Somebody Special

Recently, I listened to a co-worker talk about an event he had helped with. He assisted with the meet-and-greet portion of the event and was thrilled when he kept it running on time. He explained that the most people wanted a word or longer with the celebrity but he had them ushered out the moment their picture was snapped.

Except for the important people, that is. These he ushered up to the celebrity and stated who they were, noting their prominence. While they weren't given a great length of time, they were given time where the average person was not.

Honestly, part of me bristled at this. What made these people more important, that they deserved a conversation rather than just a flash of a camera? True, events are things that need to be kept on schedule. But I hate it that we live in a world where money and power and fame denote importance that the average person is not likely to achieve.

I'm posting today at the Internet Cafe. Click here to finish reading this post.

Hope Isn't Flat

This weekend, I sent my Christmas gifts to my Compassion kids. Okay, part of them. I sent the money that Compassion International will use to buy my two girls and the other Compassion kids Christmas gifts. But there is that yearning to send a bit more.

I've actually started working on cross-stitched bookmarks with their names on them. They are simple and flat. Flat is the key ingredient when mailing a gift to a Compassion child.

I also found myself wandering in a craft store today wondering what other flat things I might send. I already send stickers and coloring pages. I just so wish I could send big boxes of things for them to unwrap.

I didn't find anymore flat ideas. The bookmarks and the things that Compassion picks out will have to suffice. But my search got me to thinking about that McDonald's kid's meal commercial. It says that hope is in the box and all the kids keep looking for it and saying that they don't see it. The gist is that a little money goes to McDonald's charities for every kid meal that is purchased.

Hope isn't in the box. Hope isn't in the envelope. It isn't even in the carefully cross-stitched bookmarks I am making. Hope is in being released from poverty. It is coming to know Jesus. It is knowing that someone on the other side of the world is loving you and praying for you.

The world isn't flat and neither is hope. Hope is three dimensional and it sets the captivates free.

Still, I find myself wishing I could send those packages. One of my dear ones, keeps writing and asking me to come. I wish I could. I think. Honestly, I'm not much of a traveler and making my way to Rwanda sounds daunting. It isn't a country that has ever even been on my someday travel list. But I would love to meet Kayirngwa. I've sponsored her for 3 1/2 years now. What a gift it would be to meet her! But Rwanda is several thousand dollars and miles away. Still, it is something to pray about. Because hope isn't flat.

Mystery Solved

I'm not always good about putting things away where they go, however, since towels and hot pads have been coming up missing, I've really worked at putting them in the drawer so I will have them when I need them. Apparently, Mali has figured out how to get at them. I got her in the act.

I knew both cats opened the bottom drawer where I keep foil, etc. Now, I know that they can get behind the drawers and crawl up one!

Hadley Rose

I had wanted a puppy for awhile but I wasn't sure how I would work it into my busy schedule. I should have known with my soft spot for all things furry that just looking at her would mean me taking her home. Sure enough, that is exactly what happened. One look at those big brown eyes and my heart melted.

Her name was Harley, but I couldn't see calling a girl Harley. I didn't want to confuse her and wasn't partial to Haley. I'm not sure where I had heard it before, but I decided to go with Hadley. it seemed close enough as well as different enough from Harley. Without thinking about it, I found myself adding Rose to it. Now, if I am in another room and call "Hadley Rose," she is about 80% sure to come.

So, a year and a half ago, when Hadley was 6 months home she came home with me to my cats dismay. (Though honestly, I think they do fairly well together.) She was sweet from the get go. Maybe that is to compensate for all the things she gets into!

One of her favorite things is cat food. However, it isn't good for her or the cats. They need to eat too and she would woof it all down. I've finally resorted to putting it on top of three storage bins. It was just on two, but she managed to climb them. This was taken today. Yes, she still tries and I'm waiting to see her make it!










Hadley Rose is a very friendly dog with people and other dogs. If we go on a walk and pass people on the porch, she whines to go and visit because everyone needs to rub her belly.

She is a bit of an alpha dog with other dogs -- even ones bigger than her. She doesn't put up with much, but she is also usually up for a game of chase and will run and run and run when we are at the dog park.









She runs so fast that her ears fly and I have expect her to fly too!

A year and a half into this adventure of dog owning, in spite of the items that have been chewed on or torn or gotten into etc, I am thrilled with the companionship and love.










Happy 2nd birthday Hadley Rose!

Have We Risen Or Fallen?

September 9, 2001

What do you remember?

I remember that I was in my counseling internship that morning. I was in with a client. I heard about the attacks as I said, "Goodbye" to one and took my next one in. I didn't realize the scope of things until I went to lunch later that day and heard about the Pentagon as well as the other flight that went down. Even then, I did not have TV access until I got home after 9:00PM. By then, the gas prices had skyrocketed. Everyone was frazzled -- worried about loved ones who could not be reached because they were in the New York area or simply because the phone systems were overwhelmed by callers. So, at 9:00 I flipped on the TV. Even with everything I had picked up during the day, the images of the twin towers burning was seared into my brain.

I remember the days and weeks after wards, life was a mishmash of events. I remember the dismay when I saw the footage of crowds in other nations cheering that the great United States had received such a blow. I remember the sense of no longer feeling safe from terrorism simply because I lived in the United States. I remember wondering what the aftermath would be -- how long would we have terrorist threat levels?

But I also remember the rallying cry, "Let's roll" when the passengers of the third plane overtook the hijackers, insuring their death, rather than letting the plane reach it's firery destination and take out more lives. I remember the men and women who rushed into help others. I remember the blood drives that helped people states away feel as if they were contributing.

There is a lot of controversy about a mosque near ground zero and even more angst raised by the pastor in Florida who threatened to burn the Quran. While he has said that he won't do this tomorrow, the threat of it caused riots in Afghanistan that left several dead.

I know I don't agree with burning the Quran. I honestly don't know what I think about a Mosque near ground zero. But I do have a question, have we risen or fallen since 9/11? We will never be the people we were before, but are we better or worse? I don't mean economically or even in terms of safety. Do we have more character? Are we more resilient? Do we have more compassion when we hear of terrorist attacks in other countries because we know what it feels like to have fellow Americans cruelly slaughtered?

Have we risen out of the ashes or have we fallen beneath the weight of things that transpired -- not just as a nation but as individuals?

Just Like Her Father

I came across some old pictures of my nieces and nephew. They were ones when my sister's youngest was five or six. I remember showing them to people and having them proclaim, "She looks so much like you!" That shouldn't be a surprise as we are identical twins. But I remember liking the fact that people could see me in her.

It seems a pretty common thing for new parents, relatives, and friends to look at a baby and say, "She's got your eyes" or "He has his father's chin." As the child gets older, people might say, "She has her mother's stubborn streak" or "His father's sense of humor."

Just recognizing how thrilled I was to have people say she looked like me makes me wonder how thrilled God is when we look like Him.

I'm posting today at the Internet Cafe. Click here to finish reading this post.

Flying Blind

I have a job and half.

My part time job is at one of the bookstores in town. You may have noticed that e-readers (electronic hand held readers) are multiplying. My managers have discovered that I have knack for promoting ours. I'm not sure how that happened or why as my approach is generally a soft sell. But it is what it is.

My store is really promoting that one of the things that sets us apart is US! We will completely set up the device before you leave the store so you walk out reading. We also encourage people to ask questions. We want it to be a great purchase.

The odd thing is that I am becoming a "techie" in terms of our device. Seriously. I've never considered myself one in the past and I'm still getting used to this strange idea. Most technical "expertise" in my life is pure luck.

I'm posting today at the Internet Cafe. Click here to finish reading this post.