#life

The Upside Down World ~ The Blog

Dec 10, 2016
1 min

Welcome to the Apocalypse, Peeps

I’ve been seeing this meme floating around and it’s incredibly apropos for the times we live in. The Greek word for “apocalypse” is to unveil or reveal. Welcome to the apocalypse, peeps. We’re going to be alright. It just takes a bit to work all the mucky stuff out of the system. Be good to each other, k? Pass It On! Tweet Email More Print Share on Tumblr WhatsApp #apocalypse #spirituality #love #life #revelation

Dec 10, 2016
1 min

Staying Safe Among Snakes

One of the things I learned back in college which has helped to keep me safe among snakes for decades now is that sociopaths will pressure you into doing something you are uncomfortable with as a prelude to abuse. It will frequently be something which seems small or which another person might do without thinking, but it will be something that you have some unease about. Once you have done one thing you are uncomfortable with, the sociopath knows that it will be easier to pres

Dec 9, 2016
1 min

#stopempoweringsociopaths

There are sociopaths among us. And if we pretend that there are not, if we insist that everyone just assume the best and look for the good no matter the evidence, we leave ourselves vulnerable to being manipulated by them. Do you know how you dis-empower sociopaths? You make it impossible for them to act on their sociopathic tendencies without being detected. You don’t dismiss or minimize sociopathic behavior. You ask people to act only in ways which are incompatible with soc

Dec 9, 2016
1 min

If you really want to love people . . .

If you really want to love people, probably the most important thing you can do is learn to recognize when someone is in pain. This isn’t as easy as it sounds. Pain often sounds like anger, like a bad attitude, like defensiveness, like hostility, like self-pity or withdrawal. But if you respond to the pain underneath and offer patient grace for the anger, attitude, hostility and the rest, you will be one of those rare individuals who loves people when they need it most. Pass

Dec 8, 2016
3 min

Wait – I thought Racial Discrimination Was Illegal. Silly Me

Very early in his career, my (African American) husband was on a temp-to-hire job doing complex data analysis – something he excels at. He had a 60 day review which was outstanding and his boss commented on how quickly he was performing as well or better than long time employees in the same position. Typically the 90 day trail period they put new employees through was just to evaluate if they had the capability of learning how to do the work. A few days later, someone left an

Dec 8, 2016
2 min

In Which I Own the Libraturd Title

I’ve avoided nearly all hot-button cultural and political topics around here for many years now. And I don’t write screeds about how terrible other people’s theology or morality is. Yet, somehow, the overwhelming majority of people who have responded to my writing are not, shall we say, politically conservative. I used to be conservative, but reading the bible has a funny way of changing that, it seems. These days I’m a pretty flaming progressive. I’ll go back to being a con

Nov 22, 2016
4 min

Thanksgiving Family Survival Guide – 2016 Edition

Such a pretty picture. Now imagine that they all hate each other. An oldie but a goody! BTW, if you read these and know exactly what I’m talking about when it comes to family, you are one of the people I wrote The Upside Down World’s Guide to Enjoying the Hard Life for. It’s a collection of enlightening essays for thinking better, being better and growing where you’re planted. Even if where you’re planted is a, um, lacking in certain nutrients required for proper growth. (I

Jul 11, 2016
4 min

His Eye Is On the Party Sparrow

Last night when I sat down for my bedtime prayer/meditation, the face of the chaplain who runs the chapel at the local truck stop came to mind very clearly and I heard God say, “I want you to go talk to Tim.” (Tim’s the name of the chaplain.) So I was like, “ok, but tomorrow’s Monday and Tim’s not going to be at the chapel.” God says, “don’t worry about it. I’ll arrange everything.” Well, alrighty then. So I continued with my prayer/meditation time wondering why God wanted m

Apr 8, 2016
1 min

The Beauty I See In You

More about this poem here. Pass It On! Tweet Email More Print Share on Tumblr WhatsApp #life #love #memes #poetry

Feb 11, 2016
5 min

Of Strange Gardens and People Living Underground

About 5 years ago, I had the same vivid dream, three nights in a row. In the dream, the world was watched over by a totalitarian power which monitored your every move and word. There was a lot of fear and tension because getting caught saying or doing the wrong thing could get you hunted down and punished. Moving about out in the open was risky, so when I found a couple of orphaned, abandoned children out on the streets, I gathered them up and took them with me in order to pr

Jul 28, 2015
8 min

Good Luck With That “Normal” Thing

Perhaps you have heard that I have some children. Entirely more than a respectable woman ought to have, in fact. I have even heard tell that there are those who point to my old woman living in a shoe lifestyle as evidence that I may be a bit touched in the head. Sad. But true. Fortunately for me, it turns out that being a bit touched in the head is pretty much a prerequisite for good parenting, so it’s all worked out just fine. At any rate, two of my children are currently ma

May 4, 2015
4 min

Why You Should Always, Always, Always Listen to Your Heart

Prior to that, it was believed that the seat of thought, emotion and will was the heart. Which actually makes sense because if you’ve ever paid attention, we feel emotions in our bodies – particularly around our chest. Thoughts quickly follow from emotions and our will is determined between the two. Today we think of the heart as symbolic of our emotions, but in the Egyptian, Greek and Roman worlds, the heart was the center of not just emotion, but of thought and will as well

Apr 30, 2015
4 min

How to Recognize a Brother or Sister in Christ

I have met some of the coolest people while writing this blog. One of these days, I’m going to have to share the story of how God sent some of them to help catch me at the end of my fall last summer. Based on my experience with my readers, I have to assume that if you are reading my blog, you’re probably a pretty amazing person. Or at least, I would think so. And really, isn’t that all that counts? (That was a joke, btw. Hopefully you laughed. The test audience in my head fou

Mar 15, 2015
2 min

Let’s Talk About the Scary Atheists

(Some) American Christians are well know for their fear of various boogeymen. Muslims, feminists, the anti-Christ, abortion rights supporters, black thugs, homosexuals, evolutionists, liberals, atheists, President Obama. (Some) American Christians have been faithfully loud and predictable in their incessant warnings, condemnations and obsessive fear of all these terrible, frightful boogeymen. It is rather odd, given that Jesus said his followers would be known by their good d

Mar 12, 2015
6 min

Me and That Judging Thing

I’ve written a couple of times about what I call “the hardest, best spiritual discipline I’ve ever tried” – that being not judging. Now, this is not something that came naturally to me, to say the least. I’ve always been pretty tolerant and laid-back, but let’s face it; some people are idiots. Some situations are so ridiculous that you pretty much have to be in a permanently drug-addled state not to look at them and say, “really? WTF is wrong with you people?” There’s a reaso

Mar 9, 2015
5 min

The Story I Tell Myself

One day a man was out and about, minding his own business, tending to his own affairs. when life showed up in a foul mood, with obviously ill intentions. The man ducked into the nearest doorway, hoping to lay low until life passed by and took its wrath out on some other unfortunate soul. To his horror, instead of passing by, life pulled open the door and started bearing down on the man. Quickly, the man retreated further into the building he had tried to take refuge in, hopin

Mar 5, 2015
2 min

I Think I Can Do This

I have got to be one of the worst bloggers out there. I post a lot, I post a little, I post irregularly, repeat posts, post so often you can’t keep up, post so infrequently you wonder if they’ve finely put me in a corner with a straight jacket. But, much like toe fungus, I do keep coming back. And I think I’m finally ready to come back from my latest bought of silence. Maybe. Ask me again in a week – I might change my mind again. So, call your friends, notify the media, sit b

Jan 20, 2015
1 min

Patience, According to Da Vinci

–Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) Artist, architect and engineer Pass It On! Tweet Email More Print Share on Tumblr WhatsApp #quotes #patience #inspirationalquotes #enjoylife #life #daVinci #inspiration

Jan 18, 2015
3 min

The Mystery of Faith

“Go that way! Towards the sun.” I always wondered about faith. Evangelicals say that you have to choose to have it. Calvinists say that you are predestined to either have it or not. It’s a free gift that you cannot earn. But you have to nurture and hang onto it. Catholics and Orthodox Christians practice it with rituals. So many contradictory ideas. What I have learned is that faith is the little voice that pops up when you are discouraged or even despairing and points

Jan 1, 2015
4 min

The New Year’s Resolution That Will Actually Make Your Life Better

The other day I read an article which advised that the key to keeping this year’s resolutions was to set up specific targets. Like “I will exercise 3 times a week and lose 25 lbs by April 1.” Ahahahahahahahahahahahaha! Seriously. That’s what it said. Like the two are related. Let me tell you how this really works. I’m not thin. But I do have standards: my belly must not poke out past my boobs. Having and nursing 5 kids has given me some wiggle room to work with, but a