grateful

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Everything posted by grateful

  1. hey there - like you, my first (and only) non religious wedding was initially a challenge. I can locate the original and share it with you if you'd like. we are a pack of quaker, roman catholic, christian, muslim, jews my daughter and her husband are agnostic at the very least but did want to acknowledge and respect all. the blessings came from everywhere but the ceremony was beautiful and cohesive. I'll dig around for it today or at least bring back the structure of the ceremony from memory
  2. happy memorial day revjackp and to all who serve/have served I thank you for your selflessness from the daughter of a usaf veteran
  3. if I may say, you are a clear and concise writer. even when I'm not agreeing with you I can't say I've ever wondered what you were trying to say
  4. I think my biggest weakness is an almost irrational optimism. the older I get, the more I begin to understand that it is sometimes important to take off the rose colored glasses :| having said that, I still think life is grand, or mostly grand
  5. oh for gods sake! that's just awful! I'm sending you all good wishes and good things..
  6. I'm going to try that revjackp, they say that when you sing words as opposed to simply saying them that they are received more readily in the brain. I wonder if it helps people who have suffered a stroke
  7. sending you and your wife all the best and relief soon! I have a theory that I get wonky, sick, uncomfortable when the barometric pressure changes.. interesting, not surprising, the similarities
  8. yes indeed.. I was just shocked that she invited herself again, but why should I have been? moving forward, "I really can't entertain guests. since I work from home it is simply too difficult, I'm sorry. there are some nice hotels in the east bay that I can recommend" this ignoramous didn't even reach for the check at lunch. she waited till I reached for it and said, "oh, you've got that"? really? she has her recess money! ah, live and learn.
  9. my attempt to be civil and agreeable backfired royally. we were high school friends, and remained fairly close through our late twenties. followed by fifteen years or so of ignore- she was pushy and rude in general ( to strangers, which I'll never get) she yelled at me about something..for the last time. I simply didn't return her calls. a few years ago, I ran into her while shopping and somehow here we are. I wouldn't mind having lunch with her twice a year, I don't hate her or anything. we simply have nothing in common but a shared history, and a pretty pedestrian, one sided one at that :/
  10. I love my friends and family. I enjoy their company and am grateful each is in my life. as with family, so with friends; there is a continuum on which these relationships lie. easiest to hardest, most fun to find a way to have fun, ones who'd bitch if their ice cream is cold versus those who always make lemonade out of lemons. my houseguest was the former. pick up at sfo had me approach only to realize she was in a shouting match with an attendant. oh dear, it was going to be a long week.. we moved house on april 1st, with our own dog and three visitor dogs in tow. she planned to "split time between my daughter and myself". it never quite works out like that. this was her second week long visit in as many years, it was an overnight in sf. again the rest of the time she was here ...problem is, I never invited her a few months ago, she gleefully called with "her dates" and a list of suggestions what she might want to do, I was gobsmacked. a week before she arrived, she emailed me with a virgin america flight deal with the message "should I book this for september? (NO!!!!) Requesting assistance in composing a response to the next self invited guest
  11. well that my friend, is a horse of a different color. I'm not clear how you view yourself in this though; do you feel you are disabled and unable to work or are you seriously just taking the money because you can and/or corporations do it? it's interesting how the system works. a clear diagnosis usually guarantees assistance. yet I've seen children and families struggle for YEARS before receiving any help. i.e. a child with atypical retts disorder or sma. if you are supporting yourself well with your entrepreneurial skills and taking, you are taking from me, and people like me. so you are as bad as the government, and a large part of the problem. you appear to share a mindset with an entity you clearly have disdain for. what you do and how you decide to live your life is none of my business. boasting about taking advantage of hardworking people (me) however. tends to make us a little cross.
  12. I'm with you valid objections to corporate welfare and other government spending is lost to me when you put your hand out like them. I don't care if you hate to work! get off your ass and work to keep yourself here on the planet. why should anyone carry your burden when you are able? or was this tongue in cheek? a very subtle joke?
  13. Thank you for your time and trouble re: that
  14. revjackp, you are an inspiration. I always felt better viewing footage when you guys showed up thank you for you service, and thank you for the way you honor your fallen comrades
  15. I think in most states, k-12 is still all that is required by law? pre-school and per k have become the norm, and while it gives some kids a competitive edge, it bores others to tears - for many reasons. kids are able to test out of grade levels. and have been able to for as long as I can remember. they just have to prove comprehension of required material. like, I've taught kids and told parents " first grade? pffft! make sure they know she/he reads at a third grade level! I think a critical piece though is a child's OVERALL intelligence - not just their cognitive and intellectual skills but their emotional intelligence.. it's HUGE (plays in to the boredom angle as well)
  16. I was a teacher, so I know exactly what you mean. unfortunately public scools, and some private schools, teach "to the test" and not to the children. it is a disservice to them. you just have to hope for talented, enthusiastic and knowledgeable teachers who make school fun. I'm sorry you have gotten nasty replies (they NEVER advance a dialogue)
  17. hmm, a lot going on there but I think you're saying that it's not okay to be a hypocrite when dealing with children, true that! they see right through it anyway. children actually have a pretty amazing sense of justice. people have adorned themselves since the beginning of time. if what you mean is that people have a false/fake front and that is against (god), I'd say "okay" but many people do not necessarily see "god" as you might; some might be offended that you refer to god as 'him'. I don't go in much for trends, never have. I don't like cookie cutter style, and tend to avoid what everyone else is wearing. I don't dye my hair (but I did wear braces!) what do you mean pre k should be banded?
  18. I understand why you might initially think that rowan, but as you can see, there is the vision of the founder and his position that ordained ministers are ordained ministers. and then there's all of us remembering back to my first few visits here, I was dumbfounded by some of the things that I read. I couldn't reconcile what I was reading with doing only that which is right - until I thought about it and until I was politely nudged, okay shoved towards, things I hadn't considered. welcome by the way!
  19. I think goldfish are great pets freya worship with a little care they can live a long time too. my daughter won a little comet at a school fair when she was six, she was in middle school when bob marley died.. we also had four big fantails in a twenty gallon aquairium, seemed they lived forever too! (watch where you put your bowl or aquarium, no direct sunlight! algae!)
  20. good to hear you are getting there tom but very sorry for your loss I've wondered if leaving so quickly is a blessing or a curse - in april of '92, I was shopping at mizner plaza with my mother. in august, I was sitting in a cemetery listening to prayers for her soul. I am grateful that she didn't suffer long. it felt like I had just acknowledged she would leave and she was gone. tell those pt's to go easy on you
  21. I'd have to change a word or two here and there but yes! (except my husband is the cat person, me? me? it's all about the dogs )
  22. some people are lonely all their lives. some people dream of the day they can be alone. it is often a function of individual paths, and these paths converging, or not. of place, of community and of choices. I've only had a few years where I actually lived alone. I was far from lonely. I was in my late thirties when my daughter went away to college. I wondered how this huge life change would affect me (not to worry). I had two big dogs, a job I loved and close and fantastic family and friends. I have empathy for the elderly and those who have lost their family, their friends, their connection. It could be me someday. my entire family is back east, my parents are deceased and I have one child (with a life and a job that involves constant travel) I have a terrific husband and a dog I couldn't love more.. but if something were to happen to them, I would be alone. I think it would take me quite some time to become lonely though
  23. thank you dan, that clears everything up!