Nobody's Perfect...

Hello.
I have been talking to some very nice people, recently, and I have discovered that many people think that Christians are supposed to be perfect! How ridiculous. Just because these people try to follow their spiritual convictions, and live a better kind of life, some will label them as thinking they are better than other people, or assume that they are supposed to be A-1 perfect in every way; and it just isn't true.
These people, at least the ones of my acquaintance, certainly don't think they are better than anyone else, or that they know everything, nor even that they are perfect. So, I don't know why others assume these things about them. Just because they have chosen to live a different way, and strive to be more spiritually in tune with the universe, doesn't mean that they don't make their share of mistakes. I have talked with many individuals who have assured me they make mistakes every day. The fact is, these people simply try harder to not do things which they feel are wrong. That doesn't make them perfect or better than anyone else. it merely serves to make them more self-aware, which can be a good thing as far as human-beings are concerned. The individuals with whom I spoke were surprisingly (despite popular opinion) open-minded about the life choices of others. They may not like how some people choose to live, but a large number of Christians, today, are far more accepting of others beliefs and preferences than was true in the religious community even 20 years ago. Perhaps the intolerance of others towards themselves, and their beliefs, has prompted them to a greater and deeper understanding of the other person's point of view. Whatever the case, these people are much more concerned with how people treat each other, as a world society, than in pointing fingers at individuals short-comings and mistakes. I believe this is the way it should be. Thank you. Anna

No, Means No!!!

Hello.
Why is it that some people can't understand that when a person says no that is precisely what is meant. For example, I have had to tell our Blogger hosts several times that I do not want ads placed above the navigation bars on my blogsites. Yet, today I logged on to American Bae Fan and what did I find?: ads above my navbar!!! I have tried to quietly, graciously explain to these people that I am Obsessive/Compulsive and that having ads placed at the tops of my blogsites makes me feel claustrophobic, which I am, by the way, as well as being O/C. I can not stand to feel closed in and restricted this way, but I don't know what to do about it. I have asked these people nicely time and again to stop doing what they are doing, but it only helped for a short while, apparently. It is beginning to look as though I may have to take my blogging business elsewhere on the 'net'. I really do not wish to do this, but I can not tolerate something on my blogs that I do not want. Ads at the bottoms of my blogs would be far more tolerable, although I really don't want those, either. This is the last time I am going to say this, Blogger, so please pay attention: Please, Stop putting ads at the Tops of My blogsites!!! Thank you, Anna

Etc.,Etc., Etc....Wrong!

Have you ever read a posting on someone's blog, a post comment, or even a news article, and encountered the phrase "and etc."? This is wrong. 'et cetera' is a Latin term which means: "and the others..." and should not be used with the word 'and'. If they are used together then the user is really saying: "and, and the others" which is a bit redundant. The term "etc." can stand on its own with out a conjunction like 'and'.  So, the next time you see "and, etc." in print, or even hear someone using it while speaking,  just remember that it is not right, and you might want to tell them so, in the nicest possible way, of course. Thank you. Anna