The Tuesday From Heck--Or--When Her Blog Got Taken Away

" ... so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it."   --- Isaiah 55:11

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Tuesday morning I came downstairs, blood drained from my face, and told Tom, "They've finally done it."

"Done what?" he asked.

"They've taken my blog from me. After 17 years."

Oh dear. I'd thought before, living in Today's cancel culture, I was prepared for an email like this--I'd even warned you it might come! But no. The shock felt enormous.

Hello, As you may know, our Community Guidelines ... describe the boundaries for what we allow-- and don't allow-- on Blogger. Your blog ... was flagged to us for review. We have determined that it violates our guidelines and have made the URL unavailable to blog readers. Why was your blog removed? Your content has violated our PHISHING policy. Please visit our Community Guidelines page linked in this email to learn more. If we feel that a blog's content does not fit within the expectations of our Policy, we no longer allow it to be publicly available...

Wow. Not only was it no longer publicly available, not even I could read the posts. Me! 

Gone, without warning, even. Seventeen years of my life--phhht! But no, I reminded myself. God had spoken through me via that blog (I can't even write without Him) and His words never return void. Always they accomplish something good in others' lives.

Well, I clicked their "I disagree button" and was told to wait 2 days for a  final verdict. Also, I replied to the original email and er, uhm, some begging may or may not have happened. ツ

I whined over at Facebook (and appreciated dear friends' rallying to help).

Then, never the quitter regarding what God tells me to do, I opened up my original, ghost-town-like 2004 blog and rewrote the post I'd written that morning.

Meanwhile...

Tom was due back at work, first time in 1 1/2 years(!), just for 2 days only, but needed to make a business call, first. The call got cancelled, so he was anxious to drive to his job. 

Yet first, he needed to text Naomi to drop by earlier. She was leaving on a camping trip and wanted to hug us good-bye. 

Oh, and a huge truck (and other equipment) was blocking Tom's way out of the driveway. Our neighbors were having a new blacktop driveway poured. 

Also, the new lawn guys were due any time. And the air outside smelled chokingly bad. (Ever sniffed steaming, fluid blacktop?)

Eventually Naomi arrived. And just one minute before Tom left, the huge truck drove away. Moments later, Naomi left for her trip (making me a bit sad. Who likes good-bye's?)

Again alone, I crawled upstairs to my computer, and discovered my blog was restored! They'd looked it over. Hoped I understood. (Yeah, riiiight. I understand. Too well, especially after spying 'Report' buttons on all new blog templates, making tattling easy-peasy.)

Then I saw that our dear old hometown where I graduated high school and Tom and I met (and Naomi was born) was under mandatory orders to evacuate because of the huge approaching Dixie Fire.

Oh, and then a friend of many decades unfriended me at Facebook. She's horrified at what I post and the way I've become an awful person (listed my sins, even).

Wow. 

A morning of not only tests, but well, customized attacks from satan. (You may disagree. That's ok.) Have I ever had a morning like that before? Maybe, but years ago.

Let's just say I'm still in recovery.

The fire situation? It's ongoing. In fact, a nearby town to our old CA one, last night, lost nearly it's entire downtown of buildings over 100 years old and dozens of homes (before and after photos, here. Scroll down.). This is the only day in 12 years that I've felt thankful my dear teacher friend, Loana Gakle, is gone. Her heart would've broken: she adored Greenville and Greenville adored her.

But oh, the Holy Spirit! With awesome wisdom he reminds me, again, to rest, recover, not just my body, but my mind and heart. To remember the loveliest days of my past, His goodness to me, and to let Him restore my soul-- 

--while simultaneously recalling this present world is so very temporary. To never place all my affection here upon anything, but upon the God who never, ever leaves me.

And never will.

                   A favorite view from Chester, CA. We still have relatives and friends there. Please help me pray for all CA areas currently burning, ok?

"And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”  --- Matthew 28:20

And yes, I should back-up my blog via a flash drive or something. I'm looking into it.  ツ

Film of the devastation of the Greenville fire is here. We used to visit a junk shop inside of a woman's home located at the entrance of town. I still own an old piece of framed sheet music I bought there probably 35 years ago.

Oh, and once when I drove to the Greenville Library, a bear crossed the road in front of me! Quite a ways in front, but still. First and last time I watched a bear cross a road.

The Greenville, CA library.

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Here's some good news:

Open Library has a few Gladys Taber books available! I'm not sure I knew that before (or told you). So here you go. (If it's necessary to look up her name, use this one: 'Gladys Bagg Taber' for better results.)

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Please remember: My posts are always about more than they appear to be. 

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 "For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." ... Matthew 6:14,15