Ah...success...summer is my favorite time of year for the library--a time of hanging out and moving six classifications of letters in the LC classification system from one library to the other. . . on book trucks. It's great exercise and great fun watching. I'm not taking part in the project this summer--I'm keeping the shelving under control, but I got a shirt anyway. Here is a pic of some of my friends from work in their new shirts. We are leaving for New Hampshire this week, and going forward. I might have something to say about my new family next week.

TWO FROM GALILEE...THE COOLEST CHRISTMAS MUSICAL EVER

You made the event a symphony
And you didn't say goodbye. I sit afraid in silence, to let my words take shape. How will I deal
with the silence
that no one else sees
after you made the event a symphony?

They hid behind false smiles
and loud music, and accusations.
You opened your arms and welcomed me home.
I wrote these words to honor you,
for you have made me one of your own.

They spoke against you
When you had hidden me there
How could you be anything
but a servant?

you took a bow
and raised your arm
for the symphony to begin
The beautiful music echoed on the walls
You chose the symphony
and you didn't say goodbye.

They made their music a worldly celebration
you made the event a symphony
and you didn't say goodbye
I wrote these words to honor you, for
you've made me one of your own.
But how could I go forward with the
beautiful music singing in the silence?

When we played the symphony
for the last time,
you left the stand in silence.
I cannot accuse you,
for you have wrapped me in safety.
How can I say goodbye?

You made the event a symphony
and you didn't say goodbye
This is not an accusation,
but an honor.


When we've been there ten thousand years
Bright shining as the sun
We've no less days to sing God's praise
Than when we'd first begun.

FELLOWSHIP!!. . .IT'S GOOD TO BE HOME

Here is a picture of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Manchester, NH. Happy Memorial Day Weekend, although I will be glad to get back to work Tuesday. Today at the Memorial Day fellowship, among lots of good food, I was told that it is someone I know in my church that is laughing silently (that's probably just poetic, but I do free verse in my spare time) at the minister who is leaving my church soon, because finances are supposedly not strong enough to keep the minister there. After hearing the minister's side of the story, I asked what I could do.. . . because this IS my church...home. She gave me one word. . . pray. It's good to have a home church...

HOME....AND CHURCH FINANCES

Well, ladies and gentlemen, the date on the last blog post wasn't as bad as I had feared, but here is something that has me baffled...the idea of a church home. Here is a picture of Alexandria United Methodist Church, in Alexandria, NH. I've been told by someone very influential to me that we should not be supporting the church with our money, yet I pledged for the first time last year in my Methodist church in Las Cruces, New Mexico. MY church. Not the one my parents chose, which by the way were many over the years, but MY church. Here is a statement from a pastor in New Hampshire, where the weather is green and lovely!!
* New Hampshire ranked 11th in the nation in 1996 in its average statewide income.
* New Hampshire residents also appear to have accumulated significant assets, judging by the fact that New Hampshire ranked 9th in terms of the average amount of dividends and capital gains reported on tax returns in 1996.
* In 1992, New Hampshire had a concentration of individuals worth at least $1 million that was higher than the national median, unlike Maine and Vermont which were both below the national median.
* In 1997, 64% of New Hampshire residents reported volunteer activity, up from 61% in 1995, and much higher than the national average of 41%. Kudos for doing well.
* In 1996, and this is my point of concern, New Hampshire ranked 49th (remember there are 50 states) in the nation in itemized charitable contributions from federal tax returns. This low ranking has been consistent in the 1990's. Since 1991, New Hampshire has ranked between 47th and 50th.
* In 1996, New Hampshire residents reported $283 million in charitable giving on their tax returns. An additional $147 million would have gone to charity if they had given the national average.
* Individuals with estates worth at least $600,000 left bequests that represented about 10% of New Hampshire's total giving in the 1990's. Nationally about 7% of all giving to charities come from charitable bequests. In four out of the six years between 1991 and 1996, these New Hampshire residents left a higher percentage of their total assets to charity than did people with estates of a similar size in the nation as a whole. In 1996, 11.5% of these estate assets went to charity, placing New Hampshire in fourth rank nationally.. . . The Bible has quite a bit to say about money. The Bible has 500 verses on prayer, and less than 500 verses on faith. There are more than 2,000 verses on money and possessions. One out of every 10 verses in the Gospels deals directly with money, as do a full one-sixth of Jesus' own words. Only the kingdom of God is mentioned more than money and possessions by Jesus. Sixteen out of 38 parables are about how to handle money and possessions. Trust me, if you hear just one or two sermons a year about money, you're getting off easy.


I thought this very interesting, considering how far my church is in debt for their new building, and considering how my parents had the tendency to leave a church quickly when they did not agree with something, how could I be any better if I did the same thing, especially now that I am....Home???? Now...let me see if I get this citation correct.
Robertson, Anne. "Spiritual Disciplines: Tithing." Anne Robertson 2000 Web. www.annerobertson.com/CBSD/Tithing.htm 22 May 2011

CHURCH BUDGETS

I don't even want to look at the date on the last post for my blog, and I'm sincerely sorry. I have found home at a Methodist church here in New Mexico, but since this blog is about New Hampshire, I will post of picture of a New Hampshire church. I pledged in the church's budget for the first time last year, and am honored to support the church, and it hurts me that some do not do their best. A few weeks ago we found out that our associate minister is not returning because of budget concerns. Some people have even told me that we should not be supporting the church with our money...but I do.

VIEWS ON THE TOTAL TRANSFORMATION....AND TRUTH

http://www.almightydad.com/behavior/kid-acting-badly-try-the-total-transformation-scam

Check out this lady here and her positive indoor paradise playground for kids in Merrimack, NH. If I get in trouble putting a link to someone else's site on my blog, I will apologize, but I latched on to it right away. As I posted in my post about the Senate election in New Hampshire, there is a selling element to the total transformation program touted by James Lehman, who died last year, so consumers must sift through to find the truth. Is it really a magic solution? I am now an adult, so I am supposed to have theoretically outgrown the bitterness that happens at the teen level, but this commercial makes me angry. Check out this man's web site. I think it's great. There is no way that Lehman's program can turn an angry child into a submissive well-behaved one so quickly...doesn't it take two to make a fight? And though my now grown peers sit in church with their parents and their little ones, I just don't see how someone who never got along with their parents after the age of four could ever be remotely "friends" with them. It is my first instinct to say 'Definitely not through the "Total Transformation" program.' And to think it got only positive reviews.

WATER!!!

Here is the image I wanted to add, because we do not have water in New Mexico. Enjoy it. And for anyone who received a scary jack in the box for Halloween, I was surprised to find only positive reviews for those creepy things. I would never buy one for anyone!! if you read my blog, tell me what you think of them. Here's a harmless Halloween costume for you.

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