leaving christianity

can one really leave christianity?

I used to not think so, but I read this entertainment blog (which by the way, I NEVER do! I saw the title and it intrigued me.) and I thought she explained it just about perfectly.

Ann Rice fan? check it out.

POG

is POG a Hawaiian thing?

I haven't been in the islands for THAT long, yet I've forgotten if/when/where I've had it before somewhere.

POG is passion fruit, orange, and guava fruit juice. yummmmmm-y!

if you haven't tried it, you definitely should!!
and that's my endorsement for the day :)

real men

another email ...

He will inspire her to do things she never thought she could do; to live without fear and forget regret.

He will enable her to express her deepest emotions and give in to her most intimate desires.

He will make sure she always feels as though she's the most beautiful woman in the room and will enable her to be the most confident, sexy, seductive and invincible.

No, wait... sorry... I'm thinking of wine. Never mind.

subtleties

I've been in Hawaii since the beginning of May, so almost 3 months. Out of all the moves we've made, its never been into a whole other culture. there are lots of subtle, little differences, and of course, no one tells you these things. you have to be a total "howlie," play dumb, and hopefully learn from that first mistake. for me however, I'm sure it will take more than once. ha!

my biggest issue is the language. English is spoken here, even though Hawaiian is a full language by itself. all the cities, street names, and local shops are Hawaiian of course ... and I'm just your basic, uncultured white girl. its kind of embarrassing.
some letters of the alphabet aren't even used. there are apostrophes everywhere, with emphasis in strange places. the vowels are pronounced differently than on the mainland. its funny, I got a Hawaiian/English translation book, but its no help because I don't get the enunciation of it all. sigh.

locals also think its pretty funny that we use a GPS. they say "it's an island. there are only so many places you can go."

I'm learning ... it's just a REALLY slow process. :)

in memory of ...

why do people put "In Memory of ..." on their cars? I think we all know people who have died, some maybe even in car accidents.
death is never an easy thing ... I take that back, it is an easy thing, its the grieving process that is ugly.

but my point is, why put it on your car? why tell the world? because misery needs/wants company? do you need someone to empathize with you?


is it an announcement for those that may not have heard about the death? out of all of these "notices" that I have seen, not one of them is a recent occurring.

if it was a car accident, it wasn't the car you're driving, was it?

I don't mean to be heartless, but seriously, I just don't get it.

what happened to good 'ol bumper stickers?

doggie sweetness

an email forwarded from my mom, the dog lover ...

Being a veterinarian, I had been called to examine a 10 yr old Irish Wolfhound named Belker.

The dog’s owners, Ron, his wife Lisa, and their little boy Shane were all very attached to Belker, and they were hoping for a miracle.

I examined Belker and found he was dying of cancer. I told the family we couldn’t do anything for Belker and offered to perform the euthanasia procedure in their home for the old dog.

As we made arrangements, Ron & Lisa told me they thought it would be good for their 4 yr old son Shane to observe the procedure. They felt Shane might learn something from the experience.

The next day, I felt the familiar catch in my throat as Belker’s family surrounded him. Shane seemed so calm, petting the old dog for the last time, that I wondered if he understood what was going on. Within a few minutes, Belker slipped peacefully away. Shane seemed to accept Belker’s transition without any difficulty or confusion.

We sat together for awhile after Belker’s death, wondering aloud about the sad fact that animal lives are shorter than human lives.

Shane, who had been listening quietly, piped up, “I know why.”

Startled, we all turned to him. What came out of his mouth next stunned me. I’d never heard a more comforting explanation.

He said, “People are born so that they can learn how to live a good life --- like loving everybody all the time and being nice, right?” He continued, “Well, dogs already know how to do that, so they don’t have to stay as long.”

That’s truly amazing, and from the perspective of a 4 yr old!

Remember, if a dog was the teacher you would learn stuff like:

When a loved one comes home, always run to greet them.

Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joyride.

Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face to be pure ecstasy.

Take naps.

Stretch before rising.

Run, romp, and play daily.

Thrive on attention and let people touch you.

Avoid biting when a simple growl will do.

On warm days, stop to lie on your back on the grass.

On hot days, drink lots of water and lie under a shady tree.

When you’re happy, dance around and wag your entire body.

Delight in the joy of a long walk.

Eat with gusto and enthusiasm. Stop when you have had enough.

Be loyal. Never pretend to be something you’re not.

If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it.

When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by and nuzzle them gently.