ShaLOm in 2017

Well, here it is the end of 2016 and I am posting my (planned... ya never know how that will go, ask Robbie Burns' mousie) one-word focus for 2017.

I am going with shalom. I like the way Cornelius Plantinga Jr presents that word in  Not the Way It's Supposed to Be: A Breviary of Sin. At one point he writes:  

In the Bible, shalom means universal flourishing, wholeness, and delight--a rich state of affairs in which natural needs are satisfied and natural gifts fruitfully employed, a state of affairs that inspires joyful wonder as its Creator and Savior opens doors and welcomes the creatures in whom he delights. Shalom, in other words, is the way things ought to be.

I want to focus on things becoming the way they are supposed to be, with wholeness and healing and all the deliciously dripping sweet fruits of the Spirit. 

And because I do not ever really get the whole one-word thing, I am mentally writing the word this way: shaLOm. I am using the L to remind me to Listen, a skill where I am very weak, and the O is not really the letter /O/ but a kind of sphere to remind me to Mind My Own Sphere of Dominion (and not everyone else's).

What about you? Have you got a one-word focus for the new year?  

 

To Whom Shall We Go?

Last night Devastatingly Handsome took us to see Doctor Strange. It was a film that promised to suit everyone in the family, from those of us who enjoy superheroes to those who are content to see Benedict Cumberbatch. Not saying which category I may fall into. :)

This film has a crazy mix of world religions and mysticism, and there was a lot I wanted to argue with. But I was struck throughout the movie about how much of the script was either so close to Scripture or reminiscent of it and could have been reworded with direct quotes from memory work:

* The theme about Strange's arrogance and it not being all about him... we could substitute chunks of Proverbs and get there. 

* Something about his bold, insistent "I've come to bargain" reminds me of our need for a mediator.

* The Ancient One's final talk about death "Death is what gives life meaning. To know your days are numbered and your time is short" sounds straight out of Psalm 90 ~ "So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom."

I was struck most strongly by two scenes fairly early in the show, the first, I can't find the exact words but Pangborn warned Strange that there would be a cost and that it was not money. This sounded very like the admonition in Luke 14:28 to consider the cost. Just a few minutes later, when The Ancient One threw Strange out of Kamar-Taj, he sat on the stoop, knocking and begging for entrance. I was thinking of Christ's warnings about being excluded from the kingdom of heaven until Strange begged, "Please don't shut me out! I don't have anywhere else to go.." It sounded to me like he was confessing along with Peter in John 6:68 "Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life."
 

End of February Quotes

Well, this has been a chilly February and I am glad to see March coming in. I am going to make a simple farewell to February with some quotes about the month itself. :)

"Why, what's the matter,
That you have such a February face,
So full of frost, of storm and cloudiness?" ~Shakespeare in Much Ado About Nothing

FAREWELL to February faces!

~ ~ ~ 

For some ridiculous reason, to which, however, I've no desire to be disloyal,

Some person in authority, I don't know who, very likely the Astronomer Royal,

Has decided that, although for such a beastly month as February, twenty-eight days as a rule are plenty,

One year in every four his days shall be reck0ned as nine and twenty. ~ Gilbert, The Pirates of Penzance

FAREWELL to the beastly month! 

~ ~ ~ 

Every mile is two in winter. ~ George Herbert

FAREWELL to double miles!

~~~

February, when the days of winter seem endless and no amount of wistful recollecting can bring back any air of summer. ~ Shirley Jackson

FAREWELL to endless (cold) and here's looking to the "air of summer."

"Long Love Stories"

I read emails from Gretchen Rubin writing on happiness. This week she sent out one with this quote: 

“Collectors are basically of two kinds; those who aim at completing a series, and those who long to possess things that have bewitched them. The former, of whom stamp and coin collectors are the obvious examples, enjoy the pleasures of a limited aim, and its comforting certainties. The latter may suffer ups and downs, changes of heart and deceptions, but they have several great advantages. They never know when some new love will inflame them; they learn a great deal more about themselves from their possessions; and in the end they are surrounded by old friends, with long love stories which they must try hard not to tell their friends.”Kenneth Clark, Another Part of the Wood: A Self-Portrait

The last part of that quote resounds with me. I find myself telling stories of something I care deeply about and not too sure if my friends want to hear it or not. I guess that is one reason I like writing. You all can choose to come to my blog or not, I will never know the difference, read it or not, comment or not, roll your eyes or not. And I can share my long love stories regardless. 

One-word Quotes

Yesterday at a meal it came up that one of Miss Language's friends has just watched (sit down here) The Princess Bride for the first time. (fan yourself and recover a bit. I know. Poor deprived young adult.)

Anyhow.

We all started quoting the movie and of course came to "Inconceivable." And we began to wonder what other one-word quotes are famous. We came up with a few but I am curious about what you will come up with.

The follow-up question is this, Do one-word quotes exist in books, too? Or do they need the inflection etc of a song or movie? The only contender we came up with was So (or more accurately Hwaet), although I thought the So could be just as well Vonnegut as Beowulf. 

The final tunnel in this rabbit trail was one-word tags: Mr Music suggested for example that there is really only one place to go from "Ishmael."

Anyone here want to contribute to this discussion?  :)

Lessons from the Porta-Potty

I am preparing to spend a month in China with Miss Language. I have never prepared for a big trip, (except, of course, the Ultimate Journey). 

I expected to have to buy a backpack, get a passport and visa, check on immunizations, make many lists, and get some lighter travel-friendly clothes and a new journal. Maybe even pick up a few phrases in Mandarin. But I did not expect a change in the way I feel about using porta-potties. 

One of the things Miss Language has told me to prepare myself for is Asian toilets. These are not raised seats, just a hole over which you strategically squat. Paper is not provided, and when you use the paper you hopefully remembered to bring - you don't flush but put it in a trash can. And there is sometimes a dipper and bucket provided for flushing. Very not me. 

And so, when I entered the porta-potty the other night at Mr Music's baseball game, and was met by The Well Known Odor and saw a lack of tissue, I was surprised to find myself thinking, not "I'm out of here", but "Oh, good, a chance to practice."

Which makes me wonder, of course, about the more spiritual applications of preparing for a Journey and seeing life in that light. As is so often the case, C S Lewis has something to point the way, from God in the Dock: 

If you think of this world as a place intended simply for our happiness, you find it quite intolerable: think of it as a place of training and correction and it's not so bad.

If I am willing to prepare for squatty potties, how much better to prepare for glory? What Well Known Odors and lacks should I be glad to welcome as needed practice?

~ ~ ~ 

II Corinthians 4:17 ~ For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison.

Packing List

now it is time to start thinking about what clothes to pack for a month traveling in China living out of a backpack.

I feel like I may be too old for that.

I think research is killing me, trying to maximize everything I take and guess exactly what I will want or need.

I might even like to look cute.

I read to wear neutrals in China so you don't stand out. I read to wear bright colors because that is what the Chinese like. I read that dress there is casual and anything goes. I read that the Chinese people like to see a bit of fashion and that you are Making An Effort. I google "travel wardrobes" and see outfits that are put together. I do not wear outfits. I wear plain old clothes. I am a homeschool mom, just one step away from denim jumpers.

I don't want to carry anything heavy around. Or hard to wash and air dry. 

I want stuff with very secure pockets. Concealed. And comfortable.

Did I mention I might want to look cute?

I hate buying new clothes. I always think of Thoreau, "I say, beware of all enterprises that require new clothes, and not rather a new wearer of clothes." Was he thinking like a woman preparing to go halfway around the world? hmmm?

I have a feeling no matter what I do, the people of China may notice I am not a native. And the bag may get heavy.

*whine over* off to try on things in my closet and obsess some more. 

Knocking

This morning I woke up thinking about the old proverb (English? Scottish?) "Fear knocked at the door. Faith answered. No one was there."

Now, though, I am hearing it changed a bit to Love answered.  I suspect that is a change so people who make no claim to faith can still, um, borrow the idea. But even with the change, it works for me. Because what I know of love is because of Christ ~ I John 3:16 ~ By this we know love, that He laid down His life for us. If He laid down His life for me, I know He will answer the door for me. In fact, He is the door. No one is there to harm me.

Abundance

Some online friends were talking about trying to make sense of the recent school shootings. One of my musically talented friends shared this quote:

“This will be our reply to violence: to make music more intensely, more beautifully, more devotedly than ever before.” ~ Leonard Bernstein

I am no musician, but I love the kernel of that idea. I think God wants us to respond to the sin around us in faith, not in fear, and part of that is embracing His love for us and goodness to us and LIVING more and more abundantly in Him. John 10:10 ~ The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

A Literary Road Trip

Last night I finished reading Leif Enger's Peace Like a River. If you haven't read it, read it. If you've read it, read it again. This book packs an incredible lot of Truth into a novel, and his use of English is amazing. His words about miracles are bright and new.

My three favorite quotes on the first reading, the things that immediately called forth a YES! from inside me:
* No miracle happens without a witness. Someone to declare, Here's what I saw. Here's how it went. Make of it what you will.
* Once traveling, it's remarkable how quickly faith erodes. It starts to look like something else - ignorance, for example. Same thing happened to the Israelites. Sure it's weak, but sometimes you'd rather just have a map.
*Listening to Dad's guitar, halting yet lovely in the search for phrasing, I thought: Fair is whatever God wants to do.

Pretty Sure She Learned This from The Princess Bride

Ya gotta love Miss Dog Lover. What she lacks in clarity on how language and the (much overrated) Real World work, she makes up for in intensity and effort. 

Case in point, the other day we were in the car on our way back from errands, when she starts talking about a papercut she picked up. She tends to go on and on obsess talk a lot about any injuries and what treatment may be required. I tell her we will wash the paper cut up and take a look when we get home. She makes a dramatic noise and tells me it really hurts. I tell her we will wash it up and take a look. Soon. She makes a dramatic noise and tells me she did not mean to get such a bad papercut. I tell her I will wash it up and put some triple antibiotic on it as soon as I get to the sink. 

And then she starts saying, "Lemon juice! Lemon juice is good for paper cuts, right? Do you have lemon juice? I will just rub some lemon juice on it and it will be all better, right?" while I am trying to break in and tell her, actually, no, lemon juice is not the way to go.

My Life in a Single Quote

Yesterday was hot and very very humid here, the kind of day when you just can't breathe. Evening service was in a small church without airco. Afterwards, I noticed Mr Young Smartdresser in his dress pants, black buttondown shirt, and grey vest. I asked him how he could handle it.

He shrugged and said, "I was in Iraq."

"True. I forgot. What is it there, like 108?"

He said more like somewhere between 110 and sometimes 130. Now I felt somewhat bad for even mentioning the heat and not feeling the need for mittens instead, but, instead of shutting up and thanking him for serving, I kept going, "What is that even like? Do you feel like you have a fever or what?"

His exact quote, "You just get used to not getting used to it."

I know exactly what he means.  :-P

Loving Family Hints

If you click on this, it will go to a wordle page with the cloud of tips for a loving family made bigger. Thanks, Miss Language and Professor!

Happy Thanksgiving

Each Thanksgiving these two (Blessings and Bradford) stop by my blog to wish my readers a happy Thanksgiving.

They are grateful to not be featured on the menu, and arrive bearing words from G. K. Chesterton ~ You say grace before meals. All right. But I say grace before the concert and the opera, and grace before the play and pantomime, and grace before I open a book, and grace before sketching, painting, swimming, fencing, boxing, walking, playing, dancing and grace before I dip the pen in the ink.

Pure

Yet another Mr Music story. Devastatingly Handsome had some distilled water left from coffee-making and Mr Music wanted to try it. I told him it is flat and tasteless but to go ahead. He does not like water in the first place.


So, he tried it and said it is good. I was surprised and he said, "It doesn't have that nasty taste of bugs in the sewers."


*wondering if he has a future in writing advertisements*

Can't Argue With That

I am sharing amazing words of wisdom from our house to yours. No charge.


Miss Dance: This hot weather will be the end of you.


Me: Really?


Miss Dance: Either that or the cold weather or the in-between weather.

Miss Humble, Formerly Known as Miss Dance

Miss Humble let me know I should do a post about her since she has just graduated, although I know the right way is "has been graduated" and she hasn't yet, anyhow, as she still has 1 paper, 10 Spanish lessons,  1 portfolio to assemble, and 1 evaluation to go.


But anyhow.


She wants me to be sure to mention how "smart; beautiful; talented; (here I started opening my blogpage for this post) friendly; fun to be around; love of my life, of course I'm probably the second love of your life cause your hubby is in the, well, in the second party; and just overall wonderful daughter to have and cherish."  


And she is right. All that and more. 

Taste Testing

I will have to beef up Miss Dog Lover's studies because I don't think there is much chance of her getting a job as a taste tester. (Haven't you always thought what a cool job that would be?) Anyhow, I came to this conclusion on Sunday. We had a bowl of wasabi peas as a side dish. She did not want any and explained, "They taste like crickets."


I really am not sure I want to know exactly what she meant by that.  :-P


~~~
back to add: Arby is interested in discovering when Miss Dog Lover tasted crickets. I am not. This is the child who loved kissing slugs. Bleh.


~~~
now I am back again to add some research my brother conducted on behalf of this post. Just for your education:

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090103143012AAif731

What do wasabi peas taste like???

-- No similar analysis here, but only 5 people responded.

http://www.chacha.com/question/what-do-crickets-taste-like

Crickets are normally said to taste sort of like green, crunchy vegetables, such as celery.

http://www.candywarehouse.com/crickets.html

Maybe if you hurry you can order some chocolate covered crickets and get them in time for Easter!!! ;) 

-- Actually, I would rather have chocolate cake.

Misheard at the Banana's

Two interesting things I heard from the crew today.


First, Mr Music was peeling an orange at lunch and got a lovely strip about an inch wide. He put it across his fuzzy little head and said, "I am making a silly dillic headband." After a moment's thought, I said, "Do you mean psychedelic?" The 60's just won't stop haunting me. :-P


And then I had Miss Dog Lover at the mall. As we walked around, she was going on and on about how weird teen boys are, but named one particular one and said that "he is the correction." It did not take long to substitute "exception."


And just to make a correction for the record, orange peels really do make pretty silly dillic headbands. 

Words at Dinner

I bring you two quotes from dinner last night. I would say "random" but clearly they are not that, though what I would mean is that apparently they came from random neurons firing without meaning. Hence, bothering with any context would be meaningless. I know no context we heard gave any insight.


Miss Dance: The past was the present, a while ago.


and


Miss Dog Lover: Every Wednesday my stomach goes on vacation.