Bible Reading: Abdia 1:1, 2-4

[Thus says the Lord God:]...

See, I make you small among the nations; you are held in dire contempt. The pride of your heart has deceived you: you who dwell in the clefts of the rock, whose abode is in the heights, who say in your heart, "Who will bring me down to earth?"

Though you go as high as the eagle, and your nest be set among the stars, from there will I bring you down, says the Lord.

Bible Reading: Luke 9:46-49

Now a discussion arose among them, which of them was the greatest. But Jesus, knowing the reasoning of their heart, took a little child and set him at his side, and said to them, "Whoever receives this little child for my sake, receives me; and whoever receives me, receives him who sent me. For he who is the least among you, he is the greatest."

But John answered and said, "Master, we saw a man casting out devils in thy name, and we forbade him, because he does not follow with us." And Jesus said to him, "Do not forbide him; for he who is not against you is for you."

Personal reflection and quote

Why don't I wash my hair and take baths more often than I do? (Not that I need them but "inquiring minds" have wondered).

Because I could take a million baths and not ever feel clean from how much humans have dirtied themselves.

So unlike the many guilty modern male and female "Lady Macbeths" I do not feel the compulsion to scrub and to scrub; I just endure being among the moral and mental s*** until someday, I hope, people regain their senses and their spiritual cleanliness.

People, you can vacuum and bathe everyday and spray every disinfectant known to humankind, but until you cleanse your souls you will never be nor feel truly clean.

Father kills 2 yr old son to avoid child support

This 22 year old who never spent any time with his child asked for visitation, got him once and a few hours later shot his two year old in the head, dumped the body and claimed he was kidnapped, just so he could avoid child support payments. First he said a white woman took the child, then three blacks with AK-47's, he didn't even call the police, and then when the mother did, he leads them to the body, dumped in a vacant lot.

Read the story, look at the picture, and think of something to say because for sure, I'm pretty speechless. Pray for this insane clown posse world.

http://www.wwltv.com/topstories/stories/wwl010309tpgunpoint.339e3e97.html

An inspiring life even with deep sadness

Read about Maud Nightingdale, who just died. Every life is so precious and the bravery of those who suffer loss with grace, like this lady, is everyday inspiration. I hope that someone does come forward with some information.

In her life you can read about some of the things I have touched on in my blog: memories of World War II and patriotism, a traditional marriage, large family (10 births!), children that die young, the consequences of drunk driving on the innocent, being widowed, violence and how it tears at a mother's heart, and the joys of a children who had a real homemaking mother.


http://www.shieldsgazette.com/news/Nighta39s-mum-dies-without-seeing.4839989.jp

snip

Nighta's mum dies without seeing killers caught

Published Date: 02 January 2009
By Lisa Nightingale
Crime reporter

ALL she wanted was to see her son's killers brought to justice.
But for Maud Nightingale it is a day she will never see after she lost her fight for life on Christmas Eve.

For 12 years the 85-year-old struggled to come to terms with the brutal murder of her youngest child Kevin. Since he was gunned down in 1996, Mrs Nightingale spent every moment clinging onto the hope that one day his killers would be caught.

The 33-year-old was shot on the doorstep of his home in Drake Close, South Shields. His killers have never been caught. Last year, on the 11th anniversary of his death, Mrs Nightingale broke her silence about her son's death, weeping as she begged the people of South Tyneside to help find the person who pulled the trigger.

Daughter Jen Bullock said: "Since Kevin died her health went downhill. "The only thing that kept her going was the hope there would be a prosecution. "It just breaks our hearts knowing she will never know who killed her son." The family have vowed to continue their fight to bring the father-of-two's killers to justice, not only in his memory, but for their mother. Mrs Nightingale (nee Shaw) was born and grew up in South Shields.

At 17, she left her hometown to play her part in the war effort working in a munitions factory in Birmingham. When she returned to South Shields, she took up singing and dancing in various clubs in the town until she met and married her husband Andrew Nightingale.

The couple went on to have 10 children; Andrew, 63, Thomas, who died when he was just nine months old, Richard, 61, twins Elizabeth and Ethel, 60, John, 58, William, 56, Jen, 53, Diane, 50 and Kevin.

Described by her family as a strong-willed lady who loved playing bingo, she took on the role of both mother and father to her children after her husband was killed by a drink driver as he crossed John Reid Road, aged 49. Her son Richard said: "Dad's death devastated the family, but she kept us all together and made sure we never went without. She did everything to protect us. "They were good parents who did the best they could.

"They were good providers and always made sure there was something on the table for us.

"And what she couldn't make with rhubarb wasn't worth knowing about – she was a fantastic cook and a tremendous mother."

Mrs Nightingale died in her sleep at her home in Bainbridge Avenue, Simonside, after suffering a heart attack. She was with her two daughters Ethel and Diane. A church service will take place for Mrs Nightingale at St Simon's Church, Wenlock Road, on Monday at 10.30am, followed by a service at Harton Cemetery at 11.15am, where she will be buried next to her husband. Mrs Nightingale leaves eight children, 20 grandchildren and 35 great-grandchildren.

*Anyone with information on the killing of Kevin Nightingale is asked to contact police on 03456 043 043 or crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. All calls will be dealt with in the strictist of confidence.

A few words about epilepsy and seizures

There is a lot of discussion about seizures due to the death of Jett Travolta. I do not have a lot of detail to offer, but I know that some are interested in any people I've known with similar problems.

One of my college roommates, in the early 1970's was diagnosed as a child with epilepsy. Diagnosis was easy because epilepsy is the condition of having what used to be called "epileptic fits," now called "seizures." Because she had epilepsy as she grew older she could not risking a seizure while operating a car and thus could not learn to drive, obviously, but that was the only restriction placed upon her. She grew up on a farm and had a very healthy traditional upbringing and food habits, what is looked down upon by many today, but was a blessing in the times when people appreciated farm fresh food including milk and beef, eggs, bacon etc. One of her cooking specialties was a great rich chipped beef. Some people just develop epilepsy, it's one of the more puzzling medical conditions that humans have experienced for much of their history. She was not on any medications, since that just was not common back then, and actually she didn't even bother telling us "what to do" in any detail in case she had a seizure, just to make sure she didn't harm herself by thrashing around and wait it out. So most of the time the three of us who were her roommates just forgot about it.

Well, here is what is interesting. She never had a seizure in the four years in college, and it seems to have gone away on its own. Apparently it in some forms is something that can be outgrown. As the years went by we just kind of noticed one day, hey, you haven't had any seizures ever while you were in college, and she said "Yep." That's when she told us that sometimes it is outgrown.

Now, years later when I interned in a psychiatric outpatient facility I observed that I had no patients with epilepsy, but that symptoms of some illnesses include seizures. Those patients received medication for their underlying illness and for control of the seizures, and they did very well. I share this so you who are new to this subject realize that there is a disorder that is called epilepsy that is diagnosed as being the state of having epileptic seizures, and there are separate unrelated illnesses that have a range of symptoms, one of which may be seizures. I saw someone with epilepsy who grew up on a farm (lots of dirt but lots of healthy living) outgrow it, and I've seen patients with mental illnesses who have as one of their range of symptoms seizures, who benefited greatly from their medication, which basically gives them their life back.

So those are my first hand observations. I hope this was helpful to those of you new to this type of subject, and that you realize when you read the press you have to try to distinguish between the condition of having seizures and seizures as a symptom of other conditions. My roommate had a lot of class; she really was about the opposite of an obsessive drama queen that you could imagine and she was a totally cool role model for others. By the way, "back then" this type of thing was diagnosed and treated by your family doctor. Now it's pretty much assumed that it becomes a huge psychiatric thing. I think that is reasonable progress, but I'm just helping you to know that there was a time when people were much more blase about the childhood forms of it. The key was to maintain normal supportive life conditions for the child and not to do anything different in terms of food, living conditions and certainly not mental quakery of trying to "change" or "turn off" the seizures as it seems $cientology does with its toolkit of quakery and abuse.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epilepsy

Some art talk for relief from the many problems

Art should be a visual and mental refuge from all the many problems and pressures of the day, so here's a little break.

One of my favorite paintings (and many share my view) is the painting popularly known as "The Skating Minister." Follow the link to take a look, and if you Google Image you can find better resolution depictions.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Skating_Minister

snip

The Reverend Robert Walker Skating on Duddingston Loch, better known by its shorter title The Skating Minister, is an oil painting by Sir Henry Raeburn in the National Gallery of Scotland in Edinburgh. It was practically unknown until about 1949; today, however, it is one of Scotland's best known paintings. It is considered an icon of Scottish culture, painted during one of the most remarkable periods in the country's history, the Scottish Enlightenment.

It is such a great work of art on every level.

There is another painting of a similar subject that I like, American, with a different pose, and I always thought that reproductions of the two would look great side by side.

"The Skater" by Gilbert Stuart:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilbert_Stuart

Each one is a painting that is not only great art, but a piece that one can rest and refresh one's eyes upon... I'm not at all a fan of art that is agitating.