I won a Prize!

Tee hee...it's a blogging prize. Thanks Baloney for filling my time since I have nothing to do these days. ;0)

And like all awards, there are rules.
Rules of this award are as follows:
1)The winner may put the logo on their blog.
2)Put a link to the person who sent you the award.
3)Nominate 10 blogs.
4)Put a link to their blogs.
5)Leave a message for your nominees.

I've done the first 2. I'll have to do the last 3 when I have a few moments. In between dealing with fevers and boxes. Don't get bent out of shape! I'll try and do it soon...

Healthcare in America

A friend of mine on Facebook made this comment yesterday:

Health care across the country should be more like the Mayo Clinic. Does that really sound like the socialized medicine the conservative pundits are trying to scare people about?

I don't know a lot about the Mayo Clinic...I know it has a great reputation for research and for taking some of the "lost causes" and helping them to get healthy. Other than that, they are a foreign entity to me. So I got on their website to find out a little bit about them, focusing on their financials because the bottom line is ALWAYS, well, the bottom line.

I agree that it would be nice, utopic in fact, if all of healthcare could be like the Mayo Clinic. Or St. Jude's. But these organizations, after looking at their own published information, need A LOT of public and private support above and beyond what patient care provides.

Would this scenario REALLY work for the general healthcare of America? It doesn't seem so, to me. There is a limited pot to draw from, and organizations like these are already drawing huge amounts. If we tried to make EVERY healthcare organization, clinic, hospital, etc...fashioned after them, they would all be bankrupt. It's just not fiscally sound.

I can see and feel the emotions that would cause my friend to say what she said, but looking beyond emotion to the actual viability of it...a different story.

Healthcare needs fixing. No doubt about that. But socialized medicine? Not the fix we're looking for.

Next time we'll take a look at the Scott & White Healthcare System run out of Texas. Now THAT is an option for more widespread coverage.

100th POST!!!!! Why I Blog

This is my 100th POST! WAHOO!!! It seems that a lot of my momentous occasions are happening very close to one another, so I hope people don't get bored with me hyping myself. :0)

I asked in my last post for people to help me decide the topic for this post. We are still in the middle of a big move, JMonster is STILL sick with fever over 104', and I'm overwhelmed, but I wanted this post to be good. Not just another "here's what we did today" post, but something that'll make people think.

No one gave any specific suggestions, but one faithful reader wrote:

This blog is a way for you to express yourself. What would be really dear to your heart? What would be an expression of something that is uniquely you?

This got me to thinking. Why do I blog? What is the purpose? A HA! That is what I'll write about.

Why I BLOG:
When I started this, I wrote that this blog was an attempt to keep from smothering The Rev when he walked in the door after work. And it was that...for about a week. But then I found that I ENJOY sharing bits of my day, thoughts I have, and my views on certain aspects of politics. I like getting a conversation going, although it doesn't get going QUITE as much as I'd like, but getting people talking is FUN!

I've also noticed that blogging has kept me more attune to what is going on every day. I see things that need taking pictures of. I hear things that just have to be written about so they'll be remembered. I'm more inclined to delve into politics instead of stick my head in the sand.

Instead of doing photo albums, I've made photo books on Shutterfly for JMonster. One for every year. I really believe that blogging is going to help make those books better. I won't be sitting down 3 or 4 months after his birthday trying to remember what happened the ENTIRE YEAR!

Most of all, blogging has helped me make new "friends". Not necessarily just the readers of my blog (I've only accumulated 8 subscribers!), but also of the blogs I read. I may never meet these people in person, but I feel a kinship to many of the people I've interacted with. They help me when I'm down, and they cheer when I'm up.

Thank you for being a part of my blog! May we all continue to learn...together!

Big Boy Bed

As everyone knows, we are moving. Far, far away. To, as my husband calls it, The Motherland...TEXAS! And in moving, we need to sell our house so we are staging it for potential buyers.

One of the things we have done is "purchased" a twin bed to put in JMonster's room. (We actually traded for the frame and borrowed the mattress, but who's keeping track, really?) I put the bed together yesterday and OF COURSE JMonster decided it was HIS new bed and he needed to sleep in it.

In fact, he wanted to go to bed right then...and I would have let him if it weren't 5:00 in the afternoon.

Here are some pics of JMonster snuggling with The Rev before going to sleep:





And here he is, asleep...






Everyone say Awwwwww!

On another note...this is my 99th post. My next one, OBVIOUSLY, being my 100th. I'm taking suggestions for what it should be about. HELP! I'm so busy with the move that my brain is mush, but I want it to be good. Thanks!

Mommy, I got some...

Mommy, I got some (did something, had something, went somewhere...), pretty much any sentence uttered by a 3 year old that states something in the PAST TENSE, will get your ears picked up and make you a little nervous.

Right before nap time, JMonster marches into the office and announces, "Mommy, I got some lip stuff!" Lip stuff means chapstick, or blistex, or in this case Avon brand cherry lip balm. I looked up and saw this:



After trying very hard not to laugh, I took him in the bathroom and cleaned him up. And the bathroom counter. And the cabinets. And the floor.

Independent little booger!

When it rains, it pours!

Don't read this post if talk of poop or throw-up gives you the willies. You've been forewarned!

JMonster told me when we got to preschool yesterday for our teacher workday that he needed to poopie. He went, I wiped, and then noticed that his poop was WHITE. Looked like white clay or white play-doh. Hmmm...that didn't seem right. I went and got the school nurse who looked at it and said, "I've never seen anything like that before! Let's see what his next one looks like and then call his pediatrician if it continues."

Didn't think about it much all day. He ran around like a wild man, as usual, and acted pretty normal. Called the brother-in-law who is the ER doc and asked him what HE thought. "Well, that means there is no bile in the poop. It can mean nothing, or it can mean something is wrong with his liver, gallbladder, etc."

WHAT!?!

Went to bed around midnight. Around 4:30am JMonster strolls into our bedroom and announces he has a tummy ache. "But, I'm okay Mommy." Very matter of fact. Then he crawls up into our bed and lays there for the rest of the night NOT SLEEPING. He started moaning that he needs Benadryl (his everything for medicine), then began to cry, then sob that he needs a doctor.

Around 7:00am, give or take, he decided he needed to poop again. We went into the bathroom where he proceeded to throw up all over everything.

Called the doctor THREE times over a period of 45 minutes and finally got a call back. They had office hours today so he wanted to see him during those hours.

After all of that, the official news is that JMonster has a stomach flu which has given him a touch of hepatitis. Seriously. We are to watch him to be sure he doesn't have any more bouts of white poop, but other than that just bland foods and time.

Funny thing is, when the doc said no greasy food, JMonster actually got upset that he wouldn't get a cheeseburger for lunch. Go figure.

Sensory Integration Dysfunction

Today was the last day of preschool for the year. It was also the day we found out, officially, that JMonster has Sensory Integration Dysfunction.

We've known since he was born that certain things don't sit well with him. He doesn't tolerate cold or heat, he hates loud noises (unless HE is making them), he avoids crowds (that includes parks with more than 3 or 4 other kids), he is picky about his food tastes and textures, and he is intolerant to light. He's also very behind in his gross motor skills and weak, but tends to be high energy.

All of these things combine into a kid who is highly empathetic, but also very needy.

I'm excited to find out about this diagnosis! Now we can DO something to help him. It may sound crazy to be excited about finding out that your child has a "difference", but he has it whether he is diagnosed or not and having a diagnosis just means we can understand him better and do something about it!

Do you have a child, or know a child, who has sensory integration dysfunction? I'd love to hear from you!

Proud Mama!

JMonster has been taking swimming lessons for a few months now. He is typically a very cautious child, so this has been a slow-going process.

Today he earned his orange shirt! This means he can be thrown in the pool, come up to the surface, and float on his back. He can swim across the pool using a swim-float on back-swim technique. He can retrieve an item off of the bottom and come up to the surface and float on his back. He is a super star!




GO JMONSTER!!! MOMMY IS SOOOO PROUD OF YOU!

Flat fee MLS listing versus Full service Real-estate Agents

We are about to put our house on the market. We interviewed MANY real estate agents and think we have made a decision.

We are going to use an MLS/FMLS listing agency that does EVERYTHING (contracts, the sign, the 360 virtual tour, the lock box, etc...) except represent us at the closing. For a mere $1200 ($380 or so of it required by the county for FMLS listing), we are able to have our house on the market, LOOK like we have a full-fledged agent, and potential buyers are able to get in to view the house. And they are Century 21...not a fly-by-night no-name company that other agents will run from!

For another $8400 or so, we can get the full-fledged agent. Who says they represent me, but really wants to make as much money as they can so how much are they REALLY going to negotiate the price down. That's what I was thinking, too.

At this point we just want to sell the house and not lose our shirts.

What do you think?

Stressed? Who, me?

So, we have 2 weeks and 3 days until the move. And I have ONE box packed and stuff everywhere!

The 8th grader I'm tutoring has his exams this week, with the big science one on Friday. I'll be tutoring today for 2 hours, and then several hours throughout the week.

School ends this week, and on top of that how many birthdays/get togethers are there?

And on top of that, some of what I need to do to get the house ready is outside. And it looks like it is going to rain until we need to build another ark. Ugh.

Stressed? Who ME?

3 month anniversary!

Okay, so I won't announce EVERY month that goes by since I started my blog, but since I'm so darn busy these days I needed a nice easy topic. And this is it!

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY SWIZZ'S DAILY DIATRIBE!!

Since you were started (and actually since I got sitemeter which was a few weeks into this whole deal), you have:

had:
...1670 visits
...2360 page reads
...visitors from: all over the world, including most of the US, Germany, Israel, Thailand, Canada, and the UK to name a few.

Remember, sitemeter "misses" some of your viewers who use Google Reader or other readers to view you. But don't worry! We're not counting.

Score one for the Good Guys!

Craigslist, as most people know, is a bit like ebay but easier to navigate and FREE. Only they have allowed women and children to be posted on the site, turning a blind eye to the reality that these people are likely being used in the sex slave business and being trafficked across the US.

For that reason, I never ever under any circumstances use Craigslist. I'll pay more for something just to keep them from getting one red cent of my money.

Online classifieds giant Craigslist said yesterday that it will replace its "erotic services" section with a new adult category that will be more closely monitored, responding to criticism that the popular Web site has facilitated prostitution across the country.

Craigslist chief executive Jim Buckmaster said on the company's blog that every ad posted to the new "adult services" category will be manually reviewed and that the section will be scrubbed of blatant sex-for-money ads and pornographic pictures. It was unclear, however, how a company that employs 28 people intends to screen the thousands of ads, and what criteria will be used. (Washington Post article)

Now, this isn't the be all end all answer for human trafficking in the US. But it is ONE STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION!

Craigslist, may I be so bold as to suggest you get rid of adult content altogether?

Why my house isn't perfect

Does that sound funny? I don't mean that I don't LIKE my house, what I mean is that my house isn't in perfect order all of the time. I'm an organizer by nature. Okay, anal would be a good word for my need to be in control. However, sometimes there are messes. Most of the time there's a little clutter. WHAT?!? In the organization queen's house? Really? Here's why:

I lived my way through college with my room in perfection. I got out of bed, turned around, and made it right then and there. My bathroom was always spotless. The clothes in my closet looked like they were on a rounder or wall in a retail store. Organized by type of clothing, then by season, then by color. The sleeves were "sleeved", if you've ever worked retail. The pants were hung with the creases in the proper places. You could have eaten off of my floor.

And then God taught me, through several trials, that I was NOT in control and there is more to life than trying to be perfect.

Oh boy, are you ready? Be sure to put on your seatbelts and grab a box of tissues cuz these next few stories are doozies.

When I was in graduate school, I took a summer job running the infirmary at a Christian camp and conference center. It's where I met The Rev, but that is another story! We didn't make much money (okay, next to nothing!) so when we were offered weekend work, we jumped on it! One weekend I was offered the opportunity to be a server at a wedding in the local town. There were 5 of us girls that were going to do this, so we hopped in the car together and took off. None of us REALLY knew where we were going, we just knew the town and had a general idea. After about 10 minutes (it should have take us about 5 minutes to get there) we realized that we had probably passed the church. Now, we were on a 2 lane highway that ran through town, but this was a SMALL town and the speed limit was 70mph. Our driver decided to make a quick u-turn and pulled over onto the right shoulder. I was sitting right behind her and realized as she yanked the wheel that she hadn't looked over her left shoulder to see if anyone was coming up behind us. What I didn't see, because we were just before the crest of a hill, was that there was a large sedan coming over the crest of the hill. The other girls must have seen it because there were sudden screams and then a huge impact as the sedan t-boned us in the middle of the highway. Our driver's hip broke on the impact so she never took her foot off the accelerator and we headed off the road for a ditch and a grove of trees. I saw the ditch and KNEW we were going to flip. None of us in the back seat were wearing seat belts so I threw myself between the driver's seat and the back seat and held on. We didn't flip, but we hit the grove of trees and came to a sudden stop.

I wish I could say that the story ended there. But, after I got out and the other 2 girls in the back seat got out, I realized that our driver was seriously hurt, and my friend who was the front passenger was unconscious and laying across our driver. Remember, I'm a trained EMT and ran an infirmary, so I immediately jumped into survival mode. I opened the front door and tried to get the my friend's neck stabilized and checked to see if she was breathing. I felt a pulse, I thought, but couldn't see if she was breathing. I asked someone who had stopped to help if they could tell and they went around the car to check. The response was, "I think so" and I had to go with it. I couldn't get her out and I really couldn't get her where I could administer breaths or compressions if she needed it. By now I could feel that her neck was broken.

A young man came running up and asked if he could help. My first words were, please, please pray. He told me that his father was a minister and he was in the car, so he ran to get him. His father came over and layed hands on everyone and prayed the prayer that I couldn't manage at that moment. "Lord, please be with these girls. Help them through this ordeal. And IF IT IS YOUR WILL, please heal them and let them walk away from this accident." Now, those weren't the exact words, but close enough to what I remember.

By now the EMS had arrived and I had heard them call for life-flight. As the camp director and his wife arrived, I heard someone say to cancel life flight. Right then, I knew. I looked at the director's wife and asked what she knew, and she told me that my friend had not made it. I lost it. For about 10 seconds I sobbed the deepest sobs, and then they just dried up.

I was taken to the hospital and checked out (my back had been hurt pretty bad and I was bruised and cut all over), and was then allowed to leave.

Several weeks later, I was on a canoe trip with a group of kids from the camp. There were 3 other counselors there and we were several hours away. We spent an amazing several days, and on our last day on the river we just gave it all we had. One of the other counselors and I had to leave the kids and 2 of the counselors to go pick up our van from the starting point on the river. We left and got on the highway and immediately noticed the traffic was backing up. We looked up and saw that a head-on collision between a pick-up truck and an SUV had JUST happened. Cars were lining up on the side of the road, but no one was getting out to help. We both grabbed our first aid kits and ran down the highway. I won't give all of the details, but both drivers ended up passing away after all. The other counselor picked up a giant book that had been thrown from the SUV and opened it up. It was an enormous day planner. Over a foot tall and about 4 inches thick. I'd never seen anything so big for a calendar! Right then and there it struck me that the young lady had planned her life for the next year or two, but it was never to happen. I wasn't angry, what hit me was that God didn't PROMISE us tomorrow. He promised to be here with us during our life on Earth, and then in Heaven if we are believers, but He never told us we'd for sure have another day.

When I was 6 months pregnant with JMonster, my Dad passed away. He had been sick for some time, but his death was still a shock. I think it always is. The difficult thing about his passing was that from the time I was in kindergarten, my Dad had been afraid to LIVE. He had a heart attack that year, and from that point on he lived in perpetual fear of dying. So much so that he hindered his ability to squeeze life out of every situation.

When Jmonster was 16 months old, our neighbor's 3 year old died from complications of heart surgery. He was born with a heart defect, but he lived life with such intensity that you would never know that he was "sick". The only sign I ever really saw were his adorable little feet, which would stay purple because of his poor circulation. Soon after he passed, JMonster started asking for us to snuggle before putting him down. Hmmmm, clean the kitchen from dinner or snuggle with my boy. A no brainer! And I didn't even feel guilty because it hit home that not everyone gets that chance.

Over the years I've used these lessons to remember what is important. Family is important. Friends are important. LIFE is important.

But having a clean kitchen? That's just icing on the cake.

(And now my house is the biggest mess of all as we prepare to give it up so we can move closer to family. Would I do it over? You betcha. It may take several attempts, but this girl knows when to learn her lesson.)

Missional Monday

Today's focus is on PUPPIES!!!  Yes, cute, adorable, can't put them down cuz you might cry PUPPIES!!





Today's organization is: Atlanta Boxer Rescue!

We are an organization dedicated to the rescue and adoption of Boxers in the metropolitan-Atlanta area, and to provide support and education for Boxer owners. We are operated and managed by a group of dedicated volunteers, and we are funded by adoption fees, fundraisers, and gifts from generous donors like you! Atlanta Boxer Rescue, Inc., is 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

Atlanta Boxer Rescue is looking for volunteers! If you live in Atlanta and have a heart for these puppies, and can help out transporting dogs between the hours of 9am and 5pm (when vets are open) please volunteer!

Atlanta Boxer Rescue is currently seeking volunteers to provide transportation of our Boxer dog rescues to/from their Foster homes and to/from their vet appointments. Transportation would occur during weekday business hours and would involve 2-3 hours of time total. One-way transports of approximately 1 hour may also be available. Atlanta Boxer Rescue is not based in a single shelter, but rather utilizes a network of Foster homes throughout metro Atlanta, so volunteer opportunities exist throughout Atlanta.

Volunteer must have good reliable transportation and a safe driving record. Must be willing to be around dogs and have basic dog-care skills. Vehicle must be suitable in size or configuration to provide safe transport for the Boxer dog. Volunteer will pick up the dog at the Foster home and transport to vet office. Will assist in handling dog during the vet appointment, then transport the dog back to the Foster home. Will also ensure any paperwork received at the vet office is transferred to the Foster home. Volunteer must have email access for receiving and scheduling transport requests.

Please take some time and check out this wonderful organization on their website! See if their mission can help you match your passion with your purpose.

What happened!?!

Since when did my sweet baby JMonster turn into a sweaty, rebellious teenager? I wasn't expecting THIS:



at 3!

I'm nervous for 13, and 16, and...

Okay, I'm kidding! He'd been outside playing with his friends and had to come in because his red face matched his red shirt. But it WAS funny!

This is more like what he was acting like:


Now THAT'S better! (Notice the too large shirt, the random stickers, and the desperate need for a haircut. Only My boy!)

Mother's Day

Swizz's Mother & JMonster when he was a newborn!

We are not only celebrating Mother's DAY in our house, we are celebrating Mother's WEEKEND. As it should be! :o)

For all of you mothers out there:

HAPPY

MOTHER'S

DAY!

And to all of you dads out there, she may not be YOUR mother, but she is the mother of your kiddo(s). Do something special for that wonderful lady in your life. And then go do something special for your mother!

Good News & Bad News

Don't you hate it when someone says that? I've got Good News and I've got Bad News. In fact, JMonster said that in the car just the other day. Made me laugh. His bad news was he was having a hard time, his good news was he was having a terrific day. Couldn't quite figure out what he was having a hard time about. Hmmmmm...

So, now that I've prefaced this with an intro and even gave a hint in the last post, I will delay no more...


THE BAD NEWS:
I'm moving. To Texas. It's not BAD, it's just sad and hard and very emotional. I tend to dig in and plant my roots, so ripping them out is painful and a bit difficult. We are going to live with family, which is the point of this whole ordeal, and that definitely makes it much easier. That being said, I'm having a hard time. I'm a bit leaky in the eye area, and I am a tad snippy, so bear with me these next few weeks.

Oh, did I forget to mention? JMonster and I move JUNE 1st! Yep, a few short weeks away. The Rev will stay behind to finish work (which could be as long as 18 months!) and to sell the house (which could be even LONGER in this economy!). If anyone is looking for a great house just outside of Atlanta, let me know!

THE GOOD NEWS:
I will still be blogging! Yippee! In fact, that will probably be one of the ways I will stay sane through all of this. It may not be as frequently these next few weeks, but I will prevail.

I hope y'all don't mind me bringing you into the fold of the process. I promise not to cry EVERY time we discuss this issue. :o)

Texas Jokes

Just a few Texas jokes for ya. 

Say Partner
A cowboy rode into town and stopped at a saloon for a drink. Unfortunately, the locals always had a habit of picking on strangers, which he was. When he finished his drink, he found his horse had been stolen. He went back into the bar, handily flipped his gun into the air, caught it above his head without even looking and fired a shot into the ceiling. "Which one of you sidewinders stole my horse?!?!?" he yelled with surprising forcefulness. No one answered. "Alright, I'm gonna have another beer, and if my horse ain't back outside by the time I finish, I'm gonna do what I dun in Texas! And I don't like to have to do what I dun in Texas!"

Some of the locals shifted restlessly. The man, true to his word, had another beer, walked outside, and his horse has been returned to the post. He saddled up and started to ride out of town.

The bartender wandered out of the bar and asked, "Say partner, before you go... what happened in Texas?"

The cowboy turned back and said, "I had to walk home."


Texans in Heaven

Gabriel came to the Lord and said " I have to talk to you. We have some
Texans up here in Heaven who are causing problems. They're swinging on
the pearly gates, my horn is missing, barbecue sauce is all over their
robes, their dogs are riding in the chariots, and they're wearing
baseball caps and cowboy hats instead of their halos. They refuse to
keep the stairway to Heaven clean. There are watermelon seeds and pig
feet bones all over the place. Some of them are walking around with just one wing."
The Lord said, "I made them special, Gabriel. Heaven is Home to all my
children. If you really want to know about real problems, let's call the Devil."
The Devil answered the phone, " Hello? Darn, hold on a minute."
The Devil returned to the phone, "O.K., I'm back. What can I do for you?"
The Lord replied, "I just want to know what kind of problems you're having down there."
The Devil said, "Hold on again. I need to check on something."
After about 5 minutes the Devil returned to the phone and said, "I'm
back. Now what was the question?"
The Lord said, "What kind of problems are you having down there?"

The Devil said, "Man, I don't believe this....Hold on, Lord."
This time the Devil was gone 15 minutes. The Devil returned and said ,
"I'm sorry Lord, I can't talk right now. Them darn Texans done put out
the fire and are trying to install air conditioning."


The Aggie and the Canoe
One day, an Aggie, a longhorn and a Red Raider decided to go out on their brand new fishing boat and cruise the ocean. For quite some time, the three rode around, dodgin the waves, until one wave pushed them hard, and they simply could not gain back control of their boat. Finally, the boat came to a stop, shipwrecked on an unknown island. Then, before they could even regain their bearings, a group of natives ran out and captured them.

When they came to, they were each sitting in a chair in front of a table with only three items on them. There was a gun, a knife and a fork. The chief entered the tent and began to speak.

"You are our prisoners," he says", and now we will eat you for supper and use your skin to make canoes for us to capture more. You may each kill yourselves however with one of the weapons you see before you.

The Longhorn volunteered to go first, and picked up the revolver. With tears in his eyes, the Longhorn pulled the trigger and killed himself instantly. Next, the Red Raider picked up the knife and put it to his heart. He shoved it into his chest and fell limp against the chair. Then the Aggie looked at the three weapons and finally picked up the fork. He began to stab himself all over.

The chief looked at him quizzically and said, "What are you doing?"

The Aggie stopped momentarily and said, "I'm ruinin' your canoe!"

That's ridiculous!

In terms of mental health issues...

CNSNews.com -The RightNews, Right Now
(NOT that I think CNN is the right news, right now...it's just a link, people!)
Posted using ShareThis ≈

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is funding a study that seeks to discover a link between drinking and having sex among homosexuals in Argentina.

The grant, awarded to the New York State Psychiatric Institute, was provided by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), the division of NIH that studies the effects of alcohol and alcoholism.

Seriously?!? When people are facing serious mental health crises, we are spending huge amounts of money to find out that DRINKING leads to SEX?!? Uh hmmm, excuse me, I'm going to go be sick now.

Missional Monday

Today's focus is on mental health. Our extended family has and is dealing with the mental health issue; this is a tribute to all families, rich or poor, who are or need to be helped out with mental health issues.

The organization for this week is: FaithWorks

FaithWorks is a faith-driven initiative to help Georgia’s citizens who suffer from mental illness. This initiative brings together faith leaders from a broad spectrum of religious institutions and nonprofit organizations.

Our primary focus is our state’s mental health system, which is in crisis. From overcrowded and understaffed psychiatric hospitals to a lack of community mental health services, the present system has led to neglect, abuse and the avoidable deaths of more than 100 mentally ill patients.

We are committed to reframing the mental health crisis as a moral and spiritual issue, and then responding to the issue according to God’s will. FaithWorks intends to galvanize the faith communtity to act on behalf of those with mental illness who have no choice but to place themselves under the state's care.
~From the FaithWorks website

Please take some time and check out this wonderful organization on their website! See if their mission can help you match your passion with your purpose.

Leadership

The best executive is the one who has sense enough to pick good men to do what he wants done, and self-restraint to keep from meddling with them while they do it.
Theodore Roosevelt

I've been thinking a lot about leadership and leaders. It seems that quite a few of the "leaders" I've been around lately have been sucked into the vortex of self fulfillment rather than leading from an "others" perspective. This includes leaders in the ministry, leaders in non-profits, leaders in education, government leaders, as well as corporate leaders.

What do I mean?

When a leader consistently says, in the face of people complaining about their decisions, "Someone has to make the hard decisions," this is bad leadership. SURE, there are decisions that leaders have to make that are tough and that not every person will agree with, but when EVERY decision you make leaves your subordinates feeling like you are part Satan, you need to check your motives.

When a leader consistently responds in a bitter, "I'm a martyr" type reaction, it is fair to say they need to rethink their leadership style. As a leader, you DO sacrifice for the team. But you do it willingly and without throwing those sacrifices in their faces...every...day.

When a leader hires a team of people, but fails to show trust for them, that leader has failed. Micromanaging is basically a failure to delegate tasks to others, and then trust them to do them well and in a timely fashion. Micro-managers are so fearful of others doing the work, they undermine others ability to actually do GOOD work because they: change deadlines, change priorities, need excessive reporting, and hover while others do the work.

Leaders that have willing and loyal followers have a lot in common. They listen. They allow their "followers" to have ownership in the projects. They communicate well. They respect their subordinates time, ideas, and creativity. They recognize the successes of their people, and don't feel the need to tout their own. But most of all, they have INTEGRITY.

Do you work for a "bad" leader? I'd love to hear your story!