I began this week with reactivating my SparkPeople account. It wasn’t inactive, just sitting there unused. Not so much anymore. I got on the scale and nearly stapled my mouth shut when I saw the results. I don’t FEEL like I weigh this much but I do. I don’t look like I weigh 183 pounds, but I do. And that is not acceptable.
So I began tracking what is going in my mouth and that is always an eye opener for me. I am a grazer when I go through my day. Open fridge, grab something to chew on. Wander to the kitchen for coffee, reach for a snack to munch. And so goes my day. Trouble is I don’t reach for the healthier options. I go for the crap.
Example: cookies! Pecan Sandies at 170 calories for 2. UGH. I don’t usually get by with just two…more like 4 or 6. Yeah, that isn’t helping one bit. 10 grams of fat in 2 of them isn’t good either. That racks up to be 340-510 calories just on that one trip through the kitchen. 10-30 grams of fat, as opposed to the 3 grams of protein. Not a healthy or wise choice.
I could have 5 large baby carrots and rolled back out with only 35 calories. And once I stopped eating sweets the first thing I noticed is just how sweet carrots are, and green grapes. I can have a whole cup (may not sound like much but measure them out) for 110 calories.
Last night, instead of grabbing junk for a snack, I decided to go with a serving of raisins, green grapes and baby carrots. 3 servings of fruits and veggies in one sitting. First of all that is high volume food so it wasn’t easy to eat all of it!
1 cup of green grapes
1/4 cup of raisins
5 baby carrots.
It took a while to eat it all, while sipping water. I was ready to just stop, but I also had not hit my minimum calorie intake of 1200 so I had to finish. It was SO good. I was more than satisfied by the time I finished.
I’ve also been told that often when we think we are hungry, we actually are dehydrated and need water. I’ve taken to keeping up with 8 glasses of water a day. I carry around my 24oz tumbler that is spill proof and filling it 3 times a day. That has helped me get the water I need to drink, and it is healthier than a Diet Coke.
I’m going to be getting very familiar with the produce section at the store, and hopefully over time, with much determination and help from the site, I will be successful this time.
AH Friday at last. Time to confess for the week. Confession is good, they say, for the soul. It can also make for a good post, though if you came here looking for “naughty” stuff, sorry, I’m being a ‘good’ girl, no seriously naughty things to share. And this is a family friendly post, after all.
I confess…
Despite the decent efforts, I did not lose a single pound this week. But I have to admit I broke from the restraints, and chewed my way to a few beers and snacks that, while I recorded them, weren’t good choices. Last night, my snack was baby carrots, raisins and grapes. Oh and water. No beer.
I confess…
I figured out how to get an additional handful of calories into my count. 150 to be exact. I now prepare my old fashioned oats in water rather than whole milk. Even with a bit more brown sugar to flavor it, I’ve managed to carve out some play room to add other things like nuts or raisins, or even banana slices.
I confess…
It is most unlikely that I will give up the coffee in any amount. I like coffee, even if it makes the breath smell like, well, butt. Being fairly sure that I’m at least somewhat ADD, based on how I am without the coffee (ie: 1000 thoughts flying around in my head and I cannot focus at all on one), I think for the sake of daily accomplishments this is good. Especially if I’m driving a car.
I confess…
Last night I was mean to my cat. I took her little fuzzy away from her again. She was playing fuzzy soccer all over the room, driving me bonkers when I was trying to sleep. The look on her face was priceless when she realized it was now mine, under my pillow, under my head, where she wan’t going to get to it. She plopped herself down by my leg and pouted. I fell asleep so I guess she was there most of the night. She came right up to my face this morning when I stirred and just glared at me until I gave it back. Sadly, she won’t ‘learn’ anything by it, so it won’t be the last time I have to take it away.
I confess…
I don’t have writer’s block…I have total ideas for posts static confusion. I have SO much I want to write about but cannot ever nail it down to one. Nothing feels right. Maybe I need more coffee.
I am thankful today for the opportunity to count my blessings.
Nothing will put life back into perspective like being thankful for what one has, rather than what is perceived to be missing.
One of my favorite passages of scripture talks of just that, and I’ll share it here.
Praise for the Lord’s Mercies
A Psalm of David.
103 Bless the Lord, O my soul;
And all that is within me, bless His holy name! 2 Bless the Lord, O my soul,
And forget not all His benefits: 3 Who forgives all your iniquities,
Who heals all your diseases, 4 Who redeems your life from destruction,
Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, 5 Who satisfies your mouth with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
6 The Lord executes righteousness
And justice for all who are oppressed. 7 He made known His ways to Moses,
His acts to the children of Israel. 8 The Lord is merciful and gracious,
Slow to anger, and abounding in mercy. 9 He will not always strive with us,
Nor will He keep His anger forever. 10 He has not dealt with us according to our sins,
Nor punished us according to our iniquities.
11 For as the heavens are high above the earth, So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him; 12 As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us. 13 As a father pities his children, So the Lord pities those who fear Him. 14 For He knows our frame;
He remembers that we are dust.
15 As for man, his days are like grass;
As a flower of the field, so he flourishes. 16 For the wind passes over it, and it is gone,
And its place remembers it no more.[a] 17 But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting
On those who fear Him,
And His righteousness to children’s children, 18 To such as keep His covenant,
And to those who remember His commandments to do them.
19 The Lord has established His throne in heaven,
And His kingdom rules over all.
20 Bless the Lord, you His angels,
Who excel in strength, who do His word,
Heeding the voice of His word. 21 Bless the Lord, all you His hosts, You ministers of His, who do His pleasure. 22 Bless the Lord, all His works,
In all places of His dominion.
I am thankful today that I am still currently self employed.
What I have held on to as allergies to our 3 cats, and I am rather allergic to them, now seems to be more. I think I may have a roaring sinus infection. To top it off I had a touch of a stomach virus which left me sick to my stomach this morning.
My ‘job’ allowed for me to blow off the day and sleep most of it. This was a good thing.
Still not feeling grand but thankful I did not have to go to work like this.
Today I am thankful for family and friends who can fix things.
My laptop is acting up and I fear it is on death’s bed. My youngest brother is going to come by and check it out and see if he can do anything. He is very good with fixing and building computers. Thankfully.
He is also very good at breaking the news to you, when, as he put it, “I think it went to that great silicon graveyard in the sky.”
I have many friends and family members able to fix just about anything or they can recommend a solution. Even if it is to open up the window and toss it out, or in the case of my car, hope space garbage falls from the sky and lands on it.
Seriously, though, I am fortunate to be surrounded by funny, yet talented individuals.
This is 2 days worth as I forgot to post it yesterday.
Day 26 – I am thankful for hot, running water. Nothing says “ahhh” like a nice shower. So many do not have their own place to live, let alone the ability to keep themselves clean. I try not to take for granted things like indoor plumbing and a nice hot shower.
Day 27 -I am thankful today for my hair. Yes hair. I can color it, cut it, style it, or not. As a female, vanity strikes deep in me at times. And our hair is one of those things we are vain about. But I’m thankful that it is just hair, and that our hair is not who we are, as many learn when going through chemo for cancer. And this will all make sense later today with a guest post from someone close to me. But meanwhile, I am thankful that for now, I have hair on my head.
Recently, I overheard a mother and daughter in their last moments together at the airport as the daughter’s departure had been announced. Standing near the security gate, they hugged and the mother said:
“I love you and I wish you enough.”
The daughter replied, “Mom, our life together has been more than enough. Your love is all I ever needed. I wish you enough, too, Mom.” They kissed and the daughter left.
The mother walked over to the window where I sat. Standing there, I could see she wanted and needed to cry.
I tried not to intrude on her privacy but she welcomed me in by asking, “Did you ever say good-bye to someone knowing it would be forever?” “Yes, I have,” I replied. “Forgive me for asking but why is this a forever good-bye?”
“I am old and she lives so far away. I have challenges ahead and the reality is the next trip back will be for my funeral,” she said.
When you were saying good-bye, I heard you say, “I wish you enough.” May I ask what that means?”
She began to smile. “That’s a wish that has been handed down from other generations. My parents used to say it to everyone.” She paused a moment and looked up as if trying to remember it in detail and she smiled even more.
“When we said ‘I wish you enough’ we were wanting the other person to have a life filled with just enough good things to sustain them”. Then turning toward me, she shared the following, reciting it from memory,
“I wish you enough sun to keep your attitude bright.
I wish you enough rain to appreciate the sun more.
I wish you enough happiness to keep your spirit alive.
I wish you enough pain so that the smallest joys in life appear much bigger.
I wish you enough gain to satisfy your wanting.
I wish you enough loss to appreciate all that you possess.
I wish you enough hellos to get you through the final good-bye.“
She then began to cry and walked away.
They say it takes a minute to find a special person. An hour to appreciate them. A day to love them. And an entire life to forget them.
I get that you are the top cat in the house. For the record you are also the biggest and heaviest of the felines allowing us to feed and house them.
So what happened? You normally will not step paw one into my room, as it is Pixel’s sleeping place and you usually respect that fact. If I look at you, then you suddenly exit the room in a hurry. Until 4am this morning when I woke to you laying on my chest. For the record, yes, you purring is kind of soothing, and it was nice and warm. However, you are a bit of a lard-butt when it comes to cats. And breathing IS kind of necessary for me to continue to live, fill the food bowls and clean your litter box.
Next time, just curl up by my leg like Pixel does, if you insist on suddenly sleeping with us.
Humbly, The Feline Feeder & Litter Cleaner Upper
Dear Warner Cable,
REALLY????
I mean REALLY REALLY????
We call you on Saturday because suddenly our cable, that was working just dandy Friday evening, is no longer functioning. You remotely reset/boot all the boxes in the house (which by the way is just kinda creepy that you can do that). The boxes all go into an eternal state of rebooting over and over. We follow all of your help desk’s scripted instructions spoken in barely discernible English by a warm body in another country, unplugging, re-plugging, only to be told a technician will have to come see what the issue is on Monday. We did without football on our TV, Once Upon A Time, The Walking Dead, 666 Park Avenue, and then suddenly the boxes are back on and the cable is working within an hour of the expected ETA of the technician, as if by magic?????? Are you sure it wasn’t just that no one was available this past weekend to throw the right switch or reboot YOUR box?
Grrrrrrr, Wants Credit For Missed Days Of Television
Dear SparkPeople,
I thank you profusely for your FREE, diet and fitness website. OMG nothing like tracking everything going in the mouth to suddenly make healthier food choices in order to spread those daily calories out a bit. And yes, I know, those healthy carbs, some fat and the protein are very important to functioning fully. Not to mention the 8 glasses of water a day I’m drinking again. As one who easily is dehydrated that probably SHOULD be a good thing but I am not a big fan of drinking water. But okay, I’m on it. Heck I get to earn Spark Points, and I’m all about earning virtual points for virtual stuff, just ask FourSquare when I check in all over town and hold virtual Mayorship of dozens of places including our upstairs bathroom.
Seriously, I love the site, love the free everything on there and the exercise videos. You all rock!
Here are FOUR QUESTIONS that everyone can answer and then you have the option to add a fifth question of your own for those who are visiting your blog to answer in the comment section, along with commenting on the four standard questions you answered! Click the badge above to link up and add it to your post:
1. Do you decorate outdoors for the holidays?
2. What is the best thing about office Christmas parties?
3. Gloves or Mittens?
4. What do you think of Secret Santas?
**Bonus question for visitors to the post to answer**
5. What is your favorite holiday indulgence that you only find during this season?
~*~ ~*~ ~*~
1. Do you decorate outdoors for the holidays?
We put up lights but not a lot of them. When I was married the outside was always nicely decorated on the marital residence.
2. What is the best thing about office Christmas parties?
NOT having them! We never had parties in the 26 years I worked for the company, that included spouses or significant others. It was usually a ‘party’ all day while working and frankly I do not miss those one bit!
3. Gloves or Mittens?
Mittens are warmer and I love them! Gloves when driving though, I don’t feel I have a good control of the steering wheel in mittens.
4. What do you think of Secret Santas?
They can be fun. I prefer the Secret Encourager program at my church with the Ladies Outreach. You fill out slips with some general information and then they go in a ‘hat’ and are drawn by someone who secretly encourages you all year long. I love that!
5. – Bonus Question – What is your favorite holiday indulgence that you only find during this season?
Eggnog shakes! McDonald’s has a good one. But by far the best is from UDF (United Dairy Farmers) and because they are only available during the Christmas holiday season, they are a wonderful treat. I shudder to think of the calories and fat content, however. I’ve never looked, just don’t want to know!
I got on the scale this morning after being a tad uncomfy in my favorite jeans yesterday. I did not like what I saw, 183 pounds, but that was 9 less than it was when I last checked.
Still, that is not acceptable.
So I decided to once again get on and activate my SparkPeople account.
This will help me to watch what is going in my mouth. It also helps me track my water intake. And exercise. As a stickler for earning meaningless points at anything and everything social media like that I have, I also can earn points for everything I do on there. Best part is? FREE! Yes it is 100% free.
I am all about free stuff. Especially when said stuff can help me get fit and healthier. 50 has me in it’s cross hairs, so I am really desiring to get this done, hit my goal weight and be in much better shape.
Sure, people see me and few believe I really weigh this much. I am good at dressing to hide it. But this is insane. I weighed around this when pregnant with my daughter. She is 22 years old. I think it is safe to say that there is no reason I should not be back to my pre-baby weight. I was hanging around the 150 pound range toward the end of my marriage. But while some of this is depression and anxiety, comfort food weight, the marriage ended over 2.5 years ago now, time to stop with comforting myself with crap I eat.
I am what I call an equal opportunity comfort eater.
Happy? – Grab some comfort food!
Sad? – Go for the cookies!
Angry? – Look out candy here I come!
You get the idea…I just like to eat. Not that eating in and of itself is so bad, it is more what I eat than anything. And portions, those are important too. Before today I would grab the raisins and have a cup or two. A serving size is 1/4 cup. Oops. My favorite cereal, raisin bran, a serving is one cup. I was going for 2 or 3 cups, whatever fit in the largest breakfast bowl I could find. Not working so well!
If you are on SparkPeople, please feel free to add me as a friend! I have a SPARK PAGE there, would love to have more friends as a circle of motivation!
If you are not yet using it, may I suggest it as a way to get fit, healthy, drop weight etc., all for FREE.
I don’t use their meal plans, as it isn’t required. I do track everything going in my mouth, even my herbal tea. Every day at the end of the day it gives me a report on my progress. That helps.
Just click this button and come get sparked with me.
I second that one! It is 35 degrees outside at the moment. Someone posted on Facebook a little while ago that they were seeing flurries. Oh yippie. I don’t like winter. I love snow if I am inside looking out on it with a hot cup of coffee in hand. But I do NOT like being cold one bit.
So, as it is cold outside, I’m very thankful for the warm house we live in, keeping us comfortable on this cold day.
Remember, your friends and relatives that are direct sellers are considered small business.
That includes me!
And we always have things on sale.
Your business through my website helps me stay in business!
SO, if you want to shop from your seat and not your feet, and help keep a small business going, please visit my Avon Store (we are SO much more than makeup!) by clicking the image below. Then once on the site, click “shop my ebrochure” and you will be taken to all of the available brochures from the regular Avon campaign brochure to the Kids Club and Outlet catalogs. Orders of $30 or more ship free!
Thank you all for shopping with me on Small Business Saturday!
Link up and confess – it is good for the soul. And makes us all feel a bit better knowing we’re not the only under achievers.
Here it comes, this week’s dirty little secrets.
Right now I’m sitting on my pretty fingers. I may never stop sitting on them where the subject of my psycho former sister-in-law-to-be is concerned, though at the moment it is all I have not to unleash my blog smack down on her. The day the ink is dry and she is a OFFICIALLY former member of the family can never come soon enough.
I could write my name on the furniture in my room this past week from the dust. Actually, I could have written a book. It’s clean now but wow.
I boycotted Black Friday shopping, even when my daughter called and wanted to hit a mall for a bit. I love spending time with her but just did NOT feel like getting anywhere near a store.
My jeans were getting looser, but I’ve indulged in too much food the past few days. And PMS is setting in again. And I’ve not been diligent to drink a lot of water. *hangs head in shame*
I’ve had more than a few candy buckeyes. They should be outlawed. Wayyyy too yummy.
I went to bed at 8:50pm last night. I slept until 7:30am this morning. Fact is I could have slept more.
Okay, lame I know, but that is all that I’ve got for now. I’m sure pressed to recall other things I could, but for now, that will have to do.
The house is all cleaned, turkey and associated leftovers have been put away to be nibbled on now for days to come until we can no longer stomach turkey anything.
I’m thankful for the time spent yesterday with the members of my family that were able to be here, even if only for a short visit. And thankful for the memories shared.
During the cooking portion of the day, we were trying to figure out how long mom has been making her pecan dressing/stuffing. I distinctly remembered one Thanksgiving way back when I was a little girl, in my parents first house. My grandparents, my mom’s siblings (most were not married) and a stray aunt and uncle or so, crammed into our tiny house. Me and my siblings ate at the card table by the window in the dinning room. That is the first time I remember having the dressing. I don’t recall exact ages but I couldn’t have been more than 8 or so years old.
The recipe is from the newspaper, and it is yellowed now. We decided this needs to be laminated soon so we don’t lose it. To me and my sister, it isn’t Thanksgiving without mom’s stuffing!
It got me thinking hard the other day, as I had it on in my room, and in relation to my post about Longing For A Simpler Time, about my adult Christmas list.
I don’t have a desire for a bunch of “stuff”. I’m not out Black Friday shopping today, haven’t for several years because the insanity of it all keeps getting worse. When stores open on Thanksgiving evening, on a holiday employees should be home with family, it kind of makes my stomach turn. And all these shoppers pushing and shoving to get bargains on things that they do NOT need. No one NEEDS a 60 inch HD television, that is a want. No one NEEDS an iPad, again, it is a want. What if for a change we DID something for people instead of buying something. Or donated the money we would spend to a charity.
Some ideas:
Free babysitting – every couple with small children knows how pricey a sitter is, not to mention the cost of dinner and a movie. My grandparents were married “til death do us part”, and it was such a neat thing to see them sitting together in their old age, holding hands. I learned that they had a regular date night each week, even if that date was peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in the park. It was THEIR time, not time to talk about the kids, or work, it was time to recharge them. Maybe that is why they were so in love and stayed married despite the difficulties they faced over the years. Know a young couple with little ones? Why not give them 12 nights of free baby sitting? Once a month take the kids so they can have some time together. If you figure up the price of a good sitter, for 4-5 hours each of 12 nights, that is one pricey gift that costs you nothing, yet is priceless because it is your time.
Dinner – how many of us know someone who cannot get out much. Maybe they simply have a tight budget, or they are single, or a single mom with kids, or maybe an elderly shut in. So many people would love a home cooked meal outside of their own home if they are able to get out. Sure, it might mean you have to go and pick them up, but what if, again, once a month you had someone to your table who might not otherwise get out of their home or routine. So you have some salad and bread to stretch the meal to include one more seat, is it really that big of a hassle? It could be lunch one Saturday a month, sometimes at home, other times maybe at a park. If they cannot go out, don’t just take the meal to them, sit down and eat with them. Talk to them, enjoy the time! There is no way to put a price on a gift like this, for you or that person receiving it!
Read – Have someone on your list who is unable to read because vision is failing? Or they are too young to read? Or they just don’t read much but should. Why not set aside time to read to them? Kids love someone to read to them! So do folks who cannot read for themselves any longer.
Make Something – cookies, dinner, a blanket, find something you can make for someone. One year my sister made no-sew fleece blankets for the 4 foster kids I was taking care of, because she wanted to do something but couldn’t afford to spend much. She made each one personal to the child, for the price of some fabric and her time to put them together. I’ve received cookies and snacks from people as gifts, and believe me I loved those far more than a store bought item because I knew they took time to actually make something for me. Don’t just make something, add a hand written note with a memory of that person that makes you smile!
Write! – When all else fails, write something! I had a letter for years from my dad that he wrote to me on my 12th birthday. He had to be away that year, so he sent me a letter about how much he loved me, and how proud he was of me and WHY. That letter, even to a 12 year old, meant so much. Imagine what a letter like that, from your heart, could mean to a friend or loved one? Money cannot buy what is in your heart, and having it will be a priceless keepsake for that individual.
Memories - What if instead of unwrapping presents, we unwrapped memories and shared those around the tree one year? Just the other day, as my sister and I ran an errand, I was telling her that one of my fondest memories of the holidays was one year when all of us, siblings and significant others, parents and offspring, went to the Festival Of Lights at our zoo. We all ended up on the train together singing Christmas Carols. We butchered them as most of us cannot carry a tune strapped to our backs, but it was so much fun. She laughed and enjoyed the memory with me, having forgotten about it until I brought it up. What joy could you bring if everyone shared like that instead of sharing a store bought item? Everyone bring a gift box or bag with their notes about the memory (so they don’t forget parts they want to share) and each take turns reading the memory to everyone present. Imagine the fun and new memories being made and again, it will cost nothing but time, but the gift to others will be priceless. It doesn’t have to involve others there, just a memory of something or someone special you want to share with others. I know, you actually have to sit down together and talk, share….take a deep breath you can do this.
Forgiveness – Who do you hold a grudge against? Imagine the gift not only to the person, but yourself, if you forgave them and reconciled a relationship? Over the years I have done this a few times, and always the outcome was positive. One that stands out was my first husband, after a very ugly divorce and custody fight. I not only forgave him a court ordered debt that year, but I extended an olive branch his way. It made the growing up years of my son so much better when his parents could get along for his sake.
Between now and Christmas, I’m going to start a grown up Christmas list. Like the 30 days of thankfulness I’ve been keeping, each day leading up to Christmas I’m going to add an item to my wish list for this Christmas. They won’t really be things Santa could bring, or someone could purchase for me. They will be things that have meaning, wishes that I’ve carried in my heart. I would love to see my fellow blog buds do this too, as so many of you that read my posts have often inspired me.
Here is the song that got me thinking about my grown up Christmas list. The lyrics first and then one of my favorite versions sung by Amy Grant.
“My Grown Up Christmas List”
Do you remember me
I sat upon your knee
I wrote to you
With childhood fantasies
Well, I’m all grown up now
And still need help somehow
I’m not a child
But my heart still can dream
So here’s my lifelong wish
My grown up christmas list
Not for myself
But for a world in need
No more lives torn apart
That wars would never start
and wars would never start
And time would heal all hearts
And everyone would have a friend
And right would always win
And love would never end
This is my grown up christmas list
As children we believed
The grandest sight to see
Was something lovely
Wrapped beneath our tree
Well heaven only knows
That packages and bows
Can never heal
A hurting human soul
No more lives torn apart
That wars would never start
And time would heal all hearts
And everyone would have a friend
And right would always win
And love would never end
This is my grown up christmas list
What is this illusion called the innocence of youth
Maybe only in our blind belief can we ever find the truth
(there’d be)
No more lives torn apart
That wars would never start
And time would heal all hearts
And everyone would have a friend
And right would always win
And love would never end, oh
This is my grown up christmas list
This is my only life long wish
This is my grown up christmas list
Every year at this time the Facebook statuses, tweets, photos, signs etc start appearing. ”Keep Christ In Christmas” they say. People get all freaked out because certain stores no longer allow employees to say “Merry Christmas”, but instead they say, “Happy Holidays”. So what?
For years I felt that this was important too, the whole “reason for the season” concept. After all, being raised Catholic and now a Reformed Baptist in my theology, Jesus is a big part of who I am.
And then I did my research. It was in an effort to back up the whole “reason for the season” argument.
Seems that there were winter and pagan holiday celebrations long before Christianity infused Christ into the equation. In fact, the church used the birth of Jesus as a way to counter those celebrations and convert pagans to their faith. It wasn’t until a few hundred years after Jesus was crucified that the church began to celebrate His birth. The Bible no where indicates that we are to even commemorate His birth. The only remembrance of the Lord that we are instructed to ‘celebrate’ is His death and resurrection. Given the detailed instructions for that, and the lack of any mention of remembering His birth, I think it safe to say that Jesus is not the reason for the season. In fact, He was added to the season by men.
Now for my readers of faith, I am a born again believer. And yes I do celebrate Christmas. I do take part in church celebrations of the birth of Christ. But I also celebrate the whole Santa Claus, Christmas trees, gift giving etc. side of this time of the year. Our zoo decorates with over 2 million lights, and beginning tomorrow evening is the official opening of their “Festival Of Lights”. What is amusing is that the Festival Of Lights is another name for the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah. But countless people of faith will flock to the zoo and walk amid the lights and decorated trees, some decked out for Christmas, without even realizing that this is not a Christian celebration.
Originally the birth of Jesus was celebrated on 1/6. But the church moved it to line up with the countless pagan celebrations taking place on or around 12/25.
In other words…again, Jesus was not the reason for the season. The celebrations were all in place before the church moved Christ into the mix.
Santa Claus is given god-like powers. He sees us when we’re sleeping, knows when we’re awake, knows if we’ve been bad or good so be good for goodness sake. That is all very sweet but too often it is used to keep children in line and obedient. Great come December but what about the rest of the year? Not to mention many of those same parents who teach their children about Santa, implying that he is real, will freak out when someone says, “Happy Holidays” instead of “Merry Christmas”, because it removes Christ from Christmas. Give Santa god-like characteristics but get upset when Jesus is ‘removed’ by virtue of a holiday greeting? Seriously? Not to mention that the church was guilty of some pretty un-Christlike behavior through the years if you check out this post about the origins of Christmas, among countless others, when celebrating the Lord’s birth.
Sorry, hijacking myself again.
Many different ‘faiths’ and religions celebrate different things at this time of year. Many of those were in place long before Christ was added. He isn’t the reason for the season, He is ONE reason for the season for SOME people. Christ is important to the Christian celebrating His birth. Others hold this time of year as important too. Maybe Happy Holidays is just fine, as it enables the one wishing the happiness to just wish that, HAPPINESS, to the other. Maybe we should all just relax!
Merry Christmas
Happy Hanukkah
Happy birthday (some folks celebrate those this time of year)
Thankful today for all those who will not be able to be home.
Our military deployed away from family – thank you for serving our country.
For the police and firefighters who have to be on duty today and away from family, my son and brother among them, – thank you for keeping us safe, please be safe today!
For doctors, nurses, and countless other jobs that must continue despite the holiday – thank you for all you do to keep things going.
And for the families who will celebrate this day without their loved ones in these various roles, thank you for your sacrifice that enables those men and women to do their jobs.
Example: cookies! Pecan Sandies at 170 calories for 2. UGH. I don’t usually get by with just two…more like 4 or 6. Yeah, that isn’t helping one bit. 10 grams of fat in 2 of them isn’t good either. That racks up to be 340-510 calories just on that one trip through the kitchen. 10-30 grams of fat, as opposed to the 3 grams of protein. Not a healthy or wise choice.
I’m going to be getting very familiar with the produce section at the store, and hopefully over time, with much determination and help from the site, I will be successful this time.
