Typical Day full of Atheism and Treasures!

Typical day at the Elam house. Typical as in....you just never know what is going to happen. My day started out as usual, but then took a detour when the school called me to come pick up David as they believed his stomach was upset. I will let you use your imagination on what might have brought them to this conclusion. Any way....so I pick him up....bring him home and he hasn't stopped for a second. Does he look particularly sick to you? Me neither. But it is what it is. Being that he is feeling pretty darn good....there is no snuggle time, so I thought I would make the most of my afternoon and clean. Obviously that plan took a detour too.....cause look what I am doing.

Don't worry....I will clean after I blog. Priorities!!!! So back to the important stuff. Today is frigid and I am really NOT liking the snow I have seen today. Luckily tomorrow is suppose to be in the 50's which should nicely counteract any of today's nastiness. Sunday will be the good day though. It is suppose to be 70 with thunderstorms. I can almost smell spring.



So the other day I mentioned that someone asked me if there was anything that I wouldn't blog about? Well....actually the conversation was much more than that....and after thinking about it these last couple of days...I think I am going to address it.

Normally when I am on fb....I go on as being offline. It is not that I don't want to talk to people....but it is usually a case of I am in a hurry.....I want to check things out and get off. If someone starts talking to me, I will often have to cut them off abruptly....and I just don't want to do that. So being offline helps me to avoid that. However...the other evening I went on without the cover of offline and I got into quite the conversation. It was with a friend of mine who is an atheist. Now before I go further let me clarify that I have friends of many different beliefs.....everything from atheist to agnostics, Christians, Jews, Muslim and even a pagan thrown in for good measure. With many of these people I have had religious conversations. Often it has been non-religious vs. religious, or spiritual vs. religious, and on occasion.....being religious but not big on religion. Funny enough....some of my biggest conversations/debates have been with other Christians. It seems to be a popular belief among protestants that Catholics are not Christians. I love these conversations and always find that at the end of one of them...I have learned so much. However....I try never to stomp on anothers belief (or non-belief) whatever the case maybe and I always try to keep the conversation respectful.

Anyway....back to my conversation the other night. This individual messaged me after reading one of my blogs (which one....I have no idea), but she asked me if there was nothing that I wouldn't blog about. I told her....not much. Then she went on to say that she had read most of my blogs and they all seemed to have the theme of God in them. So why she wondered, would I take perfectly good writing (I am assuming this was a backward compliment) and make God a reoccurring theme? And then she asked....do I really believe all the BS (her words not mine) about God and all? After all....I seemed like a fairly intelligent person (another one of those....I'm not sure if it is a compliment or not remarks) so how could I possibly buy into all of this? And if there is a God who is suppose to be all knowing, loving, and perfect....then how come there are wars, disease, murders and all the other fun stuff in the world? How come there are people that claim to be followers of this Man of Perfection and yet they are liars, hypocrites and haters? Bottom line..."how can any thinking person put such stock in what appears to be nothing more than a myth?"

The message caught me off guard as she and I have had many conversations and nothing like this ever came out. It was as if her reading my blog had triggered either anger, or questions, or a combination of the two. The time was late and my mind was blurry...and although I love to give my opinion on just about anything....I know that there are times when less is more. So I told my friend that I was too tired to address all of her query's that night....but to keep reading my blog and soon she would see my answers. Well.....being a woman of my word....here they are.

First of all dear friend....while I respect your choice to be an atheist....I will tell you that I feel that atheism is the most narrow minded of beliefs. Atheism rules out so many possibilities and gives you nothing but absolutes and anyone who has lived knows that life is anything but absolutes. Atheism is a belief that holds no hope for anything but the here and now and gives you nothing to fall back on in times of loss, anguish or trouble.

As for God being perfect and the world not....well you are blaming Him for human imperfection. To put it in the simplest of terms....God is like a parent....much older and wiser than His children. He put us here and gave us all the same tools but what we choose to do with them is on us...not Him. Just as when we have children....we give them the tools they need to be the best they can be. However....if your grown son robs a bank or your grown daughter decides to drink and drive and then kills someone....is that your fault? Are you to blame for their bad choices? God did not create war, murder or hate....man did. So why is God to take the rap for our failings? God created man, but man created the very things you seem to what to blame God for. But like all loving parents....all we have to do is turn to God in our times of trouble or regret and He is ALWAYS there for us willing to forgive any wrong doing and help us in anyway that is in our best interest.

Far be it from me to tell you that you are wrong.....as you will continue to believe the way you believe....until you don't believe that way anymore. But as for me....I would much rather believe and then die and find out there is no God....than to not believe and then die and find out there is! So as promised....this is my answer.

Well....it is that time again. Let the 30 Day Challenge continue.

Day 07 - A picture of your most treasured item.

As usual this won't be just one picture.....it will be several because I have several items that I treasure....but they are all from the same family. The ring family.

My first item is very special to me and I wear it everyday. It is Tim's wedding ring. The funny thing was that Tim was suppose to be buried with his ring on.  The day of the funeral the funeral director gave me a packet of stuff. I thought it was just paperwork but when I got it home....Tim's ring was in it. I was immediately relieved. I put it on my thumb and I have worn it everyday since. It is as if a part of Tim is always with me.

The next are my wedding set. They are not the originals that I was married with. The originals were thin and of course second hand....which I was fine with, but Tim not so much. So I was given these our first Christmas as man and wife. He knew I had always wanted a wide band, so he made sure I got one. I no longer wear these, but I will always treasure them.

This one is my mothers wedding band. After my mom and dad were divorced (I was in the third grade), Dad for whatever reason ended up with both their bands. I think they were fairly cheap bands (seems like I remember hearing K-Mart), but I wanted Mom's. I had told my dad for years that I wanted it and he always said. Someday. Not sure why he held onto it and his own, but then I just never really understood that relationship at all. Anyway....after thinking they were lost, apparently after Mom died he found them. He gave his to my brother and he gave me Mom's. I am not sure why it means so much to me....but I do cherish it.

Finally we have this ring. My mother designed and had this ring made when she was in her early twenties. Not sure you can tell by the picture....but it is an iris set with diamonds. The diamonds are small but on a sunny day.....they sparkle. Mom always wore this until she got sick and then she put it away. I think her fingers were too thin at the time. She had always told me that someday it would be mine....but I was picturing getting it in my 60's or 70's...not my 40's. On her last visit to the hospital.....everything was shutting down. They were going to have to put a breathing tube in which would require them to sedate her first. Up until that moment she had said...."I will be fine." But then she said...."Lisa...my ring is in the hall drawer....I want you to have it." It was one of the last things she said to me.....and I think then I knew that she wasn't going to be fine. She died several days later on Dec. 22, 2002. I went to her house...got her ring....and there has not been a day since that I have not worn it.

So folks...these are the things I treasure most.