Happy New Years

My most popular post of 2011?  Actually a post written on the eve of 2010 called
Another New Day:

Arbitrarily it is the end of a year and the end of a decade. An ancient Roman-based calendar obliges us to consider tomorrow January first as the demarcation of a new year: 2010. For weeks (or months) we will continue to write 2009 on our checks, not ready to give up the old year, not ready to embrace the changing times as the years zoom away from us.

The date marks no change of seasons. We are in the midst of winter and winter will continue into the new year. There is no high holy feast to observe, no pre-calendar pagan rituals harking us back to a holiday mood. There is no reason tomorrow should be anything other than another quotidian sunrise and sunset. Another ordinary day.

Yet offices are closed, tomorrow there will be no post, and everyone goes about today with good wishes and cheerful greetings. The midnight sky will be interrupted by fireworks and dropping pickles, apples, roses, crystal balls.... each timezone will countdown to this one instant, this thin line between two ordinary days on a calendar, a separation between old and new.

We go about with Hope brimming over, Expectations and Good Intentions leading our way...This year we will do better. This is the year. Everything will be different this year. Are we deluding ourselves? I don't think so. Somehow, even though it is just another ordinary day it is still a day of promise.

Anne of Green Gables says "Tomorrow is always new with no mistakes in it -- yet." we are never more aware of this truth than at the new year. Tomorrow the whole year will be New, with no mistakes in it -- yet. Despite our best intentions the coming year will fill up with mistakes big and small. But for right now it lies ahead of us level and clean like the blanket of new fallen snow outside my window. What tracks we will make through that unbroken white! For now the expanse lies clean at our feet.... 10...9...8...7...

When morning comes remember, every day begins fresh and new and blank waiting for us to make something of it. Will it be a holiday? Will it be a day when we wish each other well? Will it be a day when we spread a message of Hope? We get to choose -- all year long.

Merry Christmas

For unto us a Child is born...
In case we couldn't understand why the Lord God on His throne would bother with us.

For unto us a Savior is given...
In case we didn't know how much our Omnipotent Creator loves us.

And His name shall be called Emmanuel...
In case we didn't realize He is always with us.

to seek elegance rather than luxury,

I have been pondering this phrase, wondering what pictures to put with it, what other great quotes I might find to express this same sentiment. I have come up with nothing that seems right to me.

I see luxury in red embroidered or paisley velvet with heavy beading and bullion fringe, and elegance in crisp white linen. But each person defines these two ideas, these two words differently.

To me it seems a luxury not to care that you have dropped the spare change out of your purse, to know and have a policy of never stooping to pick up loose change. It seems a luxury to not care that herbs you use every day cost less in bulk. It seems a luxury to swipe a card and pay for a meal you hadn't planned on eating at a restaurant I wouldn't normally afford. It seems a luxury to buy a new dress and new shoes for an event you aren't sure you'll attend.

But these luxuries are more than just things I can't afford, they are things I wouldn't afford even if I could afford them. Somehow my definition of luxuries has gotten tied up with an idea of poor stewardship, with an idea of a lack of respect for the value of a dollar in working-man terms, with carelessness and attitudes of entitlement. Luxuries are things one should do without, just on the sheer principle of it.

So how do I define elegance? In simple terms, in the classics, the enduring, the unchanging, honest, clean, refined by the passage of time and set apart by the quality of workmanship. Not necessarily inexpensive -- elegance might be affordable or it might require deep pockets -- but whatever the cost, elegance is solidly worth its price tag.

How do you define elegance?

and refinement rather than fashion;

"Fashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable that we have to alter it every six months." -- Oscar Wilde

act frankly,

"To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment." -Ralph Waldo Emerson"Be yourself; everyone else is already taken." -Oscar Wilde"A friend is someone who knows all about you and still loves you." -Elbert Hubbard
"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind." -Dr. Seuss

Reader Favorite: How To Break Up With an Evolutionist

The following conversation may vary with the unscripted responses of the other individual -- the most likely comments were chosen as representative.

“Umm, Honey, I believe the evidence examined in the unbiased light of real science supports the Intelligent Design and Creation.”

“What!?! How could you be so ignorant? Don’t you know that evolution has been proven?”

“Define proven.”

“Well, Everyone knows it’s true.”

Try not to be smug when you say: “I don’t.”
At this point they will look at you as if you are the stupidest person on the planet. Tell your soon to be in-significant other “Evolution is an unproven Theory. Even Darwin didn’t believe it in the end.”

The rebuttal to that point will most likely be an inarticulate scream of frustration and a forcible attempt to remove hair from their own head. A movement resembling a figure skating sit-spin sometimes accompanies this.

Now show some mercy, soften your voice and speak calmly but pleasantly. “I am willing to postulate that both Intelligent Design and Evolution are un-testable hypotheses and therefore theoretical, with no proof beyond sheer faith. I even go so far as to grant your right to believe, however misguided, that you are the product of millions of years of accidental mishaps in the life of an amoebic protein chain.”

“So you do think evolution is true, then.” Confusion and relief will struggle for dominance in this response.

“No.” Not too breezily, now. Be kind.
You and I know what you’re going to say next, but they do not see it coming. “But since I can neither prove nor disprove either theory to your satisfaction, I have decided to let you be the product of evolution if you want and I will continue to be the purposely created child of a Loving God.”

“Well, I… What?”

“It’s a compromise.”

“So I’ve evolved and you’ve been designed.” The shaking head and patronizing smirk indicate amusement and a degree of disgust.

“Yes, I will accept the idea that you are the end product, the eventual genetic offspring of random mutant monkey parentage, while you will admit I am the deliberate, intentional child of a purposeful Creator.” Pause for a moment, let it sink in. “Unfortunately that means I can’t date you anymore.”

“Huh?” [editor's note: there is a 47% variable indicating that this response might actually be "Wha...?" as that is not an actual word we have kept "Huh?"]

You continue, “Our compromise requires that I no longer believe that we are the same species, I’m sorry. I'm just not willing to practice inter-species dating.”

They will tell all their friends that they broke up with you because you're nuts.



Disclaimer: the above is pure imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons or events is coincidental and mostly unintentional. For entertainment purposes only. ABSOLUTELY NOT MEANT AS RELATIONSHIP ADVICE.

Constance's Song

You learn to hold the Hand of God
You learn to walk the narrow way
You learn the hardest path to trod
Becomes the one away from God
When you do not obey

You learn the only peace of mind
Depends upon the strength you find
In arms that hold the lost and blind
And point the way to Truth

You learn to bless the grace of God
You learn to walk the narrow way
You learn the Comfort of the rod
The Shepherd’s staff, the Will of God
When you learn to obey

You learn to walk upon on your knees
To ask the Savior “Help me, please.”
The Holy Spirit intercedes
And leads you back to Love

~from an old work in progress currently gathering dust.

I was thinking of my story, the one this song (well, these lyrics, really) appears in. Thinking about why I started writing it and why I let it go half-finished for so long (about 3 years now). It's a story that falls between two markets, the Christian market won't like certain things and it's too Christian to sell in the mainstream market. Not salable if I believe the gurus.

Mainly though, I put it away because there were only a few parts that met my high standards. Okay it is a rough/first draft, but still!

'If I wouldn't put my name on it,' I thought 'why am I still writing it?' And so the characters sit there, living, breathing, patiently waiting to have the rest of their story told.

And some days they hum a little tune so loudly it rings in my ears. Like today.

...and to the Republic for which it stands...

The United States of America is not a Democracy.

It was never supposed to be.

Let's review.

In a Democracy the people are the source of both the power and the authority, creating an emphasis on a system of majority rule. So in a democracy if the majority arbitrarily decided to outlaw Santa Claus, nuke the dolphins, and institute a national dress code requiring everyone to shave their heads and wear only one shoe -- well, that's what would become law. Because that's how a Democracy works.

In a Republic the people hold the power, but the authority rests in the Law. Which makes a surprisingly BIG difference. It means that there is a higher power, some ultimate authority greater than the will and whim of the people.

At the founding of the United States the moral authority of the Christan Bible was widely recognized and understood as the LAW upon which our government was founded. (There's plenty of proof on this point if anyone bothered to actually read it.)

When we have shaken off the last vestige of Christianity, when we have abandoned even the Ten Commandments, when we are no longer responsible to a higher authority -- then we will be a Democracy.

And in that day when the majority rule becomes that ultimate arbiter of right and wrong, the majority may decide to outlaw Santa, may decide that Thou SHALL Kill... might declare it unlawful to wear matching socks, or eat oatmeal cookies, or have a vegetable garden... may decide to reinstate slavery, or institute martial law, or seize corporations as government assets, or abolish the institution of marriage...

... because that can happen in a democracy. But we were never supposed to be a democracy.

I pledge allegiance to the flag and to the REPUBLIC for which it stands, one nation under GOD, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

IQ: Carpenter's Squares

From my latest IQ (infant quilt) class comes Carpenter's Squares. Based on a traditional quilt block rich in symbolism, the design has been enlarged and modernized. The L shaped tool known as a carpenter’s square has been used for centuries to help square-up and measure in carpentry. Early quilters of the traditional (much smaller) block recorded their beliefs in this block, referencing Jesus as The Carpenter. Harking back to traditions in early Gaelic Christianity, Celtic interlace represented the way in which all life is woven together. The interlace patterns represented in this design symbolize the idea that the afterlife (heaven) and this present world (earth) intersect creating a pattern that, at least for now, only God the Creator sees the whole of.

The use of triple bands to create the interlace in this design also suggests the Trinity, a concept of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit together as One. Another use of religious symbolism is seen in the repetition of the four isolated background squares in each corner. This design feature suggests a relationship to the idea of the “foursquare gospel” (meaning a good foundation for one's faith), terminology borrowed from the Biblical book of Revelations.

To make the quilt shown in this post I used a dark purple reproduction fabric from P&B for the background, with a Michael Miller Asian print and one of Northcott's Quilt for A Cure(TM) fabrics as the bands. Machine quilted in a random free-motion swirliness. The combination of these fabrics, I think, is visually striking but also speaks to diversity -- reminding me that there are many different people with many different backgrounds, talents, and gifts who come together to make up the beauty of the body of believers.

Time Passes

First, apologies to loyal readers who have been wondering if I dropped off the face of the earth. I'm still here. Amidst the business that has been August 2010 so far I took some time out to celebrate another birthday. Hooray for time with family! Hooray for chocolate cake!

Not so much hooray for people who say "So. How does it feel? Now that you're almost 40."

I have no problem with being this close to 40. I don't think I'll have a problem when I get this close to 50 or 60 either. (Nearing 120 I might start to wonder what's going on, but that's a topic for a different post.) I like greying hair. I like not being expected to feel spunky after pulling an all-nighter -- I like not being expected to pull all-nighters. I like having a back pocket full of experiences that give me wisdom, help me connect with others, and let me share strength with those who are just now walking through valleys I've already passed through.

What I don't like is the gloating patronizing tone of the people who ask how I feel about getting older. As though I should feel guilty for not remaining young -- and not wanting to.

Being young is great (or was great, depending on your perspective) but so is being older. So is maturity, experience, growth, wisdom... There is grace in aging and beauty in the fading of flowers. The human heart holds more each year, the mind expands, the spirit is honed.

So...
To the woman some 20 years my elder, who commented on my being "over the hill" with a glee that suggested she had found my Achilles heel... the woman who mentioned my age 23 times in a five minute conversation ... and the woman who questioned my mental capacities "now that you're getting so old.": Get over it.

If I have not matured, if I have not learned from these years I have lived, perhaps I should be embarrassed by my age. Thank goodness I'm not ashamed.

If I can not offer more compassion, more basic human respect, and more understanding of others with each passing year perhaps I ought not to claim my true age. Praise God I have no need to lie.

If I didn't think there's so much more to learn and love about the years to come perhaps I could worry about being old. Thank goodness I am spared those worry lines.

If I did not believe in filling each year with a record of obedience to the Lord and service to others, then maybe the piling up of those years would concern me. Praise God for helping me make each new year better than the last.

... because time passes

... the flowers fade

... the sun rises, sets, and hurries to rise again

... the waters travel to the sea

... man is born of a woman, only to return to dust

... the histories and generations come and go

... and time passes

For everything there is a season, there is a time for every matter under heaven...and God seeks out what has gone by. -- Ecclesiastes 3:1, 15b

The Truth of Wrong from Right

In the eyes of the Ranger

The unsuspecting stranger

Had better know the truth of wrong from right

'Cause the eyes of the Ranger are upon you

Any wrong you do he's gonna see

So when you're in Texas look behind you

'Cause that's where the Ranger's gonna be

I'm spending some time with my Dad this week, and we're having one of our semi-annual Walker, Texas Ranger marathons. He's got season three on DVD now.

It's not high-brow or literary, and it's certainly not British or in any way Anglophile... and you're right, westerns really aren't my thing. But Dad loves pretty much all westerns and truth be told, when it comes to Chuck Norris at least, I'm all right with that.

Sure, the female characters are typically one-dimensional but that's okay because the male characters are generally a little one-dimensional too... and they treat the women with courtesy and respect or they get kicked in the head by a Texas Ranger. [On the one hand I object to the excessive use of force, but on the other hand I'm tempted to take a few karate lessons myself -- common courtesy is a dying art. ]

The plots are naive, the dialog predictable, something always blows up, someone always gets shot, and the good guy always saves the day. Which, right there is why I like watching Walker with my Dad.

We sit there sharing time together. Sharing a belief that it is possible for the good guys of the world to triumph. Sharing a hope that the bad guys (real-life bad guys) will lose. That there are heroes drawing a line in the sand and defending it. That somewhere on this planet and in this country there are still genuinely good people willing to stand up and fight for honor and decency and justice.

It might be simplistic... okay, it is simplistic, but sometimes a dose of simple, a dose of old-fashioned straight shooting, a dose of knowing wrong from right is exactly what we need to see in this world.

The Right Thing To Do

My wee house was built well before current building standards made the use of reinforced retaining walls mandatory. Which is why the hollow cement block wall started curving in a bit. Coincidentally it is also why the wall cracked horribly when hit by a heavy object.

Now, I'm a handy person and my great temptation here was to head to Lowes grab a bag of Quickrete, fill in the damage and parge over the rest. Cosmetic fix. And I had almost talked myself into it. After all it would be much cheaper and I really can't be affording major repairs right now.

But a cosmetic fix would crack again in a few years, the wall would still be hollow and, really, the right thing to do is to rebuild it, with rebar reinforcements and concrete fill and mortar between all the joints -- the works, done right and up to code.

So these are the before shots.

And these are the during.

The contractor agreed with me it needed to be redone, and done right. (Of course he agreed, that's the option that involves hiring a contractor.)

So the wall's come down, and the wall will go back up again. When it's done I don't suppose anyone looking at the back of the house will even realize that I've had anything done to it. But I'll know. I'll know that it's strong and solid. I'll know that it's been done right. I'll know how much it cost to do the right thing and be glad I did, even if no one else ever notices.

Because in the end, doing the right thing... well, it's just the Right thing to do.

But They Are Still LOST

I just finished watching (thanks to hulu) the final episode of LOST. Since my sister is tired of hearing me rant about the sociological and spiritual ramifications of the, to me, disappointing final season of this TV show, I thought I would share my opinions here.

Accordingly in no particular order I shall now list my chief irritations:

Christian Shepherd -- Yes, Kate, they were kidding you. Anyone who is a Christian Shepherd in more than just name would have had a few things to say about that stained glass window for one thing. How many faiths can you fit into one "church"? Although the show borrowed from Christian Scripture an understanding of Christian theology was conspicuous by it's absence.

How many tunnels of light can you cram into one afterlife?

The "man in black" -- I am still trying to decide whether he was meant to be Johnny Cash, Esau, or the archetypal stereotype bad guy. Since he was written in such an obvious way I'm going to go with: bad guy. After all why leave out the "evil twin" myth?

Did I miss the part where they explain why they spoke Latin? Or why The Others stole the children after the first crash. I'm still thinking of the Island of Lost Boys after all Alpert could have been a Peter Pan figure... my vote for Tinkerbell? Clap if you want Jin and Sun to live. Come on, clap harder.

Or maybe it was meant to be the Island of Misfit Toys... all those flawed people searching for someplace to belong and someone to belong to. Even Jacob -- the flawed man in white. The good guy with his pseudo-god role and his smug air of mystery.

I knew it was a bad sign when the statue of Anubis showed up and I was not wrong. Play mythological sudoku with world religions and from the jumble what emerges is still a false religion. It's still the same nine numbers -- out of order they create an interesting puzzle and that's it. While amusing to solve what emerges is a hodge-podge faith bereft of any numeric or intrinsic value.

Sitting in the church of multiple faiths these characters face the "next life" with no certainty of salvation and no clear picture of who the Lord really is. For all intents and purposes they are more Lost now than they ever were before.

What Makes Success?

Success, defined by the world it means money and some degree of fame.

Defined by me it means that on average more people like you than hate you even if most people have no clue who you are. There's a solid roof overhead, and a garden in your yard. You have a moral character, and use your brain for something more than filling your head. And whatever happens here on Earth, you know you're saved and won't be separated from God in the next life.

That's success.

On that level I'm successful. Notice how I have carefully constructed a definition of success that conforms to my situation so that I can claim to have achieved 100% success? Still, I think it's a valid definition.

Several other definitions exist by which I could not be viewed as successful, for example I am completely lacking in the fame and fortune departments. But I think everyone succeeds differently. Would I be happy living up to someone else's definition of success?

Isn't being content with your life actually one of the signs of success? I think it is. I think we get hung up on making other people believe we are successful ... but when we get in a quiet corner and let God show us our hearts are we happy with who we are? With what we have achieved in our lives?

When we feel we have failed... Is it because we have failed to meet someone's definition of success or because we have failed to meet our own definition?

What makes success?

Steak Knives in the Play Pen

In a recent conversation about a few errors in a Sunday School teaching video I found myself considering the question:

"But isn't it better that they get some truth?"

For seekers in the Christian faith, learning something -- anything -- is important.

But, in providing the wrong information mixed with correct theology, are we doing more harm than good?

This is a question I still do not know the answer to.

Except that I wonder....

If you put 52 plush toys into a play pen with a set of steak knives and left a small child playing there... are we certain that they would only play with the stuffed animals and not pick up the steak knives?

Would any parent take that chance?

Should any Sunday School teacher take that chance?

Dear Friends

Today I am in rebellion.
Today I began hitting "hide" "ignore" and "remove from feed" on my facebook page.

It began this morning when I thought "Hmmm... I haven't heard from X in a while I wonder what she's up to."
I went to this real-life friend's facebook "wall" and discovered that last month she suffered a great loss. While her facebook status updates urgently requested prayers I would have loved to pray for her I was busy slogging through a trillion notices of how much someone I don't really know likes the post of someone else, or friended someone I've never heard of, or became a fan of something I don't care for...

I missed it. I missed being there for her when she needed support from her friends. I was distracted by the hyper-busyness that is social networking.

I joined facebook originally to stay connected with friends -- meaning people I have actually met face-to-real-face -- not my friend's friend's brother-in-law's cousin's friends. I'm sure they are great people but there are not enough hours in the day to care about what each of these people are cooking or not cooking for dinner, the latest sagas about their pets, and their digital versions of endless vacation photo slideshows.

I just can't handle it. I just can't care that much about that many people. I don't know how God does it -- loving each of us enough to have (to maintain) a personal relationship with all of us. Yet He does. More proof of how Big and Wonderful and Infinite God is... that He can love each and every of us so deeply and so personally and so consistently.

I find 100 extra facebook friends overwhelming.

Twelve Ways I Save Money

A friend and I were talking about how hard it is to find money for things these days. Living the average consumer American lifestyle drains her pocketbook and she wondered how I manage. I wondered that too. Here's what I came up with:

1. I never got my ears pierced. I think I probably save a lot of money by not wearing and therefore not buying much jewelry.
2. I don't drink coffee. I've heard that Starbucks, even making your own at home, can cost $50 - $300 a month depending on the drinker. So if I want to acquire a taste for something I'm not naturally keen on I'll be trying something cheaper like cooked spinach, thanks.
3. I also don't drink. To me a "night out on the town" just sounds like an expensive headache the next day. Saving the money sound better than Scotch ... or is saving it the same thing as Scotch? ;-)
4. I tend not to go to the movies. It's $10 per person just to get in the door, add to that the cost of movie theater popcorn... for the same price I could pop enough popcorn at home to be swimming in the stuff as I watch a rented movie.
5. I don't have a big screen TV. When I find a movie worth renting I watch it on a "tiny" normal sized TV. But then I also...
6. don't have satellite or cable. I'm one of those people still devoted to broadcast and rabbit ears. It's free. I cannot imagine why anyone would pay money to view 20 minutes of commercials and 10 minutes of sitcom.
7. I have long hair which means I don't go to the beauty shop for a $30 hair cut every month. If I get tired of long hair I chop off 10-15 inches and save a little on shampoo for a while.
8. My cell phone is JUST a cell phone. I do not have the extra texting service, or the extra internet surfing and gaming services. Did you know this saves over $500 a year?
9. I do not have an MP3 player or an iPod ... I still have an old stereo and it still plays all my old cds and will even tune in radio stations. Okay it's not sleek and portable... but everywhere you go they pipe in music for you -- at the mall, in the grocery store, at the gym, in the mechanics waiting room -- so I don't understand. Did we need more music in our ears?
10. I don't eat out very often. I cook from scratch. It's easier than you think -- my simple recipe for mac and cheese begins with the instructions "Go out and milk the cow..." I'm kidding. A little effort really can save a lot of money here, though. Just last week I bought a roast the the grocery for $15, when I got it home I cut off three steaks which I put in the freezer before preparing the rest as a pot roast. At a restaurant ONE of those steaks would have been $15 and there would have been no pot roast.
11. I recycle less than you think -- because I RE-USE. For example, my storage containers are margarine tubs, cottage cheese containers, and empty jelly jars. Run through the dishwasher the empty containers get saved and reused to store leftovers. (It's important to note these containers are generally not microwave safe so the food needs to be put on the microwave safe plate and then reheated.) Stuff like this might seem fiddly but small savings are still savings.
12. I'm picky about parks. From history to hiking our National and State parks tend to be free. So I don't need over-priced water parks and $50-a-day-plus-rides game parks for a fun exciting day out. After all, my taxpayer dollar has already been spent, why not enjoy the benefit of it?

The ways I save money won't work for everyone. We all have our priorities. Some people feel they really need 500 songs (at $.99 each) shuffling through their state of the art earphones as they sit in the local Take- your-bucks sipping their third $5 coffee and surfing the net on their touch phone while waiting for their friends to join them so they can catch the latest $10 flick at the Money-gouging Plex before grabbing drinks with dinner at the All-of-your-money Garden.

Clearly, I don't. I'd rather knit an alpaca sweater while watching my favorite classic black-and-white movies as the warm smell of baking bread fills my home. "To each his own."

How do you save?

Ashmead's Kernel

The twelfth and final apple of Christmas is the ancient Ashmead's Kernel. My sister says, "This is the only brown apple you should eat, all the others taste like cheese." She then proceeded to nibble away like a mouse with.... never mind.

Although this russet had the strongest "cheese" smell before it was sliced it had a lovely non-cheesy tart flavor. Sprightly with a nice edge to it. It's a great eating apple. We think it would also make a good cider apple for those who like their cider to turn a bit hard. Which means Ashmeade's Kernel also makes the list of those trees waiting to be transplanted from my wish list into reality. Our apple had a very nice form too. Sorry about the blurred photo but you get the idea.

Baldwin

The Baldwin, our eleventh apple has a nice tartness to it. The pretty shape and colour with bright white flesh make this an apple that is as fun to look at as it is to eat. It was ranked as "better than a Red Delicious." We are a bit scornful of the omnipresent Red Delicious however, so that's not so high a praise as you might think. Still it is a good apple and deserves a place in the fantasy orchard (which is now well over 100 imaginary acres, BTW).

Golden Russet

When my sister refers to "the apple Cheez-it" this is the apple she means. The Golden Russet hints at a cheese scent and she is now firmly convinced that all brown skinned apples will smell like cheese.

I thought it was more of an alfalfa aroma, rather like the smell of rabbit feed.

I'll wait while you laugh.

The Golden Russet has a lovely pear texture and an inoffensive flavor which actually put me very much in mind of Asian apples and pears. And it has an adorable shape.