Merry Christmas AGAIN

Here's a great quote from Neale Donald Walsch (gotta love this man!) You can subscribe to his daily messages at http://www.nealedonaldwalsch. com

On this day of your life, I believe God wants you to know...

....that the birth of God's son is celebrated today.

Yes, I know, you think that Christmas is over. The day

has passed. But the birth of God's son--and God's

daughter--is celebrated every day. For every day on

which a child is born, God's Child is born.

You and I are as much God's Begotten as Jesus. And

Jesus would be the first person to tell you that. Indeed,

has was a person who told us that.

The Christ is born in all of us this day, and these are glad

tidings of comfort and joy.

Love, Your Friend....

Every human being has a soul that is an extension of God. It is the pure energy of Love, which IS God. Even the most despicable person on earth has the spirit of God inside him/her. They just don't recognize it. That doesn't mean that God doesn't love them. He does! And that's what should make it easy for us to love our enemies. When you do ANYTHING to or for another living person, you are doing it TO God. Which is why Jesus said "Love your Enemies."

God always was and always shall be. He cannot be destroyed, just like energy can never be created or destroyed. When someone dies, their spirit, or energy, simply withdraws from a body that no longer works. There is no death of the human spirit, which IS the spirit of God. Just the body, which is no more than clay.

About Death

This topic seems weird, I know, just after a joyful Christmas, but one of my friends from a list I am on is dying. She has been in the hospital. I think, for over a month. I don't know exactly how she came to be so sick, but I do know that she and I share diabetes as an disease. I'm guessing that she is suffering from some complication due to that.

She had been in the ICU for a long time, then a couple weeks ago she came out into the regular floor. The past couple of days she has gone back to the ICU and her lungs are failing. Much of this time she has been unconscious and infrequently able to talk to her family and doctors.

What we have in common is that P is also a mother of a large adoptive family with special needs children, much like mine, with children and adult children who have intellectual disabilities like Down Syndrome. But P is also a single mom. Her own mother is taking care of the children right now, but without a dad around I can't imagine what the children are going through, or what will happen to them.

Please pray for P and her family. She can still make it with prayer.

I've been thinking a lot about what I would like to happen if I become deathly ill.

I want prayers, but specifically for my family. I know I will be fine. I am not afraid of dying one whit. I look forward to living in heaven. Not that I want to die now, but that I am 100% comfortable in the knowledge of the Love of God. I want reasonable efforts made toward saving my life, but I do not want every life sustaining measure exhausted, nor do I want to rack up a bazillion dollars in medical bills that will live on after me. That's not the legacy I want for myself: huge monetary debt.

If the doctors think I am at the end, then so be it.

My love for my husband and children and friends will continue from heaven, which I am 100% certain is an actual place. I don't want a funeral or a viewing. I want a celebration of my life only, and THAT should be a big party, more like an old fashioned wake.

What exactly do you want your family to do if you become desperately ill? Have you told them? Please leave comments.

Christmas Eve and Christmas Morning

Here are some pix from Christmas Eve at our house.

Jay and Emily

Jeff, Wendy, Jennifer, Meghan, grandson Sean

Ross and our grandson Alec

so- in-law Darren

Robin

Mom and Justin

Justin, Danielle and Jeremy

Will

Emily, Danielle and Jonathan

Danielle and Jay

Christmas Morning Aftermath

Apologies to Matthew, who somehow avoided the camera altogether!

Thanks to some wonderful friends and family a great time was had by all!

Christmas Eve Thoughts and Praise

from Neale Donald Walsch, another thought provoking quote:

On this day of your life, I believe God wants you to know...

....that this is the eve of the birth of the Christ in you.

It is a re-birth, of course, for the Christ/God has always been

there. On this special eve, may you experience that

Presence in you, as you, through your sharing of the

love that has been brought to you directly from God.

The wonderful gift of Christmas is that it is not a one

day or one time experience, but lasts the whole year

through -- thanks to you. You are the gift, and as

you give, so shall you receive.

Love, Your Friend....

This quote rings true this year so very much. We had NO money for presents this year, and all nine kids, who are developmentally delayed, were going to be sorely disappointed this Christmas day. I mean we are just squeaking by, not able to even pay our homeowner's insurance and even this month probably not able to pay our mortgage payment, either.

I had asked a couple friends, particularly Karen, and my daughter, Meghan, to ask their friends if they had any used clothing or dvds, etc, that they were going to throw out, if they would instead donate them to us to use as Christmas gifts. I was hoping for just one thing that we could wrap

Well those folks told other folks and the ball started rolling. And I mean it rolled across the country. I've gotten calls from 1500 miles away from people wanting to send us their used toys and clothes. This was pay it forward in motion.

We have received bags and boxes of clothing, I mean tons. My dear daughter Wendy has gone through all the bags sorting out which of the nine kids could use a certain item. This has taken a lot of work, there was so much of it! We owe Wendy, Meghan and Karen a big THANK YOU!

Karen told the therapeutic riding center, and they spread the word. They brought us a lot of WRAPPED gifts, and I'm guessing they are actually new things. They are a non profit, and I have a feeling that they spread the word to some of their supporters.

One lady who works in Meghan's office donated a perfectly good laptop computer! And yesterday we received a FEDEX envelope with a gift certificate for $500 to Publix grocery stores from someone we have never heard of.

So this quote from Walsch means a lot to me. This Christmas season has shown God/Christ's spirit in action. It was those friends and relatives who spread that God spirit throughout the country.

In turn, I am 100% positive that all those who gave and those who helped spread the word will be truly blessed this year. And at a time when we thought nobody really cared about us, we have found that we have true friends everywhere.

All my love for you all, and Merry Christmas,

Dusty

I'm Probably Lying

In a bag of donated clothes today we found two t-shirts. One says "I'm probably Lying" which I would dearly love to give to Jeremy. It fits him. I'm thinking it's probably not a good idea to send him to school in that, though, right? I can just see them now "What a HORRIBLE thing to put on a child's T-Shirt!"

And then for Will we found "I'm not trying to be difficult...It just comes naturally."

There was anther T-shirt with a squirrel on it that said "Watch Your Nuts." It was too small for Dad. :)

Hapiness is Good Health and A Bad Memory

New Neale Donald Walsch post I needed today

On this day of your life, I believe God wants you to know...

....that happiness is good health and a bad memory.

Ingrid Bergman said that, and it is so true. Memories,

of course, bring up moments that are past, whereas

happiness is always found in the moment that is here,

now.

Constantly remembering bad things, or sad things, can

rob you of your present -- that is, your pre-sent -- joy.

Happiness has been sent to you in advance by God. It

is here, in this moment, if you will seize it...and share it.

As an adoptive parent of a large number of special needs children, I need to be reminded of this often.

I'll miss George Bush

Say what you will about George W. Bush, we're gonna miss him. Why? Well he's kept us laughing for 8 years. Like him or hate him you just have to laugh at some of the things he has said. Like these:

1. The vast majority of our imports come from outside the country.

2. If we don't succeed, we run the risk of failure.

3. Republicans understand the importance of bondage between a mother and child.

4. No senior citizen should have to choose between prescription drugs and medicine.

5. I believe that we are on an irreversible trend toward freedom and democracy, but that could change.

6. 'One word sums up probably the responsibility of any Governor, and that one word is 'to be prepared'.'

7. 'Verbosity leads to unclear, inarticulate things.'

8. 'I have made good judgments in the past. I have made good judgments in the future.'

9. 'The future will be better tomorrow.'

10. 'We're have the best educated American people in the world.'

11. 'One of the great things about books is sometimes there are some fantastic pictures.' (during an education photo-op)

12. 'Illegitimacy is something we should talk about in terms of not having it.'

13. 'We are ready for any unforeseen event that may or may not occur.'

14. 'It isn't pollution that's harming the environment.it's the impurities in our air and water that are doing it.'

15. "I stand behind all the misstatements I have made."

Ross and stuff

Ross, 16, went back to the ER and was admitted again on Monday night. He's becoming a frequent flyer. Due to his Spina Bifida and neurogenic bladder he has a tendency toward kidney failure, so at the slightest hint of a urinary tract ifection he has to go in for IV antibiotics. He' been very good about cathing every four hours since the last time, and he uses antibiotic hand cleaner before he does it, but still he gets these infections.

He's waiting on the MD to come in and free him today.

I don't know what's up wih this hospital, though. It's one of America's top rate hospitals, yet...

When I went to see him Tuesday AM nobody had changed his diaper since he was brought in at 7 PM the night before. He was soaked, his shirt was soaked and his bed was soaked.

They did not have latex free catheters anywhere in the hospital, so I had to bring in some. The nurses kept forgetting to tell him it was time to cath, so he was going hours and hours without it.

He's paraplegic, so his butt was red and getting very sore, so I brought in my own butt cream to save him from urine burns. Theydidn't have any on the peds floor! Huh?

Then I got a call at home asking us to bring in all his meds. Oh they had them at the pharmacy, but it was cheaper for them I guess if we brought in our supply.

So he'll come home at 2 today, and we'll probably spend tomorrow and the weekend clearing up his red behind.