This can not B the Tiger Woods I admired...

What happened Tiger? I wish I could ask him that. I bet he is asking himself that very same question. What have I done and why on earth did I do it ... but that's another blog altogether.

I grew up in upstate NY and the Bills were the football team to root for. We were so proud of the team and especially OJ Simpson. I admired him and thought in my young mind that yes there were men that truly were good, honest and great at there sport. I would rent cars from who ever he said I should rent cars from and watched fondly as he flew over airport seats to get there in line first in their commercials. I can't remember now who else he endorsed but if it was a product I would need or want and he said he thought it was a good product well that was that. Imagine my surprise and disappointment when all that he had done came to light. Crushed I had to switch to the other car rental company (actually I had already done that, because, like OJ they were a disappointment). Now instead of rooting for him I was rooting against him and felt the blow of crushed admiration.

Well I'm forty years older and I am wiser (or so I'm supposed to be) and I watched Tiger Woods win tournament after tournament with hope. I thought his parents had taught him well how to be focused and stay true to his game, both the game of golf and the game of life. I wondered what LUCKY woman (if he wasn't gay) would capture such a good catch. I figured there would be hardships for miss right because of all his time on the road, but certainly it had to be worth it. Good looking, well spoken, gentle and rich all the ingredients of the perfect husband right. NOT ... what about faith in God and an allegiance to God and God's set of values.

He is young and he had to grow up fast. It must be hard being in the spot lite from the time your a young man. It must give you a feeling when you are as successful as he was that he was GOD... NOT TRUE TIGER and all you other successful people. Your success comes from developing the God given talents you have. Why do so many of us not realize that He is our maker and we owe all our success to Him and Him alone. Sure we put in the hours but he gives us the breath to do so. He gives us the health, opportunities, and people in our life that allows us to become the best we can be.

Well what is next for the young man TIGER. We won't have to wonder because his life is an open tabloid now and for ever more. I pray that he will turn to God for guidance and not his publicist. My heart felt sympathy to Mr. Woods because I know it must be hard being so successful. How can you help not being self absorbed. So here I sit thinking THIS CAN NOT B the Tiger Woods I admired ... BUT IT IS :( God Bless his wife and children.

If you don't find a blog here look at Why in the World

Some days I'm more in the mind set of Why in the World and not in the mind set of How can this B and still other days I'm in the mind set of both. The worst days are when I'm not in either. So if you like reading my thoughts about things you can check out both of them.

This can not B Christmas ... Continued

Well I spent the day doing the (almost) last of my Christmas Shopping just two more people to buy for and I'm finished ... Yippee!

Well Christmas past is gone and from now on Christmas is what I make it. I won't be doing things that I think will please others with great expectations of the other people really appreciating what I did, only to find out they could care less or worse still don't even come home. I did make a promise to my granddaughter who is 8 that I would put up the tree and get the lights on it but I would let her decorate it with me. I hope she really wants to do it and that we make a great memory.

I guess this can B Christmas ... Snow this weekend made it feel like it, Christmas songs at church made it feel like it, the house looks like a gingerbread house so that makes it feel like it, the Christmas cards are all addressed (of course today I got one from someone I thought wouldn't send me one this year so I dropped them from my list but I kept a few extra cards out just for that purpose) so that makes it feel like Christmas as well. I guess it is and can B Christmas (as if I had any say in the matter) and actually I'm glad it is.... Oh come let us adore him, Oh come let us adore him, Oh come let us adore him, Christ the Lord. ....

How can this B Christmas

I've celebrated many Christmas's some with wonderful memories and others with awful memories. This Christmas is going to be different yet the same. Two dear people in my life went to be with the Lord in 09 with in 2 weeks of each other. One of them was such a puzzle to me and the other was no puzzle at all. One seemed to be different each Christmas sometimes happy to be around me and others wishing they were somewhere else (or at least that was the feeling I got). One gave me a sense of purpose and the other made me wonder why bother.

So how will this Christmas be? Well it always should have been about Jesus and with one of them it was and the other not so much. I tried to include both in my Churches celebrations and sometimes they both participated and some times neither (because of health reasons). Since my mid 40's Christmas has been all up to me. All the decorating, shopping, and baking so I have felt very lonely at times. So in that respect Christmas is nearly the same. The only big difference is I have help with the decorating this year and that has made it so much more fun (even though it is paid help it is still someone to share the fun with).

I used to decorate my neighbors house every year because she was a widow and older. One year I had an overnight celebration at my house with thirteen girls and we all decorated her house in the snow. It is a fond memory of mine. After that I did most of it by myself, but she appreciated it so much I felt the warmth of the season in my heart. Two years ago I got stuck on her roof for 40 minutes because I couldn't get the ladder to stay still enough to get on it to get down. Luckily it wasn't one of the colder years and she came out to see how I was doing and was horrified to know I had been up there all that time. We got help holding the ladder and finally I was safe on the ground once more. These all are the things that make memories that we never forget. Last year my husband was to ill for me to help her and sadly her children were too busy to do it for her. My house had little done to it as well but we did get the tree up and he watched as I decorated it and was happy to be there. This is a test year for me. Will I keep up the decorating each year or will I cut back little by little each year until there is only a tree and some lights.

Today I'm tired so I am leaving off at this point to be continued tomorrow ...

Hello

Yesterday we had our first snow in the Washington DC area and it was Christmas card beautiful. Large gentle falling flakes that covered the trees and ground.

I asked my self How Can it B that something so lovely in some cases can become so ugly and destructive. My son loves to snowboard and he is pretty good but when he goes to these big mountains I think about those people that get caught in avalanches or hit a tree and die. Case in point Sonny Bono. He wears a helmet or at least he has one and I'm going to get him if he doesn't have one one of those beepers that help rescuers find missing people in avalanches.

A small snow flake that when with many other small snow flakes go from friendly and beautiful to scary and ugly. I've seen some unbelievable snow falls in NY but they were insignificant compared to those in Siberia and other frigid places. They start out lovely but after hours of steady snow fall roads become invisible, trees fall down from the weight and in some cases roofs cave in as well. I guess like with many other things (in fact most all things) a little bit can be lovely and enjoyable but a lot can become monstrous and burdensome.

Think about this today. Do you have things in your life that are enjoyable in small quantities but burdensome when you have more than you need? If so what are you going to do about it? I'm giving lots of things away and trying hard not to get more. It isn't easy because I thought being able to buy things was the key to happiness and I did it for many years to substitute for companionship and love. I know now that they only keep me from having the time to give and receive companionship and love.

Well what are your thoughts? God Bless you and all those you love ... Retired Race Horse

My First Blog ...

Oh my I'm a little nervous.

Today I'm wondering about all those missing children. I cannot imagine being the parent of a child that just disappears. I think it strange that someone could be allowed to grow up thinking that a child is something you can borrow ... or take for good ... for their own use. A child is not a thing to use. What happened to this person that caused them to think they were entitled to such an act of selfishness? I wonder when and how they became desensitised to the rights of others and life its self. Throwing a young girls body in the garbage to be picked up by a garbage truck and dumped miles away in a landfill. WHY?

I read the book the shack and it left me reeling. I'm not recommending it nor am I condemning it. The thoughts that crossed my mind while reading it were staggering, too many to say. I was crying when I read the part about the treatment of the narrator by his father, the abduction of his little girl and the feeling of guilt the little girl's sister suffered from. I know this is fiction but not so far I'm sure from the truth.

It did make me aware of how this man views God. I think what if my child did any of those awful hateful things. I would probably still have love for him/her and pity; but the difference between God and I (there are many as you might guess:)) would be that I would feel guilty and blame myself in someway for not helping this child to understand the sanctity of life and the rights of others. God doesn't feel guilt. He gave us all the right stuff in the beginning to do good and walk in the light, but we (not Him) made the wrong choice. He had nothing whats so ever to do with it. I however, feel strongly that parents, teachers, clergy, and doctors are all part of a persons develpement and can be held responsible in some degree for how each and every one of us developes.

I'm wondering what people think of this and if they have any thoughts on my thoughts.
So have a great day. Until next time God bless you and all those you love ...