To K.D. in South Carolina

K - you left a comment on this post about an article you thought I should Google and read. I've read most of it but my tears did not allow me to finish. I will continue to nibble away at it in the days to come. It is indeed beautifully written and words my soul needed this day.

You have blessed me this Sabbath morning. Thank you.

CONTINUE READING...

Seven on Sunday

1. What a wonderful visit I had with my buddy who lives in Charlotte now! A sleepy late night talk, eating breakfast and lunch out, playing with bloggy stuff, catching up on kids, remembering the past, sharing the present, planning the future, and just plain ol' enjoying each other. There's nothing like a sleepover....even when you're (ahem) over forty. :-)

2. We (see #1) worked on her book club blog. Take a look!

3. We (see #1 again!) also discovered this site where you can turn your blog into a book - pdf, hardcover, or softcover. I did two volumes of pdf's: May 2007 to April 2008 and May 2008 to April 2009. As soon as April 2010 rolls around I'll do Volume 3. I'd like to have hardbound books made, too. I might split it up into more volumes and splurge on that a little at a time over the next year. There's other printing sites I'd like to check out, too. I know you can back your blog up but I've been worried about loosing it somehow. I like knowing I have a hard copy, too. Besides.... It's just plain cool to see it in book format!

4. Have you heard of this? A friend gave me a copy of one last week. I think I might subscribe.

5. Liking this artist's blog... from which I found this blog... with this particularly great post of "words you love"... from which I found this site. List Makers beware!

6. Exciting times.... This Friday is Mary's debut as a book club diva! She and friend E are hosting their first-ever book club meeting where they will be discussing The Giver by Lois Lowry. It's still my older daughter's favorite book. :-) I'm scurrying to reread it today to be able to lend a helping hand. I had forgotten how good it was!

7. I came across this artist a couple of years ago when I was really just starting to play around with drawing. I stumbled across her blog this morning and looks like she may be posting again! I love, love, love her letter series.

CONTINUE READING...

The Kingdom of God

And he said, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground. He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows; he knows not how. The earth produces by itself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. But when the grain is ripe, at once he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.” Mark 4:26-29

These verses were from my Bible reading yesterday. How funny it is that you read and read a story or parable or letter in the Bible, listen to sermons on it, read commentaries, etc., etc. and then one day you read it and bam! - the Holy Spirit speaks to you in a totally new and fresh way.

The kingdom of God - in the world, in earthly kingdoms and nations, in the church universal, in my church in particular, in me, in my husband, in my children, in my friends - sprouts and grows, I know not how. But it does, slowly, surely, day by day. His Word does not come back void. His purposes will be completed. And then harvest will come! Amen and amen.

Enjoy the video, God has given us an amazingly beautiful place to live. Imagine what it will be like redeemed!

Blessings, bloggy friends~

CONTINUE READING...

Girl with Pink Lips

Doodling and praying. Praying and doodling.

CONTINUE READING...

No, Say It Ain't So!

Snow tomorrow?! One to two inches.... Noooooo!.... I thought spring was on its way. Our house is going to slide down the driveway if we get anymore snow and the gravel doesn't get delivered. Ah, well. I'm off to take a mega-long shower. That'll make me feel better! :-)

CONTINUE READING...

Simple

For Today
Tuesday, February 23rd

Outside my window... black, black, and more black! It's 5:30am and there's no evidence of the morning yet. But I am reminded to be grateful for the assurance that as I sit and write the day will arrive, the sun will rise, and the birds will sing.

I am thankful... that God holds all things together and is faithful to send the sun each morning across the sky like a strong man running his course for joy, like a bridegroom leaving his chamber.

I am thinking... of Mary's question yesterday as we were driving home from school that was basically about euthanasia, about why if someone is in pain with a terminal illness we don't just end the suffering for them. (This might seem a startling question for a ten-year-old, but it comes from two things: one - some friends had to put down their beloved 15-year-old golden retriever Sunday because he could no longer stand up and two - another family friend is walking through terminal cancer.) What an opportunity to talk to her about the sanctity and holiness of life, of the value of it in God's eyes even when the world sees it as worthless, of the dangers of becoming like God and deciding whose life is worth living and whose is not. I'm looking forward to some follow up discussions as she's had time to digest yesterday's conversation.

I am pondering.... how fleeting our lives are here on Earth after reading Psalm 90 this morning:

You return man to dust
and say, “Return, O children of man!”
For a thousand years in your sight
are but as yesterday when it is past,
or as a watch in the night.
You sweep them away as with a flood; they are like a dream,
like grass that is renewed in the morning:
in the morning it flourishes and is renewed;
in the evening it fades and withers.

Teach me to number my days, Lord. How appropriate after Mary's question above!

I am creating... two things for friends. 1) Some art remembrance journals one friend wants to create for her granddaughter and 2) a blog header for a new book club another friend is starting.

I am remembering... my grandmothers today. Last night Ellen curled up in the bed with me and we talked for about an hour. I told her about both my grandmothers, her great-grandmothers, one of whom she is named after. (The one she's NOT named after was Effie Eulene. As much as I would have liked to have some part of her name carried on with my girls, I just couldn't do it to them. Ellen thinks Buriece is bad enough to carry even as a middle name, but I think it is beautiful.) It was good to remember them and to try to make sure their memories are given to the next generation. They were both interesting women, strong in the face of adversity. I wish I knew more. I wish they had lived longer. At least one of them I know I will see again in Heaven.

I am reading... the Gospel of Mark in the New Testament and Numbers in the Old plus a Psalms here and there (Life Journal). Also, started reading Alas, Babylon and am captured by it. I had to stop listening to The School of Essential Ingredients. Just didn't like it. So, I started listening to The Blood of Flowers and I think it will definitely keep my attention.

I am hoping... to get my rear end in gear and start walking again. The weather's a-changing! It's time to get moving!

I am hearing... my dog Molly snore as she lays on the stool at my feet and my dog Sadie dream-barking in her sleep as she lays wedged between me and the arm of my chair. Love my puppies!

From the kitchen... the corn casserole turned out to be a big hit as did this curried chicken soup.

One of my favorite things... long, hot showers.

A few plans for the rest of the week... work, another art date with a friend one night this week, church book club Friday night, and a visit to a friend in Charlotte hopefully on Saturday. Hooray!

From my picture journal... I was going through old photos yesterday and came across this one I took of a group of friends that used to meet for breakfast every Wednesday morning for years. (I'm not in the picture, but was standing on a chair taking it!) This was a good season of life, a time when we all needed a place to gather once a week to drink coffee, eat breakfast, and just share our joys and sorrows. Sometimes there would only be two of us there and sometimes as many as ten. I'm thankful for that time and for each of the women that were part of it. We're all in such different places and seasons now. It makes me sad, but grateful to have had the experience. And grateful for old friends and new!

For more "Simple" entries, go to The Simple Woman's Daybook. Blessings, bloggy friends!

CONTINUE READING...

Girls

Hmm... actually got some time to play around this morning with water colors while the kids slept and Matt researched how to install double-sided fireplaces on the Internet (that's another story)...

And last night drew this "upsidedown" girl I've had in my mind, but I'm not too happy with her. Can't get her arms right! :-((

But at least I'm doing something! Hoorah!

CONTINUE READING...

Book Review: The Madonnas of Leningrad

The Madonnas of Leningrad by Debra Dean, Publisher: Harper Perennial; X edition (February 20, 2007), ISBN-10: 0060825316, Paperback: 231 pages

Rating: 4.5 of 5 STARS
Source: Recommended by a friend

I was at our church book club months ago and this very sweet elderly lady who sometimes sits in on our meetings took me aside and said, "Have you read The Madonnas of Leningrad?" She told me how wonderful it was but not a single bit of information about the plot. Just a few minutes earlier she had shared with the group during our discussion of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society about her own World War II experiences, about how she had lived in Manhattan and had volunteered to be a night sky watch. She talked about how hard it was to stay awake, about how none of the girls ever saw anything to raise the alarm, and about walking home after her shift on eerily deserted streets to her apartment at 3am. I immediately tucked her recommendation away as one that I had to try.

I'm finally getting around to reading it and have not been disappointed. Thanks, Miss Lucy, for the recommendation! And for sharing your own story.

I liked this book. Then I loved it when I read the P.S. at the back of the book, learning that Debra Dean had been inspired to write the story from watching a PBS series on the Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg and from experiences with her own grandmother diagnosed with Alzheimer's. I also loved that she was brave enough to write this novel that is so tied to the people, the art, and the architecture of the Hermitage without ever stepping foot in Russia. In the P.S. Dean tells of her and her husband's experience of finally visiting the museum well after her novel was written and sold. I also loved this description of her writing schedule:

So we (her husband is a poet) set up shop in the windowless laundry room that we shared with the neighbors, our desk wedged between the garbage cans and the hot water furnace - not so different from the cellars of the Hermitage during the war perhaps, but decidedly safer and warmer with the dryer humming. He worked in the mornings and I took the afternoons. The novel and written slowly and without expectations. Eat breakfast, write, go for a long walk, write another page or two, make dinner, watch a movie. Repeat the next day.

So - the story? It's about Marina, an elderly Russian woman now living in the United States who is slowly losing her memories to the onslaught of Alzheimer's. Marina slips back and forth from the confusing present time to the days she spent in the Hermitage during the siege of Leningrad by the Germans in 1941. Marina worked at the museum as a tour guide and the novel is just brimming with description after description of the artwork that was removed from the museum by the Hermitage staff for safekeeping during the war - especially the Madonnas. Marina builds a "memory palace" in her mind during the siege of the artwork that once hung in the now empty frames to make sure the beauty isn't lost even if the paintings are destroyed. This memory palace comes back in full force as her disease advances.

Brilliant book. I marked tons and tons of pages. And I'm dying to visit the Hermitage, now! They say the Hermitage is such an amazing museum, chocked full of treasures, that if you were to just take one minute looking at each object, it would take FIVE YEARS to see everything. Wow.

Ok - just one passage:

"And here is The Assumption of Mary Magdalene into Heaven. She is flying, her startled eyes lifted up, her arms spread wide, her cloak and red sash trailing behind her. Supporting the Magdalene are a pair of full-grown angels and a flock of tiny putti, fat little cherubs hefting her on their backs and shoulders as though she were a heavy sack of grain. Domenihino has also painted strange disembodied cherubs in the sky, infant heads propped on flapping wings."

Of course, that description makes you want to actually see The Assumption:

(Image from the Hermitage website)

There's so much more to the story... I highly recommend this one!

Happy reading!

CONTINUE READING...

The Real Story

A friend sent this to me a while back after a conversation we had. Now, months later I'm watching as a another friend dances a slow waltz with Death and with each pass around the ballroom they move just a little faster than the last. This quote gave me comfort this morning. I hope it does to you, too, bloggy friends. May we all know that this life is only the cover and title page. The real story is yet to begin.

"...all of you are - as you used to call it in the Shadow-Lands - dead. The term is over: the

holidays have begun. The dream is ended: this is the morning."

And as He spoke He no longer looked to them like a lion; but the things that began to happen after that were so great and beautiful that I cannot write them.

And for us this is the end of all the stories, and we can most truly say that they all lived happily ever after. But for them it was only the beginning of the real story. All their life in this world and all their adventures in Narnia had only been the cover & the title page: now at last they were beginning Chapter 1 of the Great Story, which no one on earth had read: which goes on forever: in which every chapter is better than the one before.

~ Aslan speaking to the children who didn't realize they were dead in The Last Battle by C.S. Lewis

CONTINUE READING...

Simple

For Today
Wednesday, February 17th

Outside my window... Mary and friend E are going round and round in the cul-de-sac. Mary is on her roller blades and E is on her bike. I can't imagine how many childhood hours have been spent on that asphalt!

I am thankful... for jobs and health and kids and husband and friends. I am blessed.

I am thinking... of this phrase I just heard on the audio book I started today: She slipped into a book like a seal into water. Lovely, no?

I am pondering.... my favorite Bible verses, Acts 17:26-27, in the English Standard Version:

And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, in the hope that they might feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us...

The phrase that caught my eye was "that they might feel their way toward him." The NIV uses "so that men would seek him." I like the image I get of feeling my way toward God. What a great picture of what it was like to be lost in darkness and groping my way to the light of Christ. And even in that, Paul tells us that God determined the time and place I would live so I might know Him. Indeed, He has never been far from me.

I am creating... nothing, nata, zippo! :-( Although I have an art-date with a friend Friday night! Yippee!

I am remembering... that today is Ash Wednesday and for the first time in two (maybe three?) I haven't gone to an Ash Wednesday service. Sigh. What are you giving up for Lent?

I am reading... Acts and Numbers peppered with Psalms for my Bible reading. Done with Leviticus! Hallelujah!! Listening to The School of Essential Ingredients.

I am hoping... to start eating better. I think I'll give up sweets for Lent, but that Special Dark Hershey's bar is calling my name. Yikes!

I am hearing... nothing! Ah, the quiet before the storm of dinner, homework, and bedtime!

From the kitchen... I have this corn casserole in the oven right now. I'll let you know how it turns out.

Around the house... As soon as we got back from the beach Matt started doing laundry. Now, with me being gone to Louisiana the week before, and then off to be beach the next weekend with a busy, busy work schedule sandwiched in between, there was A LOT of dirty clothes. Well, he's not only washing and drying, but folding and hanging up. AND...prepare yourselves.... PUTTING THEM UP IN THE CLOSETS! Gasp! It's kinda creeping me out.

One of my favorite things... the smell of canned creamed corn. Yep.

A few plans for the rest of the week... work (of course), book club tomorrow night (for a book I haven't read!), web training on Friday at the church, and then an art date with a friend Friday night. And hopefully, gloriously at home for the weekend! :-)

From my picture journal... a collard sandwich from Main Street Cafe in Hamlet. Really. I had this for lunch today with a side of fatback. Be still my southern heart! I've never heard of this before... two cornbread pancakes with yummy collard greens stuffed in between. The photo is from my cell phone, so forgive the quality, but I had to take a picture! Matt ended up eating about half of it.... it was a lot of food.

For more "Simple" entries, go to The Simple Woman's Daybook. Blessings, bloggy friends!

CONTINUE READING...

Book Review: The Book Thief (Audio)

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, read by Allan Corduner, Publisher: Listening Library (Audio); Unabridged edition (September 26, 2006), ISBN-10: 0739337270

Source: Public Library
Rating: 5 of 5 STARS

I read this book at least two years ago with our Farming of Books book club. I remember being amazed then by both the writing and the story. We weren't keeping track of our ratings back then, but I am sure we gave a good one. The Book Thief was marketed as a Young Adult book but we all agreed that the content was really too much for a child. The book is narrated by Death just for beginners. So, as I was frantically grabbing audio books from the children's section at our public library in preparation of mine and Mary's driving trip to Louisiana, I was somewhat surprised to see The Book Thief on their shelves. I picked about six different books for Mary to choose from for our 15 hour one-way drive not really thinking she would choose this particular one. But - of course - she did.

Here's the story synopsis from AudioFile:

Set in Nazi Germany, narrated by Death, it is 9-year-old Liesel Meminger's story. Death watches as she steals the first of 14 books at her brother's funeral, sensing they will feed her soul even before she knows how to read. Allan Corduner gives Death a strong personality with a dispassionate voice that will grip the listener; by turns sardonic, compassionate, with a dark humor, he takes no pride in being part of man's deadly cruelty to man. Corduner gives Death a voice we rarely imagine for him, as fearful of humans as we are of him, and an unwillingly participant in man's cruel, deadly events.

Mary was captured by the story and we spent a lot of time discussing World War II, Hitler, the depravity of man, what is true friendship, what makes a family, could something like this happen now, and much, much more. At ten-and-a-half, she wasn't ready to read or listen to this on her own, but it was a wonderful opportunity for us to listen to it together and talk about it as we went along. I'm glad we did.

However - one caveat! I had forgotten about the language!! Yikes! I spent a lot of time saying, "You know that's inappropriate, right?" There was even some creative ways of taking the Lord's name in vain which I also had to explain. Still, I don't regret listening to it with her. For this particular child and in this very insulated situation - listening to it almost straight through without interruption with her mother - I think she was ready for it.

Finally - the writing was beautiful. I am amazed at how much Zusak ties color into the story. Take this excerpt as one tiny example:

People observe the colors of a day only at its beginnings and ends, but to me it's quite clear that a day merges through a multitude of shades and intonations, with each passing moment.
A single hour can consist of thousands of different colors.
Waxy yellows, cloud-spat blues. Murky darknesses.
In my line of work, I make it a point to notice them.

Also, Zusak's use of personification was brilliant. Like this one:

His hangover was visible. It heaved itself to his shoulders and sat there like a bag of wet cement.

Of course, that lead to a discussion of hangovers! :-)

So, I'd highly recommend any adult to read it or listen to it. Then you can make the decision as to when it's appropriate for your child.

CONTINUE READING...

Seven on ... Sunday!

Hello, friends - Happy Valentines Day! It seems like this week has flown by without much blogging! I'm hoping for a slower week coming up with a little more time for pondering, writing, and art making.

1. Well, this was the weekend for the Myrtle Beach Marathon. Two friends and I signed up to walk the half marathon.... and then didn't train! Matt registered to run the full marathon but didn't prepare either. Things just seemed to really have gotten hectic since the marathon in Philadelphia plus the weather wasn't very conducive to training. Really, that's all just an excuse. None of us could seem to make walking or running a priority. But, we had already reserved the room and blocked off the weekend... so away we went! The three gals toyed with the idea of walking it anyway (just slowly). How bad could it be? Well - that was answered for us. (See #2.) The weekend ended up being a great time away with friends anyway!

2. So, why was the marathon canceled, you ask? Well, for the first time in TEN YEARS Myrtle Beach had enough snow to even measure - about 3.5 inches - so the race officials had to cancel late Friday night. A few die-hards ran the course anyway. It's the first time I've seen a beach with snow!

3. Reading: South of Broad (for book club), Leviticus, and Acts. I'll be glad when we're out of Leviticus... Some mornings I feel like I need to go shower again after reading about all the sacrifices... ox and goats and pigeons... thighs being waved around... blood being sprinkled and splashed... flesh and grain being burned. The tabernacle must have been some kind of smelly! But it does make me thankful that we no longer have need for these repetitive sacrifices of sin and peace offering... thankful that there has been the One and Final Lamb without blemish given over for to pay for our sins.

4. Thinking on this verse: You shall stand up before the gray head and honor the face of an old man, and you shall fear your God: I am the Lord. Leviticus 19:32

5. The six of us went over to a Barnes & Noble Saturday and I bought the Joomla! Bible to use to work on our church website, these red moleskine squared notebooks for practicing hand typography, and the latest edition of Artful Blogging.

6. I am enjoying perusing these portfolios and this really cool article on the color palettes used by the great masters like Leonardo da Vinci, Vincent van Gogh, and Botticelli. Yummy eye candy!

7. Check out this article from NPR on why doodling actually helps you stay focused and better absorb information. I knew it! And here's some examples of Presidential doodles. I related most to Herbert Hoover. (See below.) Trained as an engineer his doodles were geometric, intricate, and linked individual pieces into a unified whole. However, he never drew people which is said to have shown his lack of concern for the human element and therefore explains his slow reaction to the Great Depression!

CONTINUE READING...

Simple

For Today
Wednesday, February 10th

Outside my window... the black silky morning sky of NORTH CAROLINA! I am home. It is good.

I am thankful... for a good visit with my parents. Mary and mom sewed, we all played Scrabble, we watched the Super Bowel together, and (of course!) we ate very well! It was just the right length to stay.

I am thinking... how odd it would be to be married to someone who wasn't from my hometown, who didn't grow up in the same place I did, who didn't know the same people and families that I do. I suppose there's negatives to being married to a man who grew up three miles away from you but right now I'm so glad Matt really knows my history, really understands where I'm from.

I am pondering.... Exodus 38:8. Who were these ministering women with mirrors? Intriguing.

He made the basin of bronze and its stand of bronze, from the mirrors of the ministering women who ministered in the entrance of the tent of meeting.

I am creating... Mom helped me sew another of her famous "Quillows" for Mary's friend E over the weekend. I think I can do it by myself, but I better make one on my own quickly or I'll forget how!

I am going... back to work this morning after being gone three days. It'll be a super busy morning - taking care of things left undone in the rush to leave, responding to new requests, and preparing for a training session on Friday.

I am reading... still in Acts but have moved on to Leviticus. I'm still reading The Madonnas of Leningrad. Mary and I listened to The Book Thief and Gossamer on the drive back and forth to Louisiana. I'm aaalmost finished listening to Skeletons at the Feast, too. I picked up Mary Oliver's New and Selected Poems Volume I in a Barnes & Noble in Birmingham where we stopped for coffee and a break on the way down Friday. I've started flipping through it and this verse from her poem The Moths has attached itself to me:

If you notice anything,
it leads you to notice
more
and more.

I am hoping... for an easy closure to this week.

I am hearing... my wind chimes tinkling outside. We have a high wind advisory today, I think.

From the kitchen... I'm cooking tonight but have absolutely no idea what!

Around the house... I came home to a nice straightened house yesterday afternoon. Matt panicked when he realized I would beat him home from work and asked a friend to come over and straighten up so I wouldn't walk in and find dirty glasses left on the counter, shoes in the foyer, and an unmade bed. It's nice to have a friend you can call on like that... and a husband who understands why it's important not to let your wife walk into a messy house after she's been away for five days. :-) Thanks, M!

One of my favorite things... being home. I love it here.

A few plans for the rest of the week... work, going to a musical Thursday night with Sean's future in laws, leading a training session on Friday morning, then attending one myself Friday afternoon, and finally heading off to the beach for a Valentine's weekend.

I am chuckling over... Mary. She and friend E are starting a book club that has its first meeting in March. They are reading The Giver. She ran to my room last night after we tucked her in and whispered, "Will we have snacks at my book club?" Oh, to be ten!

From my picture journal... Mary cheesed it up for Grandpa:


See more details on how to take part in The Simple Woman's Daybook here.

CONTINUE READING...

Seven on Saturday

Hey, bloggy friends!

1. I'm coming to you from the deep, deep South... my hometown in Louisiana! Mary and I didn't leave until Friday, so we won't make the climb back up to North Carolina until Tuesday.

2. Mary and I spent at least 10 of the 15 hours driving yesterday listening to the audio of The Book Thief. I read it some time ago for The Farming of Books Book Club and thought it was brilliant. Although it is marketed as a Young Adult book, there's a lot of bad language and a tough subject matter (WWII, Nazis, etc. - a continuing theme for me!) which makes it a book I didn't feel comfortable with Mary reading alone. So... we're listening and talking... talking and listening. She's loving it and it's giving us lots and lots of fodder for conversation. We have about two hours or so left and will finish it on the ride home Tuesday.

3. I just made Chicken Chowder Soup for mom and dad for lunch today. It's a friend's recipe. Not sure where it originally came from but it's oh-so-easy and yummy on a cold, rainy day.

Chicken - rotisserie is easiest, probably only half of one, deboned and chunked up
1 can chicken broth
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of potato soup
2 cans rotel - mild
1 can Mexicana corn
2 1/2 cups milk
1/3 cup diced onion

Just mix everything together, bring to a boil, and simmer for 15 minutes or so. Add salt and pepper as needed. Top with shredded Monterey Jack cheese. Perfect with cornbread on the side.

4. We finished off lunch with a cream cheese King Cake.

5. How 'bout them Saints? I'll be watching the Super Bowl on home turf tomorrow. :-) Honestly, I don't really care about football, but I'm happy for New Orleans and I'm looking forward to watching the commercials!

6. Mom's got this pie in the oven right now. As you can tell, going home means eating a lot. This IS Louisiana, you know?

7. Ok, mom just gave me this recipe... said it was fabulous. She promises to make them tomorrow. :-) I'll let you know.

Pecan Pie Muffins

1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup light brown sugar (LIGHT brown is important!)
1/2 cup flour
2 eggs
1/2 cup butter
*almost* 1 tablespoon vanilla

Mix and pour in a greased muffin tin. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.

In case you're wondering... Dad finally popped for DSL and got rid of the telephone modem connection. :-) No wireless, but still...

CONTINUE READING...

Simple

For Today
Wednesday, February 3

Outside my window... the remnants of our wonderful snow weekend melting back into the earth.

I am thankful for... all of you who left comments or sent emails for my 1000th post! Glad to know you are there.

I am wearing... my favorite sleep-shirt with palm trees all over it. Makes me think of the beach!

I am remembering... that I MUST call the vet in Georgia to get Molly's records sent up here!

I am going... to Louisiana. Mary and I are driving down Thursday and coming back on Monday. We'll have lots and lots (and lots) of time together in the car. Honestly, I'm looking forward to the time with her. She makes me laugh. And it will be good to see my parents for a few days.

I am thinking... of all the things I have to do before we leave on tomorrow!

I am currently reading... Madonnas of Leningrad and Skeletons at the Feast (audio). Bible reading: Exodus and Acts with a few Psalms sprinkled in.

I am hoping... Matt and I can slip away for a quiet dinner before I leave!

On my mind... I just finished Primo Levi's Survival in Auschwitz and am now reading/listening to two novels about WWII. I am feeling overwhelmed by the barbarity and evilness of man. Yesterday, driving to work and listening to Skeletons at the Feast, I began to cry and called Matt to ask him how he thought just regular people could have become such monsters? They couldn't have all been insane. They had to have been just normal mothers and fathers and husbands and wives before they became these beasts that ran the prison camps. How does that happen? Could it happen here? Something in my heart says very firmly, "Yes!" Clicking around last night I went over the Challies and saw this book on the sidebar by Erwin W. Lutzer. Here's some food for thought from the product description at Amazon:

The people of Nazi Germany weren’t any more barbaric, uncivilized, or depraved than any other Western nation of the early Twentieth Century, yet the Nazi regime will forever serve as an example of brutality and extreme racism run amok. What led so many people to such extreme ends?

According to Dr. Lutzer, the German people’s progression from civility to barbarity was not extraordinary, and more than a few benchmarks from their transition can be observed in present day American society (Do any of these sound familiar?):

- The Church is silenced
- The economy is king
- The lawmakers determine behaviors
- The media controls beliefs
- The Gospel and nationalism become inextricably tied to each other
- And yet, heroes still have power

This short, manageable book does not suggest the United States is definitely marching toward authoritarian oblivion, but that we — especially we believers — must be vigilant in our stand for truth, justice, and righteousness.

Noticing that... I am being very absentminded! What's up with that?

Pondering these words... Worship, Pray, Be Well, Make, Write, Appreciate, Save, Simplify, Beautify, and Love... They are my 2010 Goal Words and I suppose the beginning of the 2nd month of the year is a good time to review.

From the kitchen... tonight I'm whipping up a quick batch of super simple spaghetti and salad. Easy, peasy.

Around the house... all the laundry was done and put away! Hooray! Hooray! But, alas, the hampers are beginning to fill again...

One of my favorite things... walking on the beach searching for shells.

For more "Simple" entries, go to The Simple Woman's Daybook. Blessings, bloggy friends!

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