Westwoods

    Being one who is often at war with her own personality, I ponder things like this...Is being discreet all goodness?      And I ponder because there are obviously those who are the soul of discretion, which makes those of us who aren't, look like blunt, obnoxious persons.  And we aren't.  Really we aren't.  We have good and square and kind thoughts.  We choose kindness more often than you know.  We often withhold bits of information we are sure would not benefit anyone.     But what makes the biggest difference between both personalities is that while one thinks they are being kind and tactful, the other feels more kindness from total frankness and the ability to call a rose a rose and a thorn a thorn.     The personality that insists on seeing only roses and never the thorns, is especially hard for that person that calls things like they are. Anyway...how can you possibly even deal with the thorns in your li...

 Oh, Brave One, with the shell so tough.  Why do  you pull your head inside?  Perhaps you are trying to cover what you really think, how you really feel. You do it because you have been put in your place so many times.  So many people have said you should feel a different way.   They said it wasn't true, the stuff you were thinking.  So you hide.  It's safer in there, inside your shell.   Why share your thoughts with those you thought were friends?   Friends don't judge, they listen.   Foes look for wrong; for faults...  poking and prodding to see if you will bite...  Or is it you?  What you are saying must not be what you meant.  Maybe you are biting at sticks without reason.  You know what you mean, a friend would know too. Until you know, you will protect yourself.  You will find out if they are safe, not betrayers. Better to keep still and w...

The truth is, I don't know very much about how to stop being busy but I have been thinking about it and here's what I am discovering... People that voice the complaint, "I'm too busy", including myself, are really just making the choice to feel that way about their work load.  When I choose to be thankful for the work God has given me to do, I no longer feel so busy or, as in my case, stressed about my job. Because being too busy is really an attitude and what we really mean is, "This work in front of me is causing me stress and discomfort", all we really need to do is learn to like our challenges. Which if you are like me, that can be pretty difficult.  I do  indeed like certain challenges.  I like a big fat book that must be read by Friday.  I like to hike a mountain trail...as long as it is a trail that is recognizable.  You see, even my challenges have limitations.  I truly like relationships with people...until they need to be worked at ...

In my search for ordinary, I have always found extra ordinary...   All I wanted when I was little was an ordinary life.  I wanted to be part of a family that got along without much effort. I use to wish we didn't have so many opinions around the supper table at night.  I also wanted to attend a church where there was no fighting or bickering.   I didn't want to be noticed in the way we were noticed when my dad was removed from the ministry for questionable actions.  I didn't want stickers and balloons and bubble gum when my parents were separated for a night or two while they worked out some issues in their marriage.  I didn't want that kind of care and loving actions shown by concerned aunts and uncles.  I didn't like people feeling sorry for us because our church split and our barn fell down on top of some of our  cows while we attended church one Sunday morning. I wanted to feel ordinary.  I wished the people would just pretend ...

Let me remind you, you are not Chicken Little and the sky is not falling...There.  Now that we have that nicely established I will tell you how I know this. Almost everything we read these days on the media is plastered with the equivalent of acorns hitting people's heads. And many are running around going from one important person to another demanding a voice; wishing to be heard and taken seriously. I am convinced that a Christ follower shouldn't join the hysteria.  A Christ follower is commanded to seek peace and pursue it.  We are told to be peacemakers while standing for the truth.  We are asked to lead honest lives free of deception.  We were warned by Jesus, the authority over the ways of the world, to expect persecution and the revilement of men. He even went so far as to say to rejoice and be exceedingly glad when we are persecuted. ( Matt 5:12)   So, when I hear Christian people talk about the injustices in our country as if tellin...

This is my daughter...The only reason she is black and white is because she edited this photo with a setting I don't even know how to run on my camera...but it looks artsy, like herself.   I have been so impressed with her style of decor in her own little room.  She has always put together colors in a unique way, I first noticed this when she started coloring at a very young age. Books are one of her passions and she is running out of room to store them. I love watching my daughters turn into their original selves.  Amen... I want to plop down in a cozy chair and read right there... Or write...that looks like fun too.     To my beautiful daughters, You will have days that aren't so fun; keep trying. You will have friends be unspeakably horrid to you; keep loving them. You will be unspeakably horrid to your friends; learn to say, "I am sorry." You will feel ugly some days; don't believe it. You might not be able to...

Our weekend started with a date...Which I wrote about earlier today but somehow between publishing and editing things went haywire.  It just wasn't meant to be I guess.  Summarizing now, I told two different things that happened to make our date turn out rather fine.  One happening involved licking honey from a spoon while I watched for spies. It was a bonding moment.  I have now lost the urge to write it down but it was a funny at the time.   The other happening was about a bad experience we witnessed between a mean old man and a sweet little waitress who deserved much better treatment and how we tried to help ease the pain of it.  The bonding that Bruce and I felt in that moment was happiness and joy complete. My husband continues to amaze me with his quiet ways of solving problems. And I tried to share with you the fact that on the weekend I bake and clean and light candles and play music and visit the library.  I wrote about our tradition...

One thing a new school year teaches is how wonderfully different we all are and how the perspective of little children is so desperately needed for themselves and for the adults.   Learning kids need to be able to share their views as they develop.  They learn at a very early age to either reject or accept oddities by vocalizing their opinions.  They learn to practise forbearance with each other when they are taught to respect each others points of view.   As do a dults, they also need the perspective of their co workers to thrive in the work place.   It was helpful to me this week, in dealing with a few wrinkles at work to hear the others' sides of the situation.  Their willingness to share their perspective made it possible to see that things aren't exactly as one person thinks they are.  They rarely are if we are  honest about it.  That's why it is important to hear what other people have to say about some of life's prob...

So, yesterday there was this nasty, beautiful wood pecker going to town on a pine tree stump in my yard.  He meant business. There was something in that tree that he was going to get.  I got mad just watching his ill manners, blazing a trail of shredded wood in one straight line, and the mess that fell to the ground...I may have to use a rake to clean it up... Anyway, it reminded me of me.  Last Saturday I was standing in my basement loading the washer and God spoke to me about my need/want for a smart phone.  The conflict is that Bruce and I have always stood firm on not entering the world of technology too fast.  We are bonded on not joining social media, although he laughs at me for being a blogger because..." isn't that social media?"   Anyway, he knows writing is my hobby so he's happy for me to do that...just not facebook and such.  And I agree with him, but now my basic phone with a qwerty keyboard is getting sticky keys from ...