As I was sharing my currently-reading and recently-finished book list with a friend yesterday, it came to my attention that I seem to favor a certain theme.
Angelfall ~ main character is a teenaged girl
Prodigy ~ main character is a teenaged girl
Anne of Green Gables ~ main character is a teenaged girl
Shades of Earth ~ main character is a teenaged girl
Jane Eyre ~ main character is a teenaged girl
Partials ~ main character is a teenaged girl
Insurgent ~ main character is a teenaged girl
Outpost ~ main character is a teenaged girl
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn ~ main character is a teenaged girl
A Million Suns ~ main character is a teenaged girl
Crossed ~ main character is a teenaged girl
One might surmise from my attraction to such stories that I am also a teenaged girl. I was...once. And I still have moments when my inner teenaged girl breaks through the outer shell of responsible wifery and motherhood which is my current address. Maybe this is my version of a midlife crisis? What would Freud say about this? (And do I care?)
Lest you think I have fallen into The Pit of Books About Teenaged Girl Protaganists and can't get out, rest assured there are many other books in my reading pile that have nothing to do with this theme. Titles like The Lord of the Rings and Amish Grace and A Long Obedience in the Same Direction are also part of my diet.
If this is my version of a midlife crisis -- trying to recapture my youth and all that -- so be it. There are worse ways I could address the issue (adultery, sports cars, trips to Paris, Bingo). I think I'll stick to books (although if anyone cares to bless me anytime soon with a navy blue Ford Mustang, I could live with that).
Friday, April 12, 2013
Thursday, February 28, 2013
Glimmer of God
When darkness descends
And lightness departs,
Glimmer of God be on me.
When hope shrivels up
And despair settles in,
Glimmer of God be on me.
When my head hangs low
And my shoulders sag,
Glimmer of God be on me.
When my heart beat slows
And my lungs can't breathe,
Glimmer of God be on me.
The dying grass
And the driving rain
Conspire to steal the day.
The weeping willow
And the sighing wind
Threaten to carry away.
Like the wispy cocoon
That quivers and wakes,
Like the butterfly wing
That shimmers and shakes,
Like the lining of silver
That through cloud cover breaks...
Glimmer of God be on me.
And lightness departs,
Glimmer of God be on me.
When hope shrivels up
And despair settles in,
Glimmer of God be on me.
When my head hangs low
And my shoulders sag,
Glimmer of God be on me.
When my heart beat slows
And my lungs can't breathe,
Glimmer of God be on me.
The dying grass
And the driving rain
Conspire to steal the day.
The weeping willow
And the sighing wind
Threaten to carry away.
Like the wispy cocoon
That quivers and wakes,
Like the butterfly wing
That shimmers and shakes,
Like the lining of silver
That through cloud cover breaks...
Glimmer of God be on me.
Monday, February 4, 2013
The Proof Is in the Pudding
February ~ that short, sweet month when all hearts focus on love (or the pitiable lack thereof). They say the proof of love is in the pudding. Or the flowers. Or the candy. Or maybe even...
The coupons. I have a file folder full of coupons given to me through the years by our daughters. There are no expiration dates on the acts of love decoratively written on paper as presents, so maybe it's time for me to be thinking about calling some of them in. Here is a sampling...
*This coupon entitles you to one free van cleaning, inside and out. Happy Mother's Day!
Slight problem. We no longer own a van. If I white-out the word 'van' and marker in the word, 'car', do you think my daughter would notice?
*Official Coupon for Back Massage! This coupon is valid for 2 free back massages!
Oh, yeah, my back is in sore need of these all the time. Back then I didn't need them so much. Now I'm old. And I need them.
*For Mom: 7 complain-free days (can't be all 7 in a row)
I guess it's impossible to not complain for more than 24 hours at a time. I know. I've tried.
*5 Free Foot Rubs! W/ lotion if desired
Oh, yeah, my feet are in sore need of these all the time. Back then I didn't need them so much. Now I'm old. And I need them.
*6 chores or favors for free!
I wonder why coupons always specify 'free'. If I have to pay for it, it wouldn't be a gift.
*Mom, you won't have to bug me to do these things for you (each thing 25 times) (expires when you go to heaven): free dessert (you provide the stuff); free foot rubs; free meal maker (you provide the stuff); free back rubbing; your scarlet oak put in this week, guaranteed.
Kids don't like it when Mom bugs them, but I think it's in the job description. I imagine I'll be bugging them until I go to heaven, which is obviously when the coupon expires anyway. I die, I go to heaven, I quit bugging. Works for me! And yes, the scarlet oak did get planted, so at least one thing on this coupon was fulfilled. The other things (each thing 25 times!) are still pending.
I don't know why I never used these coupons. Maybe the sweet spirit in which they were given was gift enough. Maybe the guilt at turning my little girls into slave labor in order to complete all these tasks would have kept me up at night (thus negating all the positives received). Or maybe, just maybe, I didn't want to turn in the coupons and never see them again. There's something precious and timeless about my daughters' hands and hearts revealed on these little slips of paper that I want to keep around for a while. Or a long time. Or at least until I go to heaven.
The coupons. I have a file folder full of coupons given to me through the years by our daughters. There are no expiration dates on the acts of love decoratively written on paper as presents, so maybe it's time for me to be thinking about calling some of them in. Here is a sampling...
*This coupon entitles you to one free van cleaning, inside and out. Happy Mother's Day!
Slight problem. We no longer own a van. If I white-out the word 'van' and marker in the word, 'car', do you think my daughter would notice?
*Official Coupon for Back Massage! This coupon is valid for 2 free back massages!
Oh, yeah, my back is in sore need of these all the time. Back then I didn't need them so much. Now I'm old. And I need them.
*For Mom: 7 complain-free days (can't be all 7 in a row)
I guess it's impossible to not complain for more than 24 hours at a time. I know. I've tried.
*5 Free Foot Rubs! W/ lotion if desired
Oh, yeah, my feet are in sore need of these all the time. Back then I didn't need them so much. Now I'm old. And I need them.
*6 chores or favors for free!
I wonder why coupons always specify 'free'. If I have to pay for it, it wouldn't be a gift.
*Mom, you won't have to bug me to do these things for you (each thing 25 times) (expires when you go to heaven): free dessert (you provide the stuff); free foot rubs; free meal maker (you provide the stuff); free back rubbing; your scarlet oak put in this week, guaranteed.
Kids don't like it when Mom bugs them, but I think it's in the job description. I imagine I'll be bugging them until I go to heaven, which is obviously when the coupon expires anyway. I die, I go to heaven, I quit bugging. Works for me! And yes, the scarlet oak did get planted, so at least one thing on this coupon was fulfilled. The other things (each thing 25 times!) are still pending.
I don't know why I never used these coupons. Maybe the sweet spirit in which they were given was gift enough. Maybe the guilt at turning my little girls into slave labor in order to complete all these tasks would have kept me up at night (thus negating all the positives received). Or maybe, just maybe, I didn't want to turn in the coupons and never see them again. There's something precious and timeless about my daughters' hands and hearts revealed on these little slips of paper that I want to keep around for a while. Or a long time. Or at least until I go to heaven.
Friday, December 21, 2012
Peanut
Rest in peace, Peanut.
September 2012 ~ November 2012
The Lord bless you and keep you and hold you in the hollow of His hand.
September 2012 ~ November 2012
The Lord bless you and keep you and hold you in the hollow of His hand.
Sunday, November 11, 2012
Mom, I'm Pregnant
You ask me why
I'm not yelling
at your news?
Because I am numb
after years of riding
an emotional roller coaster.
You ask me why
I'm not rejoicing
at your news?
Because what's left of my heart
is in mourning
over lessons taught
but never caught.
You ask me if
I'll ever celebrate
your news?
Someday
when you're swollen
with the baby...
Someday
when you're delivering
the baby...
Someday
when this startling knowledge
becomes flesh and bone...
I will.
But right now
I can barely process
your news.
What is there to say?
No words here,
but a promise to pray.
Take my hand
and walk with me
on your unexpected road
to maternity.
I'm not yelling
at your news?
Because I am numb
after years of riding
an emotional roller coaster.
You ask me why
I'm not rejoicing
at your news?
Because what's left of my heart
is in mourning
over lessons taught
but never caught.
You ask me if
I'll ever celebrate
your news?
Someday
when you're swollen
with the baby...
Someday
when you're delivering
the baby...
Someday
when this startling knowledge
becomes flesh and bone...
I will.
But right now
I can barely process
your news.
What is there to say?
No words here,
but a promise to pray.
Take my hand
and walk with me
on your unexpected road
to maternity.
Sunday, September 23, 2012
Why I Drink Coffee
I found this charming story in a Focus on the Family newsletter some years ago, and it still makes me laugh and gag at the same time.
~*~A GREAT CUP OF TEA~*~
Have you noticed that children sometimes try to be helpful, but it only makes your life more complicated?
I heard a story about a mother who was sick in bed with the flu. Her darling daughter wanted so much to be a good nurse. She fluffed the pillows and brought a magazine for her mother to read. And then she even showed up with a surprise cup of tea.
"Why, you're such a sweetheart," the mother said as she drank the tea. "I didn't know you even knew how to make tea."
"Oh, yes," the little girl replied. "I learned by watching you. I put the tea leaves in the pan and then I put in the water, and I boiled it, and then I strained it into a cup. But I couldn't find a strainer, so I used the fly-swatter instead."
"You what?" the mother screamed.
And the little girl said, "Oh, don't worry, Mom. I didn't use the new fly-swatter. I used the old one."
~*~A GREAT CUP OF TEA~*~
Have you noticed that children sometimes try to be helpful, but it only makes your life more complicated?
I heard a story about a mother who was sick in bed with the flu. Her darling daughter wanted so much to be a good nurse. She fluffed the pillows and brought a magazine for her mother to read. And then she even showed up with a surprise cup of tea.
"Why, you're such a sweetheart," the mother said as she drank the tea. "I didn't know you even knew how to make tea."
"Oh, yes," the little girl replied. "I learned by watching you. I put the tea leaves in the pan and then I put in the water, and I boiled it, and then I strained it into a cup. But I couldn't find a strainer, so I used the fly-swatter instead."
"You what?" the mother screamed.
And the little girl said, "Oh, don't worry, Mom. I didn't use the new fly-swatter. I used the old one."
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
My Andy Rooney Moment
I love language. I love how it sloshes around the brain barrel, slides down the syntax chute, and rolls around on the launching pad for further taste-testing before escaping the mouth. Language can be beautiful, and it possesses the power to enlighten, exhort, encourage, excite, and elate. It also has the power to exasperate.
Herewith are several examples that make me feel about as wonderful as fingernails on a blackboard. They should be banished from existence for all time.
"You know..." ~ If I know, then why are you telling me? If I don't know, then just say what's on your mind, and then I'll know.
"At the end of the day..." ~ What, nothing of import happens at the beginning of the day? I'm sure that's when the early bird gets the worm, the newspaper is delivered, the coffee is brewed -- things that make the world go 'round.
"Honestly..." ~ I assume you'll always be honest. However, if you plan to lie to me, at least be polite and give me a heads up.
"Like..." ~ This has been popular since before Facebook showed up. It's old. And it's tired. And it needs to die.
"To tell you the truth..." ~ See "Honestly..."
"I mean..." ~ Again, I assume you'll always tell me what you mean. Unless your purpose is to perplex me, just say what you mean, without preface, and we'll go from there.
"For what it's worth..." ~ Who gets to decide? It might be worth two cents, or nothing, or a pile of gold. And I'm fairly certain you don't want to know the value I assign to everything you tell me. It could be good news, or it could be bad news.
Okay. My Andy Rooney Moment is over. Just wanted to give you something to slosh around in the brain barrel. When it slides down the syntax chute, please set free the words rolling around your launch pad. I love hearing from other language lovers.
Herewith are several examples that make me feel about as wonderful as fingernails on a blackboard. They should be banished from existence for all time.
"You know..." ~ If I know, then why are you telling me? If I don't know, then just say what's on your mind, and then I'll know.
"At the end of the day..." ~ What, nothing of import happens at the beginning of the day? I'm sure that's when the early bird gets the worm, the newspaper is delivered, the coffee is brewed -- things that make the world go 'round.
"Honestly..." ~ I assume you'll always be honest. However, if you plan to lie to me, at least be polite and give me a heads up.
"Like..." ~ This has been popular since before Facebook showed up. It's old. And it's tired. And it needs to die.
"To tell you the truth..." ~ See "Honestly..."
"I mean..." ~ Again, I assume you'll always tell me what you mean. Unless your purpose is to perplex me, just say what you mean, without preface, and we'll go from there.
"For what it's worth..." ~ Who gets to decide? It might be worth two cents, or nothing, or a pile of gold. And I'm fairly certain you don't want to know the value I assign to everything you tell me. It could be good news, or it could be bad news.
Okay. My Andy Rooney Moment is over. Just wanted to give you something to slosh around in the brain barrel. When it slides down the syntax chute, please set free the words rolling around your launch pad. I love hearing from other language lovers.
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