Good Friends

The kids are in Disney Land with grandma and grandpa. Heath goes to “Doodle” (my nickname for his accountability group) on Tuesday nights. Tonight, however, I accompanied him and am visiting with JODIE!!

Tonight as I sit at Jodie’s desk, I realize how blessed I am to have such wonderful friends. Heath is in the living room with Brent and Martin while Jodie and are endeavoring to finish our 2 year old cross-stitches! Occasionally, I can hear one of the guys saying, "But is that what the church is for?" Heath is obviously in heaven when he is fellowshipping with his good friends. I find it peculiar that Jodie and I are quite content with our needles and movie ("Paradise Road"), while the guys are laughing, yelling and arguing! Men and women are truly different, and I have finally realized that is OKAY!

Neat Blogs

Look on the side bar under GREAT LINKS to see the neat blogs I've been visiting lateley.

As for the new icon, I think Dadaism is how we should approach the church. Forget all that we learned. Forget "the way things are supposed to be". It is time to move beyond all that.

Art

There has been much discussion about the recent art show displaying human cadavers by Von Hagens. Some are fascinated by it. Some are disgusted in it. Others think it is just plain sick. We all have our opinions on this particular subject. However, the argument "that serious art" doesn't appear from just any where, or that the history of art - rather the TRADITIONS of art should be followed by all artists are invalid arguments. Those two clearly refutable points alone dilute any glimmer of creativity or innovation. Inspiration is not some systematic thing one can pull from books, and who is to say that one person's inspiration is true while another's is false?

Jackson Polluck's famous paint splatters made news not only in the art world but in American households, as well. Some praised his modern edge while his vocal critics compared his work to a child's finger painting. And that was the key! He was seeing the world from a child's eye. He was able to capture a child's vivid imagination and BEAUTIFUL innocence on huge canvases. That IS art!

Human beings are so afraid to look inward. Art is supposed to make us think outside the box and most of us don't like to think beyond our perfect little worlds. While Von Housons cadavers may seem tasteless, he forces us to look inside ourselves, literally, and what is so wrong about that?

We shouldn't close the discussion with simple expletives that are easily debated. Rather, we should use Von Housons' art as a stepping stone to the one true artist, God. Have you ever looked at the human body? I mean really looked at it? The symmetry of the skeletal and muscular structure is perfect! The function of every organ and how each one is connected to the other is astonishing! The complex circulatory system alone is mind blowing! Yes, the human body is art, and God is the artist!

Heath Dalrymple - WHAT A MAN

When I think back on my life, it is hard to remember anything before Heath. I suppose in many ways life really began for me after I met and fell deeply in love with Heath. Heath and I pretty much knew within months that we would marry and spend the rest of our lives together. We, of course, had some trouble spots here and there (some might say that is a slight under statement). Our "baggage" did not make the sweetest mix, but our passion some how managed to keep us afloat. But more than that Heath's burning love for God really kept us together. I could tell early on in our relationship that he had a heart for the Lord, but it never really hit me just how much until (in my mind) our marriage was over. At the time I was going through some heavy therapy - childhood trauma and whatnot. I literally went off the deep end. Having to deal with ghosts from the past, raising young children and keeping a marriage intact was not an easy feet, and one that I was letting go of quickly. There was a period of time that seemed so empty and hopeless, but Heath just kept praying and loving me. When I told him I hated him, he told me he loved me. When I hurt him deeply, he kept me safe. It was then that I realized how blessed I was and amazed that God knew the whole time that this giant of a man would be the one who would display Christ's love to me.

The Lord blesses us with our mates and every day we take that blessing for granted. We forget what life was like before them. We sometimes blame our pain on them. The simple fact of the matter is we abuse a precious gift God has entrusted with us on a daily basis by simply not acknowledging that very blessing. Granted, we are human beings, but forgiveness is what leads us to unconditional love.

Thank you Heath for being my true love and daily blessing.

Board Meeting

Here I am sitting in the "Sutter Room" at the Hawthorne Suites. Mary Helen, the CSLA treasurer, is going through the Budget. We have cut things left and right. Most committees have been cut down from $2000.00 to $500.00 per year. My boss and sainted, adopted mother, Penny, has cut her salary in half. To be honest, as an outsider of sorts, I sit at these board meetings and am continually shocked at how much these caring and hard working people expect to be catered to. I suppose they want the compensation due to them that their school districts withhold from them. However, at $30,000.00 per year for these board meetings, I cannot conceive how they could make all these cuts with clean consciences.

This is the problem with education in general - committees, bureaucracy, red tape and over spending on trivial things that don't even support educating children. I am saddened by their lack of vision. It makes me never want to be an educator. The entire BS you must endure and the callused attitude you must adopt in order to survive turns my stomach.

...We're gonna have a good time. Happy birthday to you!

Presents:

Earrings
$$$$$$$$
The Carter Family CD
Allison Kraus and Union Station CD
White Stripes CD
Rose
Lavendar bath soap and salts

I've had a pretty nice birthday so far. Last night Heath's parents had a family celebration for me. Even Rich, Tay, Joe and Ian were there. It was really sweet! I am blessed!

Happy Birtday, me & SELF CONTROL!

Tomorrow I will be 32! 32! That is old! I'm old! Last night my good friends Martin and Paula had a little birthday celebration for me. We went over to their house to swim, eat and have fun. I am truly blessed to have one of my closest friends be one of the best bakers in town. Paula made one of the most amazing cakes of all times. The frosting was perfect! It was rich, but it was still surgary enough to be sweet. Sometimes I wonder why God has blessed me with such caring, sincere and honest friends. It isn't always that you meet people like the Balzers, let alone be great friends with them.

This morning I woke up groggy and grouchy. I got mad at Graeme and snapped at him. Why do I do such dumb things? It is as though I am the child. I can't stand it. I really can't. Self control is what I need to work on the most in my life. I am not a child. My whole life seems to be marked by my impulse reactions. LOVE IS PATIENT

A Fragile Ship

As moves my fragile bark across the storm-swept sea,
Great waves beat o'er her side, as north wind blows;
Deep in the darkness hid lie threat'ning rocks and shoals;
But all of these, and more, my Pilot knows.

Sometimes when dark the night, and every light gone out,
I wonder to what port my frail ship goes;
Still though the night be long, and restless all my hours,
My distant goal, I'm sure, my Pilot knows.
--Thomas Curtis Clark

Today I feel like a fragile ship, but it is in times like these where I cannot simply run and hide, or throw a temper tantrum. Days like today, filled with all sorts of worries and things beyond my control, are the days in which I find my only comfort in knowing that Christ is the Master and Commander of my ship. I put my faith in him and let go of the world. I wait patiently, breathe in His word, humbly come before Him in prayer, and listen to my Savior. There is hope in that! God has a plan for my life, and that is truly exciting!