Whispering Wind

I've finally replenished my bank account from way back last year in July when I bought my car and things started going wrong with it. I just stopped spending so much. And it's working!!

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It must be hormones. Earlier in the week I was frantic, stressed, tired, sick. Now I'm optimistic, content, and level-headed. I've transformed from mild-mannered me to Super Me! One quick dash to the bedroom and a single nap later I'm ready to fight the crime of hopelessness. :) Maybe some day I'll be super mom!

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I like manly men, but I hope it won't get this bad. I might have to post bear attack signs around the bedroom! :)

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It's that time of the year, and I've been dragging around a 500 kilogram gorilla all semester long. It's time to shake off the gorilla. It seems he's attached to me, though, and would prefer to give me a good whack to remember him by. Ow.

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When a tornado swept through Monett, Missouri, Lynn Freeman's home was wrecked. "It was a disaster, and it seemed like everything I worked so hard for was gone," said Freeman, 47, who had worked at the local Tyson Foods plant for 23 years. The damage would take six months to repair and she was having a difficult time dealing with her insurance company. Freeman, a Catholic, said she started losing faith. Her pain became clear to her coworkers, and soon to the Reverend Christopher H. Carver, one of the many chaplains that Tyson employs at its branches. One day at work, Carver, who's not only a Tyson chaplain but also a pastor at the nearby Church of the Nazarene, asked Freeman about her troubles. Freeman unburdened herself, and Carver offered to help deal with the insurance companies and contractors. His aid eventually paved the way for Freeman to get her house -- and her faith -- back. "He gave me a spiritual makeover," she says, with gratitude in her voice. "He helped me see that everything would turn out all right -- and he helped me become a believer once again." Such a scenario may be a surprise to many of us who are, on the contrary, discouraged from even breathing the word religion in workplace conversations. And yet, a whole other faith-based work movement is afoot in cubicles across the country. Tyson chief executive officer John Tyson is one of the pioneers. He started transforming his Springdale, Arkansas-based firm, the world's largest meat company, into a faith-friendly corporate giant five years ago. It now has 112 chaplains representing several religions and provides prayer rooms for all of its 114,000 employees; many locations also offer prayer groups or Bible studies. But it's up to the employees to determine what services they want. There's no proselytizing by chaplains or other workers. "Having faith in the workplace is fantastic," Freeman says. "It makes me feel good about my job." No longer content to relegate their faith to the weekends, more Americans are trying to express their religious beliefs from Monday to Friday as well. "For many people, the office has become their community, their family, and they want their faith to be part of it," says David W. Miller, PhD, MDiv, who runs the Center for Faith & Culture at Yale Divinity School, in New Haven, Connecticut, a think tank that helps people incorporate faith into their work. Says Miller, a former IBM executive, "People no longer want to leave their soul in the parking lot."

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I saw a discovery channel show about a family in Arkansas that had 16 children and it inspired me. Not to have 16 children, but to joyfully accept all the blessings that may be bestowed on you, and to cheerfully and diligently work though any difficulties life might throw at you. Of course, a family can look perfect when cameras are around, and can quickly degrade to the chaos most families are familiar with, but I really think that the Duggars are a light of hope in this world of conflict and family dysfunction. Michelle should get the mom of the century award!(As an exciting note, she recently gave birth to the first girl in 8 years, and I'm sure that little Johannah will be a much loved baby by all her older siblings, especially the girls!)They show that even when faced with 8 times the people and personalities and dreams and goals, that all is possible when everyone works together. It puts to shame those who have only one sibling, but can't seem to put aside their selfishness and help one another. It definitely put me to shame. With all my complaining about my rebellious younger sister, I realize that simply giving up all frustration with her and becoming self-giving will do a world of good. While 16 children are a gift from God that I dare not ask for (he gives those kinds of responsibilities to only the most loyal and strong of people, like Jim Bob and Michelle) I am looking forward very much to the day that I can put some of their inspired love, patience, planning, and altruism to work in my own family. For now, I'll work on my sister.

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Need to get out, Need to explore. Spring isn't an easy time for me to stay put and go through my routine. Winter is fine for that when there's nothing really interesting to do, but when the outside calls, it drives me nuts. My sunflower seedlings have now begun rebelling against the fluorescent light I've forced on them for the past month or so. I've put them outside where they'll flourish until I plant them. Hopefully I'll get a free weekend here in the beginning of May to get everything dug up and turned over. I sure hope the flowers I plant this year won't flop and be as depressing as my vegetables last year!

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It's a sunny day and I have a sunroof on my car! Perfect thing to lift your mood after a long week of little rebellious sister nonsense. My sister is 18 and thinks she owns the world and everyone in it. She gives no regard for my parents or their rules. She delights in being extreme. She's been smoking since she was 16 and into drug since 15. Now she's 18 my parents are so fed up with screaming matches every time she comes home high or drunk that they've given up it seems, a passive, exhausted shrug. I haven't seen her for five days. She crashes at a different friend's house every night and only comes home when she needs to shower or get fresh clothes. What are we, a YMCA?? I've given up letting what she does frustrate me too much, but lately the "Thank God you're not like your sister" and "Thanks for being normal" comments I've been getting from my mother worry me. I'm afraid that her always comparing me to my sister will give her unrealistic expectations of me. The constant negative comments she makes are also reinforcing the idea that she's a bad kid. My sister's not a bad kid. Just one that makes bad choices. It seems I will be moving soon, so the frustration I feel will probably lesson with distance.

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It's amazingthe good a doctor who treats you with dignity will do. Almost makes me wish I could go to medical school just so there'd be one less ass in a white coat.

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