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The Power of Kind Words

Welcome back my beautiful readers...

How often do we get just the right word at just the right time? A true friend can do just that, the right word at just the right time. I bring this up because it happened to me just last night, via a text with someone I have not seen in quite a while.

I first met her when I was a member at Weight Watchers. I was on a mission... loosing weight. She was a meeting leader. I faithfully went to the meetings, after all, ya don't have to be 'just' a Jehovah's Witness to be a faithful meeting attender. She had words of encouragement back then to help me keep going, even when I was having troubles.

Then, when I reached my goal weight, I went to work for Weight Watchers... and she became my co-worker, and still, she was always there to encourage me, because as those of you who have lost weight know, loosing it is easy, keeping it off is harder.

Proverbs 15:23

After some time, I quit my job at Weight Watchers, but she continued to keep in touch with me via text messages. And for over a year now, she has always encouraged me. And last night, she extra checked up on me. She has probably read my blog I sent her on how my health was really doing. I sent her that, as my health is way to complicated to try to explain in a text. And while I don't want to go into the details of what she said, I will share a bit of what she said to me, as it was so encouraging, and it was just the right word at just the right time, and... yes... it even brought me to tears... tears of comfort.

just the right word at just the right time

Sunday...

A) Hey Deb. Just thought I'd say hey and see how you're doing. I've been thinking of you today.
D) Same ol' same ol'. I am having trouble motivating myself to eat better. I'm over weight, having trouble getting activity in bcuz of my back. (Insert tearie emoji) And, running out of clothes that fit. Been frustrating.
D) Thanks for ur concern. I miss being slimmer. I hope yer ok.

Monday...

A) Is your back improving? I know you must be terribly frustrated. You are so good at getting in your activity. You can get back in control if you're ready.
A) Just start with one meal at a time for on day at a time. You are such great inspiration. I know you can do it. This cold weather sure doesn't help me!

Proverbs 17:17

I tell ya what, I cried right then. It was... just the right word at just the right time. I hope that one day, I can be worthy of offering that type of encouragement to someone, because, we all need it from time to time.

Soo... it is at this time that I would like to say "Thank You" to Angela F. You really did give me the encouragement I needed. You're right, I can do it... I CAN DO IT!!! :-)

Be Comforted—Comfort Others

Bullying, The World's Way - Impartiality, Jehovah's way

Welcome back you beautiful readers.

Have you ever been bullied? As a child?

Have you ever been bullied? As an adult?

Does it still happen?

I was bullied as a child, and even now decades later, it still affects me.

Let's hop on that memory time machine and go all the way back to the 70's, when I was in grade school, oh yes, all the way back at grade school. My family lived on an Indian reservation in Wyoming. We moved there from the east coast. The school I first attended was on the reservation, and the majority of the kids were Indians. There was this girl in school, Lynette G., and... SHE... HAD... A... GANG... She was a popular girl in school, and ALL the girls wanted to be in her gang. If you were in her gang, you were protected. I was not in her gang, but I wanted to be. It wasn't easy to be me, or anyone else that wasn't in her gang. Being isolated, intimidated, picked on, or down right ignored. There are MANY stories I could share with you, but the one that sticks out the most was an incident that happened after a P.E. class relay race around the track. The coach put the class into teams, and I was on Lynette's team. I was terrified!!! Now mind you, I was a fast runner, but the race we were running I had never done before, I had never ran a relay race. I didn't know what to do, and when the baton was handed to me. I dropped it, had to go back for it, and though I was fast, my speed wasn't enough to help me out, and our team lost the race. Back in the shower room, Lynette and her gang had surrounded me, and they tied my hair into knots... I had shoulder length hair. I was so scared. I was crying, and I just sat there and let them do that to me. And when the coach saw me crying, I would not tell her what had happened out of fear of what the gang would do to me.

I remember 3 bulling incidents
involving a school bus

Now let's jump up a few years to Junior High. When my family moved from one town to the other, still on an Indian Reservation, and now, my sister and I are going to be going to another Indian School. We were the minority. My sister and I were 2 of 5 white kids in that school. Tough, and being a preachers kid on top of that, it was even worse. I went into that school with the mindset that I was not going to be bullied again. In my memory, it was day 1, that I had troubles. In our home room class, there was this boy, yes, a popular boy, named Alfred A. He labeled me with a name that, and I kid you not, everyone in the school called me. I think I aggravated the situation when I would chase after those on the playground that would call me that name. Once, when my dad was waiting at the bus stop for us, he witnessed the entire bus hanging out the windows, calling me that name. Of course, he did what any loving dad would do, he talked to the school officials, and it helped some, but, no... I was branded with that name, and lived with it for 4 years. I had found out that they were only my friend if I had chew, Copenhagen, which was popular back then and the kids would flock around me at lunch time cuz I had some, which I would steal, yep, from the Pamida store in the closest town. But if I didn't have any, those 'friends' went back to the abuse and bulling, so I quickly learned they were not my friends. I remember thinking that they were nice to me sometimes, which I liked, but mean mostly. I couldn't handle the back and forth of their 'friendship.' Because of the meanness of everybody, I did not make friends. I cut everyone off from my chew, and stuck to myself. I trusted no one.

That school changed me. I look back and see that now. It really did make me the person I am today. I am happy in my aloneness, because if you have friends, you have pain. I didn't trust anyone, because lies were all I knew. So I entered High School with a chip on my shoulder, and a brick wall built high and thick around my heart. I was terrified that I would go through another 4 years of being bullied, and I was terrified that 'that name' would follow me into high school. So, I was stealing myself, planting my feet, so as not to be bullied.

Sure enough, it began again. But to my relief, there weren't a lot of Indians this time, as the High School I went to was off of the Indian Reservation and now the Indians were the minority. Nope, this time, it was a white girl. She did or said something to me, I don't remember what, and then ran onto her bus to get away from me. I challenged her. (Mind you, I was determined not to be bullied.) She got off the bus, smiling and cocky, and was mouthing off, (like that's fighting) and I attacked her, I went for her throat. We will never know who would have won that fight, because some seniors in the school broke up the fight. But that gave me the confidence I needed. I was not harassed. I was not popular. But I was left alone. I did fall into the wrong crowd, but, that discussion can be tabled for later.

Yep, I am who I am because of my childhood. Between being bullied at school and having an abusive father, I have grown up hard, hating, rebellious, and non-trusting, even having issues with authority. No sir ree, this kid was not going to be bullied or abused any more. I stood up to the bullies, I stood up to my dad, and now, I still stand up to bullies, and abusers. And boy do I have some stories to tell about standing up to abusers, but again, that discussion can be tabled for later.

So as you can imagine, coming into Jehovah's organization, I came with a lot of HEAVY baggage. Hatred/forgiveness was the hardest thing for me... but trust was equally as hard. I trusted no one, and didn't want to. But, being around Jehovah's people did teach me that they are not like people in the world. We live our lives by bible principle to love one another and to be honest with one another, and honesty goes a long long long way, especially with me. And there is no partiality among Jehovah's people. We are all, not mater the race or background, family...FAMILY y'all... and for me, that like the bestest feeling evah!!!

I realize now, that the hatred and the wall that was wrapped around my heart wasn't really a protection for me, and I slowly learned to trust, and learned to let go of the hatred that was an old familiar friend for so long.

My spiritual mom was the only one whom I trusted, and after her death, I realized that there was things that she did not tell me, and that hurt, as I thought we were best friends. Now, I realize that not everything needs to be shared, but her withholding things from me affected me, and she remains the only one I let get that close to me. Don't get me wrong, I dearly Dearly DEARLY love my brothers and sisters... but from a distance. I still protect and guard my heart, and the number of close friends I have I can count on one hand. But those few are so dear to me, something I did not have growing up, and I hope that I can be the friend that they need. (Well, now I've done gone and made myself cry.)

I still have issues, as mentioned above. If someone hovers over me, or gets in my space, I suddenly feel dominated, trapped, and the need to remove myself from the area is overwhelming and very powerful. I also have control issues in that; don't force things on me... be it some wonderful new health remedy, or your doctors advice, (stuff like that.) I will jump in when I see others getting bullied. And animals, well, I am not sure what I would do if I actually saw someone abusing an animal...

I do not have trouble with the guidance that comes from the elders, after all, they are looking out for us, and when we are given direction, I follow it... but don't tell me what chair to sit in. (That kind of stuff.) Actually, nothing tempers me more than the Brothers at the hall. They are the calm that I need as I respect my elders and want to please Jehovah. And Jehovah makes good people, so one day, I hope to be all that he wants me to be... (does that sound cheesy?)

links to bulling from: jw.org

Additional information on Bullying:

Beat a bully without using your fists.

(WHITEBOARD ANIMATION)

Learn why bullying happens and how to deal with it successfully.

Our last enemy - Death

Welcome back, my beautiful readers.

From left to right:
Scott, Brent, Mary, James
and Makayla in front

Well, my health is deteriorating, I'm putting on weight, and I don't know if I have this 'dog awful' headache because of my back, or because I think I've been drinking to much coffee so I switched to de-caf and that gave me this 'dog awful' headache, or both, but I find myself in pain, and thinking about the loss of my baby sister, Mary. And this 'dog awful' headache has been with me for a few days, but it paid me a particularly specific visit in the middle of the night that forced me to pop pill... (Joy...not!!!) I hate taking pills, so... I sit here with this 'dog awful' headache as a constant companion, and thoughts of THE LOSS of my baby sister. We lost Mary in February 2014. She was four years younger than me. And it is weird to think of loosing, outliving a younger sibling. And because she lived in New Zealand with her family, a good husband Brent, and her 3 children, Scott, James and Makayla, we were not close, which is something I regret deeply. And because I am this 'rough' and 'tough' kinda kid, I wouldn't tell anyone or let papa tell anyone that she had died. There were like three people who knew that my sister died, papa told them, and of those three, two of them respected my wishes not to mention it to me but to wait until I brought it up. I didn't want sympathy, condolences, tears. I wanted to be strong. No crying in public for me... that I did in private.

The first time I saw Makayla
at the Airport in Nashville, TN

Mary and Makayla made a bird feeder
out of a pine cone using peanut butter
to stick the seeds

Makayla riding the escalator at
the Airport in Nashville, TN

Mary did come stateside for a visit with Makayla when Makayla was a wee little thing, and my sister had changed so much that when she stepped off the plane in Nashville, my mom and I did not recognize her. She had the gastrointestinal surgery and had lost a LOT of weight. She looked good. Later pictures, though, would show me a sister who looked terminal. Little did I know that one day I would loose her due to complications from that surgery.

My favorite photo of Makayla

Yep. Death is the last enemy. It robbed our family of my dad back in 1986, it robbed my sister of her youngest son who took his own life. Mary had asked me I wanted anything said at his funeral. I initially said no, but then later, after thinking about it, I said yes. So I typed up the following...

My Nephew James Lemon

I met my nephew James, only once, when he was very young, before he moved to New Zealand from the United States, so I did not have the pleasure of knowing James, of watching him grow up, getting to know him. Distance has a way of limiting many things. However, I know that there is coming a time when distance will not be an issue. There is a hope that I entertain, a hope that I am thankful to be able to share with all those listening here today, the hope promised to us from God, though the pages of The Bible.

(Ecclesiastes 3:19) reminds us of this: 'For there is an eventuality as respects the sons of mankind and an eventuality as respects the beast, and they have the same eventuality. As the one dies, so the other dies; and they all have but one spirit, so that there is no superiority of the man over the beast, for everything is vanity.' All of us are sadly aware of this fact because James is gone from us. (Psalm 146:4) Also tells us : 'His spirit goes out, he goes back to his ground; In that day his thoughts do perish.'

All of us can draw comfort from the scriptures that James is no longer suffering because (Ecclesiastes 9:5 and 10) tell us: 'For the living are conscious that they will die; but as for the dead, they are conscious of nothing at all, (10) All that your hand finds to do, do with your very power, for there is no work nor devising nor knowledge nor wisdom in She′ol, (the grave) the place to which you are going.'

God, through the ransom of Christ, allows us to entertain the hope of seeing James again as stated at (1 Corinthians 15:22) which reads: 'For just as in Adam all are dying, so also in the Christ all will be made alive.' It is a hope that according to (Acts 24:15) there is going to be 'a resurrection of both the righteous and the unrighteous.'

'Then the saying will take place that is written: “Death is swallowed up forever.”+55 “Death, where is your victory? Death, where is your sting?”+56 The sting producing death is sin,+ and the power for sin is the Law.*+ 57 But thanks to God, for he gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!+' found at (1 Corinthians 15:54-57)

My Nephew Scott Lemon

Please, allow me to share this one final thought with everyone. We have the hope of seeing James again right here on Earth, another beautiful promise from God as stated in his word the Bible. Yes, right here on Earth! (Psalm 37:11, 29) reads 'But the meek ones themselves will possess the earth, And they will indeed find their exquisite delight in the abundance of peace. (29) The righteous themselves will possess the earth, And they will reside forever upon it.'

Mary and her Husband Brent

So, as stated at (Psalm 37:34) we need to: 'Hope in Jehovah (God) and keep his way, And he will exalt you to take possession of the earth.'

My nephew Scott, my niece Makayla

Thank you, Brent and Mary, Scott and Makayla, for letting me share with you this hope I have within me. Because I have experienced death so many times, this has been my Favorite scripture, my Favorite promise, from our creator, Jehovah God, please: Be comforted. (Revelation 21:4) “And he will wipe out every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore. The former things have passed away.”

I do not know if this was read at James' funeral, and I do not know if it brought my sister comfort. She never said, and I never asked. I do know that it brought me comfort, and I hope, my dear readers, that it brings you comfort. Because, we have all been affected by our last enemy, death, that robbed my Brother-in-law of his wife and my nephew Scott and niece Makayla of their mom, my mom of her other daughter, and me of my sister.

And as I look through my sister's Face Book Page, I am sad all over again for the loss. Not being able to share things with her anymore... and BTW: she is one of the first people to get me hooked on Face Book, my daughter was the other. But I am hopeful that one day, I will see her again, in the resurrection.

I will end this now. I hope I didn't bumm anyone out to much. And since I still have this 'dog awful' headache, I'm gunna pop some pills and watch a little T.V., with my critters, while eating popcorn and drinking Diet DR. PEPPER, and decaf coffee. (Yep, I'm a heavy drinker. Well, not really a heavy drinker so much as a variety drinker.)

Additional information on the resurrection can be found at:

jw.org - Hope for the Dead—The Resurrection

Hitting rock bottom

My feelings since Thursday Night

Hello, my beautiful readers. Welcome back. I must say, though, this blog is gunna be a bit doomy and gloomy, but that is how I have been feeling since Thursday night.

See the little dots?
A herd of Deer.

Thursday had already been one of those days where I just 'felt' like I should stay home and not socialize with those in the real world. None the less, I had places to go, things to do, photos to take. Staying home was not an option. I was maintaining a bit of control over my anxiety. I had anxiety about having to wait to long, tools left out for people to just walk by and grab, where to have lunch, I need gas in Scooter2. To add to it, pain, from my back. Wednesday's night of playing Rook with friends sent my back into pain and had me wimpering home, that an we got beat, the girls against the boys, and I was not taking loosing well, which, normally, I am a good looser. So Thursday pain was my constant companion on Friday.

Going, Going... Gone

When I finally got home, I thought "Ah, I can finally curl up on the couch with a cup o Joe, my kids, and watch a bit of TV. NOPE! NOT HAPPENING! The last of the jerky needed to be dried in the oven. I was so not into that, but I stood (big mistake when my back is hurting) in the kitchen and got the meat on the oven rack. Papa couldn't help cuz he was getting ready for his bible study. While I was putting the meat on the rack, Papa fired up the oven. I put the rack in the oven and walked off. THAT...IS...WHEN...TROUBLE...HIT!!! Apparently, the oven had not been cleaned out, (Papa's job as my back hurts to much to get down there and clean it) and the house FILLED...WITH...SMOKE!!! And now I can't breath. My lungs are sensitive and can not take smoke. So now I'm coughing and can't hang out in the living room to relax! I seek shelter in the bedroom, flop down on the bed, my night ruined, and just started bawling like a baby... and couldn't stop... and was freaking Papa out... and he was worried to leave... and said he felt bad... and he opened up the back door near the kitchen to get the smoke out... and I am freaking out cuz the smell will get on his suit cuz he could smell it on me... and he's afraid to leave... I insisted he go on the Bible Study. The smoke was 90% gone, and I was 100% gone. I curled up on the couch with my coffee, kids, remote in hand, and hadn't left that spot except for the occasional potty break, food break. Papa even had to help put me in bed... (I hate it when I'm like this!)

Pretty bad when I don't feel like Blue Friday

Friday, I was still so far gone. Papa had woke me up so that we could head over to the Kingdom Hall and attend the morning field service meeting, our Circuit Overseer is in town for the week, and Tuesday night he announced that the topic of discussions for the ministry meeting was going to be 'The Name of Jehovah', and while I'm sitting on the toilet, I'm just crying like a baby, but I knew I would, cuz when Papa woke me up, I felt the tears coming as I was waking.... LIKE... REALLY?!?!?! I curled up on the couch with my coffee, kids, remote in hand, and hadn't left that spot except for the occasional potty break, food break. (I hate it when I'm like this!) I didn't even do anything for 'Blue Friday' (it's a Seahawk thing). When I am emotionally unstable like this, I can't talk to others. The sound of their voice is to much for me to handle, I have a hard time handling compassion. For that reason, I couldn't even take a phone call from my mom, and later, when my daughter called... NOPE... I even had anxiety texting her to let her know I couldn't talk to her on the phone. I did text Papa this: God, could my day get any worse?

Find this wonderful book at: jw.org

Saturday morning, Papa heads out into the Ministry without me. I don't quiet feel like I am ready to interact with the real world. But I can't NOT say anything about Jehovah. I can only NOT talk about him for so long. So I am gunna work on my other blog: How Jehovah got my attention: Part 5. I am pretty close to wrapping that on up. It is a bit of a read, I'll give ya that.

Later, maybe some Football will cheer me up... Go Seattle Seahawks!!! Go Richard Sherman!!! I...J...S...

Why Be Honest? - THE WATCHTOWER NO. 1 2016

photo from: jw.org

"Most people lie at least once during a ten minute conversation. Why bother trying to be different?"

The above statement struck me somehow as, WHAT? REALLY? Then, when I read it again, I'm like, yeah, probably. Sad, don't you think? Picture it, you are having a conversation with someone, and, really? they will lie at least once during ten minutes of conversation! I don't know about you, but I do not like being lied to. It just doesn't sit well with me. It's like a trust is broken. To me, just the fact that I have taken time out of my schedule to talk with someone means I really want to hear what they have to say, and then, if they lie, it's like, "Why did I bother to listen." I...J...S...

I bring all this up because of my recent read of the Watchtower No. 1 2016 magazine. Just the first article alone had me sharing aloud with my husband, as we shared time together after our public Bible Ministry at Ghatti's having lunch, the situation of a man named Hitoshi who worked in the accounting office of an employment agency in Japan, and while reviewing a financial account with his superior, Hitoshi was told that he was 'expected' to make a falsified report... Well, I just flipped my lid. "Really?" I thought, then voiced, "You want your employs to cheat and lie? Really?" As a business owner with my own employee's, I can assure you that I do not tolerate dishonesty, and I am grateful that I have good people who work for us, my husband and I. And as one of Jehovah's Witnesses, we strive hard to be honest in all things, even when it's not popular, as you will find out from Hitoshi's story when he is at a Job interview...

The magazine also discusses: