The other morning I began to wonder if God was secretly preparing me for some kind of strange medical transport ministry. Why? Because it seems all I've done in the past eight weeks is drive my kids to medical appointments. And cram my work in, in between. To the orthodontist. To the dentist. To x-rays and ERs. To orthopedists and neurologists. And so often to the family doctor that he recently joked that I'd won a free set of dishes for our frequent visits. To talk about warts and acne and migraines and sinus infections and broken bones. I can honestly say I've never had an eight weeks like the past eight weeks. It's a good thing gas prices have been dropping. I'll apply the savings to all the medical bills that should start showing up in our mailbox any day now.
Anyway. This seems to have left me a bit...irritable. So it might be best if for today I hold my tongue and just let you in on the books I'm reading these days. Of course, I'm doing most of that reading while we wait in waiting rooms. Hopefully you'll let me know what you're reading these days, or what you've recently read, or what you're hoping to read soon. I tend to read a few books at one time, so here's my current list:
Walking with God by John Eldredge. I highly recommend this. Eldredge is so honest about the thoughts in his head and has a great way of talking about his relationship with God without using super Christian words.
Beautiful Boy by David Sheff. This is...devastating. Scheff's journey through his son's addiction to meth. This book got me through our ER visit on Monday after Son3 hurt his elbow (which may or may not be broken -- we still don't know!).
Mr. Popper's Penguins by Robert and Florence Atwater because Son2 is reading it right now for homeschooling. I haven't gotten too far, but it seems like a cute story about a penguin living in someone's refrigerator. Too bad my son's not enjoying it.
A Member of the Family by Cesar Millan (aka the Dog Whisperer). Just started it and already I feel I've learned some important things about living with a dog.
The Shack by William Young. It seems everyone is reading this book. I probably won't have much to say about it until I finish it. What I can say right now is that I'm glad this author is enjoying such success, but I think it's really poorly written. Which just goes to show that some books succeed despite the writing.
Soon I'll be starting a book I'm really looking forward to: Farm Sanctuary: Changing Hearts and Minds about Animals and Food by Gene Bauer.
There's nothing I love more than book recommendations, so I hope you'll post yours here.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Icebreaker Questions
This past weekend we had a women's conference at our church, and I was asked to provide ten icebreaker questions to use during lunch. I took the lazy way out and found most of them online. Here are six of them and then my answers.
1. What is the worst summer or part-time job you ever had?
2. I'm most aware of God's presence when ______________________.
3. The hardest thing I have ever done was ____________________________.
4. The greatest compliment I ever received was_______________________.
5. If you could have had the starring role in one film already made, which movie would you pick?
6. If a movie were being made of your life and you had to choose an actor or actress to play you, who would you choose and why?
Answers:
1. The worst part-time job I ever had was at a gourmet cheese and pastry shop in Washington, D.C. The cheese smelled dreadful, the roaches were plentiful, and there were a lot of rats around the dumpster each night when we had to take the trash out.
2. I'm most aware of God's presence when I read the Bible and it just clicks or when some ridiculous "coincidence" happens and I know it's God.
3. The hardest thing I have ever done was take care of a super colicky baby when I had post-partum depression.
4. The greatest compliment I ever received came from one of my college English professors when he told me he thought I could be a professional writer someday.
5. If I could have had the starring role in a film already made, I would want to play Arwen in Lord of the Rings. The thing is, I don't really just want to play Arwen, I think I'd like to be her.
6. If a movie were made of my life...well, I pity the poor sucker who'd go to see such a movie. I actually have no idea who to choose to play me. Not a clue. But I'd love to know who you all would want to play you in a movie.
Okay, these questions are ridiculous, but I hope you play along.
1. What is the worst summer or part-time job you ever had?
2. I'm most aware of God's presence when ______________________.
3. The hardest thing I have ever done was ____________________________.
4. The greatest compliment I ever received was_______________________.
5. If you could have had the starring role in one film already made, which movie would you pick?
6. If a movie were being made of your life and you had to choose an actor or actress to play you, who would you choose and why?
Answers:
1. The worst part-time job I ever had was at a gourmet cheese and pastry shop in Washington, D.C. The cheese smelled dreadful, the roaches were plentiful, and there were a lot of rats around the dumpster each night when we had to take the trash out.
2. I'm most aware of God's presence when I read the Bible and it just clicks or when some ridiculous "coincidence" happens and I know it's God.
3. The hardest thing I have ever done was take care of a super colicky baby when I had post-partum depression.
4. The greatest compliment I ever received came from one of my college English professors when he told me he thought I could be a professional writer someday.
5. If I could have had the starring role in a film already made, I would want to play Arwen in Lord of the Rings. The thing is, I don't really just want to play Arwen, I think I'd like to be her.
6. If a movie were made of my life...well, I pity the poor sucker who'd go to see such a movie. I actually have no idea who to choose to play me. Not a clue. But I'd love to know who you all would want to play you in a movie.
Okay, these questions are ridiculous, but I hope you play along.
Monday, October 20, 2008
The Big Idea
The good news is that one morning a few weeks ago, the big idea that my book desperately needed finally came to me. I am grateful. All along I knew that something -- something big -- was missing from this story of mine. I needed a magical element, but I had nothing. It was a big blank space in my head. And it was so strange. I had characters, and the roughest outline of a plot, and several pages of story...but I knew a huge piece was lurking somewhere outside my head. It came to me in the way that things often do... seemingly unrelated ideas that keep hammering away at my brain for reasons I can't explain until they finally bubble up and present themselves as something new, something transformed -- something I need.
The bad news is that I am having a terrible time writing. It's a tired old complaint, I know. Aside from just the realities of life, I feel like my beliefs about myself are holding me back. When I was a child and even a teen, I thought I had no talents whatsoever. I still struggle to see myself as a creative person. I completely doubt my ability to write a whole novel. That's for other people, I think, not me. I have to push past these thoughts and feelings constantly; but when I try to, I feel like I'm deluding myself. I'm not asking anyone to tell me these things aren't true. I wouldn't even believe it anyway. The problem is with me, in my head and in my heart; and if I can't overcome these things, then this book won't ever get written.
The bad news is that I am having a terrible time writing. It's a tired old complaint, I know. Aside from just the realities of life, I feel like my beliefs about myself are holding me back. When I was a child and even a teen, I thought I had no talents whatsoever. I still struggle to see myself as a creative person. I completely doubt my ability to write a whole novel. That's for other people, I think, not me. I have to push past these thoughts and feelings constantly; but when I try to, I feel like I'm deluding myself. I'm not asking anyone to tell me these things aren't true. I wouldn't even believe it anyway. The problem is with me, in my head and in my heart; and if I can't overcome these things, then this book won't ever get written.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Kids and Politics
This election has captivated my boys, which is something I hadn't anticipated. Each afternoon when I pick up my youngest from school, he has some election-related news to deliver. For days on end I was informed with great distress that all of his classmates want John McCain to win. The first time he made this announcement it led to a lengthy discussion about why people make the choices they do about candidates. I explained the kind of issues that most Christians feel strongly about and most likely why most of his classmates' parents would be casting their ballot for McCain. Of course, then I had to explain why those issues, while important, are not the most important ones to me and to his dad, and why we feel strongly about certain other issues.
It's hard to discuss these things with a nine-year-old. I find myself resorting to great contrasts to explain the differences, which may not be the best approach. I believe I said, "Should I care more about the death of an unborn American baby than the death of an Iraqi child or American soldier who died because we started an unjust war?" Of course, I explained that I care about them all. I want my children to understand that we believe there is far more to a "pro-life" position than a stance against abortion. If nothing else, this election has gotten that conversation started.
Anyway, on to the slightly lighter side of life. This week there have been a lot of negative Obama rumors circulating at school apparently. Yesterday Son3 got in the car and said, "'John' [who you may remember from a previous post] says Obama is a muslim. Is he a muslim? And that he's friends with terrorists." I say no and explain how these rumors got started; at the same time I wonder whether "John's" parents ever consult a credible news source. Today it was a little different. "'John' says Obama is stupid becuase he's going to raise taxes on rich people. Is that true?" I tell him it's true, and there's no response from the back seat. Then I say, "Well, if he has to raise taxes, should he raise them on rich people or poor people or regular people?" He agrees that it would be better to raise taxes on the rich than the poor, especially when he finds out that we're not in the "rich" category.
It is difficult to share the shades of gray with kids; easier obviously with my fourteen-year-old than my nine-year-old. I figure some conversation about these issues is better than none at all. They feel strongly about the issues without understanding that they are just swallowing whole everything we are telling them -- just as their classmates are doing. I haven't bothered to point this out.
Oh well. I've been mindful lately of dialing down the rhetoric a bit. That seemed like a good choice after Son3 expressed his frustration with his brother by saying, "He's being so annoying. He's acting like John McCain."
More than once through all of this I've wondered whether I'm raising a future generation of political activists. My youngest even came up with an idea for a campaign T-shirt. He was annoyed by a T-shirt some of the high schoolers wore recently on a dress down day. The shirt read "NObama." His idea? "GObama." Good boy.
It's hard to discuss these things with a nine-year-old. I find myself resorting to great contrasts to explain the differences, which may not be the best approach. I believe I said, "Should I care more about the death of an unborn American baby than the death of an Iraqi child or American soldier who died because we started an unjust war?" Of course, I explained that I care about them all. I want my children to understand that we believe there is far more to a "pro-life" position than a stance against abortion. If nothing else, this election has gotten that conversation started.
Anyway, on to the slightly lighter side of life. This week there have been a lot of negative Obama rumors circulating at school apparently. Yesterday Son3 got in the car and said, "'John' [who you may remember from a previous post] says Obama is a muslim. Is he a muslim? And that he's friends with terrorists." I say no and explain how these rumors got started; at the same time I wonder whether "John's" parents ever consult a credible news source. Today it was a little different. "'John' says Obama is stupid becuase he's going to raise taxes on rich people. Is that true?" I tell him it's true, and there's no response from the back seat. Then I say, "Well, if he has to raise taxes, should he raise them on rich people or poor people or regular people?" He agrees that it would be better to raise taxes on the rich than the poor, especially when he finds out that we're not in the "rich" category.
It is difficult to share the shades of gray with kids; easier obviously with my fourteen-year-old than my nine-year-old. I figure some conversation about these issues is better than none at all. They feel strongly about the issues without understanding that they are just swallowing whole everything we are telling them -- just as their classmates are doing. I haven't bothered to point this out.
Oh well. I've been mindful lately of dialing down the rhetoric a bit. That seemed like a good choice after Son3 expressed his frustration with his brother by saying, "He's being so annoying. He's acting like John McCain."
More than once through all of this I've wondered whether I'm raising a future generation of political activists. My youngest even came up with an idea for a campaign T-shirt. He was annoyed by a T-shirt some of the high schoolers wore recently on a dress down day. The shirt read "NObama." His idea? "GObama." Good boy.
Sunday, October 12, 2008
More Than I Bargained For
I’ve been working like crazy the past two weeks, and I haven’t had a spare minute. I knew when I agreed to the project that every one of my family members would pay the price – but mostly me. And indeed, that’s how it went down. But now it’s over and I’m back to a more regular work schedule and the usual worries of how to keep all the plates spinning. As opposed to the past two weeks in which I didn’t try to keep the plates spinning at all. The boys complained about the lack of groceries, I complained (to myself) about the interruptions of driving them to medical and dental appointments, and if the dog had a voice he would have complained about his drastically shortened walks. Fortunately my husband isn't the kind to complain about a lack of meals or clothes that haven't been washed, which is a quality I recommend in a husband.
In the midst of my busyness, I've really missed blogging, which makes me happy. I used to write here primarily out of guilt, but not anymore I guess. I've thought of lots of posts I'd like to do. Okay, that's overstated. I've thought of a few. One thing I’ve been thinking about posting is some writing prompts. They can be fun to do, especially if they’re not particularly demanding. I give them to Son2 most days to write in his journal as part of his schoolwork. Of course, I probably wouldn’t post the same ones I give him. But maybe I would. Who knows where they might lead?
And that leads to my story. A week or two ago I gave him a writing assignment. I asked this question: If you could travel anywhere in time to any place, where would you go? What would happen while you were there? I told him that if he wanted to, he could write a story based on the idea of time travel instead. He’s a creative fellow and I figured he’d take me up on that opportunity, but I was wrong. Instead he wrote that he would travel back to the time that I was pregnant with his older brother and that he would switch places with him and completely change his life.
Not exactly what I was expecting, but I’m glad I asked the question.
I guess...
How about you guys? Any takers?
In the midst of my busyness, I've really missed blogging, which makes me happy. I used to write here primarily out of guilt, but not anymore I guess. I've thought of lots of posts I'd like to do. Okay, that's overstated. I've thought of a few. One thing I’ve been thinking about posting is some writing prompts. They can be fun to do, especially if they’re not particularly demanding. I give them to Son2 most days to write in his journal as part of his schoolwork. Of course, I probably wouldn’t post the same ones I give him. But maybe I would. Who knows where they might lead?
And that leads to my story. A week or two ago I gave him a writing assignment. I asked this question: If you could travel anywhere in time to any place, where would you go? What would happen while you were there? I told him that if he wanted to, he could write a story based on the idea of time travel instead. He’s a creative fellow and I figured he’d take me up on that opportunity, but I was wrong. Instead he wrote that he would travel back to the time that I was pregnant with his older brother and that he would switch places with him and completely change his life.
Not exactly what I was expecting, but I’m glad I asked the question.
I guess...
How about you guys? Any takers?
Friday, October 3, 2008
Train of Thoughts...
Yesterday I was driving home after dropping the boys off at school and I found myself obsessing over a problem one of the boys is having. I could not stop thinking about it -- what I should or could do about it, how he was feeling about it, what purpose this serves in his life, and so on. And so on. After a while, I stopped my thoughts short. What am I doing? Wasn't I going to use this time in the car to pray? Yes! That's what I meant to do. But a short time later I realized I wasn't praying at all -- I was still obsessing.
And then I started thinking about that. Isn't that what a mother does? Isn't a mother the one person who will always think of you and about you? The person who can't stop rooting for you? The person who's in your corner and whose thoughts are full of you?
I stopped my thoughts again and began berating myself for failing at the prayer time. It took me a minute or two to realize that was a waste of time, a trap. And then I thought of that verse in Psalm 139: How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them. Apparently that verse can also be translated like this: How precious are your thoughts concerning me, O God! How vast is the sum of them. (Really. Check the NIV text notes; wow, that makes me sound like a major geek!)
But the idea struck me...Are God's thoughts full of each of us as my thoughts were full of my son on this particular morning? The way I could not stop thinking of him, contemplating what could be done, what would be best...is this just a little bit like the way God is always thinking of each one of us? Rooting for us? Wanting and hoping the best for us? I think perhaps it is. The next verse says, Were I to count them (God thoughts), they would outnumber the grains of sand. So I stopped feeling bad about not praying. Instead I felt so relieved, so grateful that God's thoughts are constantly full of love for me and that if I'm obsessing over this boy I love so much, well, God is all the more.
And then I started thinking about that. Isn't that what a mother does? Isn't a mother the one person who will always think of you and about you? The person who can't stop rooting for you? The person who's in your corner and whose thoughts are full of you?
I stopped my thoughts again and began berating myself for failing at the prayer time. It took me a minute or two to realize that was a waste of time, a trap. And then I thought of that verse in Psalm 139: How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them. Apparently that verse can also be translated like this: How precious are your thoughts concerning me, O God! How vast is the sum of them. (Really. Check the NIV text notes; wow, that makes me sound like a major geek!)
But the idea struck me...Are God's thoughts full of each of us as my thoughts were full of my son on this particular morning? The way I could not stop thinking of him, contemplating what could be done, what would be best...is this just a little bit like the way God is always thinking of each one of us? Rooting for us? Wanting and hoping the best for us? I think perhaps it is. The next verse says, Were I to count them (God thoughts), they would outnumber the grains of sand. So I stopped feeling bad about not praying. Instead I felt so relieved, so grateful that God's thoughts are constantly full of love for me and that if I'm obsessing over this boy I love so much, well, God is all the more.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Clubhouse Rules
For the past two years, since we've been living in this house, we've been telling the younger boys to turn the small outbuilding in our backyard into a clubhouse. What kid doesn't want that? For reasons still unknown to us, they have not wavered in their resistance to this idea.
Whatever.
But talk about the power of peer influence. On Sunday two boys from church (brothers) came home with us to play with our younger boys for the afternoon. When they all grew bored with watching each other play Guitar Hero, they went outside. (Finally!) And that's when it happened. One of the boys suggested they should turn that building into a clubhouse. Aha! A brilliant idea!
They went to work. Cleaned it up, furnished it a bit (even provided a garbage can), and settled in. And then they wrote the rules. Here they are (no corrections have been made):
No spitting.
No swearing.
No littering.
No handheld games.
No alcuhol.
No smoking.
No starting fires.
Don't pee in the clubhouse (LOL).
The clubhouse closes at 9 p.m. Keep these rules and you will be fine in the clubhouse.
Good rules, one and all. I decided not to find it disturbing that my young sons felt that it was necessary to instruct themselves and everyone else that alcohol and smoking wouldn't be tolerated in the clubhouse. I decided it was better to be encouraged by the very same fact. As far as I'm concerned, they and their friends can live by the clubhouse rules for a good long time.
Whatever.
But talk about the power of peer influence. On Sunday two boys from church (brothers) came home with us to play with our younger boys for the afternoon. When they all grew bored with watching each other play Guitar Hero, they went outside. (Finally!) And that's when it happened. One of the boys suggested they should turn that building into a clubhouse. Aha! A brilliant idea!
They went to work. Cleaned it up, furnished it a bit (even provided a garbage can), and settled in. And then they wrote the rules. Here they are (no corrections have been made):
No spitting.
No swearing.
No littering.
No handheld games.
No alcuhol.
No smoking.
No starting fires.
Don't pee in the clubhouse (LOL).
The clubhouse closes at 9 p.m. Keep these rules and you will be fine in the clubhouse.
Good rules, one and all. I decided not to find it disturbing that my young sons felt that it was necessary to instruct themselves and everyone else that alcohol and smoking wouldn't be tolerated in the clubhouse. I decided it was better to be encouraged by the very same fact. As far as I'm concerned, they and their friends can live by the clubhouse rules for a good long time.
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