Nightmares

For some reason I’ve been having horrible nightmares lately.  My doctors say that there is nothing that they can do for them.  I’ve always had vivid dreams, but never nightmares this bad.  So I came up with the idea that I should stop watching TV late at night that has any kind of violence or bad message (no more Law and Order or CSI for me) or reading magazines with depressing or negative messages.  Not even mystery books.  I’ve also begun to put soothing music on in my room before I go to bed.  That seems to be helping.  I’m just frustrated with the lack of sleep!

Our Miracle!

It’s very rare that my Dad will call both my house and my cell, but he did today with the BEST of news, that was confirmed with a call to Florida, but after the most recent pet-scan, my cousin Gail has been declared “breast cancer-free!!!!!!!!!!!”  It truly is both a medical and a spiritual miracle.  I first wrote about Gail and her breast cancer in September and it’s been a long road (it’s not over yet, she still has radiation) but everything is looking really, really good.  I talked with Gail tonight and she’s sounding so upbeat and positive and the best thing I heard her say was that she never lost her faith through this whole thing.  AMEN!

My POOR POOR Green Bay Packers

Well, dad won’t get a chance to glimpse heaven for a while (that’s okay, we’ll keep him here with us for a while:) )  The Packers lost to the NY Giants in Overtime 23-20.  Since the Patriots beat the Giants earlier in the season, it won’t be as dramatic, except that the Patriots will be going for the perfect 19-0 record.

to my friends in the Midwest I will think of you often, but no too much in the next two weeks, because I’ll be too busy getting ready to be the ultimate sofa Superbowl fan!

(And schucks Loki, I guess some of those pictures will just have to go back into the vault. )

And how cold is it?…….

The football game has started in Green Bay and all the sportscasters can talk about is the weather and the fact that the actual temperature is 0 degrees but with the wind chill it’s about -30 degrees.  Now that’s something that I can relate to.  I went to St. Olaf College which is on top of a hill in the southern part of Minnesota and it’s the only hill around, so that when the wind comes whipping around the prairie land it gets SO cold.  In fact St. Olaf is on the 4-1-4 system, where you take 4 courses in the fall and spring and 1 course in January.  They time the course around either breakfast or lunch so that you don’t have to go outside more than once a day.  The average temperature in January near St. Olaf is around 12 degrees F and with the wind chill it could get to the -20 degrees.  We learned to layer and I knew people who actually wore goggles to protect their eyes when they went outside.

My friends Loki and his wife E. live near Minneapolis, and according to his web site yesterday the temperature (the actual temperature) was -16 degrees.  Check it out if you don’t believe me.  Boy am I glad that it’s 20 degrees here and I’m warm and toasty in my house! 

(To find St. Olaf look straight south of the orange blob which is the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul for Northfield, and there you have it.  Because St. Olaf is in Northfield, Minnesota.)

On to the SUPERBOWL !!!

PATRIOTS WIN!!!   PATRIOTS WIN!!!   PATRIOTS WIN!!!

For the past three hours I don’t think I took a normal breath.  The Patriots- Chargers football game was such a nail biter, but the Pats ended up with the win that will take them to the Superbowl in Arizona!  The score is deceiving 21-12, it was actually a much closer game.  The Patriots scored touchdowns and the San Diego Chargers scored field goals.  This all brings the Pats to an amazing 18-0 season.

My dad has said that if the Packers can also win tonight a Patriots- Packers Superbowl would make him be in heaven.  (This comes from someone who lived in Wisconsin for several decades and got to see Coach Lombardi up close.  Dad won’t say who he’ll root for.  But hey, if Dad can be happy for a couple of hours, that’s great!  But I’m not so sure that heaven is a green field with white lines down it and two yellow funny looking things at each end standing up. )  So go Packers!

Wintley Phipps

It’s about an hour before the Patriot’s football game and you’d think that I would be watching the pregame stats show.  Nope.  Okay, how about CNN for the election results from Nevada and South Carolina from yesterday, (which by the way WAS truly interesting, and I do mean that seriously.)  Nope, no CNN.  How about one of those movies of the week.  Wrong again.  I am proudly watching the Gospel Music Channel, newly added to my cable line up and I am watching one of my favorite programs, the Gaither Homecoming hour.  This hour’s presentation is “How Great Thou Art” with the artists singing some of the most beloved hymns.  I was in awe of this gospel singer Wintley Phipps’ version of “It is Well With My Soul.”  Please check it out on youtube and then get the CD and DVD from the Gaither Homecoming series.  I don’t plug many products, but this music totally touched my soul and I can’t get enough of it!!!!

A football joke…

Mike’s Funnies had this joke today.  It’s the kind of classic joke that you have to set up and once you get to the punchline, it was worth the wait.  This week I am rooting for the Green Bay Packers and of course my New England Patriots.  I think that would be a great Superbowl.  But I digress.  For all you cheese (or cheddar) heads I dedicate this joke to you!

A man goes to the Chicago Bear ticket office and inquires about purchasing play-off tickets. The ticket teller replies that there weren’t any tickets for sale because the Bears did not make it to the play-offs.

The following day the same man goes to the Chicago Bear ticket office and inquires about purchasing Bear play-off tickets. The ticket teller politely replies that there weren’t any tickets for sale because the Bears did not make it to the play-offs.
 
This goes on for an entire week. The man goes to the Bear ticket office inquiring about play-off tickets and the teller says none are for sale because the Bears did not make it to the play-offs.
  
Another week of this goes by and the man still is asking the ticket teller about Bear play-off tickets. Finally the ticket teller in a loud voice says, “I’VE TOLD YOU FOR THE LAST 2 WEEKS THERE WERE NOT ANY TICKETS AVAILABLE BECAUSE THE BEARS DID NOT MAKE THE PLAY-OFFS.”

The man replied, “I know. I drive all the way from Green Bay every day just to hear you say that!”

[forwarded by Steve Sanderson]

P.S. Loki, did you notice that I did the joke in Packer colors?

Musings on Politics

I’m trying not to get too involved in politics but what is going on right now is driving me crazy and I just have to write about it! Here are my thoughts now.

1) Mitt Romney is now claiming to be the son of Michigan.  Well when he was the governor of Massachusetts, he was the son of Massachusetts and tried to play that up in New Hampshire and in Iowa he was the son of the Midwest because of his ties to the Olympics in Utah (which I guess he thought was the Midwest.)  Mitt, pick a state and stay there.  I’m wondering when he visits Florida will he claim to be the son of Florida, simply because he visited Disney World’s Epcot International Village once?

2) I picked up the most recent issue of “O” magazine for the first time since Oprah has endorsed Barack Obama.  I know that Oprah doesn’t write all the articles, but I had to put the magazine down because I felt that by reading the magazine, and subscribing to it, I was supporting Senator Obama, through Oprah’s money.  Maybe I should cancel my subscription.  I’m not comfortable supporting a candidate via such a public person.  But with this train of thought, then I should stop watching movies with Tim Robbins in it (like “Bull Durham”) because he is supporting John Edwards and I guess I should quit watching the TV show “Ugly Betty” because actress America Ferrera has endorsed Hillary Clinton.

3) I am absolutely sick of the debate over gender and race in the Democratic primary.  Which is the most oppressed group: women or people of color?  Every one has a different opinion, and the more we focus on this question, the more the country is being split.  We need to realize that both groups: women and people of color have had horrible times of oppression and that only by working together can we really face the problems of today like getting health care to everyone, making sure that our children are educated and that our nation is strong enough so that there are jobs for everyone.  Those are the common goals.

Phew.  That’s enough for now.  My brain is tired.  I’m sure that I’ll come up with more later.

Prayer-In Time of Illness because of a dangerous Driver

Yesterday afternoon my cousin Kent was riding his motorcycle in Orlando, Florida, at about 10 miles an hour and he was hit by a passenger truck.  Luckily he was wearing his helmet, but his leg was broken, and it sounds like a couple of fingers were also damaged as was his shoulder.  Thank goodness there were no internal injuries, but he underwent surgery today to fix his leg.

Please say prayers for him and his speedy recovery, as well as his wife, Gail, as she continues with her chemo and radiation for breast cancer.  And also say prayers for Kent and Gail’s sons, Chris and Chad (and their pseudo adopted son Shawn- he’s kinda like my non-brother Ben) and their daughter-in-laws Jamie and Meridith and Kent and Gail’s granddaughter Katie as they all support him in his recovery from the accident and Gail through her cancer recovery.  My thoughts and prayers are with all of you at this time.  Just let me know if there is anything that I can do !!!

I love this prayer, which is not only for people who are ill, but also for caregivers of sick people and family members of those that are ill.  I’ve prayed it several times already! 

In Time of Illness

Lord Jesus, you came into the world
to heal our infirmities
and to endure our sufferings.
You went about healing all
and bringing comfort
to those in pain and need.
We come before you now
in this time of illness
asking that you may be the source
of our strength in body,
courage in spirit
and patience in pain.
May we join ourselves more closely
to you on the cross
and in your suffering
that through them
we may draw our patience and hope.
Assist us and restore us to health
so that united more closely
to your family, the Church,
we may give praise and honour to your name.
Amen.Source: Catholic Doors Ministry

Yeah Patriots (football that is!!!)

The New England Patriots just beat the Jacksonville Jaguars 31-20 to go to the AFC championships next week.  (Which will also be held here in Foxboro, Massachusetts- which M estimated is anywhere between 13 and 20 miles away depending on if I were to take the highway or Back roads .)  Way cool!  And…….

For my friends in the lands of lakes, snow and cheese, I give many kudos also to the Green Bay Packers (who I rooted for for many seasons while growing up in Ma’waukee)I will also give the score of the Packer game- 42-20 Packers win over Seattle (and it couldn’t come against a better team, given that the coach of the Seattle Sea Hawks is a former Packer coach!)

So the football season continues…..