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Waiting for the weather online conference call to start.....
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This is what stress looks like.....EMT students taking their comprehensive final exam.
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Patio therapy...at Therapist's....LOVING IT!
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This is the track of the April 24, 2010 tornado that tore through central Mississippi.  The tornado formed and caused the first damage near Tallulah, Louisiana and traveled northeast through Mississippi causing a continuous path of uninterrupted damage for 149 miles before ending near Sturgis, Mississippi.  At it's widest, it was 1.75 miles wide...just a little over 9000 feet.

Week 6 - Love is not Irritable

He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit, than he who captures a city. ~ Proverbs 16:32

Love is not irritable.  But people are.  Being irritable is something I have a problem with from time to time.  Different things push different buttons, and I'd like to think those buttons are few.  Going back a few weeks to love being patient, being not irritable is a natural extension of the patience idea.  It's taking a deep breath when the buttons are pushed, instead of ventilating the energy.

Stress, through work, home life, social forces, or any other influence can make one irritable.  Poor general health can do it too.  So, if we can identify the causes, can't we also identify ways to reduce their effects?  Just asking...

There's a little two-letter word in our language that allows us to mitigate our stressors.  That word is "NO".  Not an ugly "no", but a simple "no" to the many things that pull us like Stretch Armstrong.  Delegate tasks, decline new projects that cause others to be left unfinished, take time away from work, do whatever it takes.  But most importantly, take time away from those things WITH that person you love.  But make sure they're saying "no" to those same things too.  It just doesn't work with one person doing it.  One thing I'm learning with Therapist is that we will address our stressors together.  I'm also learning to understand that she doesn't mind listening to me gripe about work or other things from time to time.  I'm naturally reluctant to do that, because I think that it somehow brings those stressors into the relationship, and I'd rather just keep them outside.  I'm learning to let her into that part of my world

I'm rambling.  Mostly because I've had precious little sleep this weekend because of work.  Sometimes work throws unplanned, unscheduled kinks into the routine.  Thankfully, Therapist and Mini-Me understand that it happens sometimes, but it's just because of who I am. 

So, what is love?  It's hard to define, but it is Patient, it is Kind and not selfish, it's Thoughtful and not rude, and certainly not irritable.

Goodnight y'all.  Pray for my friends in Yazoo, Holmes, Attala, and Choctaw counties.  Many lives were affected by this weekend's tornadoes, and some were lost.

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This is a storm relative velocity image from the Yazoo City tornado event on April 24, 2010.  Red indicates winds moving away from the radar site, and green are winds moving toward the site.  The radar is to the southeast (lower right corner) near Brandon, MS.  If you click the image, you'll get a bigger version and you can see street map for Yazoo City.  The blues and oranges in the center are most likely mis-calculated radar returns caused by debris.  This happens because the radar is designed to "see" raindrops and hail, but not larger objects such as tree limbs and structural debris.  The National Weather Service is still surveying this track, and currently they've tracked it to 95 miles in length, with a maximum width of 1.75 miles.  Yes, one and three-quarter miles wide...

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Spotted this flag on one of the food canteens in Yazoo City today, and it reminded me of the flags flown by Bay St. Louis and Waveland on Highway 90 before Hurricane Katrina.  It was pretty sad to see the tattered and torn flags among the debris of what had once been a pleasant boulevard in those two towns.  Today in Yazoo, this one was flying proudly, a silent reminder that while we may have our problems, we live in the best place on earth...the land of the free and the home of the brave!

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Just one quick one from today's massive tornado that went through the southeast part of Yazoo City, MS.  This is one tree among thousands snapped off by the storm.  More pics will follow, but I'm dead tired.  Night yall.

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Rain!!
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Blueberry Bagel...its what's for dinner!
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Sunrise over the Delta this morning on my way to Jackson. We're blessed with some of the most gorgeous sunrises and sunsets.
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The perfect cure for a two-day funk!
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Much love to my friendly nurse, who supplied my needs for mint to get me through the summer.
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Week 5 - Love is not Rude

He who blesses his friend with a loud voice early in the morning, it will be reckoned a curse to him. ~ Proverbs 27:14

This week's reading was about rudeness and how it can affect a relationship.  Naturally, we're all aware of overt rudeness, but oftentimes we fail to see or own little rude activities.  Maybe they manifest themselves in a lack of table manners, or in a lack of proper etiquette with our loved one.  We're always polite to friends, acquaintances, and strangers.  Some friends - those closest to us - generally accept our occasional lack of manners as just another part of our personality.  But when it comes to the one we love the most, those little things can add up over time, and become a burr under the saddle.  Often times we're not even aware of what we do (or don't do), and our own blindness just multiplies the problem.  I'll quickly tell you this is where I have problems in a relationship.  I just want to be ultimately comfortable with the person I love.  In reaching that comfort, I know I forget little manners.

So how do I find the balance of what Therapist sees as "just me" and what may be considered "rude"?  I don't think it's my balance to find.  It's hers.  Thankfully, she's told me she accepts me just as I am, warts and all.  But I don't like some of my own warts, and want to make them better. 

This is were The Love Dare begins to get difficult, because not only does it require an introspective thought process, but it also demands that I get feedback from Therapist.  And some of that feedback may be negative, or uncomfortable for me to hear.

So be it.  We've committed ourselves to living and walking in a new type of relationship, one where communications and understanding are not assumed, but are actually practiced.  It sounds like I need to schedule some "porch-time" with her this week.

What is love?  It's patient, kind, unselfish, thoughtful, and NOT RUDE!  And it sure is a lot of fun!

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Let the Rotel bolus begin!
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Pork tenderloin from the grill...mmmmm!
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More surprise worship....

I love it when little things like this sneak up out of nowhere....enjoy.

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More road, and more next week. I'll be able to drive Highway 49 blindfolded pretty soon!
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I've learned that if they have to print instructions on how not to use an item, someone, somewhere has tried it before, with bad results.  Not using the paper shredder to cut your hair is one I can understand.  But the prohibition against shredding spray cans???

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Garlic-rosemary-lemon grilled chicken, it's what's for dinner!
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