In Answer to Some Questions ...

I was asked some questions privately by someone on what my cryptic post means two posts below.

Well, as mentioned, I started a new job in November as a transcriptionist, transcribing health-related phone responses to automated questionnaires, initiated by voice actors.

A new AI product was about to be launched where once one of our voice actors provides a single voice sample, their voice can be used to virtually say anything written in a script for outgoing calls.  

It's very cool software, but also scary - thus, all of us appeared to be worried about the ethics of it - what could happen with using anybody's voice to have them say anything.

As a transcriptionist only, I was asked to lend my voice as an internal test sample demo only, for an internal presentation  of the new AI voice product.

I agreed, but specifically said that if for some "far-fetched" reason, the client were to actually choose my voice versus our actual voice actors for their product, we might need to discuss my job description further, but of course I would, if I can help the company with an INTERNAL presentation, because I'm grateful for this job, want to be a team player, plus it was fun to do.

My supervisor said in unfortunately an unrecorded call that if that were to happen, instead of altering my job description and having it assessed for new monetary value through HR, he'd draw up a contract for me as a voice-actor contractor, like the other voice actors - separate from my current job responsibilities.

The problem is, as I said - he said this in an unrecorded Teams meeting :( 

Because what happened next is that he told me in Teams chat on Friday that the client actually DID ask to use my voice to be their public-facing outgoing voice versus our contracted voice actors , he approved it, and they launched the product. 

I was never asked if my voice could be used on an actual client product versus actual voice actors, they do not have my permission, voice acting is not in my job description, and I was not compensated for doing so. I was only ever asked to provide a test demo sample for internal use for a presentation.

My my supervisor also had said that in the unlikely event they chose my voice over the actual actors, he'd ask me first, then draw up a voice-actor contract.

That did not happen. 

My supervisor told me in chat on Friday - after it was already done. 

I was floored. I didn't know what to say or do. So I decided to just politely ask questions trying to understand what happened.

So I responded to my supervisor that I was flattered, honored -  but asked what happened, I thought he was going to ask me first, in the "far-fetched" scenario this would happen? 

He said there was no time and he was on vacation when they asked. 

(I highly doubt this - everybody was away for the holidays, including likely the client, except me as the new girl - so I highly doubt the client closed any deals during that time.)

Then I gently asked him: "Isn't this something we'd normally use one of our voice actors for?"

He got mad and said:  "I wouldn't complain, if I only had two hours of work a day, right now, if I were you."

So I said, "X, that isn't fair  😔 I have no control over the work flow during the holidays, and you said to just hang out and claim the hours anyway, it would all even out after the New Year, - but I refused - I told you it felt dishonest and wanted to save labor cost. It's all right here, in this thread."

"But I'm so sorry -  I didn't mean to sound like I was complaining, my intent was to just ask questions because I'm confused as to what happened. But I've clearly offended you and made you mad, I'm so SO sorry, forget I said anything, please?"

Then he said something about "not having enough regular work for me to justify my current position anyway" (work had dwindled during the last two holiday weeks, but would surely pick up again) - a sort of threat that I wasn't worth my keep anyway and this would justify him keeping me on.

He also said that "assistance with audio editing in your current job description could be construed in this way."

Then I said, "Okay, but have we thought about how we're going to bill this to the client?  We personally have to enter time with a code into the billing system to bill the client.  How are we going to bill them for this?  This isn't a free service for the client, so our company itself loses money if we don't bill them correctly for this."

He said that is "Above his pay grade, that wasn't his problem, the account manager could figure that out."

That isn't true - like I said, we personally have to enter anything we do for each client into the billing system with a specific code down to the half hour. 

So, I just stopped talking to him after that, in chat, did my job, and logged out.

I thought if nothing else, the last thing I said in chat before telling him the transcription report was completed was how to bill the client for this in the system and him telling me it wasn't his issue, it was the account manager's. 

At any point, if he had said "I effed up, I'm sorry, let me fix this" -or sounded remorseful in any way, we wouldn't be here.

But he didn't.  Instead,  he tried to make me worthless, my job pointless, and like I was whining for even asking what had happened.

All of this after previously being so kind to me, singing my praises  to myself and others about finishing work ahead of deadlines, taking so much workload off himself, etc.

In fact, I had said to my husband about a week ago:  "He's almost too nice, like he has an angle. I hate to say that about anyone, because kindness is a rarity, and I've been a very vocal advocate for it, but in his case, it's odd.  Because he has said many times already that he has no heart or empathy for other people, and that life is survival of the fittest, the strong will survive, the weak won't. He loves animals, but hates people - but then he's overly nice? .  

"I told him I didn't believe him because he was so nice and had empathy for cats, so he must have SOME heart. But I can't help  this feeling that if that's at least somewhat true, so he's being OTT nice because he wants something.  And what happens when he asks for it and does not get it?"

""Maya Angelou said, 'When someone tells you who they really are, believe them.' "  

Shouldda trusted my instincts, huh?

Regardless, at first, I had found myself apologizing profusely for making him mad, offending him, or seeming ungrateful or something, that wasn't my intent -  I wasn't trying to complain, I was just asking questions because I was confused about how this stuff works. 

I told him I was so grateful for the job, I would clean toilets, if that was in my job description, but it wasn't - and this is a completely separate job we're talking about and my actual literal voice - and I thought we'd talked about what would happen if this occurred, but we didn't. 

Then to ease the tension, I jokingly said "Well, can I at least put voice actor now on my resume lol?" 

He said "You can put that you're an astronaut on your resume" - as in "Doesn't mean it's true." 

I laughed to keep the peace, but these were really mocking, devaluing things he was saying now, trying to make me believe my job was worth nothing, my voice was worth nothing, and I was worth nothing. 

Things that, to be honest, would never fly with a man - a man would've punched him right in the face lol. 

But at first, as I said, his guilt-trip and devaluing tricks worked on me, because of my history -  and I found myself apologizing profusely for even questioning, agreeing that I was nothing, should be grateful, etc..

Then when he left Teams to go do something else, I just sat there, stunned - and I realized what he was doing - exploiting labor he already had rather than using the higher-paid voice actors he contracts with, and belittling me as to being worthless, threatening me that I wasn't needed anyway, if I didn't go along with it - and I started to get mad, but said nothing.

Instead, I called my little sister, who is successful at business, as well as our honorary son, B (who works in AI for the DOD), my brother-in-law, who is VP of Finance for NBC/Universal (although he's on a ski trip and hasn't replied yet), and my old boss. (Well, I still work for her when there's spillover work on contract.)

I asked them if I shouldn't be looking at things this way - was I looking at this like an entitled Karen or was this as wrong of him as it seemed?

My sister said "OMG, why did you keep apologizing to him? YOU haven't done anything wrong, he's totally trying to take advantage of how grateful you are for the job and how hard you work! I was worried that when he told you to fudge your hours as work dwindled during the holidays, saying it would all pan out in the end, but you refused, saying it wasn't honest, and would save the company labor cost.  I was worried that's essentially telling him he can take advantage of you, that you don't value yourself .I'm not saying this is your fault, you understand, I'm just saying he took that and ran with it, because men like him will."

"Well, I know why you reacted that way at first, because of your history. But this is HIS eff up, and he knows it, so he's just trying to blame you, devalue you, bully you, and semi-threaten your job over it now, because he knows he effed up."

"This is not what you signed up to do and not in your job description, this is a completely separate job, he's exploiting you - and he offered you job description changes if this were to occur or a separate contract, but now he's reneged."

"He has lied to you all the way through this, wants to own your voice for AI to say anything he likes for free, and then subtly threaten your job if you don't do it? He's sensed that you don't value yourself and is working it, but he's taking advantage of you, Chrystal. I'm glad you're getting mad now, it's warranted. Push back!  "  

I said:  "Yeah, but I didn't finish my degree, like you did. This is the world of menial labor.  This what happens when you don't finish your degree - you get hired as essentially a low-level admin/secretary and get exploited all the time.  And I'm 55, now, what options do I have?"

"I've done many things all the time that weren't in my job description, just to keep a job, including literally cleaning toilets, running personal errands for bosses, covered for them to their superiors when they no-showed for days, watched them snort coke right in front of me and dare me to tell anyone, done things that weren't company policy that could even be illegal because they told me to, put up with sexual harassment, being called a dumb bitch, had charts thrown at me, you name it, I've seen it/experienced it."

"And you don't call HR, they're there to protect the company from lawsuits FROM you, and will not protect you from retaliation.  So  if you want the job, you do it, right?"

"And although you're right about cutting my own hours during the holidays when work was dwindling to save the company labor cost is devaluing myself and sending the message that guilt works on me, in the end, I'm glad I did it and that it's in our chat thread - because he can't play the greedy card with me, we have proof otherwise."

She said "Yeah, but you're not alone anymore, a single mom and desperate now, , and this is a completed unrelated and separate job to your current job, it's like doing side art work, and this is ownership of your actual, literal  voice without your consent, Chrystal, gained under false pretense, without your permission or additional compensation - don't let them."

But I reminded her that "I'm a new employee, he's the boss.  He's a man, I'm a woman.  The first thing he'll say is that I'm crazy and made it up to discredit me. And like I said, HR is there to protect the company, not me. They have millions of dollars put aside for any legalities, I have nothing, so they will win despite the truth or how wrong it is, we know this, we've all seen it time and time again except in high-profile cases. Only people with money get true justice, and in most cases, they escape justice."

"Plus a legal precedent has not been set yet for use of AI images and voice, that's what the SAG strike was over, only at least they had contracts already for this type of work, I didn't.  In fact, that's what the NYT is suing ChatGPT and Open AI for, right now, aggregating their articles as a database without paying for them.  There is no precedent set."

"Do I really want to put myself through that battle and the "she's crazy, she's a Karen, she's a gold-digger wanting to bring the company down" backlash?  No."

"And think of people of color, they get exploited and guilt tripped all the time, they would never even think of suing because they don't have money for an attorney and they know they'd lose.  It's a very white-privileged, "I-already-have-power-and-money" thing to do."

(This is why I called M, my bro-in-law, to ask him my rights and what was owned under my current contract, but he's on a ski trip in a place with sketchy cell reception.)

B said he's 100% with me, this is someone he would not want to work for (and keep in mind, he works for the Department of Defense lol) - but as far as my voice belonging to the company now, my supervisor may be right, even if it was gleaned under false pretense and didn't have my permission, it's now company property - that it'd be a legal battle that he knows I won't want to fight and might lose because in the end, anything that's produced as an employee belongs to them, even if gleaned under false pretense and without permission, but he's not sure there's a precedent on it yet..

My old boss, who owns a very successful business in NYC,  said that this was a truly shitty thing to do,  and now my only choices are to shut up and take the paycheck, but never trust him again - or resign.  But if I stayed just to take the paycheck, that would be sending him the message he can exploit/take advantage of me any time he likes?

So I chose the latter - resignation, effective immediately, because it was already clear he was preparing for a war that would not happen, and that he would clearly be a retaliator if I told HR and stayed.

I do NOT blame the company itself - they didn't know until my resignation letter  - and they have otherwise been a dream company to work for.

No,  I blame my unethical and shady supervisor, whom I trusted to just use the voice test sample internally as a demo only, not sell it to the client without my permission or compensation. 

In my resignation letter, I told HR why I was quitting, to prevent this from happening to anyone else and to alert them that someone with a strong sense of ethics is needed to head this AI voice program.

Then I reminded them of the company's stated core values, and then I asked for them to destroy my voice sample. 

Because with this new product, all that is needed is one sample of your voice and a script they write, and they can make you say anything -  even the actual voice actors we currently have will not be necessary anymore, at some point - all they need is one sample of their voices.

I told them I don't want to fight - I know how this goes - I'm a new employee, he's the boss - I'm a woman, he's a man - and HR is to protect the company, not me. 

So I would only ask out of simple good faith, as this happened without their knowledge, for ownership of my own voice back rather than  them claiming it as company property

If they do that, then this post goes down - if they don't, it stays up forever.

And should they have any designs on suing me over this post, to get it removed  - without  providing me with proof that they've destroyed my voice sample - even though I mentioned no names - THAT is when I'd get legal,

Because at that point, I'd launch a countersuit about permissions and ownership of my voice sample, proving it was gleaned under false pretense in writing, to help set a legal precedent on ownership and accountability in these AI cases. 

I'm not very litigious, I think it's a white-privileged thing that only people with power tend to do - so only if I were to be sued, would I ever do it, in countersuit. 

But I don't think it will come to that.

 I think they genuinely didn't know and will just delete the voice sample, all of us having learned lessons in this new AI territory - and we go our separate ways with no hard feelings.

Let's just hope when they do find out, they will do the right thing - and if nothing else, they will have their legal ducks in a row beforehand, now, so this doesn't happen again and prevent their own legal headaches in the future, as well as most importantly, I hope they reconsider putting someone without ethics or morals in charge of an AI program that, in particular, would need someone with a very strong sense of ethics to engineer, even more than most jobs.

Who knows, though - if they don't delete it, you may get a call from a very large  international pharmacy company, telling you, you have a refill, asking for your email address or other personal information, or if you're satisfied with  their service,  and it may be my voice - only I never said it, never gave my permission, and was not compensated..

Happy New Year to me, right? 😆

And I was SO happy there, completely blindsided by this news on Friday. 

I'm quite sure he did this on purpose now, while everyone else was out of the office for the holidays, hoping I'd just keep my mouth shut and stay for the paycheck.  😏

It's interesting, because this was like the ultimate test of everything I've been through in life - personally and professionally.  Everything I've been through in life has brought me here.

So what have I learned?

Because I used to just let people more powerful than me "punch down" on the powerless nobody that is me, throw me  under a bus, or even off a cliff, just to hide what they've done, and I'd just walk away, not even try to fight back, there was no point.  

(I often speak up for others, but really become terrified to speak up for myself.)

So I guess what I've learned is, I still won't fight back, knowing I have no power -  or do anything vindictive later about it  - but if they try to abuse their power and make me the fall guy for their mistakes and throw me off the cliff  - I might just grab their dirty white collars and take them down with me 😉😂

 No worries - I have gone back to my old employer, who said she was "thrilled" to have me back full-time (I was already still available for  her for spillover weekend work, etc. - so all good) 😊

I won't be making as much and work is scarce, these days, but I trust my old boss completely, she values both my work and me as a human -  and that is worth all the money in the world to me 😊

Scary world we live in, folks, with AI now.

Some of the males around me are chomping at the bit to now go kick the living shit out of this sleazy coward, who imagines he's the strongest in "survival of the fittest" as his bogus battle cry - but that would solve nothing and only make things worse.

My husband especially wants to do this because he knows I had no other real option, staying would only be complicit in my own exploitation - but we lost an income that would've taken us out of debt entirely within three months, and I've lost a real retirement fund now, when I already have none from being a contractor for so many years, at 55 - so he's SUPER pissed, the coward sleeze ball did this.

But in the end, though I cut my losses as left, it's not like sleeze ball wins either, really - because he took a big gamble by thinking I'd just comply with he's devaluation and threats, because I needed the job - but he lost, too.

Because at the very least, even if HR doesn't do anything about him, there's no one else to transcribe now, but himself  😏

And there is no one to blame for that, but himself.

Thus why I said in that post: "Whosoever seeks to screw me over, may find  himself screwed."

And I'm okay, no worries - I've seen and been through myself way worse.

And like I said below, "Never let them steal your joy."

Yes, the powerful can abuse their power and steal everything else from the powerless, and there is no justice except for the rich and powerful - but there are two things they can never steal from you - - your education - and your joy 😊

And Now, A NYE Giggle ...

 

It was pup-cup time at Starbucks, on Mark's way back from the barn.

Here was the process ....

And here are the residuals ... 

😂😂😂

See, I don't stay down long - I've been through way worse.

Never let anyone steal your joy, too! 😉

May all reading have a happy, healthy - and joyful -  New Year!

Once Upon a Time ...

 *Edited - PS and pictures added. 

... I was in a family situation where I wasn't allowed a voice -  to the degree that I almost lost my voice entirely. 

In fact, I nearly stopped talking, became almost a selective mute, because not only was it not allowed, but it did no good to use it anyway - it only made things worse.

In fact, that is why I started blogging in 2005 (though this was not my original blog) - as a sort of flare to the outside world, like a message in a bottle, as a way to preserve my voice until I could use it again someday, if I could ever find a way out of that shithole.

Today, I have a wonderful husband and a selective group of friends and family members that I trust completely. 😊

But I had to claw tooth and nail to get here, too.  

So I'll be damned if after essentially chewing my own leg off to get out of THAT toxic trap,  I'll now let anyone - especially someone not in the above group - waltz in and try take my voice for free, under false pretenses, and without my permission.

And then when I politely question it, I'm guilt tripped with belittling things that would never be said to a man, after  previously showering me with transparent, OTT encouragement?

I don't think so. 

You like my voice and want to use it?  

Fine - but you gotta pay extra for that voice, that's not what I signed up for- especially since this hasn't been handled honestly. 

And yet that still would never mean you own my voice or me. 

Nobody "owns" me OR my voice -  but me. 

Now - I don't want to fight anyone over it, I don't want any trouble - I'll just walk away - and Lord knows I can, just like that, without even blinking.  

Don't ever imagine you've got me over a barrel. 

Because if I was able to chew my own leg off to get out of the aforementioned trap, how much easier is this flimsy Velcro? 😂

Perhaps one could imagine that I lost income and thus had no choice but to put up with it - and perhaps I will lose income - but it's worth it to me.

It won't be comfortable, but I'll survive - this isn't a zombie apocalypse  😂

And even if it were, I do not have to survive  alongside anyone I don't know well and already have proven to me that I can't trust them.  

As far as that goes, I'd prefer to have to deal just with zombies - at least they're honest about being cannibals 😂

Thus, let this be a new adage - "He who seeks to screw others over to save a few extra bucks/make himself look good, may instead find himself screwed." 😉

All of this reminds me of a conversation recently I had with the above referenced that I'm alluding to, where I rebutted the concept of Social Darwinism, stating that there is no such thing, the same "survival of the fittest" rules do not apply to socioeconomics. 

Animals are just trying to survive. 

With humans, not only are we not all starting at the same starting place in this race, with the same opportunities, but the worst of our species will surreptitiously sabotage the best representatives of our species unnecessarily - not because survival is at stake, but over a few extra bucks - and because they know they couldn't win against the best of the species otherwise, they're not good enough.

Case in point - Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan.

Nancy Kerrigan was the best and Tonya knew it - so she hired a couple of guys to knee cap her so that she could win instead.

Did Tonya do it because it was necessary for her survival?

No - Tonya did it over a gold medal and jealousy, she knew she wasn't good enough otherwise.

If her plot hadn't been discovered and Tonya had won because of it, would that make her the fittest of the species?

Certainly not. 

This behavior, in turn, does end up affecting survival - not just the  livelihood and life of one best representative that could've benefitted the species, but several - even at the expense of our own species and our own resources.

Ever seen the phenomenon where bunch of predators and prey share a water hole in Africa during a drought?

It only happens in certain ecosystems, true, during severe drought.

Is it because they're displaying altruism?

No.

It's because despite lack of higher-level reasoning, animals instinctively know better than to hoard and deplete all their resources and wipe out entire species of both their competitors and their prey, because doing so will eventually result in not just loss of their species, but their own survival.

We humans, on the other hand, are too selfish, short-sighted, and stupid to get that.

Once again, like Ripley said in Aliens, "I don't know which species is worse.  At least you don't see the Aliens screwing each other over for a Goddamn percentage."

But I digress, back to my point ...

 I did NOT "volunteer" record my voice as "internal AI test sample," I especially did NOT give my permission to use it on an actual product versus actual voice actors, and I was NOT compensated for doing so.

I am a transcriptionist, not a voice actor. 

Thus, this had better be the first and last usage of my voice without proper consent and compensation  -  are we clear?

I'm like Katie Couric in the 90s, bitches 😂

I'll giggle with you all day long, but don't think that means I'm not paying attention - I'll call you out with a"Wait, hold up ... did you just?" so fast, heads will spin  😂

_____________________

PS - Speaking of the type of worst-representative humans that deplete their own resources and eff over their own teammates for their own glory (resulting in that person ending up alone, doing all the work now themselves) - I took a look around the old blog world tonight, particularly at the blog of former fellow blogger from the UK.

We were never friends, per se, but we had mutual friends.  We were on opposite political sides, which at one time, didn't make a difference - there was a time when being a conservative versus a liberal simply meant whether you liked big or small government.

We weren't at each others throats over it, back in the day, but  you could definitely see socioeconomic and political changes building with the advent of lawless social media, and in fact, I issued several warnings on my old blog about what was happening to our society with social media and reality TV - and now, we elected a president based on so-called Reality TV, which so isn't reality.

Anyway, I actually forgot all about him, but was reminded of this blogger because he is the poster child of the "worst representative of our species," cheating/sabotaging/falsely accusing others because he wasn't talented enough on his own merit.

You know, the sort of person who not only has an irrational fear of anyone not like himself politically, but worse, would sell his mother for 15 minutes of fame on social media, in the hopes of becoming an influencer or getting a book deal, including throwing even those on his own political side under the bus.

The kind of guy who wants other more famous bloggers to comment,  then takes potshots at them in his posts without using their name to provoke them, even falsely accuse them or edits what he said that provoked them as if he didn't say it and they're crazy -  even if they're on the same political side - to gain attention for himself and sabotage his competition.

And if they commented in their own defense, he doesn't publish it and lies about what they said to make himself the victim - particularly if the blogger is female. 

Worse, he developed a close friendship with a particularly unhinged fellow liberal, who he used like a dog to not just attack others, but stalk and harass and threaten them in their personal lives - then sat back and kept his nose clean, blaming her psychopathic behavior on her being a liberal (until people caught onto this too, after criminal charges were filed on her).

He used to always do this on Thursdays, in particular - we use to call it "Throw-Under-the-Bus Thursday" drama-making for attention for the rest of the weekend.

Why?

Jealousy - because he knows he's not good enough to survive/become famous on his own talent or merit alone and is incapable of true debate, so he cheats/sabotages those that are - AND -  because he's trying to prove how all liberals are evil, and justifies his own evil is justified because he imagines he's "at war" with us 😆

Cuckoo, cuckoo, cuckoo.

My point being, he's a total Tonya Harding, or to continue with the Aliens analogy, he's a Burke  - he's the worst of the worst of our species. 

Truth be told, there are unqualified, untalented, and unhinged Tonya Hardings like this all around us, every day (cough, cough, Donald Trump) - and unfortunately, most of the time, in our society, Tonya Hardings will win (especially if they've gained enough wealth and power). 😔

And sometimes, like in this example -  they don't.

Because for said blogger, this behavior did NOT result in fame, fortune, or a book deal for him in the long run - because not only was he not talented enough from the get-go, but he cried wolf one too many times, over the years, so everyone finally caught on and left.  It took about 10 years, but they did.  Every now and then, he'll entertain a new commenter, but they usually end up dropping off too, unless they're just clearly very stupid.

He is now almost completely alone with no commenters other than  his other IDs he uses to talk to himself, trying to make it look like he still gets commenters and attention lol.  

Some of us never blogged for attention or commenters anyway 😊

Oh, yeah, I forgot - sometimes his little psycho dog comments still, too, but she's changed her moniker and giving herself new identities, because people started to catch onto that, too - but you can still tell who she is by her style of writing, plus she mimics other knows bloggers.  

They're still a team -  not out of friendship, but because they both know where "all the bodies are buried," so to speak 😆

Now - I know that said blogger still reads my blog, because I can see who visits and who has me in a reader - and I have noted there's always a particularly laughable reaction post to something more personal I've written without using my name - and he did not disappoint after this post, which I began by alluding to an abusive ex 😉

Several years ago, he started going from making one post on a subject, to several numbered items within one post  (several times a day) - so if you commented, it showed up in the sidebar for who commented where, and he made it appear as if you were supporting everything he said in the full post, though you weren't, you were only referring to one item. 

(This of course was the final straw for many people, completing the mass exodus from his blog).

Anyway, his latest post includes an item supposedly from an article he recently read (that he didn't cite or give a link to), which gave the  top reasons people left relationships - indifference, neglect,  unfaithfulness and violence.

Though gender was not mentioned -  and both genders could give these reasons to why they left relationships - his presumption was that only women  must've given these answers.

Worse, , he was upset because there was no mention of what caused the presumed male partners to become indifferent, neglectful, unfaithful, and violent towards women.

I didn't take the bait and comment, I haven't in several years - but being that I'm not in a good place today, I'll react here .... 

Oh, OH, I know this one! 

Is it "Things Abusive Misogynists Say for 100!"

The only reason that men would ever become selfish, neglectful, unfaithful, and violent in relationships MUST be the fault of the woman, right? 

She didn't take care of her man properly, do as she was told, and shut up, right?

So of course he HAD to be selfish, cheat on her, and whack her upside the head several times,  it's HER fault, right? 

Wrong.

See, this is why you're alone after all these years. asshole - not because the problem is women in general - or even what we, your former fellow female bloggers and friends though (which was that maybe you just chose the wrong type of women).

No, all of use realized over time that the problem is YOU  -  you're a tremendous gaping, black hole of asshole, sucking everyone into his web of selfish drama - a thoroughly narcissistic douchebag, incapable of empathy, ethics, or taking responsibility for your own actions.

But hey, sorry about the loss of attention and the lack of a book deal, in the end - at least you still have your blog and your several IDs to talk to? 

Hope all the drama and hell you put all your fellow bloggers through/sucked them into was worth it!

But I digress -  after this post, I promise, back to my usual - not letting any of this nonsense ruin my New Year or steal my joy!. 

(Gotta say, though - these last two vent posts felt super good  :)

If I don't post for a bit due to otherwise being extremely busy, as of late - Happy New Year to the best representatives of our species! 😀

The worst representatives of our species may lie, cheat, and steal everything else, but never let them steal your joy and make you as bitter as themselves! 😊

And remember, if the worst of our species feels the need to stoop that low to win things that never should've been competitions in the first place, let them - it will be a hollow, lonely victory for them, in the end, not to mention unnecessary and exhausting.

You may not be rich, famous, or powerful, but you'll be marinated by/and will marinate others in love, with only true friends and true loved ones at your side, who you know would have your back even if there were a zombie apocalypse - while they die off alone, like dinosaurs 😊

Self-Affirmation on My Own Christian Beliefs VS. Others' Christian Beliefs

 *edited - important addition added with asterisks below. A PS/update was added today (12/27/2023)

So I had a wonderful Christmas  - seriously, the best one I've had in years! 😊

So don't get me wrong when I say what I'm about to say, here, which in fact is just a reaffirmation of what I believe (in the points later on in the post)  - reminding myself (or anyone else with overly religious relatives) that it's okay to believe differently than they do.

It does NOT mean something is wrong with YOU because you don't believe that same way.

It does NOT mean that you're not really a Christian, that you're a bad person, that you worship Satan or are under Satan's influence,  that you're a witch or demon-possessed, that you're self-deluded or "ill," or any of the other things that insecure Christians like to say about others who don't believe exactly as they do.

So the impetus for this was something my mother told me my little sister requested tonight - and it shocked me.

She told me what she thought was a funny story, about how my little sister supposedly asked her to anoint her car with oil and pray over it before her car trip (particularly when she returned back to Atlanta from Newport, later this week) - but she was out of olive oil, so she had to use cooking spray, which she thought was hilarious.

Erm - I guess?  

I didn't laugh as heartily as my mom did, so she asked if I didn't think that was funny, considering she knows I laugh a lot and have a good sense of humor, so I just said "Oh, I'm just tired, I'm sorry" - just to keep the holiday peace. 

It was true that I was tired - but the full truth is that kind of shit just freaks me out lol. 

That is because I think anointing cars with any kind of oil and praying over them is not only ineffective - my friend Marian doing this every day but being killed by a drunk driver is proof - but is also just completely effing bonkers!!!! 😆

But I didn't say that -  I said I was only tired, to keep the peace, and because she has the right to believe that - but the constantly finding a way to work in her beliefs into almost every conversation  does eventually grate on my very last nerve - and now she pulled my little sister into it to support herself.

I feel the same way when people  - already knowing my politics are opposite theirs - inject their politics into every conversation, trying to "convert" me by persuasion, intimidation, even bullying to their point of view - and in this day and age, it's usually the same people doing this with both religion and politics, considering the Republican Party has stuck their flag in Christianity as if they have exclusive ownership of Christianity. 

(I will say except for the fact that my Mom does not support Trump.  She did, but now she doesn't, after January 6th. However, she still supports nearly ever platform he pushed.)

What really disturbed me about this story wasn't that she did what she usually does, which is inject her version of Christianity into every conversation - but the fact  that my mom said my little sister requested it - when that doesn't sound like my little sister at all?

TBH, I'm not sure what either of my sisters believe now because I don't talk about faith with them, except in a general sense, because it's none of my business.  (Well, I don't talk to my older sister at all).

However, I have gotten the sense that neither of them believe like that anymore, at least to that extent anymore - but that definitely didn't sound like something my little sister would request? 

Also, she said my little sister was laughing so hard, in a way she'd never heard her laugh before - which made me wonder if it wasn't true, that R asked her to do this, and instead, R actually thought it was just as bonkers as I did, only she just laughs at the situation, rather than gets freaked out like I do!

Who knows, though - maybe she really did ask my mom?  

She does fear confrontation/conflict to the point of sometimes saying one thing to one party and another thing entirely to others to keep the peace/avoid conflict, but she's getting better about that. 

Plus as I mentioned - and I will talk about further below - our very religious close family friend was killed by a drunk driver last May, despite anointing her car with oil and praying over it every day -  and my little sister and I specifically talked about how none of that ritual and those type of prayers every day protected Marian.

But my mom's story was completely inconsistent with that. 

But you see, here's what's also true about my mom - less so now that she's on meds - is that in times past, she has sometimes pulled this dirty trick of dishonestly pulling others in to support her perception  and beliefs, just to make it seem like she's right and I'm the only one who sees things the way I do, to try to make me feel like something is wrong with ME for NOT seeing things her way - a subtle form of gaslighting (but born out of insecurity).

And I am NOT talking about it said in a way like "I know I'm not completely crazy because so-and-so noticed it too" sort of way.

I mean more along the tone of "EVERYONE else thinks so, you're the only one who doesn't" sort of way.

See the difference?

The former is a self-check of your own perception by bringing in third-party perception.

The latter is a dirty trick meant to subtly or not so subtly manipulate, peer pressure, bully or gaslight the other person into feeling like the only one who sees things the way you do and that there is something wrong with YOU for NOT seeing things this way.

*I need to clearly state here that I do NOT think my mom was doing that, this time -  I think she was just telling a story she thought was funny -  but it was just a reminder of that past stuff, anyway, if that makes sense?*

But even if she was again, and even if it were true that everyone else believed that way, I have the right not to - because hell, look at how many Christians follow Trump, which also freaks me out, considering literally almost everything Trump does and says is the polar opposite of everything Christ said and stood for! 

Also, mob rule does not make the mob right - particularly if the mob is full of unhealthy, dysfunctional, untreated, and toxic people, wanting to hang somebody, some group, or even the supernatural for all their issues! 😂

Now -  we all know that the reason people pull that "everyone thinks so" trick is actually out of their own insecurity/shaky belief system that they refuse to ever question, just to get you to feel outnumbered - to get you to cave to (untruthful) peer pressure, just so that they feel stronger and "right." 

But of course I didn't know that, as a child, and my mom had the whole church AND the whole family behind her, at the time.

Because if they really wanted to get you to check yourself before you wreck yourself, they wouldn't pressure you like that - they'd just gently ask you to reconsider your perception of that person (sometimes harsher if that person is falsely accusing you personally), right? 

And even though I know all of that intellectually now, as an adult - tell that to the gaslighted little girl apparently still deep inside, right? 

Because that old fear of something being wrong with me, or the way I believed (or didn't believe), started to creep up again 😕 

Thus, I'm writing out what I believe here, to myself or to whomever also has overly religious parents, to remind myself (and whomever) that I/we have the right to believe differently and it doesn't mean there is something wrong with us for believing differently - it doesn't mean we're not really Christians, that we're deluding ourselves, under Satan's influence, or any of that BS.

So for starters on what I believe, obviously, I am not charismatic evangelical anymore.  

After being agnostic, even atheist for a while in my early 20s, I am  now confirmed Episcopal since 2007 - but I don't even agree with their entire doctrine - and unlike most other Christian denominations, that's okay with Episcopalians.

In fact, that's one of the many reasons I chose the Episcopal church is that they don't demand that you believe anything or do A, B, and C to be Episcopal or even Christian, nor that you adhere to every iota of church doctrine.

Also, anyone can have communion with us, even non-Christians - because we don't believe it's the actual body of Christ after a priest blesses it, like Catholics do, it's merely symbolic - and we also don't want to "shut the door to the kingdom of heaven in people's faces" for not following overly rigid, merciless law, like Christ said of the Pharisees.   

We also allow for the possibility that we are wrong, which is unusual for most churches. 

The only suggestion is that we inform the person of the symbolism of communion of ingesting Christ into your soul first so that they know what it means, but even that is common courtesy and not prerequisite. 

You can even vary in your interpretation in scripture and that's okay;  in fact, the clergy often enjoy discussion of these differences without feeling threatened because it makes them think and vice versa.

It's a more rational, thinking person's/intellectual approach to spirituality rather than solely emotionally-based or fear or shame-based.

And if you don't adhere to every single bit of church doctrine or believe everything, nobody says you're not a Christian, that you worship Satan, or whatever else other types of Christians say out of their own spiritual insecurity.

(I'm not saying that there are no Episcopalians like that, particularly in the South, but the church itself makes no demands for church attendance or who to call Christians - that's a personal journey.)

I've also studied comparative religion at a college level and find that wisdom can be gleaned from all faiths, that no modern religion is pure (all having incorporated prior beliefs into their religion, to include Christianity).

I know that the original Koine Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic words actually used in original scripture do not mean what what most  moderns Christians have repeatedly misinterpreted them to mean.

I also learned just exactly how much was removed from the bible at the Councils of Nicene and Trent conventions centuries ago because they didn't fit the church doctrine under the guises of "unable to prove authenticity" and thus were either deemed "apocrypha" and removed from modern bibles or they were completely destroyed and we have no idea what they were.

"Unable to prove authenticity" is of course is an absurd - because you can't authenticate any of it!  😂

But this is why the bible often appears to contradict itself or appear disjointed - because stuff was removed and misinterpreted in English, often intentionally because it did not fit church doctrine!

In fact, the only "miracle of faith" in the bible that I've personally witnessed with my own eyes is how the message of Christ miraculously survived all of the chopping, slicing, dicing , and unintentional/intentional language misinterpretations from original languages that went on, based on what served the church doctrine and politics!

This is why Jesus's words of love and mercy and forgiveness appear so different than everyone else's message in the bible - because it  somehow miraculously survived the chopping! lol

But I digress, back to the impetus for this post - and specific to things my mother said yesterday, and specifically tonight -  here are my beliefs: 

1)  I believe that Christianity is mostly about stewardship for others -  not to make ourselves feel better and uplift ourselves, using Jesus like a drug.   

On a related note, that stewardship for others should NOT be done with the goal of converting others/saving souls, like a return on an investment - Christ did things for non-believers all the time, and sometimes they converted, sometimes they didn't, and sometimes we don't know - proof that conversion to Christianity wasn't the point.


The missed point by most Christian missionaries is, Christ did these things to end their suffering out of nothing more than his own compassion - period..

 

In fact, Christ never demanded anyone to do anything, and he only had one commandment: "Love your neighbor as yourself" - and that "All law should hang on love," specifically repudiating old-testament merciless law.

What he did NOT say  was "Love your neighbor as yourself ... only if they are ____ "  ... Christian, white, male, straight, legal immigrant, Republican " or whatever  else Christians today fill in that blank with in order to justify your own fear, prejudice, and insecurities. 

 

He healed non-Christians and Christians alike, without asking for return on investment. 

Sometimes he made behavior suggestions later to avoid their own suffering/the suffering of others, but never demanding.

In fact, he directly defied OT/Levitican law at least twice by healing on the Sabbath, as well as touching lepers - which was punishable by death according to Levitican law, because lepers were erroneously believed to have contracted the disease due to sin!

Speaking of Christ's only commandment earlier, note that Christ said "Love your neighbor AS yourself " - NOT more than yourself.  

Because there is love and then there's codependency/enabling -  letting unrepentant, unremorseful behavior go just because you're married to them, they're your family, or because share your religious or political beliefs is not love, it's enabling and not good for them OR you, and Christ never demanded us to be martyrs on his behalf - he said we would suffer, but HE is the martyr that paid the price, not us.

Christ was well aware of love versus enabling,  or he wouldn't have made those behavioral suggestions, now, would he?  

He would've left it at "love your neighbor" alone - but he didn't.  He told us specific ways we could better love our neighbors, didn't he?  

 

And yes -  he said to forgive 70x7, sure - but he never said to forget, nor to keep putting ourselves in harm's way repeatedly from harmful behavior, and/or enable unremorseful people we love or whose political/religious opinions we share.   

Because in fact, forgiveness is NOT about the other person who wronged you or others at all - forgiveness frees YOUR soul from the the cycle and contagion of emotional pain. 

 

It frees you from bitterness, which can increase the likelihood that you will cause others pain (sin) out of your own pain and perpetuate the cycle and spread the disease.

 

So sometimes you have to love and forgive people from afar to free your soul from pain and bitterness, and yet at the same time, still keep yourself safe.

 

 

2)  I believe that the most effective prayer is about the self, change of the self, not changing our situations or others around us -   i.e, "Help me have the patience and the strength to deal with my situation; help me gain insight and find the wisdom to make a good decision" - that sort of thing.  

 

It is NOT "If I just say a certain prayer in this certain way, say or do A, B, and C, it's like a combination lock that is going to get me what I want or think should be done." 

And when praying for others, it's similar prayers - for them to be able to endure their trials and tribulations - for strength, wisdom, patience, etc.

You certainly CAN pray for healing, etc., there's nothing wrong with that - it's just been more effective and realistic for me to pray for better handling of situations than pray for them to go away.

But also, I don't think we should use types of prayers as a measuring stick of someone else's actual Christianity.  We're not qualified, only Christ himself gets to determine who's really a Christian and who is not. 

Also, you're demanding it of God as if it is your birthright,  as if you're entitled to it, instead of asking him for it - and if you expect it to happen because of something YOU said or did, that's not giving the power or glory to God, that's giving yourself power. 

And then in that sense of thinking you can control the outcome by "incantation" prayers, could somebody please tell me the difference between that kind of Christian belief and the witchcraft other Christians fear more than anything? 

In fact, it gives both religions - Christianity and witchcraft - the illusion of their control over the outcome of situations, when we actually have none. 

If God chooses to help you, he might - but then again, he might not - and we cannot presume that it's because of something we said or did that he did so.

So I find that whenever I pray for strength, patience, or wisdom for myself, I am never disappointed - but if I pray for healing, rescue, or salvation from circumstances - which I may or may not have gotten myself into anyway - I am almost certainly disappointed. 

 

3) I do not believe that God, Jesus, nor the Holy Spirit actually "speak" to everyday Christians on a regular basis. 

Perhaps with certain special people and/or in certain special situations, maybe, but not everyday people, every day. 

 

Further, I believe that people that believe like this often have undiagnosed mental illness, that if the church/the family continues to enable as "prophecy," it never will be diagnosed. 

I've seen that myself in several people, including my own mother, who was enabled for decades as "prophecy" rather than mental illness - mental illness that was NOT the result of the trauma my dad inflicted. 

That is NOT to minimize the PTSD she also has, inflicted by my father - but she is also bipolar with an additional disorder (likely schizoaffective disorder, like her genetic brother and father) - because bipolar disorder alone does not typically cause you to hallucinate or have unusual religious-power beliefs or fixations.

In other words, I've seen firsthand mental illness masquerading as "prophet of God" and be enabled by churches like this for far too long, and thus, why this kind of talk terrifies me. 

I believe that sometimes, the soul is grieved, perhaps even prompted by the holy spirit to reach out to hurting others or to avoid certain things, etc., but actually speak  to you?  No, except perhaps in life-threatening situations, but and even then, sometimes it's just our own human instinct or conscience  prompting us. 

So how did I get here?

Well, this actually began yesterday, though it wasn't TOO bad -  though she did spend a good deal of time proselytizing to my Catholic husband (as well as trying to dig around in my husband's psyche, which is another issue I won't get into here, her former career being a psychiatric nurse for 4 years back in the 80s), while my little sister and I were cooking.

Mark tolerated this like a champ - but he told me later it really, really bothered him, and the only reason he didn't tell her to shut up/leave him alone was because she was my mother lol

Now, I need to stress that we both respect her right to believe this way - we just don't like having her personal religious beliefs shoved down our throats every 10 minutes - but we also don't want her to feel like she has to walk on eggshells around us, when in her mind, she's expressing her faith and "testifying" to the glory of God.

So what to do?

It seems efforts to subtly change the subject, even tell her how uncomfortable we are with the detail with which she goes in on this stuff makes us uncomfortable (without saying why) have had no effect. 

And it really didn't bother us TOO much, yesterday, it was Christmas and you focus on the best in each other, right? 

But then she called me tonight and told me some of that supernatural power stuff, including my little sister in it to support herself, and that was the straw that broke the camel's back.

I didn't say anything at the time, but it really stuck in my craw and I realized I had to get in touch with WHY it bothered me so much before I said anything about it, or if I even should?

In fact, I prayed myself about the best way to do it - how to balance her feelings and right to her beliefs versus my own, no one's feelings being more important than anyone else's

After spending some time trying to get in touch with what was really at the root of why this bothered me so much, I determined that the reason it bothered me so much was  - fear.

Because I have seen my mother hallucinate stuff that wasn't there and claim it was the devil, and tell me that God told her stuff that was not in her/other people's best interest - and it was mental illness, not God - and thus, it bothers me because it reminds me of those times and thus absolutely terrifies me.

It takes me back to the time when I didn't see these things she did, and I was gaslighted into believing I was the mentally ill one for NOT seeing demons in our chimney or something, and worse, finally expressing that to her as a teenager, that that I thought she had greater mental illness going on than the trauma dad inflicted.

Now - don't get me wrong - I appreciate all of her prayers and as I said, she means well - and I don't want to step into trying to control how SHE prays - we just pray differently and expect different results, and her form of prayer literally terrifies me.

Like I said, I believe the God might help you out, if he chooses to - but it's NOT because you said just the right "incantation" or preformed the right ritual lol.  

I mean, it's okay if you do these things, in my mind, but to actually expect that God or negative energy or whatever will comply with your prayers or demands is arrogant folly.

Case in point - my "mother" when my mom couldn't be, Marian, prayed over her car trip every day, claimed "the blood of Jesus over it," anointed it with oil - and was hit and killed by a drunk driver this past May.  

There was no one more faithful to God and who had the compassion of Christ than Marian - so I know that it had nothing to do with how she prayed or didn't pray, that day or any other time,.  Despite her prayer, God didn't protect her, God didn't save her or rescue her, for whatever reason - it was just her time.

In fact, the only place that I could even see God at all in that situation was the fact that the doctor said she was put into a coma immediately, brain dead, until the family made the decision to remove life support- meaning she likely felt no pain whatsoever since the moment it happened, and further, that when they disconnected her, she was held and sung to by her entire family, singing her to sleep.  

God neither protected her nor caused this to happen - we credit and blame God for too much - HOWEVER - he DID show up - just not in the way we humans think he should.

Regardless, subtle subject changes, mentioning how uncomfortable we are has had no effect, so it was time to get direct - so I chose to say this, which is verbatim via text - wish me luck/pray for me? 😂

"Mom - I need to say why I didn't laugh about the cooking spray (used as anointing oil for my sister's car before her trip, which my mom said was per my little sister's request?) as much as you perhaps hoped.

I want to allow you to believe whatever way you want to, if it helps you - but please also know that I'm extremely uncomfortable, even fearful, of that kind of belief that our prayers  in a certain way can control the outcome of events, or that God speaks directly to us.

I believe in rare or dangerous situations, it's possible, but not on a regular basis.  In fact, I don't see much difference between that kind of prayer and witchcraft, and further, mental illness. 

In fact, I have seen mental illness masking itself as hearing from God, and thus, it terrifies me.

Thus, just as you ask us all to refrain from ever using the F word out of sensitivity of your history (with my Dad), may I ask that you be sensitive to mine -  and not continue to to push that kind of faith?

I appreciate your prayers and your right to believe as you do, but please allow me the right to not believe that we hear from God or the Holy Spirit speaks to you or to anyone else directly on a regular basis, or that anointing this with oil, or anything else we humans think we can do will protect us.

If God chooses to protect us, he will, and not necessarily because we ask or do A, B, and C - that's what I believe.

If you believe that way, and it helps you, I respect that - and from what you're telling me, X (my little sister) does too, because she asked you to do it?

That surprised me.  I respect whatever you all believe, but please understand that I do not.  I do not believe that Jesus, God, or the Holy Spirit literally speaks to us on a regular basis and I'm never going to believe that way again because I don't think it's healthy, I'm sorry.

Feel free to continue to (believe that way), but pushing it on Mark and myself is actually having the opposite effect than you want, I'm sorry.

I love you and don't want you to talk on eggshells around us, but if you could just look at it like it's MY "F word" - your version of faith 😂

Thank you for understanding.  I hope." 

She might be upset - but I cannot apologize for this boundary. 

I love my Mom, I truly do, but it's finding that balance of her feelings versus mine that I have trouble with, right?

______________________________________

PS - My mother responded that she didn't know we were uncomfortable because we never said so.

Sigh.  Of course, that is not true.  

I've told her that many times -  just not as assertively as that text. 

We've just done it more subtly - we've changed the subject, subtly hinted, made jokes and I've even told her straight up that I believed "incantation" styles of prayer not only sets me up for disappointment, but literally scares me, because I know too many mentally ill people that were enabled out of diagnosis and treatment for far too long by their churches and families as being "prophets/prophetesses" who actually weren't - they were mentally ill.

In fact, I wrote a post about how I'd mentioned it during our LGBTQ conversation, which ended me if asking if I even believed Jesus was the son of God anymore (and I said of course I do, and that anti-LGBTQ and anti-abortion should NOT be requirements for being a Christian - that's a modern addition). 

Regardless, interestingly, in that text, she changed her story - she said SHE asked Ru if she wanted her to pray and anoint her car with oil and not the other way around - though I'm 100% positive she said Ru asker HER, yesterday.

In fact, this is pretty close to verbatim:  "R asked me to anoint her car with oil and pray over it.  She likes me to do this, particularly when she goes back to Atlanta."

First of all, that was not the sense of R's religous beliefs that I got, as I stated. 

Secondly, why would R believe her car needed  more "holy oil" to go back to Atlanta, where she lives, when she loves Atlanta and would never leave it, more than any other city she visits?

That part especially sounded more like my mom's semi-racist beliefs about Atlanta - meaning that because everyone knows Atlanta has a higher-than-the-national-average percentage of people of color, race-biased people assume that Atlanta then must also have one of the highest crime rates in the U.S., when in fact, Atlanta ranks about 17th in the U.S. as far as crime! 

I'm not sure why my mom said that - I think it was some mix between wanting to support her own beliefs and wishful thinking, but whatever, I let it go and moved on.

Then I told her for many people, faith is a personal, private issue they don't discuss with everybody, and that many people get very uncomfortable when it's injected into almost every single conversation - especially when that person already knows we believe differently.  

Because she DOES know I don't believe like her anymore and she knows my husband is Catholic, and believes completely differently than my mom does. 

So I told her that Mark and I both felt uncomfortable for different reasons - but that mine went beyond discomfort to flat-out fear (due to the above) -  but he's simply uncomfortable because it's talked about with arrogance and assurance, and it always feels to him like she's trying to convert him to her way of believing or save his soul, because she assume he needs it because he's Catholic! lol

Whatever - as long as she knows that now, very clearly - we're good.  

We had a great time otherwise and would visit again, but we decided it was time to place the boundary a little bit more firmly and clearer before we visit again.

There was something else said that really, really disturbed me, and not about faith, which I won't go into here, but I think I just need to take a deep breath and have a bit of a rest for a few days before we engage again - I've been going nonstop since before Thanksgiving and that won't help my diplomacy skills lol. 

Merry Christmas!

 

Breath of Heaven? 🙏

 

So yesterday was my birthday, and today is my little sister's birthday - we are exactly10 years and one day apart 😊

My husband surprised me, last week, by telling me he was taking me on a weekend trip to cabin at Lake Cumberland State Park for my birthday 😊

So I have a thing about sunrises and sunsets - and Lake Cumberland has some of the most beautiful of both in Kentucky (see past posts) :)

I tend to get very sentimental and reflective of the past year, on my birthday and Christmas, being so close to the New Year - finding myself filled with both gratitude and nostalgia.  

So as I watched the sun rise up from the hills and over the lake, painting the sky as it went, I was reminded of the song "Breath of Heaven (Mary's Song)."

Because you see, in my world, God is quiet and subtle - and if you blink or get distracted with other things, you'll miss him - and nature has always been my church :)

If you haven't heard the song, it's below - and it's about Mary's prayer as she journeyed to Bethlehem - and it's not particularly holy or exalted - it's honest.  

Her feelings of unworthiness, anxieties about the future, what people were saying/thought of her  ... and yet at same time, she somehow managed to find inspiration and gratitude in effort to lighten the load 😊

IMO, evangelicals don't focus on Mary enough, and Catholics perhaps too much.  Also, IMO, my idea of Mary wasn't so much holy as human, and her journey and struggles are particularly inspiring to women - not because she was a "holy" vessel, but because of all the obstacles that came at her during her journey that she would've had to have overcome, when we otherwise don't hear much about the struggles of women, except perhaps with Esther. 

So without further ado, I give you "Breath of Heaven" - by Amy Grant 😊

>

I have traveled ... many moonless nights
Cold and weary ... with a babe inside
And I wonder what I've done?
Holy father you have come
And chosen me, now ... to carry your son?

I am waiting in silent prayer
I am frightened by the load I bear
In a world as cold as stone
Must I walk this path alone?

Be with me now
Be with me now

Breath of heaven
Hold me together
Be forever near me
Breath of heaven
Breath of heaven
Lighten my darkness
Pour over me your holiness
For you are holy
Breath of heaven


Do you wonder as you watch my face ...
If a wiser one should have had my place?
But I offer all I am
For the mercy of your plan
Help me be strong
Help me be
Help me

Breath of heaven
Hold me together
Be forever near me
Breath of heaven

Breath of heaven
Lighten my darkness
Pour over me your holiness
For you are holy
Breath of heaven
Hold me together
Be forever near me


Breath of heaven
Breath of heaven
Lighten my darkness
Pour over me your holiness
For you are holy
Breath of heaven
Breath of heaven
Breath of heaven

It's Beginning to Look a Lot like Christmas?

 

Been busy with new new job, so I just started decorating ... and I have a helper, this year.  A little elf named Ziggy.  Or at least he thinks he's helping?

This year's big wreathe (making a smaller one for the French door).

Not my best work, but the things I ordered were delayed with the ribbon for the mantel, so I used what I had and had limited time?

Mantel, without the ribbon (which also got delayed in shipping. I'll add a new photo when it arrives).

And,  of course, the tree :)