Belief in a God

From: http://www.tenthousandquestions.com/

A higher power:

Are you a religious person? Do you currently believe in God, some other god(s), or any deity or supernatural being?

I'm not a religious person in terms of going to church or anything, but I pray daily and believe in God and life after death. I was raised Christian (but not really strictly so) so a lot of my beliefs are influenced by Christianity. I pray to both God and Jesus, even though I think it was very possible Jesus was "just" human. I believe there is an all-powerful force of love in the universe that sometimes is called "God" and because of how broad this power is it can manifest as a personal god/respond and interact spiritually with humans and other beings. I think there is a bit of God in everyone and everything -- everything has a divine spark. I believe there are other beings than beings on this planet or this plane of existence, in addition to a monotheistic-type God. Some may call some of these spirits gods or angels or by some other name. I don't think that the human interpretations of God are very accurate because our minds are so limited, but I believe we can feel a divine power and that we can be understood and loved by this divine power.

I do think we also have free will and that accounts for a lot of pain in the world. I don't think God always answers to our beck and call. I believe no spirit/soul ever truly dies and I believe everyone can be forgiven and loved. Bad experiences in my life have not led me to doubt this. Considering how much other people suffer, often beyond my comprehension, I think it would be ridiculous to believe or not believe in a loving God(s) just because I have had some problems in my life. I just feel God is with me, even when I feel terrible, so it's instinctive for me to have these beliefs. Although I am monotheistic/almost pantheistic, I respect beliefs in other gods (though to me I see them all as sides of one impossible to comprehend higher source of love); I believe archetypes are very powerful and our religious beliefs can be tied to archetypes and which archetypes ring true for each of us as individuals. I believe everyone's spiritual/religious beliefs are best for them and have no desire to convert anyone to my beliefs, though I wish more people would be open to other beliefs and the fact that they don't know everything about the world. I've had ecstatic experiences due to my religious beliefs and God feels very real to me. I feel I do need more faith, though, that things will turn out okay.

Family Ties

From: http://www.tenthousandquestions.com/

Standing between two trees

Which side of the family do you feel more connected to — your father's family, or your mother's family?

What is the most obvious difference between the two sides of your extended family? What are the best strengths of each? In what way do you (and your brothers and sisters) embody the combination of these two family lineages?

I feel about equally connected to both sides of my family. My mother's family has a lot of eccentric people (some who were probably autistic) and a lot of introverts. Some, like my mother's mother, were extroverts, though. Some were interested in the occult (more my mother's father's side) and some were very religious Lutherans (more my mother's mother's side). My mother's coat of arms has a unicorn on a pale blue background with the hand of God reaching out of a cloud. I identify more with this coat of arms.

My father's side is filled with charming extroverts, drunks, drug addicts, some bad cops, and some actors. A lot of them are bipolar or otherwise mentally ill and I relate to them in that way. My father's coat of arms is red and yellow with a lion and I think a sword. It matches the family well, but less me. Though I guess I can be lion-like when I get prideful or vicious.

I look like a cross between both sides of my family, but I'm the shortest/smallest of them all for several generations at least.

My Eyesight Is Okay!

I must be putting the wrong contacts in the wrong eyes or something. I tried putting them in the opposite eye a little while ago and didn't notice a difference, but I might have messed up and put them back in the same eyes. I will try switching them again tomorrow. I just took them out and tried my glasses and I see just fine! This is a big relief. I can easily put off seeing the eye doctor for awhile still and hopefully won't need a prescription change and can just order more contacts. One less immediate financial burden to worry about. And my sensitive tooth hasn't been bothering me, so hopefully I can hold off on the dentist, too.

5 Gratitudes +2

1. Spending some time with Michael and watching the end of a story arc of Tsubasa before Michael went home.
2. Finished reading Goddess of the Rose by P.C. Cast
3. Feeling happy
4. Finding out I just messed up putting my contacts in and my eyesight isn't worse when I wear my glasses
5. Nice Facebook comments on my pictures
6. My mother buying me garbage bags and wet cat food
7. Watching more of Jim Henson's "The Storyteller"