The Christianville Spirit: Thanksgiving and What It Means

The Christianville Spirit

The Spirit that Sparkles

November 24, 2015-TCS # 475

Hello My Readers and Happy Thanksgiving! So, I know that It is a Day early before Newsletter Day but, due to being busy This Thanksgiving. So, I figured that I would write my Thanksgiving Newsletter Today. I hope that You have an Awesome Thanksgiving. Blame it on The Recent Trip to Sweden but, In My Head, I have been calling Thanksgiving, Tacksgiving, because “Thank You” is Tack in Swedish. So, What am I Thankful for? I have a Lot to be Thankful for This Year, among them, The Roof over My Head; God; My Friends and Family, both Smith Family and PTLS Family; and, Of Course, The Crazy-Busy Summer that I had, It was The Best in Years! So, Before I share with You, One of My Great Thanksgiving Newsletters, I want to Teach You something This Thanksgiving. So, How do You say “Thank You” in Different Languages? Well, The Ones I know partly; Spanish, a little bit of Italian, a Little bit of French, “Hello” in Japanese, and Swedish. In Spanish and Italian, “Thank You” sounds roughly the Same. Gracias (pronounced Grau-See-Us) and Grazie (pronounced Graught-See or Graught-See-Yay). But, Swedish is one that I had a bit of Trouble with when I was there, because it sounded Very Short. Thank You is said in 3 Ways, “Thank You” which is Tack (pronounced like “Talk”), Thanks You which is Tack Du (pronounce Tauk-Due) and, The Hardest One, Thanks You so Much which is Tack så Mycket (pronounced Tack-Soha-Meeekyeah). Anyway, Here is one of My Really Great Newsletters about Thanksgiving, I wrote it back in 2013, It is One of My Best Thanksgiving Newsletters. Hope You have Joyous Holiday Season Start and a Very Happy Tacksgiving!

So, I know it is a day early (I wrote this The Day before Thanksgiving), but, Happy Thanksgiving! So, Let me ask you a Question. Yes, It has been a short time since the last question but, This is Good, I Promise You! So, What does “Thanksgiving” mean to You? Does it mean (in a Radio Announcer's Voice): FOOTBALL!? Does it mean Quality Time with Family? or Maybe Shopping on Thanksgiving or God Help You, Black Friday? The Sad thing about Thanksgiving is that although it is an Important Holiday to us Americans, it is often overlooked by My Favorite Holiday, Christmas. Now, don’t get me wrong, I LOVE Christmas and I Live for It but, getting excited about it too early, like listening to Christmas Music or watching Christmas Movies (They started November 1st on The Hallmark Channel, by the way), by the time Christmas Day actually comes, after you have opened your presents, You are burnt out on it. But, I think I’ll explain that more when it gets closer to Christmas, but Anyway, I often think to Myself saying, “Why aren’t there any Thanksgiving Music or Thanksgiving Movies?” I know that there is one song called “The Thanksgiving Song” by Adam Sandler. Okay, I think I am rambling too much on this Christmas vs. Thanksgiving and how I feel about it but as They say in the News, I digress. So, for those still following along, What does Thanksgiving mean to Me? Well, it means many things, For Me, it starts in The Morning (Shocker, since I sleep in till 2:45PM) and I watch the “Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.” It is My All-Time Favorite Tradition of Thanksgiving. I Love watching all the different floats and of course, all bands that are big that year like Selena Gomez, The Jonas Brothers, One Direction, You get the idea.. and, then watching all the balloons (again they are different each year). Then, comes My Favorite Part, when Santa Claus comes and They say that, that marks, “Official Beginning of The Holiday Season”. That always gets me excited! So, after that, Thanksgiving turns toward what it should be; About Quality Time with Family (either Smith Family in Georgia or Ohio, or Immediate Family here in Town). It is also fun watching them cook the Turkey, which My Mom names it every Year. Once it is time for Dinner, then Thanksgiving means Two big Things: Turkey and Stuffing! Of Course, after we are all served, We go around the Table and ask what Everyone is Thankful For. Again, This is what Thanksgiving is majorly about, Being Thankful for What You Have like, The Roof over Your Head (to protect you from Bad Weather); for Me, My very loving Dogs (they’ll hangout with you, You can love on them, and You can talk to them and They don’t judge!); My Readers as well (Because They keep Me writing) and, Finally, The Most Important Thing, Family because Family is all You have! Now, Do Remember that Thanksgiving is not all about Thank Yous but, also Giving, hence the name (In My View), Thanks-Giving. In other words, You give Thanks and Give to others as well. Also, Remember to give extra Thanks to God and Your Family if your going to be one of those People who are going to get up and Fight People to get a Good Deal at The Store or The Mall on Black Friday. But, all in all, here Thanksgiving is a day to Give Thanks and Spend Time with Family. Oh! and Some Good Turkey!

Thanks for Reading The Christianville Spirit. Give Thanks and Cherish What You have, This Thanksgiving. Also, it goes without saying, Happy Thanksgiving!

The Christianville Spirit: Questions about God

The Christianville Spirit

The Spirit that Sparkles

November 18, 2015- TCS # 474

Happy Meredith Day, My Readers! For Those of You who don’t know, I hold a “Best Friends Festival” Each Year from November 16th-20th and Each Day honors All My Friends and I name a Day after a Few Select Friends, among them, My Brother, Michael; Childhood Friends, Brooke; Meredith, and of Course, Whitney; and, Ending with My Best Friend, Steven. Anyway, So in thinking of What I could write about This Week, I could write My View on This Whole Paris thing and Whatnot, but I figured that We (as well as Myself) need a bit of an Alternative Subject that might help Spread Love instead of what Everyone Else is doing. One More Note on Paris then, We’ll move on. To The People of France, I am very Sorry from The Deepest of My Heart for This type of Thing to occur to You but, I know that when It comes to You Guys, You will show us a World of Togetherness. France is Like Texas, You never want to mess with Them! Anyway, Moving on. So, It seems that in The Low Times of My Life, I do what Most People do, I think about God, I have little Upsets with Him every now and then, but It makes me Laugh to hear what Favour He returns to Me. God, of course, Knowing me, knows that I have a Curious Mind in all different ways. So, When I do get upsets at Him, I get these odd theories in My Head about Him. Now, The following that I am going to talk about, I mean it in a Very Loving Curious Way and Not at all Sacrilegious so Please DO NOT be Offended by This! It is Good, I promise you! So, I wonder about God sometimes in the Way of a Human-like Character (and, Not at all like Family Guy’s Version of Him) and Honestly though, He should be like a Human-like Character because of One Reason. You See, Growing Up, My Mom, My Brother, and I were Catholic, which meant that We saw God as a Very Merciless, Angry, and Have to be Feared Type of God. A God that would in a clean way “Smite” You for being upset at Him or Talking about Him in a Goofy Way, like I am now. In Other Words, God was not Relatable to Me. I mean, Okay, I did know that He loved me (which He always does) and He will forgive you to a certain point. When I was in My Teenage into a Young Adult years, We tried many different churches ranging from “God is Cool” to “God is Rad”, You get the idea! So, then, Here comes a Question, How do We make God sound more relatable to us Typical Humans on Earth who have Ups and Downs, and Really not much of a Direct Line to God? Well, My Friend Jeremiah’s Mom told me once that God has a Phone Number (not a Literal One though!) 333 or Trinity, Trinity, Trinity. So, I was talking to My Friend, Deb (Shout Out!) about it and I told her, “God has a Phone Number but, Why not an Address?!” so, Deb being The Awesome Person that She is and Talking about Intelligent but, Funny things, We came up with God’s Address; 333 Christ Ave, Heaventon, KH. KH, by the way, stands for “Kingdom of Heaven”. If You are wondering, Jesus lives next door at 222 Christ Ave. Maybe Jesus does not want His Father reading His Mail! But, Later I wondered a really odd thought, What happens when God, Jesus, or Associated Angels go to The Bathroom? or Really, what are They really like? My Answer, I thought of was that when God or Associated Angels have to go to The Bathroom, I would think it would be either Hail or a Tornado. Better yet, The Hail is The Poop and The Tornado is The Big Flush. Guys, I am sorry but, “Potty Humor” cracks me up sometimes! Anyway, What does God feel about Himself? Okay, I know that He is “The Almighty God” but, Come On, I am sure that God has his Low Days too! Does God take care of Himself? I would hope so! I often wonder How does God spend His Day? You know, does He do Facebook and What would He Post about? I am pretty sure that God watches us and gets in a Fit like “OKAY, THAT’S IT! I’M MAKING THE CALL TODAY!” and Jesus or Associated Angel (like an Assistant)    is like “Calm down God! It is Okay!” I now wonder, What does God do after His Work of Watching all of Us, I mean, He does need Breaks, right? I can only Picture God sitting at The Bar, telling the Bartender about What ever happened that Day or Not wanting to go home yet. Speaking Of, Does God have a Wife? or Is He Married? I would like to say Yes on Both of those. God is Love, right? So, If We can have Love, when why can’t He?! Same Thing with Jesus, He should have a Wife (I would believe that He does!). Does God or Jesus watch Television? I would say Yes! Do They have a Favorite Show? One that They laugh at? That is a Hard Question but, Who knows, Maybe They are Laughing with Us watching Big Bang Theory. What does God do for Fun? Maybe He goes Out to Dinner with a Friend or Co-Worker. Maybe, He goes Dancing to let off some steam from The Day. Maybe He goes to The Movies and Sees a Funny Movie. I would assume that He would like More Positive Movies! For My Swedish PTLS Family Members, Maybe He has Little Fikas during The Day. I can  Picture Him having a Fika with Jesus and Friends having Some Good Pastries and Hot Chocolate (mmmm..That makes me miss Sweden a bit!) Fresh Warm Apple Pastry with Hot Chocolate! that sounds Good! I wonder What God’s Favorite Meal is? That would be Hard. Maybe a Burger and Heap of Pasta! and, Finally, My Last Relatable Question, What kind of Music does God like? Maybe, Soft Rock, Pop, or Rock and Roll. I can Picture Him jamming out to a Really Good Rock Song! So, Now that I have mentioned this, Does that make God more Relatable? Guys, I really hope so! Because maybe if He is more Relatable, Maybe People will “call” or “mail” Him and Not be Afraid of Him. All in all, I believe that God is just like You and Me.

Thanks for Reading The Christianville Spirit. Belief and Faith goes a Long Way!

The Christianville Spirit: 10th Anniversary-Who I Want To Be

The Christianville Spirit

The Spirit that Sparkles

November 11, 2015-TCS # 473

Happy Veterans Day, My Readers! For Those Who Live in The United States, Today is a Day to honor Our War Veterans and I believe This One is special because it has been 60 Years since The Vietnam War. So, Veterans of War, from The Bottom of My Heart, I thank you for All Your Service and Protecting My Country. So, on to This Week’s Newsletter, as well as it being Veteran’s Day, It also 11-11 and According to Numerology, There is a New Moon and It can help with Destiny. So, As We know, over the Past Couple Weeks in honor of The Christianville Spirit’s 10th Anniversary, We have talked about Who I was (in The Past), Who I am (The Present), so It seems only fitting that I talk about Who I want to be (The Future). For Many, The Future is quite Scary. It is like Reading a Book and It gets really Good like in a Romance Novel, The Couple is FINALLY going to either Meet or Admit that They love eachother (that is just me, a Romantic!); Adventure: News Comes that They are going to Paris! (This is sort of a Reference to “The Rugrats Movie”) ; Action: They are ready to climb a Big Wall like El Capiton in California! (Came up with This One on My Own); Horror: They go into a Dark Garage with a Running Car next to it! (Yeah.. That is a Geico Commercial, but ALL Horror begins with something like that!), but it stops in The Middle and follows with Empty Pages saying “Finish This Story..and, The Best Completion of The Story, We will publish it in a Few Years!” Then, It is up to You to Write the Rest of a Good Story. So, Picture that for a Second and Think of What Kind of Story, This Book is. No Ones‘ Book is Perfect, Right. Interactive Newsletter Question here, What type of Story is Your Life Book and Where are you at in This Book? It could be a Romance, an Action, An Adventure, or Yes, Even Horror (Not Judging Here!). So, What about My Story? Well, I believe I have not hit the “Clincher” of My Book yet but, I sure am close though! The Future for Me is a Little Scary, but It is going to be Awesome. So, in 10 Years from Now, I should have Lots of Things going in My Life. I am still hoping for That Geography-Related 10 to 3 Job, I have thought of. In 10 Years, I will likely be still writing, by then I should be at, at least 1000 Newsletters by then. I think that should be a Good Goal to lead off of, 1000 Newsletters. I have said Time and Time again, that I do want to Live near My Family, both Smith Family and PTLS Family. That would be Awesome, if I could live near Smith Family and Have My Favorite PTLS Family Members in The Same Area too! That would be Perfect! In My PTLS Life, I will be where I am Today, as Self-Appointed PTLS Ambassador. I will represent PTLS in Many Ways and Probably making a Lot of Trips around The World to see them and Talk to Them. I will likely be a part of Speaking Times with PTLS Family Members, as if I don’t do that Already. In My Personal Life, in 10 Years, I WILL have an SO (Internet Speak for Significant Other). By Then, I should have a Wife who I am Happily Married, whether it is Bridgett Lafleur or not. She will be tagging along in My PTLS Trips and We will do Lots of Traveling too. It will be Amazing how much Traveling We will do. Now, I do want to Travel, but Not like A Far-Flung Place each Month, I think that would a Bit too much for Me, or at least that is what Present Me is thinking anyway. The Thing that probably Scares me the most Is My Future Living Situation. I plan on Living with Bridgett and Her Dad for a while and then, Her and I will live together once We get Married. But, Here is a Question and a Scary One to Me, What about My Mom? Well, I Love My Mom heaps and heaps alot! So, with that said, I want to be an Independent Adult But, Also Live near My Mom. Ideally, Bridgett (or Said Wife, Bridgett or Not) and I will live Together, and My Mom will live Next Door or Down the Street, as Long as it is within a Short Distance from Each Other. That is so that She can help with Anything that I need. I would love to live in a House that is Connected, Wife and I (or just I) just the Small “In-Law Suite” and Mom lives in The Main House, but You can’t live with Your Mom forever. BUT, I do want Her close by and That does not count as “Living under Mom’s Roof”. That whole Situation, it does concern me and I hope My Mom feels Good about it. Now, Where My Mom will be in 10 Years is a Story for All of us to figure out. But, by then, She should have a Husband and Husband’s Family as well. If Said Husband comes with Kids (like Young Adults) that would be Another Story but, It would be Okay too though. As far as My Brother is concerned, I want to make sure that He lives nearby as Well. You need Your Brother’s Partnership too, You Know! Someone to hang out with for a While when You need Guy Time away from Mom or Wife, and His Future Wife too. In 10 Years, I would hope that My Brother has a Wife too and He is Happily Married, and They have as many Adventures as Myself and My Wife. Just to make sure to Meet Together throughout The Year for Family Time. I will make sure of that, that either of us, do get Quality Time together, that is a Must. I do want to be Busy with Life, Fun, and Adventure. But, to be Fair, I don’t want to be too Busy to forget What Family means and Will Always mean to Me. I am pretty sure that My Said Wife will certainly make sure of that also. My Said Wife Will be a Family Person as well as Understanding, Loving, and Most of all having a Loving relationship with God and Jesus. Because God must be put first in Our Life and Really, in Everything that We do. All in all, in 10 Years, I would think that My Life Book would be one great Hallmark Movie!

Thanks for Reading The Christianville Spirit. Life is a Book, It has many Written and Unwritten Pages!

The Christianville Spirit: 10th Year Anniversary-Who I am and Who I have Become

The Christianville Spirit

The Spirit that Sparkles!

November 4, 2015-TCS # 472

(10th Anniversary Newsletter)

Happy 10th Anniversary, My Readers! Yes, That is Right, Officially I have been writing to You for 10 Years. Now, Most of You, especially Most of My PTLS Family, have not been with Me all these 10 Years, only because PTLS had not been named until 2007 and many had not been diagnosed yet. One PTLS Member put it in a bit of perspective for Me, as well My Neighbor across The Street. The Truth is, Most of My PTLS Family when I started writing, Had not even had Kids (or Dreamed of It, Either!) and Not even knowing that They could have a Rare Duplication that would change their Whole Life. My Neighbor told me that I was The Writer of PTLS, Before There even was a PTLS or Before PTLS got as Big as It is now. With that said though, My Own Life was Changed just as much as Most of My PTLS Family! Funny how that Happens, Right?! Anyway, Since 10 Years ago, I had a ton of Adventures that really defined My Life today. Among Them, and I will try My Best to Reference Them for You!, Potocki-Lupski Syndrome or PTLS was Named (Newsletter 37, March 2007); I was Photographed by a Fashion Photographer named Rick who now Photographs Those with Special Needs (Reference Newsletter Number 79, November 2007);  I got to Ride in Traffic Helicopter (Newsletter 75 and 74, October 2007), and Many others including going to Sweden and The UK. There were a few Sad Moments in My Newsletter History, Popi (My Mom’s Dad) past away in April of 2008; Our Dogs, Sophie (September 2008) and Mandy (October 2013) passed away, respectfully. The Most Scariest Moment for Me was what We refer to Notoriously as “The Storm without a Siren” (Newsletter 101; April 10th of 2008). In My Early Days of Writing, I did not a Scheduled Writing Time, so It started Sporadically. My Newsletter began with Writing like a Newspaper Stories from Christianville (which gave it a “Newspaper” Feel), It then moved on to “Personal News”, “Christianville/State News”, and “C. Metro Commentary” layout. After That, I started Writing a few Series about Life and Family Events. and, Finally, It turned into The Format that I use now. I have changed the Fonts of My Newsletter a couple times. At The Beginning of The Year, I always change My Tag Line which I came up with until a Few Years Ago when I ask My Readers for suggestions. Every Year, I must do what I now call “The Big Three”, a Christmas Newsletter; A Year-In-Review Newsletter, and a “Happy New Year!” Newsletter. I can see a lot of My Progress in The Content of My Newsletters when I go through My Newsletter Records. I have documented pretty much Everything important to Me in My Life and I am very proud of All My Writings!

As You can see a lot was Happened in Our Family (Smith and PTLS) and For Me and My Mom. Speaking of PTLS, We did not have an Official PTLS Conference until 2009 in Houston (in June of 2009), That actually was a Great Experience. Since then, I have appointed Myself (in the Most Humble Way) as The Ambassador of PTLS and have helped in the best way that I can with Spreading Awareness and Understanding Life with Potocki-Lupski Syndrome.

On a Personal Level, In The Time that I have been writing, I got a Job working as a “PlayBall Attendant” (Someone who greets People and Passes out Programs) at The Frisco Roughriders. Sometimes, I look back and Remember that, that was a Really Fun Job to do and I did it Very Well. Of Course, I have had 2 Girlfriends in My Life (One in My 10 Years of Writing), I did go to Homecoming (which is Sort of like Prom in Texas, It is a Very Big Deal!), and Now, In Terms of Love Life, I came up with My Soulmate’s Name, Bridgett, who I should be close to meeting hopefully soon if I have not already! It does make me wonder talking about All that I have Done, What will the Next 10 Years be like? All in all, This 10 Year Run has been awesome and I can not wait to see Where I am in the next 10 Years! I Thank You from The Bottom of My Heart for Joining Me in This Wild Journey! You Guys are Awesome and You keep me going!

Thanks for Reading The Christianville Spirit. Raise Your Glass and say “Cheers” (Skål, Salute, Salude). Happy 10th Year to All of Us!