THE WINNERS

[aletalete]

HAD A DREAM LAST NIGHT (1/8/16) WHERE THE ONLY THING I REMEMBERED WAS THAT SOMEONE IN BALTIMORE WON THE LOTTERY?  I QUESTION THIS STATEMENT ONLY BECAUSE I FELT THAT THIS PERSON WAS NOT THE ONLY WINNER, BUT THAT IS NOT HOW THE DREAM APPEARED.

GOOD LUCK BALTIMORE!

[Nanny]

Cool beans! Do you have any ties with Baltimore, any subconscious or conscious, or is your confidence level pretty high that this is one of your dreams that comes true?

I had to ask, oink oink for selfish reasons. One of our daughters lives in Annapolis area quite close to Baltimore city limits. But, they have a toddler and it's very close to his bedtime, heh heh oh don't I wish.

[aletalete]

I live in Maryland, about 30 miles north of Baltimore city, near Pennsylvania line. When I think of Baltimore, I only personally think of the city itself.

I have had several dreams that have come true exactly; but not since being a member of NDC. I posted a dream on the calendar in my office and told everyone about it a few weeks beforehand. This was the only time I felt confident, but was still surprised when it happened.

For your daughter's sake, I hope that my dream if it comes true is not specific to Baltimore city.
.

[Nanny]

The numbers that won were great. I think there oughta be 7 winning tickets. I personally love 13, very lucky number for me, 19, and 57, oh and 36 is one of my lotto favs. In fact, my favorite set of numbers from 1987 and still, are 5,12, 19, 21, 36 and 42. Dunno which one I'd make the powerball or last number for the Mega Millions. I voted for lottery in California and it passed, and that was my favorite, chosen numbers.

Wow, I want to read some more of your dreams if they are here, and/or if you ever share some of the ones with us that came true. NO! not if they are personal or classified for any reason. Total respect and zero pressure.

Be true to yourself, always and never doubt your own inner-leadings.

---

AAACK! LOL NOBODY WON!! Those common numbers, I am shooocked! Estimated jackpot coming is 1.3 Bbbillion. LOL watch it go to 1.5 Billion! Probably congress will be buying tickets with tax money, they're so money hungry, LOL I mean the whole legislative branch, ha.

Yo, Eagle1 Sir! Please tell me what I think I already know....it's way against your ethics for us to do a Lotto experiment?! Go ahead and tell me I'm really a bad girl, but I want to very badly! Us, all of us here oughta be able to come up with at least 5 of the 6. I already have 5 sets that I'm gonna post here for any or everyone that wants to play them.

**editing this in....yes I do seriously think that the reason more folks don't win a lotto is because The Spirit that gifts intuition and things kin to it, does not gift us for selfish, personal gain. I had to post this as soon as I hit send on my post. But, for fun....heck, we get other things here, our hunches get hits, their dreams get hits, etc.

This is fun stuff. Your Grand experiment is fun. I am stressed lately, yesterday was a bear, and I don't unwind by knitting, TV or a jacuzzi (not anymore but used to) I don't do crossword puzzles, and have never played a game on my computer in the 18 or so years have had it. Used to I debated at political forums and chatrooms but now?
I unwind with the puzzles of your dreambot runs and pondering your gifted dreamers' offerings.

But, I confess it. When I was doing the dreambot thing here, in that little what, two week window I chose five sets of lottery numbers, not working for them but rattling them off as fast as I could. I wasn't officially P2 and didn't read the code of not doing it for gain, till later anyway.

Okay, even if you don't want to do that here officially, I want to just ask members here if they want to go for numbers for this thing. Is that okay? (No offense or disrespect if your answer is no. If it is, I won't post my numbers, etc and total respect. Some of us could just PM our numbers. If anyone's interested, I'll be glad to share, just in case they ever win.)

Aletalete, do you ever play the thing?

[NH watcher]

Lotteries, meant chiefly for entertainment and diversion, are also most sinister creations of man. I remember fondly watching the movie "Bruce Almighty," where Jim Carrey laments all the prayers that he is burdened with once he is given the powers of God. He quickly develops a system to organize them on his computer, and starts to read the first couple ... growing so completely bored by everyone's pleas and desires, he simply answers "Yes" to all the prayers, turns off the computer, and goes to bed. The next day, the world around him is in chaos.

And those whose lottery prayers he answered, all won, but since all won, millions upon millions, the multi-million dollar prize was reduced to only a $1 or so for each winner.

Or so too the movie "Bedazzled" with Brendan Fraser and Elizabeth Hurley, where the Devil (Hurley) gives Fraser a series of wishes, after he signs his soul away to her. Fraser asks to be the most powerful, the most wealthy man on earth, and Hurley makes me a drug kingpin in Colombia, who shortly after getting the identity, is hunted down by the military and arrested. Fraser is confounded ... why would she do such a thing? Hurley very appropriately and calmly says, "all you told me was to be the most powerful, most wealthy man on earth ...," "you never specified that your power and wealth be legal."

No wonder Jesus told His disciples, "What does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and lose his very soul?"

[Cassandra]

Nanny - I dreamed about the number 31 last night. Until I read your post I thought of the # as a date.

[Nanny]

Julie, that's cool. Did you like the context the number was dreamed within? (If you don't wish to describe the dream, I respect that. Wondering if the number was in it in a negative or postitive way.)

NHWatcher, What is evil is if anyone let's something of the world be their god.
Also, if something is a stumbling block to those in our orbit, we are then to abstain from it.

Luke 12:15 - And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.

1 Corinthians 6:12 - All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.

I can drink alcoholic beverage and not sin, but am married to an alcoholic, therefore I haven't had an adult beverage in over 25yrs.

I also haven't bought a lottery ticket since around 1997. But, I sure have suggested sets of numbers for a daughter that plays the thing. Would be thrilled if she won it.

[NH watcher]

Nanny, I do not for a moment like the notion of using the resources and gifts of this forum for worldly gain. Seeing lottery numbers and going back-and-forth with others about them, seem more appropriate for PMs, or as you mention, for you to disclose among your own family. If someone in your family wins because of it, so be it.

Let's not turn this thread to throwing Bible verses out to each other. Scripture can be used to justify most any behavior, as well as to prohibit many behaviors. Dare we read the account of the Witch of Endor, being used in the Bible to summon Samuel's spirit ... for what?

Fine, if those here view the lottery for what it is, diversion and entertainment, all well and good. To believe for a moment that God's purposes (or any spiritual gain) comes from lottery winnings alone, is a slippery slope. I've been rich and now I am poor, and must be grateful for it. May some time come on this Earth when I am rich again, maybe, but I am not about to push God to make it happen. Our prayers matter most, in changing us, not God.

There is certainly a disconnect as to whom the lottery caters to ... those who oftentimes would gain more benefit from donating their $5, $10, or $20 to a food kitchen, homeless person, or some other charity more visually tangible. The rich, more than not, do not play the lottery; they already accept that the statistical odds are not in their favor; they would rather make their thousands, millions, or billions in a more traditional or old-fashioned way.

The morning after the next Powerball drawing, someone or someones may indeed win; thus, changing their lives. The sad stories of those who borrowed money on their credit cards to purchase dozens of tickets, and not a one winning, will be quickly forgotten by society, and too, will the courts dismiss any lawsuits directed towards the lottery commissions, from anyone who is now further in debt, after having chased a dream.

I am not condemning anyone here for having fun. I am simply asking us to be respectful of what this forum continually seeks, and what the spiritual world grants (by grace) for those who come here. Ask God for lottery numbers; I'd rather ask Him to resurrect my mother from the grave ... that is least already a promise in Scripture.

[Cassandra]

Nanny - I don't remember anything other than the # 31. So I was thinking about a recent vision I had where I saw Moscow. And maybe something happening on the 31st of Jan. So I will mark my calendar to check the news on the 31st.

[aletalete]

The numbers that won were great. I think there oughta be 7 winning tickets. I personally love 13, very lucky number for me, 19, and 57, oh and 36 is one of my lotto favs. In fact, my favorite set of numbers from 1987 and still, are 5,12, 19, 21, 36 and 42. Dunno which one I'd make the powerball or last number for the Mega Millions. I voted for lottery in California and it passed, and that was my favorite, chosen numbers.

Wow, I want to read some more of your dreams if they are here, and/or if you ever share some of the ones with us that came true. NO! not if they are personal or classified for any reason. Total respect and zero pressure.

Be true to yourself, always and never doubt your own inner-leadings.

---

AAACK! LOL NOBODY WON!! Those common numbers, I am shooocked! Estimated jackpot coming is 1.3 Bbbillion. LOL watch it go to 1.5 Billion! Probably congress will be buying tickets with tax money, they're so money hungry, LOL I mean the whole legislative branch, ha.

Yo, Eagle1 Sir! Please tell me what I think I already know....it's way against your ethics for us to do a Lotto experiment?! Go ahead and tell me I'm really a bad girl, but I want to very badly! Us, all of us here oughta be able to come up with at least 5 of the 6. I already have 5 sets that I'm gonna post here for any or everyone that wants to play them.

**editing this in....yes I do seriously think that the reason more folks don't win a lotto is because The Spirit that gifts intuition and things kin to it, does not gift us for selfish, personal gain. I had to post this as soon as I hit send on my post. But, for fun....heck, we get other things here, our hunches get hits, their dreams get hits, etc.

This is fun stuff. Your Grand experiment is fun. I am stressed lately, yesterday was a bear, and I don't unwind by knitting, TV or a jacuzzi (not anymore but used to) I don't do crossword puzzles, and have never played a game on my computer in the 18 or so years have had it. Used to I debated at political forums and chatrooms but now?
I unwind with the puzzles of your dreambot runs and pondering your gifted dreamers' offerings.

But, I confess it. When I was doing the dreambot thing here, in that little what, two week window I chose five sets of lottery numbers, not working for them but rattling them off as fast as I could. I wasn't officially P2 and didn't read the code of not doing it for gain, till later anyway.

Okay, even if you don't want to do that here officially, I want to just ask members here if they want to go for numbers for this thing. Is that okay? (No offense or disrespect if your answer is no. If it is, I won't post my numbers, etc and total respect. Some of us could just PM our numbers. If anyone's interested, I'll be glad to share, just in case they ever win.)

Aletalete, do you ever play the thing?

NO, I DO NOT TYPICALLY PLAY THE LOTTERY (ONLY ONCE OR TWICE IN MY LIFE). I PERSONALLY LIKE THE SLOTS AND SCRATCH OFFS.

---

Nanny, I do not for a moment like the notion of using the resources and gifts of this forum for worldly gain.  Seeing lottery numbers and going back-and-forth with others about them, seem more appropriate for PMs, or as you mention, for you to disclose among your own family.  If someone in your family wins because of it, so be it.

Let's not turn this thread to throwing Bible verses out to each other.  Scripture can be used to justify most any behavior, as well as to prohibit many behaviors.  Dare we read the account of the Witch of Endor, being used in the Bible to summon Samuel's spirit ... for what?

Fine, if those here view the lottery for what it is, diversion and entertainment, all well and good.  To believe for a moment that God's purposes (or any spiritual gain) comes from lottery winnings alone, is a slippery slope.  I've been rich and now I am poor, and must be grateful for it.  May some time come on this Earth when I am rich again, maybe, but I am not about to push God to make it happen.  Our prayers matter most, in changing us, not God.

There is certainly a disconnect as to whom the lottery caters to ... those who oftentimes would gain more benefit from donating their $5, $10, or $20 to a food kitchen, homeless person, or some other charity more visually tangible.  The rich, more than not, do not play the lottery; they already accept that the statistical odds are not in their favor; they would rather make their thousands, millions, or billions in a more traditional or old-fashioned way.

The morning after the next Powerball drawing, someone or someones may indeed win; thus, changing their lives.  The sad stories of those who borrowed money on their credit cards to purchase dozens of tickets, and not a one winning, will be quickly forgotten by society, and too, will the courts dismiss any lawsuits directed towards the lottery commissions, from anyone who is now further in debt, after having chased a dream.

I am not condemning anyone here for having fun.  I am simply asking us to be respectful of what this forum continually seeks, and what the spiritual world grants (by grace) for those who come here.  Ask God for lottery numbers; I'd rather ask Him to resurrect my mother from the grave ... that is least already a promise in Scripture.

OMG, CAN WE PLEASE ALL LIGHTEN UP A LITTLE BIT ON THIS SITE. SOME OF RECENT CONVERSATIONS I HAVE SEEN ARE BECOMING VERY UNCOMFORTABLE TO READ. LETS JUST ENJOY OUR DREAMS AND MOVE FORWARD.

THANKS.

[NH watcher]

True, Aletalete, you were only posting a simple dream, but the concept behind this forum is that anything and everything can be brought up stemming from even a simple dream. As long as we respect one another, and I certainly respect both you and Nanny and Julie and anyone else who has visited or commented on this thread.

But, Nanny raised the stakes a bit in her comments, so I had to disagree. If a moderator tells me that my words were too strong or harsh, so be it, and I will learn from that. But, when you are on a public forum, you have to be willing to be exposed; otherwise, keep your dreams private!

For me, I have had very personal and negative experiences with the lottery within my own family, as far as mega prizes. Maybe I should have disclosed that first; if I should have, I apologize. But when you are discussing the collective energies and "powers" of those on this forum, in tapping into the dream world, the beyond, and the supernatural, and then discussing how best to use those energies, I take that VERY seriously indeed.

As I said, in my own life, I have been rich, and now poor. (I was not the one directly affected by the lottery, but another in my family.) My riches were made the more traditional way, and then lost and/or given away. Do I regret my choices? Sometimes, I do. But the worst part of the word "lottery" to me is an unrealistic notion that by winning, all your problems will be solved. I've had money, lots of it in my life, and I can tell you, the same problems remain, and new ones crop up.

I'm all for going back to the original posting of your dream, to simply try and identify who may win the upcoming Powerball ... but not to use this forum to try and win it ourselves!

[Nanny]

Aletalete, we darn sure can take our conversation elsewhere. Thank you letting us know you don't like it. This is *your thread, primarily.

PS Edited, NHWatcher, not ignoring you so if you want to head to "Miscellaneous" for example, and continue our sincere sharing, I'm in!

[IslandHippyMama]

Just throwing my 2 cents in for good measure (lol)..

I once was able to dream who the Super Bowl winner would be, but in backwards. Meaning, whoever won the Super Bowl in my dreams were actually the losers. I would have to know who was actually going to the bowl and then I would dream about it sometime before the game. It took a couple of years before I "got" the switch-a-roo thing in the dream, so every year, I bet on the wrong team. On the third year, everyone wanted the Bengals to win. EVERYONE. But my dream showed me that they won in the dream, which meant they were actually the losers. I tried telling everyone, but they all bet on the Bengals. Instinct told me to not bet that year, so I didn't... When the Bengals lost, I caught so much flack for it. I supposedly "jinxed" the Bengals and worse. Friends really gave me a lot of crap about it, mainly because they had bet so much money on the game, and needed someone to blame for losing it... It hurt very deeply at the time... Then the next year, these very same friends came to me to ask if I knew who was going to win? Ugh.. I was so disgusted with them! But as it turned out, there were no more dreams of the Super Bowl for me. I think the whole thing hurt and disgusted me so badly, that I lost that particular ability to predict the winners.. Many years later, while living in Las Vegas, I started predicting when the Megabucks machines would go off and where, but I never knew the specific dates or time, but knew it would be within a few days. I never tried playing the machines, mainly because of my turn-off from the Super Bowl episode. And I had friends pushing for more details (they wanted to win).

I know that money does not buy happiness or fix all problems. I've lived in both worlds too - rich grandparents who took me to the finer restaurants, plays, and operas, but Mom was either on welfare or married to a roughneck. However, in my present state (unemployed for over 5 months now and literally no income whatsoever), winning a lottery would be nice... When it was at $500 million last weekend, I picked numbers, but didn't actually purchase any tickets. Four of my numbers were picked. I wouldn't have won, but it was cool knowing a bunch of my numbers were selected.

If I did play and won, I have so many things I would do with this money, that wouldn't just benefit me, but a whole lot of people - not just friends and family. I would first and foremost, take care of all of my family and a few of my closest friends. Then a bunch would get donated to homeless shelters and programs.

Getting real here...2015 was the worst year for me and aside from losing my income, apartment, and having to sell off most of my belongings, I am in the technical sense "homeless". I stayed with one daughter in Hawaii temporarily and another where I am at now. Though I am and have stayed with family, I was told each time, that I am not "living here; just temporarily staying or visiting". I am currently on a time limit to get employed or seek "other options" elsewhere. My time limit has since passed, but I do have job interviews coming up, so I guess I've been given extra time. I have, however, actually looked into going to homeless shelters because I have nowhere else to go. Unfortunately, most or all are packed full and have waiting lists to get in.

This whole episode has been extremely difficult and honestly, hurtful. Because I have been treated and thought of more as a out of work bum, than like family. Not as their mother. I have never treated my kids this way, even in their adult life, and they always knew that they could always come "home" whenever they needed to. I guess I assumed they felt the same about me. The stress has been unreal and I think because of it, it has caused a great deal of dream interruptions. I've had a few dreams, but nothing like I'm used to doing.

Anyways, going through all of this has made me realize a lot about something... Unless I am literally on the streets homeless, physically being abused (DV situations), on drugs/alcohol and seeking treatment, or mentally disabled, there are NO housing options for single women and men, who are in between jobs or not getting paid enough yet to rent their own home, or are a little older, but not old enough to live in retirement communities. Most of the living quarters at the YMCA and YWCA's have closed, but they were really expensive anyways. I stayed at a YWCA once and for a daily/weekly/monthly price, we got either our own room or a shared room with shared baths, 2 meals a day (breakfast and dinner), a phone in the room (local calls only), there was a social room, TV room, a computer room, and regular activities, and a garden area. And they held self-improvement classes for anyone interested. There were elderly and other women who lived there just for the feeling of community, but didn't want to live in a nursing home or their own apartments. It was women only and at 10pm, the main doors locked. You could get in with a code, but it essentially locked down at night. Visitors had to check into a waiting area and were not allowed into most areas of the facility. Only the garden and social room. So it gave the women staying there a great sense of security and privacy. Aside from the cost of staying there (over $500 a week), I thought it was a brilliant idea. It's just a shame that most of them have closed down now.

I have since realized that I fall into this weird, funky, not discussed, bracket of people who need some kind of transitional housing, because they don't have friends and family that can help them in anyway. If I was to win the Powerball, I want to create some kind of non-profit long/short term housing situation for folks like myself. Not sure if it would be communal like the Y, but I think it would be similar. There would be some kind of subsidy going on to pay for their rooms - whether it be unemployment, welfare, social security, pensions, or donations? But no one would be turned away due to lack of income - they would just have to work on getting some kind of income after getting there. Or trade skills for work around the facility (construction/handy man, office, cooking, etc). And they can't fall under those brackets where they can get housing and assistance from other groups (DV shelters, halfway homes, etc), but if they did, they could stay long enough until an opening came up in those types of facilities. It would be mostly segregated into womens or mens communities, but there could be coed, too. I could buy old apartment buildings and motels to do this. Add a cafeteria or turn a connected restaurant into one. Or buy large homes. I don't know.. It's something I've thought a lot about and the only way to get it going is to win a Powerball like this one.

So while most people would quit their jobs and live like they were always rich, until the money disappears, I would actually have a bigger plan for the money and do something for good..

[Cassandra]

IHM - I understand what you said about being in this weird bracket of people. One of the things I would do if winning money is develop a community. One of the communities we had after the civil war that worked well were the "Shaker" communities. I would develop it along those guidelines.

[aletalete]

Just throwing my 2 cents in for good measure (lol)..

I once was able to dream who the Super Bowl winner would be, but in backwards. Meaning, whoever won the Super Bowl in my dreams were actually the losers. I would have to know who was actually going to the bowl and then I would dream about it sometime before the game. It took a couple of years before I "got" the switch-a-roo thing in the dream, so every year, I bet on the wrong team. On the third year, everyone wanted the Bengals to win. EVERYONE. But my dream showed me that they won in the dream, which meant they were actually the losers. I tried telling everyone, but they all bet on the Bengals. Instinct told me to not bet that year, so I didn't... When the Bengals lost, I caught so much flack for it. I supposedly "jinxed" the Bengals and worse. Friends really gave me a lot of crap about it, mainly because they had bet so much money on the game, and needed someone to blame for losing it... It hurt very deeply at the time... Then the next year, these very same friends came to me to ask if I knew who was going to win? Ugh.. I was so disgusted with them! But as it turned out, there were no more dreams of the Super Bowl for me. I think the whole thing hurt and disgusted me so badly, that I lost that particular ability to predict the winners.. Many years later, while living in Las Vegas, I started predicting when the Megabucks machines would go off and where, but I never knew the specific dates or time, but knew it would be within a few days. I never tried playing the machines, mainly because of my turn-off from the Super Bowl episode. And I had friends pushing for more details (they wanted to win).

I know that money does not buy happiness or fix all problems. I've lived in both worlds too - rich grandparents who took me to the finer restaurants, plays, and operas, but Mom was either on welfare or married to a roughneck. However, in my present state (unemployed for over 5 months now and literally no income whatsoever), winning a lottery would be nice... When it was at $500 million last weekend, I picked numbers, but didn't actually purchase any tickets. Four of my numbers were picked. I wouldn't have won, but it was cool knowing a bunch of my numbers were selected.

If I did play and won, I have so many things I would do with this money, that wouldn't just benefit me, but a whole lot of people - not just friends and family. I would first and foremost, take care of all of my family and a few of my closest friends. Then a bunch would get donated to homeless shelters and programs.

Getting real here...2015 was the worst year for me and aside from losing my income, apartment, and having to sell off most of my belongings, I am in the technical sense "homeless". I stayed with one daughter in Hawaii temporarily and another where I am at now. Though I am and have stayed with family, I was told each time, that I am not "living here; just temporarily staying or visiting". I am currently on a time limit to get employed or seek "other options" elsewhere. My time limit has since passed, but I do have job interviews coming up, so I guess I've been given extra time. I have, however, actually looked into going to homeless shelters because I have nowhere else to go. Unfortunately, most or all are packed full and have waiting lists to get in.

This whole episode has been extremely difficult and honestly, hurtful. Because I have been treated and thought of more as a out of work bum, than like family. Not as their mother. I have never treated my kids this way, even in their adult life, and they always knew that they could always come "home" whenever they needed to. I guess I assumed they felt the same about me. The stress has been unreal and I think because of it, it has caused a great deal of dream interruptions. I've had a few dreams, but nothing like I'm used to doing.

Anyways, going through all of this has made me realize a lot about something... Unless I am literally on the streets homeless, physically being abused (DV situations), on drugs/alcohol and seeking treatment, or mentally disabled, there are NO housing options for single women and men, who are in between jobs or not getting paid enough yet to rent their own home, or are a little older, but not old enough to live in retirement communities. Most of the living quarters at the YMCA and YWCA's have closed, but they were really expensive anyways. I stayed at a YWCA once and for a daily/weekly/monthly price, we got either our own room or a shared room with shared baths, 2 meals a day (breakfast and dinner), a phone in the room (local calls only), there was a social room, TV room, a computer room, and regular activities, and a garden area. And they held self-improvement classes for anyone interested. There were elderly and other women who lived there just for the feeling of community, but didn't want to live in a nursing home or their own apartments. It was women only and at 10pm, the main doors locked. You could get in with a code, but it essentially locked down at night. Visitors had to check into a waiting area and were not allowed into most areas of the facility. Only the garden and social room. So it gave the women staying there a great sense of security and privacy. Aside from the cost of staying there (over $500 a week), I thought it was a brilliant idea. It's just a shame that most of them have closed down now.

I have since realized that I fall into this weird, funky, not discussed, bracket of people who need some kind of transitional housing, because they don't have friends and family that can help them in anyway. If I was to win the Powerball, I want to create some kind of non-profit long/short term housing situation for folks like myself. Not sure if it would be communal like the Y, but I think it would be similar. There would be some kind of subsidy going on to pay for their rooms - whether it be unemployment, welfare, social security, pensions, or donations? But no one would be turned away due to lack of income - they would just have to work on getting some kind of income after getting there. Or trade skills for work around the facility (construction/handy man, office, cooking, etc). And they can't fall under those brackets where they can get housing and assistance from other groups (DV shelters, halfway homes, etc), but if they did, they could stay long enough until an opening came up in those types of facilities. It would be mostly segregated into womens or mens communities, but there could be coed, too. I could buy old apartment buildings and motels to do this. Add a cafeteria or turn a connected restaurant into one. Or buy large homes. I don't know.. It's something I've thought a lot about and the only way to get it going is to win a Powerball like this one.

So while most people would quit their jobs and live like they were always rich, until the money disappears, I would actually have a bigger plan for the money and do something for good..

IT WARMS MY HEART TO HEAR THAT THERE ARE STILL REALLY GOOD, LOVING PEOPLE IN THIS WORLD. YOU ARE THE TYPE OF PERSON I HOPE WINS THE LOTTERY.

---

Aletalete, we darn sure can take our conversation elsewhere. Thank you letting us know you don't like it. This is *your thread, primarily.

PS Edited, NHWatcher, not ignoring you so if you want to head to "Miscellaneous" for example, and continue our sincere sharing, I'm in!  

I JUST WISH ANYONE THE BEST WHO ENJOYS THE LOTTERY.

[IslandHippyMama]

IHM - I understand what you said about being in this weird bracket of people. One of the things I would do if winning money is develop a community. One of the communities we had after the civil war that worked well were the "Shaker" communities. I would develop it along those guidelines.

Yes or even something like an Amish community. Very close nit people... I think my homes would be a little more on the temporary side, to help people into their own homes, but long term communities would be a part of the action, too. Or even taking a large warehouse and building tiny rooms into for people to crash in until they got on their feet... I see that huge, empty building in Detroit, and it kills me to know that no one is doing anything with it. It could be re-designed for people to live in. There is already restaurant facilities, a diner, shops, recreational facilities and more in it.. I mean, gosh! Why is it empty when there are so many people that could be living in it? Ugh!

Ever see Kevin Costner's "The Postman"? That one community he goes to with the wooden walls built around it was pretty cool. Very communal. I liked that a lot and that would be a really neat thing to do. But what I'm thinking of would be closer to towns and cities, where the jobs are. And public transportation, too.

I think my "hippy" side is showing a lot.. Lol

[aletalete]

IHM - I understand what you said about being in this weird bracket of people. One of the things I would do if winning money is develop a community. One of the communities we had after the civil war that worked well were the "Shaker" communities. I would develop it along those guidelines.

Yes or even something like an Amish community. Very close nit people... I think my homes would be a little more on the temporary side, to help people into their own homes, but long term communities would be a part of the action, too. Or even taking a large warehouse and building tiny rooms into for people to crash in until they got on their feet... I see that huge, empty building in Detroit, and it kills me to know that no one is doing anything with it. It could be re-designed for people to live in. There is already restaurant facilities, a diner, shops, recreational facilities and more in it.. I mean, gosh! Why is it empty when there are so many people that could be living in it? Ugh!

Ever see Kevin Costner's "The Postman"? That one community he goes to with the wooden walls built around it was pretty cool. Very communal. I liked that a lot and that would be a really neat thing to do. But what I'm thinking of would be closer to towns and cities, where the jobs are. And public transportation, too.

I think my "hippy" side is showing a lot.. Lol

LOL, you sound like a pretty "up" person with really good intentions. fyi: there is no pc (political correctness) with me, just stuff the way it used to be in the good old days.

[NH watcher]

What an interesting turn this thread is taking, and partly thanks to IslandHippyMama's story. It is one thing when the world ignores you; it is quite another when family ignores you. The only Person who I have concluded never ignores us is God. On the other hand, we often ignore God or dismiss Him (and for convenience sake, I use the male pronoun; I've never liked s/he). God granted us, upon our journey to Earth, abundant "free will," and if He were to take charge and step in all the time, in every moment of our lives, regardless of our opinion on the matter, there would be no "free will." And thus, we have to deal with others' "free wills," and their heartlessness or poor life decisions.

My family's lottery story does not involve actual winnings at all. But, my father still committed suicide, in part, because of the lottery. You see, he had figured out, to him perfectly, how best to spend a given prize, usually in the millions. He had it figured out to the penny. It obsessed him to the day he shot himself. He figured the taxes, the distribution versus taking a lump sum, he figured how much (likely) each person in his family would ask for, how many "friends" would come out of the woodwork to ask for money, how much to donate to charity, which charities, and then to set up a benevolent foundation with the rest. To him, he felt, since he had figured out his winnings so perfectly, then WHY wouldn't God allow him to win it?

He didn't dabble with psychics or try and find people who "sensed" numbers. We are dealing with the sovereign God of the Universe here ... would it really be that hard for God to ensure that any one ticket's numbers come up in a given drawing? You may say, well, God is not a part of the lottery at all. Maybe, maybe not. He can certainly take the world's evil and use it for good.

So, my father never won, and as I said, partly killed himself because of it. My father had come from a wealthy family (whose wealth never trickled down past him and his siblings, since his father remarried twice after his mother died, and both his subsequent wives took the rest). My father had to use his inheritance almost completely for more than a year when he was out of work and in treatment for alcoholism. Thus, the lottery seemed to him the ONLY way to make up his losses, and besides, he was a good person (his opinion), and again, had planned out exactly, fully, and perfectly how the money from any lottery winnings should be used.

As long as you see the lottery for what it really is, entertainment and diversion, I have no problem with it. The "sinister" aspect of the lottery, though, remains the illusion that it is something more. How many millions upon millions upon MILLIONS of dollars have already been won by how many people? And is the world any better of a place for it? You can say, well, all the past winners were the wrong people ... if I won, it would be different ... REALLY???

What if the lottery is of the Devil, and what if once you win, the Devil increases his temptations to you ... you don't really need to start that foundation, you don't really need to start that community, and on and on. Most lottery winners have to go into hiding now for an indeterminate period of time, because the "needs" of everyone around them become overwhelming ... right from the beginning. And since you are handing millions of dollars to someone or someones who don't have the past experience of dealing with millions of dollars, guess what ... the odds are those winnings will not be used as originally planned, be wasted, etc. That I know from my own life, and my own riches. I made good choices, but I also made poor choices. The worst part of my riches was in coming to grips with the fact, that I could do much evil with it, as well as good. The evil being what I wanted for selfish gain. I can safely tell you, the temptations increase as one's bank account increases, and at that time in my life, I simply could not dismiss these temptations.

I pray for whoever wins the Powerball tonight, or God forbid, no one wins, and it goes even higher, thereby increasing the illusion. In that movie BEDAZZLED, the lead character who sold his soul to the Devil, made his final wish, and gave it up to ensure someone else's happiness, not his. Only then, was his soul saved.

[NH watcher]

Three winners to last night's Powerball: in California, Florida, and Tennessee. Perhaps one of these winners (once they come forward and are identified) is originally from Maryland (Baltimore). Some of the PB states allow winners to remain anonymous, though. Aletalete was correct in predicting more than one winner ... and the Baltimore aspect may prove correct too.

[IslandHippyMama]

Wow NH Watcher - I am so sorry about your father.. After living in Las Vegas for 10+ years, I saw how gambling there ran people's lives. I gambled on slot machines a couple of times and got a tiny bit lucky, but it was never anything that grabbed a hold of me, like it did some people I knew. You would be surprised at how many of the Las Vegas cab drivers, upon receiving their paychecks, immediately go out to their favorite casinos, cash their checks and proceed to blow them right then. It's sad really..

You mentioned how God never ignores us, but in my case, I have felt like "he" is ignoring me.. I have prayed regularly since all of this started. Usually my first and last thoughts of the day are a prayer for answers, protection, and to watch over my family... But you know how in an argument a "non-response" can be a response? Many times I've felt like maybe I'm not meant to be in Colorado. Things aren't working out here, not getting any of the jobs I've applied to, it just seems like it's been one thing after another.. Yet at the same time, there are no doors opening that would allow me to return back to Hawaii. So it's a contradiction. I'm not meant to be here, but not in Hawaii either. Actually, nothing has really pointed me in the right direction yet... I usually have all the faith in the world when it comes to trusting God, but this time around, I feel like maybe he doesn't know the answer yet either? Lol