De-junking.
It sucks.
It's hard work.
It's dirty work and....
I hate doing it.
So many little things build up, pile up and otherwise clutter up the shelves of our homes and our lives....
Today, I found a red velvet dress that my mother had made for my oldest daughter when she was only six or seven years old. The dress is a mostly frayed and tattered now.
I know that I should throw it away. The dress isn't salvageable and this strikes me as rather sad because it reminds me that in the end, our relationship as mother and daughter never proved salvageable either.
My mother died earlier this year. Because we were at odds most of my life, I sometimes feel that the finality of her death has stolen something from me. The possibility of reconciliation is gone now...cold...dead... and moldering in some Georgia grave along with my mother's ashes.
So, when I found my daughter's velvet dress with it's fraying seams, all worn and ready for the garbage, I couldn't bring myself to toss it away in the dump pile.
I've decided that I'm going to save the fabric.
Why?
I don't know. Perhaps, even in the face of my mother's death, I'm just not ready to let go.
And so, I sit here...a little bewildered by all of the boxes of junk around me, and just a little surprised that all these months later I feel as if I've once again been pimp slapped by grief, and loss, and by the finality of death itself.
I hate it.
I hate it and I fight it so because in spite of the all unkind words and hateful actions that were exchanged between my mother and myself, I still loved my mother.
Part of me hates myself for loving her...
and...
part of me is grateful that I did.
In this moment, I choose to cling to that grateful piece, just like I chose not to throw away the red velvet dress that my mother made all those years ago....
These are good choices I think, or at least they are ones that I can live with until the next de-junking day rolls back around.
There. I'm done. It's time for a coffee and a pecan sandy.
Two perfect endings to one productive day!
Monday, July 31, 2006
Sunday, July 30, 2006
To dream an impossible dream.....
If I had the money, I would buy the Jewish Temple that is up for sale down the street. (That sentence makes me laugh..."up for sale down the street"? Sheesh!)
Why would I buy the Temple down the street?
Well, I would like to start a new church.
A new church you say?
Yes, a new church....a church for my neighborhood.
A church whose congregation reflects all of the pain and suffering, all of the glory and goodness that I see happening around me on a daily basis.
It would be a church of many colors, many traditions, many ages, many income levels, all bound together by the love of Christ.
It would be a church committed to loving one another and to loving others in our community.
We would exist for one purpose only. To love God, to love ourselves and to love one another.
We would explore together what that "loving" actually looks like.
We would not be afraid to wrestle with the difficult questions, with God, or with one another; but we would do so with respect, kindness and love.
We would be a church that would worship together, not spend half of our time discussing church business.
All discussions of the three "B's" (buildings, budgets, and butts in seats), would be banned in our church.
Instead, we would worship the most high God. We would include the elderly, the young, the crack whores and the elementary school teachers. We would dance and we would sing for the glory of God.
.....and then, when we have failed in any of this (and failure is inevitable in some form), we would practice forgiveness with both ourselves and with one another.
Ahhh well, I suppose it's a good thing that I don't have the money to buy the Temple building down the street.
In the end, I doubt such a church would survive.
Still, it doesn't hurt to dream now does it?
So what if the dream is an impossible one?
It doesn't hurt to dream.....
****************
Why would I buy the Temple down the street?
Well, I would like to start a new church.
A new church you say?
Yes, a new church....a church for my neighborhood.
A church whose congregation reflects all of the pain and suffering, all of the glory and goodness that I see happening around me on a daily basis.
It would be a church of many colors, many traditions, many ages, many income levels, all bound together by the love of Christ.
It would be a church committed to loving one another and to loving others in our community.
We would exist for one purpose only. To love God, to love ourselves and to love one another.
We would explore together what that "loving" actually looks like.
We would not be afraid to wrestle with the difficult questions, with God, or with one another; but we would do so with respect, kindness and love.
We would be a church that would worship together, not spend half of our time discussing church business.
All discussions of the three "B's" (buildings, budgets, and butts in seats), would be banned in our church.
Instead, we would worship the most high God. We would include the elderly, the young, the crack whores and the elementary school teachers. We would dance and we would sing for the glory of God.
.....and then, when we have failed in any of this (and failure is inevitable in some form), we would practice forgiveness with both ourselves and with one another.
Ahhh well, I suppose it's a good thing that I don't have the money to buy the Temple building down the street.
In the end, I doubt such a church would survive.
Still, it doesn't hurt to dream now does it?
So what if the dream is an impossible one?
It doesn't hurt to dream.....
****************
PS~ The Jewish Temple is still alive and thriving. They are just moving to bigger, better and brighter digs! Thus, their former building is now available for purchase!
Saturday, July 29, 2006
Dancing with the pipe cleaner man!
I have a secret to confess.
I watch "So You Think You Can Dance"!
Yes, I admit it right here and now. Two nights out of every week I tune in just to watch Nigel and the rest of the gang dance themselves into Ballroom/Rap/Contemporary oblivion.
Well, maybe you don't have time for all of this network foo-fa-la?
I'm down with that.
Check out the Pipe Cleaner Dancer!
Just click the link! Then you will be able choreograph your very own hip-hop dance routine.
Throw a little imagination into the mix and you might even be able to imagine you are the one doing the dancing!
C'mon, what are you waiting for? You know you want to, right? Just do it! Click the link!
Pipe Cleaner Dancer!
I watch "So You Think You Can Dance"!
Yes, I admit it right here and now. Two nights out of every week I tune in just to watch Nigel and the rest of the gang dance themselves into Ballroom/Rap/Contemporary oblivion.
Well, maybe you don't have time for all of this network foo-fa-la?
I'm down with that.
Check out the Pipe Cleaner Dancer!
Just click the link! Then you will be able choreograph your very own hip-hop dance routine.
Throw a little imagination into the mix and you might even be able to imagine you are the one doing the dancing!
C'mon, what are you waiting for? You know you want to, right? Just do it! Click the link!
Pipe Cleaner Dancer!
Thursday, July 27, 2006
Crate and Barrel VS. Bongs and Condoms?
The other day my 16 year old asked if would be ok to walk to the mall with a neighborhood friend.
Our family has a rule about the mall. We go for a specific purpose. We don't go to troll for boy/girl candy.
When I asked why they needed to go to the mall and what stores they were interested in visiting, my daughter's friend mentioned three stores, one of which I did not recognize.
So I said, "Ok, so I recognize two of the stores you mentioned, but I don't know that third one. They don't sell bongs and condoms there do they?"
My daughter busted out laughing and her friend looked shocked, "No, Jerri I promise! They sell wallets and purses not bongs and condoms."
Later, when I was relating this conversation to my husband he laughs and says, "Bongs and condoms? You seriously asked if the store sold bongs and condoms?"
"Well yes I did. What's so funny about that?"
"I don't know," he replied, "I guess it's just the way you say it like it's some kind of Crate and Barrel store."
Crate and Barrel?
I don't know what's funnier, my husband's little quip or the fact that he even knows what a Crate and Barrel store is. After all, he absolutely hates to shop and we don't even have a Crate and Barrel store in our state, much less our local area!
Too funny!
Our family has a rule about the mall. We go for a specific purpose. We don't go to troll for boy/girl candy.
When I asked why they needed to go to the mall and what stores they were interested in visiting, my daughter's friend mentioned three stores, one of which I did not recognize.
So I said, "Ok, so I recognize two of the stores you mentioned, but I don't know that third one. They don't sell bongs and condoms there do they?"
My daughter busted out laughing and her friend looked shocked, "No, Jerri I promise! They sell wallets and purses not bongs and condoms."
Later, when I was relating this conversation to my husband he laughs and says, "Bongs and condoms? You seriously asked if the store sold bongs and condoms?"
"Well yes I did. What's so funny about that?"
"I don't know," he replied, "I guess it's just the way you say it like it's some kind of Crate and Barrel store."
Crate and Barrel?
I don't know what's funnier, my husband's little quip or the fact that he even knows what a Crate and Barrel store is. After all, he absolutely hates to shop and we don't even have a Crate and Barrel store in our state, much less our local area!
Too funny!
Wednesday, July 26, 2006
Thursday's Thirteen Ways To Blow a Wad!
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1…. I would gut and remodel our home. 2.... I would find the world's kindest, most altruistic dentist to provide dental care for my family, and I'd pay him/her triple just for being such a generous person. (Can you tell that I have issues with dental care and dental care providers?) 3.... I would tell my sister to quit her job and I would write her a blank check to follow her dreams! 4.... I would learn to kayak. 5.... I would pay to publish my husband's novel. 6.... I would give Annie the nest egg of her dreams. 7.... I would stash just enough money away to ensure that our children could go to college and that my husband and I would have enough for a modest retirement. 8... I would fund athletic scholarships for children in my city who wish to compete in school athletics but cannot afford the participation and equipment fees. 9... I would support the various agencies in our city that deal hands on with the issues surrounding homelessness. 10... I would support the arts! 11... I would give generously to our church, especially to the Recovery and the Neighborhood/Caring ministries. 12... I would support adult literacy and ESL programs. 13... Excluding the little bit I would reserve for my own modest retirement and the monies I would reserve for my childrens' education (we are talking less then 10 mil here), I would make it my mission to give away every single penny to the people and to the community I love! |
The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun!
Monday, July 24, 2006
Beat the heat!
It has been hot in our neck of the woods.
105 degrees hot!
I hate the heat and I especially hate the heat when the power goes out.
Yesterday, around 5:00 p.m. the power mysteriously did just that.
Poof!
Off went our little window air conditioner! Off went the refrigerator, along with our meat packed freezer!
Now, I don't mind sweating the evening out; but losing everything in the freezer and the refrigerator was almost too much for me to bear. I mean, can you imagine the cost of replacing all of those items? Just thinking about it was enough to send my heat addled brain a'spinning.
As luck would have it, the power did turn back on a few hours later.... and the funny thing was, when it did, we failed to even notice.
Why?
By that time, half of our neighborhood had crammed itself into our 15 feet by 3 and 1/2 feet deep Intex Easy Set pool!
One by one, folks followed the sounds of splashing water. Some brought cold drinks with ice, others carried over their prized H2O melons ready for slicing, a bag or two of chips materialized and the party began.
It was a sweet time filled with laughter, and splashing, intermixed with some very interesting conversation.
I don't know how it is for all of you; but when the temperature soars to 105, the neighborhood goes dead. Nothing moves. It's as if the very air itself weighs too much for our fragile human bodies to bear...so we all shutter up our windows, and move inside to our air conditioned homes.
Last night, the interruption of power literally drove us out of our homes and into that heat heavy and hostile environment.
Neighbors who had formerly been seperated by the heat, as if imprisoned within their air conditioned homes were driven outside and into the community that had long since been stilled by all 105 of those sweltering degrees.
I would not wish this on anyone. Heat kills.
...and yet, something wonderful happened for the three hours we were without power. Our little corner of the world came together and our commiseration became a celebration.
It was a wonderful evening and when one of the children pointed out to us that our kitchen lights were back on, one by one, we extricated ourselves from the pool. Watermelon rinds slipped into garbage bags, slushy ice coolers were emptied, and in my pool cooled contentment I watched as our neighbors marched back to their own homes.
Again, heat kills.
It kills animals and plants and people; and if we aren't careful, it can also kill our joy in community, because heat somehow functions to seperate and to divide us from one another.
But NOT this time!
No, for a brief period, the heat drew us all together and life was sweet, and good, and summer-like in an old fashioned kind of way that reminded me of my own youth, when basements were our equivalants to central air conditioning.
My friends, help keep your neighbors safe this summer.
Don't let the summer heat rob you of either life, or community.
Let's all beat the heat together!
105 degrees hot!
I hate the heat and I especially hate the heat when the power goes out.
Yesterday, around 5:00 p.m. the power mysteriously did just that.
Poof!
Off went our little window air conditioner! Off went the refrigerator, along with our meat packed freezer!
Now, I don't mind sweating the evening out; but losing everything in the freezer and the refrigerator was almost too much for me to bear. I mean, can you imagine the cost of replacing all of those items? Just thinking about it was enough to send my heat addled brain a'spinning.
As luck would have it, the power did turn back on a few hours later.... and the funny thing was, when it did, we failed to even notice.
Why?
By that time, half of our neighborhood had crammed itself into our 15 feet by 3 and 1/2 feet deep Intex Easy Set pool!
One by one, folks followed the sounds of splashing water. Some brought cold drinks with ice, others carried over their prized H2O melons ready for slicing, a bag or two of chips materialized and the party began.
It was a sweet time filled with laughter, and splashing, intermixed with some very interesting conversation.
I don't know how it is for all of you; but when the temperature soars to 105, the neighborhood goes dead. Nothing moves. It's as if the very air itself weighs too much for our fragile human bodies to bear...so we all shutter up our windows, and move inside to our air conditioned homes.
Last night, the interruption of power literally drove us out of our homes and into that heat heavy and hostile environment.
Neighbors who had formerly been seperated by the heat, as if imprisoned within their air conditioned homes were driven outside and into the community that had long since been stilled by all 105 of those sweltering degrees.
I would not wish this on anyone. Heat kills.
...and yet, something wonderful happened for the three hours we were without power. Our little corner of the world came together and our commiseration became a celebration.
It was a wonderful evening and when one of the children pointed out to us that our kitchen lights were back on, one by one, we extricated ourselves from the pool. Watermelon rinds slipped into garbage bags, slushy ice coolers were emptied, and in my pool cooled contentment I watched as our neighbors marched back to their own homes.
Again, heat kills.
It kills animals and plants and people; and if we aren't careful, it can also kill our joy in community, because heat somehow functions to seperate and to divide us from one another.
But NOT this time!
No, for a brief period, the heat drew us all together and life was sweet, and good, and summer-like in an old fashioned kind of way that reminded me of my own youth, when basements were our equivalants to central air conditioning.
My friends, help keep your neighbors safe this summer.
Don't let the summer heat rob you of either life, or community.
Let's all beat the heat together!
Saturday, July 22, 2006
God rushes in!
This morning I read a story in Numbers 21:4-9.
It's a story about Moses and about the children of Israel.
In this story, the Israelites have been journeying through the wilderness and they began to speak bitterly against the Lord. God responded by sending fiery (aka poisonous) serpents among them to punish them for their sin.
In their distress, the children of Israel humbled themselves and cried out to God for mercy. And God, because He is loving kindness, had mercy upon his rebellious children.
God told Moses to raise a serpent of bronze upon a pole in the center of the camp, so that any who had been bitten might look upon it and be healed.
Do you suppose that any of those who lay dieing refused to turn their faces towards the bronze serpent?
I cannot imagine that any did.
Sooo....
What if I told you that God is always with you?
What if I told that God is always reaching for you with outstretched arms?
What if I told you the God yearns for you to respond to His holy presence?
Sometimes I have difficulties believing this and then I read a story like the one I've just shared and I remember.
I remember that God is always with me, that His arms are out stretched, and that He yearns for me to respond to His holy presence.
What's stopping you from turning your face towards God?
What's stopping you from running headlong into His loving arms?
Me?
I'm prideful.
I'm fat with laziness.
I'm sometimes afraid.
I am even overwhelmed by my own unworthiness.
But here's the amazing part......
As lazy, as fat, and as sinful as I truly am, all I have to do is look in God's direction and He comes rushing to me. I get to live the Number's story and the Prodigal parable, over and over in my life.
I glance, and God rushes in! I glance and God rushes in!
God is good
Selah...
God is good!
It's a story about Moses and about the children of Israel.
In this story, the Israelites have been journeying through the wilderness and they began to speak bitterly against the Lord. God responded by sending fiery (aka poisonous) serpents among them to punish them for their sin.
In their distress, the children of Israel humbled themselves and cried out to God for mercy. And God, because He is loving kindness, had mercy upon his rebellious children.
God told Moses to raise a serpent of bronze upon a pole in the center of the camp, so that any who had been bitten might look upon it and be healed.
Do you suppose that any of those who lay dieing refused to turn their faces towards the bronze serpent?
I cannot imagine that any did.
Sooo....
What if I told you that God is always with you?
What if I told that God is always reaching for you with outstretched arms?
What if I told you the God yearns for you to respond to His holy presence?
Sometimes I have difficulties believing this and then I read a story like the one I've just shared and I remember.
I remember that God is always with me, that His arms are out stretched, and that He yearns for me to respond to His holy presence.
What's stopping you from turning your face towards God?
What's stopping you from running headlong into His loving arms?
Me?
I'm prideful.
I'm fat with laziness.
I'm sometimes afraid.
I am even overwhelmed by my own unworthiness.
But here's the amazing part......
As lazy, as fat, and as sinful as I truly am, all I have to do is look in God's direction and He comes rushing to me. I get to live the Number's story and the Prodigal parable, over and over in my life.
I glance, and God rushes in! I glance and God rushes in!
God is good
Selah...
God is good!
Friday, July 21, 2006
Thursday, July 20, 2006
Thursday's Thirteen Questions (And Responses)
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1…. Mommy, when I grow up will I be a mean mommy? (Oh honey, why would you even ask that question? When that time comes, I just know that you will be one of the most amazing mommies on the entire planet!) 2.... Why does that guy have only one leg? (He just does, that's all. Lots of us are missing various body parts, for lots of different reasons.) 3.... Will it hurt when my tooth falls out? What happens if it falls out while I'm sleeping? How will the Tooth Fairy find me? (Sometimes it hurts, but not usually. Thus far, no one in our family has aspirated on their tooth while they were sleeping, so you can rest easy child; and never fear, the tooth fairy has loved you since before you were born and she knows just where to find you!) 4.... What's the funniest word you've ever heard? (titillate) How's that spelled? (titillate) What does titillate mean? (Go ask your Dad!) 5.... Don't you think it's a little strange to name all of your outfits? (Now why would you ask that? Are you embarrassed that I have my "Grateful Dead Garb", my "Granny Gear", my "Peggy Hill glasses"?) 6.... Who would Jesus bomb? (Who do you think Jesus would bomb?) Eight year old responds: Satan. (Naaaw son, God doesn't bomb Satan, God just throws Satan in a lake of fire.) Eight year old responds: That doesn't sound a whole lot different to me. 7.... How come you don't like to go to church? (I don't have a good reason. I'm bad. I'm bad. I'm very, very bad.) 8.... What's the strangest place you and Dad have ever had sex? (WHAAAT? Go ask your Dad!) 9.... Why do you call me "Boo"? (Because you are sooo gosh darn booootiful!) 10... Can you feel me? (In our family, this is code for "I think I'm sick." In this instance, I felt the kid up and said, "Sorry Charlie, you feel fine! No fever detected. You have to go.") 11... What's for dinner? (Uhhhhh, the same menu I told you when you asked five minutes ago!) 12... Did you know for only 30 cents more you can get that in a venti? (Crap, really?) 13... Would you pray for me? (Yes, of course I will.....and I have.) |
The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun!
Wednesday, July 19, 2006
Summer's bounty!
This morning we were up with the sun and we ventured out to pick wild blackberries.We discovered that the bushes are loaded with fruit this year. Unfortunately for us, the majority of said fruit consists of pale green, unripened berries.
We somehow managed to find and to pick enough to make a small cobbler. It will be a tart and tangy cobbler...one which requires a spoon of icy, delicious vanilla icecream on the side.
Later on this morning, I will walk to the Wednesday Farmer's market. We have a hankering for a few spoons of fresh green beans to accompany our grilled chicken, jalapeno Cheddar cheese cornbread and blackberry cobbler.
Mmmmm, mmmmmmm, don't you wish you were coming to our house for dinner?
Sunday, July 16, 2006
The thin spots of my life.
There are some days when I wake up and as I roll over and I feel my husband's weight in the bed next to me, a sweet and languid kind of peace washes through me. On days such as these, it's as if a river of contentment rolls across my shoulders, down the small of my back where it pools and trickles into the depths of my solar plexus.
Sometimes I think that there are thin spots in this world, sheer and delicate places where eternal love will mysteriously break through the ordinary time that binds all of our lives.
Those quiet, waking moments of unexplainable joy are examples of the thin places in my life; but then, I believe that I am surrounded by these thin places.
For example, there are some days, when I resolve not to mind the fiery blast of the summer sun, because I know that these days will not last forever and I endeavor to savor July and August like a sweetly minted iced tea. When I do this, the days stretch on into forever and life seems to still and to slow until I am so incredibly present to what is, that I hear the very beating of my neighbors' hearts!
...these too are the moments when the eternal mysteriously breaks through what we call, "ordinary time".
Years ago, my youngest daughter and I would play a simple game that involved listening to one another's heart. We no longer play this game from her babyhood, but sometimes my daughter, now five, will be resting quietly next to me and she will say, "Mommy, I want to hear your heart beat." And when she presses her ear against my breast, our breaths mingle, and the very cadence of our lives and our hearts merge; and it is then that I know with a deep kind of knowing that the eternal has once again broken through.
I believe time stands still in such moments.
I believe that when we live our lives well, the fabric of our lives and who knows, perhaps the fabric of time itself, becomes so worn and transparent that the eternal presses in on us from all sides.
I want to live in the thin places. I want to throb and to ache with the pulse of life until my own heartbeat joins the eternal rhythm of God's own heartbeat.
I believe this is possible.
I believe this is happening even now.
Won't you join me?
Sometimes I think that there are thin spots in this world, sheer and delicate places where eternal love will mysteriously break through the ordinary time that binds all of our lives.
Those quiet, waking moments of unexplainable joy are examples of the thin places in my life; but then, I believe that I am surrounded by these thin places.
For example, there are some days, when I resolve not to mind the fiery blast of the summer sun, because I know that these days will not last forever and I endeavor to savor July and August like a sweetly minted iced tea. When I do this, the days stretch on into forever and life seems to still and to slow until I am so incredibly present to what is, that I hear the very beating of my neighbors' hearts!
...these too are the moments when the eternal mysteriously breaks through what we call, "ordinary time".
Years ago, my youngest daughter and I would play a simple game that involved listening to one another's heart. We no longer play this game from her babyhood, but sometimes my daughter, now five, will be resting quietly next to me and she will say, "Mommy, I want to hear your heart beat." And when she presses her ear against my breast, our breaths mingle, and the very cadence of our lives and our hearts merge; and it is then that I know with a deep kind of knowing that the eternal has once again broken through.
I believe time stands still in such moments.
I believe that when we live our lives well, the fabric of our lives and who knows, perhaps the fabric of time itself, becomes so worn and transparent that the eternal presses in on us from all sides.
I want to live in the thin places. I want to throb and to ache with the pulse of life until my own heartbeat joins the eternal rhythm of God's own heartbeat.
I believe this is possible.
I believe this is happening even now.
Won't you join me?
Friday, July 14, 2006
Youthful Prostate Function?
quarter page sized advertisement in our daily paper
All I have to say is, WHAT THE HECK?
I mean, who says, "I have trouble starting my stream."?
What a strange ad to see sitting right next to the "letters to the editor" section of our local newspaper.
Sheesh, maybe I just have too much time on my hands; but after reading this ad, I suddenly found myself wondering if the advertiser specifically requested this particular page and placement for their ad.
Do you suppose it's possible that more elderly dudes with diminished prostrate function read the editorials than do younger guys or women of any age? If so, then I guess this product advertisement will have reached its desired audience/consumer.
Pfft, don't mind me. The summer heat has finally cooked my brain.
Thursday, July 13, 2006
Thursday's Thirteen Ordinary Things.....
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1…. I water my Early Girl tomatoes and I dream of August's harvest. Ripe, juicy tomatoes, oh yum! 2... I walk to the Farmer's Market and buy fresh peaches, kholarabi, gourmet dog biscuits and green beans. (Truth be told, what I buy changes week to week.) 3... I give money away to panhandlers. Yesterday it was a legless Vietnam vet. He only asked for small change but I gave him more. (Don't tell me what a schmuck I am for doing this, or how I'm only hurting the men and women I pass a few bucks to now and then. They ask, I see a need and I give what I have...which usually isn't a whole lot.) 4... I scrub toilets...and let me tell you, it's a gagolicious job, but somebody's got to do it, right? 5... I wipe dog slobber/snobber off of the windows. Since Lily D. Dog can't actually reach the squirrels that taunt her in the great out of doors, she tries to lick and snot her way through the glass. Thank you God for Windex, it really is a superior doggy booger wiper upper. 6... I mentor three women from our county drug court. It isn't glamorous. It's frequently heartbreaking; but each woman is worth every tear, every prayer, every minute spent in their company! Sometimes I only walk with them for a few months, sometimes it's a longer journey, but oh how I treasure that they let me in and that we walk together through this crazy thing called life! 7... I cook ad nauseum, morning, noon, and night! Yesterday I made homemade pizza and let me tell you, it was heavenly! 8... I read! Oh, how I love to read! Currently I'm reading my way through Yancey's book, "Rumors of Another World.", Miller's book, "Through Painted Deserts", and Chuck Colson's book, "Loving God". I also read my Bible...lately I've found new life in the Psalms. 9... I hug my my children and I tell them that I love them. When I do this, I pray for God's blessing upon them and I always feel the power of His Holy love wash over us! 10... I watch tv. I watch pointless shows, and I watch pertinent shows...I watch out of boredom and out of intent but whichever way, I spend far too much time watching. I sometimes wonder what novels I would have written, what lives I might have touched, had I not been glued to the boob tube...... 11... I walk every day. I see new things this way. Walking is a delight for me. 12... I sing. I'm tone deaf but that doesn't stop me from belting out the oldies with everything I've got! Once a passerby actually told me that I made his day every time he heard me singing while he was walking by on his way to work. I'm guessing for every day made, I've ruined a few too! 13... I dance with my dog. We don't really dance, mostly we just chase each other madly around the house. She barks and jumps, I laugh and stomp around! It's hilarious! |
The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well!
Wednesday, July 12, 2006
Auras Anyone?
| Jerri's Aura is Purple |
 Jerri's Personality: She's a dreamer and visionary. Jerri believes she was put on this earth to do something great. (Did they forget "Mother" in this mix, or what?) |
Tuesday, July 11, 2006
The Wasp Killer
I thought of a rather cruel trick I once played on a wasp.
He was sucking jam on my plate, and I cut him in half. He paid no attention, merely went on with his meal, while a tiny stream of jam trickled out of his severed esophagus.
Only when he tried to fly away did he grasp the dreadful thing that had happened to him.
It is the same with modern man.
The thing that has been cut away is his soul.
~George Orwell
Why is it so strangely frightening for me to imagine a wasp, cruelly cut in half, with jam oozing from its esophagus?
Just thinking about it makes me shiver with fear and revulsion.
If I were cut in half, what do you suppose would ooze from my esophagus?
Reality television?
My lover's breath?
Html code, perhaps?
What would it be?
All of the above in my case, and then some.
What if Orwell was right?
What if we are like that pitiful wasp?
What if we are too busy stuffing our own selves that we fail to even notice when our souls are cut away?
Oh, guard our souls, dear God!
Guard our souls!
He was sucking jam on my plate, and I cut him in half. He paid no attention, merely went on with his meal, while a tiny stream of jam trickled out of his severed esophagus.
Only when he tried to fly away did he grasp the dreadful thing that had happened to him.
It is the same with modern man.
The thing that has been cut away is his soul.
~George Orwell
Why is it so strangely frightening for me to imagine a wasp, cruelly cut in half, with jam oozing from its esophagus?
Just thinking about it makes me shiver with fear and revulsion.
If I were cut in half, what do you suppose would ooze from my esophagus?
Reality television?
My lover's breath?
Html code, perhaps?
What would it be?
All of the above in my case, and then some.
What if Orwell was right?
What if we are like that pitiful wasp?
What if we are too busy stuffing our own selves that we fail to even notice when our souls are cut away?
Oh, guard our souls, dear God!
Guard our souls!
Sunday, July 09, 2006
One Girl's Gam and a Mouth Full of Truffles.
Don't you just love my new leg?My friend Annie has such perfect timing.
Somehow she knew that I have been sorrowing for all of the little inconsequential things that I've yet to experience in this life. Things like long legs, and clear skin, and tropical island paradises.
Somehow she knew that I have been overwhelmed with the tasks of speech writing and child rearing.
Somehow she knew that I needed to see a friend.
As only a good friend can, Annie knew that I needed to step outside of my own life (in order to step back in); and so, she came and she whisked me away. We spent our time sipping coffee in the early morning sun. And in that time together we laughed, and we dreamed, and we ate apple fritters and cranberry orange scones.
Somehow, this time away allowed me to reclaim a little of the "me" that I had lost in the busyness of sorrowing and tending to the details of my life.
And just when I thought the morning couldn't get any better, Annie pulls out this gorgeous mannequin leg from her back seat and she says, "Here Jerri, this is for you. I found two legs at a garage sale down the street and I just had to get one for you!"
Isn't this just the most perfect gift ever?
My children were so envious when they saw my new treasure.
"Wow" exclaimed my eight year old son, "you get to keep that?"
"Heck yes!" I replied.
What a gam!
What a morning!
What a life!
********
Post Script~ My speech last night did not go well. In the first place, I was asked to trash can the original plan to even give a speech. We engaged in a question/answer kind of format, which I happen to really love but in this case I was tired, and nervous and lacking in confidence.
It was a recipe for disaster and a disaster it was...by my estimation anyway.
I'm thinking this will be the end to my short lived speaking career.
That's ok though, the whole evening was a great excuse to gorge on dark chocolate Lindor truffles....and oh, I think I love those darn truffles almost as much as I love my new, long and lovely plastic gam!
(Isn't "gam" the funniest word ever?)
Friday, July 07, 2006
Bumper Sticker Chic?
My sister is braver than I.
Go check out her bumper sticker collection.
Me?
I have three bumper stickers and they are all three on my freezer door.
One says:
"Got beads?"
Another says:
"Save Head Start"
And finally:
"Proud Parent of a D.A.R.E. Graduate"
Yeah, I know.
I'm pathetic when it comes to possessing anything approximating my sister's daring bumper sticker display.
My sister's also taller and prettier than I.
Yes, as luck would have it my sister won the genetic coin toss and somehow managed to corner all of the "good" family genes for herself and she managed to get all of my mother's best lithographs too.
Me?
I've got beads.
Lucky me.
****
PS~ Really, I don't mind the whole lithograph thing....but why, oh why couldn't I have been born with long, lovely legs?
Go check out her bumper sticker collection.
Me?
I have three bumper stickers and they are all three on my freezer door.
One says:
"Got beads?"
Another says:
"Save Head Start"
And finally:
"Proud Parent of a D.A.R.E. Graduate"
Yeah, I know.
I'm pathetic when it comes to possessing anything approximating my sister's daring bumper sticker display.
My sister's also taller and prettier than I.
Yes, as luck would have it my sister won the genetic coin toss and somehow managed to corner all of the "good" family genes for herself and she managed to get all of my mother's best lithographs too.
Me?
I've got beads.
Lucky me.
****
PS~ Really, I don't mind the whole lithograph thing....but why, oh why couldn't I have been born with long, lovely legs?
Thursday, July 06, 2006
Quips and Quotes
Normally I like to do a "Thursday's Thirteen" meme, but right now I am absolutely certain that I do not have enough gray matter firing to calculate my way past the number three.
Given the current limitations of my intellectual capabilities, I am choosing instead to share a brief snippet from a conversation I just had with my ten year old daughter.
"So," says I, "how was camp today?"
(All four of our oldest children have been away this week at our church's day camp!)
"Well," she replies, "we didn't learn anything about getting naked for Jesus, but we did talk about the story of Zacharias."
OMG!
I laughed so hard, I almost peed my pants!
***********
PS~ To understand the hilarity of this comment you have to understand that I am currently writing a speech about the spiritual discipline of simplicity and that I've playfully entitled this speech, "Getting Naked For Jesus."
Over the past couple of days, my ten year old has been a faithful audience of one, helping me practice my delivery!
I'm not sure if her comment is indicative of the fact that she thinks my message is worthy enough to be taught at church camp, or whether she just has one razor sharp sense of humor!
Either way, she made me laugh and all that oxygen rushing to my brain has supplied the burst of energy I needed to get this post written.
All of which just goes to show that I need to laugh a little more....
Given the current limitations of my intellectual capabilities, I am choosing instead to share a brief snippet from a conversation I just had with my ten year old daughter.
"So," says I, "how was camp today?"
(All four of our oldest children have been away this week at our church's day camp!)
"Well," she replies, "we didn't learn anything about getting naked for Jesus, but we did talk about the story of Zacharias."
OMG!
I laughed so hard, I almost peed my pants!
***********
PS~ To understand the hilarity of this comment you have to understand that I am currently writing a speech about the spiritual discipline of simplicity and that I've playfully entitled this speech, "Getting Naked For Jesus."
Over the past couple of days, my ten year old has been a faithful audience of one, helping me practice my delivery!
I'm not sure if her comment is indicative of the fact that she thinks my message is worthy enough to be taught at church camp, or whether she just has one razor sharp sense of humor!
Either way, she made me laugh and all that oxygen rushing to my brain has supplied the burst of energy I needed to get this post written.
All of which just goes to show that I need to laugh a little more....
Tuesday, July 04, 2006
Sacred nudity
Yeah Baby!
I'm getting naked with Jesus!
Oh, I know that sounds a tad irreverent to some of you, but I truly mean this in the best of all possible ways!
You see, I'm currently preparing a speech about the spiritual discipline of simplicity and I'm approaching this topic by describing how my willingness to become spiritually naked before the Almighty God has been absolutely foundational to my practice of spiritual simplicity.
I've decided to open my speech by disclosing a deep dark secret from my youth. You see, in my younger years, it was well known by most of my friends that I was quite the nudist. (Gasp!)
Yes, you read correctly. Whilst I was a young college student, I whiled away many an hour butt naked at local "clothing optional" beaches (beaches in this instance were sandy strips along river banks or lining lake shores) and hot springs.
I'm quite the "proper" Christian woman these days and I no longer frequent places that encourage, much less practice corporate nudity. I suppose you could say that I consider my clothing to be but one tender mercy which I graciously and lovingly extend to others.
My husband thinks that I might just be walking a fine line with this approach and he has suggested that I prepare myself for offending some of my audience's finer sensibilities.
Thus I now find myself in a quandary.
Do I continue this tact with my speech?
Do I risk offending my brothers and sisters in Christ by sharing this little tidbit about my secret, former life as a college nude-nik?
Do I risk suggesting that as uncomfortable and frightening as it may be, each one of us must at least try to strip away the pretense of our life and stand naked before God?
Am I truly being crass if I ask everyone present to get naked for Jesus' sake, to strip themselves bare, so that they might discover that they are completely and utterly dependent upon God for everything in their life?
Maybe I am....but then again, maybe God has called upon my crasser self to speak just this message.
Why, oh why did I agree to do these speaking engagements?
I suppose this is where the proverbial buck stops and all excuses end. If I myself am not willing to stand naked before others, before myself and before God, for the sake of Christ, then I'm just blowing spiritual smoke up everyone's patooty, aren't I?
Dang nab it! I've never been much of smoker, so I guess when Saturday evening rolls around I'll be sharing straight from my little ole clothing optional heart!
Pray for me, won't you? I'm afraid....sorely afraid!
I'm getting naked with Jesus!
Oh, I know that sounds a tad irreverent to some of you, but I truly mean this in the best of all possible ways!
You see, I'm currently preparing a speech about the spiritual discipline of simplicity and I'm approaching this topic by describing how my willingness to become spiritually naked before the Almighty God has been absolutely foundational to my practice of spiritual simplicity.
I've decided to open my speech by disclosing a deep dark secret from my youth. You see, in my younger years, it was well known by most of my friends that I was quite the nudist. (Gasp!)
Yes, you read correctly. Whilst I was a young college student, I whiled away many an hour butt naked at local "clothing optional" beaches (beaches in this instance were sandy strips along river banks or lining lake shores) and hot springs.
I'm quite the "proper" Christian woman these days and I no longer frequent places that encourage, much less practice corporate nudity. I suppose you could say that I consider my clothing to be but one tender mercy which I graciously and lovingly extend to others.
My husband thinks that I might just be walking a fine line with this approach and he has suggested that I prepare myself for offending some of my audience's finer sensibilities.
Thus I now find myself in a quandary.
Do I continue this tact with my speech?
Do I risk offending my brothers and sisters in Christ by sharing this little tidbit about my secret, former life as a college nude-nik?
Do I risk suggesting that as uncomfortable and frightening as it may be, each one of us must at least try to strip away the pretense of our life and stand naked before God?
Am I truly being crass if I ask everyone present to get naked for Jesus' sake, to strip themselves bare, so that they might discover that they are completely and utterly dependent upon God for everything in their life?
Maybe I am....but then again, maybe God has called upon my crasser self to speak just this message.
Why, oh why did I agree to do these speaking engagements?
I suppose this is where the proverbial buck stops and all excuses end. If I myself am not willing to stand naked before others, before myself and before God, for the sake of Christ, then I'm just blowing spiritual smoke up everyone's patooty, aren't I?
Dang nab it! I've never been much of smoker, so I guess when Saturday evening rolls around I'll be sharing straight from my little ole clothing optional heart!
Pray for me, won't you? I'm afraid....sorely afraid!
Sunday, July 02, 2006
Simple things
Yesterday I felt such a heaviness in both my spiritual and my physical life, that I sought relief in a bath full of bubbles.
Armed with a fresh blade in my Trac II razor, I practically attacked the dense growth of hair that had begun to darken both of my legs, all ten of my toes, as well as my two delicate arm pits.
Defenseless against the onslaught of my unparalleled will and Gillette's two thin strips of sharpened steel, tufts of hair slipped away into the hot, bubbly, lavender scented tub water.
When I finally rose from that bubble depleted, hair infested water, I arose a new woman! I literally felt lighter.
Yesterday I sought a renewal of sorts...
...and I found it in a tub full of bubbles, a freshly sharpened razor, and one tiny act of self care.
Armed with a fresh blade in my Trac II razor, I practically attacked the dense growth of hair that had begun to darken both of my legs, all ten of my toes, as well as my two delicate arm pits.
Defenseless against the onslaught of my unparalleled will and Gillette's two thin strips of sharpened steel, tufts of hair slipped away into the hot, bubbly, lavender scented tub water.
When I finally rose from that bubble depleted, hair infested water, I arose a new woman! I literally felt lighter.
Yesterday I sought a renewal of sorts...
...and I found it in a tub full of bubbles, a freshly sharpened razor, and one tiny act of self care.
Saturday, July 01, 2006
Longing for renewal
Whether you and I and a few others
will renew the world some day remains to be seen.
But within ourselves we must renew it each day.
--Herman Hesse
I long to see this world renewed,
and
I long to know my place within that reimagined space.
What happens to a person
when they are no longer able to renew
the worlds that lie within?
I ask
because I have reached a dry place,
a dead space
and I fear that my juicy self
will soon be dessicated.
What will happen to me then?
Do I trust God enough
to become
as dust?
Do I trust Him enough
to wait for His Holy breath
to speak my dusty pieces into being once again?
If so,
He asks much of me in this.
Thus begins my July,
this withering month
of heat and dryness.
By August I know that I will be all but parched,
and it is my hope
that should you come looking for me,
you shall find me
and when you do
that I will still be clinging to these longings
for all that is juicy...
...still longing for renewal
will renew the world some day remains to be seen.
But within ourselves we must renew it each day.
--Herman Hesse
I long to see this world renewed,
and
I long to know my place within that reimagined space.
What happens to a person
when they are no longer able to renew
the worlds that lie within?
I ask
because I have reached a dry place,
a dead space
and I fear that my juicy self
will soon be dessicated.
What will happen to me then?
Do I trust God enough
to become
as dust?
Do I trust Him enough
to wait for His Holy breath
to speak my dusty pieces into being once again?
If so,
He asks much of me in this.
Thus begins my July,
this withering month
of heat and dryness.
By August I know that I will be all but parched,
and it is my hope
that should you come looking for me,
you shall find me
and when you do
that I will still be clinging to these longings
for all that is juicy...
...still longing for renewal
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