Abigail

Herbal if your not up for planning it, Rascal and I will. We had a great time at the Michigan gathering and our Aaron's hit it off big time. They are dying to see each other again. Aaron and Jacob are definitely going to hold us to attending this year, so we have to move it a little closer to Michigan. I like Indiana or Kentucky - but will wait to hear from you and Rascal so we can plan this thing out.

Pictures are in the pictures forum - they will tell the story just fine. :)-->

or if ya don't know how to do the private topic things - email me at abigail0900@yahoo.com

Or come chat - but I'll only be there another 10 minutes or so

Big Rapids - check your private topics, I'll try to put a link there for ya

Mr. Hammeroni, you a Michigander too? Are ya gonna come the the Bennigan's Gig this Friday?

old news it may be - but the story was printed or reprinted, cause I read it this morning too. CNN or MSNBC, can't remember which. 58 years? Wow - now there is an interesting double standard. Here in Michigan a guy can beat his wife or rape his daughter's friends and be free again in a matter of weeks.

I agree with Steve and Satori. There are differences, but that doesn't mean adults should have different consequences based on gender. Course these days they may shackle the man immediately, but usually he is free again very soon.

"As with most everything, it depends on the people involved... one of the local hospices took care of my dad his last few months... their sole focus was to make him comfortable and also give my mom a break... and they were wonderful at that and took care of everything when he did pass... my experience with them was nothing but positive... it just depends on the "practitioners" I guess..." Tom, that was part of my point, I'm glad someone saw it. Guess I wasn't too clear. My issues with hospice when my mom was dying weren't about hospice being bad, or even that the practitioner was bad. It was about ME not wanting to let go of my mom. Me being unable to accept that she was dying. What hospice did for her was probably to her benefit - she was in a lot of pain even with all the morphine she was getting. It probably was best for her to let go, but I didn't want to let go. As someone who works in medical malpractice defense, I can guarantee you, you should not take a doctor's word at face value without putting your own time and research into it. The same is true of any alternative medicines. However, I would likewise not dismiss alternative methods simply because they are alternative. I know next to nothing about the practice of reiki - but if it brings comfort to someone in need then more power to it. If it's not for someone else, they should have the right to refuse it. Not very complicated really.

When you are sick - whatever brings comfort is a blessing, whether it is scientific or not. However, it should be with the approval of the person who is sick, or it won't bring comfort anyway. We had hospice involved when my mom was dying. I HATED them. Not because there is anything inherently wrong with hospice, but because they kept trying to convince my mom to quit fighting and let go. I didn't want her to quit fighting and let go - I wanted her to fight and live.

We of course would love to come, if we can pull everything together. With the luck we've had so far, can't make any promises. It would help if you moved it closer to Michigan, like say Ohio or even Kentucky could be an improvement. :D-->

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This thread is just wonderful! I've been trying to figure out how to work breakfast into my day. I think I'll try the yogurt smoothie with bananas and/or blueberrys. :)--> Another good way to season up the vegies without the salt or oils is Ms. Dash original season salt and/or a few dashes of vinegar without the oil. Cowgirl, I live about two hours from the Detroit airport. Are you going there?

I think we can vent and tell our stories without naming names. What if the person in your story is no longer in TWI and is suffering terrible guilt or shame over what they did in the name of TWI? I think many of us can relate to that on some level or another. What if that person is a Greasespotter, but they wish to keep their identity anonymous? They can't publicly apologize without revealing who they are. I think the guidelines are good. If they are in an upper leadership position, they are fair game. Otherwise, we don't even know if they are still in, or out and trying to rebuild their lives just like the rest of us.

Wow!! Cowgirl - thank you for taking the time to post all this great information! One cucumber a day, eh? I can probably increase to that, or close to it. I probably eat about 2 a week right now. hmmm maybe I'll have cucumbers for breakfast. Gonna add more broccoli too :)--> It's good in salads. Asparagus I'm all ready probably eating at the appropriate level. I just switched to soy milk in my coffee instead of regular milk. It has far less carbs and fat.

Here's the low down on one of my favorite vegies. I eat them on salads, sauted, or grilled. They fill me up and satisfy my taste buds. MUSHROOMS CONTRIBUTE TO GOOD HEALTH Mushrooms are an ideal food - they contain almost no fat, sugar and salt but are a valuable source of dietary fibre. The fibre in mushrooms will help satisfy hungry slimmers as it gives them something to chew on. Mushrooms add flavour to low salt diets. Less salt may help to reduce the incidence of heart disease, high blood pressure and stroke. VITAMINS Mushrooms are a good source of the B vitamins - niacin, riboflavin, thiamin, folate, vitamin B6, biotin and pantothenic acid. These vitamins are lost when vegetables are cooked in boiling water. However, mushrooms are seldom boiled, so the B vitamins are retained. Niacin helps to control the release of energy from protein, fat and carbohydrate. Riboflavin is also essential for the breakdown of carbohydrate, fat and protein into energy. It is also needed for healthy skin and mucous membranes, especially those in the cornea. Thiamin controls the release of energy from carbohydrate, needed for the normal functioning of the brain and nervous system. Folate is essential for the formation of red and white blood cells in bone marrow. B6 is essential for breaking down protein for use in building new body tissue. Biotin is necessary for the release of energy from fat. Collectively, these B vitamins in mushrooms may help to relieve stress, depression and fatigue. Mushrooms are also one of the few dietary sources of Vitamin D - for strong healthy hair, skin and nails. MINERALS Mushrooms are a good source of the minerals potassium, selenium, copper and phosphorus. Mushrooms contain more potassium than most other vegetables and fruits. This mineral can have a positive effect in lowering blood pressure. Selenium has anti-oxidant properties, rendering harmful free radicals safe and is therefore implicated as an anti-cancer agent. Copper is a vital mineral required to make collagen. Lack of copper is linked with osteoporosis and heart disease. Phosphorus is the companion nutrient to calcium. About 80% is in the bones giving rigidity to the skeleton. PROTEIN Mushrooms are a good source of easily absorbed, high quality vegetable protein, containing more than most other vegetables.

Here's the ones I'm already using, and then I'll do a list of the others that interest me. I'd love it if you could give me the low-down on them. Thanks sooo much Cowgirl Flax seeds [i'm thrilled to see this one, I started using it because I have high triglycerides.] Asparagus broccoli cauliflower cucumbers tomatoes zucchini cayenne garlic olive oil water I'm looking at adding lemon - can use it to flavor my water.

I'd be interested too. I'm down about 3lbs so far, though I am really trying to keep my focus on being health more than losing weight. If I focus on losing weight I get discouraged and give up. I'm not a breakfast eater and that can be a pitfal for me, brecause they say breakfast is so important. So usually around 9:30 I'll munch on a few lowfat triscuits - they are very high in fiber, which is something that has been seriously lacking in my diet. Then for lunch I'll either have a mustard leaf salad with feta cheese dressing (protien and mostly healthy fats) with some flax seed or a tomatoe cucumber salad with parsely and onion (no dressing-just a splash of vinegar) and a small multi grain roll with "I can't believe its not butter). If I crave a nosh in the afternoon (somedays I do somedays I don't - the more water I drink the less likely I am to crave that nosh) I will have a couple more triscuits. Dinner is usually a small portion of whatever meat I've prepared, maybe a small portion of egg noodles, made withou yolk, and LOTS of vegies. . Then if I need a nosh at night I stick with low fat preztels, peanuts, or raisins, and on the weekend only, popcorn. Basically, my goal is to make my calories count. Trying to choose foods with nutritional value. If they are fatty foods, I want them to be the healthy fats, not the saturated ones or the trans. Between eating better, exercising, and taking vitims, I am definitely feeling much much better.

"Ok guys that is well and good and it sounds really nice. But when a woman wants to tell how she feels a lot of times the guys feel like they are being confronted. And walk away. They don't like to share their feelings." AND "If a guy doesn't feel like he's being "confronted," he may feel like he's being bitched at, and again, many times he is." The trick to avoiding this is to "own your problem". Instead of saying "you always" or "you never", you make "I" statements. It may sound sort of cliche but it really makes a huge difference. For example, if I am a neat freak and a messy house drives me crazy but doesn't bother my partner, the problem is mine, not his. So if I start yelling at him about how he never cleans it will just make him defensive. But if I ask for help or say "I'm really bothered by the mess, would you mind doing such and such" it makes all the difference in the world.

Part of what makes losing weight and keeping it off possible is to not diet but to change your lifestyle. That means finding a combination of a healthy diet and exercise routine you can live with. I HATE aerobic exercises - most of them bore me to tears so I won't stick with them. BUT I love the pilates ball combined with weights. That is something I can stick with - it burns calories and builds muscle, which increases metabolism. I have found I enjoy biking with the kids, which also burns calories and builds muscle. I figure in the winter the kids and I will work on karate together. As far as diet goes, I enjoy lots of raw vegetables. I have found that a salad made with mustard greens tastes better than regular lettuce and is more nutricious. Light carbs and sugars, light on the fat, trying to concentrate on healthy fats from nuts and seeds and only a little meat at dinner. My sister - who has recently lost about 40 lbs told me if you are not getting enough calcium then it is harder to lose weight. In addition to vitamin D there are a couple of minerals needed to help your body use the calcium. One is magnesium and I can't remember what the other is. Anyway I am now taking a calcium supplement and a multi-vitamin. In addition, because high tryglicerides and cholesterol are a heredetary problem in my family, I take vitamin E, Fish Oil, and eat flax seed. My goal isn't so much to lose weight as it is to stay healthy and live a long time - I have a lot to live for. I've seen first hand through my mom and sister what obesity can do to a person's health and it isn't pretty. In my mom's case, it was a large factor in her early death. In my sister's case, it landed her in the hospital for almost 2 weeks and I am so very proud of her for how far she has come!

Well if you come through Michigan, you have a place to stay! Email me - Abigail0900@yahoo.com

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How do you know he is not?

You know what I think was the true miracle about Jesus? Not his conception, not his death, and not even the resurrection. What was truly miraculous about Jesus was what he taught and his willingness to stand up for what he believed in. His willingness to go toe to toe with the religous leaders of his day. His willingness to love those who were shunned.

CM, "Although Judaism offers much insight, so do many other religions. Eastern ones most especially." Agreed. I have studied some of Eastern religion, as well as Native American. Judaism just happens to be what I've been looking into most recently, so it is what comes to the forefront of my mind. "What Adam did resulted in death for all. Of which Jesus Christ redeemed Adam and the rest of mankind by what he did." Was it his death that redeemed us? Or his example? Are we literally redeemed right here and now or is redemption in some way hinged upon how we live our lives in this one or at some future time? The questions could be endless. I have very few if any answers, but many many questions and thoughts to consider. "Romans 5:1Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: 2By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God." Again, was it his death that brought this about? Or his example via his life and teachings that NOTHING (not even our own error) can separate us from the love of God. In o5her word, faith. Faith in Gods love for us, His forgiveness towards us. "8But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 9Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. 10For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. 11And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement" And again and again - was it literally his blood, his death? Or was it always that we had atonement but just didn't know it - just didn't "receive it" because we didn't know we could? "12Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: 13(For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law. 14Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam’s transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come" Was it literally Adam's sin that brought death into the world, or is it "sin conciousness", i.e. guilt that brings about death? When Adam "ate of the fruit" he didn't seem bothered by it until he got "caught". Then what does it say he felt? Ashamed! And what is the gift we receive through Jesus? "the gift of righteousness shall reign in life " Sounds like the opposite of guilt and shame. Perhaps the real accomplishment of Jesus is not that he died but WHAT HE TAUGHT? Forgiveness, the realization that we are all human and we all blow it. That there is no shame in being human and that God forgives us, as He created us this way, and so we too should forgive ourselves and each other. To me, this is not a mystical thing, it is just common sense.