Dual

Two subjects in this post :)

Cats---Tigger is our cute kitty. I now, however, understand the phrase "curiosity killed the cat". Cats are endlessly curious. Our cat loves bags and boxes, anything he can get into. He was playing with a hobby lobby bag I had left in the living room on Saturday. Note: the bag had contents, it wasn't heavy but did have a box inside. He put his head through the handle and was spooked by me sticking my head into the room and saying something to Greg. He proceeded--with the bag around his neck--to run behind the couch and under the dining room table. Then, he ran under a chair. The bag became lodged between the legs of the chair and Tigger kept going. Greg and I were on the floor rolling at the humorous sight. However, a couple of minutes later Tigger curled into a ball and started crying very loudly. I had never heard him sound like this; it really broke my heart--he is our child :) We thought he broke his front paw, but it just ended up being scraped on a couple of pads. It was really sad. It was cute, though, to see Greg take care of him. Always thinking fatherhood ;)

Email--I recently received an email that was an excerpt from a interview with Rick Warren. He said some really thought-provoking things, so I pasted some of the interview below. Let me know what you think.

People ask me, What is the purpose of life? And I respond: In a nutshell,
life is preparation for eternity. We were made to last forever, and God
wants us to be with Him in Heaven. One day my heart is going to stop, and
that will be the end of my body-- but not the end of me.

I may live 60 to 100 years on earth, but I am going to spend trillions of
years in eternity. This is the warm-up act - the dress rehearsal.

God wants us to practice on earth what we will do forever in eternity. We
were made by God and for God, and until you figure that out, life isn't
going to make sense.

Life is a series of problems: Either you are in one now, you're just coming
out of one, or you're getting ready to go into another one.

The reason for this is that God is more interested in your character than
your comfort.

God is more interested in making your life holy than He is in making your
life happy. We can be reasonably happy here on earth, but that's not the
goal of life. The goal is to grow in character, in Christ likeness.

The part that hit me the most was the section I italicized, God is more interested in your character than comfort. WOW! When I was little I always pleaded with God to make things easier for my parents. It seemed like there were constant issues with money. Always needing it and never having it. I became angry as I got older. Pleading with God. Saying "he works for you. He does your work. Why can't they ever have it a little easy?" The answer, now, is clear. God wasn't intending for us to be comfortable. For us to lay back and enjoy the ride while on earth. That is why Christianity shouldn't be simple. It shouldn't be easy. So I ask myself, if things are simple for me now, am I on the right path with God? Honestly, probably not, for me. Yes I am allowed a little happiness, like he said, but am I growing in Christ's likeness? Christ wasn't very comfortable on earth.

Home Again

Greg is back from his Mexican Adventures. He was sick the entire time! He started getting a sinus infection on the way down. He would call me a couple times each day and he sounded so pitiful. Then, on the way home, he was throwing up. He came home on a Sunday and was throwing up. So much for the big homecoming I had hoped for ;)

Turns out I know why I gain weight. His first name starts with a G and ends with a g. Seriously. When he was gone, I didn't lay around the house. I kept it clean. I worked out. I cooked all my meals. Now he is home and there isn't an hour I am not on the couch. The house is a disaster. He suggests fast food all the time. He wants sweets more than I do. So, I will place the blame on him.

It is nice to have him home again. I love being married. I am not cut out for the dating scene. I wouldn't want to scour the ends of the earth, including many bars, for the last good guy. No offense to those who do that, but I don't think that I could... I love coming home to someone. I love having someone to talk to about big things and little things. I love having someone to cuddle up with at the end of a busy day--Tigger was a good stand in for ten days though.

I have been a slacker with my reading-like everything else. I am going to get back into it, though. I will update about it when I do.

The most exciting thing for me right now, is that next year Greg and I are planning on going to Mexico, the Mayan Riviera. I am very excited. It will push us to spend wisely and take better care of ourselves. It is sad that only something like that will force us to re-evaluate...

Hope all is well with everyone else. Drop me a note--let me know you are out there :)