The Kiss that Changed Everything!

We met online through match.com. My profile stated that I wasn't broke and didn't need fixed. She shot me a line about my upcoming trip to Africa. I responded. She said she'd been and wrote a book about it. I Paypal'd some money and got the book. I couldn't put it down. I had so many questions. She was busy going here and there with duties as a teacher and assisting on a youth mission. We chatted online when we could. This wasn't enough, I HAD to meet her!

I drove two hours and when I arrived, she said, "haven't I seen you somewhere before," with a big smile. I replied, "yeah, I'm the one you were thinking of when you were a little kid having tea parties with your idea of the ultimate man," with an equally big smile.

We had lunch, talked and watched a DVD. I was attracted, I was hoping she was too. Time flew, it was time to head home. We stopped in her kitchen...

I had led a life of reaction and go with the flow. Rarely was I making decisions that made any sense or led to where I wanted to be. I was headed in as many directions as the wind flows, trying to find my way. Trying to find what I believed existed. It was a struggle and it wasn't working. Decades later, here I am, surrendering to the idea that my way hasn't worked and still believing that the ultimate exists. But left to me, I'll screw it up. 

I gave her a hug and hoped but was afraid she wanted a kiss. She was receptive. I didn't want to mess this up...

Our lips met, then tongue, softly, tenderly.

I felt it from my head to my toes. I stirred... deep within.

I pulled away. She looked up at me with blue eyes, then laid her head upon my chest...

My heart swelled, I could hardly swallow, my eyes were misting. I had to go.

All the way home inside my head was an argument. I hadn't planned on this, what is happening? No, I'm not ready, this is not what I anticipated, what I expected.

The next day I called her. I talked for two hours while she listened. I had to lay it all on the line. We proceeded from a distance, with weekend interludes.

People warned of red flags, too much too fast, his past, your kids...

I proposed 2.5 months after meeting... she accepted.

In the first 8 months, we got engaged, formed a ministry and published a book together.

We went to Hawaii and got married. We continued the weekend thing for another two years.

Four years total we did the weekend thing, sharing turns for the 98 mile trek.

We went on three African missions, three Caribbean cruises and sold my house to buy a bigger one to finally combine households.

We rehabbed that 85 yr old home into our first nest. Love was nurtured and it took root and blossomed!

She believed, I told the truth and it happened. A windfall. We moved to our dream home on the lake of my best memories. The lake where I proposed. Where we formed Waters Edge Ministries.

Now we live and love and invite you to come, relax, restore...

at the Waters Edge.

Peace ~


DLWS

Critical Thinking

I've seen that term thrown around before, mostly in debates where it was asserted that groups I affiliated with had a lack of it. I didn't really grasp it... until now. Not just logical thinking, but approaching things from the perspective of being wrong and proving something right with verifiable evidence.

I had an exchange with a friend. I respect the guy and politically, we're polar opposite. I support Obama and he supports Romney. Interestingly we both admitted to not trusting the other side. I'm sure we both have plenty of ammunition provided by the smear campaigns from both sides, but we carried on a conversation in a civil manner and didn't offend each other.  He let me know he'd had enough, by asking what was for dinner?  Of course I had to spout off a few more points then respond, "Pork Chops," then I could give it a rest and go cut the grass. ;o)

While cutting the grass, of course my mind would not slow down about the exchange. It's when that mower engine is roaring and the music in my headphones is blasting, that I can think the best. Clarity comes to me... I GOT IT!

While my friend, who is Catholic, is abhorred at the idea of contributing to a government that pays for stuff like abortions and condoms and admires the church  for it's charitable work and Romney for his charitable donations, he also abhors the government for being too charitable towards the poor.

Well, this is where critical thinking jumps out and grabs you and says "HEY, that makes no sense." AND it showed me that leaders of churches and Federally elected folks both take your money, pay their salary and give it to others. What a great job to have!!  You pay, I play and take credit for helping others while you go home and feel good about giving. What a racket (a systematised element of organized crime;)

The government even gives you a tax deduction for giving to the charity/ place of worship of your choice AND makes those (businesses) places tax exempt! (we won't go into how they violate that by stumping for right wing conservative ideals and try to enact legislation with their religious beliefs while denying others similar rights, thereby nullifying the constitutional equality of all humans. And lets not mention aiding and abetting priests who molest children either....shhh, it'd be bad publicity - isn't that right, Boy Scouts of America?)

Providing abortions and condoms to those you just hate to help should be something you jump at the chance to do. Since the use of critical thinking shows us that it's a statistical fact that the poor reproduce more than the middle class and upper crust weathy-ites.  But then that would be a moral dilemma, due to religious beliefs. (there's that ideal that they just gotta rule the rest of the world with again... grrr.)

I have my religious/spiritual beliefs and I am realizing (critically thinking - this is healthy stuff, try it sometime!) that it wasn't until I got saved and bought into the atonement theology, (that'd be where you accept the idea that you were born a filthy nasty sinful mess and bound for Hell to burn for eternity, unless and until you accepted Jesus as your Savior who Atoned for your sinfulness, then everything is okay. Kinda like in the south where so long as you say "bless his/her/their heart," everything said afterwards about the person is okay and forgiven.)  that I became homophobic, condemning and well, feeling mighty righteous about myself. Prior to that I was just another guy working to make ends meet and willing to help some along the way

Things are changing and too rapidly for many folks on the conservative side of things. One of the things I like about Obama is during his first campaign he said the old way of thinking isn't working any more. And as far as I'm concerned he was and is right!

We got into a mess with the "old way."  It's time to think a new way. It's time to stop oppressing women. This is a major portion of society that can contribute far more than it's been able to. It's time to make health care affordable for everyone. It is an atrocity for anyone to go bankrupt because of health related bills in this modern day. (Medical problems caused 62% of all personal bankruptcies filed in the U.S. in 2007, according to a study by Harvard researchers. And in a finding that surprised even the researchers, 78% of those filers had medical insurance at the start of their illness, including 60.3% who had private coverage, not Medicare or Medicaid. http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/content/jun2009/db2009064_666715.htm)

It is a known fact that incarceration doesn't work to the end it is supposed to. It does not rehabilitate or improve society. And again, in this modern age...

• The US incarcerates the largest number of people in the world.
• The incarceration rate in the US is four times the world average.
• Some individual US states imprison up to six times as many people as do
• nations of comparable population.
• The US imprisons the most women in the world.
• Crime rates do not account for incarceration rates.
• http://www.nccdglobal.org/sites/default/files/publication_pdf/factsheet-us-incarceration.pdf 

This old way of thinking is NOT WORKING! It's time to embrace the idea that you're WRONG!

That was the healthiest thing I ever did and the blinders fell from my eyes. 

This happened to Paul on the road to Damascus. He was against "The Way" as they called the movement of those who followed Jesus and his socialistic thinking. Then he saw the light (hah - literally according to the scriptures) and changed his ways. He was "transformed by the renewing of his mind." The rest of his story is certainly a struggle with his love for the Jews and his calling to the Gentiles (non-Jews). I'm sad to say that much of what we know as the Christian Church today subscribes to Paul and misses the ideals of Jesus who only had harsh words for the system and those who oppress and hung out with those we find despicable like the LGBT community, the drug users and the people with AIDS.

I got rid of the old way of thinking... Paul said it, "when I was a child I thought as a child."  I was a war mongering right wing conservative who felt completely sold down the drain and deceived by the Bush administration. (which I'd say was the Cheney administration.. see the movie "wag the dog".) Everything has moved so far right that Obama is more like Reagan that the GOP is currently.

It is blatantly wrong to increase military spending and cut education spending. my friend even said educating the poor was futile. This grieves me. I hope he doesn't really believe this in his heart of hearts. I hope that the contributions by minorities in this country are brought forward and presented in educational settings so that future generations stop with this superior mentality and continue to oppress the minorities. One day it's going to flip flop and as the good book tells them, the first will be last and the last will be first! (Selah)  

Do people have a sense of entitlement in this country? You betcha. Is it going to get worse before it gets better? You betcha. Is there a god who gives a damn? Maybe. But there is a mind within you with all the answers and ability and compassion that  people like Jesus along the way have tried to wake us up to our nature and point us in a better direction.

I don't believe President Obama has all the answers or is the answer, (don't get me started about why we don't have the Independent and Green parties represented in debates and elections) but I believe he is the best choice in consideration of where we are and how we got here. Out thinking must change BEFORE we find a way out of this mess. Since critical thinking shows us that actions follow beliefs.

Peace~

DLWS