Would you do it?

Today is Good Friday. I didn't fall asleep last night until after 1 am. I just couldn't stop thinking and I had stayed up late talking and joking with my teens. I love and cherish those times and would stay up all night with them if they wanted to. When I went to bed I heard them still talking in their room and it made me smile.

I finally fell asleep by praying. Perhaps prayer is not the correct word. I was reflecting. Reflecting the life and death of Jesus. Thinking about what He lived through the week before He died. Wondering how He did it. How He lived through everything that they put Him through that week.

I went on to wondering what it was like to be him. To grow up and live his life and what he was like. Thinking about my own children and wondering what it would of been like to be the mother to Jesus. Did he know from day one that he was someone special? Making him the perfect child? We know that he wasn't. When he was 12 (same age as Ben) he left his parents to go to the temple. His parents had no idea where he was and searched for him for several days before finding him. Imagine if Ben did that today. If he just left my side while we were out traveling and went to church. I'd call the police and a search would be made far and wide. When he was finally found I'd probably, after hugging him a long time, smack him upside the head for leaving and not telling me where he was going.

Was he a cheeky teen? Towing the line between right and wrong. Staying just this side of wrong, enough to make his mother proud? But crossing the line enough to drive her crazy mad? And when she did get mad did he give her his best smile and say, aww don't be mad mama, I'm sorry. I won't do THAT again, I promise. (THAT being the operative word.)

As an adult (as short as his adult years were) did he ever question his sanity? Can you imagine knowing the things he knew and doing the things he did. Healing people and bringing people back to life. Did he question am I for real? He was human after all with similar thoughts and feelings that we have today.

And back to the week before he died. He was torchered. He was made fun of. Spit on. Probably not fed or given anything to drink. He was offered up and given the chance to be set free but the people stood there in front of him and choose someone else who was a known criminal to be set free. As he stood there, did he plead over and over in his head: please choose me, please choose me I didn't do anything wrong. I don't want to die. He had to carry his own cross, knowing he would hang from it and die.

Can you for one moment put yourself in his shoes? The fear you would feel! The sadness and loneliness. He was a human. He was just like you or me, he didn't have super human strength. I think I would of wished myself dead long before I actually died.

To live through that week and then to be stripped down to nothing and nailed to a cross. To hang there beaten and bruised, starving and thirsty. To hang from nails, it's horrifying!

Being Catholic, Holy week is tough for me. I rarely go to the services during Holy week. I don't like them. It's hard for me to think about reliving the week Jesus had before he died. And the cruelty that he was put through. Maybe it's because I try to apply today's world to what he went through and how no one has to do that now. I think back then it was common practice to treat people that way. Where today we kill the most horrifying people by peacefully putting them to sleep. People who have done the most heinous things are put to death with a gentle injection. with respect. Though I don't belive they should be killed, it's not our right or place to take the life of another, but they also don't deserve the life that they live in prison (I think it's too good). But that's for a different blog.

I'm glad that Holy week is over. And I'll be glad when today is done. I love Holy Saturday and Easter. It's over cast and nasty looking outside. It has rained and stormed nearly every Good Friday that I can remember. I love it when it rains on Good Friday. It makes me feel better.

On a completely unrelated note, it's my Dad's birthday today. It's a lousy day to have birthday. He can't have meat or even really eat. Today is a day of fasting and abstinence. Even though today is not a good day to celebrate much of anything, I celebrate him and I am thankful for him. I love you Daddy, Happy Day!

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From socks to Leggies

How to turn this:


Into this:


Step one: find a pair of knee high socks. I get most of mine on ebay but I've also gotten them at goodwill and Walmart

Step two: Cut the foot off the sock:


You now have 2 pieces:


Step three: trim up the foot part (the arch of the sock) by cutting off the heal and toe:


Also make sure that the arch part is squared up as this will make it easier for you to sew. The best way to do this is to fold the tube of sock top to bottom and side to side to make sure there aren't any pieces longer then others. Also make sure both tubes from each sock are the same size!


Step 4: Trim about a 3/4 of an inch off of the arch of the sock. This part will be your cuff and if not trimmed smaller will make ruffle rather then a cuff.


These are the only two pieces you need to make your leggies all other parts can be thrown away:


Step 5: take your 4 parts (for both socks) to the sewing machine. using the arch parts of the sock, put right sides together so that you are looking at what was once the inside of the sock. Make sure that you have the tube as it once was, as if to put it on your foot. Line up your raw edges. Sew raw edges 1/4 of an inche from edge. I use a zig zag sticth to give it more stretch and because it's more forgiving. If you don't have a sewing machine you could whip stitch the seams.


Step 6: (forgive me I'm having a hard time putting this part into words) Turn the tube you just created so that the top and bottom openings match up. this makes your tube half the height it was and your seams are now inside the cuff you have created. (see pictures, it's worth at least 30 more words)


Step 7: Line up your cuff and the top part of the sock so that the nice folded edge of the cuff points towards the raw edge of the sock (see picture) put your hand inside of the cuff and grab the raw edge of the top part of the sock and put the cuff on the sock (upside down so that the nice edge of the cuff points towards the top of the sock.


Step 8: you should now have 3 raw edges lined up. 2 from the cuff and 1 from the sock. Make sure that all 3 edges line up nicely. you could pin this if you need to. If hand sewing, whip stitch these 3 layers together. If machine sewing, you are going to put these 3 layers under your foot leaving a 1/4 inch seam allowance. Be very careful that you don't catch the other parts of the cuff as you stitch. Stretch the cuff as you sew but don't stretch the sock. make sure your needle is down each time you adjust the sock and cuff. I sew a little bit and put my needle down, stretch the cuff and realine everything every so often. Make sure you back stitch to lock your stitches in or when you put the leggy on your baby, it will come unsewn. When you are done, pull the cuff back down so it's now pointing down and check your seam to make sure you caught the sock all the way around. the sock likes to pop out of your hand and because you are working with 3 layers it's often hard to see.



As you can see, it's not a perfect science and even though I started out with two pairs of socks that are the same, I ended up with one set of leggies shorter then the other.


In my head it's simple but it was hard to put it in words. Feel free to ask questions and I'll try to answer them!!

FAITH, HUMILITY, AND MORALITY

I think that we have lost souls because someone has failed them. Not taught faith, not opened lines of communication. not told them how loved and wonderful they are. Not put the child up on a pedestal so that they may know what it feels like to be important. So their souls have died a little bit a time, leaving them as bitter angry people looking for a reason to release their anger. Go ahead tease me. Make me feel tiny in an effort to make you feel big. Go ahead hate me so I can hate you back. These people lack faith. Faith that there is someone that loves them, needs them and finds them important.

Some people have not been taught humility. They have been put up on such a large pedestal that they think they are the most important person in the world. They think that everyone is beneath them. Not as good as them. Especially those that fall short of perfect. you know the kid with the really thick glasses or the really bad allergies. The fat kid and even the really skinny kid. The kid with the lisp or the nervous child that talks too much. The poor kid who can't wear the name brand clothes. Or even the kid that doesn't want to be like everyone else. The kid that wants to wear plaid with poka dots and does so proudly. You know that kid...they are "different".

The "different child" makes such a great target for those that think they are better then everyone else. But the "different child" is really good at seeing the chinks in the armor of the perfect one. and the perfect one doesn't like it when the different one points them out. So they push and bully and get others to laugh at the different child.

And THEN there are the games, movies and songs that "teach" that when you are angry you can reach out with violence. It makes you feel better. But can we blame the songs, games and TV? I suppose partly. We need to teach morality. Teach the difference between what is right and wrong. I don't think any one of us can sit here and honestly say we have never had the thought "if I could just punch you in the face I'd feel so much better" The difference between thinking and doing is know the difference between what is morally wrong and right.

My own personal faith, humility and morality started with my parents. Knowing that they were there for me. They taught me to put my faith in others but most importantly they taught me to put my faith in God. They taught me that no matter how important I might be, there is always someone more important then I am. They also taught me right from wrong. It started simply by telling me what I could and couldn't do. No it's not ok to hit my brother when I'm angry. Boy did it feel good to haul off and hit him but that didn't make it right. And I admit that I'd push his buttons just so he would push mine back so that I could hit him. Why?? That outlet felt good! But I learned that it was wrong.

I suppose no matter how much we are taught the difference between right and wrong, anger is still around. Sadly gone are the days of school yard fights to iron out the differences between the perfect one and the different one. The times where even we adults silently cheer on the different one to get in a good hit on the perfect one. cheering on the underdog. No one cheers for the underdog any more because now the underdog has a gun and has joined forces with all the other underdogs and we have an army of lost souls looking for revenge.

You see, no matter how perfect you think you are, there will always be someone more perfect then you are which makes you are you ready for this......the different one. Meaning no matter how big you think you are, there will be someone who makes you feel small. Everyone has chinks in their armor. Everyone has things they do or say that makes them different from another. Because we are human and not a single one of us is like another and someone will always find a way to tease you. Which funny enough makes us all the same! Another strange twist is it's usually the most insecure that pray on those that appear to be more insecure then they are in an attempt to make themselves feel better.

It's sad really. That it's hard to see the bigger picture. And that the shape of our current world comes down to a loss of three life lessons: FAITH, HUMILITY, AND MORALITY.

The following is one of my most favorite songs. You might think I am "dating" myself by admitting that this is one of my favorite songs. But I'm not...it was my older brothers songs. I was only 11 when this song was released. :o)

People are People Lyrics
Artist(Band):Depeche Mode

People are people so why should it be
You and I should get along so awfully

So we're different colours
And we're different creeds
And different people have different needs
It's obvious you hate me
Though I've done nothing wrong
I never even met you
So what could I have done

I can't understand
What makes a man
Hate another man
Help me understand

People are people so why should it be
You and I should get along so awfully

Help me understand

Now you're punching and you're kicking
And you're shouting at me
I'm relying on your common decency
So far it hasn't surfaced
But I'm sure it exists
It just takes a while to travel
From your head to your fist

I can't understand
What makes a man
Hate another man

Help me understand