All right - let's continue, then.....

Ian, what you say makes sense but what your mom is saying makes sense as well. Both are what we should do.

What? There is room for more than one opinion? More than one person might have a valid point? Heresy, say I. Lunacy. Blasphemy.

For the record, I know Haitimom pretty well, and I do know that she loves people enough to not stand idly by and watch them implode without getting involved in one way or another, for better or for worse, and she does have a point about not washing your hands of people when they don't do what you want 'em to. What we do after we've opened ourselves up to help 'em out (and met with refusal) is still a subject for debate.

The fact that she knows that she is judgmental and knows that she will always is being real. I mean, think about it? Are you not judging her right now?

Hah - there's two points here.

One: is it not impossible to call somebody else judgemental without being a teeny bit judgmental yourself? Hello, pot? This is Kettle - you're BLACK!

I know I'm still very judgemental at times (which is probably most of the time.) There's reason we can generally spot things that other people are doing - it's because we do it ourselves. I think we are generally very sensitive to things in others that we dislike about ourselves. That's an unpleasant truth, but oftentimes a very, very accurate one.

Two: For as much as she is being real, I salute her for it. Only be being real can we experience true relationships with others at a heart level. I wasn't ever real with anybody until I was around 33 or so.

If Ian wants to forgive, he can

There's nothing to forgive, Haitimom. Giving your opinion isn't a bad thing. If you want to hurt my feelings you're going to have to try a LOT harder - absolutely no hard feelings here at all, so don't worry about that.

OK Ian, it is obvious, I cannot deal with your blogs in a sane manner, so for a while I think I just better read something else.

Oh, balls.

Yes, you can. You've dealt with profoundly tougher shit than this, so don't sell yourself and the rest of us short like that. And don't leave now. This is just getting interesting :-) For the record, you are always welcome to post anything you like here, which leads me to my next point.

....when you have people who love you enough to say the things that you could need to hear, even when they know it could make you mad at them, that's a beautiful thing.

A-Men. And I do love the fact that Haitimom does just that, and always has. I am lucky and blessed to have such a great Mom as her.

....shouldn't you thank her for loving you enough to share?

I should, so thank you, Mom. I appreciate what you had to say - I really did, and I took it in the spirit it was given. I didn't agree with all of it, but I don't think anybody questions that your heart was in the right place.

There are also verses about being easily offended.

WHAT? LIAR!!!!! THAT'S NOT IN THE BIBLE!!! *I* WOULD KNOW!!!!! WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE!?!?!??!??!

(just kidding)

686

Off to Babylon......