This is from a friend who's among the folks I've mentioned who do a sort
of online prayer circle.



I got this request from my friend Ruthie this morning. This is her
daughter-in-law's brother, Erich and his men, that we're praying for.
Thanks so much!

Sue
*******************************************************************************************************

May I be so bold as to ask for your prayers & also that you might pass
it along to any prayer warriors you know?? Thanks so much!! Ruthie
Ottmers

My daughter-in-law, Emily, (wife to my son at the seminary in Ft.
Wayne) called this morning & said that her brother - ERICH ROBERTS is
in the unit in Iraq that had the kidnappings & executions. His unit is
the one that continues to search for the kidnapped soldiers.

Erich, himself, seems to be all right. He is the leader of one of the
groups in the unit (2nd Div, 10th Mtn.)

We are asking for prayers for safe return of those kidnapped and his
safety & the safety of his men who are trying to find them.

Erich is a member at Our Redeemer LC in Irving.

Side note: Erich & the guys in his unit are requesting absorbent socks,
should anyone want to send things to them. They also appreciate snacks,
paperbacks and LETTERS!!!!!!! He said you can't imagine how many guys
don't get any mail. So just general letters to a soldier & then he
makes sure the guys that need them, get them.

Lt. Erich Roberts
2-10 MTN DIV (LI)
B-Co. 4-31 IN
APO, AE 09322

On the customs form lower right hand corner #17 redirect to Chaplain

That way, as they are moving about, the Chaplain makes sure they get it.

We've been using the one rate boxes at post office for $8.95 that works
really well.

Thanks a million!! He REALLY appreciates especially the prayers!!!!!!

Ruthie Ottmers

http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c110:S.1348:

You know how you have those weeks (or maybe months or years) that just
seem to be loaded with stress? I know it's all relative -- one person's
stress is another's holiday. People with two children think having just
one child is a piece of cake, and so on. I've had one of those weeks --
I've been on the road a lot and dealing with an injury, work hasn't been
going my way, and my three-year-old has been possessed by an alien. And
I'm not talking about a friendly alien that wants to know what this
planet is all about -- no, I am talking about someone who wants to
launch a full-scale assault, but only in public places. To be honest,
this stress has even made it more challenging to relate to my husband in
a free-and-easy "girlie" way. I've had more tones of "wife" in my voice
during this past week than I've had in my entire 11-year relationship.

It takes a million years for one gene to change in our bodies. One
million years! I'm bringing this up because, physiologically, we're the
same humans we were 300 years ago. But look at how things have changed
in that short time. Some things make life easier now: washers and
dryers, transportation, abundance of food, electricity, etc. But some
things make life today more insane: cell phones, traffic, increased
population, fake food, TV, busy schedules. I heard a statistic from a
doctor-friend that we make more decisions in one day than people used to
make in a year. No wonder we're stressed out and reaching for doughnuts
or alcohol to cope.

All this craziness and high-speed living isn't going away. Since we
can't change our genes, we have to create a map to navigate this crazy
life. What can you do to try and stay on top of the stress so it doesn't
affect your health, happiness, or waistline?

Exercise. Amen for endorphins. Believe me, they've helped me many days
with my perspective. If you have to work out, then go take a brisk walk
and get that blood flowing. It isn't about working out to lose weight --
it's about being healthy and staying sane.


Eat the real stuff. Crappy food (fast, processed, and loaded with sugar)
doesn't help your chemical brain and body handle stress. Living food,
real food, helps support your mind and body while it's trying to deal
with the million things coming its way. Every time I reach for the
chocolate, I'm looking to feel something from it. Don't get me wrong --
if it's just a little here and there because I enjoy the taste of it,
great. But if I'm using it the minute I feel overwhelmed, then that's
when that food is no longer OK to eat. It doesn't make the problem go
away, and then I just feel bad about eating the food to pacify myself.
Grab green food instead. Put things in your mouth that are going to
support your immune function and keep you levelheaded.


Notice. Try not to let the stress overtake you. Recognize the situations
that cause the stress and notice them coming your way. You have a better
shot at fending off the full effects of the stress when you can
anticipate it.


Get it off your chest. Talk to a friend or partner about the stress.
Sometimes just getting it off your chest can help unload some of the
burden.

Keep your sense of humor. If you do have the chance to talk about it,
try to see the irony and humor in the wacky bits. I think someone is
dead in the water once they lose their sense of humor.


Stay grateful. My daughter has large lungs and verbal skills she likes
to display. Just when I start to wishfully think about her being quiet,
I remind myself to be grateful that she can talk to me at all. In almost
all of our problems are boatloads of blessings. "Oh, I don't feel like
going to the gym." Well, Amen that you have the means and the health to
even be able to wrestle with the idea of going to work out. Make a habit
of saying thank you. You will notice the sunny spots a lot more often,
and not just the gray skies and storms.


Ask, "What's the hurry?" Have some fun. We're always so busy going
somewhere, we miss just enjoying the moment. If an opportunity comes
your way to do something fun, take it.


Take a deep breath. When you feel the stress getting to you, take a
moment. Get away, even if it's just for an hour, to be with yourself and
your thoughts. Some people like to take a walk, meditate, lock
themselves away in a beautiful bath, or go to church. Find the peace and
the silence.


Keep it simple. Simplify where you can. Does Junior really need to be in
78 activities at the age of 5? Do you have to go to every little party
or gathering you're invited to?


Turn of the TV. A lot of it is bad news anyway, and it robs us of hours
that we could use to be getting other things done. Since everyone
complains that they have no time, get some by unplugging from the tube.


Sleep. If you're rested, you have a better shot at handling things. Not
to mention, you may not stress out as easily if you have a chance to
recover at night.


Drink water. I have said it before: Americans consume 21 percent of
their calories through liquid consumption. Hydrate with water. Help you
entire system function better just by drinking enough water. Oh, and by
the way, if you don't think that weight loss and proper hydration have a
relationship, think again. Shift the paradigm on its side -- don't think
about exercise and nutritional eating just as something you have to
suffer through to get into those jeans. Instead, think of them as armor
that will protect you in this crazy world, with all of the bazillion
details you deal with every day.

I'm the oldest of 5 (9 if you include my steps but they didn't come
along until I was 35) so I got to do the evil stuff MUWHAHAHAHA
Got the crap beat out of me when Mom and Dad found out I convinced my
brother he was adopted once

G'night everyone and .....
"Good night Mrs Calabash, wherever you are"

G'night Fine, sweet dreams.
Amen to that LuLu,
we've disagreed and will agree to disagree but other than thinking ya
called me a racist I've enjoyed our little party tonight.
Gonna have to call it a night myself. Some fool made 6 am wayyyyy too
early in the day for my tastes

Well that explains it, Quecs don't even want to be part of Canada at all
as I recall anyway
Only known a few Quebeccers but generally found them to be just as nice
as my Ontario family. From what I understand though if I moved to Q
unless I spoke french I'd have trouble getting a job as a ditchdigger.
HMMMM did ya just offer to french me girly? Best offer I've had in a
looong time

I "almost" agree on the language bill being a bad idea.
I've read articles on it and there's a lot of good argument against it
but mostly on the fact that it would disadvantage those who haven't
mastered english too much. For instance, translators in court would be
gone, a really bad thing. But with a lot of work to insure fairness to
those who don't speak english it COULD be made to work. Of course the
ammendment would then have to be longer than the whole constitution to
be fixed.

hmmmmmm methinks HotC isn't really Canadian ! !
my evidence? that "hey" on the end of her post......
EVERYONE knows it's "eh?" ROTFLMAO
what "aboot" that HC ?

G'night RG and pleasant dreams.
FineP, they've introduced legislation just about every year, it isn't
going to happen.
Considering I usually don't go to see a Dr until I'm carried in the
Canadian medicare system didn't really factor into my choice too much
LOL

Well we either work to fix the system, scrap it or live with it. I'm all
for fixing it but in the meantime we have to live with it.
You ARE advocating scrapping it by saying it's wrong to oppose and be
against illegals.
Apologies on the racism thing, reread it a 3rd time and I'll accept your
explanation. Please read the discussion I pasted tho and you'll see how
being called or even to think I'm being called a racist gets me boiling.

Nuttin at all wrong with Canuckleheads JK , I have MANY friends
in Ontario and spend as much time visiting as possible. Even considered
emmigrating there when I was looking at a career move but ended up in
Colorado instead.

Nawww RG, was just lookin to see if you were even in the US and not
Canadian LOL
I got plenty of women who want me from W Afrika and Russia

I'm not saying the system doesn't suck, it certainly does! But it's the
system we have and until someone can come up with a better one we need
to make use of it and that means ENFORCING the law. For your information
I don't own shiite, lost most of it in the divorce but we do have a
standard of living that YOU also enjoy and it's the laws we live by that
afford us that standard. I'll say it again, there's nothing wrong with
people coming here and becoming citizens WITHIN the system. You're
refusing to see that the law is being broken and it's having a bad
impact on the standard of living of all.
Lu, are you saying someone posted that "yes, but when i SEE such
racism," post using your id? Otherwise I don't see it as putting words
in your mouth but quoting you.

PG 2 "yes, but when i SEE such "RACISM", i find i HAVE to respond. some
might be set...but maybe we can counter-influence our next generation.
if nobody speaks up, then they'll never see the other side... "


That's pasted from your post on page 2, now you're gonna backtrack and
say you're not accusing me of racism?

So LULU and Rivergirl are just in favor of scrapping the whole system,
drop the gates and let anyone in who wants to walk across, am I reading
the 2 of you right? Scrap the whole freaking country, it's laws and just
let everyone do as they please because the white man took the land from
the native americans and the only way to rectify those wrongs is to
scrap it all?

Lulu,
ya want racism? Check this discussion I've been taking part in for the
past month.....

http://boards.msn.com/MSNBCboards/thread.aspx?threadid=256431&boardsparam=Page%3D1

Not sure what page I came in on but it was fairly early. You'll find my
posts under the nick Phawlkun (Falcon was taken on MSN) and you'll get a
pretty good idea of my views on racism. After you've read it maybe
you'll think a bit more before you start the name calling.

#1 this has NOTHING to do with race but with citizenship and I take
exceptional offense to being called a racist. Something I think the
black, asian AND latino ladies I've dated and been involved with over
the years would think hilarious.
#2 How do they take money out of citizens hands? Let's see,
nontaxpaying, overloading the medical and other support systems put in
place to help CITIZENS. Especially the medical system which when someone
doesn't pay it backs up on those who do in higher insurance premiums.
Overtaxing school systems with overcrowded classrooms so that YOUR kids
can't get a decent education because the school can't afford enough
teachers to keep a decent teacher/student ratio..... shall I go on?
Sure there are dirtbag citizens and there are shining examples of
illegals who I'd love to see become citizens but that's not the issue or
the point here.
They're coming here illegally and it's destroying our infrastructure. If
you're so allfired happy to have the burglers come in and take over then
give us your addy and I'm sure you'll get a house full of guests. Let em
eat all your food and not buy groceries, and as in the article, put em
on your insurance so they have health care.

Not saying that was right at all HC and there's no repairs to be made
for that. But you're evading the question of the here and now.

hmmm never "gotten high" in my life so dunno who you're talking to
there.
English is the PREDOMINANT language of the US, haven't bothered to check
and see if Congress ever got around to making it the "official" lang.
but I know there was talk of it several years ago. Beyond that it's not
a question of their language skills but the fact that they ARE
criminals, they HAVE broken the law and I don't give a flyin fig what
language they speak, they don't have the rights of citizens and
certainly don't have the right to demand them!
Again I'll ask the question I posed before, are you saying your
citizenship is meaningless?