A Collection of Thoughts

There were several topics that I wanted to blog about today, but couldn't decide on only one, so I just thought this would be a random post of a collection of my thoughts.  So, here we go.

First of all, I was watching Julie & Julia last night for the first time.  It is quite a delightful movie, and when Julie Powell found out that Julia Child was not fond of her blog, I began to think about blogging.  Personally, I have had wonderful experiences blogging.  Yes, there have been times when people have left somewhat hateful, or at least disheartening comments on my blog, but for the most part, my comments are positive.  I have met and corresponded with some wonderful people and made a few delightful new friends who have been an inspiration in my life.  Also, unlike Julie Powell, my favorite author, Mark Childress, once commented on my blog when I wrote about what an admirer I was of his writing.  It was truly a thrill.  I've had authors and poets write to me, and I have always enjoyed reading what they send me. I am currently reading one of those books right now,  Shirts and Skins by Jeffrey Luscombe, The Gay Groom.  And what a delightful book it is.  I can't wait to finish it and review it for all of you.

Next on my list of thoughts is to answer a few comments from my post yesterday "Jesus Was a Capricorn." For the Anonymous commenter who said he or she was one of those " Conservative Republicans" I described, I wanted to say that I agree with you completely that I too am "concerned that so many of the beliefs on BOTH sides of the aisle (conservative and liberal) have more to do with following the crowd lined up behind their banner vs. seeking, listening and discerning what the truth is and forming their own views and opinions based on that."  I honestly think that for the majority of Americans, neither the Republican nor Democratic Party represent our beliefs anymore.  They both have some very loud voices that drown out the moderates of America.  I firmly believe that we should treat others as we want to be treated and neither party really takes that into consideration.  They are far too concerned about what they don't like and what everyone else is doing wrong than to have any helpful solutions.  We need more positive politics.  The recent party conventions were more about negative politics than positive politics.

And to Silvereagle, I want to thank you for your encouraging words.  Jay, I know that I am preaching to the choir, but I also think that if we know our arguments better and and more informed about the truth, then we are better prepared to give rebuttals to those who fight against us. Will, I think that instead of thinking of them as 2,000 year old prejudices, we should think of them as morals that have been handed down through history from the beginning of mankind.  Since the first people decided to believe in an afterlife, we have placed human morals, those basic fundamentals of the laws of nature and nature's God, as the basic tenements of reaching a peaceful afterlife.  And, GP, you are absolutely correct about the Apocrypha, but many of those early writings cannot be traced to the first century and are often from the 3rd, 4th, or 5th centuries.  While some of them possibly should have been included, there is not enough of those books that have survived to add to the Biblical cannon.  When we reach the afterlife, our questions will be answered.

I also wanted to remind you guys that I do have jewelry for sale on Etsy.com.  If there is something that you like and would like somewhat differently from what is described in the listings, then let me know, and I can custom make something for you.  I have also added a few new items to my listings, so check it out, and get to buying, LOL.

Finally, I wanted to say, "It's finally here."  The fall season has made it.  We had our first mild day in what seems like forever.  It was very nice to finally walk outside and not break out into a sweat because of the heat and humidity.  It was actually pleasant.  Fall is still officially a couple of weeks away, but at least we are getting a small respite from the heat.  It may not last long, but I can at least hold out hope.

So there are my random thoughts for today.

P.S. The picture above has nothing to do with anything in this post but is merely another piece of randomness.  I just thought the picture was so cute and wanted to share it with you.