CoolWaters

SIGNS THAT YOU MIGHT BE EXPERIENCING MENOPAUSE * You sell your home heating system at a yard sale. (Hot flashes) * The person you sleep with complains about snow piling up on the bed. (Nightsweats) * Your husband jokes that instead of buying a wood stove, he is using you to heat the family room this winter. Rather than just saying you are not amused, you shoot him. (Mood swings) * You write post-it notes with your kid's names on them. (Memory loss) * Your husband chirps, "Hi honey, I'm home." and you reply, "Well, if it isn't Ozzie f*cking Nelson". (Irritability) * The phenobarbital dose that wiped out the Heaven's Gate Cult gives you four hours of decent rest. (Sleeplessness) * You find Guacamole in your hair after a Mexican dinner. (Fatigue) * You change your underwear after every sneeze. (Mild incontinence) * You need Jaws Of Life to help you out of your car after returning home from an Italian restaurant. (Sudden weight gain) * You ask Jiffy Lube to put you up on a hoist. (Dryness) * You take a sudden interest in "Wrestlemania". (Female hormone deficiency) * You're on so much estrogen that you take your Brownie troop on a field trip to Chippendales. (Hormone therapy)

I gotta tell ya...this is the time of life to take all of the pent-up everything you've held onto for all these years and let 'er rip! Harness that "negative" energy and blast the world full in the face with every tirade you've ever wanted to spew. It's so much fun! Then you can look at everybody standing with their mouths agape and say, "Menopause. It's been accepted as a murder defense. Anybody wanna try me?" LMAO!!!!!!!!! Did you see the movie "Fried Green Tomatoes"? TAWANDA! I especially love the scene where Evelyn (Kathy Bates) has finally found her personal power in the parking lot of the grocery store. A couple of young blond chicky babes steal her parking spot and she's had enough. She rams the perky little chicky babe car in the rear until she's rammed it right out of her parking space! Then she says something like, "You may have perky boobs and good hair, but I've got more insurance than you'll ever know to buy!" (That's not it exactly, but that's the basic message.) It's a wonderful menopause movie. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll yell, you'll be in good menopause company. Use the hot flashes to get people to wait on you and do things for you and to get extra breaks at work. Just swoon a bit and whisper with all your pitiful strength, "Menopause. I'm totally at it's mercy." Tee hee! Nobody knows what to do except for those of us who have been there...and most of us will play along 'cause it's sooooooooooo much fun! LMAO!!!! Menopause is also the time to get anything around the house and yard fixed. Believe me, your husband (if he loves you and wants to keep you as his wife) will do anything you want as long as he knows he won't have to be in the same room with you when you're "in a mood"...and as long as you've let loose on him a couple of times just to make sure he understands that your hormones are RAGING OUT OF CONTROL AND YOU'VE GOT THE POWER TO FOCUS THAT RAGE!!!!!!! Tee hee. (This works on neighborhood men, too, for those who aren't married or don't have an SO.) Watch "Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood" as many times as you want...and then get a couple of other menopausal friends together and adopt a few wild rituals of your own. It's great expression of things we can't find words for...and it keeps the males and the young women in your life on their toes and wary of messing with you too much. I, personally, attended and organized/hosted quite a few Howlings. LMAO!!!!!! Adopt a lifestyle of casual nudity. You'll always be able to quickly douse yourself in cold water and nobody will want to visit you unannounced. Saves you having to do too much laundry, too. Hehehehe. You'll find that your sexuality doesn't just bloom, but it explodes into full glory. Vaginal dryness? There's literally thousands of helpful products on the market. Try them out and pick whatever works best for you. (Always test any product (perfume, makeup, lipstick, shampoo, dye, feminine hygiene, whatever) on the inside of your wrist before using it. If you are going to have an allergic reaction of any kind, it will show up there...before you find out in a very painful and embarrassing way.) Last but not least, this is a time in life when women lose all need for "help", "direction", or anything else associated with the "frailty of femininity". It is the most holy and sacred of all things in our lives. Once past this stage, a woman is accepted as a wise sage that should not be questioned or disrespected in any way...if you've played your cards right. Live it to the utmost! LOL! (Can anybody tell I had waaaaaaaaaaay too much fun being menopausal? LOL!)

OK, dudes and dudettes, I gotta say here that there is suffering in life with or without being a follower of Jesus. Christianity is simply a belief system that tells one there is purpose to the suffering...which may make suffering more tolerable. But in becoming more tolerable, suffering may also become expected...or, worse, be held up as "proof" of a special level of favor with divinity...as with the martyrs and the saints glorified throughout history. That's not a good place to be in life, imo. Was God's love and Jesus' sacrifice more than the love and sacrifice of a mother who saves the life of a child at the cost of her own? Even the bible says that God can raise up children out of rocks. The idea that God could never, ever again have the opportunity of having a son like Jesus is not very well thought out...and is even a little ridiculous, imo. So what does that say to me about the Cross of Christ? It tells me that the act was symbolic more than fundamental...that this act, this sacrifice, should be taken as a symbol of what a parent will do to help a child...even if it means choosing one child over others...and this is how much the god of the bible loved his children. Jesus was not, is not, and will not be the only person to be crucified or otherwise put to a horrible death for a calling, a purpose. He was not, is not and will not be the only innocent person to go to death in the place of the guilty. Which is the point where this question becomes even more defined. Must one first believe in the "stain of sin" upon all mankind before one can understand the Cross of Christ? I no longer believe in the "stain of sin". But I do appreciate and understand the symbolism of the Cross of Christ. I am a mother...of course I understand dying for the life of my children! Sometimes one can get too close to the "facts" and not see the whole purpose.

Hmmm, let's see... Rx for diabetes medicine and pain reliever. However, I supplement both with herbs, food management, mild exercise, massage, meditation, visualization, aroma therapy, a long visit to my hottub and naps. ;)--> I was diagnosed diabetic just about 4.5 years ago. With these supplements, my med dosage has dropped to the bare minimum. Yipee! Of course, when the all-out menopause bitchies hit, I go for the chocolate and salt in the form of hot cocoa and popcorn. It's the only thing that'll help. Trust me. ;)-->

When you are ready, WordWolf, you might be interested in taking a gander at the movie "Stigmata". If you can get beyond the corny (imo) Hollywood special effects, the obvious conspiracy theory premise against the Catholic Church, and the twi-ish revulsion at the thought of the dead communicating via the living, then it's a good movie to see if you want to grasp just a part of what being crucified meant to Jesus (as described in the bible). ;)--> Until that movie, I had not been able to grasp the reality of what Jesus was reported to have experienced. After that movie, however, I was so deeply moved in awe and gratitude that I went outside, found a couple of tiny twigs, twined them together in the shape of a cross, and carried that little cross with me in my hands at all times for several weeks. Held it in my hands when I worked, bathed, slept, everything. I still carry it with me in my purse...and I bring it out for inspiration, comfort and worship.

Symbolism is a very interesting study. The cross was symbol in religion long before Jesus was hung on one. The ankh, for example, is often considered to be "the original" cross and signifies, in its simplicity, the physical and eternal life. The loop representing the womb, the elongated part a phallic symbol. Dying to save another is older than Jesus, too, as is the belief in a god-man that rules, protects, gives and takes life, etc. The basic tenets of christianity are the basic tenets of the majority of religions. Love your brother, love your god(s)/goddess(es), serve with thankfulness and charity, do no harm, be willing to give up your life in such love and service to mankind, etc. When one considers what universal message all of these things deliver, one must recognize that it must be very important to love one another even to the point of death. But ya gotta be careful, ya know? I know of some religions that would have one "love" (read "give") to the point of death just because the religion would inherit the property...

Pirate, Words fail me here. My heart and spirit are with you, your wife, the family left behind. In my way, I will reach out to each of you all. ************* Kit...the schools have suicide classes??????? Wow! What ages/grade levels, do you know? ************* Suicide was the "in" thing when I was in high school. I had 9 friends succumb. It was something I got into...and nearly succeeded. Once such a thing is in the mind, it feeds on itself...especially if peers are into it, too. Nothing in particular needs to be "wrong"...but everything in general just adds up a little here, a little there. Depression and desperation are hard to recognize in this busy world of ours. We've somehow learned to "function" on the outside while we are desperately dysfunctional on the inside. It's a by-product of a fast-paced, workaholic, produceaholic society, imo. Take time to smell the roses isn't just a nice-nice fad thing to say...it's important! Believe me...I'm going to talk to my son this evening...check in with him, ya know? He's 17.

The "Cheers" analogy is terrific! GSC is like that a whole lot...in the chummy, hangout style as well as in the drop in after a long absence style. Hiya Ginger...great post! ;)-->

My husband didn't give me permission to show you all my boobs...so please, Pawtucket, don't ruin my fun! ;)-->

Seaspray...

Happy Belated Birthday!

Happy Belated Birthday!

Better late than never...Happy Birthday!

Ginger...

Chwester, your image is not showing because the url you're putting in between the tags is incorrect. Here is a screen shot of the html to make the image of the screen shot show here (there are no spaces at all in the url...it just looks that way because of wrapping text...so don't put any spaces in the url...but there is a space between img and src): :D--> [This message was edited by CoolWaters on June 16, 2003 at 9:21.]

Happy Happy to one and all! :D-->

Beautiful! Did you write this? It is awesome! Thank you for posting this...my hubs teared up. :D-->

Happy Belated Birthday!

Finally decided that I'm no more offended by this than I am by "dumb blonde" jokes. Just had to think about it for awhile. However I would like to say that there are many, many jokes/satires/etc. that go beyond funny...and that I don't laugh at those.

I don't think I was offended by this thread...but I'm not sure because of the turn it took when someone pointed out that other groups could be made fun of, too. Maybe that's just me. It is uncomfortable to be laughed at, but I know people do laugh at me. Of course, I'd rather be laughed at than taunted, teased, tormented, etc. I tell you what, though...I'd go to that beach if I could afford it! In a heart beat. The assumption that fat people would go to a beach just to eat is kinda weird, though. I'd go to that beach so that I would be able to swim without the sniggers, jeers, torments, etc. I am a very good swimmer. Swimming is the absolute best exercise for someone of my size because it is low impact and does not endanger the joints...and even just languid "dog-paddling" or floating is a whole lot more exercise than the quarter block I am able to walk without extreme pain. Swimming is also very relaxing for me...I am a water child and to be wholly in the water is nearly a religious experience for me.

Thank you Mandii. :)-->

Kit, Dot, Mark, vickles...thank you very much. :D--> Our day was so very wonderful. It was the first day in many years that forgiveness had come back into our relationship.

Thank you very much, act2. :)-->

Dear Bill (my hubs), Today it is 23 years that we've been married. It hasn't been easy, has it? We started our marriage in twi. We nearly ended our marriage because of twi or twi offshoots. We've been through heart attacks, cancer, car wrecks, loss of children, repeating of cyclic behavior we both learned while growing up, homelessness, extreme poverty, separations, therapy, loss of extended family members, and a whole bunch of crap. Not too long ago I told you that I didn't know if I ever loved you...or if you ever loved me. Bill, on this our anniversary, I am publicly telling you I'm sorry for all of the sorrow I've ever brought into your life...and I forgive you for any sorrow you've brought into mine. I am also publicly telling you Thank You. Thank you for staying around when it would have been much simpler and less sorrowful for you to have sought another life. Thank you for all the work you've done and are doing to make things better for all of us. Thank you for helping me to raise Katy and staying to raise Micah. Thank you for being the only and the best Grandpa Renee has now. Thank you for praying when you knew there was nothing else to do. Thank you for showing me this beautiful country. Thank you for never letting me get set in my fears. Thank you for cheering me on when I'm scared to death of doing something. Thank you for our home. Thank you for going to work every day at a job where you aren't appreciated and that you can't stand. Thank you for keeping our dreams in mind. Thank you for planning on growing old together. We don't have much. I can't take you to dinner tonight. You can't have flowers delivered to me. But, Bill, we do have each other, our children, and now our granddaughter. It's all I've ever wanted. Thank you. I love you...and I know you love me. And... Happy Anniversary, baby...got you on my mind.

Johnny...you're in Alaska? Wow. What part, if you don't mind me asking. My daughter and I used to live with the Mo (when she was married to S****)...back in the bad old days of my twi life. Our son was born in Palmer, but I don't recognize the folks names you mentioned. Do you know if Annie (don't remember her last name) and her husband are still in Wasilla? Or Chuck and Lorna P*** in Big Lake? Do you ever talk to Mike? I would love to hear from/about any of these folks.