I was talking to my friend in Pennsylvania earlier today. We were reminiscing about our childhood. It reminded me that a few days ago, Dr. Keith Ablow, who has a segment on FOX News about "Normal or Nuts" stated emphatically that anyone who frequently uses nicknames is nuts.
If I could speak to Dr. Ablow, I would remind him there are two sides to every coin and each side is as valuable as the other.
What brought the whole thing to mind is my dad. When he came home from work in the evening, kids of all sizes used to stand on the street corner, waiting to play his game. He had the habit of giving them names that weren't theirs. He'd usually begin with "Hi, Pete, Hi, George," and go from there. Pete and George weren't particularly popular names in their generation. They loved it. As I said, they'd stand on the street corner, waiting for him to come home and greet them with an unusual name as he drove past them.
They began to respond in the same way, calling him crazy names and waving happily as he drove by. It was their game. Dad often said he couldn't remember their names and that's why he did it. He wasn't trying to put them down or make himself feel superior. He simply couldn't remember all their names. Who can blame him? I once counted 69 kids under the age of 21 on that 3 block long street!
It is true the person Dr. Ablow was discussing even used nicknames for people in authority. That is a bit extreme, I'll admit. But, in my family, nicknames or terms of endearment are to express affection and even
respect for someone's position of authority. Dr. Ablow, may I remind you there are 2 sides to every coin?
Friday, July 25, 2014
Thursday, July 24, 2014
Too much?
Don't know if it's kosher to post more than once in a day, but I happened to remember that today would have been my parents' 81st anniversary. Mother was 24, and Dad, 22, when they eloped. They were married more than 55 years when Dad died on December 7, 1988.
Marrying in 1933 must have taken a lot of courage. It was in the middle of the Great Depression and neither came from riches. Mother often told me that Dad was making $5 a week by the time my oldest brother was born in November, 1934. Dad drove a school bus for a living and Mother was a homemaker.
She was proud of their ability to not only live as a family of 3 on that tiny amount (by today's standards), but they were also putting money into a savings account. How did they do it?
In some ways, we've come so far, and in some ways, we could learn valuable lessons from those who endured those hard times, not only with courage, but with dignity and nobility. It makes me proud to call them my parents.
Marrying in 1933 must have taken a lot of courage. It was in the middle of the Great Depression and neither came from riches. Mother often told me that Dad was making $5 a week by the time my oldest brother was born in November, 1934. Dad drove a school bus for a living and Mother was a homemaker.
She was proud of their ability to not only live as a family of 3 on that tiny amount (by today's standards), but they were also putting money into a savings account. How did they do it?
In some ways, we've come so far, and in some ways, we could learn valuable lessons from those who endured those hard times, not only with courage, but with dignity and nobility. It makes me proud to call them my parents.
Learning, but a long way to go.
Baby steps. I have to remember to take baby steps. When you reach 70 and are still learning, I guess it's a good thing. It's humbling to know everyone else know's how ignorant I am in the gadgets this world depends on.
I'd so much rather talk to a person. But, I'm repeating myself, so I'll say thank you to my patient husband, to my granddaughter, and to my friend who's blessed me with her expertise to help me get started. One of these days, hopefully, I be comfortable with this contrary gadget. I can dream, can't I?
Oh, the rose in the experiment was a tip to the fact that, at 12:10 AM, "The Color of Roses" was returned to the publisher after yet another edit. I received an immediate e-mail stating that any more changes would cost me, so I sincerely hope all goes smoothly and there's no need for corrections. Memories of college days, however, do not give me much hope. No matter how many times I edited a paper, it always came back with misspelled words circled. Drove me crazy then. Drives me crazy now, but as everyone like to say, it is what it is.
Tuesday, July 22, 2014
Pardon the Interruption
Here we go again. Computer problems for more than a week. They're not all solved, yet, but we're getting there. It seems that internet explorer had somehow managed to duplicate itself-maybe as much as 10 times. I was running multiple operating systems all at once. My computer complained bitterly by making loud clicking noises and buzzing. I wondered if it was going to explode. I would type a letter, wait about 10 seconds for it to appear on the screen, type another letter and it would do the same thing again. Have any idea how long it would take to write a chapter with all that going on? Boo! Hiss!
My dear husband, bless his heart, has been so patient, so methodical, so heroic in attempting to solve the problem. He didn't sleep at all Sunday night, came home from church and sat down at the computer till late Monday morning. Called our expert and he responded yesterday afternoon. Took him 1 1/2 hours to find the problem. Then, Bob had to spend more time reloading everything. That's what I mean by saying we're not done, yet.
To make matters worse, contact with my publisher has been interfered with. I'm hoping "The Color of Roses" will be in print by Christmas, but the way things are going, it may not.
However, this morning, my reading in "Jesus Calling" brought tremendous comfort. For July 22, author Sarah Young says, "Find freedom through seeking to please Me above all else. You can have only one Master. When you let others' expectations drive you, you scatter your energy to the winds. Your own desire to look good can also drain your energy. I am your Master, and I do not drive you to be what you are not. Your pretense displeases Me, especially when it in My 'service.' Concentrate on staying close to Me at all times. It is impossible to be inauthentic while you are focusing on My Presence."
Good, bad, or otherwise, it's in the Lord's hands and I'm along for the ride, bumpy though it may seem at times. It reminds me of David and the apostles. Their life was full of bumps and bruises and yet, they soldiered on. Their purpose in life was established by God and their seeking His Presence enabled them to accomplish what God had for them. No one could call them inauthentic. Here am I, Lord. Let me seek you as the deer pants for the water. (Psalm 42:1)
Such freedom to let the Lord be in control. Will I ever learn?
My dear husband, bless his heart, has been so patient, so methodical, so heroic in attempting to solve the problem. He didn't sleep at all Sunday night, came home from church and sat down at the computer till late Monday morning. Called our expert and he responded yesterday afternoon. Took him 1 1/2 hours to find the problem. Then, Bob had to spend more time reloading everything. That's what I mean by saying we're not done, yet.
To make matters worse, contact with my publisher has been interfered with. I'm hoping "The Color of Roses" will be in print by Christmas, but the way things are going, it may not.
However, this morning, my reading in "Jesus Calling" brought tremendous comfort. For July 22, author Sarah Young says, "Find freedom through seeking to please Me above all else. You can have only one Master. When you let others' expectations drive you, you scatter your energy to the winds. Your own desire to look good can also drain your energy. I am your Master, and I do not drive you to be what you are not. Your pretense displeases Me, especially when it in My 'service.' Concentrate on staying close to Me at all times. It is impossible to be inauthentic while you are focusing on My Presence."
Good, bad, or otherwise, it's in the Lord's hands and I'm along for the ride, bumpy though it may seem at times. It reminds me of David and the apostles. Their life was full of bumps and bruises and yet, they soldiered on. Their purpose in life was established by God and their seeking His Presence enabled them to accomplish what God had for them. No one could call them inauthentic. Here am I, Lord. Let me seek you as the deer pants for the water. (Psalm 42:1)
Such freedom to let the Lord be in control. Will I ever learn?
Friday, July 18, 2014
Honorary RN
If they give out honorary Registered Nurse degrees, then my daughter-in-law should be the first one in line. When her mother contracted a leukemia that eventually took her life, Debby was there. Now, our granddaughter is in excruciating pain and in line for surgery. Mom was there. When our grandson arrived to help move our granddaughter, he contracted strep and -you guessed it-Mom was there.
It's been a tough couple of months, so 3 cheers for Honorary Nurse Debby!
But then, I'm reminded of the time when Bob received an extremely high evaluation for promotion. After I read it, I mentioned how terrific it was and Bob's response was tepid. "Why would you act like this," I asked. "What more could the man say?"
"He could've recommend me for general," laughed the Sergeant First Class.
OK, so 3 cheers for Honorary Dr. Debby:)
It's been a tough couple of months, so 3 cheers for Honorary Nurse Debby!
But then, I'm reminded of the time when Bob received an extremely high evaluation for promotion. After I read it, I mentioned how terrific it was and Bob's response was tepid. "Why would you act like this," I asked. "What more could the man say?"
"He could've recommend me for general," laughed the Sergeant First Class.
OK, so 3 cheers for Honorary Dr. Debby:)
Thursday, July 17, 2014
Wow!!!!
Wow!!! The publishers have returned my manuscript review and I was blown away. It's another step in the process I didn't expect to go through, but the results were so good I don't mind. All I can say is, Thank you, Lord!
In the General Overview, the editors called it an "engaging work of fiction."
In manuscript's strengths, they said "Readers will not only stay absorbed in the text as the book is very well written, but will also have a sense of closure as they finish the book. The editors go on to call me a talented storyteller (Thank you!). To them, "characters seem realistic and contain relatable emotional expressions."
In their view, "The storyline contains many essential values, opening the readers eyes to Christian virtues in which readers can use to cross-examine his or her life." They got it, they totally got it.
Of course there are always areas of improvement and the only suggestion made was that I add a prologue.
28 years in the making. Thank you, Lord, for your patience with me and thank you friends, for your encouragement and thank you editors at Xulon for being so kind.
Stay tuned.
In the General Overview, the editors called it an "engaging work of fiction."
In manuscript's strengths, they said "Readers will not only stay absorbed in the text as the book is very well written, but will also have a sense of closure as they finish the book. The editors go on to call me a talented storyteller (Thank you!). To them, "characters seem realistic and contain relatable emotional expressions."
In their view, "The storyline contains many essential values, opening the readers eyes to Christian virtues in which readers can use to cross-examine his or her life." They got it, they totally got it.
Of course there are always areas of improvement and the only suggestion made was that I add a prologue.
28 years in the making. Thank you, Lord, for your patience with me and thank you friends, for your encouragement and thank you editors at Xulon for being so kind.
Stay tuned.
Monday, July 14, 2014
Watching grass grow
When we moved in last winter, our yard was scarred with several ugly bare spots, consisting of hard, dry, poor soil left bare by the fellow who fixed the septic system last summer. We made it a priority to begin watering, weeding, and feeding in an attempt to get something green to grow.
We're very grateful for all the rain we've had so far this year, making the watering chore a lot easier. However, for the first couple of purchases, we made the mistake of buying fertilizer only, which produced a bumper crop of sand burrs in the backyard instead of grass.
One Saturday, I got busy pulling them. I like to pull weeds. It's very relaxing. My mind wanders while my hands methodically pull. Who knows what great feats of daring do my mind was accomplishing, keeping me from noticing two black snakes that wanted to be in the same space I was occupying? I didn't see them, I felt them slithering across my foot. Typical female response, I started screaming and stamping my feet. I managed to kick them in front of the shed and started to pull again. Lo, and behold, one of them came back to try and become acquainted again!
I have to say I like black snakes. I do. In Florida, we have the poisonous coral snake. Years ago, I read the pharmaceutical company stopped making the antidote. Wasn't profitable. Now what? If you're bitten, do you just die, too bad, so sad? Supposedly, black snake kill coral snakes, so as long as they're in the yard, I feel safer. I just prefer they keep their distance.
But, I don't like weeds. They remind me of sin. Either you root them out or they come back with a vengeance. Sand burrs aren't too hard to get up, if the ground is soft from rain. Crab grass is another story, and for the moment, I think I'll let it grow. At least, it's green and isn't something that sticks to the dog's paws.
Some sin is harder to root out than others, too. I hope I remember that when I see the crab grass spreading and work a little harder at rooting out those things in my heart that grieve my Lord. Scripture memory and prayer are not only nourishment for the soul, but will also make me aware of the weeds that need rooting out. There's work to be done.
We're very grateful for all the rain we've had so far this year, making the watering chore a lot easier. However, for the first couple of purchases, we made the mistake of buying fertilizer only, which produced a bumper crop of sand burrs in the backyard instead of grass.
One Saturday, I got busy pulling them. I like to pull weeds. It's very relaxing. My mind wanders while my hands methodically pull. Who knows what great feats of daring do my mind was accomplishing, keeping me from noticing two black snakes that wanted to be in the same space I was occupying? I didn't see them, I felt them slithering across my foot. Typical female response, I started screaming and stamping my feet. I managed to kick them in front of the shed and started to pull again. Lo, and behold, one of them came back to try and become acquainted again!
I have to say I like black snakes. I do. In Florida, we have the poisonous coral snake. Years ago, I read the pharmaceutical company stopped making the antidote. Wasn't profitable. Now what? If you're bitten, do you just die, too bad, so sad? Supposedly, black snake kill coral snakes, so as long as they're in the yard, I feel safer. I just prefer they keep their distance.
But, I don't like weeds. They remind me of sin. Either you root them out or they come back with a vengeance. Sand burrs aren't too hard to get up, if the ground is soft from rain. Crab grass is another story, and for the moment, I think I'll let it grow. At least, it's green and isn't something that sticks to the dog's paws.
Some sin is harder to root out than others, too. I hope I remember that when I see the crab grass spreading and work a little harder at rooting out those things in my heart that grieve my Lord. Scripture memory and prayer are not only nourishment for the soul, but will also make me aware of the weeds that need rooting out. There's work to be done.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)