Rev.John

Where is it? Outdoors, in the kitchen window, etc.? How much sun is it getting each day? In the ground or in a pot? What kind of soil? How often do you water it? Fertilizer? Can cats (or squirrels, or...) get to it? I tend to under-water my herbs, but over-watering can be just as bad. Peace. Rev.John

I add my prayers as well, Al. Peace. Rev.John

Mine, too. Peace. Rev.John

I do have an opinion - there is little or no difference between religion and politics. Both are "beliefs" held near and dear to the heart, and any questioning of these beliefs is frequently taken as a personal attack. Spirituality is something else entirely. Peace. Rev.John

My thoughts and prayers are with you as well, Pastor Dave. How terribily sad. May you all find peace. Rev.John

Don't we all? It's too bad that human nature prohibits it. Peace. Rev.John

I'm with Carl... And there's nothing there that really fits me, either. But I'm definitely neither a Socialist or an Anarchist. Basic human nature prohibits either of those extremes. Peace. Rev.John

I like that, panpareil. The darkness is necessary, so that there can be light. And light is necessary, for there to be darkness. One cannot be without the other. The dilemma comes when we face the choice of how to balance these opposites within us. The only way to have any balance is to acknowledge them both, weigh them both, and choose to do what is right... You'll note that the balance between "light" and "darkness" is a common theme in spiritual writings. Peace. Rev.John

grateful, I also offer my support at this unhappy time. Our four-legged family members can be no less precious to us because they shed on the furniture. I lost a childhood friend to very much the same situation you are facing. She was 17 - a long life for a cat - but it's always too soon. My best wishes to you and your family. Peace. Rev.John

Then I offer my apologies. I meant no offense. This individual's actions conform to a pattern I have experience with, and with the discovery of this thread my experience led me to question his sincerity. While it truly saddens me, and I'd like to be wrong, I felt that as a conscientious member of this forum I should not keep silent when I see a red flag raised. If similar circumstances arise in the future, I will more carefully consider whether I should post. Peace. Rev.John

I'd bet real money that you never do. As a veteran of message boards myself, I've run across this kind of thing a lot. It's a pity, but there are opportunists - and con artists - everywhere, and we need to be watchful. Peace. Rev.John I

Would that be a bad thing? I join my energy with yours. May ministermom's friend - and all victims of this terrible disease - find herself with the resources to fight, and may the illness be beaten and eliminated. Peace. Rev.John

Thank you, Rev Ed. I truly appreciate the good wishes. Peace. Rev.John

"Christmas" is like "Marriage" in that there are two equally valid points of view: the secular and the religious. I find it fascinating that many of the most currently cherished icons of the Christian holy day actually came from pagan solstice rituals - rituals adopted to make the Church more attractive to the Druids and others - the most obvious being the Christmas Tree. Christmas lights were also a completely secular observance of the winter solstice, meant to celebrate the lengthening of the day. Christmas is also a purely secular holiday, spent away from the workplace with friends and family and reveling in togetherness, feasting, and football. Either way, Christmas is a special time, and we can celebrate it whether we celebrate it as the birth of the messiah, a celebration that the sun begins its return to the north, or makes us remember the joy of family and friends and giving and receiving and eating ourselves sleepy. Merry Christmas! Peace. Rev.John

I offer you my sincerest condolences on your loss. You, your family, and your sister are in my prayers. Peace. Rev.John