I HATE ROACHES!!!

I like to think of myself as someone who values caring for the environment and believes we are responsible for the upkeep of the planet and animals. So much so, that I have eliminated the practice of indiscriminately stepping on bugs just because I can. I believe they have a right to life as long as they are outside my home. So, as I sit at my computer to check my mail, I hear something plop onto a pile of papers to my left. Upon closer inspection, it is a treacherous ROACH!!! My heart starts beating fast, my breath is shallow, I hold in a cry of disgust because my sweet little girl is asleep in the adjoining room. I run to ask my knight in shining armor to rescue me from this frightening dragon. To prepare him, I suggest a large shoe. As he evaluates the situation, he decides heavier artillery is needed. He decides bug spray is the weapon of choice. So my knight rescues me and none too soon. As for my ecological concerns, he was on my turf, and I'm bigger and stronger (or at least my husband is). Let this be a warning to any disgusting, dreadful roach that dare enter my abode. No life will be spared!

more fave quotes

Amy, the yoga instructor:

"Accept with gratitude, give with devotion" While she was referring to the practice of yoga, I relate it to my faith journey. Accept God's grace with gratitude, give to Him with my devotion.

Favorite Quotes

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light not darkness, that is powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are the child of God. Your playing small doesn't serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."
Nelson Mandela--1994 Inaugural Speech
I have carried this quote around with me in my purse for several years. There have been times when I wasn't sure what I thought of it...I think I am finding a new appreciation for it lately.

Who says I can't do everything?...Oh!

Still struggling with the whole "I can do everything mentality...if I were smart enough, strong enough, wise enough..." you get the picture. One of my favorite quotes by my pastor is "find humility in your limitations". I love this quote!
Romans 12 backs this up pretty nicely:
3For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. 4Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. 6We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his[b]faith. 7If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; 8if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.
This says to me that all we need to do is focus on the gifts we have been given and use them according to the measure of our faith. Not quite sure what the last part means. It's somewhat freeing to know that even the B-I-B-L-E doesn't expect me to know and do everything. And v.3 sort of tells me that others struggle with the wish for omnipotence or omnicence, or whatever. The cool thing is that if we just focused on developing our own skills and gifts and talents and appreciated the gifts of those around us (rather than compete with them) we would be a truer picture of a unified body. Hmmm.......

the frustrating life of a non-omnipotent being

I wonder if anyone else struggles with the frustration of not being able to do everything and know everything all the time at the right time. My phrase for the day has been "Lisa, you can only do what you can do, deal with it." In some ways this is freeing because it releases me from my unrealistic expectations of myself, but at the same time, it frustrates me because I can't know and do everything I want to do or everything I think needs to be done. I guess I'm left with "deal with it." (originally posted September 19, 2005)

blah, blah, blah

I am home alone tonight. Tom is at a movie with his brother from out of town and Gracie is in bed. It's nice sometimes to be at home alone and do whatever I want to do. I have been surfing the net and catching up on e-mails. I am also trying to figure out how to navigate livejournal...which is sad because I really don't know what I am doing. I've at least decided this would be much more interesting if I shared it with friends and family...otherwise I'm not sure what the point is. I think I will go enjoy some chocolate cake from TGIFriday's...a treat from Tom. I won't tell you what he calls it. (originally posted September 12, 2005)

F-O-C-U-S...What?

UGHH! Today I have taken up the task of cleaning the dreaded mini-blinds. I hate these things. They are not the most attractive window treatment, but I do find them functional since I can control the light coming in the windows. Cleaning the blinds is a big job in itself, but as I started, I noticed repairs needed to be made to the blinds and the walls. Oh, and, the windows should be clean for clean blinds, and the curtains should be clean for the clean windows and clean blinds and on and on. My key word for the day is FOCUS! If I can get the blinds clean (and maybe the windows), I have accomplished something. Right? (originally posted June 13, 2005)

Moving...

Well, I'm moving from livejournal. We'll see what happens. I am bringing previous posts with me.

A place for Lisa to rant

Its gotta look better than an online journal.