First of all, I wish to thank everyone for answering my questions...it wasn't surprising to see the answers, and to be honest, I have seen all of you being compassionate in various ways...

I will add my view on compassion, by first saying that all of you are correct.  It's reaching out and just giving to others.  It's looking with an open heart at the homeless man on the street and not just giving him a few bucks, but talking to him for a few minutes.  It's witnessing the teenage girl being mericilessly teased by other girls, and remembering what it felt like to be in her shoes, and reaching out to give her a hug, and tell her that she is beautiful, and there's nothing wrong with her.  It's not just giving something to others, but giving love to others by handing them a tissue when needed, or becoming their cheerleader, or even just there and talking to them.  There you go, that is what compassion is to me.   I cannot tell you off hand of times or things that I do to show compassion because, I am not sure if I do sometimes. 

Moving on for the moment, I have good news and odd news.

First of all, I am finally able to get online whenever I want or need to, thanks to my brothers.  You see, when the one brother originally went to Las Vegas, he sold his computer to the younger brother, who in turn gave me one of his since he was now in possession of three computers.  The computer was slow and in need of a video card, and when the other brother came home, he went online and priced one and ordered it for me, it is now installed, and I have my own computer again....can you say, NOVEL HERE I AM?!  I still use the library computers for the majority of my work, but I haven't been online in a couple of days....

Second of all, I started looking into apartments, and what I can afford, and I will be able to move in September.  I am excited.

However, I had a setback the other day.  I became paranoid about my brakes...they didn't feel good to me, and since I was planning to move, and I had three paydays in August, I thought I would go have them checked....my friends, I wept when I put out the cash for this, because I was right to be paranoid, the brakes on all four sides where either at the limit or they were getting close to it...I spent $815 for my paranoia, but I am good with it at the moment, because that means that I will have a safe drive to work....a bit of a setback, because I wasn't expecting to pay so much, but I will be alright.  They paid off yesterday in the morning, when I was driving in to work and a deer came out of no where to scare the stinker out of me....lol

Next, is that I am ready for my sister's wedding, except I need to buy panty hose and get my nail color changed to match my rose and brown trim dress (Yes, I am taking pics, and I can download them now...you'll see my hair too).  I went to get my sister's wedding gift, and was happy for the excuse to use my Hallmark Gold Crown Card....and I bought new stationary for myself, and I am planning to use it this weekend, along with reading Diana Gabaldon's Fiery Cross, between manicures and weddings...lol

Another great thing is that next weekend, my nephew will be spending the week with us while my sister goes on her honeymoon to the Carribbean....dang, I wish my new b-i-l had a brother!!!  LOL

I also discovered that hemp lotion works wonders on dry skin, and that OPI makes a product called NAIL ENVY that strengthens nails!  I am in heaven.

I have also been doing my beauty routine religiously this week and I am happy to say that the problems areas are no longer problems...I have calm skin for the first time in a while....I am going to continue to use this system.

Oh, and I gained 5 pounds somewhere along the way!  This is a good thing because I need the weight.  I believe I have found my backside again, my dear friends!!!

Next week is going to be a bit hectic in my mother's home because my younger sister will be packing to move to Illinois for school.  She will get her Ph.D in English there, and she has a great job with them as an administrator in the tutor's office...she hasn't even started her first day of work, and they emailed her to tell her that they were increasing her pay by $40 a month....my friends, my sister will get a free education out of this, a paycheck on top of it, and the only thing she will have to worry about is paying rent in an apartment....amazing!!

I spent the day in the new park...it was so nice, and I must have walked over two miles there, listening to babbling brooks and the breeze through the trees.  It was a nice ending to a very hard week of learning compassion and working in an environment that I can't stand....I am back to pressing again until the other girl comes back in two weeks-say goodbye to all the hard work I am putting in on myself-she is getting her GED so that she can go to school for nursing so that she can support her 4 children better than where she is now, so it's not a bad thing, just working with the other two that is a pain.

Well, my friends, one more day and this week will officially be over for me....have a great evening!!

~Raven