Crappy

So I'm a crappy pregnant lady...maybe not "crappy" but definitely not all sweet, bright-eyed, optimistic, dreamy and whatnot.  These are things I notice in the responses I have to people which apparently I have no filter for now that I am with child.  Case and point:

 

During 20ish week ultrasound:

Tech: ...and here's your baby!

Me: Aww, it looks kinda like the Terminator when all it's flesh gets melted off and it's just a metal skeleton!  That's awesome.  I've had heartburn so bad we were concerned the baby would have an Osama Bin Ladin beard by now.

Hubby: *sigh*

 

A few weeks later:

Any Number of Well-Meaning Friends: Wow, how many weeks are you now anyway?

Me: Um, 24, 26, 27....I can never remember, I think she's an eggplant now.  Produce is easier to remember than numbers.

Friends: Aren't you an accountant?

Me: But the numbers change every week and are always so close together...

 

Regarding changes to my body:

Friend: So, have you noticed your belly button start to change?

Me: My belly button is messed the heck up, man.  Seriously, messed the HECK up right now.  I have no idea what's going to happen to it when this is all over.

 

Me: You know what is good about this whole mess?

Hubby: What?

Me: I cannot imagine being this weight with no baby to blame it on.  I mean, it's exhausting carrying around all this excess weight...what if it was just "me"...that'd be gross.  I'm entirely too short for this.  I look ridiculous.  Talk about good motivation to lose the weight come spring!

 

 

Yes, I know I'm insane...and according to my weekly baby emails (that inform me of my produce-of-the-week) I am two-thirds of the way there!  Then perhaps I'll just go back to being my normal ridiculous self with a slightly more heightened comment-filter and people won't have to whisper to me, "Um, that was out-loud, but I'm going to pretend it was supposed to be in your head, k?"

 

I'm very thankful for my amazing friends who find me "funny" and not uncaring or (too) embarrassing =)

 

Giving

Yesterday Pastor Lon preached on a topic that is avoided by some churches, over emphasised by others, and appropriately addressed in others still.  As part of a message dealing with greed, charitable giving, and storing up treasures in heaven Lon touched on an area that had been on my mind for the past few years.

 

For years I have had semi-strong feelings about giving to non-religious charity organizations.  I have had a terrible time internally justifying my thoughts as more than just personal opinions and so had not discussed this with more than a small handful of people close to me while I waited on the Lord to make Himself known in this area to me.  It had long been a point of confusion for me why one, as a Believer, would chose to donate to an organization that was not faith-based over one with a similar mission that was also faith-based or why one would choose to serve in a volunteer organization like AmeriCorps or Greenpeace rather than on a missions team, but that was where it ended, a point of confusion.  After yesterday I feel like my internal struggle has been lifted.  Obviously, this is not a deal-breaker situation by any means and supporting non-faith-based initiatives can still be meaningful (and full of tax advantages...the CPA in me would be remiss to add), but I will no longer feel guilty when making the choice to support a faith-based organization over a non-faith-based one.

 

Obviously there is much more to this issue, way more than I care to touch on after it being dealt with so well yesterday.  I have no desire to regurgitate.  You can watch Lon's sermon for yourself by clicking on this link (non-video versions are also available on the website as well).

 

Just know that it's cool to have not even been thinking about an issue that I had once been so caught up with, and out of the blue receive instruction and guidance in a manner you never expected.  Our God is cool like that, He doesn't forget what's on our minds, even when it is not longer in the forefront.  If there is a lesson we are to learn, we will learn it in His perfect timing.