new-life &laquo; WordPress.com Tag Feed http://en.wordpress.com/tag/new-life/ Feed of posts on WordPress.com tagged "new-life" Wed, 23 Dec 2009 13:24:14 +0000 http://en.wordpress.com/tags/ en <![CDATA[]]> http://ingodsgrip.org/2009/12/22/874/ Wed, 23 Dec 2009 02:21:04 +0000 kenchester http://ingodsgrip.org/2009/12/22/874/

December 23, 2009

“It stands to reason, doesn’t it, that if the alive-and-present God who raised Jesus from the dead moves into your life, he’ll do the same thing in you that he did in Jesus, bringing you alive to himself? Romans 8:10 The Message

When God moves in …?

When God moves into your life .. you’ll begin to stop trying to live up to His expectations. He doesn’t have any expectations of you. None. He doesn’t expect you to know how to live the Christ-filled life or how to live in the power of His Spirit living in you. He doesn’t expect you to revisit the past and clean up all the messes you’ve made. He doesn’t expect you to love perfectly. When it comes to your life … God gets it. He really understands how everything in your life is connected and how it has truly affected you. He didn’t move in because you were good. He moved into your life because He is good … and His love never quits! He moved in because He knows that once Jesus becomes alive in you .. you will begin to live a real life. It will look different .. maybe not on the outside .. but on the inside .. everything has been made new. And slowly .. steadily .. and solidly your life will begin to take on the shape of Jesus. It has to .. because Jesus is real and His life is the only real life that matters today. Yes .. there are parts of you that are out of joint .. fractured .. deeply bruised .. and this “alive-and-present God” is bringing you alive to himself. When God moves in your life .. those same shepherds who went looking for Jesus come looking for you. They won’t look like a bunch of rough-looking shepherds. They’ll look like strangers you meet at work .. bump into over lunch .. say hello at the gym .. parents at school plays and sporting events. They’re like those shepherds because this same God is beckoning them with His Spirit and leading you across their path. That’s why there are things to do and places to go … God has moved in .. and Jesus only needs a moment…

“So don’t you see that we don’t owe this old do-it-yourself life one red cent. There’s nothing in it for us, nothing at all. The best thing to do is give it a decent burial and get on with your new life. God’s Spirit beckons. There are things to do and places to go!” Romans 8:12-14 The Message

Ken Chester: Grace-Gripped is sent M-F to Jesus People and friends of our beloved Black Lab Ben who passed away after 12 1/2 wonderful years of irritating and irresistible love greatly impacting our lives. He helped us love God … and he certainly looked at us as if we were god.

]]> <![CDATA[Addict Kids]]> http://whydoanything.wordpress.com/2009/12/22/addict-kids/ Wed, 23 Dec 2009 01:06:47 +0000 easytiger2007 http://whydoanything.wordpress.com/2009/12/22/addict-kids/
When the girls moved out they took each of their computers with them – of course they did, especially as the computers were actually theirs. Sara’s computer had always been set up in our living room because their bedroom was already overflowing with their stuff. It simply made no sense whatsoever to attempt to set up her own work station amongst this disaster of a bedroom. Even if we had tried, I’ve no doubt it would quickly have vanished from view, buried beneath all kinds discarded crap! Our living room, however, had space to spare. We set up pretty comfy station for them, with loads of room on the desk that we decided to use – it measured 60″ long by 24″ wide, and had a pull out shelf that ran  the length of the desk, although it divided into two separate pieces, plus a full bottom shelf to put the computer’s tower and whatever else you felt like. What this meant was that with only the one computer/monitor on the desk, there was still loads of empty space over which was nice as it was then easy to keep neat and tidy.

OK, fascinating I’m sure that you’re all thinking, but, really, SO WHAT? See, even though I have always had a perfectly decent computer that I didn’t even have to share with anybody at all, I practically never went near it. While there was nothing remotely wrong with it, I utterly loathed where it ended up being located in the apt. Jim set it up in our bedroom right next to his. Now, we didn’t have the same kinds of space limitations that the girls always seemed to face, but there were other things that prevented me from truly enjoying  using my computer when it was in our bedroom. Hmmm, when I pause to reflect on all of this, I suppose in hindsight, we probably should have invested in at the least, one laptop!

From the start, I much preferred using the computer in the living room. Unfortunately, the only time that I would end up using it was when neither one of the girls was at home. It certainly wouldn’t have been very reasonable of me to demand time on theirs when I had a perfectly good one sitting unused in my bedroom! Another reason that I tended not to use it was the moment I sat down at it, time no longer seemed to matter. Seemed to take no effort for five minutes to turn into five hours! Even if my bedroom door remained completely open the entire time, just being located there tended to promote a feeling of being isolated and as such, not being readily available to either one of them. This was not at all what was actually occuring, but, as a newly recovering addict I became hyper aware of ensuring that my behaviour at any time did not suggest possible relapse. Of course, there were times when I had no choice. Certainly, the last time I got hit with the flu, the very last thing I wanted to do was leave my comfy bed for anything. Not to mention, I was the farthest away from feeling sociable at any level.

So, while either one of my girls were at home, I tended to drift between the kitchen, dining room and living room. If they didn’t feel like hanging around anywhere that I happened to be, then all that they had to was go off into their bedroom or leave the apartment. Now that they’re all grow’d up and living on their own, I don’t have to worry if I feel like staying in my room all day! I can do whatever I want! Sound kind of like I’m the one who no longer has to worry about following their parent’s house rules and not the other way around! Well, I’m certainly not going to lie when I confess that since its now only Jim and I, there is absolutely no doubt as to how liberated I’ve felt this past month!

I also had Jim liberate my computer from our bedroom, and had him set it up where Sara’s computer used to be. So, to make an already long story even longer…what I had been trying to do was let one and all know that because of our changed circumstances, I expect to be updating on a more regular not to mention more frequent basis.

———–

Now, its time to get to something just a tad more serious, as well as extremely important. There is something that I have been meaning to address for a very long time now, but haven’t gotten around to doing it. My very bad!!! Over the past year or so, I’ve been noticing that there has been a pretty dramatic increase in the number of blogs out there written by parents of addict children. Their collective cries for help, relief, support and recovery of their beloved is truly devastating. Even though I, personally, am  myself a recovering addict, I have no knowledge of being on the other side of addiction such as they all are. That’s not to say that I am incapable of empathizing with them, its simply that I’ve not had to view it in the same way that they do.  So, while I am not necessarily proud of this fact, I am certainly able to relate to the many stories they share of their children’s misadventures. I hope to never be in any one of their shoes either, and am pretty sure that it is by the grace of God that both of my girls have managed not to succumb to the many temptations that these illegal substances seem to offer. I hope with every fiber of my body that this never, ever changes also!

Their children are also oh so very, very young to have to go through some of the things that they do. This aspect of their addiction, though, is extremely difficult for me to relate to as I had actually never even tried drugs at their age. While I had done some experimentation while at university, I never really did it with any sort of regularity until I was about a year or so into my first real job after graduation. Once I found out I was pregnant, I stopped immediately and never resumed until Sara was about eight or nine. It then took five to six years after this for my previously recreational use to turn into full blown, hard core addiction. Shockingly, I was able to keep this from practically everyone. My own mother never knew I even had a problem until I had been in Methadone Maintenance Treatment – MMT – for over eighteen months. Jim’s parents found out even later – this tidbit ended up being revealed to them while he was still in the hospital after the stabbing! We never even had a call, a visit or anything to do with Children’s Aid either in regards to Sara’s upbringing. For all intents and purposes our addiction was invisible.

Now of course, most of the above needs to be taken with a grain of salt as they say! Addicts are consummate liars who also have a massive capacity to rationalize any sort of potentially unethical or illegal behaviour, and I am sure that I was no better, even though through these years, I had pretty much convinced myself that this didn’t apply to me. This particular topic, though, is too complex to go into much more detail right now, but I will tackle this subject in the very near future.

But back to the parents…their ever increasing numbers gives one pause for concern as I suspect that the blogs that are currently out there are barely a tip of the iceberg. Where we see one, I’m guessing there are ten more. Tragic, indeed. Below are some of the ones that I follow regularly. As my links are not as current on this computer as they had been on Sara’s, I know that there are a few excellent ones that I have overlooked – I apologize in advance for this oversight. By no means is it at all intentional. If you have a similar type of blog that is not in this list, please feel free to let me know so that I can update my links section. I encourage anyone that has taken the time to read this entry to also make sure that they take the time to visit the blogs that are listed below.  

  • Addiction – In God We Trust
  • An Addict in our Son’s Bedroom
  • Andrew’s Addiction
  • Blinded By Love For J

    • Her Big Sad

  • Hurting Parents~Addicted Son

    • Journey of recovery…search for serenity

  • Loving and Parenting an Addict

    • Mom of Opiate Addicted Son

  • Mom vs Heroin

    • mother of a drug addict
    My Daughter’s Addiction

  • OXYCONTIN and OPIATE ADDICTION-A Mother’s Story

    • The Needle and the Damage Done

  • Trying To Detach

    • ]]>         <![CDATA[Living the New Life]]> http://theryandavis.com/2009/12/22/living-the-new-life/ Tue, 22 Dec 2009 21:59:31 +0000 Ryan Davis http://theryandavis.com/2009/12/22/living-the-new-life/

    IF THEN you have been raised with Christ [to a new life, thus sharing His resurrection from the dead], aim at and seek the [rich, eternal treasures] that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.
    -Colossians 3:1

    Do you ever feel guilty?

    Sorry, stupid question, of course you have, we all have.

    I remember when I was younger and in order to fit in I would sometimes pick on other children. One of the tricks we would play was intentionally “befriending” people, gain their trust, and then lead them into a trap. Every time we would do this I would just feel horrible. I never understood how people can laugh while others cry, or say “well that’s your fault for trusting me.”

    It’s like the old sales trick, the bait and switch. We promised friendship, acceptance, a game of catch, and then once they feel comfortable, not only do we trick them, we delight in their pain.

    I wonder how much we have grown up.

    As Christians we believe we are given a new life in Christ. Our Spirit has been replaced, we are born anew. Yet the modern church resembles the school playground.

    I was talking to a gentleman the other day who had recently left one church for another, and was about to make the move again. I asked him what it was about his church that he offended him so much. He told me that the church “got a new pastor and he doesn’t sing the old hymns anymore, he only wants to sing new songs.” So he is planning on going to another church. After this man and I talked I paused, and thought, “how often is this the case?” How many times has someone left a church over music, or a preaching style, over decorations, or the fact that no one respects your pew?

    Recently in the town I live in there was a major church split, while I am uncertain of the issues that caused the split, I do know that one Sunday morning, while the pastor was preaching, members of the church began to stand up and shout at him, and eventually ran him off the stage. The sheriff’s department was called in and the pastor and his associates were guarded in their offices until the mob subsided. I heard this story from a few people who were there and my heart broke.

    We are living in a new life with an old life mentality. The church is supposed to be different, the church is supposed to bring people together not rip them apart.

    Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.  Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.  Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony.

    Colossians 3:12-14

    To live in this new life we must stop the pettiness.

    In order for the church to bring change into this world, we must first change ourselves.

    The church must be described as the entity that only love can bind together. When we look at the church we have to say “there is no way this group of people, so different, should come together.” We must make allowances for others faults, and allow God’s perfect grace to work in us, to transform us, in order that we could transform the world.

    ]]>         <![CDATA[time to look ahead]]> http://24hourdiner.wordpress.com/2009/12/22/time-to-look-ahead/ Tue, 22 Dec 2009 19:48:12 +0000 gladysmurphey http://24hourdiner.wordpress.com/2009/12/22/time-to-look-ahead/

    what a year this has been for all of us!!

    gertude is in the states

    maude is working on a divorce

    abigail is in law school

    i have a new roomate/partner/live -in

    and the rest are caught up in their own if somewhat less dramatic changes of the past year.

    it’s traditional and natural even to think about the new year meaning new starts, moving forward, passing time….

    it just occurred to me that we are moving into a new decade,

    2010!!

    most of us didn’t know each other…didn’t even see what was on the horizon in terms of moving to a new country, i suppose…

    maybe it would be fun to tell what we were doing on new years eve 1999!!!!

    maybe it will put this last year in perspective, how much things change~~~how much things stay the same~~~

    ]]>         <![CDATA[go go go go go!]]> http://sarahndipitea.wordpress.com/2009/12/21/go-go-go-go-go/ Tue, 22 Dec 2009 05:49:08 +0000 Sarah http://sarahndipitea.wordpress.com/2009/12/21/go-go-go-go-go/

    It’s been two weeks of non-stop action (no, not that kind of action) and I’m just now getting a chance to breathe. Getting a chance to breathe while I nurse a large coffee to rid myself of a migraine and contemplate what I really want (or need) to write about. Until then, this is all you’re getting.

    Outside my window… it’s dark. It’s dark outside @Obfuscius’ (TheMister now has a Twitter account … you should follow him, he’s cute.) window and it’s probably dark outside my own window. I moved fully into my new apartment on Saturday with the help of TheMister after a flight to and a drive from Portland with my stuff. Quite the adventure. Good times. My space is a mess (which doesn’t quite make it mine, yet) but it will be me soon enough.
    ~
    I am thankful… for my friends; for my family; for the love of TheMister; for music, books and good food. I am thankful that I have my good health – for the most part – and that I can take care of things that need immediate attention; for my job(s) during this tough economy; for the ability to pick up a phone and call my people just because. I am thankful.
    ~
    From our studies… I don’t quite know what I’m supposed to answer this with. I’m not studying anything really, although I am continually learning new things. Today I realized that if I want to stay up until 3am working in silence, I can do that – I don’t have to be “at work” at 8am anymore. I am learning more and more about who I really am everyday.
    ~
    From the kitchen… I hear the washing machine. I grocery shopped (with TheMister) today. I hate to grocery shop and especially hate it when it’s in a store I’m not familiar with, so I took emotional support. Not only did I manage to stay within my budget, I snagged some comfort foods (specific brands) so it wasn’t too bad of a trip. Trader Joe’s was insane so Safeway was blessed with my presence today. I’ll try TJ’s another day I think.
    ~
    I am wearing… an Ohio State t-shirt (go Buckeyes!), jeans that are too big for me (most of my pants are right now), flowered underoos (just what you wanted to know, eh?) and a striped bra (more TMI?). I had on my favorite REI socks (yes, I have favorite socks) but they’ve since been removed (sexy, huh?).
    ~
    I am thinking… about a lot of things. Since moving I have changed a lot. Addressing that change has been really interesting for me, and reflecting on it has put my head and heart in a strange place. Not being able to truly decompress for three months has taken its toll on me and I need to find an outlet. Yesterday, laying in my own bed and reading a trashy book (*cough*Eclipse*cough*) I came to the conclusion that I need more of that. I need more me time. I need more time where I don’t do anything. I need more time where I’m just concentrating on doing exactly what I want to at that exact moment. It’s not something I’m used to.
    ~
    I am going… in circles. Lately it’s felt like that a bit lately, even though I know I am going places, too. Life is good when it all comes down to the basics. Good times, ya’ll.
    ~
    I am reading… Eclipse by Stephanie Meyer and Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov. I think that might sum up my taste in books pretty well. I like trash but the good stuff makes me happy, too. I am tearing through Eclipse like none other because I’ve been relaxing while reading it. Lolita is so well written and so heavy that it’s been too much for me in the past couple of weeks. I’ll pick it up again soon.
    ~
    I am hoping… for some calm inside my head. For the most part I can compartmentalize enough that the things that aren’t calm can be put away, but every once in a while they slip out of the drawers and slide out from under the bed to poke me in the middle of the night.
    ~
    I am hearing… Sara Bareilles’ Between the Lines album. Good stuff when I’m feeling word-blocked. Puts me a little too far into my head though.
    ~
    Around the house… a cat scratches at my door at 2am, the kitchen reminds me of Three’s Company, the couch isn’t quite right for my butt, in the dark I can’t find my way down a straight hallway yet, it’s my house.
    ~
    One of my favorite things… raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens. No, wait, that’s not what I’m supposed to be writing here. Uhm, the scent of my shampoo, the sound of people laughing, the feel of my hand in his; these are a few of my favorite things. I’m not just picking just one.
    ~
    A few plans for the rest of the week… watch the Beavers defeat BYU at the MAACO Las Vegas Bowl on Tuesday night, work for WEGO Health during the days this week, enjoy Christmas with TheMister’s family this weekend, write my 110 in 2010 list, enjoy life.

    ]]>         <![CDATA[]]> http://ingodsgrip.org/2009/12/21/872/ Tue, 22 Dec 2009 00:52:10 +0000 kenchester http://ingodsgrip.org/2009/12/21/872/

    December 22, 2009

    “The Spirit, not content to flit around on the surface, dives into the depths of God, and brings out what God planned all along…” 1 Corinthians 2:10 The Message

    What does God’s Spirit do all day with your life …?

    Jesus didn’t leave you as an orphan. His birth announced to the world that ‘God saves’ and ‘He is with us’. His life showed us what God is like: touching untouchable people like “us” .. reaching out to rejected and broken men and women like “us” .. healing paralyzed bodies and paralyzed spirits like “us” .. forgiving people like “us” who sometimes think we are unforgivable .. blessing people like “us” who’ve never really heard the Father’s unfailing acceptance deep in our hearts and souls .. dying to change dead people like “us” into living people like Him .. and rising from the dead to transform people like “us” into firsthand person-to-person men and women who pass it along .. in His name .. in His power .. by His Spirit. In all of this the Holy Spirit is working in your life all day long .. every moment .. reminding you who you are .. filling you with assurance .. leading you in the world you live in .. comforting you when you get all tangled up on the inside .. patiently and truthfully convicting you when you try to live separately from Jesus or reject God’s strength and love  .. and try to settle for half-truth lies. Jesus sent His Spirit to complete the work He has started in you .. to make you whole .. to never leave you alone .. to go ‘”room by room” through your life .. to gift you with the incredible .. indefatigable .. inexhaustible depths of God’s grace for your life. It is what makes the followers of Jesus different from anyone else in the world: You are learning to love the life that Jesus is living in you . not apart from .. not separate from you .. not partially in you .. but “all of Him in all of you” (MIT). It only takes a moment …

    “We didn’t learn this by reading books or going to school; we learned it from God, who taught us person-to-person through Jesus, and we’re passing it on to you in the same firsthand, personal way.” 1 Corinthians 2:13 The Message

    Ken Chester: Grace-Gripped is sent M-F to Spirit-pursued — Spirit-filled — Spirit-alive followers of Jesus and friends of Priority One (ken@priorityone.org)

    ]]>         <![CDATA[a thousand words: the new addition]]> http://yourlittleheartexploding.wordpress.com/2009/12/21/a-thousand-words-the-new-addition/ Mon, 21 Dec 2009 17:06:56 +0000 your little heart exploding http://yourlittleheartexploding.wordpress.com/2009/12/21/a-thousand-words-the-new-addition/

    daphne and simeon

    watching your best friend give birth to another child is something. . .
    indescribable.

    holding an entirely new being in your arms. . .endlessly amazing.

    not much else could be as magical as this.

    ]]>         <![CDATA[Put it out with a perdurable]]> http://cultureinindia.wordpress.com/?p=292 Mon, 21 Dec 2009 13:15:08 +0000 Ramya http://cultureinindia.wordpress.com/?p=292

    New Life was registered as a non-profit organisation in the year 1993 as it was felt by the philanthropist professionals drawn from fields of Agriculture, Rural Development, Information Technology, and Medicine. The mission of New Life is to help raise the socio-economic status of women and children belonging to the weaker sections of society and thus enabling them to become productive members of society. Put it out with a perdurable

    ]]>         <![CDATA[The Line In The Sand]]> http://mattleewright.wordpress.com/2009/12/21/the-line-in-the-sand/ Mon, 21 Dec 2009 10:56:10 +0000 Matt http://mattleewright.wordpress.com/2009/12/21/the-line-in-the-sand/

    Last week I decided that the end would happen in March. The end being defined as the point at which my patience for business, and my new house, will run out.

    I told this to my housemate, who was understanding. He tried to say that if I do get to a point of giving up in March, I should instead look to find a job in my new house down south. But I don’t think it’ll work.

    The reason being is that the whole purpose of the move was to do a joint business venture with him. None of that has happened. We were supposed to be working on various websites, and a website design and construction business. Hasn’t happened. He has no interest in it, despite insisting he does every time. He also claims that he does have time to do it, but I’ve pointed out to him and told him many times that he simply doesn’t, and I understand.

    Otherwise, every time we come up with an idea, it falls on its arse within minutes because of a lack of time on his part.

    I knew this would happen, but I hoped it wouldn’t. I don’t know how many times I’ve fallen for him suggesting an idea, or saying he has something ready for me, which never actually happens.

    And it has happened again lately. He’s been banging on for ages about forming a partnership with a shop in town which sells printer cartridges but doesn’t do PC repairs. He finally got round to approaching them, and told me he sounded very positive and drafted a suggested e-mail for me to send to the owner.

    I did.

    And nothing has happened.

    Nothing ever happens. Every time I try something, the response is poor. 150 leaflets, four customers, two of which did not even receive the leaflet but had passed it on. There just seems to be no way in.

    I’m not really sure what I can do any more. Short of wasting vast sums of cash on advertising, most of which will be wasted, I don’t know how anyone breaks into any sector in business.

    Anyway, this disaster is why I don’t want to stay living with the current housemate if the business venture doesn’t take off. I have no intention of just having a normal life living there. It’s too weird. It was meant to be a stepping stone to something bigger. None of that has happened.

    So three months to go before I decide whether to join the real world, accept that I’m just another tedious, boring person with nothing special to offer, and clog up the arteries of the world in yet another office.

    Bloody hell. What a shit year I’ve had.

    ]]>         <![CDATA[Day 23: Oh Lawdy!]]> http://shawnee402.wordpress.com/2009/12/21/day-23-oh-lawdy/ Mon, 21 Dec 2009 07:22:36 +0000 shawnee402 http://shawnee402.wordpress.com/2009/12/21/day-23-oh-lawdy/

    Soooo. There’s this guy that’s into me. His name is Eli. He’s pretty cool, actually. Really cute. Funny. Is into a lot of what Im into. Which is nice.

    He wants to go out with me on Sunday. I said yes, because I dont see why the hell not. Of course, my brain is saying, “you dont want to go out with him. make up an excuse not to hang out. no no no.” But I said yes anyway. He’s told me that he’s not a player, since I asked, and hopefully its the truth.

    My trust issues really get in my way sometimes.. I know they prevent me from doing a lot of things and hanging out with a lot of people. Pisses me off. But I cant help it.

    However. If this is my new life, I’m going to take more chances. I mean, I take them a lot, but not enough. Soo now I just have to tell my parents about this date… GAHHH.

    ;D

    ]]>         <![CDATA[The Legend of the Candy Cane (GAME)]]> http://teachingthem.com/2009/12/21/the-legend-of-the-candy-cane/ Mon, 21 Dec 2009 02:04:31 +0000 wallbuilder http://teachingthem.com/2009/12/21/the-legend-of-the-candy-cane/

    Time
    15-20 minutes (or more, depending upon how many times you play)

    Audience

    Children & Youth

    Description

    This matching game is a fun one to play at Christmas.  It takes the elements of “The Legend of the Candy Cane” (apocryphal) and uses it to make connections between the popular Christmas candy and truths about Christ.  Even though the widely circulated story of how the candy cane originated is not true, we can still find meaning and symbolism in the candy that will help us to appreciate our Savior.

    Scriptures

    • Exodus 12:22-23
    • Psalm 51:7
    • Isaiah 53:5
    • Matthew 1:23, 5:12, 26:28
    • John 10:11
    • Romans 6:4, 9:33
    • 2 Corinthians 5:21

    Materials

    • Printouts of “Legend of the Candy Cane – Cards.ppt” (available at www.teachingthem.com on the Lesson and Material Downloads page).  There are enough cards in the printout for two teams.  If you will have more teams competing, you will need more copies.
    • Scissors or a paper cutter (to cut out the cards)
    • A simple, red-and-white candy cane to use as an example
    • Flipchart or whiteboard and markers
    • Optional: If it bothers you that participants will be able to see the images through the paper, you might want to use a heavy stock of paper, or you might even want to glue the cards to cardboard or posterboard before cutting them out.
    • Optional: Small prizes for the winners – I recommend candy canes to fit with the theme.
    • Bible

    Preparation

    • Print out the cards.
    • Optional: Glue the cards on top of the cardboard or poster board (to prevent participants from being able to see the images through the paper).
    • Cut out the cards.
    • Sort the cards into sets.  (There are two identical sets in each printout.  Most matching games have you match identical cards, but in this matching game, participants will match a characteristic of the candy cane with its meaning/symbol.  So, each set will contain one of each of the following cards: “White,” “Red,” “The Rock,” “J-Shape,” “Stripes,” “Peppermint,” “Hard,” “Sweet,” “Hyssop,” “Sinless,” “Blood,” “Shepherd,” “Born of a Virgin,” “By His Stripes,” “Jesus,” “Wash Me Clean,” “New Life,” and “Heaven.”
    • Shuffle the cards, and lay them out in three rows of six cards each.  (The cards should be laid out face-down.”)
    • Practice the script.

    Procedure

    Use the following script and instructions (or modify to suit your needs):

    • “Have any of you ever heard “The Legend of the Candy Cane?”  (Acknowledge responses.)
    • “It’s this story that has been sent around the internet and on different websites about how the candy cane was created and why.”
    • “It says that a man created the candy cane to be a witness to Jesus Christ and that each of the characteristics of the candy cane pointed to our Lord.”
    • “Unfortunately, some people checked out the story, and it turns out not to be true.”
    • “The candy cane has been around for about 300 years, and it started out as just a simple candy.”
    • “However, that doesn’t mean that we can’t find symbols of Christianity in the candy cane.”
    • “Many times, God uses something to bring glory to Himself even when mankind didn’t intend to give Him glory.”
    • “I think the candy cane can definitely bring glory to God.”
    • “Let’s look at it more closely.”  (Hold up a candy cane for the participants to see.)
    • “What are some of the things you notice about the candy cane?”  (Hold up you hand to show that you want them to raise their hands to be recognized one at a time.  As you call on them, you might want to write what they say on the flipchart or whiteboard.  Then, ask them to tell you what this characteristic might represent in the Christian faith.  Several characteristics will have two meanings.  You will have to give them some guidance, but let them come up with as many as they can.  The main responses you are looking for are written below.
      • White = Sinless (2 Corinthians 5:21); Born of a Virgin (Matthew 1:23)
      • Red = Blood (Matthew 26:28)
      • Hard = The Rock (Romans 9:33)
      • J-Shaped = Jesus, Shepherd’s staff (John 10:11)
      • Stripes = By His stripes… (Isaiah 53:5)
      • Peppermint = Hyssop (Exodus 12:22-23), Washes Me Clean (Psalm 51:7)
      • Sweet = New Life (Romans 6:4), Heaven (Matthew 5:12)

    There may be additional connections that the participants can make, but they won’t be included in the matching game.  As you make the connections, you might want to have someone read the Scriptures listed above.  Some Scriptures may need a little background information to connect them to the symbol.)

    • “See!  We came up with at least eleven connections between Christianity and the candy cane!”
    • “That can’t be accidental.  God must have hidden these truths in the candy cane for us to find.”
    • “Now, let’s play a game to help us remember these connections.”
    • “It’s a matching game, like when you turn a face-down card over and then try to remember where its match might be.”
    • “How many of you have played a game like this before?”  (Acknowledge responses.)
    • “I’m going to divide you into teams before we play.”  (Divide participants into evenly-sized groups – as much as possible – based on how many sets of cards you prepared.)
    • “Here’s how it is played for those of you who haven’t played before.”
    • “Each team has a set of 18 cards, placed face-down in front of you.”
    • “Your goal is to match all the different sets before the other teams do.”
    • “You will do this by turning over two cards at a time.”
    • “You will take turns on your team being the person who turns over the cards.”
    • “Once you turn them over, you cannot change which cards you’ve chosen.”
    • “I will look at the two you’ve chosen and tell you if you have a match or not.”
    • “If you have a match, I will let you make a set and take the cards off the board.”
    • “Sometimes, you may match two cards that actually need a third card to make the set.”
    • “You will be able to tell if there is a third card when there is a #3 in the corner of the two cards you have turned over.”
    • “Whenever this happens, I will let you turn over one more card to see if you can make a full set.”
    • “If you turn over the third card, I will let you remove the cards from the board.”
    • “If you turn over two (or three) cards that don’t match, you will have to turn them back face-down in the same place you found them.”
    • “After I’ve looked at all the cards, we’ll go to the next turn, and someone else in your team will turn over the cards.”
    • “The first team to match all their sets wins!”
    • “Do you have any questions?”
    • “Are you ready to play?”  (Start the game.  Do one round at a time, so that you will be able to tell which team wins.  If you have a prize picked out for the winners, you can hand it out then.  If you finish quickly, you can shuffle the cards and play again.  For a more challenging game, you might want to combine two sets of the cards to make a total of 36 cards for each team.)

    ]]>         <![CDATA[Hello Goodbye]]> http://shutupitsmylife.wordpress.com/2009/12/20/hello-goodbye/ Sun, 20 Dec 2009 14:29:06 +0000 Andryo http://shutupitsmylife.wordpress.com/2009/12/20/hello-goodbye/

    Sunday, 9 September 2007

    So this is it… I am leaving my home town for London. I didn’t really announce this to everyone, but I’d presume that the ones who are close to me (and care) would know.

    I don’t actually know the reason I am leaving, it is pretty stupid really. Cause I have my whole music career ahead of me. 4 of my songs are aired on the biggest radios here, not to mention I know the right people, etc etc. Probably I am just sick of all my troubles, boring routine, stagnant life, and need a fresh start.

    It’s funny that if we live with the people we love, we always take it for granted. Since we meet those people everyday, everything just becomes flat. “Hi Mom”, “Bye Mom”, “Dad, I’m home”, etc etc.. those are the things (or maybe the only things) we say on a daily basis. But when I was about to leave, I was weeping like a baby…especially when my mom rubbed my back in the car on the way to the airport and said “be good, okay!” I couldn’t help it but to hold her hand very tight and cried. Unsurprisingly, I cried again at the airport when I was about to enter the gate in front of my family, best friends, and some people who surprisingly came and said goodbye there (thanks for that).

    I’m really glad that I left. Now I know better how much my loved ones mean to me. Never in my life I hugged my parents like I did that day. Never in my life I looked at their faces, and tried to take a snapshot of how they looked to be memorized forever. Cause I don’t know how long I will be going for. It could be just until the next holiday, could be a year, could be forever. And God knows when will I see them again the next time. It’s a very good experience.

    We are complete

    My best friends and me at the airport

    ]]>         <![CDATA[GREEN TEA CUTS DEPRESSION IN ELDERLY]]> http://trumpetoftruth.wordpress.com/2009/12/20/green-tea-cuts-depression-in-elderly/ Sun, 20 Dec 2009 01:41:10 +0000 hiram1555 http://trumpetoftruth.wordpress.com/2009/12/20/green-tea-cuts-depression-in-elderly/ <![CDATA[MAN ADMITS TO STABBING]]> http://whydoanything.wordpress.com/2009/12/19/man-admits-to-stabbing/ Sat, 19 Dec 2009 21:42:33 +0000 easytiger2007 http://whydoanything.wordpress.com/2009/12/19/man-admits-to-stabbing/
    The following article appeared in our local newspaper less than a week ago. The article provides a bit more info concerning the attack on us and the stabbing of Jim from a year and a half ago. In preparation for his sentencing hearing scheduled for the beginning of February, 2010, I’ve started to work on my Victim Impact Statement so that I can read it to the court on that day. Jim is also going to prepare and read one, as are both of our daughters – both of them came to me and asked if they would be able to do this as well, so of course, I agreed. This was very much a surprise as I had never intended to ask either one of them to go through this for us. Obviously, we are touched that they want to do this for us – our intentions originally had been motivated so that we could attempt to keep our babies shielded and separated from all of this ugliness. Have always said that they are made of strong stuff indeed.

    The recent article is accurate except for one detail. It states that he had a 15-centimeter cut to his arm. This 15cm injury/scar actually appears on his chest, and was a direct result of the emergency surgery he had to have when the doctors cut him open to repair both his liver and lung. Anyway, if you are at all interested, you should be able to check out the original article for a few weeks RIGHT HERE. In case it expires, the following was printed:

    By JANE SIMS, THE LONDON FREE PRESS
    Last Updated: 10th December 2009, 11:07am


    The noise coming from the sixth-floor apartment was too loud for the neighbours. That’s all the superintendent wanted to tell the people inside the Wonderland Rd. apartment in London when he knocked on the door on May 12, 2008, at about 5 p.m.

    What would happen next would threaten his life and leave him with lingering injuries. Three men ran out of the apartment, pushed the superintendent to the floor and began punching, kicking and stabbing him.

    P****** F*******, 25, pleaded guilty in a London court to aggravated assault for the stab wounds that punctured the man’s lung, lacerated his liver, and left him critically injured.

    F******* is one of three men charged for the attack. He, along with his brother L*******, 24, and M*******, 22, had already begun a preliminary hearing in October. F******* has been in custody since his arrest in downtown London after the attack.

    Assistant Crown attorney Gary Fowler told Justice Deborah Livingstone the victim and F******* did not know each other. Several people in the building, including the victim’s spouse, saw the attack. Along with the internal injuries, the victim suffered gashes to his arm and head and needed a 61/2-hour surgery. He needed 10 staples to close the gash in his head and had a 15-centimetre cut to his arm. Fowler said the victim needed a second surgery later. Livingstone noted that from the testimony heard earlier, the victim’s ongoing issues from the attack are “significant.”

    F*******’s lawyer, K******* M*******, said her client admitted to causing the injuries from the stabbing and was involved in some of the kicking and punching. A pre-sentence report was ordered and F******* is to be sentenced Feb 3.

    The preliminary hearing for the other two men is slated to continue Jan. 11.

    COMMENTS:

    CAROL ANNE SPIVAK
    December 10th 2009, 3:12pm
    A PERSON AS VICIOUS AS HE IS DOES NOT BELONG AMOUNGST THE REST OF THE HUMAN RACE, HIS FRIENDS AS WELL. HOPE IT WON’T BE ANOTHER SLAP ON THE WRIST, HE NEEDS LOCKING UP FOR A VERY LONG TIME. I’M VERY ANXIOUS TO SEE WHAT THE PUNISHMENT WILL BE.
    Don
    December 10th 2009, 1:41pm
    I hope they give this piece of human trash a double digit pen bit. He damn near killed an innocent man for knocking on a door….? The community is a better place without him. A SEVERE punishment is the only way to go on this case. Him reforming himself should be concidered a distant 2nd priority
    Ouch
    December 10th 2009, 11:44am
    That hurts !
    ]]>         <![CDATA[Christmas Cheer]]> http://jcfeedman.wordpress.com/2009/12/19/christmas-cheer/ Sat, 19 Dec 2009 14:57:27 +0000 jcfeedman http://jcfeedman.wordpress.com/2009/12/19/christmas-cheer/

    In the land of the free, our freedoms are dying.
    Each night on the news our leaders are lying.
    They claim it was others who made things go sour,
    But they’ll make everything better with a little more power.

    They in their wisdom will redistribute your wealth,
    And apply that same wisdom to care for your health.
    They think that you are too dumb to make do,
    So the “all knowing” government will do it for you.

    If you worship at the foot of the government shrine,
    You may well believe things are working out fine.
    But even our country, the best the earth offers,
    Is running on empty with no funds in its coffers.

    The Bible says it’s truth that makes you free.
    The Lord says you’ll have power, “when you follow Me.”
    He says all of our wealth comes from His hand
    And even bad leaders get used in His plan.

    We, the people of earth did not evolve
    And our biggest problem is one we can’t solve.
    We’ve denied our Creator and followed a lie
    And because of this sin, we’re all “gonna” die.

    The reality is we’re dead from our birth
    And have to find life during our time on the earth.
    He came and died so that we all can live.
    What we do is believe. What He does is give.

    Wichita, 12/19/09
    JCS

    ]]>         <![CDATA[Advent in IHM-ville, Sr. Marie Gabriel Hungerman, IHM]]> http://ihmcalling.org/2009/12/16/advent-marie-gabe/ Wed, 16 Dec 2009 17:17:10 +0000 Sister MB http://ihmcalling.org/2009/12/16/advent-marie-gabe/

    A telling tree

    When you asked me my favorite Advent Scripture the one that came was Isaiah 11, “A shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse…” This speaks to me of new life out of the old. Advent comes in the midst of the dark and cold at the end of the year, but it holds the promise of new life. This reading also focuses on a tree, and in my spiritual life the tree has been a most important image. It exemplifies the cycle of life– the new growth of spring, the profusion of summer, the flaming, dying beauty of autumn and the stark bare winter.  At one prolonged, difficult time in my life I was driving along a road in winter and noticed a barren looking tree with no sign of life.  All of a sudden I realized that there was life deep inside the tree– and inside of me. The tree would sprout forth in green again and just as surely there was new life in me waiting to flower.  I discovered that resilience is a name of God.

    December can be such a busy, frantic time, but the Advent Scriptures help me tune into a longing for peace. This year I may be physically achy, lower in energy, but I’m grateful to be much calmer in my tasks, taking time and rejoicing in Advent’s promise of new life.

    ]]>         <![CDATA[CHRISTMAS...]]> http://youthgist.wordpress.com/2009/12/16/christmas/ Wed, 16 Dec 2009 15:47:56 +0000 youthgist http://youthgist.wordpress.com/2009/12/16/christmas/

    Christmas…a period of joy. Joy arising from many causes. We. rejoice because we were fortunate to make it to the end of the year… some of our friends were not so fortunate. We rejoice because we are able to re-unite with family members and thus re-establish ties almost severed by distance. We rejoice because for a period of time,as brief as it may seem, we can disengage from our daily hectic schedule and relax, indulging ourselves some pleasure and fun. We rejoice because for the upteenth time,God has again visited His people in the form of a small babe. Whether we recognise this babe or not, we still rejoice in obedience to the angelic injunction,’Joy to the world!’
    Christmas…a period of celebration. We celebrate a lot of things during this period: New marriages, naming ceremonies, silver and golden jubilees of existing marriages…many,many things. We celebrate life. And we end the season with the most important celebration:Celebration of the New Year!
    Christmas…a period of love. We open our hearts to love and show love to all around us. We love practically.With solid deeds. Feeding the hungry around us. Clothing the naked. Visiting the sick and the prisoners. Allowing the ray of love and the warmth of the sun reach the less-privileged and planting a smile on every face we see. We love and we are loved.
    Christmas…a period of peace. We extend a hand of friendship to our enemies. We embrace people that have hurt us.We forgive. We try to forget. We embrace peace. And we are healed.
    Christmas… Joy. Celebration. Love. Peace. Flow with spirit of the season. Be happy. Be free.

    ]]>         <![CDATA[A Glimpse of my New Life]]> http://24hourdiner.wordpress.com/2009/12/16/a-glimpse-of-my-new-life/ Wed, 16 Dec 2009 08:07:25 +0000 gertrudewinston http://24hourdiner.wordpress.com/2009/12/16/a-glimpse-of-my-new-life/

    Have I ever  emphasized enough  how much  I hate change? I wanted to be one  of those  ‘losers’  that stayed  in the same  neighborhood and taught at the same  school for years  and  saw generations  of families   go  through  the school system ..  I guess the powers that be  are laughing their heads  off  or maybe  I am just not ‘learning’  as some suggest  you  go through  some trials  until  you  are enlightened..  Anyway… We are currently  staying at about 10 minutes from DH’s  current new job in temporary  shelter that the  company provides.  It is    a one bed one bath..second floor apartment  in a  complex that is not  stroller friendly  and has  no elevators.. .. I think they have  one for wheelchairs  at the side where deliveries  are but you have  to buzz the front  and it’s  a big ol’  deal  so  I either end up waking DD  or carrying her up stairs  stroller and  all..     basically we are in  a  ritzy area  but for a bachelor  not conducive  to little  ones  .. but it’s nice and the bed is HUGE!! 

    OK.. so we are on the marina  which means  it takes  a while  for clouds  to burn off in the  AM  but it has been nice weather   all week..  C and I walk  everywhere but it easy  to manage. I am  just not used  to all the cars  and traffic and being so close  to  the busy  road  if that makes  sense…

    So I hate change and we   will be doing more of it soon.  We plan on living in this area  when  we  finally move out for good.  It is twice the rent here than where we  are in AZ.. No JOke.  The scary part  is that we  signed  a year contract  for our current  place in AZ and I am not sure if we can get out of it. I talked to one  lady and it felt like  a ‘no’  but I will try again.. We just can’t afford  a  lot  of what we have  to  pay right now  but I hope  it gets better and  doesn’t put  a strain on our  marriage. I have seen what money  or the lack of it   does  to people…

    So this area  is completely foreign to me. It is  near LMU where my sis went to school but I have no history here and I might as well be on  another planet/ continent… It just makes me sad because  if I was to pick  anywhere  new to live I definyely didn’t  want to  ‘do L.A.’  again.  I know that sounds  spoiled and ungrateful  and I will get used  to this  ‘newness’  AGAIN  but   sometimes when I am feeling sorry and scared for  myself  I wonder  ‘how did I get here?   and why am I  always making the  sacrifices  (which I know  isn’t all true) and how  much I want boring and hum drum  and  consistency  to begin  soon..

    ]]>         <![CDATA[Day 18: Going Through the Motions.]]> http://shawnee402.wordpress.com/2009/12/15/day-18-going-through-the-motions/ Tue, 15 Dec 2009 23:18:19 +0000 shawnee402 http://shawnee402.wordpress.com/2009/12/15/day-18-going-through-the-motions/

    Okay, sorry I havent written for a while. Things have basically gone to hell in a handbasket. Situations with Kacie came up that demanded immediate attention.

    On the 11th, Kacie decided, after months of secret depression, that she would committ suicide. Luckily she was found and rushed to the hospital. She’s home safe and sound now, and doing better. She wants to be happy now. She knows she is going to be okay and is so thankful to be alive.

    It had been within a couple weeks that I had noticed a change in her. She wasnt as genuinely happy as she had been. Something was just off. Then I found out from Tim that she had taken about seven or eight hydros at one of our school dances that I did not attend. I became extremely upset when I found out again, the same day, that she had also popped some of her mothers anxiety medication. She came over later that day and my mother and I sat her down and had a long talk with her.

    Not two days later I found out again from Tim that she’d taken more pills. I ordered her over to my house after class and got in her face about it. So did my mother. Again.

    It didnt do any good. She tried to commit suicide on Friday. I sat in the hospital waiting room with her family, Jake and Tim, and just could not believe I was sitting there, or the reason why I was sitting there. It was so unreal. Kacie is like my sister. She’s like my mothers other daughter. I couldnt imagine living without her. She’s my hero. To come so fucking close to losing her tore me apart. I still hurt from it, but I am so happy she’s alive. I was so mad at her. I wanted to rip her apart. But I knew that I had to be there for her. Anger could come later.

    For now, it’s being there for her and just helping her see the great things in life instead of the bad. So far, it’s working. It’s hard for her still, but she’s going to pull through this. I know she is. She knows she is.

    So fuck the boys in my life that I had hurt so badly over. Like Samuel. I know what’s important to me, and I’m going to cherish those things. Kacie, my mother and father, Tim and Jake, my writing, my animals, music, and just being alive. They’re all such blessings, even if they seem to be in disguise once in a while.

    I’ve got this.

    ]]>         <![CDATA[The good and the bad of human nature...]]> http://rorycrawford.wordpress.com/2009/12/15/the-good-and-the-bad-of-human-nature/ Tue, 15 Dec 2009 18:21:57 +0000 rorycrawford http://rorycrawford.wordpress.com/2009/12/15/the-good-and-the-bad-of-human-nature/

    I’m just back from Copenhagen, and firstly it is important to note what an incredible city it is – more like a big friendly village than a city of 1 million people. Very friendly, accomodating, beautiful. I would love to go back with more time.

    To start with the goods of human nature – I organised accomodation in Copenhagen through ‘New Life Copenhagen’, a scheme designed to pair up those coming to the negotiations that are low on cash and required a place to kip. I stayed with a complete stranger who showed, firstly, incredible trust to allow a random Scot into their home, and secondly went out of her way to welcome me. The New Life programme is a great idea not simply because I got somewhere to rest my bones for free, but also because it gives you an insight into Danish life – the best aspect being that in a number of flats in Copenhagen, the bathroom is only big enough for a toilet and a sink. Many have been adapted to house a shower, which you hook up from the tap and then get lathering! You could literally combine necessary bodily evacuations with a good wash!

    Sadly, I also found Copenhagen to be a hugely frustrating experience. I heard some incredible stories from some amazing people – Ibnu Najib, from Indonesia, also does voluntary work for the British Council. He gave a presentation wearing a traditional batik – and explained that it is now very difficult for people to find a hand-made batik to buy, because local Javanese people no longer have the time to make them – because of deforestation they have to spend longer looking for fire wood; environmental damage and climate change is putting strains on their lives that mean a tradition is dying out.

    Ex-Irish president and head of the UN Human Rights Commission Mary Robinson gave an inspirational speech late on Monday afternoon at the Scottish Government event I was attending. She talked of a female farmer from Uganda, whose crops are failing because of climate change. Other women farmers have been forced into prostitution because they can’t make ends meet; this wasn’t an option for her – her morals would not let her – not simply because she does not want to sell herself, but also because she is HIV positive. Where does this woman turn to?

    These are just 2 small examples of some of the incredible, emotional stories being told in Copenhagen – a small sample of the sad human face on the front line of climate change impacts. Meanwhile, over at the Bella Centre, it seems that pontificating politicians are missing the point completely, and are more concerned about economic growth and fiddling while Rome burns, rather than saving the planet and the people upon it. I am not surprised, and indeed, completely support the delegates from Africa and Asia that walked out of the negotiations yesterday. Poor nations have done the least to contribute to climate change, and yet in a horrid twist, are those suffering the most. How can politicians not be compelled to act when stories like the two noted above are not terrible exceptions, but tragically par for the course?  The lack of leadership we are seeing here from so-called leaders disappoints me gravely.

    I am an optimist. One day we will see leadership and foresight from our leaders.

    But it seems today is not that day. I hope we see this leadership sooner rather than later.

    ]]>         <![CDATA[DAY 2: if you have always done it that way, it is probably wrong.]]> http://rindut.wordpress.com/2009/12/15/day-2-if-you-have-always-done-it-that-way-it-is-probably-wrong-charles-kettering/ Tue, 15 Dec 2009 15:06:20 +0000 rindut http://rindut.wordpress.com/2009/12/15/day-2-if-you-have-always-done-it-that-way-it-is-probably-wrong-charles-kettering/

    even the mirror, it can show you the different reflection if u do it different way.

    so, i try to do different lil thing first: take a bath before go to bed. which i used to not.

    ]]>         <![CDATA[Breaking Free: Ex-Converts to Islam]]> http://ofglitnir.wordpress.com/2009/12/14/breaking-free-ex-convert/ Mon, 14 Dec 2009 22:50:44 +0000 Signý http://ofglitnir.wordpress.com/2009/12/14/breaking-free-ex-convert/

    Cindy Hayes tells the story of her journey to – and out of – Islam.  Some familiar features of her story: being lied to in dawah, having a simple belief in one god that led her to Islam (through these lies), paraded around as the “blue eyed success” story of Islam, pressured into marriage with a stranger (who turned out to be abusive), surrounded by hatred of Jews, etc.  She went on to return to Christianity, whereas in my experience, most former Muslims are atheists, deists, or agnostics, but we are all still from the same circle, with the same story.

    Another former convert to Islam is Lisa Bauer; she’s now an atheist.  Her story is being told in three parts in Free Inquiry Magazine. Part I, with an introduction by Richard Dawkins, is available online in PDF format.  Part II is in the current issue – get it on news stands.  Her story is compelling and features some of the same elements.

    Reading their stories, and knowing my own life and that of my friends, I keep wondering why it is that people who were never Muslim as well as, shamefully, ex-Muslims from Muslim families, insist that people who convert to Islam are stupid morons.  To me, it is not surprising that in ex-Muslim circles, there aren’t many converts present, even though data and anecdotal evidence suggests that most converts leave Islam.  One reason is that I think a lot of converts quit after being Muslim for a very short time period, and maybe not even publicly Muslim.  But another reason is simply the attitude.  I’ve considered giving up ex-Muslim hangouts, but I haven’t so far, because I remember when I was looking for a reason to quit (or rather, the permission to quit), what I wanted to hear was the story of someone whose life and background was like mine who had quit and “lived to tell”, so to speak.  All of our stories should be told.

    Some other ex-converts:

    Rebecca

    Blue Mage

    Abdul Quddus and his blog

    Richard Dixon

    People Who Left Islam You can do a “sort by” and one of the categories is whether or not the person was born Muslim or converted to Islam.

    Not Muslim Anymore Defunct blog by a former convert

    Charles Wardle

    ]]>         <![CDATA[Moving On]]> http://morgeybabyy.wordpress.com/2009/12/14/moving-on/ Mon, 14 Dec 2009 19:39:06 +0000 morgeybabyy http://morgeybabyy.wordpress.com/2009/12/14/moving-on/

    It’s time for me to move, to make a change, to go forward

    To not look back at the things I’ve done

    Or used to do.

    It’s time for me to forget all my worries

    And make the leap into independence

    Into womanhood

    Into my new life.

    And I’m going to do it

    And I’m not going to be scared

    Because I’m not going to be alone.

    He’s coming with me

    And we’re going to make it together.

    ]]>