Living Proof

Most people of religious faith do it regularly. They want their loved ones to be protected, so they pray for them. Some people pray for the healing of others. They say prayer is the most powerful thing you can do; the best gift you can give. My question is: why pray for others when God is much more powerful than mere humans? This is not a lack of faith on my end but another and theory about praying for other’s well-being. Picture it: God is listening to you. What are you going to ask Him? What kind of conversation would you really have with God Himself? Do we have a lack of faith when we pray to God to heal another person? Do we think that God cannot handle this task on His own without our prayers? Or is it just a reassurance that we’ve got our prayers in so let’s “hope” for the best? Don’t get me wrong—I firmly believe in prayer, but the other day I was sitting down thinking: why are we praying for others when God is in control? Is it because it’s a selfless act and we want to send po...

Lately, I’ve been finding out the older I get, the more reserved I “want” to be with my views on Christianity, but it just doesn’t seem to contain itself. I guess through the years I’ve been writing, I’ve been encountering much more people expressing their different beliefs within many religions. They say that writing is more expressive than verbally speaking your mind. Normally, if you were to approach me in person, I would remain quiet if you brought up topics such as religion and spirituality. I would probably just listen and hear you out, unless of course you asked me about my views. It’s a hard call sometimes, depending on the person who approaches me about it. I will say this: I don’t understand much about Unitarianism. I mean, I understand that they accept all religions, but what about for themselves? Do they pray to each and every God? Or do they just “accept” people and their beliefs? If they’re merely accepting people’s beliefs, then what about me as a Christian who respects ...

Besides writing, playing guitar and photography, one of my favorite things to do is cook. (Lucky Madelene, right?) Another little hobby of mine is taking too many home videos. Some of my friends and family have had just about enough of it. However, here's a great way to make calamari diablo. It's easier than it looks! Don't drool on your monitor.

Does it matter? If we lose a friend, lover or relative through death or separation due to life’s circumstances, we eventually reunite with them in the afterlife. Of course, with the afterlife and heaven + hell being a reality for me, I do believe that we return to our “home”. Some people don’t believe in hell. Hell can be anything from a grim place of pain and depression or it could mean life’s struggles here on earth. With all of our human flaws, I’ve come to a conclusion, which is solely based upon my faith in Christianity and my belief of Satan: our inner conflicts, grudges, bitterness, depression, anxiety, fear and anger are all tools used by Satan to smother any sort of forgiveness, resolution and love in our hearts. Think about it - Satan is brilliant. What better solution to separate people from God by not forgiving one another? And it has a ripple affect: by the amount of bitterness, resentment and hatred toward one person, leaves a lack of forgiveness for the other, which is a...

You can’t mock someone for something they are well aware of. For instance, if someone has OCD and you poke fun at it: the result is at a standstill. Ok. Now what? The same applies when you mock someone for having any mental disorders and that person knows they’re a crazy sunnovabitch’, then you’re results go streaming down the drain like dirty sewer water. On the other hand, the person yip-yappin’ their mouth about how crazy someone is may be the result of a disorder brewing within themselves. Who knows…? One of my favorite quotes: “Insane people are always sure that they are fine. It is only the sane people who are willing to admit that they are crazy.” ~Nora Ephron Have you ever heard someone rant on and on about their ex-boyfriend or girlfriend calling them “crazy” or they have “multiple personality disorder”, etc., etc., etc.? Have you truly looked at that same person and wondered the same about them? People who claim that everyone else is crazy usually means they are hurt for wh...

During a conversation with a close friend, she reminded about her “bad months”. Bad months can mean anything for anybody. It can be a month when in the past, a loved one died or a significant relationship came to an end, or anything that reminds you of something that took a toll on you emotionally. Most people associate “bad months” with the winter months. Usually there are combinations of why each person gets a little down during this time. For one, technically, winter months shorten the span of daylight, which provides us with vitamin D through ultravoilet rays. If we don’t get enough sunlight or vitamin D through supplements or ultraviolet lights (tanning beds and special lighting just for this purpose), then we could end up feeling down or depressed. SAD (seasonal affective disorder) is a very common thing among many people. Some people don’t even know why they’re depressed. The depletion of vitamin D can be very dangerous for some. With holidays approaching, this can wreak havoc ...

The other day, I was reading what a fellow blogger, Ricardo was going through. He explained that he’s experiencing a lot of stress in his life, mainly work-related, and his doctor had diagnosed him with GERD , (gastro esophageal reflux disease). I know about this all too well because back in the beginning of 2006 up until the beginning of 2008, I was so stressed out, where my stomach starting giving me signs that enough was enough. From heartburn, indigestion, chest pains and severe stomach cramping, I ended up finding out I had GERD. My doctor first prescribed me Aciphex for the reflux. This medication is a potent form of the over-the-counter drug, Zantac. Although it did help, once I stopped the medication, my reflux and stomach problems quickly came back. Not too long afterwards, I started having pain so badly that I was taken to the doctor in an emergency. Once they knew it was an ulcer, they gave me a medication that would coat the ulcer and almost “cement it" so that no sto...

In a previous post , I had mentioned a disagreement I had with a friend who happens to be African-American, who voted for Proposition 8. She said that it was important that marriage should be sacred for only a man and a woman. In the video below, Olbermann explains how at one time blacks weren’t able to marry white people, and in fact, they weren’t even allowed to marry each other back in the times of slavery. This very same person who voted for Proposition 8 also wanted to be intimate along with Madelene and myself, because she thinks all gays and lesbians are promiscuous. She’s bisexual, so it really didn’t matter, right? We graciously declined and she was very offended. People have this sense of homosexuality being perverted, promiscuous and/or dirty. Two people of the same sex who love one another are just the same as those who are heterosexual. Both heterosexuals and homosexuals can be just as promiscuous, and yet both can be loving and monogamous, if all are being view...

It’s strange when you think of it, but at any given moment, if you rely on natural gas to heat your home, you’re in risk of a huge explosion. It’s always in the back of our minds: carbon monoxide poisoning, gas leaks and matches, gas leaks and fireplaces, etc., etc., etc… Natural gas is odorless, however there is a chemical called mercaptan that they add to it so we can smell it and detect if there is a problem. It almost smells like rotten eggs. Yesterday I was driving back home from going shopping. I had just packed up my car with tons of groceries and a huge box of those 5 hour burning fire logs. I was planning to come home, make a roaring fire and cook dinner for Madelene. As I’m driving on the last road to get to my place, there was a construction crew working on the ditches. Once I passed them, I was engulfed with an overwhelming smell of ‘rotten eggs’. This smell trekked all the way up my complex. I swung my vehicle around and drove over to where Madelene works and called the ...

There are many deep seeded prejudices that are embedded in a lot of people. If you were either brought up in a household where one or both of your parents or guardians had any prejudices, then you were most likely planted that very same seed of hatred or discontent for people who were different from you – whether they were black, white, homosexual, etc. The election aftermath had people muddling around in a melee of blogs, articles, conversations around water coolers and even newspapers claiming reasons why this was the most mentally exhausting election of all time. In one article I had read, they started out by Barack Obama’s religion. They posed it as a question and asked if he would make it known that he’s a Muslim after he is elected, even if he did claim he was Christian this whole time. Do people care? Some. Mostly Christians will care about this. Another question on the list was, “Will Black Panthers patrol voting booths, like some claim they did Election Day?” Ok. Here’s the th...

Tell me if I’m wrong. I have a hard time addressing Madelene as, “my wife”. No, I don't have regrets about marrying her, but when I’m bringing up Madelene in a conversation, I keep referring to her as my girlfriend or partner. Wife just doesn’t slip out of my mouth easily. I just keep thinking of how people will react to “wife” as opposed to girlfriend or partner. Girlfriend or partner is more understandable to most of the mainstream peeps, so it makes the conversation a bit easier. Then again, there are people who highly disagree with me (Madelene mostly) and feel that “wife” should be addressed in any circumstance. I'm just finding through my own experience with using "wife", that it confuses people a great deal. I guess it doesn't matter, right? Funny and true story… One day Madelene and I were walking inside our local bank making some deposits. She suggested that we make the deposit in one account and was generous enough to pile it all in mine, so the teller s...

In the back of my mind, I’ve always wondered what my little nephew and two nieces would think when they finally came to their conclusions and questioned my living arrangements with Madelene. They have no concept of what “homosexuality” is, they’re 4-6 years of age. I never led them to believe either or. I never display public affection anyway, so it’s clueless to many who come across Madelene and myself. We’re pretty reserved – not to be confused with in the closet. My sister and my niece were sitting down sifting through our wedding photos and little Sophia asks, “Why is Aunt Debbie kissing Aunt Madelene on the lips?” She was confused and quickly questioned her mom. My sister gave her a brief ‘blow it off’ type of answer (thank GOD) and life was back to normal. (I think.) Even though Madelene and I got married in MA, I didn’t want any of my little ones there, only because it would have confused them a great deal, as the photo already posed deep thoughts to little Sophia. I’m not say...

If you live the ‘straight life’ and feel as though your vote for California’s Proposition 8 was due to your values, beliefs and what you stand by in your own personal life—then fine. But if you’re a person who seeks to have sexual relationships with the same gender for yourself just for ‘fun’, and yet you’re out there voting for Prop 8—then you’re a hypocrite in my opinion. Remember the woman I was telling you about in my previous post, who voted for Obama for no other reason other than the color of his skin? In her own words: “THIS IS A STRAIGHT MIRACLE. A BLACK PRESIDENT???? We couldn't even walk on the sidewalk only the whites could for a long time, drink out the same water fountain, use the same bathroom. America had us acting like we were contaminated with a disease. Who can hold back tears???? Jesse Jackson watched his boy MLK get shot in front of his eyes, he even ran for President and even all the blacks told him IT WASN'T POSSIBLE. Well not ALL but the VAST MAJORITY. ...

Race has been a huge factor for Obama’s campaign for many who have voted for him and those who have not. Not all. Most. No doubt- this was an extraordinary historical event. America made history! There were enough tears to fill up Lake Placid from the joy and relief that African-Americans felt when they heard that it was the first black president in history. Jesse Jackson was so overwhelmed; he stood there with tears streaming down his face and his lips quivering---totally in shock and thanking the good Lord above for this glorious night in history. Was it because he is a qualified candidate who holds a lot of experience and will better our economy? Or was it because it was the first African-American president in history? Why were they crying? Can I say that? I read somewhere that even if you call Obama “eloquent”, that it’s a racist remark. Do we have to tiptoe through the bigot detectors in order to talk about our new leader? Here’s my problem, or not: it’s always a good thing to lea...

After doing tons of research on each candidate, paying close attention to the media and newspapers, as well as listening to my friends and readers' choices and reasons why they are voting for a particular candidate, I have come to a final decision. I am picking the lesser of two evils and voting for McCain. I'm off to the polls.

This debate may have helped me make a choice of who I'm going to vote for, however the help that I have received from my readers was so incredibly amazing. Thank you so much for sharing your views with me on my previous post and being so upfront and honest with me regarding your political choices as an American. You guys rock! Now, I invite you into my living room for a heated political discussion. I kind of kept out of it, only because I wanted to learn more from my friends. The only parts of this video you will see of me are of the foolish scenes. Pardon the martini overload on my part. I kept 'hush hush' ---or tried to.

With Election Day approaching and my mind spinning between political debates and distasteful commercials that each candidate sets forth upon one another, I’m more confused than ever. I thought by now that I would come to a clearer decision of who I would be voting for, but unfortunately it just gets worse and worse and just more confusing. Some say choose the lesser of the evils and others tell me their passionate opinion regarding ‘their guy’. I’ve been researching, reading and finding things on Youtube (politically and not sifting through personal videos by civilians), and found something that almost made my decision lean more toward one candidate. It may seem idiotic that my vote could have been swayed one way due to the answer Obama gave to Pastor Rick Warren, on the question: “What was your biggest moral failure?” “I had a difficult youth. My father wasn’t in the house,” the presumptive Democratic nominee answered. “There were times where I experimented with drugs. I drank, you kn...