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Nice Day



Today was overall a nice day! In a book that I have been looking at, there are a variety of quotes from Mother Theresa that are divided out across the days of the month for a person to think and ponder about. The quote today was in a nutshell suggesting:

"You should not just do your work in this life, but do your work with a spirit of happiness and love."

Taking to heart her suggestions has been a value to me in my life. I have been doing this every day for the past two weeks and her ideas have given me great things to think about as I try to journey through life with the hope/notion to make things better for myself, my family, and my community.

Today, I think I was pretty successful in performing my work with a spirit of happiness and love. I had to check my emotions a few times and think more about how I *wanted* to become rather than how I felt about some of the tasks, but in so doing, I was pretty successful with it today.

After work, I went to the tobacco shop and bought a bit of a very nice, aromatic burley that I have not had in quite a while.

PipeTobacco

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Discharged



My sister was discharged from the hospital today. She is wiped out just getting home. But, now the rest of the healing can begin.

PipeTobacco

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Positive



Thus far, my sister has had a good outcome from her surgery. I just arrived home from the hospital and she is awake (although fairly out-of-it due to anesthesia residue and pain medication). The surgeon said all went well. Hopefully, within a week or two she will feel good enough to be pleased at the outcome herself. The next few days, especially, will still be tough for her, of course, but from all indications, she has an excellent outcome and just needs to cope with the recovery aspect.

PipeTobacco

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Trying To Continue



This time of the year (usually from mid-February to about the first day of Spring) is a time that I consider the "doldrums" of the year. In my family, a disproportionate number of my relatives have died (for instance, both my parents, at least 5 aunts and uncles, and various other relatives). In addition, this time of the year tends to be the most chaotic and challenging at the U. This year, the work at the U is indeed tough. But I keep telling myself that there is roughly only one more week until Spring and things will start becoming better. I simply have to persevere.

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Tired Tuesday

Tuesday was a long, tiring day at the U, but nothing horrid happened, so that is a positive.

PipeTobacco

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A Good Day



After all the b*llsh*t that has been happening around the U her the last few weeks, I stuck to my plan to pull myself out of the cr*p and live my own life in a happy way. It was akin to wearing a protective suit of armor. Today turned out to be a pleasant day as a result.

PipeTobacco

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Today's Mass



One of the readings at Mass today was a very straight forward one from the Old Testement:

In those days, God delivered all these commandments:
"I, the LORD, am your God,
who brought you out of the land of Egypt, that place of slavery.
You shall not have other gods besides me.
You shall not carve idols for yourselves
in the shape of anything in the sky above
or on the earth below or in the waters beneath the earth;
you shall not bow down before them or worship them.
For I, the LORD, your God, am a jealous God,
inflicting punishment for their fathers' wickedness
on the children of those who hate me,
down to the third and fourth generation;
but bestowing mercy down to the thousandth generation
on the children of those who love me and keep my commandments.

"You shall not take the name of the LORD, your God, in vain.
For the LORD will not leave unpunished
the one who takes his name in vain.

"Remember to keep holy the sabbath day.
Six days you may labor and do all your work,
but the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD, your God.
No work may be done then either by you, or your son or daughter,
or your male or female slave, or your beast,
or by the alien who lives with you.
In six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth,
the sea and all that is in them;
but on the seventh day he rested.
That is why the LORD has blessed the sabbath day and made it holy.

"Honor your father and your mother,
that you may have a long life in the land
which the LORD, your God, is giving you.
You shall not kill.
You shall not commit adultery.
You shall not steal.
You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
You shall not covet your neighbor's house.
You shall not covet your neighbor's wife,
nor his male or female slave, nor his ox or ass,
nor anything else that belongs to him."

Although I try very hard to be a good person, I do continually fail. It is difficult to admit and even more difficult to live with. I *do* so want to be a good, kind, gentle, patient person who lives of life of service and joy.

PipeTobacco

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Split Pea Soup



My wife and I made a big batch of split pea soup today. It turned out quite well.

PipeTobacco

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Meet Me In St. Louis



The meeting I attended was in St. Louis and it went well. Had some good food, good beverages, good times, and even learned a thing or two. Went site seeing as well. Very nice and relaxing.

PipeTobacco

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Back

I am truly sorry for the time of my absence. I am making a protracted effort to not be away again. I simply did not have a helluva lot to say. But, I am now going to change my attitude and find things to say of merit and hopefully charm. :)

PipeTobacco

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More To Write

I *do* now, once again have a whole helluva lot of things to say... some good, some bad, some just my usual stuff. Most of it came to me in the last two days. However, I have to attend a meeting until Thursday, so I will not get any posts up to then.

PipeTobacco