"Peter held the door closed but did not shut it; for, of course, he remembered, as every sensible person does, that you should never shut yourself up in a wardrobe."

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

Merry Christmas!

"And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord."

Luke 2:10,11

"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."

Isaiah 9:6

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son, that whoever believes in Him will not perish, but have everlasting life."

John 3:16

"We may ignore, but we can nowhere evade, the presence of God. The world is crowded with Him. He walks incognito. And the incognito is not always had to penetrate. The real labour is to remember, to attend. In fact, to come awake. Still more, to remain awake."

Letters to Malcolm

"It was when I was happiest that I longed most...The sweetest thing in all my life has been the longing...to find the place where all the beauty came from."

More quotes from C.S. Lewis


"And that is why all religion is about absence. Because once the gods were there. And that is why all poetry and music strike us with this awful longing for what once was ours--because it begins in regions of the brain where once the gods made themselves heard."

S. Faulkes, Human Tissue, 453.

"I know now God why you utter No Answer. You are yourself the answer. Before your face questions die away."

Till We Have Faces

"The point is that they are one more proof of how deeply, whether we like it or not, we believe in the Law of Nature. If we didn't believe in decent behaviour, why should we be so anxious to make excuses for not having behaved decently?"

More quotes from C.S. Lewis

conscience (noun)

1. the inner sense of what is right or wrong in one's conduct or motives, impelling one toward right action

2. the complex of ethical and moral principles that controls or inhibits the actions or thoughts of an individual

3. an inhibiting sense of what is prudent

"Human beings, all over the earth, have this curious idea that they ought to behave in a certain way, and can`t really get rid of it."

More quotes from C.S. Lewis

"I love the empty, silent, dewy, cobwebby hours."

Letters to an American Lady

What makes leaves change color?

In case you wonder (or forgot what we learned in biology class)...here's the simple explanation for the colors of the autumn leaves.

Happy Halloween!

Word of the Day:

ensorcell \en-SOR-suhl\, transitive verb

To enchant; to bewitch.

Stranger Than Fiction

I do so love this movie. Just got to see it again today (not at all like me on a sunny Saturday afternoon...but I couldn't resist). If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it. But please understand, this is not at all like Talladega Nights (thank goodness).

Romans 8:38
"For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God."

Ephesions 3:17-19
"I pray that you...may have power...to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge - that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God."

"Love is not affectionate feeling, but a steady wish for the loved person`s ultimate good as far as it can be obtained."

The Four Loves (C.S. Lewis)

More on Fargo...

Tried (in vain, I believe) to help a friend understand the merits of the movie Fargo. Tried to illustrate what I see in Margie and Norm and the points the movie makes about greed and the value of the simple things in life. I think I would just have to watch it with her to get her to see what I see. But that's not likely to happen. Oh well.

My Grandma Tuinstra's favorite verse

Micah 6:8
He has shown you, o man, what is good.
And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with your God.

"God is not proud...He will have us even though we have shown that we prefer everything else to Him."

"Now is our chance to choose the right side. God is holding back to give us that chance. It won`t last forever. We must take it or leave it."

More quotes from C.S. Lewis

"It seems, then," said Tirian, "that the stable seen from within and the stable seen from without are two different places."

"Yes," said the Lord Digory, "Its inside is bigger than its outside."

"Yes," said Queen Lucy, "In our world too, a stable once had Something inside it that was bigger than our whole world."

The Last Battle

"The pain itself made Puddleglum's head for a moment perfectly clear and he knew exactly what he really thought. There is nothing like a good shock of pain for dissolving certain kinds of magic.

He said, 'All you've been saying is quite right, I shouldn't wonder. I'm a chap who always liked to know the worst and then put the best face I can on it. So I won't deny any of what you said. But there's one thing to be said, even so. Suppose we have only dreamed, or made up, all those things - trees, grass, sun, moon and stars and Aslan himself. Then all I can say is, in that case, the made-up things seem a good deal more important than the real ones. Suppose this black pit of a kingdom of yours is the only world. Well, it strikes me as a pretty poor one. And that's a funny thing, when you come to think of it. We're just making up a game, if you're right. But in playing a game we can make a play-world that licks your real world hollow. That's why I'm going to stand by the play-world. I'm on Aslan's side even if there isn't any Aslan to lead it. I'm going to live as like a Narnian as I can, even if there isn't any Narnia. So, thanking you kindly, we're leaving your court at once and setting out in the dark to spend our lives looking for Overland. Not that our lives will be very long, I should think; but that's small loss if the world's as dull a place as you say.'"

Puddleglum to the Green Witch of Underland in The Silver Chair

Smashmouth - LIVE!

On August 18, after the Nascar Busch series race at the Michigan International Speedway, I got to see Smashmouth in concert! Got within about 15 feet of the stage! The crowd full of racing fans had been partying all day, so by the time of the concert it was an interesting group. For the record, I was *not* one of those going topless. Not sure how many there were true Smashmouth fans (like yours truly). Most seemed to be there because it was free after the race. But for me it was the best part of the day. I just hope Steve and the band could feel the vibe coming from where I was...singing along to every song. :)

I should really qualify this by saying that I thought of this quote while watching "The Sopranos" recently...not by thinking of anyone I know personally. :)

"When a man is getting worse, he understands his own badness less and less. A moderately bad man knows he is not very good: a thoroughly bad man thinks he is all right."

More quotes from C.S. Lewis

A decent sort of horse

"If you really are so humbled as you sounded a minute ago, you must learn to listen to sense. You're not quite the great Horse you had come to think...but as long as you know you're nobody very special, you'll be a very decent sort of Horse, on the whole, and taking one thing with another."

- the Hermit of the Southern March
to Bree (a talking Horse of Narnia)
from "The Horse and His Boy"

One more reason...

...not to get breast implants.

Time to chill

From Sloth Ethic:

"Want a break from the horrors of the news pages? From compulsively checking your rss feeds (monkey press button get treat monkey press button get treat monkey press button...)?"

Slow down. Relax.

"If the whole universe has no meaning, we should never have found out that it has no meaning: just as, if there were no light in the universe and therefore no creatures with eyes, we should never know it was dark. Dark would be without meaning."

More quotes from C.S. Lewis

Comments on atheism...

PZ Myers: "There is no evidence, no explanation, no mysteries which we need to fill with this superman...of the supernatural"

Really? No mysteries at all? There is nothing that exists anywhere that we humans can't completely explain?

"The only truth to which I hold here is that there is no god and no evidence for one. If someone wants to rebut that firm rock to which atheism is anchored, that's the idea they have to address. None do...."

Not so. There have been many who have pointed to evidence of God, many who address that very issue. Since none of us know everything there is to know, those who are atheists simply hold a belief that there is no God...regardless of evidence that might point someone toward belief in God.

"I think there are religious people who are much smarter than I am even now. I do not make the logical fallacy of believing that because people are wrong in one thing, religion, they are therefore wrong in all things; I don't believe that Christians are irreparably stupid or that their gullibility about god translates into some gross systemic defect in their entire ability to reason."

Well, thanks for that at least, Mr. Myers. That's something anyway...and refreshing to hear for a change.

Thought of the Day:

"...That this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom, and that Government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth."

- Abraham Lincoln (Gettysburg Address November 19, 1863)

The beginning of a beautiful friendship...

"Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another, `What! You too? I thought I was the only one!`"

More quotes from C.S. Lewis

Imogen Heap

I'm really crazy about my Imogen Heap CD "Speak for Yourself" . In case you were not already aware, she's the former lead singer of the group "Frou Frou." For anyone interested (out of the 4 people who read this blog), my favorite songs are #1, 2, 5, 9 and 11.

Check it out!

Note to self: Courage...one day at a time

"Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the little voice at the end of the day that says, I’ll try again tomorrow."

~Unknown

This one is for Jack...the poet.

"Poetry is a little incarnation, giving body to what had been before invisible and inaudible."

- More quotes from C.S. Lewis

In honor of the National Day of Prayer...

Yet another quote from C. S. Lewis:

"I don't pray because it changes God. I pray because it changes me."

"What seem our worst prayers may really be, in God`s eyes, our best. Those, I mean, which are least supported by devotional feeling. For these may come from a deeper level than feeling. God sometimes seems to speak to us most intimately when He catches us, as it were, off our guard."

- C. S. Lewis

Funny, I was just thinking about Stephen Covey this morning while getting ready for a new week at work...trying to remember, "what *are* those seven habits again?"
(I obviously have a ways to go before I'll be highly effective)...and here was this quote from Covey on the log in page when I got to work:

"Our ultimate freedom is the right and power to decide how anybody or anything outside ourselves will affect us."
~Stephen Covey

Philosophically, I don't agree completely with this statement (I wouldn't consider this the ultimate freedom), but it's still something to think about.

How to Take Notes in Meetings

I've been in so many meetings lately, I could use this advice from Sloth Ethic.

"True friends are those who, when you make a fool of yourself, don't believe that this condition is permanent."

~Erwin T. Randall

Bond...James Bond

I've always enjoyed James Bond movies, even when they're a littly silly and seem all about double entendre, chase scenes and gadgets. "Casino Royale" is definitely my favorite James Bond movie...ever. Much more gritty and intriguing, not so campy and cartoonish. Daniel Craig is amazing, and so much more like the Bond in Ian Fleming's books. I've talked to people who gave up on Bond movies after the Sean Connery era. For them I say, this is the "real" James Bond.

Time well spent

"Picarello knows classical music. He is a fan of Joshua Bell but didn't recognize him; he hadn't seen a recent photo, and besides, for most of the time Picarello was pretty far away. But he knew this was not a run-of-the-mill guy out there, performing. On the video, you can see Picarello look around him now and then, almost bewildered.

When Picarello was growing up in New York, he studied violin seriously, intending to be a concert musician. But he gave it up at 18, when he decided he'd never be good enough to make it pay. Life does that to you sometimes. Sometimes, you have to do the prudent thing. So he went into another line of work. He's a supervisor at the U.S. Postal Service. Doesn't play the violin much, anymore.

Does he have regrets about how things worked out?

The postal supervisor considers this.

"No. If you love something but choose not to do it professionally, it's not a waste. Because, you know, you still have it. You have it forever."

- Excerpt from an article in The Washington Post on Joshua Bell playing in a DC train station at rush hour.

"I have no fear of what science will tell us about the universe - since God is definitionally the Creator of such a universe; and the meaning of the universe cannot be in conflict with its Creator. I do not, in other words, see reason as somehow in conflict with faith - since both are reconciled by a Truth that may yet be beyond our understanding."

- Andrew Sullivan (author "The Conservative Soul") from a blogging debate I found through my friend, Jack.

Has anyone seen my pants?

It's really hard to find just the right khaki pants. The color is either too tan or too gray or too greenish. Some are soft cotton but wrinkle too easily. Add some polyester and they're not as comfortable. Khaki can't be expensive, lined or dry-clean-only. And so many come with those weird, unattractive pockets that stick out on the sides.

I finally found the perfect pair of khaki pants. The perfect fit and even the perfect length and style to go with my favorite shoes ever. Only problem is...I can't find them. I've looked everywhere reasonable for pants to be. I've looked places no respectable pair of pants would be kept. It just doesn't make sense. And I'm sure I would remember leaving the house with pants but returning without them.

I have a pretty good memory but, try as I might, I can't remember when I last wore the Perfect pants. If so, I might be able to track what's become of them. Perfect is subjective when it comes to pants, so asking everyone to be on the lookout isn't likely to work. But just in case...please let me know if you find my pants.

Erica's golden birthday

My little Erica just turned 12 on the 12th...her golden birthday. Soon the braces come off and then...look out world! She just keeps getting cuter.
I love you, Munchie!

Miss Laura is 15

This middle child of mine is so beautiful...inside and out.

Happy birthday, Laura! I love you!

Where did I go wrong?
I lost a friend
Somewhere along in the bitterness
And I would have stayed up with you all night
Had I known how to save a life

- The Fray

"Life is to be fortified by many friendships. To love and be loved is the greatest happiness of existence."

~ Sydney Smith

18

Jared has now turned 18. I still can't believe it. This birthday of his was tougher for me to face than my own 40th. My little boy...legally considered an "adult." But he will always be my baby.

Through all the ins and outs of this growing up process, I still believe what I've always told you, Jared:
You are fabulous! I love you, Bear.

The persistent plastic bag...

One year ago, a white plastic bag lodged itself in a tree in my backyard...within view of my favorite seat in the living room. I had to look at it all winter (it was too high to get it down) and was happy when the leaves came back and hid it. Well the leaves are now gone, but the bag still remains. It's a bit worse for the wear, but still hanging on. It can't last forever...can it?

"Affection is responsible for nine-tenths of whatever solid and durable happiness there is in our lives."
- C.S. Lewis

"We will only understand the miracle of life fully when we allow the unexpected to happen."

~Paulo Coelho

"Remember not only to say the right thing in the right place, but far more difficult still, to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment."
~Benjamin Franklin

Smashmouth quote...

Line from the Smashmouth song "New Planet"...

We need a new planet
You were a rock but I took you for granite

Just kind of clever and I like it.

"Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You."
~ Dr. Seuss.

"You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. ... You must do the thing you think you cannot do."

~Eleanor Roosevelt

New spot?

I think I may have found something to replace Bean Tree Bistro (as if that's really possible). Yesterday I tried Camille's Cafe. More of a restaurant than a coffee shop, not enough dessert choices, but they do have a good looking menu...and they have outdoor tables, which are even on the west side of their building (same as Bean Tree) so I can go there in the evening and see the sunset. Of course it's not quite the same, but I'll give it a try.

Farewell Bean Tree

My favorite coffee shop, Bean Tree Bistro, is open for the last day today. No other shop in town has the ambience this one does or tables outside where you can watch the sunset. I went there last night and had many recollections of times spent there with friends and family. Among the fondest were memories of long and varied conversations with my dear Jeanne, who I miss so much. Makes saying goodbye to Bean Tree sort of feel like another goodbye to her. So now I have my memories, my souvenir mug and (thanks to Laura) a plate from the shop showing two friends talking.

More and more lately I'm seeing that things change, children grow up, people leave and life keeps moving on...that's just the way it is.
*sigh*
I know there are good things in change, too...they're just hard to spot sometimes.

It would appear from the looks of this weblog that in the past month I've had nothing to say. For those who know me at all...seems hard to believe, doesn't it?

I still remember these lines from the prologue of Chaucer's "Canterbury Tales." Had to learn it in English Lit, with Mrs. Oosterhart - who is still at GHS, I might add. See? It hasn't been *that* long since I was in high school!

Whan that aprill with his shoures soote
The droghte of march hath perced to the roote,
And bathed every veyne in swich licour
Of which vertu engendred is the flour;

If none of this makes much sense as you read it, that's because it's in Middle English. Let me know if you'd like me to translate. What got me thinking of this is that the "Word of the Day" on Dictionary.com is virtu.

virtu (vuhr-TOO) noun:
1. love of or taste for fine objects of art.
2. Productions of art (especially fine antiques).
3. Artistic quality.

"You have shown me more wonders than are known in the whole of heaven."

- Out of the Silent Planet
C. S. Lewis

I happened to be talking to a young man about this book yesterday. Haven't read this series in years...but I think I should pick it up again.

Quotation for April 27, 2006:

"The next best thing to being wise oneself is to live in a circle of those who are."

Selected Literary Essays
C. S. Lewis

New York City

New York was fabulous! Went to a Broadway show ("Odd Couple"), strolled Central Park, watched the sunset from the top of the Empire State building, visited the Statue of Liberty and Ground Zero, ate at several great restaurants, had hours of rehearsal and, best of all...SANG IN CARNEGIE HALL!

Mass Mutual

This is the newest adventure at our house. Ready, set, go, Art! You're going to be great.



(Friends and family: be sure to call Art when you need financial planning/investing/insurance help)

Second Hand Lions

I had heard good things about this movie and finally saw it this week.
I loved it!

Done with Violence

My friend, Jack, had a link to an article by Mark Morford on his weblog:

"Something has happened. Something has switched over in the past few years of my life, some sort of awareness has been raised and a threshold has been lowered and I now cannot help but see stark displays of brutish violence -- in movies, on TV, in real life -- as exactly what they are: Dark, dank, base energy, cancerous and poisonous, and I do not care where it is or if it's couched in the context of "raw" moviemaking or gritty urban inner-city tale. I am done."

I agree with what Jack said...it would be so nice if this could be the start of a new movement.

Thought of the Day:

"Let us learn to appreciate there will be times when the trees will be bare, and look forward to the time when we may pick the fruit."

~Peter Sellers (1925-1980) English Comic Actor

Thought of the Day:

"The expectations of life depend upon diligence; the mechanic that would perfect his work must first sharpen his tools."
~Confucius (551-479BC) Chinese Ethical Teacher, Philosopher

A favorite excerpt from "Gilead"

"In every important way we are such secrets from each other, and I do believe that there is a separate language in each of us, also a separate aesthetics and a separate jurisprudence. Every single one of us is a little civilization built on the ruins of any number of preceding civilizations, but with our own variant notions of what is beautiful and what is acceptable - which, I hasten to add, we generally do not satisfy and by which we struggle to live. We take fortuitous resemblances among us to be actual likeness, because those around us have also fallen heir to the same customs, trade in the same coin, acknowledge, more or less, the same notions of decency and sanity. But all that really just allows us to coexist with the inviolable, untranversable, and utterly vast spaces between us."
"Gilead" -- Marilynne Robinson

Thought of the day:

"Life's under no obligation to give us what we expect."
~Margaret Mitchell (1900-1949) American Novelist

Open minded discussion on ID vs. evolution

From a recent radio address by Dr. Rex M. Rogers,
"I’m not a proponent of evolution. But I’m not afraid for evolution, I.D., or creationism to be taught in a public school classroom. I’d contend that one cannot be well educated without knowing something about all of these views, whatever your conclusions about their veracity. In an open, unbiased investigation, truth takes care of itself. To science and religion I’d say open the door." more...

Quotation for Tuesday, March 7, 2006:

"'Well, Sir, if things are real, they're there all the time.'
'Are they?' said the Professor."

The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe

Thought of the Day:

"Creativity requires the courage to let go of certainties."
~Erich Fromm

Left, Moderate, Right

From the blog of Dr. Rex M. Rogers, "The late Reverend E.V. Hill, senior pastor of the Mount Zion Missionary Baptist Church in Los Angeles, once said, 'I’ve had experience with the Left wing and I’ve had experience with the Right wing, and I’ve discovered those wings come from the same bird!' This dynamic, African American leader is gone now, but let’s hope his wisdom didn’t die with him." more...

Thought of the Day:

"Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything."
~ George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Irish-born English Dramatist, Novelist, Critic

"Promise of a New Day"

(fluffy clouds...in black and white)

Thought of the Day:

"Beginning today, treat everyone you meet as if they will not be here tomorrow. Extend to them all the care, kindness and understanding you can muster, and do it with no thought of any reward. Your life will never be the same again."
~ Og Mandino, 1923-1996 (Adapted) Author of 'The Greatest Salesman In The World'

Delayed reaction

My dear friend, Jim, was kind enough to point out to me that I failed to call sufficient attention to his birthday last Friday the 17th. For the record, I did call him on his birthday. He was down in New Orleans helping with hurricane cleanup...because he's just that kind of a guy.


And...happy 1st anniversary to Jim and Ann (Feb. 12)!

Word of the Day

susurrus \su-SUHR-uhs\, noun:
A whispering or rustling sound; a murmur.

Still, the breeze is soothing, as is the susurrus of the branches.
-- Michael Finkel, "Tree Surfing and Other Lofty Pleasures," The Atlantic, March 1998

He heard the susurrus of curtains luffed by the breeze.
-- Erik Larson, Isaac's Storm

Every time she walked into the back yard, she heard the susurrus of a white plastic bag stuck in a tree.
-- Me, for real

Birthday girl

Oops. I should've posted this last weekend.
Erica turned 11 on the 12th.

So totally adorable!

Today makes three months exactly that a white plastic bag has been stuck up in a tree in my backyard. Doesn't seem to matter what the weather does, this thing won't budge. It's far too high to reach to pull down, and it's not a tree one can climb (not me, anyway).

Hopefully when the leaves come back it will at least be hidden, if it doesn't come down before then. So let's see...March, April, May. Great...another three months.

Happy Birthday to me!

Rights

I'm very thankful to live in a free society. If I so choose, I can swear a blue streak and insult government leaders with a megaphone. I can be a jerk to everyone I meet and act rudely at every turn. I can take gross, embarrassing photos and hang them all over my house. I can spout off against all religions and ethnicities. I can smoke and drink and eat junk until I destroy my body. No one would arrest me...legally I could get away with all of that. Ok, great. I'm glad I'm free.

But just because I can, that doesn't mean I should.

(I have a right to say more about that, but...enough said)

Mythbusters

This is my new favorite TV show..."Mythbusters" on the Discovery Channel.




Never a dull moment for poor Buster.

This just in...

Pampered Australian merino sheep who listen to opera have again produced a bale of the world's finest wool, matching the record set by the flock last year.
The special flock is kept mostly indoors in small groups and listens to music, including Italian opera and recordings of Italian singer
Andrea Bocelli.
Each sheep is shorn once a year and the flock is fed a secret diet of grains and specially grown hay, based on advice from a sheep nutritionist.


Ok, I want one of those sweaters.

Pride

Have to say, I was extremely proud of my little girl when she sang her solo on Sunday. Oh yeah...and she was kind enough to let me join in.

So hard to believe you just turned 14. Please stay this sweet forever, honey. I remember when you were little and wanted me to pretend with you and trade roles. You said, "I'll be the mommy and you be the honey." :) I loved that and all the many times when you performed for me standing on the living room chair with the window blind cord for a microphone. So much cuteness.

man·tra (MON-tra)
n.
A commonly repeated word or phrase:

“Today's edutainment software comes shrinkwrapped in the magic mantra: ‘makes learning fun.’” (Clifford Stoll).

I used this quote before, quite a while ago. After spending three hours in the dentist's chair this week, it seemed appropriate again.

"It doesn't really matter whether you grip the arms of the dentist's chair or let your hands lie in your lap. The drill drills on."

A Grief Observed

Quotation for Monday, January 16, 2006:

"The great thing to do with unhappy times is to take them bit by bit, hour by hour...like an illness. It is seldom the present, the exact present, that is unbearable."

Letters to an American Lady
(C.S. Lewis)

The Heavenly Bed

If you're looking for a gift to buy me for my birthday next month, I'll take this whole thing, please...mattress, sheets, down blanket, down comforter and the most phenomenal down pillows ever. Slept in the Heavenly Bed at the Westin in Chicago last year. Oh...my...goodness.

"Every night, wrap yourself in the Heavenly Bed - ten layers of pure comfort atop the most sensuous of mattresses.

The Heavenly Bed was conceived by Barry S. Sternlicht, former Chairman and CEO of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc., and modeled after his bed at home in Connecticut. After months of testing hundreds of mattresses, pillows and bed linens, the Heavenly Bed was born."

Quotation for Thursday, January 05, 2006:

In light of the recent gray weather we've had...

"Very likely, what with enemies, and mountains, and rivers to cross, and losing our way, and next to nothing to eat, and sore feet, we'll hardly notice the weather."

The Silver Chair
C. S. Lewis

Word of the Day for Sunday January 1, 2006

I use this word, but people never seem to know what I'm talking about.

vim - noun:

Power; force; energy; spirit; activity; vigor.

The 76-year-old retired Malaysian schoolteacher displayed so much vim during a recent hike through a national park in Sarawak, astonished rangers began calling her a "recycled teenager."
--Choong Tet Sieu, "The Power to Go On and On," Asiaweek, July 28, 2000

Eric Clapton

I really like the new CD I got for Christmas, "Eric Clapton Unplugged."
Now I just need to see if I can get someone to buy me his new one for my birthday next month.

Winter's Gift

In the middle of the Christmas rush and just a bit of stress today, I decided that a trip to the children's book store was in order to set things right. I found a beautiful book called "Winter's Gift." After reading it, life looked much better.

A Christmas favorite

One of the best sounds in the world...children singing

Update

I don't usually "journal" on this site, but...wow, has it been a while since I've posted anything. So, I'll give a bit of an update. Life has been very full of late. I just started my new job in Advantage Health administration. Same company, different position, more responsibility...a move up. Hard to leave the coworkers I love, but it's a good thing and it's exciting.

Word of the Day for Saturday December 3, 2005

chagrin (shuh-GRIN)

noun: Acute vexation, annoyance, or embarrassment, arising from disappointment or failure.

He noted with chagrin how little hair clung to his head.
- -John Marks, The Wall

transitive verb: To unsettle or vex by disappointment or humiliation; to mortify.

Rich Moroni was earning $20,000 a year as a cook and was chagrined to discover that he couldn't keep up with the style of life and spending of his preferred reference group -- the lawyers and executives who shared his passion for squash and belonged to the same health club.
--Peter T. Kilborn, "Splurge," New York Times, June 21, 1998

Chagrined to find that her current boyfriend has become best pals with her ex-boyfriend Hank, she goes to her ex with the problem.
--Stephen J. Dubner, "Boston Rockers," New York Times, July 26, 1998

I'm never moving to Saudi Arabia!

RIYADH (Reuters) - Four Saudi women teaching in a remote village school have married their driver so they can live closer to work, Al-Watan newspaper said on Monday.

The newspaper said the women from Al-Baha province in south-west Saudi Arabia were impressed with the man's "good morals" and decided to marry him and live together in the village where they teach -- avoiding a tiring daily commute.

They were married in a short ceremony, and have agreed to pay the driver a share of their monthly salaries, Al-Watan said. Women are not allowed to drive in Saudi Arabia, while men can marry up to four women according to Islamic law.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I kid you not...the first thing I saw when looking out my window this morning (other than snow) was a great big turkey at the feeder! This must be a Thanksgiving day tradition now because last year there were three out there just before we sat down to dinner. They must know that by this time our turkey is already in the oven and it's safe to come out and say "ha-ha, you didn't catch me!"

The Roar of Love

From an email I received today from Matthew Ward Ministries -

For all of you who are moviegoers, you’ve probably seen the trailer for the upcoming film, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. I can’t tell you how excited I am personally to see a work like this being offered to the public. My hope is that the Narnia film will be met with enough success to cause a whole new generation of people to look into not only the Chronicles of Narnia series (seven books in all), but also other writings by C.S. Lewis, much as the Lord of the Rings films did for J.R.R. Tolkien.

The singing group “The 2^nd Chapter of Acts” (of which I was a member) read C.S. Lewis’s The Chronicles of Narnia. These stories had a very profound effect on all of us. It wasn’t long before we began writing songs inspired by the first book in that series, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.

Over a span of a few years, we had enough songs put together to complete this concept album. We decided to call the project The Roar of Love. This recording ended up being like nothing we had ever done. Instead of having the typical songs that, once they were over, would either end or fade, we decided to arrange the songs in such a way as to have them weave right into each other without stopping. This approach made the listener more apt to be drawn into the storyline, much as a great orator, reading the book aloud, might pull you in. The only time the music really stopped (this was in the days before CD’s) was when it came time to turn over the album or cassette!

The Roar Of Love was originally released in 1980, and it remains in my mind as one of the best projects “The 2^nd Chapter of Acts” ever recorded.
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I have this album! That's right...I said album. Still listen to it, too. It's lots of fun, especially for a fan of the books. If you go to the link you can listen to song clips...I love Are You Going to Narnia, Gifts From Father Christmas, Roar of Love and Something is Happening in Me. I just read "The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe" again this summer. Can't wait for the movie!

ar·dour (Variant of ardor)
n. Chiefly British

n 1: a feeling of strong eagerness (usually in favor of a person or cause);

"they were imbued with a revolutionary ardor" [syn: ardor, elan, zeal]

2: intense feeling of love [syn: ardor]

3: feelings of great warmth and intensity;
"he spoke with great ardor" [syn: ardor, fervor, fervour, fervency, fire, fervidness]

Word of the Day for Sunday November 6, 2005

verdure \VUR-jur\, noun:
Green; greenness; freshness of vegetation;
as, "the verdure of the meadows in June."

"A wide expanse of living verdure, cultivated gardens, shady groves, fertile cornfields, flowed round it like a sea."
--Motley

Quotation for Sunday, November 06, 2005:

"I am rather sick of the modern assumption that, for all events, 'WE,' the people, are never responsible: it is always our rulers, or ancestors, or parents, or education, or anybody but precious 'US.' WE are apparently perfect and blameless. Don't you believe it."

Letters to an American Lady