PHOTO: Instant antidepressant//Debbim's father died//lent at church

INSTANT ANTIDEPRESSANT 







 







 






 
 

"Pets devour loneliness.   They give us purpose, responsibility, a reason for getting up in the morning, and a reason to look to the future.  
They give us something to take care of, to love and spoil that loves us back.  [Dr. T]
They ground us, help us escape, make us laugh, and take full advantage of our weakness by exploiting our furniture, our beds, and our refrigerator (and making us realize that material things don't matter).   We wouldn't have it any other way.  
Pets are our seat belts on the emotional roller coaster of life -- Pets (not people) -- pets can be trusted, they keep us safe, and they sure do smooth out the ride.”  -  Nick Trout
Debbim's father died.   Maybe i'll send her a 3 year old toy poodle.  surprise!  lol.
for a week that i expected to be CALM and hopefully boring, its not turning out that way at all.  have a feeling a lot of these deaths of old friends and old friends parents, will be coming in, in the next several years.  wow!   starting with jmy in 2007, its really been one after the other since then and before that it mostly wasn't.  so much crap to deal with right up front if you stay amongst the same ones for too long.  how do people do that.  my first reaction is to always block out until i am ready to deal with it.  i learned this from professional dance as a kid and i can't stop it as an adult even if i'd want to.  blocking out is great for emergencies and the whole "the show must go on" kind of thing.  but i'm sure its not mentally healthy and certainly isn't something that a child should ever be taught, what are these people thinking?  i don't think they do think, they just want to live off these talented children and don't care about the results or the after effects at all.  i'm not a fan of most humans.  blocking out is a good survival skill though, standing there doing nothing during an emergency is not a way to live either.  awful actually.  
m wrote this of him:  
"Wonderful memories of a special man.   Reflecting on his life I cannot think of anything but good things he has done.   He always made every one of my children feel special.   I will never forget that.  He loved his whole family, each and every one of us felt good when he was around.    He loved unconditionally .
Thank you for inspiring us to be like you."
beautifully and sincerely written.  doesn't get any better.   and so sad.  

at church it is lent.  give up something you like that is bad for you and get that poison out of your body.  i'm very into easter and the whole concept surrounding it.  what you give up is supposed to be given in alms for the poor.  this is part of the sermon:  
"Don't you love checklists?  Its such an inspiring feeling when you can tick off one item after another ... the commandments are like a check list -- a mirror.  when we look at them and the high standard they call us to, we are moved to reflect on our often weak and inconsistent adherence to them.    things that we do that are bad for us, are forms of oppression to ourselves.  when you give up things that are bad for you, you are relieving an oppressive burden inside and out.   you are freeing yourself and giving yourself space within to do more to help others in need, while making yourself healthier.  
if you find yourself weakening to return to whatever bad thing you gave up, run straight to the Lord and cry out for help.  that is the best way to make sure that oppression/gloom in your life is lifted.  always remember Jesus loves you.  
its beautiful, isn't it?  
weaved plastic bags at church to make mats for the homeless, went to the second half of contemporary mass where everyone claps a lot to the music.  it was a full house.  had coffee with half and half afterward in their cafe and then blackbeans and rice with chicken pieces in fellowship as we cut bags.  also went to the spa.  yay!  but i'm still in pain in my back.  took baby aspirin around 5:00 p.m. and that helps it.   sunny, busy day.