My chance to be crazy proud :)

"I'm in love"- Micah, who spent this afternoon at the movies with Chichi. He and we had thought this Chichi thing was over. They hadn't hung out in a long, long time and he thought she was dating someone else. Well, "dating" - not really. I don't think her parents allow her to "date", thank goodness. But today the group of their friends went to a movie. Brandon is dating her sister Georgina and Josh is dating their friend Amanda. (I still use the term "dating" loosely since no one actually dated or paid for someone else, and Brandon's stepdad took them.) But Micah and Chichi have been kissing and now he says "we're in love"- he is on cloud 9- imagine how you felt at your first crush/puppy love.

So during lunch times I have been walking both Fry and Tom. People think it's weird that the cat walks with us but he does and has always walked with me. Now finally Fry and Tom are friends. The weather has been very, very mild but is expected to change. I remember it having been this warm before but I can't deny the mean temp for Ohio is going up in winters. I think. Will have to check the records. Seems like in my short life span there have been a few warm and cold spells. Looks like the global warming thing is happening but I don't know that the results will be as catastrophic as some predict, nor as inconsequential as others do. People will look back on it and say, "Wow, well we knew it was coming, but x didn't happen, y didn't happen, but z DID happen." Just my brain dropping. Anyway, the sun does weird things and at some point we could go back to freezing again. I remember for a while the scientists thought (and had all kinds of charts and evidence for) the new Ice Age (Nathanael bought that one hook, line, and sinker about 4 years ago and even made t-shirts and researched the main proponent of it) was on its way and FAST. Everyone got off that boat in the late 70's except one main author- don't remember his name. Said by now NY would be covered in a vast ice field. Well the fact is that we technically (if the global timeline is right) ARE in sort of an ice age right now, in that we have ice at the poles. At some times, earth has not had that. See how many fossils you can dig out of Antarctica (and this is assuming Antarctica was then where it is now). Antarctica used to be tropical. Well, anyway, no matter what part humans have played in it (we have always played at least a minor role just by breathing), and how much we can stop it, and what the consequences are for not stopping it, life will continue here. That isn't to say it couldn't be snuffed out in a microsecond. The next meteor could come along and bam! we're gone. Then what's it all for? Life, meaning, love, etc? Is the answer "42" like the science fiction movie says. No, God tells us to store up in Heaven our treasure. Our treasure here is gone in a poof! What does it mean to store up treasure in Heaven? I offer as an example Mother Theresa. So much of what she did was a command of Jesus. "Feed my sheep." She was genuine in love. Her reward for each deed did genuinely in love, for Jesus, is stored in Heaven.

Wow, our firewall isn't working today? I'm at work. Just to catch up:

I've been learning some new Biblical truths and Virgi has been a gift from God helping me through it so I can even answer some things for my kids, too. I am NOT a rabbinical scholar...so it is hard for me to understand all of the hyperbole, the questions about how the OT was written, why Moses did this or that or killed these people, what God did to punish those who shed innocent blood but at the same time so many people do this in God's name....? But I know the truth of Christ. Even Gentiles with no clue like me can understand at least that. I'm beginning to understand Christ more in the context of the time in which He lived and the destruction of Jerusalem that was about to happen by Nero, which then happened. Jesus warned about these things and the diaspora happened and the Jews are all over the globe yet today even though they now have part of this land back (Israel). I just do NOT understand everything but Jesus came to the Jew AND the Gentile and we do not have to know everything in order to understand how Jesus has drawn us into His fold. Rabbis and Bible scholars study OT for lifetimes- context, culture, who wrote what, where, why, hyperbole, allegory, poetry, and even we Gentiles can draw from it and it shows what God is doing, and I definitely need more teaching. Please pray for me-sometimes I read skeptics' questions and I just say man, what is this whole life even for? - and then I see that there are sound answers to them and there are for mine and Nathanael's and Virgi's and everyone's as well. Dr. Y gave Nathanael an exhaustive Bible with references to why things are written certain ways, etc., references to other non-Biblical sources, other archaeological findings and writings, and more. One of the foremost scholars of the world on these ancient things. I will actually be asking some things myself.

Other things: Our doggie. Micah named him Fry. He is doing extremely well in taking care of him so far. He's a puppy so we are going through training. I have never owned a dog so this is new to me. Steve said if I got a dog he'd get a raccoon. So now there's the challenge. We have a zoo now with 4 pets. 2 cats, 1 dog, 1 ferret.

We have a dog.

Micah has a puppy. Boston terrier/beagle mix. So far yet no name. But he's a lot of work and Micah is in love.

Thank you everyone who has been following Nathanael and his journey of figuring out what he really believes about God and, well, everything. I support my beautiful son 100% all of the time and all I do is call out to God in my own weakness. My heart breaks but I know God is merciful and looking out for him. It's been really, really hard on both of us. My heart and intellect continually cry out to Christ and Christ is merciful and I know that there is much that I am not aware of, and God is working everything together for good. I can not know the whole future but God has promised me He will not give me more than I can endure. I think I always knew these moments were coming for Nathanael, no matter what the university. It is drawing me closer to Steve. Micah is actually maturing little by little and he is open to people discussing these things with him....he has said a lot of things and he has admitted the "I don't believe in anything" statements have had to do with his upholding his "image"...his little group of friends has begun to disband and I believe now he is ready for the next steps of his life. He is maturing day by day. I watch my children go through these things and all I do is fall to the floor open and vulnerable calling out to God that I am broken.

There are miracles and they confirm what I believe. They do not happen as Santa gifts. They happen to confirm something (i.e. Duane Miller).

Another thing is that I am going through menopause. My hot flashes and emotions are something I have not experienced before. I am broken in body and spirit and right now that is how I fall on my face before God. I can cling on to his promises for my children and me and Steve. Thank you for not making fun of me or my faith at this time.