Skinless

If you are a follower of my regular blog (which I think you all are since that's how you know about this one) then you know that I'm a fan of "NieNie". My husband would say I'm a bit obsessed with her and her story, I don't find a crime in it, so I never have apologized. Her story has truly affected my life - and I hope it's for the better. I was so excited to read her very first post since her accident on Friday. Therefore, in her honor, I thought this reflection was appropriate.

I am not like some nobler people out there, that when horrible things that make no logical sense occur, don't ask why. I always find myself asking "Why?" at some point. I often ask it knowing I will not get a rational answer, but by so doing, I do get some answers and insights that help me gain new and greater perspective.

So the "why" for me in Nie's story came is a form something like this,

"Why would God allow a beautiful couple, who is God fearing, who has 4 young children, and a happy and productive life, be in such a terrible accident that almost left their children parent less and has left them with permanent mortal scars?"


I know the obvious answers.

1. Bad things happen to good people.
2. There are lessons and blessings they will learn and gain from this that they wouldn't have otherwise.
3. This situation will help them help someone else.
There are many more, but for now I will leave it at those. But the obvious is not what I was looking for.

In all truthfulness a large part of my sadness lay in the fact that these beautiful - and I do mean beautiful - people were not going to look as they used too. I have wondered if in some way that is why they have gotten all the attention they have. I say that with no fault to them in anyway. But I have wondered had they been a couple that was not as beautiful, would as many people have really become so engaged and interested in their cause? Human nature has me leaning toward the "no" side - but I can't speak for the rest of you, so I guess it only leans toward my human nature.

With that as a back drop to my thinking, I then started to wonder what God really feels about us and our physical bodys and the way we physically look. I know the Primary answer that He loves us no matter what we look like, but that just didn't cut it for me. On further reflection I came to wonder/realize that in all actuality, God doesn't care about our physical bodies at all. After we have each been born and received one, I honestly don't think He cares about them anymore. Does He care what we do with them? Yes! Does He care how we treat them? Yes! But does He actually care at all about their physical size, shape, structure, or appearance? No!

It really does make sense if you look at the world today. The opposite of God - Satan - would have you think otherwise. He tells us that the body and the way it looks is all that matters. He tries to tell us that we can do what we please with them, treat them as we please - make them feel good, but we must all do it by being a size 2, dressing them in the highest fashions, and by making them desirable to others. Satan makes are bodies the object while God makes are bodies the expression of the true object, the one that matters, our spirits.

This may be REALLY obvious to some of you, but for me it was a good reality check to make sure I am focusing on the things that do last. Which things, I'm sure Nie would agree, are skinless.

Yellow Water Follow-up

A big shout out to Adrianne who was the only admitted Pool Peer of the week. I'm with her in thinking that we have some who are not confessing truthfully - not that I blame you.
The good news is that most of you don't feel threatened by pee in the pool, so at least we can all happily exist together - with little threat of being ratted out by pool chemicals.

I would like to give an apology to anyone reading who may have been offended by my first weeks topic. Marlene comes to mind since I did slump to talking "potty talk" on my first week. I really had no intentions to do so, and really just looked at it as a none threatening "neutral/basic/acidic" subject for an introductory post. Please accept my apologies if any of the rest of you fell into that category.

I hope you all come back regularly and enjoy the "soap".

Yellow Water

There are certain subjects that I have come across that I keep a running survey in my head as I go through life about peoples feelings towards. One of them is the subject for tonight's SOAPBOX:

"Do people pee in swimming pools?"

I know some of you will out right say no way! I think that would be the natural response of most people. I mean really, who wants to swim in their - and everyone else's urine? I'm sure there are few who are throwing up their hands in urgency to join the club.

But lets all break free of the freezing temperatures most of us are currently experiencing and look forward to the fast approaching summer. Us sitting by the pool. Some with children in tow. Now picture yourself having just gotten in the pool, enjoying the nice cool water and feeling relaxed and then the urge hits. You have to go and have to go bad. You are faced with a dilemma, you can either just swim a really fast lap or splash around with your kids and relieve yourself or drag yourself out of the pool, across the hot searing pavement, into the gross slimy floor bathroom, peel your swim suit off so it's now a rolled up sausage looking thing around your knees, try and wipe yourself with soggy toilet paper, then unroll your sausage swimsuit and have it fit back on your body, walk back across the searing pavement and back into the pool. Really when I put it like that, I don't think there's much debate as to what would be the easier choice. But right choices are not always the easiest.

When I was younger I lived in the pool. My grandparents lived in California and we would go out there every summer for about a month and just swim all day long in their pool. It is a great childhood memory for me. I would have to say that I peed in the pool way more then I went in to use the bathroom. I also swam competitively as a child and would have to say that after weighing the odds the pool always won. I mean isn't that why they chlorinate the pools?

While reflecting on the subject for this post, I began to wonder if professional swimmers pee in the pool. A quick google search revealed that Michael Phelps is an admitted pool pee-er. Look where it got him!!! So look out fellow swimmers, I may not be an Olympic hopeful when I zoom by you for a quick 50 free, but I will feel a lot better when I'm done.

Washing My Mouth Out

I distinctly remember the first and only time my mother washed my mouth out with soap. I must have been no older than 5 or 6 and I was sitting at our dinning room table in Minnesota drawing. I remember going outside the lines and saying a swear word (the one that starts with an "s" if you must know). My mother was so shocked that she dragged me that very instant into the bathroom and commenced scrubbing my taste buds. To this day I can still remember the taste. I also remember what happened right after ward. I think she felt guilt - mostly likely since my other genetic half had used the word around me earlier that day - so she gave me back the rest of my grape soda I had been drinking and never presented another bar of soap for my tongue again. It's amazing the impression it left. It is forever seared into my brain.

I guess I relate this because it is a good layout for what I hope this blog to be. Mostly I hope this will be a place where good ideas and discussion will occur. However, I have come to realize in life that sometimes we say and do things that others don't like and we and they get a bad taste in our mouths. So be forewarned that all topics will not be ones that you may agree with and may rub you the wrong way. I hope others will make you laugh and give you an insight into how my brain works. My goal is to post once weekly about random topics that I hope will generate a good discussion. If all goes well, I will invite others to be guest bloggers.
I have a few topics already brewing for discussion, but would like your input as my readers - all 5 of you because I really don't expect more than that right now and that number might be a bit high. So leave me a comment that lists topics you would like to have me write about and then opened up for discussion. Each week with my new post I will also do a follow-up to include comments made from the previous weeks posting. Are you still following me? Check back this Sunday for my first writing and we will go from there. "See" you then!