Fragments of Time

All of us have experienced these fragments of time. Some of us don't want to admit, even to ourselves, what these fragments look like. Yet all of us know that it sometimes feels as if we picking up the pieces of our shattered lives...those fragments of time that we wish we could get back. Wishing doesn't bring those pieces together. Only through a concentrated effort and belief, can we make any headway through the fragments. I know I've asked myself at least a dozen times what I could have done differently to avoid the fragments or to recapture those magic moments that make life worthwhile. There are good fragments of time as well as bad fragments.

When you are young, those fragments are non-existent because you live only in the moment. You don't think about how your actions will mark you for the rest of your life. You don't see the fragments as they are forming. You only see the bright shiny future....at least some of us do. I know there are too many young people today that can't see that bright shiny future. Their minds have been "programmed" to see only the darkness and not the light. How do we reach them?

We show God's love to them by listening and helping them. Will it make a difference? Yes. Knowing that someone is listening will make a difference. Helping them to see what they are doing is wrong both morally and physically will make a difference. We can do this by being open enough to accept them as they are, but strong enough to point out the dark path....those dark fragments of time...to them. We can't do this on our own. We need the Lord's guidance to make us whole, so others can see what he's done for us and want to follow the Lord themselves.

Teaching the young ones before it's too late and leaving a legacy

I was reminded this past Sunday as we celebrated my young niece's 1st birthday that all of us need to be more vigilant in regards to what young eyes see. I know that my nephew resented me for interfering and calling him out. I felt I had to, because he didn't understand what he was allowing my young niece to see.

It still hasn't sunk in yet. My little niece, Aydia, is five years old and at a very impressionable age. When someone with maybe the best of intentions exposes her to violent video games that are not meant for her to see then I have to say something. If I didn't, then I would be just as culpable and responsible for her corruption as the person who exposed her to that garbage in the first place.

This is where the parents should step in, but unfortunately haven't. I guess I'm too old school, but I believe that you're never too young to learn what is right and wrong....Violence even in a simple video game is wrong on many levels. When you expose young children to this, the message you are bringing to their young eyes and ears is that violence is okay....no one really gets hurt. I know that I failed in teaching my little brother this and it bothers me even though I know that he wasn't exposed to cartoon violence until he was at least a little older. It has warped his sense of what should and should not be tolerated. For him, it is too late to turn back the hands of time and wipe the violent cartoon images from his mind. It's not too late for his children if he is willing to teach them now that any type of violence is wrong even in an innocent video game.

Ir is all about leaving a legacy. What legacy will you leave behind? Will you stay in the background and not speak up when you see something is not right? Or will you speak up no matter how unpopular your voice may be? I have to speak up because the Lord is prompting me to and telling me that my nieces will be lost for all eternity if I don't. I care too much about them to see that happen.

Ups and Downs of life....struggling to make sense of it all

I had a rough couple of days trying to work around an injury. On Sunday, while walking my dog, I got bit by another dog. It was a traumatic experience for me because I was afraid the animal would do serious damage to my dog. He didn't...thankfully...as I got in the way by scooping my dog up and got bit. The owners told me that the dog had all his rabies shots which was a great relief to me. I didn't want to go through all the rabies shots. I also was very discouraged Monday night at the low attendance at the meeting of the new historical society I formed in February. It was good though because two new people showed up and I learned something new.

I also got some great information for the historical society on Tuesday. I can feel the Lord working through others. He knows what I need and directs others to help. I am totally blown away by his great goodness to me. I know my injury could have been worse. I know that if I hadn't intervened that my dog might have been seriously injured. I'm thankful for continued healing. I do continue to pray for a job that I can do. I do struggle to make sense of why things happen. I'm beginning to understand a little and am waiting on God for his leading in my life.

Taking a much needed break away from the computer

Last week I took a much needed break away from the computer. The first day or so was very hard. I had to pretend that I was on vacation even though I didn't really go anywhere. When I'm on vacation, I don't take any electronic devices with me. That might seem downright scary for some since they're practically "glued" to their electronic screens whether they be their smart phones, their iPads or their tablets. Yes, I admit that I'm very old fashioned. I don't have any of these devices in my possession. I don't desire to be that connected as a lot of what comes out is garbage.

I do believe that you take in this garbage unknowingly at times. It wears you down and makes you feel inadequate. I am not as much of a Luddite as some are. Writing this blog shows that...yet some would snub me for not being into the latest and greatest technological or social media. I feel that it does sap you if you let it. I realize now that I have been letting it do just that. By acknowledging that I was losing control and by working the best I know how outside the "system", I now see even more daylight than I saw two weeks ago when I wrote my last blog.

We all do need to step away for the electronic influences every once in a while. There is a whole big world out there that doesn't run on electronic impulses. We just have to reach out and grab a hold of it.

Feeling like I'm out of time and options

I've been really struggling for over a week, feeling sick and weary of everything. I think that whatever is going around has settled in for a long stay. I want to feel better about myself. Some days though I struggle to even get out of bed. I have no motivation. Yes, I know what it sounds like...depression. Yet there are some peaks of light in this dark tunnel. I can see them in the horizon. Right now I feel like I'm out of time. I don't mean to say that I've heard some bad news or that I have a premonition about not being here any longer. I just mean that with all the too fast technology swirling around ever faster, I feel like I've left behind in the dust struggling to make sense of it all. What are my options?

I know I've felt this urgency lately to leave a legacy behind. I don't know what yet....but have been thinking a lot about the impressions I leave with people and on social media. I worked steadily over this past year to reinvent myself in some way.

How do I reinvent myself when I'm feeling overly weary and sick? First and foremost in your mind is the thought that this too will pass. I'm hoping that it passes soon. Then you weigh your options....do I want to stay home and sleep or continue pushing myself. I know that I have been pushing myself too much, and it is probably part of the reason why I'm struggling now to get well. It's hard though not to push.

Fighting against the electronic monsters of the age

Horrific things happen. You ask yourself why? You wonder if God is really out there watching or if as some critics say....he's asleep. I can say for sure that he is wide awake. How do I know this? He guides my every step. I understand that the world would like not to believe. I do....because to believe in God means that you have to believe that his word is true. Sometimes his word is scary.

What's even more scarier than that though is believing the lies the electronic media decides is truth. It's in believing those lies that walls that have stood the test of time start falling down around us. We end up fighting the electronic monsters that threaten to steal our souls if we let them. We can't let them. We have to fight against being regulated and processed like cattle on a farm. Yes it is true that there is a lot of information floating around that the electronic media presses on you without your consent. Yes it is also true that we don't get to choose which information is readily available and which isn't readily available. No it is not true that everything on the Internet is true. Unfortunately most people get their information from the Internet or through other social media outlets.

Like time warriors, we must be good stewards of the resources God gives us. This means that we need to self-regulate what we see, link up to and what we say on the Internet. We can't be lazy and slack off. We need to be ready to fight the electronic monsters of the age and win.

A week of scary changes-trying to cope

Yes, I am thankful for so many things. For all the bad stuff people say about technology, I have to say that in some ways it really works. As some of you are probably aware by now, I had to make an unpopular decision in regards to some of my on-line avenues. Standing up for what you believe is hard. You are going to make enemies for that stance. Even some of your friends will question you as to why you're doing it. What is the difference, they'll ask. You'll even question yourself about why.

What is done, is done. That is the bottom line. Once you associate yourself with ideals that you don't believe in, you are marked by those ideals whether you like it or not. Yes, it is scary to stand up against the wickedness you see around you. I am still trying to cope with the pure evil that I sense from those who believe strongly in those ideals. I do pity them too....and cry for their souls. They are lost, but are unwilling to be found.

That is why I did it. I do understand the hurt I must have placed on people's hearts because of the social aspect of the social medium. I'm also a bit amazed by it as well. I have to ask myself why do these people care so much about me? I am not famous. I just had one book published...and am struggling to bring out the good in the borough which I wrote about in the book. Maybe there is a lesson in all this. Maybe by saying no and taking the unpopular stand, I am in essence educating people that what they are condoning is wrong.

Right now though I am still struggling and praying constantly to the Lord to guide me. I realize more than ever that God is in control. He sees my needs, comforts me when I felt lost and gives me a heart for my enemies. Yes, I do pray for them that their eyes will be open to the wickedness and lies that have controlled their lives and open to God's love.