Love your neighbour

Here's something I just want to place this thought in your minds and perhaps have you place in return your thoughts on here.

What I want to mention and plant is this verse, that's been on my mind today.

Matthew 22:37-40 (ESV)

37 And he said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”

"You shall love your neighbour as yourself."

I'm not going to say I think everyone should be self-centered jerks. There's a lot to be said for self-sacrifice and putting others before yourself. That's completely okay.

This is my thought, though, and I've heard this said somewhere and can't remember where.

If it says to love your neighbor as yourself, doesn't that mean that we are to love ourselves? That we are to respect and value that we are creatures of worth and beauty? Why then is it so hard to do things that are in care of yourself? Everything doesn't need to be about you, but, even taking time for mediation on our Savior is something for ourself in a sense.

Either way, my thoughts are if you can't love you, can you love others correctly?

Again, I think this can be taken to two extremes, especially in people of faith, but, I am curious as to your thoughts.

Thanks!

Source

A meme...

I have a whole lot on my mind today but not much of it is blog worthy.  Instead I'm going to do a cute little survey thing I saw on Caitlin's blog To Make Love Stay.

Also, I get the word "meme" but at the same time it always  makes me go "Wait, what?"

1. What's a nickname only your family calls you?

My family has called me "Goose" as long as I can remember.  It stood for Goosey Loosey Matoosey.   Even in nicknames, my parents are excessive.  I say this because they kindly gave me a name four names long that equals 23 letters.  

2. What's a weird habit of yours? 

I sing in the bathroom whenever I'm all done.  I don't know why.

3. What's a song you secretly LOVE to blast & belt out when you're alone?

I adore singing "Feelin' Good" by Nina Simone.  

4. What's one of your biggest pet peeves?

People who preach one thing and then do the other.  

Other than that, leaving the spray nozzle in the sink.  Don't do that.  That's gross.

5. What's one of your nervous habits?

I chew my lip or start rapidly picking at my nails, in a cleaning them way.

6. What side of the bed do you sleep on?

I sleep on the left.  

7. What was your first stuffed animal & it's name?

Beasley.  He was a fantastic french teddy bear that I took everywhere.

8. What's the drink you ALWAYS order at Starbucks?

Hmm.  Always? I like to switch it up.  Normally it will either be an iced doppio espresso with cream or some version of chai.  I love chai. I love it iced, hot, dirty or in a frappuccino. Ooo and with soy.

9. What's the beauty rule you preach.. but never ACTUALLY practice?

Throw away old make up. I actually did do this a little while ago, but I hate throwing away make up because it gets expensive buying new.  It's necessary for you though to purge at least once a year (I mean that's a big stretch for some things.) Every three to six months is better.

10. Which way do you face in the shower?

I turn around?  I tend to face the water.  I also like to sit in the shower floor and just let really hot water pour over my head. It's my thinking spot.

11. Do you have any 'weird' body 'skills'?

I can wrap my big toe over the next toe.  It looks really weird because I have crazy long toes.

12. What's your favorite 'comfort food'/food thats 'bad' but you love to eat it anyways?

Mac n Cheese... I love it.  Strange for a comfort food I guess but I love chicken in wing form. 

13. What's a phrase or exclamation you always say? 

"I'm just sayin'."

14. Time to sleep - what are you wearing?

Heh. Shorts and a shirt generally.  Sometimes I mix it up. You know, a shirt and shorts.  Just kidding.

Why

Why do we blog? What inspires especially younger adults to blog?  To spill everything out into the open?

I was talking about this with some of the co-op mom's at McD's yesterday.   I'm also going to be speaking in a direction other than to make an income from blogging.

I said that perhaps it's to do with how the internet has opened up our world.  I met my husband online.  I met one of my bridesmaids online.  I have many friendships kept alive through the internet.  It would be somewhat possible through snail mail, but, not quite the same.   Therefore, to us, talking online is just like sitting around with your friends and sharing our lives.  It's as natural as speaking to us.

 Is that good?  Perhaps, perhaps not.  I communicate much more easily through written word than face to face.  I like how it gives me time to think, to process.  Can I verbally communicate?  Of course.  I'm not that kind of homeschooler. (I was homeschooled my whole life... that wasn't a dig against homeschoolers.)  I just prefer writing. And yes, I am an avid texter. :-p

Given how natural it feels, it is just as easy for us to desire to get comment on our every thought.  We have access to everything through Google.  We can constantly get updates on any celebrity we want.  We can learn almost any skill, language or hobby.  The internet has made the world an open book to us.  Why would we not, at least in some way, reflect the world around us?

As far as privacy, personally, I tried to keep from sharing everything on here.  I try to keep my real name and that of my friends and family's off of my blog.  I don't like people knowing what town I live in or where I work.  I think there is a line of responsibility as far as all that goes.

My dad asked me the other day though if I thought before I pushed "publish" about how once I did that, it was gone, out into the Blogosphere (he used it correctly!) for all to see.  Did I think about the impact it would have.  Honestly, yes, I do think.  I think a lot before I push that little button.

Part of me wants to not do that.  I don't want to care what anyone might think of me or my situation except that I be honest.  I want to openly share every struggle, every triumph and every fear.  I'm not sure exactly why I do.

Sometimes I think it's because I've seen a lot of secrecy about a lot of things.  Given what my last post was, I'm not talking about some deep, dark family thing.   I'm just talking in general life.  (As I was in the last post.)  One thing many of my friends say they like about me is my honesty.   I'm an open book.

It's a dangerous thing but for now it's who I am.

This isn't an entirely complete survey on my thoughts.  I'd love to hear yours.  Especially from bloggers, why do you blog?

Love, peace and honesty...

It really only feels like a couple of days ago that I last was here.  Strange.

Life has been moving and changing and becoming different and yet the same.   I'm excited to leave for Thanksgiving weekend with my Dad's family.  'Twill be an adventure.  Many of them haven't even gotten to meet Somewhere, or if they have, it was only briefly here and there.  I particularly can't wait for him to meet Granddaddy.  They are both such engineers, thinkers and magicians that I predict they will get along swimmingly.

I don't think I have a post of deep contemplation on in me today.

Here's a link to a great post I just read by a friend though.  My Shady Grove


(Mavis Beacon, I just realized how thankful I am that you taught me to type well.  I just thought I'd throw that out there.)

Anywho, I love you all and I hope you have a great holiday weekend to all of my US readers.

Peace and hope,
cj

I really should...

... change the name of this blog.


Anywho, there's been a lot and nothing going on in my world lately.


There's been a lot of noise, due to bands recording in a studio in my basement.  Totally cool, and also, totally makes me feel like I'm never alone.  I'm not sure I like that feeling.  Ah well.


I've been getting into reading a lot more.  I find my IQ has dropped since my late teens because I stopped avidly reading.  Yup, that's what I'm blaming it on.  Anywho, I've started light with The Hunger Games series.  So delightful. Now I'm trying my darnedest to get through "THE GREAT HUNT" Book two in "The Wheel of Time" series.  Hard read.  I'm not sure I can handle such an extreme amount of detail.




Make up.  Because who would I be if I didn't talk about it?   First off, I've let my nails get a bit long.  Typing?  Such a chore now.  I'll do my make up in a minute then take a picture of them and my latest make up thing: Red lips.  I'm normally an eye shadow girl... you should really only do one or the other in a bold way, both at the same time is overwhelming in most cases.   Recently, though, I've been doing the classic black liner and bold lips.  It's new to me.  I don't normally wear lipstick, much less a color that seems to need a lot of babying.  But I'll struggle through. :-p

I've been contemplating church and life as a follower in general.  I've been thinking about what would happen if I was honest with those I love.  If we all were.


What if at the next family thing, I was to say:


"Hey, okay.


Enough.
I'm not pretending anymore.
Grandparents, I love you enough and I know you love me enough to accept the truths about me instead of me smoothing things over.


Other family, really.  We all talk about each other and to each other, carefully crafting what we are and how we each see each other.


Why not just be honest?  Don't want to be fussed at for the bad?  Don't want the lecture?  Why do you expect one?


 Yes, I can think of a couple secrets that I don't want to share with the world.  That's okay.  Why, oh why, do we feel our family is too weak to handle the truth.  Darkness can never fully cover the secret, so why not let it have light. You might find it dries up all together or is really a beautiful thing."

Forget just saying that to my family, what if I said it to all of you?  What if I admit I don't know where I stand? What if I overshared for a little while?


What would honesty bring?


For the record, I have awesome grandparents who I've always felt could handle almost all of my flaws and definitely my strengths.   I can handle the flaws they've told me about them.  Things in their past.  Hopes they have.  Things they find funny.  I can handle that.


It's good.


I'm not sure what this post is for. I'm only sure that it is.

How cool is that...

Today was art class.

Have I ever mentioned just how much I love art class? I teach at a local co-op for homeschoolers.  I'm the art teacher. :) It suits me.  Once a week, one hour.  I can do that.

 They are between 3rd-5th grade with one 2nd grader and one 6th.   I love them.  I have... 14 youngsters.  They surprise me every week with their creativity.  I really enjoy being in a positive position where if some students don't completely blow you away in some area, it's totally fine, because I know they will be phenomenal in another medium/style.  I don't have to limit them at all.

Its wonderful.

Can you imagine what life would be like if that was your approach to everything?

:) *le sigh*

I also have so been enjoying the fellowship with all the moms.  Many have been married longer than I.   I think I'm one of the few childless teachers.

It's so wonderful to be surrounded by Christian woman who are so much wiser than I.

Well I'll be back tomorrow.

Night!

So it begins again

It's been a long time since I've done this... stayed up way late and blogged.  Remember when I used to do this?  Of course you do.   Somewhere is snoring away beside me and the pabies are curled up in between us.  Or, given their size now, I should say we're curled up beside them.  2/3 of our king size bed taken up by dog.  What is this world coming to?

There's so much on my mind.  What I type is often spiritual to me.  I have other things on my mind but I don't feel it is the right moment to share them.

I don't really know what to talk about considering that.

Hmm.