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I sound like a broken record lately, but again I apologize for posting late. More travel. Back to Canada.
Did the reverend E.F. Briggs chase you out of the country?
Maybe we should be more afraid of these lunatic, sign-blazing Christians……….
Attention Rev. Briggs and his lunatic followers:
Blind faith is fanaticism Fanatics are terrorists Terrorists lead to unjust wars regardless of what continent they’re on.
And what’s wrong with civil war? That’s the last one that the U.S. won.
Methinks the Rev. Briggs is about as nutty as Little Boy Blew and the squirrel with his nuts in a vise.
I’m just a lowly Canadian, but I think being Anti-American is a way of life for the rest of the world.
And I don’t know much about American History, but wasn’t Thomas Jefferson an atheist? or something? Isn’t that true of most of the Fondling Fathers?
The biggest insult to Atheists is being lumped together with Lawyers in the same breath.
sounds like an equal opportunity bigot hates all races colors and religions equally.
An atheist was walking through the woods when he heard a noise behind him. He turned to see a large bear charging at him and just about to strike. He shouted “OH MY GOD!” and time stopped. The bear froze and the forest fell silent. A voice boomed from the heavens “You deny my existence for all these years and yet expect me to help you now?” The atheist responded “It would be hypocritical to ask to be a Christian after all these years, but perhaps you could make the bear a Christian?” “Very well” was the response. The forest came to life, the bear kneeled down in front of the man, brought both of his front paws together and prayed “Dear Lord, thank you for this food which I am about to receive”
SteveC: ROFLMAO!! and Re: Attn Rev…I like it, I like it! And so true, all religions expect blind faith though so I prefer not to claim any. I just believe!
After thought: Touchy subject I know but isn’t religion the same as everything else brought up in politics. …abortion for example: Either you’re for it or against it. You’re either a baby killer or stifling someone’s rights. Are things truly only Black or White? I am against abortion but if the pregnancy is life threatening I believe it should be an option. If this is the little sluts 12th pregnancy and 12th abortion she should have her vagina sown shut per court order or a waiver should have to be signed after the first unwanted pregnancy/abortion stating that upon the next abortion that is non life threatening to the mother, she forfeits her rights to have a uterus and all the bits and pieces that come with it. I know it’s drastic but possibly necessary for those people…women. As for those people who have desires to use explosives on abortion clinics and such…such violence, tsk tsk tsk. No wonder some people think twice about bringing children into this world and our society as it is. It may not be for you but the people who seek those services may have a legitimate reason for it. Same with religion, I believe in god so I cannot call myself an aetheist (don’t think I can even spell it :P ) but I can’t claim a religion because I refuse to blindly follow rules set in the ages when women were a mere object. War: To fight or not to fight, We must defend ourselves and if there is progress, yay, but the reasons we fight or start the fight may not always be the best or best thought out plan (if it was thought out…or if there was a plan). There’s a lot of gray in this world that we are blind to. It’s sad really…it causes our extreme reactions towards subjects, things, decisions…It’s either black or white and if you’re a little bit of gray you pretty much don’t exist…and (I’m not saying it is but…) it may be the missing ingredient to bring this boiling pot of our world to a quiet simmer.
Sorry guys. I went on my own little philosophical tangent there.
I’ve missed you all. Been away for about a week. My father passed away on Tuesday, June 5th, 2007 at 12:04 am. I’m ok. Having some trouble with it since it was decisions that we had to make. (i feel like “I” made them) He suffered from a Cardio-Pulmonary …something, basically a heart attack and tests came back with no brain activity from there. He will be missed but I am pulling through this strong as ever. Thank you all again for being my shoulder through the really tough times…Lotsa Love.
why are their enough religions to start wars, but not enough to enstill tolerance.
get back to me on that one…
god for dead soldiers” im curious as to what other people think and it could really get some stuff rolling…If anti-God is anti-American – then – God is American – and therefore – American is God!
So now, when you’re at the restaurant, get some God fries covered with melted God cheese. Oh, and drive there in your God-made car.
Holy Mother of American, this is gonna take some time for me to get used to.
See? Jesus really is a white dude with blondish hair.
As I get older, my hair seems to become more and more blond (imagine white gold, not yellow gold). And I have the blue eyes.
Where do I apply?
It’s just twisted enough to almost make sense.
Sorry to hear about your Dad Astryd.
Uh, that’s Bjorn Freeh’s comment y’all.
So, you want to be a disciple? I’ll need a dozen or so. Doesn’t pay well but it’ll look good on a resume.
Thank you.
So if I’m a Mexican-American am I a Mexican-God(dess)?
On a lighter note, hey Dave, did you go see the Maple Leafs whilst in Canada?
I resemble that fact. See, ‘lunatic’ is a reference to losing your marbles due to dancing in the night under the light of the moon — a pagan rite, you see. Which is a belief, a faith in deities. Which is something that an Atheist wouldn’t be doing. So I have a problem with the ignorance of someone using the oxymoron phrase ‘lunatic atheist’.
I am a bit fuzzy on how ‘traitor’ is related to ‘civil war’. If I understand it, when a group, call them ‘Southerners’, decides that the group they belong to is mean to them, and they want to do something else, then the ‘rebel’ against the former big group. Is this then a rebellion, or a civil war? Oops! I get it, if the rebels want to claim land, that is a civil war (war amongst the regions of a state), while if they want to claim the whole shebang, just with different bozos in charge, then that is a rebellion. Sorry for stating the obvious, I had to think this through.
Now, a traitor is like your best friend sneaking a date with the girl you like. You trusted both of them, and counted on the friend to be loyal, to want you to be happy above all else, the cheater. So in national terms, a traitor would find one of the country’s enemies, and tell the enemy something that would hurt the state, or give them something that would hurt the state, or maybe do something that hurts the state because the enemy thinks it would be a good idea.
So if being anti-Christian is treason, which enemy of the state is involved? The nation is a secular construct, not spiritual, so claiming treason to benefit a spiritual foe, call it ‘the devil’, would be like claiming laundry detergent is the enemy of orange juice. Just plain confusing. I mean, even though there are spiritual people (of various beliefs) in the US, that doesn’t mean that the nation of the US is necessarily a spiritual construct. My bible, when I read it, didn’t address the IRS, other than ‘Give unto Ceasar’, etc., implying that what the state does isn’t a spiritual matter, and that spiritual affairs take place in a secular state. Sorta a first description of ’separation of church and state’, only from some guy babbling some couple thousand years ago. But who cares what he said? Apparently not Rev. E. F. Briggs.
I wonder if this billboard was about the sermon one week, or the theme of Sunday School? Or because Bubba went fishing, and missed church service again (so Bubba must be a ‘lunatic atheist’).
Now I read that the Rev. Briggs is 96, resides in St. Barbaraâ’s Nursing Home. And is a champion against Catholic-bashing. So I guess this billboard carried by Lamar Advertising (made famous by canceling a Democratic National Committee contract for being ‘negative’ in 2005) is an example of Capitalism at it’s finest — taking the money of our aged just because they can.
It does to some of us.
So sorry to hear about your loss, Astryd. Many big, warm hugs are sent in your general direction. Don’t worry about using them all up - there’s an endless supply.
As for decisions that needed to be made, try not to let them trouble you. You stood up and did what needed to be done; be proud of your strength and your ability to make tough decisions when needed.
We love you girl and welcome back. You were missed.
Hmm lets see if we turn this around we get:
Anti American is Anti God Anti Treason is Anti-American Civil War leads to Traitors
So we need to recall Pelosi as she is anti god, anti treason, and is starting a civil war with her approach to goveremnt.
Our Father Who Art in Clevelend
Our Father Who Art in Cleveland
Alright! I’m a member of the Double-Poster Club!
:wang:
I love dancing in the night under the light of the moon! preferably bare ahem…foot.
If nothing else, I hope this was a little entertaining to some… :P
Steve, Thank you hon!
BTW: You may worship me all you want, anytime you like in anyway you like, just remember, I like cherries, strawberries and chocolate…taste like them too!
Well if nothing else, that last statement makes me feel better.
I was with my mother when she passed away and I can only speak of my own experiences. To continue liffe support is to continue the suffering of the patient and the loved ones. You did what your father wanted and he would respect you for having the strength to follow through on such a tough decision. Have faith in yourself; you not only did the right thing, but you did it at the right time.
Being with a loved one when they pass away is painfully hard, but in time it will give you comfort. You were there when he said goodbye and you understand that he knew you were to comfort him. And comfort him you did. There is no second guessing or wondering or worrying what his final moments were like because you were there and you know what you saw and what you felt.
The wounds that are causing you pain are fresh and they hurt. We offer our condolences because we’ve felt a similar pain and we know the anguish that it caused us. In time your wounds will heal, the pain will diminish, and you will be at peace, knowing that you were with him when your presence mattered the most.
Astryd -
Take with a grain of salt since I am a complete stranger and outsider who has never had to make that kind of decision for a loved one, but…
I don’t think there’s anything wrong with you. While it never hurts to talk to someone after a life-changing event like this, I don’t see why that someone “has” to be one that’s paid by the hour, just so other people can feel like you’re “okay”. I don’t have problem with psychiatry and think it has a place, I just think people recommend it sometimes because it relieves them of any responsibility to engage and discuss those feelings and issues with you. (Not saying this is happening in your specific case - just making a generalization)
From the window into your situation you so kindly provided, I’ll throw in my $0.02 and say it sounds like you did the right thing. Yeah, people wake up from comas, but how many from severe cardiac events like your father’s? And how many of those who also have the complicating factors of other diseases? (I don’t know the answer, but I’d be willing it bet it’s pretty unlikely.) I work in non-human (fancy way of saying veterinary) health care, and it truly boggles my mind that we afford animals a kind and painless end that we deny ourselves. I do not want to spark a discussion on euthanasia or anything like that, and I know that’s not what your situation was about - all I’m saying is, sometimes letting a loved one go is the right thing and the kind thing, and anyone who tries to make someone feel guilty or crazy for that… well, they suck.
The gist of it is: Thanks for pouring your heart out, and know that at least one person out here on the internets thinks you’re a stand-up gal. If I’m wrong… I’ll probably be out there on the watertower with ya
I’m so very sorry Astryd. In your heart you know you did the right thing and that’s all that matters. Stay strong.
I’m glad you’re back also … you were sorely missed!
If I become a disciple will I be Bjorn again?
:roll:Somebody correct me if I’m wrong or just mistaken, but doesn’t the Constuition of this great Country, read that “church and state” suppose to be separate? I love the good old U.S.A.C. (United States of American Communism) Love it or get the F@#K out!!!!
Astryd, The feelings you have are perfectly normal. You don’t need to be concerned that there is something wrong with you. The well intentioned people around you aren’t sure how to help or what to say, so they would have you pay to talk to someone else about it. My suggestion instead, would be to discuss it with your trusted friends (they’re the ones that are willing to allow you to talk through your feelings with them instead of someone else) and pray about it until you get the peace you seek. Ultimately, you already know the right answer, it’s just a matter of your acceptance of it despite the very difficult circumstances under which it came. Best wishes and prayers for your comfort and peace.
Astryd,
My first husband was diagnosed with terminal cancer at 44 years old, and we fought it together for 2 years before he finally succumbed. I searched for counsel on how to find the strength to let him go when the time came, and got some very good advice from a chaplain at the hospital. It helped me and it might help you too.
Bill was in a coma and there was no telling how long it would go on, days or years, but in the end it would be terminal no matter what. When the time came, the chaplain told me to give Bill permission to leave me, to tell him I would be OK, and to let him die with dignity and without fear. Bill had suffered so much and would have hated being a vegetable, and I resolved that if one of us had to hurt, I would rather it be me than him, because I was stronger and I could take it, but he just couldn’t take anymore. The idea of asking him to stay with me in so much misery so I wouldn’t have to be alone was something I just couldn’t bring myself to do.
He died in my arms, hearing my voice and holding my hand. When I saw his body in the funeral home, I realized that the cancer was trapped inside it and could never torment him or hurt him again. But Bill was finally free.
That was 10 years ago and losing him still hurts. When I tell people I gave him my permission to go, they often misunderstand and think I wanted to be free of him. I will never be “free” of him, he lives inside me and is all around me and will be a part of me until the day I die. But he is free. And that is what I understand, and what you understand, that they don’t.
Your father’s words, his love and his humor are alive inside you. You freed him from the burden of his damaged body and gave him permission to go on. You have nothing to feel guilty for in that.
I wonder if you translated that billboard into Farsi and replaced the word ‘American’ with ‘Iranian’, would anybody notice the difference?
By the way, isn’t the expression ‘Civil War’ an oxymoron? I mean, if there’s one thing wars lack, it’s civility.
Astryd – Sorry for your loss. Try and get through this difficult period as best you can until you get to a point where you can celebrate the life that your father lived, remember your times together with fondness and appreciate how lucky you were to have known him.
Ah, Atheistic/Anarchistic/Anti-Government Traitors… I know them well…
“Reverend” Briggs: Perhaps you know this, as well:
(Need I say more?)
Ah, Atheistic/Anarchistic/Anti-Government Traitors… I know them well…
“Reverend” Briggs: Perhaps you know this, as well:
(Need I say more?)
Astryd: Nothing, but love.
Thank you all! I love you guys! …no, I’m not drunk…
Astryd,
Ignore those people who tell you that you “killed” your father. Discontinuing medical intervention is not “killing” someone.
My brother went through systematic organ failure: one after another, each of his systems was slowly shutting down. When the last surgery didn’t work, he face spending the remainder of his life in a hoslital room, on dialysis, with oxygen and a feeding tube. He couldn’t do it; he hurt and he wanted it to stop.
Some people breated him for “committing suicide”. They were wrong, just like the people who tell you you “killed” you father are wrong.
Astryd, Sorry about your father. Participating in life decisions like that are a horrible responsibility. In the darkest moments, please recall sometimes there are no ‘best’ choices. And dwell on the gifts of his life to you and your family.
Blessed be.
Howard be Thy name…
As long as you don’t try to mess with Freeh Will.
can i play to?
His King Doth Come Freeh Will Was Done And Howard Proclaimed It Heaven
Astryd, my Dad died last year unexpectedly. He had an aortic aneurysm, went through surgery, but died afterward. I’ve since met folks who have been through the same thing, and recovery was never complete - sometimes these people spent a few awful years suffering, then dying.
Initially I felt ANY live dad was better than him dying so quickly, but since then I’ve realized that was a selfish reaction. It would have been hell on earth for Dad to survive but not be himself - not able to enjoy his family and huge group of friends.
I really miss him. Knowing there was no way to get him back to ‘normal’ helps my brain deal with it, but my heart still hurts.
These days, with so many medical options, the reality of life and death can get clouded. I guess what I’m saying is I totally respect you for being able to cut through to the reality — that the Dad you knew and loved was already gone — and make that unselfish and correct decision.
On a lighter note - in regards to the right Rev. Biggs, we’ve got a few of these nut cases here too, I always wonder where they get the money for the ad space. And then, can you imagine working for a major printing company and having to set up the artwork for this billboard?
Then again, maybe there’s some ‘Christian Fanatic Printing Company’ that handles all those bookmarkers, billboards, handouts and signs we see everywhere?
So sorry about your loss, Astryd. May he always be in your heart and memories.
Merridew- Letting a trusted family friend and companion free of bonds of physical pain is, I would think, almost as hard a decision as a human one. So far, I’ve not had to make a decision such as the one Astryd made but as a lifelong animal owner, I’ve been there many times and I’ve stayed with each one ’till the end of one journey and the beginning of another, even greater, one. Hurts…but how can I turn my back on someone who has barked, purred, licked and comforted me during my dark times?
Family Jules- I can’t expand on that any better… Well Said!
Astryd- The way my parents health is slowly going, I may eventually have to do what you did and, I hope I handle it just as well. You made a hard (and proper) call and saw it through to the end and that takes resolve and a ’s’ ton of personal strength! Now your father has begun his next greater journey, free of physical pain. Be assured that as wonderful a journey it may be, all you have to do is close your eyes and he’ll be there to comfort, advise, and be there for you… Hang in Kid!
Astryd:
PeopleGuy said…”Ultimately, you already know the right answer, it’s just a matter of your acceptance of it despite the very difficult circumstances under which it came.”
I went thru very similar situations with my Dad 10 years ago and a very close friend and mentor a month ago. Both suffered terribly with cancer and failing bodies. Both went from being strong, brilliant, powerful men to losing 2/3rds of their weight, lying in bed hooked up to tubes and hoses, unable to even take their own breaths and not being able to lift an arm off the bed. Both had known the time was coming and prepared their families to be able to make the right decision (and who would know better than he who endures the pain and fear and reality of the body failing him). Both, at the end, waited for their adult children to arrive at their bedsides. Both families were able to say, with the deepest, I repeat the DEEPEST OF LOVE and respect and honor, and sympathy for the horrible suffering endured, that it was ok to go now, that we all understand. After we each gently whispered that to my Dad, and expressed our love, he opened his eyes for the first time in two weeks, looked at each of us, and passed away with a smile on his face…we’d almost forgotten what it looked like to see him smile.
Your Dad is still very near to you…He’s in your heart, he’s throughout all of you. He helped make you who you are, and believe me, you will think of him everyday. You will HEAR him in your head everyday as you make life’s decisions– ‘What would Dad want me to do here?…’ You’ve probably always done that, but know it will be kinda welcome.
I’ve been entertained and amused (and –shocked[!]) by you for many months, and I’ve read about how you’ve had to deal with your Dad. You’ve done great. He must be very proud of you. And judging by what we know of you, he did a fine job, too.
Hang in there, time will soften the jagged edges of all of this for you.
So… just how wide and fast is a lightning bolt?
:?: I get all teary-eyed reading all your responses, comments and support. They are very touching and reassuring. Thank you all so much for helping me through this. :D
Meridew-I’ll save you a spot on the watertower. I’ll bring the beer and ammo, you bring the lawnchairs and finger sandwiches… :D
AnnieB-…sorely
missed?
Lake Effect-I shock you?! Really?!
Drusky & all-Death is inevitable but death is simply a word that people fear. Consider it more a transition, a right of passage, a…metamorphosis in which we abandon our physical human shell/cacoon to enter our more eternal spiritual world. In birth you leave your mother’s body to enter a temporary physical world in which you grow strong and (hopefully) mature, learn life’s lessons and prepare to move on to a more enlightened…glamorous…beautiful and fulfilling…state of being. Until then some of us become attached and lose sight of that to which I say, I’ll pray for your parents’ (and loved ones’) health and fully blessed lives. If and when you need a shoulder to lean on (or a bosom to cry into), you can count on me. :D
You’d have to ask Howard on that one.
First parts go to Astryd…..
I am sorry about your loss. It’s never easy, and honestly, you did what you thought was right….you acted with your heart and that is what matters. No one should ever have to make a decision like that….
My spirit is with you…..
Now on a lighter note…..yes I think you are a Mexican Goddess……….and about the cherries, strawberries, and chocolate……………..I’ll bring the whipped cream……….
And as for you, Bjorn Almighty…….I’ll follow you, but I’m not walking anywhere………
I haven’t lost my parents yet (thankfully) but I think you have it right, Astryd. Death can seem scary, not knowing for sure where it leads, but if we believe in something, like the love and spirit of the dearly departed, then it doesn’t seem that bad. It can even help us cope better. After all, death is part of the natural order of things and happens in its own time.
Take care, sweetheart!
Astryd-
‘Shocked’ - I meant that in the nicest and most wonderful way!
…and I’m always excitedly anticipating the next time…
> BTW- Here’s a neat little poem that has gotten me thru your current situation many times… http://www.hospicenet.org/html/read3.html