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About This Author
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Each Day Already is a Challenge
A Texas Sunrise
 
A friend, William Taylor, took this picture. He visits Surfside Beach with his dogs almost every morning, watching the sun rise while the dogs prance about at the water's edge.
This is only about ten miles from where I lived in Lake Jackson, Texas. Sadly, I only visited this beach about four times in the six years I lived nearby.
Each day is a challenge. A challenge to get by without thinking about the fibromyalgia pains. A challenge to stay awake when chronic fatigure wants to take over. And a challenge to navigate through fibro fog.
I haven't been writing as much as in the past. For years, I wrote at least 500 words a day. Now, I'm lucky if I write 500 words in month. Sigh.
For more information about what my day (or life) is all about with fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, chronic pains, IBS, depression and everything else thrown in, check this out:
January 24, 2010 at 7:50pm January 24, 2010 at 7:50pm
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The Story of a Great Doctor
by Marilyn Mackenzie
Today, there was a memorial service for a man from our church. He wasn't someone that I - or many of us - knew very well. He took care of the sound board during our worship services.
Sometime soon, I'll have to share more about Andy and the memorial service. But I wanted to make sure that I first told the story of a great doctor.
Almost two years ago, Andy was diagnosed with end stage 4 cancer of the pancreas. One day he was fine. Then his back hurt badly, and he went to the emergency room, thinking that he might be having an appendicitis attack. They kept him overnight, then told him the next day that what he had was cancer.
Andy was fortunate that his cancer didn't take him as quickly as it was predicted. Usually, stage 4 pancreatic cancer takes the patient in 2-4 months. Luckily for all of us - and for his family, since he has a 10 year old son - he survived for almost two years.
During that time, he had treatments. And he was a member of a support group, termed a Wellness Group. I love that the support group for cancer patients and survivors is called a Wellness Group. That alone offers hope to those needing it most.
In such groups, people like Andy who know that eventually they will die of their disease, often make up their own "Bucket List" (things to do before they kick the bucket). On Andy's list was "driving a convertible."
When Andy's doctor found out that was one of the things he wanted to do before he died, the doctor handed Andy the keys to his car - a Mercedes convertible with a V12 engine. He told Andy to drive it for as long as he wanted. And Andy did.
One of the first outings Andy had was with one of his Wellness Group friends. They drove around in that convertible for 3 hours. (And later that friend told Andy that his trip to Florida was not as much fun as that 3 hour ride had been.)
Today, that convertible still sits at Andy's house. He's gone now, so someone will need to make sure that the good doctor gets his car back. Andy had that car for many months, enjoying the last months of his life.
I wish the doctor had been at the service today. Perhaps he was and just didn't speak up when the pastor talked about how great it was that he allowed Andy to cross off one of the things on his "Bucket List."
Makes you cry, doesn't it? The world lost a good man this week. But God welcomed him home.
And for the months preceding his death, he happily tooted around town in a gas guzzling Mercedes convertible, letting the wind blow through his patchy (from cancer treatments) hair.
And, surely, driving that car was one reason that Andy hung around as long as he did. Who wouldn't, when given the opportunity to drive the car of his dreams?
Thanks, doc. You are a true healer. We need more like you.
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To my friends who are prayer warriors:
Obviously, Andy's wife and 10 year old son will need our prayers. They're happy knowing that they will meet Andy one day in Heaven. But, still, losing a father at that young age will be difficult.
Pray, too, for the Wellness Group friend who drove around with Andy for those 3 hours and had such fun. He, too, is having his cancer problems reappear. His name is Jim.
And don't forget to celebrate that awesome doctor who handed the keys to his car to Andy to drive for many months. I don't know his name, but I'm sure God does. 
"My Favorite Neighbor" 
"Sharing Sunshine...It's What I Do!"
"Admirable Women"
"Whose Work Are You Stealing?"
"The Potter's Cup and Saucer"
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January 22, 2010 at 3:00am January 22, 2010 at 3:00am
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Two Liberal Myths
By Marilyn Mackenzie
There are two liberal myths (or lies – take your pick about which you prefer) that drive me crazy every time I hear them. Liberals have learned that the more repeat a myth (or lie), the more you’ll believe it and the better the chance that others around you will believe it as well. These are the two myths/lies that bother me the most.
1) Clinton left Bush with a surplus.
THIS IS NOT TRUE!!!
You can find the numbers at the U.S. Treasury web site. Clinton was
President from 1993 to 2001.
Fiscal Year Year Ending National Debt Deficit
FY1993 09/30/1993 $4.411488 trillion
FY1994 09/30/1994 $4.692749 trillion $281.26 billion
FY1995 09/29/1995 $4.973982 trillion $281.23 billion
FY1996 09/30/1996 $5.224810 trillion $250.83 billion
FY1997 09/30/1997 $5.413146 trillion $188.34 billion
FY1998 09/30/1998 $5.526193 trillion $113.05 billion
FY1999 09/30/1999 $5.656270 trillion $130.08 billion
FY2000 09/29/2000 $5.674178 trillion $17.91 billion
FY2001 09/28/2001 $5.807463 trillion $133.29 billion
Here are some of the web sites which explain what happened to the
economy during the Clinton years.
http://media.www.sbstatesman.com/media/storage/paper955/news/2008/11/24/Opinion/... The Clinton Surplus Myth
This writer assumes that liberals don’t understand economics and that’s why they continue to perpetuate the myth that Clinton left a surplus. I’m not so sure about that assumption. Even if some do not understand, I think that most liberal Democrat politicians know that there was no surplus and choose to continue to pretend there was to fool the public.
http://www.craigsteiner.us/articles/16 The Myth of the Clinton Surplus
This writer that ever since he posted his document, people have said that the CBO numbers differ with what he posted. Here is some of what he says about that, “We can discuss the meaning of the different columns of the CBO documents and what they do and don't include, and we can argue about the accounting tricks that the federal government uses for political reasons. But the fact remains that the Bureau of the Public Debt is responsible for the daily reporting of the total national debt. Regardless of how politicians play with the budget numbers, the current national debt reported by the Bureau of the Public Debt is what we owe. If, at the end of each year, we owe more than we did the previous year, politicians can call it a surplus until the cows come home--but the fact remains that we owed more money than we did the previous year. Playing accounting and political games to call it a "surplus" doesn't change the fact that we're even more in debt than we were the year before.
During the Clinton years, the total national debt increased every year. Only in Washington D.C. would that somehow be considered a "surplus."
http://www.theneweditor.com/index.php?/archives/3063-The-5-Trillion-Surplus-The-... The Myth That Refuses to Die
The claims that we had erased the federal debt and had gone on to a surplus were based on long-range projections that were totally inaccurate, and had never been realized. Why then do the Dems continue to repeat this myth?
There are many other sites that debunk the myth of the Clinton surplus. It is a myth or a lie, whichever you choose. Or, more simply, and without having to choose whether people are misinformed or choosing to perpetuate a lie, IT’S JUST NOT TRUE.
2) Bush only gave tax relief to the rich. Again, this is something that the liberals say over and over and over. AND IT ALSO IS NOT TRUE!!!
Everyone received benefits and tax relief under George W. Bush, and those benefits will not be carried on by President Obama. Obama told us that he would let these tax benefits expire during his administration. He also told us that he would not raise taxes on anyone making under $200,000 (although it was first $250,000). I suppose that’s sort of true. HE isn’t raising taxes. He’s just letting them get higher by letting the benefits expire. (To me, that’s like him raising taxes, but I can see where he wouldn’t want to admit that.)
Here are some of the benefits that everyone received under Bush.
http://www.heritage.org/Research/Taxes/wm486.cfm When Would the President’s Tax Cuts Expire?
This article was posted during Bush’s administration and explains the tax cuts that he proposed and Congress approved in 2001 and 2005. Some of them expired already this year – taxes on capital gains and on dividends. The others are set to expire on January 1, 2011. These are the tax benefits about which everyone seems to forget.
Child Credit: It is now $700 per child and it will revert to the old number of $500 per child on January 1, 2011. This affects all Americans with children, not just those in upper incomes.
Income Tax Rates: All brackets will increase between 3 and 4.5 percentage points in each bracket on January 1, 2011, unless Obama extends this tax relief. He has said he would not extend the tax benefits of Bush, so we must assume that all income taxes will rise.
The 10 Percent Tax Bracket: This bracket will be eliminated on January 1, 2011, raising the income tax burden by 5 percentage points.
The 15 Percent Bracket for Joint Filers: On January 1, 2011, the upper limit of this bracket will change from 100 to 167 percent of the upper limit bracket for single filers, meaning that the marriage penalty will be put back into place. (Remember? Bush fixed that marriage penalty!)
Standard Deduction for Joint Filers: On January 1, 2011, this will also change from 200 to 167 percent of the standard deduction for single filers, putting that marriage penalty back into place. (How could people forget that it was Bush who gave us this break?)
Estate Tax: The top rate of estate taxes will increase to 60 percent on January 1, 2011. Also, the value of an estate exempt from taxation will shrink to $1 million. Here, people think, “Great. Stick it to the rich guys.” But people don’t realize that every day folks can have to pay this. Sometimes poor folks are the recipients of a rich relative’s estate. Also, it’s not that difficult to have a $1 million estate. That could include two $250,000 life insurance policies, a $350,000 home and $100,000 in other assets. Still, this is not an increase that most will or should worry over.
http://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/summers_bush_tax_cuts/2009/01/25/175083.html Bush Tax Cuts Won’t Be Extended
This article – an interview with Lawrence H. Summers – seems to be saying that the tax cuts won’t even make it to January 1, 2011 but will be repealed earlier than that.
http://americaswatchtower.com/2009/02/23/obamas-backdoor-tax-increase-letting-th... Obama’s Backdoor Tax Increase (Letting the Bush Tax Cuts Expire)
This article points out that the ones who will really be hurt on this are those now in the 10% bracket, which will disappear. The article says, “The people in the lowest tax bracket will have their taxes increased by five percent. The largest increase of all tax brackets. Yet it is Obama who claims that he is a man of the people. He claims that it is he who will protect middle class Americans. The great lie about the Bush tax cuts has been repeated so often that now people believe it is true. People believe that only the rich got tax cuts under the former president. Every American got tax relief in the Bush tax cuts and when Obama lets those cuts expire it will amount to a backdoor tax on all Americans. And the hardest hit will be the people who can least afford it.”
There you have it folks. Two myths or lies that get told over and over again by liberal Democrats. They are not true.
Clinton DID NOT leave a surplus and Bush DID give tax relief to all Americans.
I don’t expect any liberal Democrats to remember these things. But if you’re an Independent, a conservative, or a Republican, please make a note of this article so you can send people who perpetuate to this article and the links within.
"My Favorite Neighbor"
"Sharing Sunshine...It's What I Do!"
"Admirable Women"
"Whose Work Are You Stealing?"
"The Potter's Cup and Saucer"
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January 17, 2010 at 1:31pm January 17, 2010 at 1:31pm
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Click here for a list of Christian relief organizations in Haiti that have been vetted by the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability.
http://www.ecfa.org/ServantMatch.aspx?Type=Haiti
As the current and past presidents have reminded us, it's important to know the organization to which you give or know that someone has done research on them.
From the ECFA web site:
ECFA is an accreditation agency dedicated to helping Christian ministries earn the public’s trust through adherence to Seven Standards of Responsible StewardshipTM. Founded in 1979, ECFA provides accreditation to leading Christian nonprofit organizations that faithfully demonstrate compliance with established standards for financial accountability, fund-raising and board governance. Members include Christian ministries, denominations, churches, educational institutions and other tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organizations. Collectively, these organizations represent more than $18 billion in annual revenue.
ECFA’s Seven Standards of Responsible StewardshipTM focus on board governance, financial transparency, integrity in fund-raising, and proper use of charity resources.
For more information on ECFA or to find a Christian relief organization, click the link at the top of the page.
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So many of our Christian brothers and sisters have died or are missing in Haiti because that's one place that Christians in the US go to do mission work.
I just learned today that the top executive of UMCOR (United Methodist Committee on Relief) died before rescuers could free him from the wreckage of the Hotel Montana. Reports had first said he was pulled out alive, but now eyewitnesses are saying otherwise.
Rev. Clinton Rabb was also trapped with Dixon, but he is said to be in critical condition in a hospital in Florida. Four others who were there as part of the group - Rev. James Gulley, Sarla Chand, Rick Santos and Ann Varghse have already returned to their homes.
Another group, the Convoy of Hope, feeds 7,000 children every day in Haiti. They had just restocked their warehouse there. And, as Jeff Nene, Convoy of Hope's senior director of communications and technology said, "Some people may call this a coincidence," Nene continues, "we call it Holy Spirit intervention."
In the background, Fox News just talked about two stories coming up. One is about the miraculous story of the woman who was saved after being buried in rubble for days. The other story is about an orphanage where the children are in desperate need of food and water and no help has yet arrived.
What a horrible tragedy happened at Haiti. Let us hope and pray that the officials there will finally establish some building codes and that those who are going to help them re-build will be able to put up buildings that will not be crumbled so easily.
"My Favorite Neighbor"
"Sharing Sunshine...It's What I Do!"
"Admirable Women"
"Whose Work Are You Stealing?"
"The Potter's Cup and Saucer"
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January 13, 2010 at 7:02pm January 13, 2010 at 7:02pm
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As I was searching for a particular video at YouTube, I came across this video. It's one that everyone should watch, I think. Wanted: God's Character, is 12:43 minutes long, so be sure you're ready to spend that much time watching it. Then, kick back and enjoy.
The blurb at YouTube says: An old man mourning the loss of his wife finds part time employment as a gardener for a church. Harassed by a group of kids, his attitude of unconditional forgiveness wins over the heart of one of the kids and transforms his life
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Oh, if we all had this much unconditional love and forgiveness in our hearts.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mfkfk1PMyU |
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I'm praying for you. And I hope your cancer meds continue their success.
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