With the holidays coming up sooner than you think..

or, better yet, "just because"..



Donate a calling card to help keep service members in touch with their families at Operation Uplink at http://www.operationuplink.org/

Send a greeting via e-mail through Operation Dear Abby at http://anyservicemember.navy.mil/ or www.OperationDearAbby.net

Sign a virtual thank you card at the Defend America Web site at http://www.defendamerica.mil/nmam.html

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Make a donation to one of the military relief societies:

Army Emergency Relief at http://www.aerhq.org/

Navy/Marine Relief Society at http://www.nmcrs.org/

Air Force Aid Society at http://www.afas.org/

Coast Guard Mutual Assistance at http://www.cgmahq.org/

Donate to "Operation USO Care Package" at http://www.usometrodc.org/care.html

Support the American Red Cross Armed Forces Emergency Services at http://www.redcross.org/services/afes/0,1082,0_321_,00.html

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Volunteer at a VA Hospital to honor veterans who bore the lamp of freedom in past conflicts.

Support families whose loved ones are being treated at military and VA hospitals through a donation to the Fisher House at www.fisherhouse.org.

Reach out to military families in your community, especially those with a loved one overseas.

Even something as simple as flying the flag, or putting a flag/yellow ribbon on your car lets everyone know you care.

spidersssssssssss

Yesterday, the exhibits were out in the front yard, just puttering. They came back in. "Uh.. mom.....(long pause) there are a lot of webs outside." I smiled and said, "Yes, I know." "No REALLY. Come look." So I did. They were floating wayyyyyyyyy up in the sky and it looked like there were thousands of them. After coming back inside, we called around and people in the neighboring two towns saw it too. The number was what amazed us. I mean, yes, I saw Charlotte's Web and, yes, I know spiders travel on the wind, but this many and this high up??

..anyway..
Found this article
http://www.temple-telegram.com
Spiders take flight as competition grows
People who have reported seeing what looks like spider webs floating in the air the last couple of days should know that, no, their eyes do not deceive them. What they are seeing is the “dragline” portion of spider webs. Not so obvious, unless one lands on your shoulder, is that actual spiders are attached to those silk draglines. “It’s called ballooning,” Bell County extension agent Dirk Aaron said Thursday afternoon, after a day of fielding calls from people curious about why there seemed to be all these spider webs floating in the air. “All the conditions have been just right for this to take place,” Aaron said. “We’ve had a wet year, and a few days of high humidity before the front blew in. These are mostly immature spiders. It’s a way for them to expand their range. “There are more than 900 spider species in Texas, so it’s impossible to say what kind they are. We only know what they’re doing.” The wet year has produced a lot of spiders, as anyone who spent much time outdoors this summer knows. That means a lot of competition for food, which can lead to nasty incidents of widespread fratricide. The ballooning process gives the spiders a chance to try their luck somewhere else, where maybe there won’t be so many little spiders competing for the same food. by Clay Coppedge

Curiouser and curiouser.

The other day, my friend messaged me and told me another friend of ours had seen this icon on the coffee table next to where President Bush was sitting. She told me, "So 'Mom' has taken care of us twice now." "Twice?", I asked. She was floored that I didn't know this story.

It seems Jeb and his wife went to Mexico City in the midst of all the hanging chad and pregnant chad stuff and consecrated a Bush presidency to OLOG. Wouldn't you know it, on December 12 (wow) the decision was finally made that Bush was our president. You can read about it here.

And now I have to say.. what's up with Kerry carrying all those good luck charms in a brief case, indian corn given him by a medicine man, lucky clovers, lucky shirts, Springsteen's guitar pick, etc.?? A Catholic carrying all that stuff around for luck in the election and a Protestant with an icon of Mary. Who'dhave thunk?

Now that Bush is president, we need to keep praying for him.

Wow.

The people have spoken

Bush won more popular votes than any president in our history.

Ever.

More than REAGAN (God rest his soul.)

More than CLINTON.

More than anyone. Ever.

Ever.

Everrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

:)

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snip Following the speech, the frustration of Kerry's daughters, who teared up during the concession after tirelessly stumping for their father, exploded backstage in a diatribe full of F-words.

My comment: Character really does count.



There is no such thing as media bias (repeat that three times while you click your heels together.)

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on another note.. I wiped off my entire side bar, but now when I try to add a link, the sidebar looks all screwy. :: sigh ::

I'll get my links working again (hopefully) sometime this week.

eloquence escapes me, but..

the Catechism of the Catholic Church mentions "just war."

On the other hand.. there is no such thing as a "just abortion."

Something to think about.

Tomorrow's the day..

...and you know what? I'm ready for it to all be over. I'm tired of hearing about all the fraud, the dirty tricks, and the higher number of registered voters in certain cities than the population there. It is scary.

If Bush wins, I'll be very relieved. If Kerry wins, well..I'll accept it and get on with my life. I think what my friend says is true. "If Kerry wins, maybe that is what this country collectively deserves and it may bring about a real renewal." Smart lady.

Anyway, tomorrow, I'll go on and work as usual, teach the kids as usual, and try very hard to not obsess over this. Knowing me..that won't be easy.

I heard today about the threat Bin Laden made about attacking those states that vote for Bush, versus the peace offering perceived by the states that vote for Kerry. Absolutely appalling. My hope is that the American spirit will come forward and stand up to his threats. My fear is that those who are undecided will give in to Bin Laden and his threats. I fear for our country, but have to have faith that everything will be a part of God's plan. That said, if you haven't voted yet, I'll hope that you vote your conscience tomorrow and that as the Summas said (Mama T, please excuse the blatant lifting of the picture),


"Never forget."

Wednesday, I'll clean off my sidebar and start fresh. If you still want a link, lemme know.

Monday.

This is from my mail this morning

A Call to Prayer 2004

Many of you are concerned about our nation and the upcoming election.
In keeping with 2 Chronicles 7:14, this is a call to prayer and fasting
for our nation.

On Monday, November 1, 2004 will you pray and fast concerning this
election. Our nation is under attack. Not only is Satan putting it in
the hearts of foreign enemies to attack, but many enemies from within would
destroy all mention of God and His word. Please pray for our president,
our nation, and our world. Please pray that God will give us a Godly man
to serve for the next four years. Please pray against Satan and those who
would use this election as a means to serve the cause of Satan.

Below is an outline designed to help give focus as we pray and also
help us be united and enable us to agree in prayer as one body. For it is
written: .. if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it
will be done for them by My Father in heaven. Matthew 18:19


Isaiah 58 explains the type of fast that pleases God:

1. Pray for our president that no weapon formed against him will prosper.

Isaiah 55:17

2. Pray that God will forgive the sins of our nation and will have mercy
on us and our nation. Isaiah 54:10 and Psalm 130:7

3. Pray that the Lord will deliver us from evil. Matthew 6:13

4. Pray that the Lord will once more bless us and give to us a leader who
serves God with his whole heart and a leader who seeks the face of God
before making decisions for our country. Psalm 33:12

5. Pray that the Lord will lay it on the hearts of his people to become a
part of this election and cast a vote for the man who names the name of
Christ and who prays daily for the nation. Please remember that the Bible
shows us that when a nation serves God and pleases Him, He blesses that
nation with a Godly man to lead. Blessed is the nation whose God is the
Lord. Psalm 33:12


Once you have read the request, please send it to more Christians.

Fast For Hope

Click here to find out more