Word of the Post
Today's word is: nuclear
/nu"cle*ar/ adjective
Of, pertaining to, or powered by atomic energy; constituting the nucleus of a cell; a popular familial design, consisting of one father, one mother, and one or more children. I included this, because even the President has a tendency to mispronounce this as /nu"cu*lar/, which makes me cringe.
~~~~~~~~~~
I come from a nuclear family, as does my husband. One father, one mother (still married after 30+ years) and one sibling. We are both the elder of two children. We are a rare breed. Many of my friends come from divorced families. The fact that both our families are still intact seems nothing short of a miracle to me. This age of "disposable" everything has been the enemy of family.
We must fight for the family. God planned us to have families. He designed the Church to be our surrogate family. When all hope is gone, when physical family can't or won't be around, we are to depend on God's family; the Church. We must fight to keep these sacred. Physical family and Church family. To throw them away is to spit in the face of God. My friend Ferret said it best: Don't stand up in front of God and witnesses, and say, "until Death do us part" unless you are willing to fight to the death to keep those marriage vows.
Jeff's dad is being installed as a Deacon at their church congregation. This is big news to me. The Bible is very clear on who may, and who may not, hold that office. This plants a lot of responsibility on the children of the family. That suddenly means ME. Dad's "household of faith" includes the spouses his children have chosen. If I were a terrible person, the church could tell dad that he had no place in their ranks. That is a very sobering thought to me. Especially knowing me so well. I know all the secret stuff that only God knows, and I don't like it. It's not that any of it is in God's books anymore; it has all been washed away by the blood of Jesus, and I am continually being cleansed by Him. It's just that I know that I could be better. I mean, couldn't we all?
Saturday, January 27, 2007
Monday, January 22, 2007
Date Monday
Word of the Post
Today's word is: firmament
/fir"ma*ment/ noun
To make firm, fixed foundation, established basis; The region of the sky or heavens.
If your hobby is stargazing, then you are observing the firmament.
~~~~~~~~~~
Little things make all the difference. Jeff came home for the day at 1pm. This is nice, because he usually has to slave away at the job until 5pm, particularly during the month of January. Today, we got to go out and just wander around, aimlessly meandering. We ate a late lunch together. We went to a game shop (didn't even buy a pair of dice), then to a book and music store (also bought nothing), and then went to a candy store on the way home (here, we bought a box of chocolate, mostly for me, and a large drink). It was nice to spend free time together. We don't do that often enough.
I am hoping to write more, now that I am home. Not writing here on the blog, although that would be nice too, but actual writing for future publication. I am debating whether to start first to collect the massive amounts of silly poetry from over the years, or if I need to focus on the stories I have floating around in my head. The rub of this is that it has to matter to someone other than me if it is to be truly great. I am not certain of that ability in myself just yet. It has been years since I was published, and I didn't really like what they chose. The fact that I had no control over the proofreading or the printing company are additional points of irritation, and mistakes I will not make again. So, I have a few ideas that may be coming to light here, if I get that brave.
I find that this year I am trying to catch up on the things that have gotten left in a box in the dust of the attic of my mind... I want to (fill in the blank) this year. Blanks are: cook more, finish that T-shirt quilt I started saving for back in High School, make curtains for the bedrooms, sew a few outfits for my friend's photography business, start a business of my own, write something that has meaning, clean the house, keep the house clean, keep in touch better with my friends, write more letters (actual pen to paper)... the list keeps growing. I figure that each day that I awake is going to be a good day. I have started this blog, and here it is the 22nd day, and I have not given up. This is positive. Come March, this may be a different story.
Today's word is: firmament
/fir"ma*ment/ noun
To make firm, fixed foundation, established basis; The region of the sky or heavens.
If your hobby is stargazing, then you are observing the firmament.
~~~~~~~~~~
Little things make all the difference. Jeff came home for the day at 1pm. This is nice, because he usually has to slave away at the job until 5pm, particularly during the month of January. Today, we got to go out and just wander around, aimlessly meandering. We ate a late lunch together. We went to a game shop (didn't even buy a pair of dice), then to a book and music store (also bought nothing), and then went to a candy store on the way home (here, we bought a box of chocolate, mostly for me, and a large drink). It was nice to spend free time together. We don't do that often enough.
I am hoping to write more, now that I am home. Not writing here on the blog, although that would be nice too, but actual writing for future publication. I am debating whether to start first to collect the massive amounts of silly poetry from over the years, or if I need to focus on the stories I have floating around in my head. The rub of this is that it has to matter to someone other than me if it is to be truly great. I am not certain of that ability in myself just yet. It has been years since I was published, and I didn't really like what they chose. The fact that I had no control over the proofreading or the printing company are additional points of irritation, and mistakes I will not make again. So, I have a few ideas that may be coming to light here, if I get that brave.
I find that this year I am trying to catch up on the things that have gotten left in a box in the dust of the attic of my mind... I want to (fill in the blank) this year. Blanks are: cook more, finish that T-shirt quilt I started saving for back in High School, make curtains for the bedrooms, sew a few outfits for my friend's photography business, start a business of my own, write something that has meaning, clean the house, keep the house clean, keep in touch better with my friends, write more letters (actual pen to paper)... the list keeps growing. I figure that each day that I awake is going to be a good day. I have started this blog, and here it is the 22nd day, and I have not given up. This is positive. Come March, this may be a different story.
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
Cold, Sweet, and a little Sassy
Word of the Post
Today's Word is: glaciation
/gla`ci*a"tion/ noun
The act of freezing; The condition of being covered with glaciers or masses of ice. My chat buddy Lee Matthews used that word on the radio tonight. You can catch him on 1000 KTOK Radio from 5 to 7 (Central time) weeknights at ShoutOK.com.
~~~~~~~~~~
At the moment, Oklahoma City is one big ice rink. You don't really have to go downtown or to the Blazer's training rinks to Skate. You can do it on your own front lawn in your tennis shoes. I spent at least a half an hour today cleaning off my car, just to go buy some milk. I think my sign was up.
My friend "Roadrunner" and I believe that we, as women drivers, have a sign that must pop up on the car when we are in it: WOMAN DRIVER, PLEASE CUT ME OFF. It gets much worse when we are together. TWO WOMEN IN CAR, PLEASE TRY TO KILL US. I am convinced that Oklahoma drivers are just "weather idiots". They crash so much more often in wet or slick conditions. Today, I was happily driving to see "Ferret", and some jerk just decided that I must be invisible, and pulled out from a sidestreet, right into my lane. This would have been uncomfortable on dry land, but today, I almost T-boned him. I was saying things I should not have said, crying and shaking with anger all at once. I made it safely to my destination, and home again. At least if our power goes out, I can keep the fridge and freezer outside. My milk won't go bad.
My friend "Ferret" made it to St. Louis, and back, just fine. The 4 year old is going to have surgery (sometime in the future), to put rods in her back, to help her spine straighten as she grows. She doesn't have enough fat on her (mind you, her 1 1/2 year old sister outweighs her by at least a pound!) to keep going in for multiple surgeries. They are planning on a new treatment that has only been around for about 15 years, and only been done on about 15 people. But there is promise. Without the surgery, I am told, she has a high chance of only living to be 30 to 40. I did not know that spinal curves were harmful to lifespan. The surgery will likely give her loads more time, and make her time more comfortable. This is happening through Shriner's Hospital, so there won't be much cost to the family.
The two of them came to OKC to go to an oral surgeon today. The girl was born with a cleft palate. The roof of her mouth was repaired when she was about 11 months old. Now, they have to go in and give her a flap at the back of her mouth, to give her a way to stop the air from escaping through her nose. She can't make hard sounds like "P" and "B", because her body won't let her. She will talk your ear off, but you may not understand her speech. Today was a check-up and a preparation for the upcoming surgery in February. This surgery will cost more than they have to pay, but it has to be done. Please pray that they can find the money necessary, or that the Children's Hospital works with them for a payment plan.
After all the poking, prodding, and pin cushioning this baby has had to endure, she is still one of the happiest children you will ever meet. She thinks it is cool to wear glasses, and is happy as a lark that she now gets to look like Mommy. She likes to run and jump, and has the usual sister-squabbles. She plays fearlessly. She has a memory that will shock you, and a rather large vocabulary for one who cannot say the words she knows. She knows the path from home to church and back again; if you do it wrong, she will tell you. I am blessed to know her. Hopefully, this rambling mess has made you appreciate the little things in your life, too.
Today's Word is: glaciation
/gla`ci*a"tion/ noun
The act of freezing; The condition of being covered with glaciers or masses of ice. My chat buddy Lee Matthews used that word on the radio tonight. You can catch him on 1000 KTOK Radio from 5 to 7 (Central time) weeknights at ShoutOK.com.
~~~~~~~~~~
At the moment, Oklahoma City is one big ice rink. You don't really have to go downtown or to the Blazer's training rinks to Skate. You can do it on your own front lawn in your tennis shoes. I spent at least a half an hour today cleaning off my car, just to go buy some milk. I think my sign was up.
My friend "Roadrunner" and I believe that we, as women drivers, have a sign that must pop up on the car when we are in it: WOMAN DRIVER, PLEASE CUT ME OFF. It gets much worse when we are together. TWO WOMEN IN CAR, PLEASE TRY TO KILL US. I am convinced that Oklahoma drivers are just "weather idiots". They crash so much more often in wet or slick conditions. Today, I was happily driving to see "Ferret", and some jerk just decided that I must be invisible, and pulled out from a sidestreet, right into my lane. This would have been uncomfortable on dry land, but today, I almost T-boned him. I was saying things I should not have said, crying and shaking with anger all at once. I made it safely to my destination, and home again. At least if our power goes out, I can keep the fridge and freezer outside. My milk won't go bad.
My friend "Ferret" made it to St. Louis, and back, just fine. The 4 year old is going to have surgery (sometime in the future), to put rods in her back, to help her spine straighten as she grows. She doesn't have enough fat on her (mind you, her 1 1/2 year old sister outweighs her by at least a pound!) to keep going in for multiple surgeries. They are planning on a new treatment that has only been around for about 15 years, and only been done on about 15 people. But there is promise. Without the surgery, I am told, she has a high chance of only living to be 30 to 40. I did not know that spinal curves were harmful to lifespan. The surgery will likely give her loads more time, and make her time more comfortable. This is happening through Shriner's Hospital, so there won't be much cost to the family.
The two of them came to OKC to go to an oral surgeon today. The girl was born with a cleft palate. The roof of her mouth was repaired when she was about 11 months old. Now, they have to go in and give her a flap at the back of her mouth, to give her a way to stop the air from escaping through her nose. She can't make hard sounds like "P" and "B", because her body won't let her. She will talk your ear off, but you may not understand her speech. Today was a check-up and a preparation for the upcoming surgery in February. This surgery will cost more than they have to pay, but it has to be done. Please pray that they can find the money necessary, or that the Children's Hospital works with them for a payment plan.
After all the poking, prodding, and pin cushioning this baby has had to endure, she is still one of the happiest children you will ever meet. She thinks it is cool to wear glasses, and is happy as a lark that she now gets to look like Mommy. She likes to run and jump, and has the usual sister-squabbles. She plays fearlessly. She has a memory that will shock you, and a rather large vocabulary for one who cannot say the words she knows. She knows the path from home to church and back again; if you do it wrong, she will tell you. I am blessed to know her. Hopefully, this rambling mess has made you appreciate the little things in your life, too.
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