I don't watch the news. I'm completely burnt out on current events and the news in general, so I don't keep up with what is going on and I find it much more peaceful that way.
I imagine it is still very much like this:
I'm sure most everyone knows that the weather has been awful for the last few days here in the Midwest. I didn't know it was coming until my mother-in-law called to cancel our visit last weekend. I did know that snow was in the forecast. I keep NOAA on my bookmark bar, but they are much less alarmist than Fox News. So, I went food shopping last Saturday like I do every Saturday and apparently most people do watch the news and it was unbelievable.
There were empty shelves and lines to the checkout backed up into the aisles. My daughter and I waited in line for about 45 minutes. I've never seen anything like it.
To be fair to the news people, it did snow, and it was cold, and it was probably the worst I'd ever seen here. Hubby was off for the first three days this week, the restaurant was closed for two, and we all just hunkered down here until the temps started to be reasonable.
If I had watched the news, I may have decided to shop early and avoid all this, but then again, I may have been in a panic. It reminds me of one of my favorite Pauline philosophies, to only focus on what is good. I may not be a Christian anymore, but this particular piece of wisdom has served me well since implementing it a while back. In fact I hesitated to write out my loss of faith story because of it, but I felt like it needed to be done and it did bring me some closure.
Life is short and it may be the only one we have. I'm not going to waste it being worried about all the ugly in the world. I'm ready for summer though:)
I imagine it is still very much like this:
Something awful happened here and oh my goodness what a tragedy there and another unspeakable horror on the West Side and a bunch of people died in a ghastly thing and next up celebrity gossip and sports.
I'm sure most everyone knows that the weather has been awful for the last few days here in the Midwest. I didn't know it was coming until my mother-in-law called to cancel our visit last weekend. I did know that snow was in the forecast. I keep NOAA on my bookmark bar, but they are much less alarmist than Fox News. So, I went food shopping last Saturday like I do every Saturday and apparently most people do watch the news and it was unbelievable.
There were empty shelves and lines to the checkout backed up into the aisles. My daughter and I waited in line for about 45 minutes. I've never seen anything like it.
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| This is where the whole milk should be. |
To be fair to the news people, it did snow, and it was cold, and it was probably the worst I'd ever seen here. Hubby was off for the first three days this week, the restaurant was closed for two, and we all just hunkered down here until the temps started to be reasonable.
If I had watched the news, I may have decided to shop early and avoid all this, but then again, I may have been in a panic. It reminds me of one of my favorite Pauline philosophies, to only focus on what is good. I may not be a Christian anymore, but this particular piece of wisdom has served me well since implementing it a while back. In fact I hesitated to write out my loss of faith story because of it, but I felt like it needed to be done and it did bring me some closure.
Life is short and it may be the only one we have. I'm not going to waste it being worried about all the ugly in the world. I'm ready for summer though:)
I am amazed at the storm. Living on the border in NM I have sunshine and 50s most days even if we hit 20s at night. Perhaps we have snow twice a year and it is gone in a day or two...so I am taken back to my childhood with images and news of the storm.
ReplyDeleteAs to not reading the news, my blog has spun in this direction as well, embracing the simplicity of my life, the peace, and the contentment I have in spite of what is going on around me.
End Times watching was the worst for me. It was as if I was rooting for the world to go to Hell in a hand-basket so I could be whisked out of it.
DeleteI kinda like it here now:)
It was as if I was rooting for the world to go to Hell in a hand-basket so I could be whisked out of it.
DeleteIn many ways it's like a self-fulfilling "Prophecy". The fundamentalist, extreme of that sort of mindset could be very scary
Oh, it seems difficult to handle with such extreme weather. I will pray for you. But for what exactly? Here it seems spring. There is blossom on some trees. Which is beautiful, but not good. Because next week it will freeze.
ReplyDeleteHi Jedidja,
DeleteThe weather is looking better today and it is supposed to start melting soon. I just hope it doesn't get as cold as it did (-12) for a very long time!
Every time you reference your loss of faith, I get a twinge of pain in my heart for you. I know you did not come upon this decision lightly, but I just don't get it, and it makes me sad. On another note- this weather has been crazy! I ended up at the store Friday night because I stopped on my way home from the hospital with Jeremiah…I usually shop on Saturday, but thankfully I went Friday! It was nuts!! There was no meat in the entire store, thankfully I still had some in the freezer :) My kids have been out of school now for 3 weeks and it's reminiscent of our homeschool days. I have enjoyed having them home, but now it's time to GET back to SCHOOL!
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry to make you sad, Sarah, I know it must be hard to understand.
DeleteI wish I would have gone Friday, but it may not have been much better it seems. After all these years, I can finally understand why the kids going to school may not be such a horrible thing. :)
This is all very ironic because here in California, we're in a drought. No rain, no snow, nothing, and it's rather depressing.
ReplyDeleteEveryone out there in the Midwest should be commended, at any rate, I don't think I'd last very long.
We had a drought here a couple of summers ago. I remember it well, every drop of rain was so exciting after that for awhile. I hope yours ends soon.
DeleteThe snow is not all that bad, we're used to that, but it was so cold for a couple of days and that is what got to me.
As a meteorologist I'm here to tell you that you should pay attention to it though. It literally could save your life. I think there was a little more panic than necessary over the cold, but in some places they also received a lot of snow, and if power goes out, you need to have a plan. In the summer being aware of days in which tornadoes could be produced or flooding is extremely important. It can prevent you from going out driving on a potentially dangerous day. It can help you seek shelter when things get really bad. Most people die in extreme weather simply because they weren't paying attention. I respect everybody's choice if they don't want to pay attention, but that doesn't make it less important.
ReplyDeleteThe bad that's in the world can be an extremely large burden, but I also don't think sheltering ourselves from it is a good idea other. Being aware of the bad, makes you appreciate the good more, and can be an important call to action. There are things that are worth getting upset about, there are things worth even getting outraged about, and there are things that you can do something about. One can't fix the entire world, but staying in touch with current events has helped me to help others, and to make better educated decisions when it comes to living my life in a way that mitigates harm to other people, harm to myself, and harm to the Earth. When I went to India with my family to visit relatives as a young man, I saw a lot of poverty. As hard as it was to see, it changed me for the better. Made me more compassionate and caring, and thankful for what I have.
Thank you for your input, I guess I hadn't thought of things that way.
DeleteWe can all go to extremes in either direction.
It reminds me of one of my favorite Pauline philosophies, to only focus on what is good
ReplyDeleteAt face value it would make sense..i.e..focus only on what is good; attempt to block out (or make excuses for) what isn't.
The problem that this poses for us deconverts/skeptics, well, at least for me and many other former believers I've run across, is that once nothing works to quell our doubts, intellectual honesty kicks in and it forever trumps our feelings. A "bell" goes off and you cannot "unring" it. Being on the outside of the Christian bubble looking in, I know it took great courage to write your story, especially knowing that friends/family/acquaintances who are still believers would be sad for you(as evidenced even in this thread).
You know I was thinking today driving back from the store...
DeleteIf God really did abandon me, then I guess I was a vessel fit for destruction as Paul says.
What the h___ and why would He do that?
I was as sincere as I could have been about all this and yet I was allowed to be "led astray".
So what then?
It only leaves a few possibilities.
He deceived me into thinking I was His when I wasn't.
I was a Believer but wanted to "sin" so I found reasons to not believe.
Or it just isn't true and that bell you speak of is rung and I wished for a brief tiny second today that I hadn't rung it....but it's done.
I'm much happier now, but yet sad, too. I don't know what to do with a lot of things.
Or it just isn't true and that bell you speak of is rung and I wished for a brief tiny second today that I hadn't rung it....but it's done.
DeleteBut alas, you can't unring it, and as you say, what's done is done. Believers will insist that God would never abandon you/us. Well, this of course is false if the "God" in question actually exists, because millions of people just like you and me, after years and years of sincerely praying and pleading for God to make himself known to us in some tangible, undeniable way, were met with deafening, dead silence. From where I sit, if there is a God and this God is going to flat-out ignore us, he/she/it may as well not exist. If God will "lead us astray", good grief, who needs "Satan"?!?! ; )
I'm much happier now, but yet sad, too. I don't know what to do with a lot of things.
Yes, but remember, that happiness is built upon what your intellect tells you is true/real, not on that which you wished or hoped to be true.
I don't know what to do with hope right now. We all hope for things and in a way it is what makes us human. I see my hopes for the future as much more realistic now and definitely more in my hands and not up to some grand design. In a way that is a good feeling.
DeleteWe all hope for things and in a way it is what makes us human.
DeleteYes, absolutely. I didn't mean to suggest that "all hope" goes out the window once we leave "the Faith". 'Sorry if I conveyed that. And this, BTW, is one of the numerous (mistaken) ideas that believers have about nonbelievers..i.e.."without God you have no hope [or purpose, or conception of love, or meaning in life, or morals, etc.]". 'Simply not true. Like you say, we have hope, but it's more realistic.
Realistic-ness can be good:)
Delete:)
DeleteHappy and sad can go together Alice. Take your time. Belief is often about "doing." When we left youth ministry it was like now what do we do? Breathe, rest, wait . . .
ReplyDeleteThank you Zoe:)
DeleteI have put off a bunch of stuff until after the first of the year, but I have a huge checklist of things that need to be done. That will give me some direction and distraction while I still try to find joy in the small things... and it is there.
I hope 2014 proves to be a good year for you and yours!
ReplyDeleteThank you Jerry!
Delete