grace

is anyone else out there complete baffled by the mere idea of grace?

the idea that someone could extend love & forgiveness to someone who, in your mind, deserves anything but that?

is there any hope to think that i will ever be able to do the same to those in my life who continually hurt and disappoint me?

i guess that's what makes it grace. the fact that i could never do it in my own power. the fact that it has to come from somewhere/Someone else.

i can try, but i still don't get it. i guess i can only hope to give it!

401K

So today I finally filled out my 401K information. The man from John Hancock had seriously been hounding me for two weeks to fill it out. I don't know why it took me so long, probably because all of that jargon is completely foreign to me. I hate to admit it, but I am clueless when it comes to stuff like that. I hate that I am ignorant when it comes to investments, stocks, interest rates. What's a girl to do? I guess I should just go out and buy "401Ks For Dummies". Maybe then I'd fully understand the paperwork I just filled out.

F.Y.I.

Toilet Paper....

1. Should not be sold in single ply. Never! I think we've come far enough with modern technology that it shouldn't even be manufactured anymore.

2. Should always come over the top of the roll. This prevents late-night battles, in the dark, with a toilet paper holder, trying to find the end of the infernal thing. All you want to do is go pee and get back into bed without having to open your eyes. And the way this is accomplished: over, not under!

Thank you for your time!

conflict

confrontation is not my thing. never has been. never will be. i deal with conflict by denying that there is one and pretending like there never could be one. neither one of these responses is healthy and i'm fully aware of that. but the alternate response, which is the healthy response, makes me want to poke myself in the eye. hard. i know this is something i've got to work on, but for now i feel like i would rather walk around blind in one eye.

Seriously?

There was a story on msn.com today that caused me to say, out loud, "Seriously?"

The headline was something along the lines of: "10 Women Who Inspire Us & 10 Women Who Make Us Cringe". They started with the women who inspire us and rightly so. The list included Dr. Ruth Simmons who became the first African American woman to head an Ivy League University (Brown) and Kelly Perkins, who is a heart transplant survivor. There were others on the list who truly did foster some sense of admiration and inspiration on my part. I thought to myself, "this was a really nice article". That was until I read further and discovered the women that they declared as making us cringe.

The first woman listed was Paris Hilton and let's be honest, they're right. I don't feel the need to expound. Also on the list were rehab-bound Lindsay Lohan and Brittany Spears. Yes! Again, worthy of inclusion. But after beginning the list with those three, they go on to pretty much list seven women who have openly, or through prose, opposed the left-centered world in which we live. Ann Coulter. Granted, she can be a bit abbrasive at times, but cringeworthy? I don't think so. She merely speaks her mind, which happens to be a conservative, Christian, FOX news kind of mind. Also on the list were authors Phyllis Schlafly and Marabel Morgan who have done nothing but promote the profession of stay-at-home-moms. Seriously? These women are cringeworthy?

What's wrong with America?

I can think of a few women who really make me cringe: Hillary Clinton. Nancy Pelosi. Susan Sarandon. Rosie O'Donnel.

My cringe-reflex must be a little different. That's all I can say. Seriously!

Enlightened

Last night, while watching tv, I stumbled across a concert being broadcast on the local public television network. Normally I wouldn't stop on that station, but then again they are normally airing old reruns of Mr. Roger's Neighborhood or Sesame Street. This time however, I was instantly intrigued. The concert was of a group named Celtic Woman and they had me hooked from the first note I heard.

I'm a music junkie. I pretty much love it all, but last night I was further introduced to a genre of music that up until that point had escaped my attention: traditional Celtic music. I've heard a lot of music, live and recorded, and I do not exaggerate when I say it was the most angelic thing I've ever heard. The group is comprised of five Irish women and one woman from New Zealand and they perform tradional and modern songs. The woman from New Zealand plays the violin and skips around the stage like a pixie while the five Irish women blend their voices together in song like nothing I've ever heard. It was awesome!

I loved it so much that I'm now planning on attending their concert when they come to Charlotte and have already purchased their latest cd off of iTunes. It was that good. And if you appreciate music at all, I highly suggest that you check this group out and embrace the angelic sounds of Celtic Woman.