Frankenstorm Sandy, please please be gentle with us

Hurricane Sandy will come to my house between 2:00 a.m. Monday and 2:00 a.m. Tuesday.  Color me nervous.

Let's look over the checklist of everything I need to do to prepare for Sandy.

1. Buy bread, milk, and toilet paper
2. Get furniture off the deck
3. Tape windows
4. Invited Hurricane Irene to come last year and clear most of the trees from around the house

Yeah, I think we're ready. 

Prayers are welcome.  Seriously.  Pray for us.

638.  Stores with vodka (hurray!)
639.  Tenants are out of my house (there will be a blog on this)
640.  Knowing there is only so much we can do to prepare for the storms in our lives.  Trusting in God and his plan for us is the most we can do
641.  God is good    
642.  The faith in God given to me by the Holy Spirit

Maybe I'm a Disney princess

I think I may be a Disney princess.  After all, I'm 55 years old and I'm 50 lbs. overweight.  I wear glasses.  My hair is graying.  And my boobs are racing each other to my knees and I think the right one may be winning.  Yeah, I think that sounds like a Disney princess, don't you?  Maybe I'll name myself Bellerella.  Or Mulahontas.  Or Tiana-Ting.  Anyway, I think I may be the lost Disney princess and I'll tell you why.

I have found myself in conflict with an evil villain.

The most recent villain in my life entered just over a month ago.  Let's call him Sir Boringoldguy.  He is my newest co-worker.  Unfortunately, his boss (aka my boss) was on travel during this guy's first week of work.  Sadly, I was tasked with introducing this guy around campus and settling him into his office.  I was, essentially, being his "go-to" person.  Super sadly, this guy became quite attached to me.  Seriously, if I didn't know full well that I look exactly like the person described in the first paragraph of this post, I'd think he was trying to "come-on" to me.  And yet, I'm the more vivacious of the pair of us.  If you get my meaning.

Some of his dastardly deeds include coming to meetings with my boss 20 minutes early so he can sit down in the chair across my desk and talk to me.  I now know way too much about this guy.  I can tell you, I learned way too much about this guy in his first two weeks.  Here is a guy with no boundaries.  None.  I know his son is wanted by the police.  I know the entire story of why his son is wanted by the police.  I know he is hiding his son from the police.  I know he is still looking for another job because he believes he can do better than this.  I know how EVERYTHING was done on Capitol Hill in regard to environmental health and safety.  And you know what?  I don't care about any of it.  This guy is trying to bore me to death.

I've attempted to fight my nemesis off with comments like, "You know?  I'm busy just now and really don't have time to talk."  And this one, "You really shouldn't be telling me all this.  It's none of my business."  And my favorite, "Please leave.  I have a lot of work to do and I have someone coming to my office in a couple minutes."  This guy, evidently, has a force field and all my verbal arrows bounce right off of him.  Bummer.

Face to face combat is not the only evil trick he has up his sleeve.  He is also the master of lengthy, rambling emails.  His emails usually contain two or three forms of bullet points (arrows, dots, blocks...), at least one bolded word, a couple of words in ALL CAPS, italicization, and (my favorite) multiple colors and fonts.  He's the type of villain that uses 500 words when five words would suffice.  Oh! The humanity!

Unlike most Disney princesses, there is no Prince Charming around this place to rescue me from this evil villain.  None.  My boss is King Non-confrontational.  Even though I have actually gone into my boss' office and told him this guy is bothering me and will not stop coming over to my office to chat, my boss will do nothing.  I am an orphan and my king will not save me.     

I will become Princess Happy-merida-girl.  I will load my quiver with arrows that will pierce any force field.  I'll use "No, you can't sit there."  And, "You need to leave."  As well as, "Does it smell like mothballs in here or is that you?"  How about the always effective, "Go away, now."  Let's pray it does not come down to cursing by foul words and the all-powerful Human Resource curse.

I hope I end up living happily ever after.  Or, at least until the countdown on my I Quit This Job clock strikes zero.

The end.

634.  Two days with King Non-confrontational on travel
635.  The most beautiful fall weather, EVER!
636.  Co-workers I enjoy working with
637.  Memories of the other evil villains that have been my life that have been slain or conquered

What is man that you are mindful of him?

Psalm 8:1-9  O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens. From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise because of your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger. When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. You made him ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet: all flocks and herds, and the beasts of the field, the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas. O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!

I have always struggled with my worthiness.  Why have I been so blessed in this life?  Why do I have a husband that loves me so?  Why did I grow up in an intact family?  Why did God choose to bring me into this life that I am living?  Why?  why?  why?

Last night at my small group bible study we read this verse.  In fact, the verse was almost skipped because we were pressed for time.  I'm glad we didn't miss it. 

I have been made a little lower than an angel.  I have been made ruler over creation.  This is pretty big stuff.  This makes me pretty special.  If mankind has been created for a position such as this, it makes us pretty important in this world.  No wonder we have harnessed all it's resources and used it to our advantage.  But, you know what they say, "with great power comes great responsibility."  Yes, we have been given the position of authority over this earth, but we have also been given the responsibility to care for this earth.  This is the balance we need to exert. 

A question in the study asked if I had had any particular event in my life bring me to an understanding of who God is and what my relationship is to him.  I listened to the answers around the room.  Some spoke of the time in their lives (typically the college years) when they strayed from their faith and walked on the wild side.  It was interesting.  Kind of.  Sort of.  It would have been a lot more interesting if someone in the room had ACTUALLY had a racy past, but that wasn't the case.  Two members of the group are Naval Academy grads.  Nope, no racy past there.  One new graduate of William and Mary College who is also the preacher's kid.  Nope, no racy past there.  Others are government contractors or DOD employees.  And still, no sordid past.  I'm good with this.  I'm glad I study with so many upstanding citizens.  I'm glad to delve into the truth of God's word with these people.  I like them.

It was nice to know I didn't have the past of being a crack whore to fit in.  The event that changed my understanding of who God is and the nature of my relationship with him came to me when I accepted his forgiveness for a sin, I thought, was unforgivable.  I had always heard that God was in the business of forgiving.  I confess, God forgives.  That's how it works.  Yet here I was, living with an event from my past that I thought was too horrible to be forgiven.  I lived with it for years.  Then, one day while driving home from one of my son's therapy sessions in Washington, DC, something someone said on a radio program made me remember that God forgives all sins.  Jesus died on the cross for each and every one of my sins.  None were left out.  Because of the blood of Christ, God forgives and it is all arrogance, on my part, to not accept his forgiveness.  Arrogance.  I was so surprised.  I hadn't thought of it as arrogance.  I'd always thought of it as unworthiness.

But here I am.  A being created a little lower than the angels.  This is why I can be proud of who I am.  This is why the creator of the universe is mindful of me.  This is why he knows the number of hairs on my head.  The arrogance is not in how I live as a daughter of the King.  The arrogance is in thinking I know better than the King.

630.  The freedom of living with forgivness
631.  The joy of studying the word of God with like-minded people
632.  Christian radio stations
633.  Little moments of time to myself to ponder who I am in this world

National Geographic

Linking with Emily at Imperfect Prose on Thursday.

Setting a goal

Boss:  Happygirl you need to set a goal for yourself this year.

Me:  Ok, I will.

Boss:  So, what is your goal?

Me:  I’d like to take a creative writing class.

Boss:  Oh?  How would that apply to your job?

Me:  I think it will make next year’s annual budget report a real page turner.

I'm linking with G-man for a Friday Flash 55

625.  Juice making with my son this morning
626.  Oyster Festival (nothing better than a belly full of beer and oysters)
627.  Leaves tuning colors and starting to fall
628.  Apartment hunting (aka as dreaming of a place on the beach)
629.  Waking myself to reality and being satisfied with what I have

I'm a Titus 2 older woman

Here I am, the Titus 2 older woman.  Even I can't believe I'm here.  My whole adult life I thought of myself as the Proverbs 31 woman.  I guess one can be both, but that's asking an awful lot of just one woman.  Even though the bible doesn't speak of the women as often as it spotlights the men, the verses directed towards us are chock-full of action items.

Here is a condensed version of what the Proverbs 31 woman is.  (this is the model God has for us girls.  ladies, hold on to your hats.)

The character of the Proverbs 31 woman is to be:  confident, courageous, dignified, diligent, an early riser. faithful, generous, industrious, influential, kind, moral, not lazy, observant, organized, prudent, reverent, sensible, one of strength, trustworthy, well groomed, and wise.

Her skillset is to include the textile arts, where she is to be creative, know handspinning, be knowledgeable in textiles, and have sewing skills.  She is also to be skilled in the culinary arts as the purchaser of choice foods and supervising meals.  Her management skills should include:  attention to detail, common sense, knowledge of home businesses, being a wise investor, observant, organized, taking the role of the overseer, being philanthropic, prepared, realistic, showing stewardship, being successful, teaching, and just all around wisdom.

Finally, her relationship with her husband should be one that shows appreciation for him, has his best interests at heart, be one of trust, full of praise for him, and be one of unity.

This, my friends, is a full-time job.  Oh?  What is that you say?  You have a full-time job outside of the home, too?  Just remember to take your vitamins.  Your going to need the energy.  Luckily, or not (depending on your point of view), you get seven days off each month to sit in a tent or cave on your own while you have your period.  (I hope I didn't offend anyone by saying "period,"  Especially Richard, the fb ranter of maxipad commercials.  check it out.)

One day you will wake up and discover you have become the Titus 2 woman.  Just when you got a handle on being the Proverbs 31 woman, wham, life takes a turn.  I can tell you, the day comes (about 25 years into your marriage) when the relationship with your husband has become such a close partnership that each and every one of the recommendations in Proverbs becomes as natural as breathing in and out.  You notice that you've gotten a handle on the home management thing, too.  (especially now that those sticky handed toddlers and non-driving teenagers have left the nest.)  You think you've checked the box.  But, No.  God has a new job for you.

Titus 2:3-5  "Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the Word of God."

This is my new biblical admonition.  If, by any chance, you find yourself in my shoes and have discovered you are now a Titus 2 woman, remember this; just because we are able and capable to train the younger women, that doesn't mean they're going to listen to us.  And, if by any chance, you are a younger woman doing your best to follow the Proverbs 31 model; take a moment to ask a Titus 2 woman what she thinks or how she handled some of marriage's, motherhood's and general life living situations and struggles.  Believe it or not, things have not changed that much and there may be some wisdom between those older ears.

God knew what he was doing when he wrote these two passages.  Iron sharpens iron.  Experience is an excellent teacher.  One great thing about being in fellowship with other christians is to seek out wisdom and life long experience of walking this life with Jesus and allowing the Holy Spirit to guide us instead of the latest parenting trend or following the lifestyle trends of the Hollywood set.

Allow me to introduce myself as one of the newest Titus 2 women on this earth.  I know God has said (and I paraphrase), "You have not, because you ask not."  Feel free to ask me anything.  :)

Linking with Emily at Imperfect Prose on Thursday.

619.  Loving in a long marriage

620.  Raising a loving son

621.  Walking with Jesus for many years

622.  Being forgiven much

623.  Learning from Godly older women

624.  Caring about the next generation of christian women