Monthly Archives: February 2018

Head Cold

I didn’t catch the flu from my coworkers, but I do have a head cold. I slept most of the day yesterday and will likely do the same today. We’ve all decided no work until we are no longer coughing. At least everyone else is feeling better.


The Master’s Garden

The Master’s Garden
By Marguerite McCreary

The Master came to the garden
To pluck the fairest rose.
He passed thru the paths in the garden
The fairest flower he chose.

There low hung the head of the blossoms
That grew within that wall,
For the Master had passed and had taken
The fairest flower of all.

But the Master had use for that flower
So perfect, fragrant, rare
To bloom in his own fairest mansion
And live forever there.


The Flu

This flu season has been one of the worst on record in many years. Luckily (knock on wood), I haven’t gotten it. I took my flu shot, but everyone in my office has the flu. They also have a strain of the flu that is not covered by the flu shot. I feel doomed. However, I’m just going to keep washing my hands and staying away from everybody. For the next few days, I am in charge of the museum. I have plenty to do to keep me busy, so hopefully, I won’t be too bored. My coworkers just need to stay home until they are better and no longer contagious.


What Is a Liberal?

Let’s just start by saying, read the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:1-7:27). Most of this applies to what it means to be a liberal.

Conservatives may call us libtards, a word I find incredibly offensive. What we do most often is follow the advice of Jesus Christ. We help our fellow man when he is down, we turn the other cheek, and we love all of God’s creation. Conservatives, no matter how Christian they claim to be, cannot say the same. We believe in the Beatitudes:

3 “God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for Him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.

4 God blesses those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

5 God blesses those who are humble, for they will inherit the whole earth.

6 God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they will be satisfied.

7 God blesses those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

8 God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God.

9 God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God.

10 God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.”

Matthew 5:3-10

Liberals come not to destroy the beliefs of our forefathers, but to fulfill their true meaning. We do not break our vows, but work to fulfill them. When we make a promise, we do our best to keep it unlike many conservatives who harp on family values, yet harass women, cheat on their wives, or flat out lie to your face. When we give to charities, we don’t flaunt it in public; we quietly give. We do not loudly profess our faith and denounce others for their differences, but see value in all of God’s people and all faiths. God said, “For He gives His sunlight to both the evil and the good, and He sends rain on the just and the unjust alike.” (Matthew 5:45) We often pray in private instead of loudly professing our prayers and making others follow along with our beliefs. We don’t hoard our treasures just to be called the rich, but give to charities and help others who are in need. God says if you store up your money, the moths will eat it, but if it is stored in heaven then the moths cannot eat it. The Lord God will provide for us, and we must help Him provide for the less fortunate.

We don’t judge others or profess empty lies. We know we are not perfect; we must first understand that before we can understand others. God has told us, “Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you. This is the essence of all that is taught in the law and the prophets.” (Matthew 6:12) As liberals, we may not always do what is most popular, but wide is the gate that leads to hell and narrow is the gate that leads to heaven. We are always on the lookout for the false prophets who proclaim to follow the Words of Christ. But in the end, conservatives are like wolves to sheep. People who proclaim falsely will eventually eat away at us. The weak-minded will follow the wolf because he tells them what they want to hear. Yet the wolf always betrays his prey.

Liberals build their politics on a solid foundation of the Constitution and the teachings of the Founding Fathers. Conservatives are like those who build their houses on the sand. Eventually, it washes away as their lies catch up with them. We must continue to build onto the firm foundation of Christ. While not all liberals are believers in Christ, we all have these traits in common. We take the Golden Rule seriously and do unto others as we would have them do unto us. It is the foundation of all moral religions and philosophies. We must not allow conservatives who only wish to line their own pockets and loudly proclaim their righteousness to win out. We know from God that the moths will eat their money and not to be like those who proclaim loudly at the temple for He frowns upon them.

One last piece of advice from a liberal: “Don’t waste what is holy on people who are unholy. Don’t throw your pearls to pigs! They will trample the pearls, then turn and attack you.” (Matthew 7:6) If you throw your weight to conservatives, they will merely turn and attack you. Their loyalty is misguided and they waste what is given to them.

P.S. Usually, I don’t discuss politics and religion, but I am tired of Republicans proclaiming the religious high ground when it is the liberals who hold the high ground.


Moment of Zen: Adam Rippon


Cute

A little cuteness for Friday. TGIF!


What I Blog

I blog what I want to blog about. I like my blog to be mostly uplifting, about things that interest me, and hopefully interests you, my reader. I often don’t write about things in the news because it’s depressing. It doesn’t mean that I don’t care about what’s going on. I do. I care deeply. However, I’m not going to harp on something simply because it’s in the news. We all know that the current American president sucks. We all know that America has a problem with violence. Do I really need to harp on these things when my readers agree with me (or maybe you don’t). The thing is, I have no desire to ignite a flame war. Internet trolls will always try to incite flame wars, but they just come off looking like idiots. I aspire to uplift not to put down, and I hope that of my readers as well.

We have a guy that teaches transcendental meditation at our school. He always remarks on how calm I am. I try to project a very chill personality. I don’t like to get upset and I try not to get myself into situations where I will lose my temper. Because trust me, I have a very bad temper, but I keep it in check. Instead, I try to stay positive. If this world were more positive and less negative, we’d have a much better world. Politics is a prime example of this. Politicians often run on what they are against not what they are for. Think how different politics would be if politicians were positive instead of negative. What a world we could be living in if more people were positive in their outlook.


Umm…

One of the difficulties of doing a daily blog is finding something to talk about each day. The truth is I tried and tried to come up with something to talk about today, it nothing was coming to me. I started to talk about a commercial I saw: But

Why does this man drink Diet Coke Twisted Mango? “Because if nature can’t twist it,” he says, “at least this can… can.” …Get it? Like the French dance… Never mind.

But I couldn’t embed the video, so there was little point if you hadn’t seen the commercial. However, the guy in it is so cute, not usually my type, but when he says, “Get it?” and smiles, he has the cutest smile.

I could also, of course, talk about the Olympics. Adam Rippon has become the star of these Olympics, and talk about adorable. He’s just everything you’d want in one package. And can we just take a moment to contemplate Johnny Weir’s hair. It gets more outrageous by the day. And don’t get me started on his outfits.

Anyway, that’s what’s on my mind.


In the Evening

In the Evening

Fenton Johnson
I
In the evening, love returns,
Like a wand’rer ’cross the sea;
In the evening, love returns
With a violet for me;
In the evening, life’s a song,
And the fields are full of green;
All the stars are golden crowns,
And the eye of God is keen.

II
In the evening, sorrow dies
With the setting of the sun;
In the evening, joy begins,
When the course of mirth is done;
In the evening, kisses sweet
Droop upon the passion vine;
In the evening comes your voice:
“I am yours, and you are mine.”


The Passion of the Cut Sleeve

Chinese emperor Ai of Han, fell in love with a minor official, a man named Dong Xian, and bestowed upon him great political power and a magnificent palace. Legend has it that one day while the two men were sleeping in the same bed, the emperor was roused from his sleep by pressing business. Dong Xian had fallen asleep across the emperor’s robe, but rather than awaken his peaceful lover, the Emperor cut his robe free at the sleeve. Thus “the passion of the cut sleeve” became a euphemism for same-sex love in China.