see what i see...
TIGER WOODS: YOU ARE NOT THAT says (God!) through (me!) sandra, tvgp
if they placed you on a pedestal
then kicked you off for fun
none of this
is who you are
in the eyes of God.
*****
excerpt from a poem i wrote & posted nov 25, 2008. i argued a bit with God on this one... said, "shouldn't it be called evergreen beloved?" -and it came back to me, "no. YOU ARE NOT THAT."
who am i to argue?
***
YOU ARE NOT THAT
you are not your pretty face
you are not your scars
you are not the house you keep
you are not your car
you are not your business card
your illness or your health
you are a cherised child of God
ever green ~ beloved.
you are not what others think
based on current trends
you are loved, day in, day out
on purpose, without end
if they stuck you in a mud pit
or covered you in jewels
or plopped you in a foreign land
without any foreign tools
if they placed you on a pedestal
then kicked you off for fun
none of this
is who you are
in the eyes of God.
you are not your ignorance
and you are not your knowledge
you are a cherished child of God
ever green ~beloved.
