Belated Merry Christmas

Christmas came and went with astonishing speed, considering how long the day felt. We finally got to go home! And... I had my first experience missing my flight. I won't go into details (mostly because it was embarrassing, even if it wasn't entirely our fault); the good news is that we actually did make it on to the next flight, possibly the only two standby passengers to do so. Christmas miracle!

Christmas day we started out with a baby blessing... we got up early because the Kiesters were performing a song, so we were going to rehearse with the pianist. However, five minutes before leaving, baby decided to have a diaper explosion - all over her little blessing dress. As it was, we made it just barely before church started. After church, we waited for the rest of Gary's family to come, ate brunch, and opened presents. The favorite present was at the end - lightsabers. :D Complete with motion-activated noises, including impact.

Next, we went to my family's house. There are advantages and disadvantages to having our families so close, but overall I appreciate being able to have two Christmases. We opened presents and ate a yummy dinner. Baby was much admired (though usually inconveniently hungry). Gary got sucked into a game of Munchkin while I chatted with Mom. We were up quite late... well, just past midnight, I think, but we had been getting tired around 8.

The next few days passed way too quickly, eating and visiting family and eating... Wednesday I was pretty sick, so Gary was a champ and packed everything. (Gary is awesome like that.) We only had a few things we couldn't fit in our bags, one of which is a griddle that I might have used for dinner tonight. Good thing I've learned how to do without it so far. I'm still getting over being sick... I might have gotten some stomach bug or possibly food poisoning. I just hope my digestive system rights itself quickly, because my poor baby is acting hungry all the time, like she's not getting enough milk. :-(

And, for the record, I still don't know what I'm doing about the baby and school (which starts, oh, next week), but the good news is I'm actually studying a little for an exemption test. Almost a quarter of the way done!...

My Happy Place

As everyone surely knows, being a mom isn't all sunshine and roses. However, yesterday wasn't going so well. Baby had been asleep a lot, so it seemed like I should be getting a lot done. But I wasn't. Then, she started to wake up and wasn't screaming. We played and she smiled and I just felt so much better! I only thought having her asleep was a good thing. I had missed her cooing and her smiles and her squirming.

Just wanted to give a shout out to my happy, sweet baby. :-)

Born this way?

I'll try to make this rant as short as possible, since it's on a controversial topic, and I don't like to fan fires.

People seem to think that homosexuals are born with same-sex attraction and thus God meant for them to be that way. I don't know whether or not they are born that way; to me, that is not the issue.

I would just like to take a moment to think about other things people are born with. Clef palates. Misshapen limbs. Genetic diseases. OCD. HIV. Sometimes birth defects are due to direct actions of the mother, such as HIV or fetal alcohol syndrome. Most of the time, though, there is no prevention.

Also, consider those who have chemical imbalances in the brain leading to depression. Some have severe aggression. Something in their genetic makeup led them to be who they are, good and bad.

So... does God intend them to be that way?

Does God intend for me to stay the same way I am now?

He wants us to become perfected through Jesus Christ. Is it easy? It was never meant to be. Most of us at some point don't like or understand what God asks us to do. That doesn't make it okay to assume we know better than God.

I know too many homosexual people to think they are inherently evil or anything ridiculous like that. They are no different than me, except that they have different demons to deal with. The trouble is, most of the world is convinced that those feelings are perfectly fine. I know it was a struggle for those I know to accept that they were having feelings for someone of their own sex, and it certainly isn't easy in our society to live that way. I would never try to belittle the challenges of those I love.

But God has made it clear that acting on homosexual feelings is not in His plan. Marriage is not meant for a man and a man or a woman and a woman. I think I know a few reasons, though I still don't completely understand why.

God never intended us to stay as we were when we were born. That's why we learn and grow.

I'm going to stop while I can. My last thought, though, is that God also never intended for us to hate our brothers and sisters. Only to love and to help.