Happy New Year 2011

I hope each one of you had a safe and joyful ringing in of the New Year.  2011.  Wow.  Time sure flies.

Al and I had a lovely evening.  He got off work early and was home in time for us to have dinner shortly after 5:00pm.  Since he's not a fan of the Friday night pizza tradition, he stopped off at the store and picked up a roast pork loin and some potato salad for dinner.  He also got a cheese and sausage tray and another bottle of champagne to replace the one we polished off Christmas weekend.

He was pretty impressed with the fact that I got all dressed up for him and did my hair and makeup, but not impressed enough to stay dressed himself.  He showered and changed into pajamas, since we weren't going anywhere, so I went and put on my pajamas, too.  No sense in staying dressed up if he wasn't going to as well.

We watched a Criminal Minds marathon on A&E that I'd been watching all day long, but mostly we talked and talked and talked some more.  It was really nice to just do that.  We didn't start snacking until about 9pm, and then around 10:30, we broke into the booze.  Let me tell you, two bottles of champagne and a bottle of wine do not last very long.  I was buzzed by midnight and full out drunk by 12:30 cuz I don't drink often so now when I do, I'm a lightweight.  Add that to the fact that he encouraged me to smoke a bowl on top of it and I was blotto.  I couldn't tell you when I passed out, but I'm pretty sure it was after 2am.  How I made it that far is beyond me.

We got to talk to Corri a little after midnight because she got her phone privileges for 30 minutes because of the holiday and she sounded tired.  She's used to going to bed early these days, after she gets her nighttime meds.  The center pushed back everyone's nighttime doses to allow the women to stay up til midnight and celebrate the new year and call their families.  We also talked to Mom and Al's brother and sister-in-law for a few minutes each.

I had called Mom earlier in the night, around 8pm, just to check in with her, and she told me that Aunt Snooks is having surgery on January 7th to remove a breast due to breast cancer.  She didn't want anyone to know until after Christmas, so she told the family earlier in the week.  I also heard about Mom's friend Kathy having a 60% blockage in one of her arteries, so she has to go have that taken care of, and then we got onto the subject of Corri.

I'd already spoken to Corri earlier, and they have pushed her release date up to February 6th because she's doing so well.  She has DUI court in Indiana on the 7th, and Mom was getting all bent out of shape about it, not knowing if Corri is going to a halfway house or not, and about having to drive Corri to Indiana.  She's worried about the weather, and said if the roads were going to be bad, she'd put me and Corri on a bus to Indiana.  I told her I am NOT taking a bus anywhere and that didn't sit well with her.  She got all irritated and snippy about "well I guess I'll have to drive her by myself whatever the weather."  I told her if it came down to it, I'd just have to make sure I had the money for Corri or Corri and me to fly into Louisville, stay with Diane and get to court, then fly back.  So now I'm going to have to set money aside for that - just in case.

I love my mom.  I really do.  I just cannot deal with everything that comes from her turning into some kind of major drama.  And it always does.  She needs to stop doing that because it drives me crazy, but I know that's just how it is with her, and she'll never stop.  I'm going to have to find a better way to deal with her.

The chapter I read in The Purpose Driven Life seemed particularly appropriate for today, considering it's the first day of a new year.  It was all about how we are meant to throw off our old characters and adopt the character of Christ, to be like him.  It's not about becoming God or becoming as a god, like Satan tempts, but it IS about changing our character.  He is the model of what we're meant to be like, living life, being part of the world without being of the world, and showing others that he lives inside us based on our actions.  We're supposed to reflect the types of character described in the beatitudes, the fruit of the Spirit, Paul's great chapter on love, and Peter's list of the characteristics of an effective and productive life.

Point to Ponder:  I was created to become like Christ.

Verse to Remember:  2 Corinthians 3:18b - As the Spirit of the Lord works within us, we become more and more like him and reflect his glory even more.

Question to Consider:  In what area of my life do I need to ask for the Spirit's power to be like Christ today?

I think, if I'm being honest with myself, I need help in a lot of areas.  I'm not exactly the most patient person in the world, and I need to work on that.  Sometimes when I lose patience, my gentleness also flies right out the window.  I get snippy with Mom when I shouldn't.  I should be patient and understanding, and gentle in my responses to her.

I also need help with faithfulness.  I have really good intentions to stay faithful to God, to stay faithful to my goals, but I always seem to fall down on everything.  I can't sustain it the way I would like.

Finally, I think my self-control needs a LOT of work in the coming year.  Well, pretty much in every year.  I have no self-control when it comes to food, to smoking, and to spending.  I've GOT to reign myself in much better than I have been doing.

As Christians, we believe that God dwells within us.  Our bodies become His home, and it maks sense that we should try to make His surroundings as nice as possible.  The temple of God in Israel was kept immaculately clean and pure.  Only the most clean and holy of men were allowed to enter it.  It was revered by all.  The temple was the most holy and special place of all.  When we are told tha our bodies are the temple of God, it is not an option whether or not we will take care of it; it is a duty.  When we care for our physical being, we are making God's temple a holy and special place.

Thought of the day:  We diet not only for ourselves, but for God.

I guess when I talk about dieting, it's not just food that I'm talking about.  I'm also talking about dieting from cigarettes and spending, as I mentioned before.  I want to be the best person I can be.  I want to keep my body as a temple that God can live in happily.

When I went to visit my bio-dad on Father's Day, he had comments for me about my tattoos.  I'm sure my piercings are going to put him right over the edge.  The thing is, I don't feel like I'm disrespecting the temple of my body by doing these things, and I'm not doing them because my self-esteem is low or even to draw attention to myself.  I'm also not doing it as a form of "art" or "mutilation."

I got my tattoos because each of them meant something to me.  My next one, in honor of my son, also means something to me.  It's my way of reminding myself of the things that are important to me.  I don't show them off purposely.  If they show in the summertime, then they show, but otherwise, I'm content to hide them so I'm the only one who knows they are there.

My piercings ARE obvious to the outside world, except the one on my tongue, and that one is only noticeable if someone is paying very close attention when I speak.  But again, I don't do these things to draw attention to myself.  I just think they look cool.  Eventually I will take them all out again, but for the time being, I want them there.

Am I being disrespectful to my body or to God's temple?  If I am, that was never my intention.  I just like them.  I've always liked them.  And maybe I'm being a follower of the trends more than a leader by not doing this.  I don't know.  I just don't think, in my own opinion, as long as I don't spend time obsessing over them and preening over them, that God is going to be disturbed by my piercings or tattoos.  Maybe I'm wrong, and if I am, I'm sure God will let me know that I am wrong, but I think he is more concerned with my heart and character, and probably more upset with me being an overweight smoker who sometimes drinks to excess and smokes pot.  That's probably less respectful than anything else I've done to my body, except for maybe my promiscuous period.  That probably tops His list.

Well.  Considering my online activities, that promiscuity thing is something else I'm going to have to work on, I suppose.

Maybe I'm in worse shape and have FAR more work to do on myself than I thought?