As if a life without me wasn't scary enough...

I'm baaaccckkk!!!  There is so much that is truly terrific going on out there in this great big world that I couldn't remain silent much longer.   First, there's this:

Hozier is the new fantastic.  And Annie Lennox had "diva" nailed a long time ago.  She was putting a spell on me when she sang with Dave Stewart as half of the Eurythmics.

One more to share:  Sergei Polunin is a rebel, tatted up ballet artist from the Ukraine.  And he kills it dancing to (you guessed it) Hozier's Take Me To Church.  Thank me later.

The Truth about Cats and Dogs

Growing up, I was always a "dog person," although that might be an incorrect description of myself.  What is more likely true is that my parents were "dog people," so that label applied to me because of their choices in pets.  I had two dogs growing up...but that's a story for another day.
When I moved into my first little studio apartment in the Highlands, a friend contacted me to ask if I'd consider keeping her cat for a couple of months.  They were moving into an apartment for a short period of time and couldn't take their cat along.  I agreed, not knowing exactly what I was getting myself into.  (Side information:  friend has two small children at this time).
Little did I know that Cleo the cat was not spayed.  When she went into heat, I got little to no sleep.  I had fallen in love with her, and I couldn't tolerate this one week out of the month.  I had decided to tell my friend to find some other place for her cat.  She was planning on bringing the kids to visit Cleo...I'd tell her then.
Fast forward to the visit.  Cleo either sat in my lap or hid under the bed the whole time the kids were there.  She had grown so used to the quiet at my house.  Just as I was going to tell my friend, she suggested that I keep Cleo and that she and her family would adopt another cat when they could.  I was more than happy with this suggestion.  I called a vet as soon as they left and made an appointment that would change my life forever.  I became a "cat person."
I had Cleo put down on November 2, 2010.  This little cat, born March 9, 1997, adopted by me in 1999, became my lesson on how to love something so unconditionally.  My mother, who at one time was not a fan of cats at all, grew to love Cleo in ways she may not ever admit to.  I could tell, though, the way she finally came to play with my beautiful little girl.
So that is how the transformation took place.

Make it real.

If people cannot be honest about how they feel or what they are going through in our churches today, then why should we expect them to come to church?  Life is messy.  Let's quit acting like people aren't hurting in very real ways.  Don't want to know the answer to how someone is feeling?  Don't ask.  And please, show them that you care some other day than Sunday.  They may appreciate it.

Sinners and Saints

Six months and five days after my father's death, I have had a day where I have not felt like the world is closing in on me.  The past six months have been a crisis of faith for me.  I have been so close to just letting go of what I believe to be true.  So much centers around watching crises unfold around me...watching Christian people behave badly.  Why is it that we run from the world....from those who are supposed to behave badly because it's their nature...yet we cannot seem to do right ourselves?

Seeing Red

I know I live in a "basketball state."  But lately, basketball just isn't doing it for me.  Don't get me wrong.  I LOVE my team.  And I like basketball ALOT.  However, I'm overwhelmed with a desire to watch boys in pads make pancakes out of each other. 

Last night, I went to U of L's open football practice.  Here's proof.

 We may be picked to finish 7th in the Big East.  As far as I'm concerned, that just gives us something to fight for...to be better than what is expected.  GO CARDS!

Saying what you mean and meaning what you say

I think that sometimes people don't say things, or maybe aren't honest about their feelings, because they don't want to hurt someone.  I'm usually on the opposite side of that fence because I say things, often without thinking, and then it either comes out wrong or it's just too blunt.  And that hurts too.  I guess I struggle with thinking about what I say and how it will affect someone.  But what if the things that are left unsaid hurt just as much as what is said? 

Jesus on a telephone pole

The divine in vines?  I just hope no one gets electrocuted if they decide to go on pilgrimage.  An atheist discovered this image in Littleton, Co.