"I've Learned"

This is a forward from my dad. You'd have to know how un-sentimental my dad tries to appear to appreciate the fact that this came from him. He's a puppy dog in grizzly bear clothing, if you will.

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I've learned.... That just one person saying to me, 'You've made my day!' makes my day.

I've learned..... That you should never say no to a gift from a child.

I've learned.... That I can always pray for someone when I don't have the strength to help him in some other way.

I've learned..... That no matter how serious your life requires you to be, everyone needs a friend to act goofy with.

I've learned.... That sometimes all a person needs is a hand to hold and a heart to understand.

I've learned.....That life is like a roll of toilet paper. The closer it gets to the end, the faster it goes.

I've learned.... That we should be glad God doesn't give us everything we ask for.

I've learned.... That money doesn't buy class.

I've learned.... That it's those small daily happenings that make life so spectacular.

I've learned.... That when you plan to get even with someone, you are only letting that person continue to hurt you.

I've learned.... That everyone you meet deserves to be greeted with a smile.

I've learned.... That when you harbor bitterness, happiness will dock elsewhere.

I've learned.... That when your newly born grandchild holds your little finger in his little fist, that you're hooked for life.


"Life isn't about how to survive the storm but how you dance in the rain"

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Have a great weekend!

YOU KNOW YOU'RE FROM NEW ORLEANS IF...

(I totally ripped this off from a facebook group I joined)
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You've never heard of a dry county.

You don't know what a county is.

When you hear gambling is illegal in some other states and are surprised.

You know the 12 Yats of Christmas by heart.

You know what Schwegman's is.

When you know what "LAGNIAPPE" and "LAISSEZ LE BON TEMPS ROULER" mean.

When you go away for college, and when you tell people where you're from they automatically know you can drink more than everyone at the school put together

You reinforce your attic to store Mardi Gras beads.

Your sunglasses fog up when you step outside.

When you give directions you use "lakeside and riverside" not north & south.

Your ancestors are buried above the ground.

You get on a green streetcar to go to the park and a red one to the French Quarter.

You take a bite of five-alarm chili and reach for the Tabasco.

You don't learn until high school that Mardi Gras is not a national holiday.

You push little old ladies out of the way to catch Mardi Gras beads.

Little old ladies push YOU out of the way to catch Mardi Gras beads.

You leave a parade with footprints on your hands.

You believe that purple, green, and gold look good together.

Your last name isn't pronounced the way it's spelled.

You get aggrivated when
1. people think mardi gras takes place in the french quarter and
2. that people think that no matter what time of the year it is if they go to the french quarter they will get a boob shot!

When you get aggrivated when people pronounce it nawlins, norlens, or new or leans.

You know what a nutria is but you still pick it to represent your baseball team.

No matter where else you go in the world, you are always disappointed in the food.

Your town is low on the education chart, high on the obesity chart and you don't care because you're No. 1 on the party chart.

Your house payment is less than your utility bill.

You don't show your "pretties" during Mardi Gras.

You know that Tchoupitoulas is a street and not a disease.

Your grandparents are called "Maw-Maw" and "Paw-Paw."

Your Santa Claus rides an alligator and your favorite Saint is a football player.

You cringe every time you hear an actor with a Southern or Cajun accent in a "New Orleans-based" movie or TV show.

You have to reset your clocks after every thunderstorm.

You're walking in the French Quarter with a plastic cup of beer.

When it starts to rain, you cover your beer instead of your head.

You eat dinner out and spend the entire meal talking about all the other good places you've eaten.

You actually get these jokes and pass them on to other friends from Louisiana.

You know what is meant by 'K&B purple

You know what it means for food to come 'dressed'...

You 'ax' for things...

You know your from new orleans if you recognize at least one person in a parade

You save newspapers, not for recycling but for tablecloths at crawfishboils

When you travel you always remember to pack 2 things: bottle of tabasco and a salt shaker of tony's in your purse

Drive-thru daquiris -- it's not drinking and driving until you put the straw in.

You drive east to get to the West Bank.

You stand on the neutral ground at parades and have no idea what a 'median' is.

You get annoyed when you wear a Perlis shirt and people ask you if you work at Red Lobster.

You know how to pronounce Mignon Faget.

Pulling a baby out of a cake is completely normal.

You know McKenzie is both a football player and a landmark

You've made one bad turn and ended up on the twin span at least once.

You know what the twin span is.

You shop at Lakeside.

You listen to people represent their ward on Q93.

You know that the Riverwalk is for tourists.

Someone asks you for starbucks and you give them CCs or PJs

You have waited in the ridiculously long line for Camellia Grill during lunch at least once.

The only Bush you respect is a Black man.

You refuse to believe that there is such a thing as the "Utah Jazz".

There is a color called "Bur-GUN-dee".

The concept of a basement never crossed your mind.

You get your car's suspension repaired at least twice a year.

You know at least two best places for sno-balls.

You've seen roaches bigger than rats.

You've seen rats bigger than cats.

The roof of your house was at sea level, and your stuff was at the "bottom of the sea"

WHEN YOU DONT REFER TO ''MARDI GRAS'' AS THE CARNIVAL...WHO SAYS THAT???

If someone in a Lowe's store offers you assistance and they don't work there, you may live in Louisiana

If you've worn shorts and a parka at the same time, you may live in Louisiana

If you've had a lengthy telephone conversation with someone who dialed a wrong number, you may live in Louisiana.

If "Vacation" means going to Dallas for the weekend, you may live in Louisiana.

If you measure distance in hours, you may live in Louisiana .

If you know several people who have hit a deer more than once, you may live in Louisiana.

If you install security lights on your house and garage, but leave both unlocked, you may live in Louisiana.

If you carry jumper cables in your car and your wife knows how to use them, you may live in Louisiana.

If the speed limit on the highway is 55 mph - You're going 80 and everybody is passing you, you may live in Louisiana

You know that there is one "Original Lee's Hamburgers" even though they all say they are the one.

If there's a major hurricane headed straight for you and all you're worried about is that they changed the time of the LSU game.

Down to the bottom

Chorus:
We've been down to the bottom
Stories we got 'em, when we hit rock bottom
If you been there put your hands in the air
To let the lost know that someone cares

Cause we've been down to the bottom
Stories we've got 'em, when we hit rock bottom
If you been there put your hands in the air
And let somebody know that the Most High cares
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I really love this song. Too often, people are literally chased away from God and a relationship with him by *Christians* who judge them, tell them they are going to hell, tell them they are unlovable, they've gone too far, done too much, blah, blah, blah.

LIES!!!!! I remember a point in my life where I thought that one day I'd clean up my mess of a life and then I'd return to God. It hit me like a ton of bricks one day that if I could fix the mess of a life I was living, I wouldn't need God. Jesus didn't come for the *holy*. He didn't hang out with the high priests and holy leaders. He hung out with those whom the *religious* had turned away. He hung out with liars and thieves, the poor and infirmed. He hung out with women others looked down upon. And he didn't condemn them. He just loved them. He still does. And the one command He left us with is to Love. And not to love those who love us, but to love our enemies. To me that means never judging the actions of another person. I do not know their heart. I sure would hate to be labeled by what I do on a bad day. And yes, Christians have bad days! We even make bad choices sometimes. But we can always go back, we can never stray too far for God to reach us. He's bigger than that.

Do we get a *free pass* for doing wrong because of the forgiveness freely offered by God? Of course not. I don't do *the right thing* because I think I'm better or because I think it'll get me extra Christian points. My heart has been changed, and I'm led to do better things. It feels good. My heart is at peace. It gives me joy to help someone else.

This is where Christianity and unschooling meet for me. I believe Jesus was a radical unschooler. He would pick a place along the way to wherever He was headed and tell stories. He'd take the oportunity to point out new ideas, new ways to think about what we believe. He challenges us to really look at what we believe and why, to examine and expand our comfort zones. He never said, "You have to know this to get into heaven," followed by a list of rules. He infact despised those who followed the letter of the Law and considered themselves *holy* for it. It isn't what we do that gets us to Heaven, it's what He did. It's not because of who we are, but because of who He is. I believe it is far more important for me to teach my son to love, to be compassionate, to be giving, to admit mistakes, and to love God than it is to teach him algebra. When (& if) he needs/wants to know algebra, he'll learn it. And he'll master it quickly becasue he wants to learn it. Teaching life skills requires modeling, so I'm constantly questioning my own actions - "is this what I want to teach my son?". It amazes me how much I learn from my child.

As usual, I've rambled. Just wanted to share a song with ya!