The Three Fs
No, no, no, not the ones found in the urban dictionary. My three Fs are faith, family and football. After this post they'll each be rewarded with their own category. I'm also going to keep comments turned off for now when I write about my faith. Personally, I love to talk about it as well as listen to and understand the views of others. Unfortunately, this is the internet. I can't even talk about about faith or politics with extended family Haven't been able to do that since 2015 and I don't see that changing any time soon. It's rough when you listen to them but as soon as you talk about your own beliefs or how you feel they shut you down, call you a crazy liberal and then inform you that you can't be a Christian AND be a Democrat.
Yeah, that's the shit I deal with or used to deal with. When it comes to the table of my life I get to choose who sits there with me. If you can't have a rational discussion that allows for differing opinions then don't expect a seat. I am in fact a Christian. My faith has always been a vital part of my life. When I was born, I was given up for adoption. The state placed me in foster care when I was just 3 days old. They decided that they wouldn't be able to give me up so they adopted me. I grew up in a small town, in a Christian home.
Photo by John-Mark Smith on
Now I haven't always walked the straight and narrow. Like everyone else I spent a good portion of my life trying to dodge all the crap that came my way. And there was a long period of time when I pointed the finger of blame at everyone but myself. You can't blame others and the world before figuring out what part you had in your own demise. Does that make sense?
Years ago I stopped attending a physical church. The Bible says we should gather with other Christians because it bolsters our faith and I believe that to an extent. But Christians are human and as such, they fall prey to power and corruption just like non-believers. When you open your eyes and see the hypocrisy it can be soul shattering. My Dad saw political in-fighting, bias and power hungry folks in the church we attended when I was a kid. He left the church and never returned. In fact the never became a member of a church community ever again. That's not to say he didn't remain in the body of Christ. He left this world in 2010 after losing his battle with liver cancer and he left it believing he would be with his Lord and Savior, Jesus.
Dad never attended church after that one incident. As for me, I still hold onto hope that I'll find a church community where I feel comfortable. That might be a brick and mortar institution or it might be part of the online congregation of a particular church. Who knows? A community or lack of community doesn't change my faith in God. And this is merely my personal situation and not a judgement on all churches out there.
One thing I've added to my daily Bible study is a devotional book that I saw on Sydni Paige's Instagram account. It's Jesus Calling by Sarah Young and it is by far my favorite devotional EVER! It's part of my morning ritual each day and it brings such an amazing peace to each and every day.
It's been such a blessing to me that I bought copies for my sons and daughter-in-law to give to them this Easter Sunday. Encouraging them to lean on the Lord is a new priority, but I don't want to be that "shove it in your face" kinda' Mama. It's not my jam. My sons are all saved but like me and so many others, their path isn't a perfectly straight one. Seriously though, who among us walks a perfect straight path? Pfft, if someone says they do I call shenanigans. I'm definitely not trying to be perfect and I'll settle for being compassionate, tolerant and a person that listens, truly listens.
This post has taken hours to write. I edited and re-edited. The power went out in half the town today. While it was out we were listening to a police scanner app on my phone and there was a call for an elevator rescue! We have one building in this town that has an elevator. It's the only "high rise" here with its four floors. It's a 55+ assisted living complex. Unfortunately I never heard whether or not they got the person out. I'm assuming they did but can you even imagine getting stuck in an elevator as the power goes out?
Quickly, the other Fs...
Family. My family means everything to me. There are eight of us in this motley crew. I'm thrilled to be able to say that my sons spend time with me and their step-Dad because they genuinely enjoy it. It's not out of obligation. We game together, spend our summers by the pool together and enjoy all the usual holiday gatherings. Our Thanksgivings are enjoyable! Well except for 2019. That was a Thanksgiving that fit the "normal" scenario that you hear about. The holidays are stressful for most people but we've stripped away everything that causes stress. Christmas? No one is expected to give gifts. There's no guilt being tossed around. We get together to play games, eat food and watch movies. We keep everything low key around here because life is too short to be pitching a fit about Christmas gifts and holiday etiquette.
Football. We're Kansas City Chiefs fans. My husband is a native of Kansas City, Kansas so he's been a fan all of his life. I was a Chargers fan when we met. When the Chargers dumped Junior Seau, I dumped the Chargers. Being from southern Jersey, everyone assumes I'm an Eagles fan. No, nope, no way. I was a Chargers fan from age 14 until 40. I've been a proud Chiefs fans for nearly 20 years and I'll be a fan until the day I die. GO CHIEFS!!!
And on that note, I'm going to end this post because I feel like I've rambled long enough. But hey, it's my blog and I can do what I want. :P
