Who does Christmas bother???

Note: I posted this item last year two weeks before Christmas. It was just brought again to my attention. I think it's still wonderful. Hope you enjoy it as well!

A friend sent this little speech in an email. I enjoyed it and thought I would pass it along. I checked it out on Snopes and it is legitimate.

Ben Stein

Ben Stein was born to American Jewish parents and grew up in the neighborhood Woodside Forest in Silver Spring, Maryland. He graduated from Montgomery Blair High School, where his classmates included journalist Carl Bernstein and actors Goldie Hawn and Sylvester Stallone. He went on to major in economics at Columbia University's Columbia College.
He graduated with honors in 1966, and then enrolled in Yale University Law School, graduating as the valedictorian in 1970.


If they know of him at all, many folks think Ben Stein is just a quirky actor/comedian who talks in a monotone. He's also a very intelligent attorney who knows how to put ideas and words together in such a way as to sway juries and make people think clearly.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The following was written by Ben Stein and recited by him on a CBS Sunday Morning Commentary............

Herewith at this happy time of year, a few
confessions from my beating heart: I have no
freaking clue who Nick and Jessica are. I see them
on the cover of People and Us constantly when I am
buying my dog biscuits and kitty litter. I often ask
the checkers at the grocery stores. They never know
who Nick and Jessica are either. Who are they? Will
it change my life if I know who they are and why
they have broken up? Why are they so important?

I don't know who Lindsay Lohan is either, and I do
not care at all about Tom Cruise's wife.
Am I going to be called before a Senate committee
and asked if I am a subversive? Maybe, but I just
have no clue who Nick and Jessica are.

If this is what it means to be no longer young.
It's not so bad.

Next confession:

I am a Jew, and every single one of my ancestors
was Jewish. And it does not bother me even a little
bit when people call those beautiful lit up,
bejeweled trees Christmas trees. I don't feel
threatened. I don't feel discriminated against.
That's what they are: Christmas trees.
It doesn't bother me a bit when people say, "Merry
Christmas" to me. I don't think they are slighting
me or getting ready to put me in a ghetto. In fact,
I kind of like it. It shows that we are all brothers
and sisters celebrating this happy time of year. It
doesn't bother me at all that there is a manger
scene on display at a key intersection near my beach
house in Malibu If people want a crèche, it's
>>just as fine with me as is the Menorah a few hundred
yards away.
I don't like getting pushed around for being a
Jew, and I don't think Christians like getting
pushed around for being Christians. I think people
who believe in God are sick and tired of getting
pushed around, period. I have no idea where the
concept came from that America is an explicitly
atheist country. I can't find it in the
Constitution, and I don't like it being shoved down my throat.

Or maybe I can put it another way: where did the
idea come from that we should worship Nick and
Jessica and we aren't allowed to worship God as we
understand Him?

I guess that's a sign that I'm getting old, too.

But there are a lot of us who are wondering where
Nick and Jessica came from and where the America we
knew went to.

Dear Seller,

I'm sorry you were unhappy with the neutral feedback I left for you. I only did that because I'm so very non-confrontational. I didn't want everyone to know how greatly disappointed I was in the poor quality of your product (or the fact that it was a whole week late). How embarrassing that would have been for you! So, I left a neutral with a small "thanks." After all, my daddy always said,

"if you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all."

Oh, wait. That was little Thumper's daddy.

I thought "thanks" was fairly nice and neutral. I must say, your neutral feedback to me was bordering on virulent. Hmmm...I do believe I will NEVAH buy from you again. I said that with a southern accent, in case you were wondering.

Thanks,
a buyer

I feel so much better now...

Volunteer, Me??

As you all may or may not know, my family has been tremendously blessed by all the love, prayers and support sent our way. Since my first week-long stay at the Ronald McDonald House, I have been wanting to give back: time, effort, talents.

Tonight, I was reading my Better Homes and Gardens magazines when I came across a blurb for a website that was new to me. This site is volunteer match and it is so easy to use! Simply type in your zip code and what kinds of volunteer opportunities you are looking for. Once you register as a volunteer, there is even a form that lets you easily upload your volunteer work resume. The site then submits your resume to the volunteer organizations to which you apply. How easy and convenient is that?

Volunteer Match immediately found 30 volunteer matches within 20 miles of my home. Wonderful! What's even better? The Ronald McDonald House here is in need of gardening/yard work. Of course, I emailed right away to express our exuberance for the project. Most of these opportunities are for one or two hours a week. Now, I realize those of you with families are super busy...but didn't I hear tell of the "cure for boredom" challenge week? Go for it! Type your zip code in there and see just how you can be used. I challenge you to help make a difference. If you already volunteer in your community, I would love to hear about it. Comment back on this post and tell us some of your experiences.

The education meme...

I'm pretty excited to be writing me first meme...even if I did have to hint around to Gardener Greg that I would love to be tagged. Okay, okay, I am not a hinter type of person. I pretty much begged to be tagged!

What was the name of the teacher that was most influential in your life from grades K through 6?

The first teacher who comes to mind is Mrs. Anderson from Simpson High School. She was my 3rd grade teacher and gave me my first and only swats with a paddle. She was a tough, fiery red-haired lady if I remember correctly. I was also diagnosed with thyroid disease that year and she is the one who alerted my parents to a possible problem.

What subject did you favor in high school?

That really changed from year to year. 9th: English; 10th: Drama; 11th: Physics; 12th: Pre-Calculus/History/Chemistry

Did you attend a university and if so, did you attain a degree?

Yes and yes, BA in Speech Communications

Do you learn best through books, by watching, or hands - on?

Definitely by hands-on. Watching someone or looking at diagrams in books does not work for me at all!

Has education been an ongoing process for you? How do you feel about that?

Ongoing definitely. I concentrated on a variety of minors in college so I would have a good background. Now, I can focus on my varied interests, as I find them!

What seven people are you tagging to do this?

Rich, Linda, Jessica, Hollis Baker, Antique Mommy, Melissa and Stephanie

Have you all ever noticed the more "connected" you are with other people, the more you share in their sorrows? Being aloof from folks really does make one an island of sorts. In just the past couple of weeks, I have prayed for a woman with a brain tumor, a woman with an adoption gone awry, my own dear niece and sister and a friend's daughter newly diagnosed with cancer.

If I could make a bubble, I wouldn't have to share this pain or grief. Of course, then, I would not share the joy and friendship that comes with it. Excluding my sister and niece, I know none of these people about whom I have thought so much this month.

My sister and niece and brother-in-law are at their monthly cardiologist appointment. Today, they find out what course of action the doctor recommends. Two months ago, the doctor seemed to indicate that one of the holes in her heart had been healed. We know Marshall is being healed, but sometimes the process seems so painful that we forget what has happened.

If you've never before read my blog, I'm not usually so melancholy. This is just one of those days.

Anyway, next week, Marshall is scheduled to have the cataracts removed from her eyes. The opthalmologist believes she will be able to see once they are gone. She does have limited vision now, but is having to look around the cataracts. She also has some sort of optic blood vessel that usually disintegrates at birth that is still intact. The surgery will remove that vessel as well.

It seems there is so much to say about Marshall that I have not been telling and I know people have prayed for her. When she was released from the NICU, the doctors believed she only had a few weeks to live. So, the g-tube they inserted was only temporary. My sister dealt with that tube for four months and then took Marshall to a gastro-enterologist. He was astounded that the doctors were so sure of her imminent death they didn't provide her with a more stable feeding arrangement. Now, Marshall has a "g-button" that is much easier to keep clean and MUCH less likely to be ripped out than the tube was.

Marshall was diagnosed with Trisomy 13 at birth. Usually, this condition is diagnosed in utero. Marshall was flown by jet to New Orleans where she stayed in the NICU for two months. Initially, the doctors said she wouldn't live past two months (95% of babies diagnosed with trisomy 13 die before birth). Now they say, not past 1 year. Please pray with us that our family continues to be able to provide for Marshall's needs. As long as any child receives proper medical attention, the survival rate is much higher! Because of the multiple organs affected by this condition, most doctors just give up the fight. If you are praying, pleas pray that my family finds the best doctors possible.

Thanks for sticking with this post. I'm just really thinking about all of this a lot lately...

Becca

What is it

about these vintage patterns that I love so much? Those of you who have a hankering for old things...sewing and decorating and entertaining. Why do you like them?

For me, I think they remind me of a time that I feel was safe. A time when people had faith: in themselves, parents, government, God, friends and jobs. With the rise of existentialism and other philosophies, we don't quite trust people around us...until they are useful. Of course, part of that is just part of being human. As well, it's partly our sheister until proven trustworthy mindset.

With that said, here is a slideshow of some of my absolute favorite patterns.

Zombie Jesus

Well, I've been thinking about this post for about 24 hours now. Here it is...

I was on the Etsy Forums yesterday when someone started a thread informing people that not everyone is a Christian.

Wow. No way.

Other people chimed in to say that didn't Christians know bunnies and eggs are symbols of fertility left over from ancient pagan rituals...

Again, you must be kidding me...

Of course, the obligatory whining complaining about how Christians just can't be bothered to understand anything but their own outdated, misogynistic beliefs soon followed. The discussion was rife with complaints about people wishing anyone a "Happy Easter" and how offensive it possibly could be...when all of a sudden a wunderkid says that when someone wishes her a "Happy Easter" she responds with Happy Zombie Jesus Day.

Oh, the waves of laughter and right ons...you tell them sister and wish I'd thought of that's were rolling. One person posted a few times that the thread was becoming offensive to Christians and the response was, "I can't believe some people get offended when others are just trying to have a decent conversation. Nobody here is being offensive," ad nauseum...

Umm, excuse me? Zombie Jesus? Christians are offensive? I've said it before and I'll say it again...nothing chaps my hide like prejudice, hatred and bull-headedness masquerading as tolerance. It just isn't so folks. You can't trash conservatives, Christians, right-wingers, pagans, Buddhists, loggers or tree-huggers and maintain your high moral ground.

What I'm trying to say is: fighting fire with fire never won any battles...or friends for that matter. Don't label someone with a different viewpoint as automatically intolerant or the enemy.

Have you ever noticed...

the more you talk about something that bothers you, the worse you feel? Just me? Maybe this is it: instead of letting the venting bring closure and healing, I let my tongue start dwelling on the negative in the situation. I really hate it when I do that.

It's probably gossip in its nastiest form. We become addicted to the adrenaline rush of indignation and must feed the rush to keep that "good" feeling.

I think you're exactly right. We have to exercise self-discipline and turn the tide of negativity. Say what has upset you and be done with it. Don't cleverly insert referrals to the original problem. Don't choose this one moment to let the tsunami of criticism come crashing down.

I promise, I'll feel better for it...

Love is the Killer App...

by Tim Sanders.

I'm not going to write a full review tonight (or this morning as the case may be) but I did just want to let you all know of a book I recently re-picked up after a bit of a hiatus.

Love is the Killer App by Tim Sanders (check the link to his blog on my sites to see list) is written mostly for "bizlife" but makes itself applicable to an entire range of subjects. What entity does not profit by being intimate with its surroundings? Instead of just coasting through our lives, making no waves or contacts and (of course!!) never going into the deep waters--jump in head first! Learn something new about the people with whom you have contact. What do you have to offer them? What can they offer you?

Here is just one example from my personal life: one cold morning I stopped in at one of my favorite non-heated thrift stores. The guys there were bundled up and still freezing. I promised them hot chocolate the next day. When I showed up the next day, hot chocolate mix in hand, were they happy to see me! You know, that box of hot chocolate cost me .99 and a drive to the store. My reward? First pick of vintage sewing items (super yay!) and a sunny smile and warm hello anytime I set foot in the store. I like people. I enjoy solving problems.

Anyway, Love... might or might not be your "cup of tea" but I say, give it a try. Buy it if you find it. I might even be highlighting some of my favorite parts here...you never know.

By the way, it rained today. Hallelujah!!

I mean, Littlekins

Somebody's Mom should have told me that Babykins is an existing name! Oh well, I should have done a better search, eh? Here's what we have so far. Littlekins might catch on with me. My little sis already has a Littlekin reserved for baby Marshall, sight unseen!

Conviction...

I admit to a few qualms about my venture into Pay-Per-Post. I wondered if I could write 50 words...about a $400 garden chandelier. Hmmm...I would never buy a $400 garden chandelier. I would look for one on the side of the road or find one at a thrift store. However, I reasoned that taking payperpost jobs would sharpen my writing skills...kind of like writing for 15 minutes in high school on a particular subject.

So, I wrote one post. I still don't know if it was accepted. It was about something I would like to own. I spoke truthfully but hollowly. And this morning, I read Eddie's Post.

Oh, dear...we have a pastor who spoke once on integrity. He mentioned the price of our integrity. For example, if you are checking out at the grocery and the cashier gives you back extra change...a nickel, a quarter...or she forgets to ring up one item--and you let it go. For all intents and purposes, you have sold your integrity for that one nickel or one quarter or one can of cat food. I can never forget that example.

Eddie had to mention the selling of our integrity. Ouch. He knows just where to hit. And he doesn't even know me!

random musings

I would like to preface this blog with the declaration that I am quite literate. I read everything...everything! So, I do not want you to look askance at me when I say I just finished reading To Kill a Mockingbird for the first time.

What? Gasp?

Honestly. I presume I was reading Ivanhoe when other kids were reading this gem. I shed real tears. Not headache-inducing tears but real ones nonetheless. I knew enough about the story that I could nod intelligently when people discussed the book. I never even watched the movie. I was a complete Mockingbird virgin.

Unimaginable. My children will be required to read this book before they reach the age of 12! (at which age, my mother was taking George Orwell's 1984 away from me) Harper Lee won the Pulitzer Prize for this novel, if I'm not mistaken. The characters are absolutely amazing. Dialogue, story line, quotable quotes are magical.

I'm so glad I finally sat down to read To Kill a Mockingbird.

Now you, what is the best book you have read recently? Are your parents readers? How about your children? Are they readers?

Ah well, the rain's gone. Back to the garden!

"Jesus is going to make her better..."

Well, some of you may remember my earlier post about Marshall. Marshall is still doing well. She has been home since Christmas week (6 weeks in ICU!) and she and Micah and Drew and Laurel and all of us are settling into the routines of cardiologist visits, 6 doctor teams and oxygen level monitoring.

My little sister is still my hero...

Anyway, the other day they were driving home from Dallas, when Marshall choked. She became angry and held her breath. Micah's story is that Marshall's entire body stiffened and then went limp as the proverbial dishrag. She simply stopped breathing. Micah was in the back seat with Marshall and Laurel while my mother drove. One call to OnStar and three quick rescue breaths (calmly administered by my sister) and Marshall was breathing again.

Thankfully, lungs were clear with no aspiration.

After my mom called Onstar, she began to cry and pray in the front seat. Laurel (3) leaned forward and said, Don't worry MeeMama, Jesus is going to make her better."

Mark 10:15

The Power of thin-slicing

Nope. I'm not talking about one cheescake at a party. I'm talking about a key element in this book...




I have this book listed on my sidebar but thought I would give it a little promo here as well. Maybe Sundays could be Book Review Days, eh?

Blink is about how we make decisions so quickly that we don't even realize we are doing it. Gladwell breaks decision making, likes/dislikes, and preconceptions down to their physiological components. He draws on scientific research to find out how people actually respond in stressful situations. My favorite part is the chapter on shootings by police and what actually happens in such high stress situations. Heart rate/blood pressure soars, sight line is severely diminished. Adrenaline takes over to the extreme. Only the most necessary body functions continue. Some institutions actually train bodyguards to overcome these physical reactions.

All makes for a very interesting read.

My first re-construction!

My lovely "Firefly" t-shirt was too big and boxy and uglified-fitting for me to wear! So, I attempted my first reconstruction of a t-shirt.

Not so happy...

Not so flattering. This one's for posterity...

Now that, I think, is cute. Maybe a little more off the sleeves?

An update on the monarchs. Perfection!


edited to add: I ended up taking more off the sleeves and off the actual hem of the shirt. It kind of fits like a dancer tee...kind of slides off the shoulder. My friends who have the same kind of shirt keep asking me where I got my "special" shirt.

the Wal-Mart effect...

I just posted this over on my Myspace blog and thought I would share it here as well. I'm just cutting and pasting from there, so: nothing new.

Since some of you already know my feelings on this subject, I will not launch into a diatribe. I will merely relate something I read just now. to sum up, Wal-Mart and supplier Sara Lee came up with the idea of selling items off pallets, right on the store floor. They soon noticed a marked increase in the sale of underwear. Why the increase? "Were [they] taking market share from other competitors? Were people replacing underwear sooner?" The answer?

Both
and...
increased wardrobe inventory...

people just had more underwear stored in their house than they really needed, or had had in the past. The underwear was so cheap and so irresistibly displayed on those pallets, that people just bought it and took it home...consumption driven strictly by price and impulse--consumption that answers no need at all--well, that's curious

So, does that mean that if Wal-Mart wasn't driving down prices and providing such a good service for middle-class America, we just would stop buying so much?

***quotations from The Wal-Mart Effect by Charles Fishman

Thoughts?

chasing the lion!!

The following is from Pastor Bobby's blog.

Mark Batterson, lead pastor of National Community Church in DC, posted this on his blog this week. I have found myself going back to it a few times in the past few days and it is 'sticking'. As I said when I started this blog last year, I am committed to 'passing on what sticks'.....

May it challenge you as it did me....I printed it and put it in my Bible.

PB

Quit living as if the purpose of life is to arrive safely at death. Set God-sized goals. Pursue God-ordained passions. Grab life by the mane. Go after a dream that is destined to fail without divine intervention. Keep asking questions. Keep making mistakes. Keep seeking God. Stop pointing out problems and become part of the solution. Stop repeating the past and start creating the future. Stop playing it safe and start taking risks. Expand your horizons. Accumulate experiences. Consider the lilies. Enjoy the journey. Find every excuse you can to celebrate everything you can. Live like today is the first day and last day of your life. Don't let what's wrong with you keep you from worshipping what's right with God. Burn sinful bridges. Blaze a new trail. Criticize by creating. Worry less about what people think and more about what God thinks. Don't try to be who you're not. Be yourself. Laugh at yourself. Quit holding out. Quit holding back. Quit running away. Chase the lion!

No new shoes!!

Here is a group that has made a compact not to buy anything new for a year. How did they do? Read Shopping Sabbatical Article to find out. I think we should start a compact here in my town and see how it goes. I especially love that they are running away from Wal-Mart!

Grateful for another miracle

This is my little brother's Dodge Magnum after he ran into the back of an 18-wheeler.



He was totally spared, only needed 11 stitches on his right hand. Can you believe it? He fell asleep driving home from work. The truck stopped mere inches from his face.

Learned behaviors...learning behavior

So, I was confronted with a truth this Friday. My darling niece spent the coldest week of the year with us...and left her jacket in New Orleans. So, we shopped at all the lovely thrift stores I know...and then broke down and tried Wal-Mart for a jacket (still no luck!). While in Wal-Mart, we exchanged unpleasantries and I told her I wasn't talking to her until she apologized (you know, just typing it makes it sound as petty as it really was). After several minutes of complete silence through Wal-Mart, quite unlike our usual blue-streak of chatter, she apologized and we were friends again.

(fast-forward to getting ready for the Christmas party)

I am in the backseat of the car, struggling valiantly with the maniacal carseat, when my husband turns off the carlights and I must continue my efforts in the dark. Poor dear, he doesn't realize the brain power required for such a task--yet! We exchanged words over the necessity of the interior lamps. As I fumed in silence, Laurel piped up with (Heaven help me!)

"Uncle James, Aunt Becca's not talking to you because she's Mad."

Hmm, I knew I internalized anger, but is my coping mechanism so blatant that a three-year-old can pick up on it? Guess so. Thankfully, her comment broke the tension and we were all able to laugh it off. You know, I told her she should visit so I could practice for when I have my own little girl. I suppose she took me seriously.