Éstas son las mañanitas (These are the morning verses)
Que cantaba el Rey David, (That King David used to sing,)
A las muchachas bonitas (To the beautiful young ladies,)
Se las cantaba así. (He would sing them like this.)
(The Mexican birthday song, sometimes sung as a dawn serenade).
Mother Laura penned this birthday-inspired Friday Five (my answers below):
1. When is your birthday? Does anyone else (famous and/or in your own life) share it?
My birthday is October 1; I share it with Mrs. Robert E. Lee (Mary Custis), Julie Andrews, and President Carter. :) We be Libraz! (parenthetical note: my sister-in-law and best friend from HS, Amy, has General Lee's birthday. How cool is that??)
2. Do you prefer a big party or an intimate celebration for the chosen few?
Probably the latter; I have a hard time with the noise level at huge gatherings.
3. Describe your most memorable birthday(s)--good, bad, or both.
October 1, 1967: We partied quietly, like people around an open grave, because the Red Sox had won their game that afternoon--and our winning of the Pennant depended on the outcome of the Tigers game, which would not be concluded until that evening. I remember nothing birthday related, except that it was the day... until evening. I was sitting in the living room watching Walt Disney ("Fighting Prince of Donegal", not sure what episode...) and Daddy and Hutch were in the kitchen listening to the Tigers on the radio. I couldn't listen because, fanatic that I am, I hadn't been there for the first pitch--and superstition says one must NOT listen to or watch the game unless you're there from the start (unless your team is winning AND at bat when you tune in, then you MUST watch or listen because you'll jinx it if you walk away... LOL!). Suddenly two things happened exactly simultaneously: the scene on TV showed the Irish chieftains swearing to fight for Prince Hugh O'Donnell and all threw their cups into the fireplace while shouting for freedom--and Daddy and Hutch began screaming in the kitchen because the Tigers won. :) True story, I swear it. Now every Sox victory seems to bring that memory back. (Yeah, I know, religion and baseball YET again... *g*)
4. What is your favorite cake and ice cream? (Bonus points if you share the cake recipe). Or would you rather have a different treat altogether?
Green tea ice cream with raisins, and Simnel Cake (Yum marzipan...), a British tradition either for Easter or Mothering Sunday in Lent (depending on tradition),
Here's the recipe: 1 c. butter (room temperature), 1 c. sugar, 3 eggs, 1 c. dark raisins, 1 c. golden raisins, 1 c. currants, 1/2 c. chopped red candied cherries, 1/2 c. chopped mixed candied fruit, 2 (7 oz.) loaves of baking marzipan, 1 beaten egg yolk, 1 tbsp. milk for glaze. 3 tbsp. dark rum or sherry, 3 tbsp. orange juice, 2 c. sifted all-purpose flour, 1 tsp. baking powder, 1 tsp. ground cinnamon, 1 tsp. ground allspice
Preheat oven to 325 degrees; grease an 8-inch spring form pan. Line bottom and sides of pan with waxed paper and then grease the paper too. In a large bowl beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy (at least 5 minutes). Beat in eggs one at a time; beat well after each addition. Stir in raisins, currents, cherries, mixed fruit, rum (or sherry) and orange juice until combined. Sift flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and all spice over fruit mixture. Fold into the batter. Place 1 package of marzipan between 2 sheets of waxed paper, roll out to an 8-inch circle (this is NOT easy, the stuff tends to be hard...). Spoon half of the cake batter into your prepared pan, then place the marzipan circle over the batter. Spoon the remaining cake batter over marzipan and smoothe down the top. Bake in a preheated 325-degree oven for 2 hours and 30 minutes or until cake springs back when lightly pressed. Remove from oven; cool completely in pan or a wire rack.
Increase the oven temperature to 425 degrees. Remove *cooled* cake from the pan and peel off the lining paper. Place the cake on a small baking sheet; roll out the remaining loaf of marzipan to an 8-inch circle. Brush the top of cake with an egg-yolk glaze; place the second marzipan circle on top of cake. For a decorative touch, flute the edge. Score marzipan in a decorative pattern (a lattice seems to be traditional) with blunt knife. Brush the top lightly with egg-yolk glaze.
Bake in preheated oven 10-12 minutes until marzipan is lightly browned. Remove cake from baking sheet; cool completely on wire rack. Serve with lots of green ice cream and go into carb/sugar overload paradise. :)
5. Surprise parties: love 'em or hate 'em?
Absolutely hate them. I'm not good with surprises of any sort. *grins*
Bonus: Describe your ideal birthday--the sky's the limit.
Oh my... OK, you DID say sky's the limit. My ideal birthday would take place at one of the skyboxes at Fenway Park, DURING a playoff run with the Red Sox so seriously in the lead that nothing could stop them. The above-requested cake and ice cream are present in abundance, and jokes are freely made about green ice cream/Green Monster wall in the Pahk (local dialect, you know...). Dinner is shrimp cocktail followed by prime rib (rare for me with lots of whipped horseradish creme!), steamed lobster tails, baked potatoes with everything, and sugar snap peas in butter. If Johnny Pesky, Carl Yaztrzemski, Rico Petrocelli, Curt Shilling, and Jonathan Papelbon (and their spouses of course!) are in attendance, RevSharon is in heaven. :) All my friends are there of course, and we have live music by the Dropkick Murphys. The beer is Irish and German, the wine is Chateauneuf du Pape, I get lots of presents, and the Red Sox win, of course. :) Paps probably will have to leave early to secure the win as Closer, but that's OK. I love watching him pitch. :) Afterwards we all go across the street to the Cask 'n Flagon for more celebrating. We take any leftover cake and wine with us of course. *grins*
11 January 2008
08 January 2008
So, Where WERE You??
I came across this beautiful portion of Psalm 139 today while reading:
"I will give thanks to You,
for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Wonderful are Your works,
And my soul knows it very well."
Had a bit of a surprising reaction to it: tears. OK, now, anyone who knows me even slightly knows that one of the powers I was given at birth was the ability to cry at the drop of a hat... but this usually happens for good reasons. :) I am easily moved, and wouldn't have it any other way. However.... In choir not long ago we did a piece that was Psalm 139 set to glorious music--the sort of music that sticks in your head. And thereby hangs a tale.
Several folks have noticed, and sent me notes offline concerning, the fact that I didn't post pretty much from the end of October until now. There's a bizarre reason for that. On Hallowe'en morning I toddled off to work (60 miles away; I live in the rural sticks, don'tcha know), with a cheesecake sitting in the front passenger-side foot well of my beloved little sedan. Not just ANY cheesecake, mind you: it was Frankenstein-green, and featured pistachios. It was glorious and (as was later discovered) tasted Pretty Darn Good (tm). It was for the Hallowe'en party at my office in the Infamous Tentmaker Job (tm), since we've established a tradition of shedding our seriousness a couple days a year and having parties. I was going to dress up as a Red Sox player (I know, mixing fun and religion again... *snork*...) and had my costume in the back seat, along with the paper plates, plastic cutlery, and divers decorations, since I was one of the Party Instigators.
Never made it.
Came awfully close to never making it anywhere, ever again, had my guardian spirits not been really, really watchful.
For reasons still unknown, I blacked out at the wheel on a back street near my former home. A number of things conspired to keep me alive and keep those I almost hit in the same shape: it was rush hour, yet there were no other cars nearby. It was near an elementary school, yet all the kids were safely in class by a few minute's timing. I had been going uphill about the time I blacked out, so I wasn't going fast when the car went off the road (only about 5 feet in, mind!), struck a tree and divested it of about a foot of bark, then car, me, and pieces of tree ended up on a retaining wall. I did not hit the woman who was about to leave her driveway, because something knocked a piece of paper off her front seat--and she braked to catch it. I did not hit her neighbor who was taking out his trash--because he paused at the astonishing sight of an unconscious woman in an auto that was slowly moving toward his neighbor lady's tree.
Somehow I had gone about half a mile from where I last remembered being, and come to rest in their yard. The two neighbors were kind, helpful, and compassionate. The police and the EMTs were thorough and considerate. And I found myself in hospital, with nothing worse than a lump on the side of my head. Go figure...
In the ER, the first thing they found turned out to be the dealie: I had everything else as normal as normal could be, except the electrolyte potassium was "oddly low" according to the nice man who took my blood and did the tests. They explained as to how this could cause muscles like the heart to temporarily take a rest, thus lowering blood to the brain and causing unconsciousness... but no one could tell me how the drop occurred. We all pretty much agreed that I have superb guardian angels....
So where does Psalm 139 come in? Well, my doctors ordered every test they could think of, including MRIs, 24-hour monitoring, and all that. They told me I had the brain of a 30-year-old (I'm 51) and didn't get the joke when I said very seriously, "Hmm, she'll probably be wanting it back sooner or later then, you think??" :) And they ordered an ultrasound of my heart.
Now mind... I've seen ultrasound before. Watched my son wave at me from within my womb, watched friends' soon-to-be kids do likewise. And yes, I cried at the very sight of it, for it is indeed an astonishing thing. But somehow, laying there in that awful hospital gown, watching my very own heart beat on TV, seeing how wonderfully regular and strong it was... the music came into my head: "I am fearfully and wonderfully made... my soul knoweth that full well...." And to the dismay of the young man doing the test, I started to cry. Tears of thanksgiving... tears of grateful joy, tears of delayed reaction to everything that had happened. Took a while to explain, but then he told me quite seriously: "Happens fairly often, I just wanted to be sure you weren't squicked or something." *grins* Kids these days...
That and some basic fallout from same contributed to my absence from the blogosphere. My beloved little sedan is gone, alas, for it cost more than it was worth to fix it up; I am now the proud owner of a green pickup truck and 72 months of vehicle payments. But I was reminded in my reading today that it had been a rather close run--and the grateful tears came rushing back. I'm glad to be here!
And I'm glad you're all here too. Prayers forthcoming for all the concerns expressed in various places; may God walk with you always!
"I will give thanks to You,
for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Wonderful are Your works,
And my soul knows it very well."
Had a bit of a surprising reaction to it: tears. OK, now, anyone who knows me even slightly knows that one of the powers I was given at birth was the ability to cry at the drop of a hat... but this usually happens for good reasons. :) I am easily moved, and wouldn't have it any other way. However.... In choir not long ago we did a piece that was Psalm 139 set to glorious music--the sort of music that sticks in your head. And thereby hangs a tale.
Several folks have noticed, and sent me notes offline concerning, the fact that I didn't post pretty much from the end of October until now. There's a bizarre reason for that. On Hallowe'en morning I toddled off to work (60 miles away; I live in the rural sticks, don'tcha know), with a cheesecake sitting in the front passenger-side foot well of my beloved little sedan. Not just ANY cheesecake, mind you: it was Frankenstein-green, and featured pistachios. It was glorious and (as was later discovered) tasted Pretty Darn Good (tm). It was for the Hallowe'en party at my office in the Infamous Tentmaker Job (tm), since we've established a tradition of shedding our seriousness a couple days a year and having parties. I was going to dress up as a Red Sox player (I know, mixing fun and religion again... *snork*...) and had my costume in the back seat, along with the paper plates, plastic cutlery, and divers decorations, since I was one of the Party Instigators.
Never made it.
Came awfully close to never making it anywhere, ever again, had my guardian spirits not been really, really watchful.
For reasons still unknown, I blacked out at the wheel on a back street near my former home. A number of things conspired to keep me alive and keep those I almost hit in the same shape: it was rush hour, yet there were no other cars nearby. It was near an elementary school, yet all the kids were safely in class by a few minute's timing. I had been going uphill about the time I blacked out, so I wasn't going fast when the car went off the road (only about 5 feet in, mind!), struck a tree and divested it of about a foot of bark, then car, me, and pieces of tree ended up on a retaining wall. I did not hit the woman who was about to leave her driveway, because something knocked a piece of paper off her front seat--and she braked to catch it. I did not hit her neighbor who was taking out his trash--because he paused at the astonishing sight of an unconscious woman in an auto that was slowly moving toward his neighbor lady's tree.
Somehow I had gone about half a mile from where I last remembered being, and come to rest in their yard. The two neighbors were kind, helpful, and compassionate. The police and the EMTs were thorough and considerate. And I found myself in hospital, with nothing worse than a lump on the side of my head. Go figure...
In the ER, the first thing they found turned out to be the dealie: I had everything else as normal as normal could be, except the electrolyte potassium was "oddly low" according to the nice man who took my blood and did the tests. They explained as to how this could cause muscles like the heart to temporarily take a rest, thus lowering blood to the brain and causing unconsciousness... but no one could tell me how the drop occurred. We all pretty much agreed that I have superb guardian angels....
So where does Psalm 139 come in? Well, my doctors ordered every test they could think of, including MRIs, 24-hour monitoring, and all that. They told me I had the brain of a 30-year-old (I'm 51) and didn't get the joke when I said very seriously, "Hmm, she'll probably be wanting it back sooner or later then, you think??" :) And they ordered an ultrasound of my heart.
Now mind... I've seen ultrasound before. Watched my son wave at me from within my womb, watched friends' soon-to-be kids do likewise. And yes, I cried at the very sight of it, for it is indeed an astonishing thing. But somehow, laying there in that awful hospital gown, watching my very own heart beat on TV, seeing how wonderfully regular and strong it was... the music came into my head: "I am fearfully and wonderfully made... my soul knoweth that full well...." And to the dismay of the young man doing the test, I started to cry. Tears of thanksgiving... tears of grateful joy, tears of delayed reaction to everything that had happened. Took a while to explain, but then he told me quite seriously: "Happens fairly often, I just wanted to be sure you weren't squicked or something." *grins* Kids these days...
That and some basic fallout from same contributed to my absence from the blogosphere. My beloved little sedan is gone, alas, for it cost more than it was worth to fix it up; I am now the proud owner of a green pickup truck and 72 months of vehicle payments. But I was reminded in my reading today that it had been a rather close run--and the grateful tears came rushing back. I'm glad to be here!
And I'm glad you're all here too. Prayers forthcoming for all the concerns expressed in various places; may God walk with you always!
07 January 2008
How Did It Get to Be 2008 Already???
Wow, where did that year go?? I feel as if it should still be June of 2007 or something, not January of 2008. The holidays hastened past before I could even get a handle on them, and now here we are in the long oddity that is the pre-Lent downtime. Wooo....
I guess the question we usually ask one another is this: did you make resolutions? Wellll.... here's the deal. Remember back a couple of entries ago I was talking about intentional living? Well... I like the comments from several fellow Revs that intentions are better than resolutions. :) So here are my intentions for 2008:
1) I absolutely WILL do more things for myself. Is that selfish? My poor little Libra gut wants to say so, but then I start thinking: when they run the "welcome to the flight" spiel on airlines, what do they say? If you're traveling with someone who needs assistance, put on your own oxygen mask first, THEN help them with theirs. Why? Because if you can't breathe, you can't help anyone. It isn't selfish, it's survival. In order to be there for the people you serve, love, live with, need, whatever--you have to survive. You must care for yourself. Sometimes thinking of yourself first is the best way to be there for others.
2) What will I do for myself? Ah... I have a little list. OK, it's a bloody great BIG list. :) Things I've put off for years. Things I've ignored. Clothing I want to make for myself... foods I want to try... riding time and general horse fun time that I never seem to have enough of because there are so many other things going on that "MUST be done..." Oh yes, a LONG list.
3) I will intentionally release fear. Whenever I feel it nibbling at my edges I will bless it and breathe through it. I will NOT fight it, because it is a part of me. I will instead very intentionally honour it, then let it go. Fear is a nervous sibling of excitement: it helps us define situations. Before I take the big leaps of life, I feel fear: it helps me remember that I am alive, that I have senses and sensations. And after I take the leap, the adrenaline flows through and helps me say WOW! where before I was saying OMIGOSH.... So fear will not be banished, it will be released.
4) I will intentionally believe that I deserve good things in my life. OH how my generation has battled this, men and women alike. We were raised to serve, brought up to question and volunteer and DO... but it was always in terms of doing for others, serving others, saving something for someone else. Then right around the same time, major cultural change happened--and the pendulum went toward hedonism for a good long while. Now that I am in my 50s I will find the balance: I will continue to serve because I love doing so and am called, but I will intentionally enjoy it more--and enjoy the good things that come my way as well.
5) I will intentionally look for good. I have spent far too many years on guard against bad things; now I will actively search out good ones. Be they brief, like enjoying the last rays of sun before the glory of sunset, or lengthy like the chance to sit and enjoy your lunch or dinner, I will seek them out and enjoy.
So there they are: my intentions, for better or worse. :)
I actually took a vacation this holiday season. A day or so after Christmas I drove up to Massachusetts to spend time with a very dear friend. We hung out, watched anime, talked; we hung out with horses, we hung out with family, we laughed a lot, and even cried a little. It was a surreal experience because I haven't taken a real vacation in AGES. I didn't check my work e-mail for the Tentmaker Job even once while I was gone, though I wasn't cold turkey enough to leave the laptop home. *grins* It wasn't quite intentional overall; I intentionally took the vacation, but left it all up to circumstance to see what we would end up doing. We had a wonderful time and I came home refreshed. I could get used to this. :)
So happy new year everyone, whatever your resolutions or intentions! May 2008 intentionally be a good one for you and yours!
I guess the question we usually ask one another is this: did you make resolutions? Wellll.... here's the deal. Remember back a couple of entries ago I was talking about intentional living? Well... I like the comments from several fellow Revs that intentions are better than resolutions. :) So here are my intentions for 2008:
1) I absolutely WILL do more things for myself. Is that selfish? My poor little Libra gut wants to say so, but then I start thinking: when they run the "welcome to the flight" spiel on airlines, what do they say? If you're traveling with someone who needs assistance, put on your own oxygen mask first, THEN help them with theirs. Why? Because if you can't breathe, you can't help anyone. It isn't selfish, it's survival. In order to be there for the people you serve, love, live with, need, whatever--you have to survive. You must care for yourself. Sometimes thinking of yourself first is the best way to be there for others.
2) What will I do for myself? Ah... I have a little list. OK, it's a bloody great BIG list. :) Things I've put off for years. Things I've ignored. Clothing I want to make for myself... foods I want to try... riding time and general horse fun time that I never seem to have enough of because there are so many other things going on that "MUST be done..." Oh yes, a LONG list.
3) I will intentionally release fear. Whenever I feel it nibbling at my edges I will bless it and breathe through it. I will NOT fight it, because it is a part of me. I will instead very intentionally honour it, then let it go. Fear is a nervous sibling of excitement: it helps us define situations. Before I take the big leaps of life, I feel fear: it helps me remember that I am alive, that I have senses and sensations. And after I take the leap, the adrenaline flows through and helps me say WOW! where before I was saying OMIGOSH.... So fear will not be banished, it will be released.
4) I will intentionally believe that I deserve good things in my life. OH how my generation has battled this, men and women alike. We were raised to serve, brought up to question and volunteer and DO... but it was always in terms of doing for others, serving others, saving something for someone else. Then right around the same time, major cultural change happened--and the pendulum went toward hedonism for a good long while. Now that I am in my 50s I will find the balance: I will continue to serve because I love doing so and am called, but I will intentionally enjoy it more--and enjoy the good things that come my way as well.
5) I will intentionally look for good. I have spent far too many years on guard against bad things; now I will actively search out good ones. Be they brief, like enjoying the last rays of sun before the glory of sunset, or lengthy like the chance to sit and enjoy your lunch or dinner, I will seek them out and enjoy.
So there they are: my intentions, for better or worse. :)
I actually took a vacation this holiday season. A day or so after Christmas I drove up to Massachusetts to spend time with a very dear friend. We hung out, watched anime, talked; we hung out with horses, we hung out with family, we laughed a lot, and even cried a little. It was a surreal experience because I haven't taken a real vacation in AGES. I didn't check my work e-mail for the Tentmaker Job even once while I was gone, though I wasn't cold turkey enough to leave the laptop home. *grins* It wasn't quite intentional overall; I intentionally took the vacation, but left it all up to circumstance to see what we would end up doing. We had a wonderful time and I came home refreshed. I could get used to this. :)
So happy new year everyone, whatever your resolutions or intentions! May 2008 intentionally be a good one for you and yours!
19 October 2007
Friday Five: If I Were Food....
LOL! I'm afraid what first went through my head was the tune of "If I were a Rich Man" from Fiddler: "If I were a foodstuff..." and on that silly note, here is this week’s Friday Five.
1. If you were a food, what would you be? -- probably a lobster. Boiled and doused in drawn butter. *drools delicately*
2. What is one of the most memorable meals you ever had? And where? You didn't say it had to be GOOD memorable.... LOL! Thanksgiving Dinner, 1971.... the first I ever cooked completely on my own. My mother, then long-separated from Daddy, was coming with HER mother, Gramma; her younger sister, Aunt Marilyn; and Marilyn's eldest, Cousin Fred. No pressure.... Everything that could go wrong did, and Mom ended up taking over my kitchen (which annoyed me at the time and amuses me now, because Oh My, I've turned INTO her at this point...) and somehow dinner happened, but it was hardly the best I've ever had. *grins* The memorable good stuff about it was that was the one time I had the majority of my distaff family in one place at one time, and I miss that.
3. What is your favorite comfort food from childhood? Krafft macaroni and cheese in the comforting blue box... and fried clams with bellies. I grew up Nawth of Bahstahn, after all.... LOL!
4. When going to a church potluck, what one recipe from your kitchen is sure to be a hit? Stuffed shells with home-made red sauce. Lots of cheese, lots of beef, big huge pasta shapes. :)
5. What’s the strangest thing you ever willingly ate? Eel. The rest of my tastes (well, possibly excepting the clams with bellies fetish!) are rather pedestrian.... :)
Bonus question: What’s your favorite drink to order when looking forward to a great meal? German beer. Dopplebock. Drawn not bottled.
1. If you were a food, what would you be? -- probably a lobster. Boiled and doused in drawn butter. *drools delicately*
2. What is one of the most memorable meals you ever had? And where? You didn't say it had to be GOOD memorable.... LOL! Thanksgiving Dinner, 1971.... the first I ever cooked completely on my own. My mother, then long-separated from Daddy, was coming with HER mother, Gramma; her younger sister, Aunt Marilyn; and Marilyn's eldest, Cousin Fred. No pressure.... Everything that could go wrong did, and Mom ended up taking over my kitchen (which annoyed me at the time and amuses me now, because Oh My, I've turned INTO her at this point...) and somehow dinner happened, but it was hardly the best I've ever had. *grins* The memorable good stuff about it was that was the one time I had the majority of my distaff family in one place at one time, and I miss that.
3. What is your favorite comfort food from childhood? Krafft macaroni and cheese in the comforting blue box... and fried clams with bellies. I grew up Nawth of Bahstahn, after all.... LOL!
4. When going to a church potluck, what one recipe from your kitchen is sure to be a hit? Stuffed shells with home-made red sauce. Lots of cheese, lots of beef, big huge pasta shapes. :)
5. What’s the strangest thing you ever willingly ate? Eel. The rest of my tastes (well, possibly excepting the clams with bellies fetish!) are rather pedestrian.... :)
Bonus question: What’s your favorite drink to order when looking forward to a great meal? German beer. Dopplebock. Drawn not bottled.
08 October 2007
Been Gone Too Long...
Hi folks,
Happy Autumn and a blessed October to you all! I love October... I wake up in October. *grins* I was born on October 1, married on the 21st, and our one surviving son was born on the 13th. It's a pretty special month!
This year will mark the 28th wedding anniversary... though there's really no marriage left to speak of. That is a thing of great sadness for me--but we have remained friends, and that is probably a far better outcome than I feared.
October is one of those months when we are betwixt and between. Down here in the Old Dominion, summer releases its hold only after much pushing; today it was 90 and humid, July weather in the opening days of the reign of the Winter King. The leaves have only just now started vaguely thinking about changing colour; we need rain, and the nights haven't yet begun to be cool for real. But they will soon. I can smell it in the air!
October generally means a time of reflection and serious thought. Some dear friends have chosen it as a time to pass on; some have chosen it as time to be married, or to give birth. For me this year October is a time of bursting energy and Muses re-awakened. More as the month wears on...
May you all have a great month! I've missed being here during the Dark Night of the Soul; I'm glad there are orange and yellow leaves in the sun at the end of the tunnel.
Happy Autumn and a blessed October to you all! I love October... I wake up in October. *grins* I was born on October 1, married on the 21st, and our one surviving son was born on the 13th. It's a pretty special month!
This year will mark the 28th wedding anniversary... though there's really no marriage left to speak of. That is a thing of great sadness for me--but we have remained friends, and that is probably a far better outcome than I feared.
October is one of those months when we are betwixt and between. Down here in the Old Dominion, summer releases its hold only after much pushing; today it was 90 and humid, July weather in the opening days of the reign of the Winter King. The leaves have only just now started vaguely thinking about changing colour; we need rain, and the nights haven't yet begun to be cool for real. But they will soon. I can smell it in the air!
October generally means a time of reflection and serious thought. Some dear friends have chosen it as a time to pass on; some have chosen it as time to be married, or to give birth. For me this year October is a time of bursting energy and Muses re-awakened. More as the month wears on...
May you all have a great month! I've missed being here during the Dark Night of the Soul; I'm glad there are orange and yellow leaves in the sun at the end of the tunnel.
17 August 2007
Friday Five: Word Association
Below you will find five words. Tell us the first thing you think of on reading each one. Your response might be simply another word, or it might be a sentence, a poem or a story.
1. vineyard
Hmmm... first thought that comes to mind is my favourite workplace: the vineyard into which my Savior has sent me, and where I am privileged to serve His people. Second thought, of course, is Virginia Wines... yum... :-)
2. root
The Root of my Being... my Lord Jesus, His Father, and Our Lady Sophia. These roots strike deep and wrap lovingly about the heart...
3. rescue
Oddly enough, makes me think first of my Dad, who was a radioman in the Coast Guard during WW2... but theologically speaking, rescue of course leads to thoughts of salvation. Rescued by grace, and saved...
4. perseverance
That lovely old poem, "Don't Quit"; Daddy had it hanging on the wall over his desk, and from time to time I have either thought of this poem as a lifeline in time of trouble--an inspiration, if you will--or a supreme annoyance, much like St. Hildegard's repetitive but true "all will be well, and all will be well, and all manner of thing shall be well..." *g* Here's the poem (author apparently unknown):
When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road your trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit
Rest if you must, but don't you quit.
Life is queer with its twists and its turns,
As everyone of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about
When they might have won, had they stuck it out.
Don't give up though the pace seems slow,
You may succeed with another blow.
Often the struggler has given up
When he might have captured the victors cup;
And he learned too late when the night came down,
How close he was to the golden crown.
Success is failure turned inside out
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems so far;
So stick to the fight when your hardest hit,
It's when things seem worst that you must not quit!
5. divided
Hmm... the obvious ones come up first: divided loyalties, divided cities (Berlin...), divided families or friends... a house divided... but there's a lot of proto-positivism in this word. Jesus DIVIDED the bread and gave it to His disciples. He DIVIDED the loaves and fishes, and fed the five thousands. DIVIDED highways make for faster commutes, implying as they do more lanes in each direction... :-)
I guess the lesson there is, it's all in how you choose to look at things. Glass half full, or half empty? I have decided to champion it being half-FULL! So I can divide the contents among my friends, and share!
Happy Friday, y'all!
Blessings,
Sharon+
1. vineyard
Hmmm... first thought that comes to mind is my favourite workplace: the vineyard into which my Savior has sent me, and where I am privileged to serve His people. Second thought, of course, is Virginia Wines... yum... :-)
2. root
The Root of my Being... my Lord Jesus, His Father, and Our Lady Sophia. These roots strike deep and wrap lovingly about the heart...
3. rescue
Oddly enough, makes me think first of my Dad, who was a radioman in the Coast Guard during WW2... but theologically speaking, rescue of course leads to thoughts of salvation. Rescued by grace, and saved...
4. perseverance
That lovely old poem, "Don't Quit"; Daddy had it hanging on the wall over his desk, and from time to time I have either thought of this poem as a lifeline in time of trouble--an inspiration, if you will--or a supreme annoyance, much like St. Hildegard's repetitive but true "all will be well, and all will be well, and all manner of thing shall be well..." *g* Here's the poem (author apparently unknown):
When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road your trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit
Rest if you must, but don't you quit.
Life is queer with its twists and its turns,
As everyone of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about
When they might have won, had they stuck it out.
Don't give up though the pace seems slow,
You may succeed with another blow.
Often the struggler has given up
When he might have captured the victors cup;
And he learned too late when the night came down,
How close he was to the golden crown.
Success is failure turned inside out
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems so far;
So stick to the fight when your hardest hit,
It's when things seem worst that you must not quit!
5. divided
Hmm... the obvious ones come up first: divided loyalties, divided cities (Berlin...), divided families or friends... a house divided... but there's a lot of proto-positivism in this word. Jesus DIVIDED the bread and gave it to His disciples. He DIVIDED the loaves and fishes, and fed the five thousands. DIVIDED highways make for faster commutes, implying as they do more lanes in each direction... :-)
I guess the lesson there is, it's all in how you choose to look at things. Glass half full, or half empty? I have decided to champion it being half-FULL! So I can divide the contents among my friends, and share!
Happy Friday, y'all!
Blessings,
Sharon+
11 August 2007
Yoda Bumps
I'm sitting here with my back trying to put the kibosh on everything I do (three compressed discs, no waiting... *sighs*), clearly being taught some lessons in Intentional Living. As in, it ain't easy to stick with the intention of Living Intentionally when everything in the world suddenly turns into a Yoda Bump... *g*
Let me define and explain a bit. A "Yoda Bump" is some object, person or situation (size matters not! *g*) that suddenly seems to appear out of nowhere to try and mess you over when you've just done something virtuous (decided to be kinder, not eat too many desserts, quit slugging back so many empty-calorie sodas per day, or Live Intentionally--just as utterly unrelated examples, of course! *whistles innocently*). Yoda Bumps try your patience, push you, stay in your way no matter what direction you turn--until you face them, handle them, pull up your Big Girl Collar and deal, or whatever. If you ignore them or whine, they grow--like Pinocchio's nose. Once you let go, face them, hug them or spit in their eye... they go away.
Making room, of course, for the next one... *wry smile* But that's no nevermind.
Like all the pain-in-the-keester things Yoda did to Luke in the swamps of Dagobah before Luke KNEW this was the Jedi Master he should have been making nice to... Yoda Bumps try you. It's a test. Sometimes it's a bit harsh--like one's back going out on one, on the same day one had promised to help wrangle many entrants to a horse show. Sometimes they're downright pathetically nasty (sorta like locking yourself out of your house completely, barefoot, no contacts in, with only your cell phone to rely on--and the only person with a key who can be reached is your son, who is in bed asleep... at the house he shares with your ex, who is the only one who drives... and you live an hour and change away... again, not like, umm, that has anything to do with ME!! *whistles some more and toes the dirt a bit*).
In short, they exist to find out if you are serious. When you lit the candles on your personal altar and made Big Promises in front of God and Everybody, were you serious? When you said you wanted to manifest into your life the Big Dream you've had since you were a kid--and swore that you know it's not going to be easy--were you sucking up to the Jedi Master? Or do you have the Right Stuff to pull this off with the help of the aforementioned God and Everybody?
Cuz if you are... one crappy little Yoda Bump isn't going to stop you.
Is it?
I had a crawful of Yoda Bumps last weekend, but many blessings came my way once I stopped whining and kicked back. Or didn't, as the case may have been. The fair thing about Yoda Bumps is that whatever form they may otherwise take, it's usually pretty obvious how to handle it. If you're stuck and the only person who can help you is someone you've broken up with, or that you socially despise, or who has hurt you in the past--you have to suck it up and accept help from something other than a nice knight on a horse. If you're overwhelmed and the key to breaking the logjam is to say or do something you otherwise would rather pull out your entrails than do--take a deep breath and say or do it. And always, always remember what Eleanor Roosevelt once said: No one can make you feel inferior without your consent...
The thing for which I requested prayer on July 19 is still in progress, and I still feel very strongly that it will somehow happen. It is very near to the realm of miracles in terms of what will be required--but it is not impossible. However, because it IS so unlikely, and yet feels so right, there is much that I must personally attend to--and trust about--and thus, I am facing a veritable minefield of Yoda Bumps in every direction I look. IF I were to look at them as a whole, I'd give up now. *g* But I'm not going to DO that.
I will take them one bump at a time, one hurdle, one step, one breath... because that's the only way to do it. And somehow I will persevere. And it will be good. But at the moment, I think I shall go look at some nice pics of Amidala, or Leia, or (skipping fandoms slightly) Susan Ivanova, or maybe even Qui-Gon Jinn--because I'm really, really tired of looking at Master Yoda's little green visage. :-)
That's how things stand today at the Daisy Hill Puppy Farm, Aerodrome and Miracle Manifestation Factory... that's my story and I'm stickin' to it. See you soon!
Let me define and explain a bit. A "Yoda Bump" is some object, person or situation (size matters not! *g*) that suddenly seems to appear out of nowhere to try and mess you over when you've just done something virtuous (decided to be kinder, not eat too many desserts, quit slugging back so many empty-calorie sodas per day, or Live Intentionally--just as utterly unrelated examples, of course! *whistles innocently*). Yoda Bumps try your patience, push you, stay in your way no matter what direction you turn--until you face them, handle them, pull up your Big Girl Collar and deal, or whatever. If you ignore them or whine, they grow--like Pinocchio's nose. Once you let go, face them, hug them or spit in their eye... they go away.
Making room, of course, for the next one... *wry smile* But that's no nevermind.
Like all the pain-in-the-keester things Yoda did to Luke in the swamps of Dagobah before Luke KNEW this was the Jedi Master he should have been making nice to... Yoda Bumps try you. It's a test. Sometimes it's a bit harsh--like one's back going out on one, on the same day one had promised to help wrangle many entrants to a horse show. Sometimes they're downright pathetically nasty (sorta like locking yourself out of your house completely, barefoot, no contacts in, with only your cell phone to rely on--and the only person with a key who can be reached is your son, who is in bed asleep... at the house he shares with your ex, who is the only one who drives... and you live an hour and change away... again, not like, umm, that has anything to do with ME!! *whistles some more and toes the dirt a bit*).
In short, they exist to find out if you are serious. When you lit the candles on your personal altar and made Big Promises in front of God and Everybody, were you serious? When you said you wanted to manifest into your life the Big Dream you've had since you were a kid--and swore that you know it's not going to be easy--were you sucking up to the Jedi Master? Or do you have the Right Stuff to pull this off with the help of the aforementioned God and Everybody?
Cuz if you are... one crappy little Yoda Bump isn't going to stop you.
Is it?
I had a crawful of Yoda Bumps last weekend, but many blessings came my way once I stopped whining and kicked back. Or didn't, as the case may have been. The fair thing about Yoda Bumps is that whatever form they may otherwise take, it's usually pretty obvious how to handle it. If you're stuck and the only person who can help you is someone you've broken up with, or that you socially despise, or who has hurt you in the past--you have to suck it up and accept help from something other than a nice knight on a horse. If you're overwhelmed and the key to breaking the logjam is to say or do something you otherwise would rather pull out your entrails than do--take a deep breath and say or do it. And always, always remember what Eleanor Roosevelt once said: No one can make you feel inferior without your consent...
The thing for which I requested prayer on July 19 is still in progress, and I still feel very strongly that it will somehow happen. It is very near to the realm of miracles in terms of what will be required--but it is not impossible. However, because it IS so unlikely, and yet feels so right, there is much that I must personally attend to--and trust about--and thus, I am facing a veritable minefield of Yoda Bumps in every direction I look. IF I were to look at them as a whole, I'd give up now. *g* But I'm not going to DO that.
I will take them one bump at a time, one hurdle, one step, one breath... because that's the only way to do it. And somehow I will persevere. And it will be good. But at the moment, I think I shall go look at some nice pics of Amidala, or Leia, or (skipping fandoms slightly) Susan Ivanova, or maybe even Qui-Gon Jinn--because I'm really, really tired of looking at Master Yoda's little green visage. :-)
That's how things stand today at the Daisy Hill Puppy Farm, Aerodrome and Miracle Manifestation Factory... that's my story and I'm stickin' to it. See you soon!
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