leasheryn's Blog

Although this is a question for PastorD, it is certainly opened for discussion or for anyone who wishes to respond.

Pastor, at what point in time can a member of clergy deny anybody the right to enter or to join a church?  It is my understanding that Jesus taught that all who come are welcome and embraced within the church.  If this is the teaching of Jesus and if the person who comes is truly sincere in their beliefs, is it right for a member of clergy to dismiss that person from entrance within the church.  And if that person has done nothing to offend and has been nothing but be honest and sincere, what reason would a clergyman or woman have to turn them away? Also if a man is going to marry a woman who has every desire to join his church, does a member of clergy have any right to pursuade such a man that his choosen bride has no intent to join his church and turn her away?   Does this clergyman have the right to do this without even taking the time to speak to the woman and discover what her mind is on this subject?  Wouldn't this be considered dishonest and unprofessional? 

I ask because I know of someone who has faced this circumstance  and in which the man in question left his bride because of statements by such a member of clergy. 

 

 

Welshtaff was admitted to Sarasota Memorial Hospital early in August with a blood sugar level of nearly 1400.  It was discovered that his insulin pump had failed.  It was registering that he was getting the insulin but he wasn't which was what shot his blood sugar up so high. 

He was hospitalized for 10 days.  It was thought that he had a hernia but when the surgeon opened him up, the doc discovered that instead of a hernia, it was a huge accumulation of pus instead--2 tall styrofoam cups of pus.   This infection was also attributed to the insulin pump.  Perhaps the needles he received from Animas were not sterile as they were supposed to be. 

It was a scary event for the entire family since if we had waited any longer before rushing him to the hospital, he would not have made it.  A sugar count of 1000 is death and he was far above that.  So we are all very lucky that he is still with us. 

Welshtaff is doing very well now and on the way to recovery although it is still going to take a long time before he is fully restored to his old self.  His surgery wound is healing well with the help of a wound vac and it looks like he will be off that next week which has made him very happy.  He was supposed to be on the vac for 16 weeks but has only had it for about three. 

It's going to be day by day but every improvement is a step in the right direction.   He is working hard to keep his sugar levels down around 100 and seeing his doctors regularly.  Otherwise he sleeps much of the time but is up doing little things for himself now.  So again it's all moving in the right direction. 

Thank you everyone for your support and well wishes.    

 

I was talking with Welshtaff the other night and he has come up with a terrific Welfare to Work Program. 

Take for instance Hurricane Katrina or perhaps the wild fires in California.  Or  all the tornados in the mid-west.  Or in fact any natural disaster where communities have to be rebuilt or revitalized. 

The Federal Government should send out call-up notices to anyone who's on welfare, put them on buses and ship them into these location and PUT THEM TO WORK!  If they don't show up or refuse to do the job assigned to them, the welfare check is AUTOMATICALLY STOPPED.  Further, NO EXCUSES ALLOWED.

As long as anyone is on the governmental t*t, they are no longer their own person and no longer able to make their own decisions.  They belong to the government and are entitled to do only what the goverment asks them to do. 

Let's put these people to work and make them earn their pay instead of receiving free hand-outs from our tax dollars. 

 

"Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

 "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.

 "Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces.

Matthew 7:1-6

In reference: Romans 14 & 15 (The Weak and the Strong)

We are taught that we are not to judge others by the way they worship God or in the way they chose to live within their faith.  It is the act of faith that counts, not the way in which one decides is the best way to worship. 

We are never to impose our belief or our faith upon our fellow man but rather we are meant to accept them in the way they are in exactly the way in which God accepts those who accept Him. 

The judgement of man is left to God alone and is not for us to meddle.  What we do, what we decide and how we live our lives is between each of us as individuals and God.  We are to leave each other alone and concentrate on our own faith.

As long as we have faith and we believe, that is all that counts or means anything in the sight of God. 

Beware of those who scream and shout the loudest against another man for it is they who place themselves above their fellow man (or woman) and condemn those who only God can condemn.  They are not serving God but self-serving and selfishly placing themselves in the role of being as one with God. 

Love one another and accept the next man as he is for this is the teaching of the Lord.   

 

It has now been proved that there was a decomposing body in the trunk of Casey Anthony's car.   It seems in some ways important to understand the process of decomposition of a human body and to understand how long it takes for a dead body to process into this state.  If you are queasy or don't want to read on, I won't be disappointed.  This subject is certainly not for everyone but for those who are curious or are concerned about what may have happened to Caylee Anthony, this may open a few eyes.

After reading myself, I can't begin to understand why anyone would want to drive around with a decomposing body in the back of their car or how long anyone could stand to do so.  Only someone who is completely heartless could do it particularly if it was their own child. 

When someone's heart stops pumping blood around their body, the tissues and cells are deprived of oxygen and rapidly begin to die.

But different cells die at different rates. So, for example, brain cells die within three to seven minutes, while skin cells can be taken from a dead body for up to 24 hours after death and still grow normally in a laboratory culture.

But contrary to folklore, this doesn't mean that hair and nails continue to grow after death, although shrinkage of the skin can make it seem this way.

From this point on, nature is very efficient at breaking down human corpses. Decomposition is well under way by the time burial or cremation occurs. However, the exact rate of decomposition depends to some extent on environmental conditions.

Decomposition in the air is twice as fast as when the body is under water and four times as fast as underground. Corpses are preserved longer when buried deeper, as long as the ground isn't waterlogged.

The intestines are packed with millions of micro-organisms that don't die with the person. These organisms start to break down the dead cells of the intestines, while some, especially bacteria called clostridia and coliforms, start to invade other parts of the body.

At the same time the body undergoes its own intrinsic breakdown under the action of enzymes and other chemicals which have been released by the dead cells. The pancreas, for example, is usually packed with digestive enzymes, and so rapidly digests itself
The decomposing tissues release green substances and gas, which make the skin green/blue and blistered, starting on the abdomen. The front of the body swells, the tongue may protrude, and fluid from the lungs oozes out of the mouth and nostrils.

This unpleasant sight is added to by a terrible smell as gases such as hydrogen sulphide (rotten egg smell), methane and traces of mercaptans are released. This stage is reached in temperate countries after about four to six days, much faster in the tropics and slower in cold or dry conditions.

oh and alsoA corpse left above ground is then rapidly broken down by insects and animals, including bluebottles and carrion fly maggots, followed by beetles, ants and wasps.

In the tropics, a corpse can become a moving mass of maggots within 24 hours.

If there are no animals to destroy the body, hair, nails and teeth become detached within a few weeks, and after a month or so the tissues become liquefied and the main body cavities burst open.

Burial in a coffin slows the process

The whole process is generally slower in a coffin, and the body may remain identifiable for many months. Some tissues, such as tendons and ligaments, are more resistant to decomposition, while the uterus and prostate glands may last several months.

But within a year all that is usually left is the skeleton and teeth, with traces of the tissues on them - it takes 40 to 50 years for the bones to become dry and brittle in a coffin. In soil of neutral acidity, bones may last for hundreds of years, while acid peaty soil gradually dissolves the bones.

Memories,
Like the corners of my mind
Misty water-colored memories
Of the way we were
Scattered pictures,
Of the smiles we left behind
Smiles we gave to one another
For the way we were
Can it be that it was all so simple then?
Or has time re-written every line?
If we had the chance to do it all again
Tell me, would we? could we?
Memories, may be beautiful and yet
Whats too painful to remember
We simply choose to forget
So its the laughter
We will remember
Whenever we remember...
The way we were...
The way we were

When I "graduated" from grade school, my entire graduating class had to stand before a congregation of fellow students, teachers and parents to sing this meloncholy little tune.  It seems funny, in a way, that now the years have flown by how the words come back to remind of those schoolhood days and the joys and tears that carried us all on our way through a child's life and into majority.

Yet another song we sang during our graduating ceremony was this one:

Im sailing away, set an open course for the virgin sea
Ive got to be free, free to face the life thats ahead of me
On board, Im the captain, so climb aboard
Well search for tomorrow on every shore
And Ill try, oh lord, Ill try to carry on

I look to the sea, reflections in the waves spark my memory
Some happy, some sad
I think of childhood friends and the dreams we had
We live happily forever, so the story goes
But somehow we missed out on that pot of gold
But well try best that we can to carry on

A gathering of angels appeared above my head
They sang to me this song of hope, and this is what they said
They said come sail away, come sail away
Come sail away with me
Come sail away, come sail away
Come sail away with me

I thought that they were angels, but to my surprise
They climbed aboard their starship and headed for the skies
Singing come sail away, come sail away
Come sail away with me
Come sail away, come sail away
Come sail away with me

I am reminded that of all the things that touch ones life and inspire memories of happy times and sad come to us in the form of song. 

What songs inspired you, or what was popular during your youth?  What bands or singers were you listening to?  Was it on the radio, vinyl, cassette or 8-track?  And what was that one song that kept coming on the radio that really irritated you?  And don't hold back!!  Let's hear the best and the worst!!

Since we're busy thinking up our favorite TV shows, here's one we mustn't forget.  I don't know what catagory this really fits in, whether it's considered a TV show or a public service announcement but still many of us grew up with it.  So without further introduction:

Conjunction Junction, what's your function?

Hooking up words and phrases and clauses

Conjunction Junction, how's that function?

 I got three favorite cars That get most of my job done

Conjunction Junction, what's their function?
I got "and", "but" and "or"

They'll get you pretty far

Lolly, Lolly, Lolly, get your adverbs here.
Lolly, Lolly, Lolly, got some adverbs here.
Come on down to Lolly's, get the adverbs here!
You're going to need
If you write or read,
Or even think about it.

I'm just a bill.
Yes, I'm only a bill.
And I'm sitting here on Capitol Hill.
Well, it's a long, long journey
To the capital city.
It's a long, long wait
While I'm sitting in committee,
But I know I'll be a law someday
At least I hope and pray that I will,
But today I am still just a bill.  

And the shot heard 'round the world
Was the start of the Revolution.
The Minute Men were ready, on the move.
Take your powder, and take your gun.
Report to General Washington.
Hurry men, there's not an hour to lose!

Yes, it's Schoolhouse Rock!!       

Okay, Janice, we are having so much fun with the TV show we used to watch and what could be more fun than the theme songs!  We used to sing them all the time so how many can we remember???

Boy, the way Glen Miller played. Songs that made the Hit Parade. Guys like us, we had it made. Those were the days! Didn't need no welfare state. Everybody pulled his weight Gee, our old LaSalle ran great. Those were the days! And you knew where you were then! Girls were girls and men were men. Mister, we could use a man like Herbert Hoover again. People seemed to be content. Fifty dollars paid the rent. Freaks were in a circus tent. Those were the days! Take a little Sunday spin, go to watch the Dodgers win. Have yourself a dandy day that cost you under a fin. Hair was short and skirts were long. Kate Smith really sold a song. I don't know just what went wrong! Those Were the Days!"

 

 

 

 

 

 A little while ago there was a blog asking about summer memories.  Let's see if I can remember a few from my growing up days.

Although I remember many happy autumns, winters and springs from my youth, it was summer that was the happiest time for me.  I grew up on the Jersey shore on an island called Long Beach Island or what we just fondly called LBI.  It was eighteen miles long and just about a mile wide.  Sometimes wider in someplaces, sometimes not quite so wide.  There were several very small towns all lined up along the island, Holgate, Beach Haven, Spray Beach, Brant Beach, Ship Bottom, Surf City, Barnegat Light, Harvey Cedars and an exotic little place called Loveladies. 

I lived in Ship Bottom.  It was called such because there was a ship wreck in the Atlantic and when the ocean was at low tide, we could see the bottom of that old ship wreck.  My town was previously called Beach Arlington but later changed to Ship Bottom. 

Summers were fun.  The Atlantic Ocean was one block to the east from my home and the bay, Barnegat Bay was one block to the west from my home.  We children spent our summer between the beach and the bay according to where the tide was. We followed the high tide, of course.  We rode inner tubes on the waves and walked along the jetties agilely and with confidence despite the long loud blows of the life gaurds shrill whistling for us to get off that jetty. 

Every summer there were lifeguard competitions and the girls spent the better part of the summer deciding which dishy lifeguard to support when the big day came.  They held rowing and swimming and surfing competitions and on those days, it was impossible to see the sandy beach for towels, beach chairs and umbrellas.  Absolutely everyone was on the beach!! 

Being a summer destination, there were plenty of things to do.  Although there wasn't a miniature golf course on every street corner, there were plenty of them.  One summer my brother had a free game at every course in Ship Bottom and Surf City.  A free game was won by getting a hole in one on the eighteenth hole and it was quite a trick.  He put his ball through lion's heads, clown mouths and even the back of a locomotive.  Each one sat on a revolving platform and each revolved on it's own accord, yet my brother had the knack and knew exactly how to do it.  I never did and maybe won a free game once or twice in a summer.  He had free games all summer and only paid but once at each course. 

Kids were on the street all summer.  Walking, riding bikes, going places and always with something to do.  When we were thristy we would walk all the way to the drugstore in Surf City to get a coke.  The drug store had an old-fashioned coke machine with ice cold bottles for one dime.   A kid could insert a dime in the slot, open a long slim door in the front of the machine and pull out a bottle and just like magic a new bottle would slide into place.  It was fascinating and fun. When there got to be too many kids in the store, the druggist would chase us away.  It was only  he and one assistant working in the whole store and he didn't like kids. 

I remember 5 and 10 cent stores.  They were wonderful and had just everything anyone could ever want.  Everytime my mother took my brother and I to the 5 and 10 cent store, we always came out waving an American flag.  They were only 5 cents and not very big but big enough for a kid to feel proud to wave one.  It was important to us because we were Americans and we should be proud to be so.  There was also a bi-centenial year and everyone was so proud and so happy to be Americans.  We decorated our bikes and rode in a parade that Fourth of July and felt good and proud and happy.

There was a lighthouse at Barnegat Light which we went to climb to the top and look out over the ocean and the inlet and the bay and the island.  Or we would go to Beach Haven to go to Bay Village which was a group of shops.  We could have big Belguim Waffles and go home and not eat our suppers. 

There was an amusement park in Beach Haven which was great fun.  There were bumper cars and arcade games and a big slide.  We would run up a long flight of stairs carrying a gunny sack and come back over tremendous humps down that long slide and run right back up it seemed like as many times as we liked to.  But it was more fun to go to Seaside or to Atlantic City where there were amusement on the long piers, rides to ride and games to play and prizes to come home with.  I knew Atlantic City long before the casinos took over and remember the thrill of watching the lady jump off the steel pier on her horse.  I have long memories of the sights and sounds of wonderful fun places and the beckoning smell of roasting peanuts from the Mr Peanut store. Always, always my dad would come out with bags of fresh roasted peanuts or cashews or almost any sort of nut imaginable and that wonder smell and taste coming together as we walked back to our car and came home full of fun and laughter, and the smell of the salt sea.    

On Wednesdays over the summers my mother would take us on Wednesday trips.  We would either go to the lake or to a historical village, either Smithville or Batsto; sometimes we would go to Philadelphia for a day and sometimes we would go on the bus to Philly to the Ice Capades or maybe to the circus.  Over the weekends we would go to the Farmer's Markets where we would have long drinks of fresh pressed apple cider or eat huge soft pretzels smeared with yellow mustard.  On the way home, we would stop at a farm stand to buy tomatoes or nice big juicy peaches.  Sometimes my grandfather would stop and buy a six pack of beer for the adults and sodas for us kids and we would stop by a lake to have a cool drink under the shade of overhanging trees and wade in the fresh cool cedar water. 

Every summer, Tiny Tim would come to perform at one of the hotels in Surf City.  It was impossible to live in Surf City or Ship Bottom without hearing him sing.  Night after night for a week, my brother and I would lie awake listening to Tip Toe Through the Tulips and wake up groggy and irritated next day for a week. 

Life was fun and carefree being a kid in the summers when I was young.  It is good to have those memories to carry through life and to reflect upon all the days for the rest of a lifetime.     

I wanted to thank you for stopping by to visit Welshtaff in the hospital.  It was very kind of you to take the time to do so and really made his day! 

Thank you again for all your kindness.

Sheryn

Welshtaff was admitted to the hospital this morning with a sugar count of 1400.  He is now in the ICU at Sarasota Memorial Hospital. 

We're having so much fun remembering our favorite toys so how about school lunches?  Did you carry a Snoopy lunchbox or a brown bag or did you buy school lunches?  What was your favorite lunchbox or your favorite lunch? 

My first grade lunch box was a plastic Barbie one.  It sweated and everything in it went bad.   After that, I had metal ones.  My favorite had to be the black and red plaid although I had all the characters, even Holly Hobbie. 

My brother and I would mostly have PBJ or ham and cheese.  It was a lucky day if it was a liverwurst sandwich.  Usually there was a piece of fruit or carrot and celery sticks and definitely a Twinkle or a Tastee Cake.  There'd be a thermos of milk or if it was cold out a thermos of tomato soup.  It was disappointing when the thermos broke and all the glass was in the milk.

School lunches were awful.  Mostly salisbury steak or meatloaf.  Sometimes baked ziti and once a week on Friday, pizza.  Never could understand why they would serve mashed potatoes with pizza but there was no such thing as fries on a school lunch back in my day.  There was always vegetables and potato on the plate.  Don't remember desserts but it was probably jello or pudding or maybe a cookie.  If we had a dime, we could have an ice cream sandwich. 

And there'd be hoagies and potato chips. Everyone put the potato chips in the hoagies.   

We weren't allowed to have sodas in school.  Back in the day, a soda was a treat and we'd have it mostly at b-day parties or if we went to McD's.  In school we had to have milk, white or chocolate. 

 

 

I have to wonder what makes a person rich?  Is it having a lot of money in the bank or earning a huge pay check?  Or is it the events that take place in our lives that make us truly rich? 

It seems that money is often the root of all woe.  The more we have, the more we earn, the more we want.  We might live in a big house or have an expensive car sitting in the driveway or maybe a big pool and hot tub to relax in.  All these things are nice to have and surely anyone would want to have them to make life more luxurious and in a way better. 

A house and a car and a pool not only brings enjoyment but also brings worry.   A powerful storm could take these things away in an instant and what would we be left with?  Nothing.  And a lot of worry about rebuilding or if the insurance company is going to be willing to pony up the funds to rebuild.  The way things are going nowadays you are more likely than not to end up with squat from the insurors after you've laid out your hard earned money for that protection. 

Are we more rich in money or in happiness? 

Nobody who worries over money is ever very happy.  In fact there seem to be a lot of people out there suffering from depression and the root of most of that seems to be worries over money.  These sorts of worries don't bring happiness but they bring on bad health which is something else that causes concern and adds to the piles of worries. 

Happiness doesn't come in the form of a big house or an expensive car or a backyard pool.  Happiness comes from the people around you and in the joy of being in the midst of your family.  Happiness is in good times and good memories where the worries of the world are far behind. 

In my opinion, it is better to be rich in happiness than it is to be rich in money.  And so I ask again, who is rich? 

 

How do you value human life? Isn't it more important than precious gold, the finest diamond or even all the money in the world? Would you do more to save and protect a life than you would to get your hands on millions of dollars if it were offered to you? If someone stood in your way to gaining a prize, would you knock them to the ground and run over them to get to it or would you show courtesy to another person and save them from being stampeded in the mad rush to gain treasures? It seems that we are valuing objects above human life. This is becoming more and more prevelant in the day to day spectrum of things, particularly when little children go missing and parents do nothing to find them or when someone is shot and killed for a few dollars in a corner convenience store. Whenever this happens, the value of human life goes down and the importance of an object or a bit of fun becomes of greater concern. No man is an island or so the saying goes. We all need the support of our fellow man in order to carry on in this life. It is so necessary to define ourselves as a group of people who are willing to come together in company to sustain human life. We all have a certain requirement for comfort, for companionship and comradeship, for encouragement and even for love. Why should anyone have to go it alone when there are so many other people in the world with whom to draw that need, no, requirement from? There is very little comfort and warmth in a pile of money or a sparkly stone or a shiny band of gold. Inanimate objects can provide a little momentary fun or enjoyment but can never reach the level of friendship or companionship or the comfort of having other people around to share experiences or delights. Comfort and warmth comes from other people, people who care and people who are giving and people who look after each other. When a shiny object looses it's splendor, there is nothing left to keep an interest and we are quick to look for something new and exciting to provide yet another small moment of fascination. People constantly change and grow and renew themselves with new thoughts, new ideas and new ways of doing something. There is constant enjoyment in being with someone and in moving within the dance of everchanging life. What is the point in destroying this for the sake of a momentary pleasure? It's a shame we've moved away from the enjoyment of being with others and putting a lot of focus on nothing but a passing fancy. Human life has more value than anything else we can put our hands on and it is this we should preserve with all our strength. When we preserve life, we preserve ourselves and our future and the safety of generations that will follow us. I'm tired of hearing stories about those who will jeopardize the life of others for the sake of a moment of fun. Surely we, as an intelligent life form, can do better.

How do you value human life?  Isn't it more important than precious gold, the finest diamond or even all the money in the world?  Would you do more to save and protect a life than you would to get your hands  on millions of dollars if it were offered to you?  If someone stood in your way to gaining a prize, would you knock them to the ground and run over them to get to it or would you show courtesy to another person and save them from being stampeded in the mad rush to gain treasures?

It seems that we are valuing objects above human life.  This is becoming more and more prevelant in the day to day spectrum of things, particularly when little children go missing and parents do nothing to find them or when someone is shot and killed for a few dollars in a corner convenience store.  Whenever this happens, the value of human life goes down and the importance of an object or a bit of fun becomes of greater concern. 

No man is an island or so the saying goes.  We all need the support of our fellow man in order to carry on in this life.  It is so necessary to define ourselves as a group of people who are willing to come together in company to sustain human life.  We all have a certain requirement for comfort, for companionship and comradeship, for encouragement and even for love.  Why should anyone have to go it alone when there are so many other people in the world with whom to draw that need, no, requirement from?

There is very little comfort and warmth in a pile of money or a sparkly stone or a shiny band of gold.  Inanimate objects can provide a little momentary fun or enjoyment but can never reach the level of friendship or companionship or the comfort of having other people around to share experiences or delights. 

Comfort and warmth comes from other people, people who care and people who are giving and people who look after each other.  When a shiny object looses it's splendor, there is nothing left to keep an interest and we are quick to look for something new and exciting to provide yet another small moment of fascination.

People constantly change and grow and renew themselves with new thoughts, new ideas and new ways of doing something.  There is constant enjoyment in being with someone and in moving within the dance of everchanging life.

What is the point in destroying this for the sake of a momentary pleasure?  It's a shame we've moved away from the enjoyment of being with others and putting a lot of focus on nothing but a passing fancy.  Human life has more value than anything else we can put our hands on and it is this we should preserve with all our strength.  When we preserve life, we preserve ourselves and our future and the safety of generations that will follow us. 

I'm tired of hearing stories about those who will jeopardize the life of others for the sake of a moment of fun. Surely we, as an intelligent life form, can do better.