God Bless America

There are a lot of things happening in America right now that I am certain my God is not proud of. There are definitely a lot of things going on that I am not proud of! It saddens me to see the state that my country is in and the blinders that people wear. I wish that I could show them, but they refuse to listen and it turns into a debate rather than a discussion. When I get too frustrated, I turn to my God and my Bible for comfort and guidance in my situation. I find peace in one particular verse, which I would love to share with you all.

 "If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land." 2 Chronicles 7:14 (KJV)

There are a few things I would like to point out with this verse. First, 2 Chronicles was written in the Old Testament, but that does not make it obsolete. Just as God is timeless, so is His Word and it applies to every day and age. Second, I believe that "My people" has become Christians, rather than just the Jews, but the verse still applies to God's people. Third, regardless of how sinful or wicked people are, God is eternally merciful if we truly seek forgiveness. It gives me hope for America, because I know that if we will humble ourselves and pray (and truly seek His forgiveness) then He will heal our land.

Knowing this, I have made it a personal goal of mine to pray for America everyday this year. I am humbling myself and asking Him to take control of my country and save it. I am doing what I can to help restore and revive America. At this point, I believe that all I am capable of doing is praying. I would, however, like to take it a step further and challenge my friends, family and readers to pray with me. The bible also says that:

"For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them."Matthew 18:20 (KJV)

I know that without God, it is impossible for my country to be healed. I also know that Jesus said where two or more gather in His name, He is there with us. So I would like to ask for your participation in prayer! I want to challenge American Christians to make time at about noon to pray for this country. Pray for Christian leaders, who will allow God to be the true ruler of our nation. Pray for the blinders to be removed from our friends and family. Pray for the restoration of our former Christian nation. Pray that God will heal, inspire and revive America (to borrow words from Ben Carson). Just pray for America. 

I say noon because I figure that is lunch time, and most people will have a momentary break from school or work. This provides the perfect opportunity for a talk with God. But, if you do not usually have a break at noon, feel free to pray whenever you are given the opportunity. Please do join me and my family in prayer for our nation. 

May God bless America, as He did when we served Him! 

Embrace Your Weirdom

Because it is the beginning of October and the weirdness is beginning to come out (and in some cases, amplify) in most people, I want to take this opportunity to share my weirdness with you. Actually, I want to take it a step further and "embrace my weirdom," while at the same time challenging you to embrace your weirdom. I'm not gonna judge you, and those who truly love you will not judge you either.

I don't really know what normal is in terms of people. Everyone has their own definition of that word, but no one's definition is completely correct for everyone. I think that "normal" ought to be defined by each individual person, because otherwise it really cannot be applied to people. For example, what is normal for me might not be normal at all for any of my readers. Normality in my life consists of worshiping God, finger stabs, insulin injections, a love of reading, writing, and all other kinds of schoolwork, enjoyment in cleaning, anime, gaming, and many other things. I am not "normal," but that doesn't bother me. I like who I am, and I don't intend to be anything different. Let me explain my weirdom to you. I want to discuss the ways I am weird and attempt to explain to you why.

My Christian faith in the modern world would make me very weird. Especially the fact that I have completely given my life to Christ and I now let Him govern it. Even some of those who claim to be Christians do not live in such a way and they cannot understand why I do. It used to infuriate me, but I don't let it bother me anymore. I don't cuss, I don't drink, I don't party, I don't listen to music with an inappropriate message, I don't really date without a Godly purpose either. I don't do anything with my life that I don't feel like Jesus would approve of. I don't care who approves of it on this earth; if Jesus does not approve, then I refuse to do it. For example, I took an Ethics class in college semester (it was a required class). It was an online class in which we spent the entire 16 weeks arguing back and forth about who had "right" morals. We discussed things like premarital sex, abortion, murder, animal cruelty and other sensitive topics. The fun part was that the teacher was grading us based on her opinion of our personal morals. I actually got a failing grade on one of her questions because I refused to say that morals created God, when I knew that God has created everything. To me, that is normal. That is completely giving my life to Christ and allowing Him to use it for His will, not my own. I like being this kind of weird. It literally gives my life purpose to live for Christ. It inspires me to see people around me living in such a way as well. In fact, I appreciate those people more than they know. I could go on, but I believe this could be an entire post, or perhaps even an entire blog on its own.

One of the big parts about being a diabetic is the finger stabs and insulin injections. I hate it when people tell me things like "I could never live like that!" or "How do you do it?" I do it because without it I would die. I do it because I've done it my entire life. I do it because it is normal for me. (I assure you, if you had to prick your finger 12 times a day and get a shot of insulin every time you ate to survive, you would do it too.) For the past 18 years of my life (since I was 10 months old) I have stabbed my finger at least 5 times a day. Until I was five (when I got an insulin pump for the first time) I checked my sugar ever 2 hours (twelve times a day). I also had to eat and get a shot of insulin every 2 hours. This was not fun, but it was normal for me. I now have an insulin pump and a dexcom (checks my sugar every 5 minutes and tells me a pattern of highs and lows), but I still check at least 5 times a day the traditional way. The insulin pump gets me off of shots, so I just have tubing hanging from me 24/7. There is tubing running from my body to the pump so it gives me a consistent flow of insulin, like an IV. This may seem weird to you, but I am actually grateful to have it. This kind of weird keeps me alive. It has helped to make me into who I am. I have learned over the years to embrace the disease. Actually, November 14th is International Type 1 Diabetes day and for the past 3 years I have had blue hair on that day. Blue is our color, so making my hair blue shows support and raises awareness. That is the kind of weird that I like. Crazy with a purpose. That is the kind of weird I want to embrace.

Another thing I mentioned above was a love of reading, writing, and all other kinds of schoolwork. Yeah, I think I'm the definition of nerd. I enjoy learning, so I seek opportunities to learn. I was home-schooled all the way through high school, so the world was my classroom. I have learned new things everywhere and now I know how to look for things I didn't previously know. I used to create algebra problems to help me sleep at night (even I admit that was too weird now...). I write every day about everything. I can take random things and find a way to fit them into a story. For example, I wrote a zombie story about one of my former workplaces. I like learning not just book things, but I like learning about people too. More often than not I am the listener in a conversation, because I learn more with silence than I do with speech. The lessons I learn from others can be more valuable than any amount of book lessons on this planet. That type of thinking is normal for me. If that is weird, then so be it.

I also mentioned that I like to clean. I'm not kidding. I've always liked to clean. It soothes me. I clean especially when I am incredibly stressed out, because it gives me a sense of peace. I learned why not that long ago while talking to a friend. Before I told him why, I didn't really know why myself. But I learned that cleaning up my physical clutter somehow helps me clean up my emotional and spiritual clutter. That is why it is normal for me to clean, because I'm not only cleaning up what people can see. Its hard to explain, but a good way to put it is that it is like cleaning my soul. I get somewhat unhappy when my house is messy and it begins to make me feel like a failure for some reason. It can also go the opposite way, though. When I feel too upset, I won't clean. Then it gets messy and makes it worse. The "pain" doesn't go away until I've cleaned up the physical, spiritual and emotional clutter. I guess that cleaning is just an outlet for me, kind of like crying is for most people. That is normal for me, no matter how weird it sounds.

I am going to clump anime and gaming together for the purposes of this post. Before I continue, let me just say anime is not a cartoon. Both anime and games are a very neat form of art that often go unnoticed. Anime is many different forms of art, ranging from screenplay to the drawing of the characters. Everything that goes into just one episode is cared about deeply by the directors, so each one is a masterpiece that the directors are quite proud of. Games are most likely the same way, but I'm not positive of that. The graphics in some games are quite realistic, so one can imagine that the artist might have cared more for his project. (Side note: when I say games, I mean games like TERA or Slender, not bubbletown. I play those too, but for mindless amusement most of the time.) My favorite animes are Sword Art Online (and all of its other "seasons"), Blue Exorcist and Black Butler. I also like My Little Monster and Vampire Knight. I enjoy them for the storyline, because it inspires me as a writer. For example, SAO (Sword Art Online) had the most beautiful ending I have ever seen in any form of television series, movie, or other show. That gets my creativity working. That is part why I like anime so much. My absolute favorite game is TERA, but sometimes I play Five Nights At Freddy's when I decide I want to throw my computer across the room in terror (I am a very easy person to scare. I even jumped when an alien attacked me in Half-Life one time!). I love Zelda, but it is more of a workout for me than a relaxing experience. Especially when I die in the game. I play it on the Wii, and I refuse to play sitting down because I get very animated with the game. My little sister thinks it is hilarious. She also likes it when I play Five Nights At Freddy's for the reason I have mentioned. Autumn (my sister) is the one who got me into all of that to begin with. She is way more into anime than I am and she wanted to share that experience with me, so she got me into it a few years ago. That is why I like anime and games so much. We often use that for our "sister date," which is my absolute favorite day of the week! She is my best friend and I enjoy all the time I get to spend with her. I play games like TERA with her as a form of escape so I can get away from my crazy life for a little while. We watch anime for the same reason. It is more about the closeness with her than it is about the game or the show for me, although I enjoy that as well.

Some other fun facts about me that may or may not be weird is that I like to be outside. I love hiking, walking in nature, or basically anything I can do to "get lost." That doesn't usually go with the love of anime and/or games, but that's how I work. I also hate cooking, want 10 kids, only ever wear heels or converse (sometimes cowboy boots, but rarely anymore) and love to travel and drive my Jeep. I don't know how I'm going to feed my 10 kids without cooking, so I'll have to work on that.

Well, there are some fun facts about me. That is all the stuff that makes me "weird."

But what I wanted to say when I challenged you to "embrace your weirdom" was this: we are created as individuals, not one singular being. The things about you that might be considered weird are things that are included in your individuality. Embrace that! Tell the world about it! You are not "weird." You are unique. Individual. You. God created you for a reason and I'm certain the reason was not to follow the multitudes. Embrace who He created, because He definitely doesn't make mistakes!

So, please. Go forth and be weird. Embrace your individuality. And if you want to, leave me a comment telling me what makes you "weird" and why. I would love to hear from you!

What Matters More?

God has a funny way of bringing me back to Him. Every time I'm struggling to keep up with my life, He reminds me that putting Him first makes everything else fall into place. 

There is only so much time in a day. We are given 24 hours to do whatever we want. However, when we keep adding things to our plate, we quickly fill up those hours. At that point, we must decide what we like best and keep making time for those things.

Keyword here: making time. 

I play many different roles in my life. College student, Christian, sister, daughter, tutor, employee, friend etc. I want to do my best at preforming those roles. It takes time to do those things!

Let me put it this way. If I have twenty-four hours in one day, let's take out the time required for the things that I need to do. I'll start with absolute necessities. So, eight hours comes out for sleeping time (although I could sleep for probably ten hours if I had a day off). Now I have sixteen hours left. I have to take at least three of that for eating time, so now I have thirteen hours. I spend on average four hours daily doing some kind of school work, so we can subtract that from my time. That leaves me with nine hours. I easily spend two of that doing something with my dog--playing outside, giving her a bath, going for a car ride, whatever. (Once again, this is on average.) So I can take that out of my time, giving me seven hours. I can spend up to three of those hours on my computer doing something, unfortunately. Usually I am doing homework of some kind, but I like to play TERA and listen to music. I can eliminate three hours from my day, giving me four hours left. I am supposed to help my sister with her math, but lately I haven't made enough time for that. I can eliminate one hour for that chore, leaving me with three hours left in my day. Notice that I have yet to include any time for God? Unfortunately, by the time the rest of that is finished, I don't want to do anything but relax for those few hours. I end up talking to friends or doing extra-curricular activities. The One who deserves all of my attention has just been put to the bottom of my "to-do list."

The problem is, God shouldn't be included in a to-do list at all. We ought to focus our attention on Him because we want to, not because it is just another thing on our list.

I have an entry in my journal from about a month ago. It deals with this topic directly. In it, I made a list of what the world had to offer me. Well, what the world had to offer me when I didn't put God first. It goes as follows:

• I have lost my sense of self. 
• Depression. 
• Loss of desire for God. 
• Poor decision making. 
• Other such things. 

 I wrote this Bible verse along with it:

"But I myself said: I have labored in vain,
I have spent my strength for nothing and futility;
yet my vindication is with the Lord,
and my reward is with my God." (Isaiah 49:4 HCSB)

That last line there really hits home. "My reward is with my God." That reminds me that if I put Him first, then everything else will fall into place. Let me put it another way...

What matters more? God, or _______________?

 It doesn't matter what you fill the blank with, the answer is the same. "My Reward is with my God," and I trust him to take care of me. In all 24 hours of the day. But I need to prove that by putting Him first, and actually making time in my day to give to Him. He deserves all of my attention, not just what I have left to give. I have to remember that He gave me everything. So all of those things I spend my time with/on/doing are gifts from Him. I was reminded by that verse at that point in time to "stop putting the gift above the giver." 

Since then, I have been putting God first in my life. And, as expected, everything else is falling into place.

Benevolence > Beauty

I have come to the conclusion that boys are evil.

Well. Okay. Maybe not all the time. But they are definitely evil when it comes to playing with young girls' hearts. I guess some young girls do the same thing to boys, though. So maybe just teenagers are evil.

I was having a hard time with my breaking heart, so I (naturally) turned to my Bible and God for comfort. Sitting in the the church parking lot on a Monday morning, just me and God, I had an epiphany. I would like to share it with my audience.

God talked to me that day about considering a soulmate. He gave me a few guidelines to go by (things I hadn't been considering). I started like I usually do-- I opened my bible to a random page and began reading. I feel like God is in complete control this way, as I don't really choose what I read.

I opened my Bible to Ruth. I've read this book many times before, but it hit me different this time. It's always been a go-to book for considering a husband. I had been looking for the "Boaz" God has picked out for me. The problem was that I wasn't acting like Ruth. To get a better understanding of what this means, let us take a little walk through the beginning of the book.

If you are not familiar with this book, I'll explain the characters a little. Naomi is from Bethlehem, and she traveled to Moab with her husband and two sons. Both of her sons married Moabite women-- Orpah, and Ruth. Soon, Naomi's husband died, followed by her two sons. She is left with two daughters-in-law who adore her, but a country in which she does not belong. When Naomi decided to leave Moab and return to Bethlehem, her daughters-in-law wanted to accompany her. She knew that she couldn't provide them with another husband, so she commanded them to return to their mothers so they could marry again. Orpah left, but Ruth was determined to remain with Naomi. She wanted to take care of her, because she knew that Naomi had no one left to do that job.

Boaz (Naomi's kin) was first attracted to Ruth's hard work (see verses 4&5 in chapter 2). The Bible tells us that after discovering her origin, he was attracted to Ruth's compassion and benevolence toward Naomi. My epiphany came from this knowledge. I feel that it is incredibly important to note that a good man will be attracted to a woman who takes care of her family before herself.

Boaz told Ruth not to go harvest in another man's field so he could keep an eye on her and protect her. He had respect for her, because of her compassion for her mother-in-law. That is where a proper relationship starts: mutual respect.

Ruth remains in Boaz' fields. She harvests food for herself and Naomi--following Boaz' servents-- everyday. Meanwhile, Naomi masterminds a plan to get Boaz to marry Ruth. (The details are all found in the book of Ruth, but I won't go over them here.) In the end, Boaz marries Ruth and takes care of her and Naomi. My main point: Boaz was attracted to Ruth's benevolence before he even noticed her beauty.

Ruth accompanied Naomi anticipating an empty life. She gave up any chance she had of marrying again, because it was more important to her to make sure that Naomi was alright. Ruth's story teaches us an amazing story of selflessness, as she 100% put Naomi's needs above her own.

Can anyone tell me what is more attractive than that? Who would not want a spouse that takes care of your needs before his/her own? 

I am not married, so I am not an expert in this topic. But I try to listen when God is speaking to me, and I like to share what I learn. My advice to young women seeking a mate is this: don't search for your Boaz if you aren't willing to be Ruth. If you are ready to find your soulmate, then you must act like it! Put aside the heartbreak games and take things seriously. When you begin acting like the Godly woman you are supposed to be, then God will show you what He has in store for you.

Speak Life by Speaking Out Against Bullying

So, do you remember when the ASL ice-bucket challenge was in the spotlight? There was a ton of money being raised for that cause due to that. Which is a very good thing! But something else has grabbed my attention lately. Something that there isn't a fund for. This is a cause that no one is trying to cure, because no one sees it as that kind of an issue. Bullying is a very big issue, and I will dare to assume that it is curable--to an extent. But the cure has to start with you.

If one is to research the statistics for bullying, one will discover that there are many different ways to be bullied. As an example, nobullying.com lists some statistics:

Bullying has many forms verbal, social, physical, and cyber bullying. Middle school students reports many different forms of bullying during the school years. About 44.2% of bullying is teasing which is often playing jokes and calling a child names. Over 43.3% of children have rumors and lies spread about them verbally or online. About 36.3% of children experience pushing and shoving in lines or class, 32.4% report hitting, shoving, and kicking by peers, and 29.2% have been left out or ignored by classmates. About 28.5% of middle school students been threatened by peers and classmates and 27.4% report someone stealing their belongings as another type of bullying. Over 23.7% report sexual comments and gestures as another form of bullying. Where does bullying occur many parents and teachers wonder about the location. Bullying takes place on school grounds and often on the bus. This is not the only place it occurs however! Cyber bullying occurs on cell phones and online on social networks, boards, and through email. A study of middle school students reported that they were bullied about 29.3% in classrooms, 29.0% in the school hallways or near lockers, and 23.4% in the cafeteria. Other locations that school student were bullied were 19.5% of the time the gym or PE class, the bathroom 12.2%, and the playground or recess 6.2% .. This study shows that bullying occurs in many locations where children gather to study, play, or hang out. Only between 20 to 30 percent of students that are bullied tell an adult or teacher about the incident.

Dosomething.org lists some different facts about bullying. Notably, the fact that 90% of 4th through 8th graders report being a victim of bullying, and that teachers only intervene 4% of the time. (If you would like to read the rest of these facts, this is the link:  https://www.dosomething.org/facts/11-facts-about-bullying) This shows that the school system is not doing enough to "cure" the meanness.

These statistics point out that bullying is a very big problem! Perhaps more importantly, the statistics point out that not much is currently being done to stop it. Or, rather, that what is being done isn't backed with a passion for the issue. Although bullying may not be a disease or physical illness, it is undoubtedly a problem, and it does have a cure.

Everyone has been bullied in some way. Even bullies have been bullied. Perhaps, even without knowing it, you have bullied someone or made them feel bad. This is why I say that the cure has to start with you. You must show people you care and they will know that you are not a bully. This also shows people that, even if they are bullied, they have someone on their side as well. It helps to feel that you are not alone.

I would like to start a "Speak LIFE" or "Anti-bully" challenge. I'm challenging my audience to say or do something kind for someone that they may not usually talk to. Do this for five consecutive days and, if possible, for five different people. Try to choose people who may be bullied. Then challenge five of your friends to do this as well. It doesn't have to be something the whole world sees, just something that tells someone you were thinking about them. This will prove to people that there is goodness left in the world, and it might help to spread what goodness is left as well. I'm hoping that the "Speak Life" or "Anti-bully" challenge will have a domino effect. If we show kindness and challenge others to show kindness, we may stand a better chance in our fight against bullying. I believe this has to start with people outside of government or educational systems. We can see what those entities have done to "help cure" this issue.

My Lesson for Today

^"13 As it is written in the law of Moses, all this evil is come upon us: yet made we not our prayer before the Lord our God, that we might turn from our iniquities, and understand thy truth.

¹⁴ Therefore hath the Lord watched upon the evil, and brought it upon us: for the Lord our God is righteous in all his works which he doeth: for we obeyed not his voice.

¹⁵ And now, O Lord our God, that hast brought thy people forth out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and hast gotten thee renown, as at this day; we have sinned, we have done wickedly.

¹⁶ O Lord, according to all thy righteousness, I beseech thee, let thine anger and thy fury be turned away from thy city Jerusalem, thy holy mountain: because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and thy people are become a reproach to all that are about us.

¹⁷ Now therefore, O our God, hear the prayer of thy servant, and his supplications, and cause thy face to shine upon thy sanctuary that is desolate, for the Lord's sake.

¹⁸ O my God, incline thine ear, and hear; open thine eyes, and behold our desolations, and the city which is called by thy name: for we do not present our supplications before thee for our righteousnesses, but for thy great mercies.

¹⁹ O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive; O Lord, hearken and do; defer not, for thine own sake, O my God: for thy city and thy people are called by thy name." (Daniel 9:13-19)

These are the verses I have spent the last few days trying to memorize. (Yes, I have successfully done so!) It's long, I know, and I commend you for reading it all! It is beautiful and it teaches a tragic lesson of love and mourning. Let's take a look at it, verse by verse.

Daniel starts off by saying that his people knew what would happen because they were warned. They just didn't want to believe that their God would punish them for their sins, so they didn't ask for help. This is classic of children. Actually, it is classic of people in general. We always think that we're right and no one is going to correct us, so we don't ask for help or guidance. This can lead to big trouble! It definitely led to trouble for the Israelites.

The next thing that Daniel notes is that God does punish His people. Anyone who has read the Bible knows that a good parent will chastise his children. However, Daniel also notes that God punishes His people lovingly. It is important to recognize the last part of that verse, because everything God does is righteous. What child willingly acknowledges that his parents were right in punishing him? Daniel makes sure to point that out for us. He recognizes that his people have disobeyed God, and that they deserve what is coming to them.

In verse 15 Daniel reveals what God has done for His people ("that hast brought thy people forth out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand..."). He tells us again how good God is, and then points out how wicked people are. This shows that people fall into temptation easier than they may like to admit. Even God's chosen people, who saw Him work in ways we can't even imagine, fell into one of Satan's traps.

Verse 16 turns the tables a little bit. Daniel decides here that he is going to challenge God (to some extent). He asks God to "turn thine anger and thy fury away from thy city Jerusalem."  He is mourning for his nation. First, he tells God that he knows there is evil. Then, he says that they deserve the evil, because everything God does is right and good. After that he praises God's goodness and tells Him that he knows the people have sinned and done wickedly. So why does he ask God not to be angry? Why does he try to explain that the nation is already going through trouble? Keep reading.

Daniel continues to ask God not to be angry. Now he asks God to look upon His "sanctuary that is desolate." He knows that the only way that his people can come out of their turmoil is if they have God's help. And so he proceeds to beg God to save Israel. Again.

The last two verses are actually my favorite part. Daniel is still mourning for his country. But now, he's revealing his heart to God while he mourns. He tells God why Israel needs Him. He doesn't pour his heart out to God for his righteousness, but for God's great mercy. He knows that he is just a sinner, and that he isn't good enough for God. But he also recognizes God's great mercy and compassion. He knows that God loves His people, so he begs Him to show that great mercy once again.

Okay, now that we can see all of that clearly, let's compare it to our present-world state. Isn't America undergoing some evil? Europe?  Asia? You name it? Isn't our world enduring some evil? More importantly, we were warned, weren't we? Just like Israel. And, just like Israel, God is angry. The difference is that there aren't very many Daniel's out there nowadays that are truly mourning for their country. Not many people are begging God to open His eyes and see our desolation. Very few people are asking God for guidance, help and forgiveness.

Our world needs more Daniels. People need to mourn for their country the way he did. Christians need to stand up and be heard. We need to take a look at our surroundings and fight for what we know is right. We need to call upon our omniscient, omnipotent God for guidance, help and forgiveness. We need to pray Daniel's prayer and mean it the way that he did.

This enlightenment has helped me "find me" in a way. It has helped me learn to mourn for the lost, for the world, for my nation. It has helped me learn to pray by revealing my heart to God. He knows it anyway, but He likes it when I'm willing to share with Him. This lesson has helped me get a little closer to God, because it came directly from Him.

Priorities

Everyone has select people or things that give their life meaning or worth. Most people have someone that they love dearly, who makes them feel appreciated. Everyone has someone that is important to them.

Who is most important to you? Who in your life do you feel that you couldn't live without? Have you ever considered this before?

I want to challenge everyone reading this to choose those people. Next, I want you to do everything you can to let them know that. Not just once, or even once yearly. I want you to let that person feel loved every day.

Apart from God, my family is top priority in my life. My Mom, Dad and little sister are most important to me. Extended family, church family, and friends too. But immediate family comes first. I make it one of my daily goals to let them know that. They come before everything else, including myself. As I grow, I make it a goal to always be close with them. Other people I love are put in that category as well.

I make this challenge because I was recently put in my place by one of the people I had chosen. Evidently, they did not return that feeling and they did not want to be on my list. That's fine. I can take a hint. But if they had chosen what they found important and shown that, no one would be hurt. This person actually gave me this challenge not long ago.

"Choose the people who are important to you, who matter. Keep everyone else at a safe distance. Life is easier that way." That is what I am doing, and it is the best advice I can offer anyone. Please do choose the people or things you want on your list. Make sure you let everyone or everything on that list know they are appreciated. Set your priorities and stick to them! Life really is easier that way.