Under the shadow of the Almighty

Psalm 91

He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High
Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty
I will say of the Lord, "He is my refuge and my fortress;
My God, in Him I will trust."

Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler
And from the perilous pestilence.
He shall cover you with His feathers,
And under His wings you shall take refuge;

His truth shall be your shield and buckler
You shall not be afraid of the terror by night,
Nor of the arrow that flies by day,
Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness,
Nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday.

A thousand may fall at your side,
And ten thousand at your right hand;
But it shall not come near you.
Only with your eyes shall you look,
And see the reward of the wicked.

Because you have made the Lord, who is my refuge,
Even the Most High, your dwelling place,
No evil shall befall you,
Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling;
For He shall give His angels charge over you,
To keep you in all your ways.
In their hands they shall bear you up,
Lest you dash your foot against a stone.
You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra,
The young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot.

Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him;
I will set him on high, because he has known My name.
He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him;

I will be with him in trouble;
I will deliver him and honor him.
With long life I will satisfy him,
And show him My salvation."

Drunk, Divorced & Covered in Cat Hair

No I'm not drunk or divorced. Today, is, in fact, my husband's and mine 15th wedding anniversary. I AM, however, covered in cat hair.

I also picked up a copy of a book with this title last night. I read the author's blog. She's got quite a way with words. I love, love, love this book. "The true-life misadventures of a 30-something who learned to knit after he split."

If you are looking for a book where you can laugh and cry, I'd suggest checking it out. The book is written by Laurie Perry and my Barnes & Noble had it stuck in the arts & crafts section. It DOES have some kitting patterns in it, so I guess they figured, why not?

Excerpt from Chapter 10 - All I had heard since Charlie moved out was, "Laurie, maybe you should take up a hobby or something. Stay busy, it will keep your mind off things." Har har. Well, the joke's on you now, all you future recipients of thousands of scarves! I have a hobby, dammit!

I loved knitting so much that I didn't even care how well it cemented my role as the crazy cat lady spinster. At work, I proudly showed off my knitting to every single person who stopped by my desk. You want a banner ad? First, admire my knitting! You need a logo resized? No problem, let me tell you all about knitting class!

That's all. You'll have to buy your own copies!

No, I cannot relate completely, but the way she writes just pulls me in and forces me to have complete compassion for her situation. And I CAN relate to the yarn/knitting references, even though I tried knitting once and don't like it.

Laurie's website is Crazy Aunt Purl.

Crocheting a dream

I posted this in my crochet journal, but thought it should be here, too.

First, I'll start off saying that it's my belief that God speaks through dreams. Not every dream is from God, but those dreams from Him are there.

I'm quite a dreamer. I try to remember to write them down and see what God (if it's from Him) is saying to me.

Let me also interject here that I have been praying and asking God to help me design my own crochet projects. There are a TON of wonderful crochet patterns out there, but along the way, in this funky world of design, some of these designers got the message to tell others who use their patterns that they are NOT to sell items made with their patterns. Frankly, I think that's a bit snobbish of them. Do they seriously think they'd be able to fill all those orders? No, I think they don't want someone else making a profit using their pattern. As this whole electronic/internet age widens out and I read more about what others are doing, it just saddens me. Before I purchase patterns, I read what the designers do not want you to do with their patterns. If they do not want finished products sold, I refuse to purchase their patterns. I will gladly lay out money for patterns, just not for those. Trust me, I can be snobbish right back.

Where was I? Ok, so in light of all that, I thought it would just be easier if I could make up my stuff from my own pattern and had been asking God for help. See, I don't want to take the time to do the designing. I want to go straight to the crocheting. I admire and appreciate the work that goes into designing crochet patterns. That's why I don't mind paying for them. But I thought, hey, maybe God will give me something in my dreams. I won't know unless I ask. And I believe that when I ask, He will answer in some way.

I had dreamed about crochet 2 other times that I can remember. But I didn't follow through with crocheting them out because I was too intimidated. I'm a perfectionist and was afraid of messing it up or not getting it right. I think if I had just simply worked them up the next day, He would have blessed my work and I would be getting better at this. I did write those dreams down, but since I cannot draw, those images are lost. :(

2 nights ago, however, I was crocheting in my dream. The focus was on the work I was doing at one point, but for the most part, even though I was walking around crocheting, the focus was on other parts of the dream.

I wrote the dream down, and wrote down as much detail of the crochet as I could remember. The piece made no sense to me and I didn't know what it was. I had some other things I wanted to finish yesterday, so I put the dream crochet on the back burner, periodically thinking about that dream, wondering if I'd try it out. It was a bit simpler than the others I had dreamed, but there was still that fear there. How do I start it out? What if I don't get the pattern exact? And just what the heck is it? Yes, I was saying "what the heck is it?" to God. Like He doesn't know my thoughts anyway... :)

On Friday nights we go to church. Our church started having a Friday night service years ago. It was strange, at first, going to church on a Friday night, but now I cannot imagine doing anything else. The kids and I get there about an hour and a half before church starts. I brought along the yarn I used in my dream and began. I was going to start with a swatch because that's what you do, right? Well, how many designers get patterns from God in their dreams? I'm sure some of them do, but I think I'm skipping that swatch stage (yay!). So, the swatch didn't work out as I didn't know how to work a swatch for this particular piece. I just dove right in. It was funny. As people came in, they asked what I was making. I said, "I don't know. I'm crocheting a dream." I still don't know what it's going to be and I don't know if it will BE anything. I think God was saying, "You asked for a pattern. I gave you one. Now, are YOU going to do anything with it? If you do, I will give you more." So, against every fiber of my being, I will complete this. Why is it so hard? Because I don't know it's purpose. It's hard enough to walk by faith, but crochet by faith? And the fact that this is so difficult for me shows me it's from God. My flesh screaming out in rebellion is a good indicator.

We shall see what transpires.

Evaluation

Thanks Jessie!

I forget I get readers. :) The evaluations went well. Our evaluator is such a sweetie. He takes the time to just talk to them. Anyone who will just sit and talk to my kids gets an A+ in my book. :) He signed off that they progressed on to the next year. Yay. We took the rest of the week off, went to the library - as I had been lax in having them read stuff beyond their school work - and had a very good rest of our week.

I'm feeling better and God loves me. :)

Stressin' out

The kids' homeschool evaluation is today. Am I prepared? I should hope so. Yes, I have their books ready for him to look through. Am I emotionally prepared? I thought so. But, I found myself to be short tempered this week. My back is in extreme pain and I'm dealing with a hurt foot. I was racking my brain to find out why my back and foot were hurting and I thought that the reason I was short tempered was because of the pain. My irritability, I think, is the result of PMS and stress. The back pain must be from that as well. Although, I don't remember my back hurting this much in the past . I can't even go work out due to the pain. Argh.

So, I will be so happy when 1:30 comes and goes. I like their evaluator. He evaluated them last year. He has a bunch of kids like us. He and his wife homeschool. He's very pro-homeschool. It's just nerve racking. Maybe by next year I won't be so bad.

Parable of the Ungrateful "Child"

My children get 45 minutes of computer time at one time.

One of the programs they like to play is an online game by Disney called Toontown. There is a new "neighborhood" where you can play miniature golf and sometimes play goes a little longer than the 45 minutes they are allotted. I always let them finish up their games, even after the timer goes off.

The other day, my oldest daughter, 13 almost 14, knew that she was low on time, but decided to go for 9 rounds anyway. I allowed her to go over her time and it was 15-20 minutes after the timer went off.

Tonight, her sister, 12, was on the computer. Emily, my oldest had been asking to go on all night, but I needed her to babysat while I ran to the store. Caytie was on the computer when I returned home. Emily had asked, when the timer went off if she could go on the computer. I said yes. Not long after, Caytie came in to inform me that Emily had come over to the computer and quit the program Caytie was working on.

I was furious and told Emily she couldn't go on the computer. I then told Caytie to get back on and finish up what she was working on and told her if Emily retaliated in any way, she was to tell me.

I was in my room getting angrier at Emily's behavior, especially in light of me allowing all that extra time the other day, when the Lord reminded me of the parable of the ungrateful servant. I immediately calmed down and knew what her punishment would be. I'd have her write out the parable, in her best handwriting, and then allow her back on the computer, making sure she understood the parallels between her actions and that of the ungrateful servant.

She's working on it now. She is unaware that I will be letting her back on the computer and is a little ticked off at me right now. But that's ok. I believe the point will be received.

Matthew 18:23-25

"Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him. Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.

"The servant fell on his knees before him. 'Be patient with me,' he begged, 'and I will pay back everything.' The servant's master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.

"But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii. He grabbed him and began to choke him. 'Pay back what you owe me!' he demanded.

"His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, 'Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.'

"But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. When the other servants saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed and went and told their master everything that had happened.

"Then the master called the servant in. 'You wicked servant,' he said, 'I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn't you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?' In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.

"This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart."

Granted, Emily didn't need to forgive Caytie, however, I still think the parable fits the crime. And, of course, I don't want Emily to have a "fire and brimstone" view of our Heavenly Father, and I will be sure to let her know that He loves her unconditionally, as do I.

Love your enemies

Conversation between Kenny (age 5) and Jordan (age 9). They are in the kitchen. Jordan is washing dishes and Kenny is "helping".

Kenny: You have to love your enemies
Jordan: I love all my enemies except the devil
Kenny: Then you don't love your enemies

I had to explain to Kenny that there IS a difference between human enemies and the devil. It's ok not to love the devil.

Nice Matters!

Wow. My first award. Christina, my sister-in-law, over at Kwisteena's Kwaziness, has awarded me with the Nice Matters Award saying that I was a positive influence on the blogging world.

Well, thanks Cristina. You, too are a positive influence on the blogging community. Can I nominate you? :)

Here is my list of bloggers and their blogs whom I nominate for the Nice Matters award:

• Dawn at Because I Said So
• Jessie at Overflow of a Forgiven Soul
• Dee at CrochetingwithDee.com
• ladylinoleum at Monster Crochet
• Lynn at mundane matters in the life of lynn
• And last, but certainly not least, Christina at Kwisteena's Kwaziness

There are LOTS of blogs I read. But these ladies shine in the Nice Matters department. Thanks guys. If you want, you can take this award and put it on your blog and nominate others. But, if you're not into this sort of thing, don't worry about it, no pressure. ;)

My Yarn Store

I have decided to publicly share the vision I have for my yarn store. For those of you who may not know, I LOVE to crochet and I LOVE yarns. See my Crochet Blog if you are interested. I had been wanting a yarn store for a while now, and have been praying for it, but not pressing in like I believe now I should have been.

When my family was at a conference at Morningstar Ministries in Ft. Mill, South Carolina, there was a speaker there named Bill Johnson. He has a church called Bethel Church in Redding, California.

I wrote down some things I heard him say one night and even downloaded the conference a couple of days ago so I can listen to it over and over. It was a powerful teaching.

Sorry about the flow, or lack thereof. I was just taking the snippets that the Lord was speaking to me for this.

"It is theologically irresponsible to take the great promises of scripture and put them off into a period of time for which we have no responsibility. Every generation is responsible to extract the life out of every promise." Proverbs 25:2 - It is the glory of God to conceal a matter; to search out a matter is the glory of kings. God hides stuff for us not from us.

"Jesus being asked by Mary to deal with the wine. Jesus says, what does this have to do with me? This isn't my hour - the hour for me to be unveiled as the miracle worker. He only said what he heard His Father say, so He got this information from the Father. Mary tells the servants to do whatever Jesus says. Jesus looks at the Father and says, 'Apparently we have a change in plans.' "

"The desperation of an individual can change the timing of an event. God is not as interested in certain events happening at certain times as He is interested in our involvement in the unfolding of those events. We are not puppets on a string. We affect one another. God has made himself vulnerable to the desires of His people. The church is waiting for the next directive of God and God is waiting on the dream of the church. Waiting for the thing that rocks us, that moves us. "

"When desires are formed in me, God is trying to resurrect them because he wants to become manifested in a practical way that affects the course of history. 'Whatsoever desires you have, when you pray, you shall receive them.' 'My works abide in you'.

"If it matters to you, whom the Lord loves, it matters to Him. It does not have to be eternally significant." Bill then referenced his book, "Dreaming with God", which I picked up last night. :)

"Jesus changing plans and performing a miracle of turning water into wine because of a mother who, in so many words said, 'I've been pregnant with these promises for 30 years and I'm going to blow up if I don't see something happen! (Like Mary saying to Jesus) This may not be your time, but it'd be a really good time for me.' You can only carry that word for so long."

"'John 12:40 - He blinded their eyes, hardened their hearts lest they should see with their eyes and understand with their hearts and I should heal them.' It's like God is saying, 'I don't want them to see because then they'll repent and I'll have to go forgive them and give them what they want.' - Puzzling verse. It's talking about Israel. 'If I show Israel what I'm going to do for them before the Gentiles are added they will ask for it and I'll have to give it to them before the designated time.' Implication - If you see it, if He does not blind your eyes, than what you can see that is a future event, then you have legal access to bring it into your day. "

"All things are yours - things present and things to come."

"King David caught a vision. Hope to set up a vision of worship. Legal access to the authentic presence of the kingdom. But it was illegal to approach the tabernacle without a blood sacrifice. What David did was illegal. But because the Lord did not veil David's eyes to the future - after Jesus' death and resurrection - that all can come before the Lord without the blood offering (because Jesus was the blood offering), David took hold of that and brought it into his own time and lived."

This is what I wrote down that night, after going back to my room and being "high" on the promises which the Lord just unveiled.

Yarn/Coffee Shop

Separate but connected.

Coffee Shop - Tables where people can sit and drink coffee/tea and/or eat pastries.

I would like to, through a doorway or a larger opening, have a yarn shop. I want to sell yarns not available locally, but also less expensive yarns available locally. I want to make available tools for crochet/knit and other needle-craft crafts.

I want to have comfortable couches and chairs for people to lounge in and work on projects. I want tables that people can sit around and work on projects.

I want to play instrumental music in the store. Christian instrumental music. Don Potter, Alberto Rivera & Friends, Bruce Dailey, Theresa Griffith, etc. Worship jams, too. Or, maybe have videos playing of worship. Maybe have Christian music playing. I like what Morningstar's bookstore has - a tv with videos of worship playing.

I want an area dedicated to classes. That people can come in and teach crochet, knitting and other needlecrafts.

I need the Lord to give me a ministry to support with money and/or projects that people make, maybe ZAO Water financially, but I want to be able to supply shawls, blankets, any handcrafted item that customers would want to donate to a ministry as well. These items would be prayed over by me and my children and any other trusted intercessor who would want to be involved.

As I was praying about this, I heard, Eagle's Nest. Might be a good name.

I want to provide a place where crafters can gather to purchase hard to find yarn, to gather with other crafters, and to be touched by the Spirit of God. A place that people would come to to have prayers be answered, to see healings take place. To come to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior. That the Spirit of God would be so evident. That people would gather and talk about what God is doing in their lives and in their neighborhoods and not talk about each other.

Aquila is Greek for Eagle. It is also a constellation. Inside that constellation is a nebula, NGC 6751, also known as the Glowing Eye. Wow! It looks like a glowing eye! The interesting thing about the glowing eye, is this: that night Rick Joyner (Pastor of Morningstar) was speaking about the portals of Heaven and the eye of God looking down on us.

Add: I also am wanting to have a "Yarn of the week" and a "Tool of the week". There have been so many times where I thought I'd like a hook or yarn, bought it, took it home and didn't like it. My vision is that someone can come in, with the yarn of the week and tool of the week make up a granny square or something. They will know how the yarn works up and if they like the hook (or needles or whatever). Then I'll have them drop the square into a basket to be sewn together with other squares into a blanket to donate to the local hospital for babies or other sick patients.

Introspect

Introspect - To look into or within; to view the inside of.

From The Supernatural Ways of Royalty by Bill Johnson and Kris Vallotton, chapter 4, A Royal Flush by Bill Johnson, page 54.

~ I Don't Do Instrospection ~

It took a while, but I finally realized that my best moments (mentalily, emotionally, and spiritually) were when I just did my best, and stayed away from introspection. This was a scary thing for me, because in my mind introspection was almost a rite of passage to my biggest dream - to be a revivalist. After years of struggling with the conflict of personal holiness, I prayed something like this:

Father,

You know that I don't do so well when I look inward, so I'm going to stop. I am relying on You to point out to me the things that I need to see. I promise to stay in Your Word. You said that Your Word was a sword - so please use it to cut me deeply. Expose those things in me that are not pleasing to You. But in doing so, please give me the grace to forsake them. I also promise to come before You daily. Your presence is like a fire. Please burn from me those things that are unpleasing to You. Melt my heart until it become like the heart of Jesus. Be merciful to me in these things. I also promise to stay in fellowship with Your people. You said that iron sharpens iron. I expect You to anoint the "wounds of a friend" to bring me to my senses when I'm being resistant toward You. Please use these tools to shape my life until Jesus alone is seen in me. I believe that You have given me Your heart and mind. By Your grace I am a new creation. I want that reality to be seen that the name of Jesus would be held in highest honor.

Penske

One would think, seeing this *cough* beautiful truck in front of someone's house, that they are moving or something.


Last night, after waking to something (it's a nightly occurrence), I walked out of our room, turned off the lights the children left on and peeked out the front window(again, something I do nightly when I wake up after being asleep for only a couple of hours). Mind you, I wear contacts. I can see things, but they are blurry and I cannot make out details. I rely on the contacts. I have to wear them or my glasses. I look out the window and it seems as if something is obstructing my view. Something other than my inability to see clearly. I walk back to my bedroom, put my glasses on and go to the window. Yup. Something was obstructing my view. A big Penske truck. Grrrr.

It's a public street. But I think it's quite rude and selfish to park such an eyesore in front of someone else's house just centimeters from their lawn.

I figured while I was outside I would take some photos of the sky.







We are not in a drought anymore, however, I'm not sure what the levels of Lake Okeechobee are. That's the real clue. Hmmm. Looks like, as of today, it's about 4 feet BELOW it's historical average. So, we need more rain. I should probably trim my bamboo.

This is what it looks like at the table today. Well, it looks like this almost daily except that during the week, there are kids and school books on the table, too. Ok, the kids normally are not ON the table... We took today off. Just because.





I use the anointing balm like lotion on my hands. I put a little extra on my left hand, where the thread runs through my fingers. It smells so nice, it's frankincense and myrrh. Some friends of mine gave it to me. When I get more, I'll be ordering it from Rodco, LTD. I don't think there's any magic in anointing oils and balms. But, I cannot dispute the references in the Bible to it. When I crochet my things, I pray over them and ask the Lord to give me a word for the person or pray healing over them or something.

Weight loss posts

I have moved my weight loss posts here.

Living in the Supernatural

I have been a Christian all my life. I attended a Christian school from k - 8. And even though I'm aware that going to a Christian school and church does not make one a Christian, I did know that Jesus Christ is God and knew that He died on the cross for my sin and had no doubt that if I were to die, I would be in heaven. I, however, was unaware that I could have a relationship with Him. I just thought that He was some far away deity who really didn't have time for our petty things.

But I have come to know better. I know that He DOES care about every aspect of our lives. Jesus said, as recorded in Matthew 6:25-34, that we shouldn't worry about things. He takes care of the birds and the flowers, how much more will He care for us. And I have also been taught that we are to live a supernatural life while here on earth. Jesus said, as recorded in John 14:12, that we will, if we have faith in Him, do what He was doing (remember that Jesus walked on water, turned water into wine, multiplied food to feed thousands - and it wasn't even a famine! - healed the sick, drive out demons, raised the dead and so much more) and that we would do even greater things than He had been doing. To me, that means, living a supernatural life.

I guess I have been bit by the poverty spirit. That is a spirit that would have us "look at our provision to help us determine our vision, and are therefore living within OUR means instead of HIS blessings." (excerpt taken from The Supernatural Ways of Royalty written by Bill Johnson and Kris Vallotton). And since I'm not walking on water I'm having a difficult time believing that God can use me to heal people or to be able to live supernaturally in other ways.

Well, I was at Curves this morning. I was very happy remembering my loss this past month. I looked around at the other women there. I wondered where some of these women were when they started Curves. I then started panicking, getting scared that I might, one day, stop losing when I still have so much further to go. Then I remember, Live Supernaturally. God told me to start going to a gym. He is the reason why I stopped drinking sodas and eating and drinking so much sugar. It's totally Him. Yes, I have to wake up in the morning, get dressed and go to Curves, but even in doing that, it's Him helping me all the way. God loves me. He has a plan for me and as long as I keep that plan in my vision, I can live supernaturally, and the pauper mentality of getting to a point of not losing more will vanish.

And I hope that I will be able to apply that to other areas of my life.

Purse Hanger

I had been surfing Wikipedia and came across Rose McGowan's page. Yes, I used to watch Charmed. ;)

I learned there that Rose and her friend, Natasha, started Pinken Mint making and selling purse caddies. I went to that site and found out what purse caddies were. I had never seen or heard of these. How cool! A hook you place on a tabletop to hang your purse. It keeps your purse right next to you instead of on a chair back or on the floor, yuck! Well, their prices were a bit more than what I would want to spend (although I would never turn down one of their beautiful caddies) so I went searching.

C&W Designs has beautiful hangers but were still a little expensive for my taste.

Flo's Accessories sells purse hangers at a fraction of the cost. They aren't as gorgeous, but there are some nice designs and lots of choices. But, the cost was still a little higher than what I wanted to spend. I'm not cheap, but I do live on a budget.

I did a bit more searching and found some, but the less expensive they got, the cheaper they looked. I didn't want my purse dropping to the floor.

Finally, I went to ebay. I found quite a few. Some looked the same as what I found with web searches, but I still couldn't find the one I wanted to spend my cash on. Then I found Sandstone Designs. There were different kinds of hangers and one that I saw said it held up to 20lbs. But some of the hangers didn't say how heavy a purse/bag it would hold. So I contacted the seller and she told me that the ones that said 20lbs were the only ones that held 20lbs. Ok. So those are what I'm looking at. Now, which design? Well, I made my decision, clicked on the "Buy it Now" button and paid for it. I suppose I could have driven to her home to pick it up since she doesn't live far, but she mailed it off and 2 days later it came in the mail. It's lovely and I'm completely amazed that it works. I love it.

So, if you are interested in one of these lovely purse hangers, you can check out any of the links I included, search on your own, but I love the hanger I got from Sandie at Sandstone Designs. I don't know if she made them, but it was a very smooth transaction with her.

Slave Passageway found at George Washington's Presidential Home

I clicked on a link in my gmail account today. The article was from the Discovery Channel, a source which has become an untrustworthy source of information, in my opinion. ETA: I did see that the author of the article is with the A/P and not Discovery Channel. But, even so, they have the article on their site.

But this is not entirely their fault.

First, let me share with you the article, source found here (the bold, italics, underlined and small text are my comments):


June 7, 2007 —Archaeologists unearthing the remains of George Washington's presidential home have discovered a hidden passageway used by his nine slaves, raising questions about whether the ruins should be incorporated into a new exhibit at the site.

The underground passageway is just steps from the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall. It was designed so Washington's guests would not see slaves as they slipped in and out of the main house. (How do they know why this underground passageway was designed?)

"As you enter the heaven of liberty, you literally have to cross the hell of slavery," (Because this house was the worst place where slavery occurred, or the only place where slavery occurred? Come on! George Washington lived in an era where slavery was accepted. It's not as if he was doing something he said he didn't.) said Michael Coard, a Philadelphia attorney who leads a group that worked to have slavery recognized at the site. "That's the contrast, that's the contradiction, that's the hypocrisy. But that's also the truth."

Washington lived and conducted presidential business at the house in the 1790s, when Philadelphia was the nation's capital.

The findings have created a quandary for National Park Service and city officials planning an exhibit at the house. They are now trying to decide whether to incorporate the remains into the exhibit or go forward with plans to fill in the ruins and build an abstract display about life in the house. (Leave the house as is. Do not make out the gentleman to be someone he was not. He was a slave owner, but so were most of the people living in that era. I don't think that he would have wanted that fact hidden.)

Making that decision will push back the building of the exhibit, which had been slated to open in 2009. But the oversight committee won't rush into construction, said Joyce Wilkerson, the mayor's chief of staff.

"We never thought we'd be faced with this kind of decision," she said. "We would've been happy to have found a pipe! And so we don't want to proceed blindly or say, 'This isn't in the plan.'"

Rep. Bob Brady, D-Pa., was so moved when he visited the site last week that he declared: "We need to rethink what we're doing here."

"It's astounding, absolutely astounding," Brady said. "I'm going to fight to keep it open, I'll tell you that much." (I still don't see what's so astounding about this.)

Aside from the passageway, archaeologists have uncovered remnants of a bow window, an architectural precursor to the White House's Oval Office, and a large basement that was never noted in historic records.

"We actually found a lot more of the remains of the President's House than anyone expected. Myself included," said Jed Levin, an archaeologist with the National Park Service.

Thousands of visitors have been drawn to the ruins, standing on a small wooden platform to gaze down at the house's brick and stone foundation. The public response spurred officials to continue the excavation until at least July 4; it began in March and had been scheduled to end last month.

Archaeologists have served as guides, answering visitors' questions. Cheryl LaRoche, a cultural heritage specialist, said she enjoys educating people about how even a prominent statesman like Washington could own slaves. (Does she enjoy educating people or gossiping about them? Seems like people are very much enjoying dragging his name through the mud.)

"We've been striving to present a balanced view of history that stands apart from what's been taught in history books," LaRoche said. (I don't know what's written in history books, but the very first search I came across when searching "George Washington Slaves" brought me to a site that said that he inherited his father's slaves at about age 10 and owned slaves until he died. But, if history books are hiding the fact that he owned slaves, yes, that is wrong, but don't blame Washington for that. I don't believe he hid this fact from the public.)

Before the ruins were unearthed, officials had planned an exhibit without archaeological findings. The planned design included a framework of the house, LED screens and other audiovisual elements explaining its history, including stories of Washington's slaves. (Oh, stories of Washington's slaves? You mean, they were going to discuss the fact that he had slaves? So what is the big deal about finding a slave passageway? Really, this is ridiculous.)

The remains would crumble if left unprotected. If the design included elevators, ramps or stairs to move visitors down into the newly dug ruins, costs would increase significantly.

Coard said he is confident the oversight committee will find the best way to tell the slaves' stories.

"Everybody's on board in terms of seriously considering incorporating the architectural dig into the design," Coard said. "The question now is: Is it doable? Nobody is saying, 'No, it shouldn't be done.'"

David Orr, an anthropology professor at Temple University, has visited the site at least four times. He posted a note on the President's House Web site urging officials to keep the ruins on display.

"It's just fantastic," Orr said. "I can't tell you enough how exciting it is. For years and years and years I've been trying to promote that kind of public archaeology."

~~~~~ end of story ~~~~~
Here is the first article I came across when searching "George Washington slaves", Source

George Washington and Slavery


George Washington was born into a world in which slavery was accepted. He became a slave owner when his father died in 1743. At the age of eleven, he inherited ten slaves and 500 acres of land. When he began farming Mount Vernon eleven years later, at the age of 22, he had a work force of about 36 slaves. With his marriage to Martha Custis in 1759, 20 of her slaves came to Mount Vernon. After their marriage, Washington purchased even more slaves. The slave population also increased because the slaves were marrying and raising their own families. By 1799, when George Washington died, there were 316 slaves living on the estate.

The skilled and manual labor needed to run Mount Vernon was largely provided by slaves. Many of the working slaves were trained in crafts such as milling, coopering, blacksmithing, carpentry,and shoemaking. The others worked as house servants, boatmen, coachmen or field hands. Some female slaves were also taught skills, particularly spinning, weaving and sewing, while others worked as house servants or in the laundry, the dairy, or the kitchen. Many female slaves also worked in the fields. Almost three-quarters of the 184 working slaves at Mount Vernon worked in the fields, and of those, about 60% were women.

The workday for slaves was from sun-up to sun-down, six days a week. Sunday was a day of rest.

Although George Washington was born into a world where slavery was accepted, his attitude toward slavery changed as he grew older. During the Revolution, as he and fellow patriots strove for liberty, Washington became increasingly conscious of the contradiction between this struggle and the system of slavery. By the time of his presidency, he seems to have believed that slavery was wrong and against the principles of the new nation.

As President, Washington did not lead a public fight against slavery, however, because he believed it would tear the new nation apart. Abolition had many opponents, especially in the South. Washington seems to have feared that if he took such a public stand, the southern states would withdraw from the Union (something they would do seventy years later, leading to the Civil War). He had worked too hard to build the country to risk tearing it apart.

Privately, however, Washington could -- and did -- lead by example. In his will, he arranged for all of the slaves he owned to be freed after the death of his wife, Martha. He also left instructions for the continued care and education of some of his former slaves, support and training for all of the children until they came of age, and continuing support for the elderly.

~~~~~end of article~~~~~

I am against slavery. I am also against dragging people's name through the mud. Because I can find, on the first article that comes up on a search of George Washington slave, evidence that he owned slaves and nothing in the article saying he hid this fact, I see Discovery's reasoning behind the article to simply make George Washington look like a bad guy. They do not mention that slavery was accepted when he was alive. They don't explain why the findings of this passageway was such a big deal except to tell us why it was designed, but how do they know why it was designed, if wasn't noted in the historic records. Discovery, again, is putting it's own spin on things, doing what they are accusing the history books of doing. I simply do not see "truth-seeking" in what the Discovery Network does. All is see is them stirring the pot for no apparent reason.

I have been known to overreact to things. Am I overreacting here?

Dentist

I went to the dentist this morning. I got my teeth cleaned and x-rays taken and a check up. The cleaning was awful! Between the sharp pointy torture device scraping my gums and making that horrific noise (like fingernails on a chalkboard *shiver*), I'm happy to be out of there!

I still have lots of work to be done. A filling fell out of a cavity and needs to be replaced. Doc thinks there's an abscess under one of my teeth *shiver*. I suppose I shouldn't have taken 3 years off of dental care. Drat!

But besides the cleaning, no work was done. I go back in about 3 weeks to get started on the work.

They are a good dental place. Our insurance is great. One day I'll be able to smile big again.

Anger

I (mistakenly) watched a clip of "The View" showing Rosie and Elizabeth arguing.

I have a tendency to feel the emotions of those around me and watching this made the anger rise and boil.

For those of you who do not know me, I am a conservative Christian. I don't follow politics completely, in fact, most of it jumbles my mind and makes me feel stupid. Even more so when I try to figure things out. When I do that I get angry because I think the whole system is messed up. So I stick to what I do best - praying that God's will be done in our country.

Anywho, people who don't "believe in this war" are spewing (yes, I know that's a harsh word) that we need to get out. Well, I heard someone say that we can't just pull our troops out. If we do, we are looking at another Vietnam where justice WON'T occur in the land. From what I've heard, the civilians over there are happy we are there.

Anyway, my point in all this is that no matter what you feel about President Bush, he's our president. Pray. Trust that God hears our prayers and that God loves our country. Trust that God has our best interests in mind. I think that if we pray that the Lord give our president wisdom and discernment, He will. But even more importantly, I feel that it is important that we pray for our next president. I am not happy about who is currently in the headlines these days - on both sides. So I just keep praying that God's will be done and that His kingdom come. There ARE more important things. It's important that the gospel is spread. It is important that our brothers and sisters are encouraged.

Well, I'm watching the season finale of Lost and my thoughts are a bit scattered.

More on this (maybe) later.

My brother and my sister-in-law

Originally posted May 22, 2007

I just finished watching a video on youtube that was a tribute to firefighters. My brother, 4 years younger than I, is currently in training at the fire fighter's academy. I'm very proud of him. After watching the video and being reminded of how dangerous that job is, I'm very proud of my sister-in-law as well.

Click here for the link.

But, that's not all. They also have a daughter with Down Syndrome. Now, Kallie is just about the sweetest little girl you will ever meet. But I can only imagine how difficult things must be with the medical aspects and having to deal with an ignorant, uncaring culture that would rather make fun of people like my niece than to take the time and actually shed one ounce of caring.

My sister-in-law posted an essay that was written by a girl whose sister has Down Syndrome. You see, my brother and sister-in-law have another daughter who is younger than Kallie. She will have to suffer sometimes because of the ignorance that abounds in this society.

Here is the essay:

FAMILY | Like sticks and stones, words can hurt Retarded by association: When you make fun of my sister, it hurts me

My sister, who has Down syndrome, has a gift for shrugging off your taunts, but I'm not so lucky. By MEGAN McVAY TeenStar

When Caroline McVay left a class wearing a red hat that wasn't hers, her sister Megan tried to find out why.

I'd sworn to myself I'd never let somebody hurt her in my company. But I had never calculated that I'd get hurt more than she ever would.

Nothing's funnier than someone with Down syndrome. Really. Have you ever seen EBaums World, where it's nothing but a two-minute reel of faces of people with Down syndrome? Hilarious.

I'm sure you know what I'm talking about. I know you're just like me you see a kid smiling dimly with those almond-shaped eyes and flat face and you laugh. Just like everyone else.

You do it because you think it's funny, because it's not normal, because it's not you, because you're so obviously above that mental stage. No one would think to call you a the r-word, because you're so obviously above that mental stage. You aren't the one who deserves it. They do. It's a commonly known fact, don't you see? Are you retarded?

Maybe I am. You decide.

My little sister, Caroline, was diagnosed with Robertsonian translocation at birth, a common strain of Down syndrome. She has a disability, one that leaves her just low-functioning enough to be ridiculed but just high-functioning enough to know it. She won the genetic lottery, the one that happens in a split second, months before a baby is introduced to a world that already hates her.

To water it down to teenager-friendly words, she's retarded.

But because we have the same mother, am I retarded, too?

Scientists say no. Discrimination laws say no. My indignant moral compass says no.

My high peers, however, sometimes say yes. And when that happens, being a the r-word stops being funny.

I remember the first time I became retarded by association. I was picking my little sister up from youth theater class.

Caroline looked up at me and smiled. She does that a lot. Her face scrunches up in a comical lopsided grin big enough to warm any heart. She's 11 now, a big sixth-grader who says she can do everything by herself.

She's constantly worrying about her wardrobe, hair and friends, typical of any middle school girl. To me, the only difference between Caroline and other girls her age is that she cares a little bit more about other people than she does herself. That and she's constantly smiling.

But that day something was amiss. The red hat. She didn't have a red hat when we got into the car for dance class & she has one now.

Caroline? Caroline. Look at me. Whose hat is that?

Mine.

No, sweetheart. You didn't bring a red hat to dance. Where'd you find it?

Well somebody gave it to me. It's mine.

There is no need to finish this conversation. I gently turn Caroline around and tap her to get her moving. We're walking back into the building to find (and apologize to) the owner of the mysterious red hat.

We don't walk far. Caroline marches emphatically up to a tall (read: attractive) teenage boy with slightly mussed hair, as if a hat had once graced his head. Blushing slightly, I sauntered up to him and his equally good-looking friends.

Hey, sorry to bother you? This, uh, isn't your hat is it?

Yeah, he laughed, but don't worry. I don't want it back.

Oh. Uh. OK.

Yeah, didn't you hear? It's supposed to be National the r-word Day.

My blushing came back. But not the good kind.

Excuse me? My little sister and I have to leave, but we can't do that with your hat on her head.

At this point, he started blushing a little bit, too.

Glancing at his buddies, he stammered, Oh, well, wouldn't want to do that. You'll, uh, probably both be late for your life skills class. I bet you're counting change today. Ha. Ha.

I wish I could say I slugged him. Or that I had some fantastic comeback that left him speechless. Instead, I smiled tartly, grabbed Caroline's arm and headed for the car.

While still in sight of the now seemingly young, immature, hateful little boys, I yanked the red hat off Caroline's head and slammed it forcefully into a nearby trash can. I wouldn't remember tearing off my headband to give to a devastated Caroline, who had genuinely wanted that despicable red hat. I wouldn't remember her giggling as she toyed with it in the backseat, arranging it in different ways on her head.

What I would remember was quietly shutting off my car, letting us inside the house and walking calmly up to my room. I would remember locking my door, picking up a miniature glass horse figurine and, with precision, shattering it against my wall.

It was the first time I had been called retarded.

It wasn't the first time somebody had made fun of Caroline to my face. But it was the first time something bad had happened to me as a result of protecting my baby sister. That first time is always a shock.

Naturally, I had come to my own terms with the fact that I'd hear people say some pretty awful things to or about Caroline. Of course I had anticipated that people wouldn't understand. They'd be mean. They'd hurt her.

I'd sworn to myself I'd never let somebody hurt her in my company. But I had never calculated that I'd get hurt more than she ever would.

It never ceases to amaze me that of all the hurtful things people say to or about one another, many are directed toward those who are developmentally disabled.

My little sister has had some heart-wrenching (and unprintable) things said to her, and it has yet to faze her. Whereas I break down at the hint of rejection, Caroline seems to have the ability to redefine it.

Of course, I'll hear the word 'the r-word' in a derogatory sense for the rest of my life. People will continue to use the word to hurt or tear down someone they know.

But that's all right. Call me crazy, but there are times that the word, in all its low and hurtful glory, reminds me that I, too, am capable of more than simply succumbing to the labels life hands us.

Reach Megan McVay, a junior at Blue Valley North, at teenstar@ kcstar.com. She originally wrote this essay for a class.

Todd and Christina, Kallie and Brittany, I love you guys. May the Lord continue to bless you and protect you as you continue to touch other's lives. (((hugs)))

Dentist

Originally posted May 21, 2007

It has been over 3 years since I've been to the dentist. The last time I went, I was in the middle of getting major work done on my teeth. I still have lots of work that needs to be done. We have awesome insurance - I didn't have to pay a penny, but in the middle of the work, I got a call from the office telling me that I reached the dollar amount for the year. Well, I chickened out and haven't been back, not to mention that I didn't have a vehicle for a little while during that period.

Well, one of my fillings has come out and I've been experiencing pain in my tooth on the lower right side. Scott got me their number and I called to make an appointment. I'm nervous since I haven't been in in a while, but they are nice and maybe I'll be able to flash a full smile again soon.

What a Day!

Originally posted May 20, 2007

So, Jordan turned 9 today. Scott took Jordan and Levi to the store to get a cake. After we ate cake, Scott took Caytie (number 2 of 6 and the girl in the red shirt in my avatar) to the ER. On Friday, she was fooling around and fell off the back of the couch and hurt her arm. We didn't think it was broken and just had her put a bandanna sling on. But it was still hurting her quite a bit this morning and she was unable to straighten it out. So, after we had cake, Scott reluctantly took her to the hospital. They checked her out and took an x-ray. No broken bones (Thank you, LORD!) but she has a bone contusion. She's to keep it in a sling for a while. It's her left arm and, yes, she's left handed. *sigh* Oh, well. At least it's not broken.

This is the day that the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it.

Happy Birthday, Jordan

Originally posted May 20, 2007

Jordan, the boy in the white shirt in my avatar, turns 9 today.

My kids are separated into two groups. The first four are one group and the "babies" are the other group. The "Four" are all between 16 and 18 months apart. Then, after Jordan was born, there was a four year gap before Kenaniah was born. A little over 9 years ago, the Lord had shown our pastor that the number 9 was significant to our congregation. The word received actually was Benign or Be Nine. We are to be like children with our Father. I remember that well because our pastor's daughter was 9 at the time. So, now, every year one of the Four turns 9, it's like a milestone.

So today is Jordan's turn. Because of Jordan's birth order in our family, he's a little difficult to figure out. He's quiet (when not with his friends) and prefers to stay indoors, avoiding the heat (like his mom). But Jordan is an affectionate child with lots of love to bestow on his parents and his 2 "baby" brothers.

Lord, thank you for bringing Jordan into our lives. He's a great kid and I know you have many plans for him. I pray that you use him mightily in your Kingdom and that he be a blessing to both you and to others. Protect him, keep him safe and keep him always in the shadow of your wings.

Starbucks Mug

Originally posted May 16, 2007

Scott and the kids got me a Starbucks card for Mother's Day. I went there last night after having to run to the Post Office and get 64 $.02 stamps (grrrr). I went to a different Starbucks than I normally go to. I tend to go to the same places all the time and don't like to sway from that. But the other one was closer, and even though I knew it would be crowded, I asked Kenaniah (my 4-year-old), who was with me, which one I should go to. He said, go to the one that is closer, mommy. So we went. As we walked into the store, I see city mugs. And I see that they are Ft. Lauderdale mugs. I have been collecting city mugs for almost 2 years. Since I don't go out of state often, I only have 3 mugs. So, I couldn't resist and spent 2 future coffees on this mug. :) Well worth it, though. It's a nice looking one.

Emma (Not Alone) - A reminder to my friends

Originally posted May 11, 2007

I recently had a friend ask for prayer. Not uncommon. This time I really felt the need to post this for her and for any one else who needs to be reminded that we are not alone.

On my MySpace Friends list is a music artist by the name of Jason Upton. I LOVE to worship to his music. There is a song of his that's on his page called Emma (Not Alone). And I think it applies to my friend and anyone else who may be reading this and feeling alone.

I have added the song to my profile for a day or so. If it's not up, simply go to his site to listen to the song.

Don't be afraid baby don't you cry
Daddy's here it will be all right
You're not alone you're not alone
Don't be afraid when you're cold at night
I will keep you warm I will hold you tight
You're not alone you're not alone

Look beyond the window there
To the sky above to the open air
Look beyond what you can see
Close your eyes and just believe

The lion roars and the lamb lays down
They live together in a whole new town
They're calling me and they're calling you
From the cold hard facts that we're on our own
To the age old truth that we're not alone

Don't be afraid when you scrape your knee
I've got a band aide waiting and a kiss for free
You're not alone you're not alone
Don't be afraid of your blind belief
Because the more you fly the more you'll see
You're not alone you're not alone

Look beyond the window there
To the sky above to the open air
Look beyond what you can see
Close your eyes and just believe

The lion roars and the lamb lays down
They live together in a whole new town
They're calling me and they're calling you
From the cold hard facts that we're on our own
To the age old truth that we're not alone

Don't be afraid little warrior bride
Your victory's on the other side
You're not alone you're not alone

When Kings Pray and Fast

Originally posted May 11, 2007

I had finished the book I started this past week. That's quite an accomplishment. Why? Because it's been YEARS since I have been able to read a book all the way through.

The title of this book is When Kings Pray and Fast by Kingsly Fletcher. It's an AWESOME book. And it's not talking about when the kings of this world pray and fast. It's talking about when WE as kings pray and fast. Revelation 1:4-6 shows us that we are kings and priests with Christ.

I usually accompany my husband to church on Thursday nights. He's there to practice with the worship team and I'm there to get out of the house and spend some time by myself. :)

I left my computer at home (on purpose) and brought my crochet and the book. I was left alone for a good 10 minutes and started reading the book. I started weeping while reading it. Not because of anything the authored had said, but because of what I believe the Lord was working in me through the book. So, I got up from the table where I was at and moved into the "mother's nursing room" so I could be alone when people started showing up. I spent the next 2 1/2 hours in that room reading, praying, weeping, interceding for certain things. Let me tell you it was the most awesome 2 1/2 hours I have ever spent. I also finished the book. I read over 200 pages in that time. I came out of that room completely refreshed. It was awesome.

Now, I don't know if the Lord will do that to everyone who reads this book, but I started this book for a reason. I know that a fast is to abstain from food or to abstain from SOMETHING. But I needed to dive deeper into the life of prayer and fasting. This book opened my spirit to that. It showed me the importance of a life of prayer and fasting. I pray. But the fasting part has always been a bit of a struggle with me. Knowing more about this has changed my mind.

If you are at all interested in the life of prayer and fasting, I suggest you get this book. I would even loan it to you if you are unsure if you want to purchase it.

Gun Control

Originally posted on May 10, 2007

Someone on a forum I am a member of posted a link to this video. It pretty much sums up my views on gun control.


Link to ABC video

Little Baby Caytie

Originally posted May 6, 2007

My 2nd daughter, who we affectionately call "Little Baby Caytie" turns 12 today. She was such a little baby and is still little today.

During her first couple months of life, I would bring her to work with me. I worked at a Home Heath Care Agency and there were quite a few nurses who worked there. Two nurses in particular would take her from me and make a little bed in a file box for her. So cute!

I cannot believe she's twelve today. *sigh*

Happy Birthday Caytie girl. I love you.

I am blessed

Originally posted March 29, 2007



Due to damage done to our home from Hurricane Wilma, we had to have our roof replaced, portions of our ceiling in the kitchen and living room and the entire ceiling replaced in one of our kids' rooms. We also had 2 walls in that room replaced, portions of the living room and kitchen walls replaced. Because of that, we needed to paint the living room, kitchen and the bedroom.

The bedroom was finished last year, but work was being done this week on our living room and kitchen. We chose a brown color called "First Anniversary" (where do they come up with these names?). I cannot remember the brand of paint - we picked it out at Home Depot. We decided to paint the living room and kitchen the same color. When in the living room, one is able to see a kitchen wall and when in the kitchen, one is able to see a living room wall. I wanted the rooms to flow since they didn't before.

Yesterday, finishing touches were done and floorboards were installed.

Wow. What a difference a coat of paint makes. Not to mention floorboards. We hadn't had floorboards since we got new flooring which was almost 3 years ago. I'm not much of a housekeeper. I want to be, I just get sidetracked and want to do something else. But seeing my "new" walls makes it seem like a new house. Maybe I can get into the habit of keeping it clean. Maybe.

But I'm happy. I'm more satisfied with my house. With the high cost of homes in the area equaling higher taxes, I was VERY content with staying in my small, humble home. The "new" walls makes it TONS easier being even more satisfied.

During the offering time at our worship service on Sunday, Mike prayed that we would be satisfied. And the way he said it wasn't the normal sense of being satisfied. It wasn't, give us everything we want until we're happy. It was, help us to be content with what we have - satisfied. I never equated being content with being satisfied. Maybe I should have.

Lord, I want to be satisfied with everything You have given me. I enjoy the "toys" You give me, the "extra toppings", but I want to be satisfied with what I already have. Satisfied and thankful. And, Lord, I am thankful for what you have given me. I have a loving husband and 6 beautiful, healthy children. I live in a state where I am able to freely educate my children. My state also allows me the honor and privilege to protect myself and my family. We have a home. We have a roof over our heads that You have allowed us to get fixed so it doesn't leak. We are able to enjoy rain showers and thunderstorms again. (Bring those in, Lord! We need rain!) We have 2 vehicles that are OURS. We have food in the house and gas in the tanks of our vehicles. My husband has a job and I am able to stay at home with the children. We are able to freely choose the house of worship we attend. The list goes on and on and on.

I am blessed. I am loved. I am a Kings Kid.

Suburban

Originally posted March 1, 2007

We bought a Suburban for me! Yay! I had wanted one since I was in grade school. It's large enough to fit all the family plus cargo. Awesome.

37 degrees

Originally posted:

Monday, February 19, 2007

I live in South Florida. The tropics. Sun, sand (all over the house), palm trees, rain and heat.


We, ok, I'll say I, am blessed with a few days throughout the year of cooler weather. Being from Wisconsin, I tolerate the heat when I'm outside, which isn't often. I mostly stay indoors, out of the sun and the heat. So when the temperature drops to 75 or lower, the windows get opened and the fresh air comes in.


This past weekend, it was COLD. I enjoyed it, knowing it wouldn't last long. But I did have a blanket in the truck with me to lay across my lap. Sunday morning, I woke to rain. And wind. And cold. Not a good combination. Brrrrrr!


This morning, it was cold in the house. I had wished I had another blanket to sleep with. When the alarm went off, I got up to make coffee and peeked at the thermostat. 65. Walking around the house in shorts and it's 65 inside. I wonder what it's like outside? No, I didn't open the door to check. I was still sleepy. ;) I checked weather.com and it said 37. Scott is still under the covers, wishing away the alarm. He asked me how cold it was. I told him if I said how cold it was, he wouldn't want to get up. He insisted. I told him. It took him another 10 minutes or so to get out of bed. Hee hee.


I think my early risers may sleep in a bit this morning. They won't want to get out from under the covers. Maybe then I can sleep in a bit. Ha ha!


So, I like the cold, but this is freezing. Not literally, of couse. I do know that freezing is 5 degrees colder than what it is right now. But in my book, it's freezing. It's a simple reminder that I love where I live. I do not miss being so cold I can't get warm. When it feels as if my hands are burning because they are so cold. No, give me Florida heat over Wisconsin winters anytime.


My kids keep begging me to see snow. I try to tell them they can live perfectly happy, productive lives without ever seeing that stuff. But the unknown has intrigued them. They pray for snow. They ask if we can take them to see snow someday. Sigh. Ok. One day we'll go see snow.