I HATE having a cold

Oh man! If there is something that will bring me to my knees in terms of whining and complaining it is a lousy head cold.

I suspect that my body went south on me because of all the stress of the past months. What with the holidays, teaching, studying, work, evaluations (theirs' AND mine) and saying good-bye to Ryan, I had to physically and mentally hold it together for over six months. Now, after my day of MEPS and getting the two phone calls before the phone was taken into custody (Auntie, I am bald!), I think I kind of collapsed...and the virus that had been successfully attacking everyone around me took aim and fired.

In the past week I have only smoked three cigarettes. I have also chewed an incredible amount of icky tasting nicorette gum, drank tons of water, Zicam'd and Robittusin'd myself into a coma and gone to three meetings.

This is not about bragging; rather it is my personal testimony as to the incredible strength anyone can demonstrate with enough sanctifying grace. Thank you, Lord, for all Your help.

This morning was the Blue Mass at St Joseph's. It's held every year (and has been since 9/11) in honor of the first responders of Stanislaus County. It's a beautiful Mass, a lovely ceremony of the blessing of the emergency vehicles and it is a way for those of us in Law Enforcement (and with relatives serving in the military) to express our faith and hope in Jesus Christ.

It may not be fashionable and it may even seem a little bit cheesy to those who do not believe; however, I firmly hold to the idea that by blessing the vehicles we put our first responders into Sacramentals..real live Sacramentals...and then we send them off to work.

This cannot be a bad thing.

The Hive was so fabulous for awhile, a real place to exchange ideas and have conversations and proper arguments. Now one of the crazy guys is back and he is just too weird for color tv. I was so enjoying myself. He got the LOM started up, the ModPol going and the entire pot stirred up...so in a short time it will all flare up and then the discussion will start again regarding shutting down the forum.

They should - it has served its purpose and now it is just a place for reasonable people to get shouted down.

Redemptive Suffering is the ability to take what life throws at you and offer it up for the good of those who need the grace and mercy of God. Redemptive Suffering is the attempt to unite one's suffering with the suffering of Jesus Christ in order to manifest the possibility of redemption for those still lost out there in the cold.

Redemptive Suffering allows me to take this icky cold and say, "Ok, Lord...for Ryan and all the other soldiers far from home doing the jobs most of us cannot or will not do...."

I believe this, I live this...but I still HATE having a cold!!!!!

I think I am going to root for the New Orleans Saints in the play offs....

GO SAINTS.