Author: sandcastle

Dave and I got quite a laugh out of this one:

I collected lots of data then made a list of candidates for whom I wished to vote. Unfortunately, my list was not in the same order as those on the ballot so it took a while to vote even with the list. I sure did appreciate being able to go to Plymouth City Hall and vote early, though, instead of all the hours I’ve spent waiting in line to vote previously. Yes, there was a line but it was not long and moved quickly.

I’m not sure voting makes much of a difference but I have a policy that, if I don’t vote, I don’t get to complain about the results. 🙂

TTYL,

Linda

We’ve been told that, if we stop buying things, our economy will crash. Wrong!

We forget that there are plenty of ways to inject money into the economy without buying something we don’t need.

We can buy things that are not things.

We can spend our money on experiences.

We can spend our money bettering the lives of others.

Give to a non-profit organization, and your money enters the economy when the hungry are fed and the poor are housed.

Save or invest, and your money strengthens the economy when entrepreneurs borrow your money as capital to start a business or develop a product or idea.

In spite of what we are regularly told, our economy will not crash if we do not buy things we don’t need.

TTYL,

Linda

Sometime I am unwilling to put time and effort into a meal when I need to eat. So I have a few simple meals that I rely on for those times. Here’s my current favorite:

Cottage cheese and raisin bread with butter

Think about it. All the food categories are included:

Protein, carb, fruit, dairy, and fat.

And the nutrition looks like this:

Kemps 2% cottage cheese 1/2 cup per serving:

Calories 90, fat 2.5g, cholesterol 15mg, sodium 480mg, carbohydrate 5g, protein 13g, calcium 110 mg, potassium 150 mg, and vitamin A 60mcg.

Pepperidge Farm Swirl Raisin Bread 1 slice per serving:

Calories 100, fat 1.5g, cholesterol 0mg, sodium 105mg, carbohydrate 20g, protein 2g, calcium 20mg, potassium 80 mg, iron 0.8mg, thiamin 0.1mg, riboflavin 0.8mg, niacin 1.3mg, and folate 50mcg.

Land O Lakes Butter 1 Tablespoon per serving:

Calories 100, fat 11g, cholesterol 30mg, sodium 90mg, carbohydrate 0g, protein 0g, and vitamin A 90 mcg.

Adjust quantities to meet your needs. For me that means more cottage cheese and less butter.

Simple yet tasty.

TTYL,

Linda

Things I learned about myself while becoming a minimalist:

Expensive furniture is not important but comfortable furniture is.

Fancy clothes are not important but, again, comfortable is.

Having lots of money is not important but having enough to support causes in which I believe is.

By not buying expensive furniture or clothes I have enough money left to support causes.

All that makes me happy.

TTYL

Linda

I was enrolled in a Methodist church while still an infant. We went every Sunday even when traveling on vacation. Mostly to earn attendance pins. We learned Bible verses. Mostly to win prizes. We sang songs about Uncle Noah and someone’s memory of a childhood church.

But we didn’t lean how to be true followers of Jesus. Church was the center of our social activities not religious ones.

I recently read a book classified as humor about a 33-year old man living in a old folks home because he paid a year in advance for his grandfather to live there but grandpa died before moving in and the facility would not refund the pre-payment. Since the hero shared his name with his grandfather, he claimed the money was for him and he moved in.

What does that have to do with being a Christian? That man taught me what it means to actually be a follower of Jesus, the Christ.

Did Jesus ask us to build a huge structure in which to worship Him? No. He asked us to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, heal the sick, refrain from judging others, and love one another.

We could do that. We could work at a soup kitchen or a food pantry. We could donate good clothes–not just the ones too worn or stained for us to be willing to wear them. We could volunteer at a hospital or nursing home. We could stop blaming others for their, or our, actions. We could welcome people not just like us into our lives.

In thinking about Bible stories I learned as a child, I’m beginning to make sense of them. The woman at the well was surprised that Jesus accepted a drink from her because she was used to being judged as not worthy. Jesus defended the adulteress from stoning then told her to stop sinning. Turning water into wine was not about the wine, it was about celebrating love.

I don’t remember there being stories about sheltering others but, I suspect, Jesus would be happy for you to work with Habitat for Humanity or the Homes on Wheels Alliance

I wonder how many other ways we can help people see us as followers of Jesus?

TTYL,

Linda