Family Watchdog

Hello everyone,

Evelyn here, and I have a serious subject to tell you about.

A few years back, I attempted to start a neighborhood crime watch or Crime Prevention as it is called today.  However, I was neither well received nor supported.  Instead, I and my family were made victims by the very people I sought to help me get a crime watch in our area.  I saw a need for a crime watch, but there was very, very few who took me seriously and many made an open joke of me. 

At that time, one of the major issues I believed that we should have addressed and made aware of was the number of sexual predators in our immediate living area.  At that time, there were thirteen (13) registered sex offenders in walking distant to were we lived.  To me that was a very disturbing number of predators living and/or working among us and our children.

As to how many sexual predators there are today in our area is unknown by me because when I and my family where repeatedly subjected to one form of harassment, destruction of property, abuse after another, I lost interest.  Attempting to help and improve our neighborhood nearly destroyed our family, and I believe that it is the cause of many other families moving away. More to the point, those families and.or individuals who act as "the neighborhood bullies" ran off many families who did not agree with them or they ( the bullies) simply did like.  We needed a crime watch and not just for the safety our children but the family unit as a whole. 

Recently, I was told that there is a crime watch in our neighborhood now; however, I have no faith in it because things seen worse, and the bullies are still here.  Anyone who knows my area knows that I speak the truth. 

However, this is just a little back history to explain why I have posted "Family Watchdog" in my links section.  It is a long awaited project approved our governor, Jeb Bush, the Attorney General of the State of Florida Charlie Crist and the State of Florida.  Family Watchdog is an user friendly web site to help families protect themselves and their children.  Check it out.

There is no appropriate mood for this entry listed above.  However, this subject is very,very serious and should be viewed as such by all who read this blog.

Evelyn out.

Happy, happy holidays!

Happy Holidays To Everyone!

Evelyn here,

What a fantastic Christmas day I had yesterday.  It was the first Christmas that I spent at my son's place.  I, my husband, yes I have one of those, spent the evening with our son and his girlfriend.  It was the first time the four of us spent a holiday together and it was better than I could have hoped for.  We are becoming a tight little family slowly but surely. 

With the except of a few troublesome people, our holiday was great.  It ended as it started, with a beautiful feeling of wellbeing and feeling blest. I did something new. I purchased a turkey meal for the first time.  I do not buy it because I can not cook.  I cook very well, and when I am in the mood I can cook some pretty tasty meals Baking has always been a pleasant adventure for me because I like baking from scratch.  It is always a joy to watch something I put together rise and fill the house with delicious smells.

As it is now, my life is a busy one but I am not complaining. I do not miss the cooking. This past week I only has one evening day home, and that was because someone made a mistake. "God, I got to get a car?"  Anyway, I was out the rest of the week.  

I worked during the day and I attended both choirs rehearsals. Saturday night which was Christmas Eve, I attended Midnight Mass where I sang.  I was in bed about 2:30 A.M. Christmas morning, and then was up and out again by 8:15 A. M.  Once I reach the church,  I sang at the 9:30 A.M. mass and 11:30 A.M. mass. 

When the last mass was finished I went directly to my son place and you know the rest.

As for my upcoming web site, I will probably build it and without the logo and add it later.  There has been a delay because the artist, my son. was not sure quite what I wanted.  My vision is clear to me, so what's the problem.  Just joking, but having a clear vision of what I want is important.  When the holidays are over I will start working of the site after work.  I think once I have something up, my ideas will flow even more and more clearly. 

I brought myself a digital camera for Christmas.  What a miraculous piece of technology.  I am learning to work with the software that came with it.  I have also learned to integrated the other and large graphic programs that I own into it and I can do some pretty amazing thing with photos I took during this holiday.  the use of this camera will greatly improve my the photo section of the site as well as my blog.

I am still running into some pretty mean spirited people.  I use to joke around and say that people were are guilty of something proves It.  Well, as many people who have tried to either block my progress and/or attempt to interfere in my life and the lives my family has  made a believer out of me.  No people are this destructive and malice without being hateful and quite crazy. but, I seem to attract them.  And major NO!  That last was not an invitation the you crazies the act crazier or crawl out hiding places.  Stay hidden and continue to be crazy away from me and mine. The praise is  "Get thee behind me Satan!

I started to erase this but what the heck, It helps to get this out and have the outlet and courage to so it. I should never write when I am tired.

Good Night.

Happy, happy holidays!

Happy Holidays To Everyone!

Evelyn here,

What a fantastic Christmas day I had yesterday.  It was the first Christmas that I spent at my son's place.  I, my husband, yes I have one of those, spent the evening with our son and his girlfriend.  Itwas the first time the four of us spent a holiday together and it was better than I could have hoped for.  We are becoming a tight little family slowly but surely. 

With the except of a few troublesome people, our holiday was great.  It ended as it started, with a beautiful feeling of wellbeing and feeling blest. I did something new. I purchased a turkey meal for the first time.  I do not buy it because I can not cook.  I cook very well, and when I am in the mood I can cook some pretty tasty meals Baking has always been a pleasant adventure for me because I like baking from scratch.  It is always a joy to watch something I put together rise and fill the house with delicious smells.

As it is now, my life is a busy one but I am not complaining. I do not miss the cooking. This past week I only has one evening day home, and that was because someone made a mistake. "God, I got to get a car?"  Anyway, I was out the rest of the week.  

I worked during the day and I attended both choirs rehearsals. Satuurday night which was Christmas Eve, I attended Midnight Mass where I sang.  I was in bed about 2:30 A.M. Christmas morning, and then was up and out again by 8:15 A. M.  Once I reach the church,  I sang at the 9:30 A.M. mass and 11:30 A.M. mass. 

When the last mass was finished I went directly to my son place and you know the rest.

As for my upcoming web site, I will probably build it and without the logo and add it later.  There has been a delay because the artist, my son. was not sure quite what I wanted.  My vision is clear to me, so what's the problem.  Just joking, but having a clear vision of what I want is important.  When the holidays are over I will start working of the site after work.  I think once I have something up, my ideas will flow even more and more clearly. 

I brought myself a digital camera for Christmas.  What a miraculous piece of technology.  I am learningto work with the software that came with it.  I have also learned to integrated the other and large graphic programs that I own into it and I can do some pretty amazing thing with photos I took during this holiday.  the use of this camera will greatly improve my the photo section of the site as well as my blog.

Christ

This is a picture of a crucified Christ that is hanging in the hall of our Parish Library.  I have created a mural wallpaper for my desktop of it and added the following caption:

"His death redeemed us from our sins. If positions were reversed would any in our number do the same for Him?" 

The origins  and artist of the crucifix is unknown.  However, I trust  that my Parish will not have any objection to My borrowing it for that honest display of worship. I did this in 2000 after become a member of the church.

 

 

Webpage Coming Soon!

The official "The Woman Within" web page is coming soon.  I have checked out some sketches for the introductory page and they look great, so soon I will have an original and an official logo. 

I decided on a web page because I need more space to add and display things as they arrive or as they are created.  The blog is nice, but some good stuff is going into the archives too quickly.  

Some of you have probably noticed from my links that I am a Xena's fan.  In truth, I am a diehard Xena's fan, and I frequent the best Xena's sites on the internet and sometimes communicate with other fans who are still dedicated to the series and to the stars.  This has been a pleasure of mine since the show began in 1995, and I was crushed at the way the series ended.  Xena lost her head and was unable to return from the dead.

Like me, there are millions of fans, male and female, who are ready and eager for a Xena Warrior Princess' movie.  However, there is still a battle going on with Universal Studios on just who owns the right to the show.  Robert Tapert, Lucy Lawless' husband, was the creator and executive producer of the series.  Hopefully, we diehard fans will not have to wait much longer because as Renee O' Connor (Gabrielle) once stated "We will be too old". Heaven forbid that we will have that long of a wait.

As a diehard fan, I gleefully possess the entire series on DVD, I mean all six seasons, plus the three Hercules/Xena crossovers which first introduce us to the Warrior Princess.  For more on the series and what is happening with the actors today, check out the links section of this blog.

Of the wallpaper above, the first and the last are montages that I created.  Included are photos of Lucy Lawless (Xena), Renee O'Connor (Gabrielle ), and Hudson Lieck (Callisto).

All three of these women are wonderful actresses, and we, their fans, would like to see more work from them  Each brought their characters to life for us. Then they carried us along with them on their journey of self discovery and redemption. The show was great fun and did a lot for female actresses in starring roles. It also brought women together across the globe.

La Nativite

Evelyn here,   I was so touched by Wayne's story "Remmeber My Birthday" that when I saw this portrait entitled " La Nativite",  I had to post it here.  The original painting is part of a ten panel grouping, entitled "Thematic Trails: The Christmas Story"  and is displayed in Paris at the Louvre. It appears to be a beauitfully spetic colored woodcut. The link to the webpage is listed int he links area.  Enjoy!

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Remember My Birthday!

Hello everyone,

Evelyn here. I have had a very busy week and a bout of the flu, but with medication and rest, I should be well soon.  I was checking my email this evening and found the following story.  It is a little story about the real reason we celebrate Christmas and how easy it is for so many of us the forget.  The story is entitled "Remember My Birthday!" and was originally emailed by Wayne. Enjoy and reflect.

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"Remember My Birthday????!!!!!!

"As you well know, we are getting closer to my birthday. Every year
there is
a celebration in my honor
and I think that this year the celebration will be repeated.  During
this
time there are many people
shopping for gifts, there are many radio announcements, TV commercials,
and
in every part of
the world everyone is talking that my birthday is getting closer and
closer.

It is really very nice to know, that at least once a year, some people
think
of me. As you know,
the celebration of my birthday began many years ago. At first people
seemed
to understand and be
thankful of all that I did for them, but in these times, no one seems
to
know the reason for the
celebration. Family and friends get together and have a lot of fun, but
they
don't know the
meaning of the celebration.

I remember that last year there was a great feast in my honor. The
dinner
table was full of delicious
foods, pastries, fruits, assorted nuts and chocolates. 

The decorations were exquisite and there were many, many beautifully
wrapped
gifts. But, do you
want to know something? I wasn't invited.  I was the guest of honor and
they
didn't remember to
send me an invitation.

The party was for me, but when that great day came, I was left outside,
they
closed the door in my
face......... and I wanted to be with them and share their table.

In truth, that didn't surprise me because for many of the past years
now,
all close their doors to me.
Since I was not invited, I decided to enter the party without making
any
noise.  I went in and stood
in a corner. They were all drinking; there were some who were drunk and
telling jokes and laughing
at everything. They were having a great time. To top it all, this big
fat
man all dressed in red wearing
a long white beard entered the room yelling Ho-Ho-Ho! 

He sat on the sofa and all the children ran to him, saying : "Santa
Claus,
Santa Claus"...   as if the
party were in his honor!

At 12 midnight all the people began to hug each other; I extended my
arms
waiting for someone
to hug me and  ....  do you know .... no one hugged me.

Suddenly they all began to share gifts. They opened them one by one
with
great expectation. When
all had been opened, I looked to see if, maybe, there was one for me.
What
would you feel if on
your birthday, everybody shared gifts and you did not get one?  I then
understood that I was
unwanted at that party and quietly left.

Every year it gets worse. People only remember to eat and drink, the
gifts,
the parties and nobody
remembers me.  I would like this Christmas that you allow me to enter
into
your life. I would like
that you recognize the fact that almost two thousand years ago I came
to
this world to give my life
for you, on the cross, to save you.

Today, I only want that you believe this with all your heart. I want to
share something with you.  As
many didn't invite me to their party, I will have my own celebration, a
grandiose party that no one
has ever imagined, a spectacular party.

I'm still making the final arrangements. Today I am sending out many
invitations and there is an invitation
for you. I want to know if you wish to attend and I will make a
reservation
for you and write your
name with golden letters in my great guest book. Only those on the
guest
list will be invited to the
party.  Those who don't answer the invitation, will be left outside.

Do you know how you can answer this invitation?  It is by extending it
to
others whom you care for...

I'll be waiting for all of you to attend my party this year...

....  I love you!

-Jesus- "

Busy, Busy, Busy Bee!

Evelyn here,

I have been very busy in this second week of Advent. Because I am in both choirs, I am rehearsing a great deal. I have spent the last four evenings at church rehearsing and helping out in one of the music offices. Tonight included attending and singing at mass. It is a gruelling pace since I am coming straight from work, but I am loving every minute of it. This is a very exciting time of the year for me because it brings people closer together, and all that has goes on earlier in the year becomes insignificance in the light that this season is about the birth of our Lord, Jesus.

I am exhausted now, so until my next entry. Peace be with you.

"Monk Rock" Ticket Sales

The wait it nearly over, and we lovers of the Christian Rock genre are tapping our feet and counting the days for the arrival of the “MONK ROCK” concert featuring John Michael Talbot, and, Tom Booth, and Mason Profit as special guests. 

 

The official posters are up and tickets are on sell throughout the Diocese, and I am happy to present you with the following poster provided by and with the permission of my parish.

                                                                                     

                                                                                          Thank you,

                                                                                                    Blessed Trinity.

An Evening with John Michael Talbot

Important Announcement For Christian Music Fans:

 

John Michael Talbot will be one of the Christian rock singers who will hold a concert on February 12, 2006 at our church which is Blessed Trinity Roman Catholic Church. I am a great fan of JMT and his “Monk Rock”.  Our choirs will be acting as his backup singers while he sings here. I feel like a groupie from the 60's when the Beatles tour my home town in Chicago. I was here at the concert screaming my head out with the best of them.  Being a member of both the Contemporary choir and the Traditional choir, I am looking forward to singing with JMT.  We start rehearsals in January.

 

Here is a link to more concert dates and information about JMT.

http://www.johnmichaeltalbot.com/

A Special Friend

The following is from Lisa who is also a part of our growing circle of friends.  Thank you Lisa. Thank you Marcia.

Sometimes in life, you find a special friend;
Someone who changes your life
just by being part of it.
Someone who makes you laugh
until you can't stop;
Someone who makes you believe
that there really is good in the world.
Someone who convinces you
that there really is an unlocked door
just waiting for you to open it.

This is Forever Friendship.
This is the sacred RED ROSE.
You MUST pass this rose on to at least 5 people within the hour of receiving this rose.
After you do, make a wish.
If you have passed it on, your wish will come true and love will come your way shortly.
If not your life will stay the same as it has always been.
Just be nice &pass it on....May we all be loved so much.

Friend if I don't get this back I can take a hint!
How many people actually have 8 true friends? Hardly anyone I know! But some of us have all right friends and good friends!!!

Send this to 8 people or more and if this is sent back to you then you know that you are a true friend...!

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Our circle is growing and if you want to contribute something post a comment or email me at evelyn_altheimer_fain@yahoo.com.

The Spirit of Christmas

Hello readers,

Evelyn here, and I am in great spirits.  I do not get to write on this blog as much as I would like, and I do not like some of the things I have written. However, part of this blog is a venting area for where the truth of what is happening with me is not hidden. Today, I am acknowledging God,  my known friends, as well as my unknown friends for keeping me from harm when I needed them. My life should be less troubled at this period in my life but it is not. I can not complain of my life as being boring, however, it could be less troublesome.

Anyway, I am in the Christmas mood and I am planning to take a cruise to some place exciting. Where? I do not know but I will begin my search tonight.  There are so many places in the world that I want to see,  and now that I have decide to see a few of those places, I do not know where to start.  I greatest interest is in England but that would be a extended trip of a week or more and would take much planning.  I am thinking more of a  3-4 days trips.  More on where I will travel later.

I just wanted everyone to know that I still here and still writing. 

 

Update:  The Christmas cruise is off. I have looked at some cruise ships offerings for this season, but there is not enough time for me to gather all the information needed to meet a ship's departure date.  But I am not discouraged, and I now planning a trip to England. I have always wanted to go, so now is the time.  I should be fully prepare for a spring trip to England and back home.  Hopefully, I will be able get a around trip package. If not I might take the cruise over there and then fly back home.

The best part of this is the planning. It is all new to me and I find is as exciting as the trip itself will be.