everwoodfan52

It was loads of fun. Not looking forward to returning to work tomorrow.

Forwood4Bamon

I have to go to work tomorrow too. Dawsons creek has a mod. yay!

'Tos

Wow, what a trip! How considerate of your daughter to get a massage booked for you on day one. What a sweetheart. What kind of food did you eat there? Anything especially memorable and different? What kind of music does Richie play? Ooh, and Earth Wind and Fire?? Did they play "September"? Did that have you thinking of Everwood? Sounds like a really great time, Betty! Lots of memories. Hopefully you get to go back again soon!

I hope you have a relaxing day at work tomorrow, to ease you into it again!

secretk

Betty sounds like you had wonderful time there. I could understand why you don't want to go back to work.

Tomorrow I'm going back home and Wednesday I'm back at work.

cowgirl08

Someone sent this to me and I thought I would share...

A conversation between a student and their professor:

Professor : You are a Christian, aren’t you, son ?

... Student : Yes, sir.

Professor: So, you believe in GOD ?

Student : Absolutely, sir.

Professor : Is GOD good ?

Student : Sure.

Professor: Is GOD all powerful ?

Student : Yes.

Professor: My brother died of cancer even though he prayed to GOD to heal him. Most of us would attempt to help others who are ill. But GOD didn’t. How is this GOD good then? Hmm?

(Student was silent.)

Professor: You can’t answer, can you ? Let’s start again, young fella. Is GOD good?

Student : Yes.

Professor: Is satan good ?

Student : No.

Professor: Where does satan come from ?

Student : From … GOD …

Professor: That’s right. Tell me son, is there evil in this world?

Student : Yes.

Professor: Evil is everywhere, isn’t it ? And GOD did make everything. Correct?

Student : Yes.

Professor: So who created evil ?

(Student did not answer.)

Professor: Is there sickness? Immorality? Hatred? Ugliness? All these terrible things exist in the world, don’t they?

Student : Yes, sir.

Professor: So, who created them ?

(Student had no answer.)

Professor: Science says you have 5 Senses you use to identify and observe the world around you. Tell me, son, have you ever seen GOD?

Student : No, sir.

Professor: Tell us if you have ever heard your GOD?

Student : No , sir.

Professor: Have you ever felt your GOD, tasted your GOD, smelt your GOD? Have you ever had any sensory perception of GOD for that matter?

Student : No, sir. I’m afraid I haven’t.

Professor: Yet you still believe in Him?

Student : Yes.

Professor : According to Empirical, Testable, Demonstrable Protocol, Science says your GOD doesn’t exist. What do you say to that, son?

Student : Nothing. I only have my faith.

Professor: Yes, faith. And that is the problem Science has.

Student : Professor, is there such a thing as heat?

Professor: Yes.

Student : And is there such a thing as cold?

Professor: Yes.

Student : No, sir. There isn’t.

(The lecture theater became very quiet with this turn of events.)

Student : Sir, you can have lots of heat, even more heat, superheat, mega heat, white heat, a little heat or no heat. But we don’t have anything called cold. We can hit 458 degrees below zero which is no heat, but we can’t go any further after that. There is no such thing as cold. Cold is only a word we use to describe the absence of heat. We cannot measure cold. Heat is energy. Cold is not the opposite of heat, sir, just the absence of it.

(There was pin-drop silence in the lecture theater.)

Student : What about darkness, Professor? Is there such a thing as darkness?

Professor: Yes. What is night if there isn’t darkness?

Student : You’re wrong again, sir. Darkness is the absence of something. You can have low light, normal light, bright light, flashing light. But if you have no light constantly, you have nothing and its called darkness, isn’t it? In reality, darkness isn’t. If it is, well you would be able to make darkness darker, wouldn’t you?

Professor: So what is the point you are making, young man ?

Student : Sir, my point is your philosophical premise is flawed.

Professor: Flawed ? Can you explain how?

Student : Sir, you are working on the premise of duality. You argue there is life and then there is death, a good GOD and a bad GOD. You are viewing the concept of GOD as something finite, something we can measure. Sir, Science can’t even explain a thought. It uses electricity and magnetism, but has never seen, much less fully understood either one. To view death as the opposite of life is to be ignorant of the fact that death cannot exist as a substantive thing.

Death is not the opposite of life: just the absence of it. Now tell me, Professor, do you teach your students that they evolved from a monkey?

Professor: If you are referring to the natural evolutionary process, yes, of course, I do.

Student : Have you ever observed evolution with your own eyes, sir?

(The Professor shook his head with a smile, beginning to realize where the argument was going.)

Student : Since no one has ever observed the process of evolution at work and cannot even prove that this process is an on-going endeavor. Are you not teaching your opinion, sir? Are you not a scientist but a preacher?

(The class was in uproar.)

Student : Is there anyone in the class who has ever seen the Professor’s brain?

(The class broke out into laughter. )

Student : Is there anyone here who has ever heard the Professor’s brain, felt it, touched or smelt it? No one appears to have done so. So, according to the established Rules of Empirical, Stable, Demonstrable Protocol, Science says that you have no brain, sir. With all due respect, sir, how do we then trust your lectures, sir?

(The room was silent. The Professor stared at the student, his face unfathomable.)

Professor: I guess you’ll have to take them on faith, son.

Student : That is it sir … Exactly ! The link between man & GOD is FAITH. That is all that keeps things alive and moving.

everwoodfan52

She is definitely a sweetheart.

They have so many ethnic restaurants there...not really native food. One night we went to an Indonesian restaurant. One night we went to an Italian restaurant. One night we went to a Mediterranean restaurant.
They do have yummy snacks there. One in particular is called Bitterballen. It is a tasty breaded ball stuffed with meat and deep fried. You dip it in a spicy hot mustard. It's soooooooooooo good! I also like their french fries which can be dipped in either mayonnaise or peanut sauce. Yum Yum Yum.

I forgot to mention that we drove to Ghent in Belgium for the day. Bought lots of chocolate!

He is a jazz guitarist.

Yes, they played all of their hits and I definitely thought of Everwood! It was fun because it was a standing concert...which made it easy for us to dance while watching and listening.

Shelby, that conversation is so excellent! I was wondering how the Student was going to turn that around! I'm a science teacher and I hate when people equate being a scientist as one who doesn't believe in God.

secretk

Thanks for the conversation, Shelby. It's always interesting to see the other point of view. Although I'm a scientist and someone that doesn't believe in God. It's not so much about only not seeing him or feeling him, it's about the fact that I just know that someone created him, like Satan and everything else. And that someone is a person, human. The whole story in the Bible is like the most movies and soap operas that I've watched as a kid.

I do know that if you don't feel in your heart God, you don't believe in him. My mother asked me 'How can you not believe in God' and I answered her 'How can you believe in God?'. She couldn't answer me, she thinks that faith is enough. And that is true, but I do have faith, but my faith is in something else entirely. My faith is in humans, not in religion. And if I want something to happen, I believe in myself, not God.

Like 3 years ago, my cousin was in hospital with really severe pneumonia. The doctors told us that he won't survive, because they have nothing that they can do. So all my family started praying. I on the other hand never thought about that. That thought never crossed my mind, I have faith that nothing doesn't exist. I have faith that you just don't give up and you just have to have faith in yourself, because at some point you have the idea. It won't be easy, it will be exhausting, but if you want, you'll find a way. Well they found a way - a medicine. And my mother found a way to find it, not God, people. And he survived, because he didn't want to give up, because he had faith in himself.

So I think that all people have faith, they just believe in different things. It's wrong to think that not religious people don't have faith, they do. It's like all people in the world - so many different religions? Why? Isn't God one? No, apparently different people and nations have their own God, the way they created him and the way they needed him.

jediwands

Lovely pictures you posted. I've known for a while how hot your daughter is. LOL.

Questions:

1. What was the best moment during your trip?
2. What is your favorite city you visited?
3. What types of foods are really good?
4. What style of music does Richie play? I can't believe I never asked you this before!

cowgirl08

Your welcome and good thoughts. I am on the other side of this but its always interesting to read others perspectives. I agree Everyone can have faith it doesn't matter if you believe in god or not faith is just the act of knowing something is there or that something will happen without any factual information to support that. You can have faith in anything a god or yourself like you have faith in. Me personally I do believe in God because without him I would not be were I am today. And I don't think that makes me weak or that it say *I don't have faith in myself and only in god. *It's more that I have faith in myself because of the faith I have in him. I know the person I am and the things I am capable of through Christ my lord and savior. A lot of people ask the question just as the professor did "How can a god exist when there is so much evil in the world" or "How could God exist when he let someone I love die way before they should?" my answer to that is simply you have to have faith in his greater plan. Jeremiah 29:11 that scripture alone got me through the untimely death of my father and many other hard times in my life. Or the story in Joshua of the Battle of *Jericho these people had faith that if they did the seemingly ridiculous task of walking around the town everyday for 6 days not striking and simply blowing their trumpets*that God would take down the fort for them and they would be able to pass. It's that kinda faith as a Christian that I strive for everyday. The kind of faith that is unwavering and would allow me to walk around the town for a week knowing that God will take care of the rest. That's why I have faith because even when things are hard, even when I don't even understand what is going on or even when I'm mad at the way my life is unfolding....I believe that god has a plan and it's to "prosper me not to harm me" And I believe that in those times that I don't have faith in myself that, just as Joshua felt he wasn't *up to the task of taking over for Moses, if * I follow his plan that he will lead me to the promise land. *

everwoodfan52

Thank you.


My daughter asked me the same question and I couldn't answer. I just loved everything I did. I loved that I was able to walk as much as I did on my non-cartledged knee! I loved the boat cruise..I loved meeting Richie's parents(my daughter's boyfriend). I was very proud of Nadine...she made an outstanding dinner for all of us. I loved the concert...I don't usually go to concerts and this was so much fun..listening and dancing to familiar music!

I can't say that one city is better than the other. Each city was different. Amsterdam is a really cool city...lots of young people...canals...very liberal/tolerant city. It's a fun city that I couldn't live in, but a great place to walk around and take in. Den Haag (The Hague) where my daughter lives is a classier city...one that I could live in. It's the location of the World Court, lots of canals, bike paths, cool restaurants/outdoor cafe/bars, shops, Trams (transportation system in Holland is excellent...so organized and easy to understand).

I love the snacks..as I mentioned. Bitterballen, french fries. fish and chips. I didn't notice any native food. They eat what we eat: Fish, salad, meat, etc. Lots of Indonesian and Turkish restaurants. Their cheese is outstanding: Old Dutch cheese. Yum!
I love the mint tea! I drank at least 2 cups a day. They take sprigs of fresh mint and put in a clear glass cup filled with hot water. Just add honey and you have a delicious non-caffinated healthy tea!

He plays jazz. He's excellent. He'll graduate this year from the Conservatory of the Hague. It's like a Dutch Julliard.

secretk

Oh no I'm not saying that someone is weak. I think that we all people need faith, Shelby. I just think that faith is something that you can't force or define. It's something that you have in yourself.

Some people believe in the big plan, I don't. I believe that everything depends on us. I'm not saying who is right and who is wrong. I'm more about respecting people. I don't offend religious people and I don't want to be blamed for not believing in God. I don't want to be forced in believing something that I don't and I don't want to force someone else. It's all about good and interesting discussion and getting to know different points of view.

Interesting example about the evil in our world. I have different answer, well more like different perspective. I think that we all people are born with both good and bad and we actually choose what to be. We could be good, we could be bad. Almost all characteristics could be used for good or bad.

Take for example Hitler. He had some idea, some plan and he didn't give up, he tried to accomplish in what he believed in. Now, those are good things. People should fight for what they believe. But he wanted something bad, something out of proportion. Clearly he used his good qualities to do something really bad - killing people.

I should say also that I do believe that we should help each other, that we shouldn't kill or steal - those are all things that are said in the Bible. I just have other reasons - mostly respect. I think that we should respect everyone, because everyone can give us something and can teach us do something. And if I respect other people and their feelings and their work, I won't hurt them or steal from them or kill them.

I think that we could all agree that the moment someone stops believing in whatever they believed, they are numb and lost and have no reason to live. If you don't have faith, why do you live? So yeah faith is important, we just see it differently.

By the way has any of you read something about zen? I personally like to define things for myself - even at school I was this way. So my faith is totally coming from me, but I could say that certain things that I believe in are mentioned in this theory.

On other note today I bought two pair of sport shoes. My last pair was really old. I've wore it for 4 years. I bought them from Greece, but I needed new one, so I got some black and some white/red. I love using comfortable shoes.

cowgirl08

Yep I am not into arguing my faith against someone elses either thats not what its about. Everyone has the capability of good and evil within themselves its just a matter of what path they choose to go down. For some faith in a god plays a role in helping them choose their path and for others its faith in something else but the common denominator there is Faith....without that the world can be a scary place.

Forwood4Bamon

I'm glad you had fun.

everwoodfan52

Thank you, Rachel.

jediwands

I heard your daughter looks like you?

That's awesome and even more awesome you're getting therapy for that knee starting tomorrow. Lol.

Does your daughter live in a house or apartment?

That's great! My dad talked about the canals when he returned from Amsterdam. He absolutely loved everything you are describing! He talked about when they won a game in soccer for World Cup how the people were celebrating and dancing in the streets all night long. He said it was something else.

What is the World Court?

That would be great for my stomach. LOL. Peppermint or a combination of mints? What is the cheese like?

Wow, that is so impressive. What does he ultimately want to do with his talent after graduation?