February Comes to a Close

Last day of February today.  Saw a snippet of a short interview with a retired Air Force Major General this morning on the Fox morning show.

He has published a book, Taps on the Wall, about his experiences as a captured pilot during the Vietnam War while incarcerated at the famous or infamous Hanoi Hilton.  He was there for six years. 

The prisoners of war staying there used a simple tapping system to communicate with one another.  At first it was just verifying who was there, and then establishing a chain of command, and then bolstering one another up.  Major General Borling had as he described, "a bit of a liberal arts background," and so he put that to use by composing poetry and tapping it to the other men.  He committed the verses to memory.

Upon liberation, he recalls that he hurried in his bathrobe to buy a recording device so that he could save these precious poems.  In recent years, people including his wife, encouraged him to publish the poems as a way of telling the story of Vietnam a little more fully.  He admits that working on the book took him back to those days and that it was very painful at times.  He said his focus in life tends to be on the future and not on wallowing in the past.

Those who knock the liberal arts curriculum as being a waste of time might pause for a second when hearing about Maj. Gen. Borling's experiences.

If you are interested in reading Taps on the Wall, I'm sure the Canal Fulton Library can get you a copy to read.  It's on my list for sure.

Terry Anderson, a journalist captured in 1985 in Lebanon by Hezbollah Shiites, was held for seven years.  He also wrote a book, Den of Lions, detailing his experiences.  Terry Anderson returned to Christianity during his captivity, and he helped two other detainees keep their wits by using some farming knowledge to create a fantasy garden.  They would pick out the seeds, talk about how they would plant, grow and then finally harvest the crops, and then begin planning for the next year.  One of the detainees credits Anderson with keeping him lucid.  

In recent years, Anderson seems to have fallen on hard times, at one point having to declare bankruptcy.  He currently teaches at a university.

Interesting, isn't it, how our various educational experiences come back when we are tested.  Interesting, too, how different people deal with adversity in different ways. 

Maj. Gen. Borling is attending the 40th anniversary "coming home" of the prisoners of war at the Nixon Library later this year.

Middle of the Week Blahs

Here it is Wednesday, and the dilemma is how to better use time today rather than waste it.

Maybe today is a good advice day.

When someone is getting ready for retirement, a LOT of attention should be given on how to spend the days.  People inevitably say, "Relax."  That's fine, but for how long?  We aren't programmed as human beings to relax for long spans of time -- or at least I can't.

Starting about 10 years before my retirement date, I started honing some hobbies.  There's art, music, writing and crafting.  The University lets employees take one continuing education course per semester for free.  It's a great benefit, and first I took art.  My teacher was Judith Meyer, an amazing woman.  A number of us became friends with her and with each other through the class, and remain so to this day.  Judith moved to Silver City, New Mexico.   Go all the way to the bottom of the blog, and you will find a picture of Judith. 

Art work is fine but due to a car accident years ago, my neck is not very forgiving.  Looking down for a while starts a chain of events beginning with a dull headache and progressing to real discomfort and pain.  So the canvas or whatever has to be positioned to diminish the strain on my neck.  Later in the day, one of those microwave heating pads does wonders for my neck.  I recommend them highly.

As far as crafting, I'd already crocheted but I picked it up again in earnest and started truly enjoying it.  Crocheting and television go together
During those last so many years at UA, I also took writing courses.  The first teacher was a retired science prof at UA who wrote poetry.  His hard work paid off and he was published.  He ended up taking a job as a visiting professor down south someplace.  His pick for a replacement was Rob Levandoski.  Rob had already published one book at that time, I believe, "Going to Chicago."  He was working on, "Serendipity Green," a hilarious book about life in a small town.  Hmmmm.  Sounds familiar.  The town is Medina, by the way, in case you read it and start guessing.  That one was published, and then he was working on, "Fresh Eggs," a book about the egg industry but with a good human interest story to boot. 

All of his books are good; they are just different.  They reflect his sense of humor.  Four years ago, I got an email from one of my former co-workers at UA -- Dr. Doug.  He told me that he'd seen an obituary for Rob Levandoski in the Beacon Journal and he actually remembered that Rob had been my teacher.  Dr. Doug is a very special friend!!  I might not have seen it.  So I drove to Medina for the calling hours and met his wife for the first time.  She writes for the Beacon Journal.  Rob died from a cerebral aneurysm and went very fast.  He was 59 and really beginning to peak as a writer.  He had a mystery series, "Morgue Mama," that was starting to catch on, attributed to one C. R. Corwin. 

Today's blog is dedicated to Rob and to Judith.  I'm so proud to have been able to call both a friend. 

Dancing

"You've gotta dance like there's nobody watching,
Love like you'll never be hurt,
Sing like there's nobody listening,
And live like it's heaven on earth."
William W. Purkey (1929)

William W. Purkey is professor emeritus at The University of North Carolina in Greensboro, and his area of expertise is education.  The quote above was how he always closed his speeches, and apparently others rather liked it too.

It's been used in popular songs for one thing, and that's probably where you heard it.  But there is a definite message here.

If we live our lives as though there is an audience for everything we do, then we're going to miss a lot.  The question that Christians hear from the clergy sometimes is, "What would Jesus do?"  It takes the mundane matters of our lives and elevates them toward a personal relationship with Jesus.

Perhaps another good question is, "What would you do if no one was watching?"  I've heard people say that character is doing the right thing when no one is watching.  Like the hidden camera that caught the police officer buying boots for a homeless man.

Having no audience frees us to live a little more joyfully, I would imagine.  Dancing carefree, taking some risks, and singing in the car with the radio prime our engines for doing more of these kinds of things when there is an audience.  See what I mean?  We grow more comfortable in our own skin.

Do you know when it is easiest to have that carefree joy?  With children.  It is almost impossible to spend time with a child and not go outside our usual boundaries -- like dancing or singing.  My granddaughter wanted her brother to dance with her the other day -- she's eight and he's five.  He declined and stated, "Boys don't dance."

I told him that the Prince (any of them) dances.  Later when his mom came home, she told him that Daddy dances.  He had no comment.  Maybe he's already seen Daddy dance quite often enough?  Good for Daddy.

Living like we're already in heaven means what?  Practicing kindness and generosity?  Loving and serving others?  Praying and meditating?  Why not practice for our next lives?  Amen to that.

Ten Hours

Beginning on March 3, the History Channel will host a mini-series on the Bible.  Produced by Roma Downey and Mark Burnett (husband and wife team), the series will be shown in weekly installments, culminating on Easter Sunday. 

Burnett is known for the Survivor series and The Apprentice.  Downey starred in Touched by an Angel, and she will portray Mary in the new series.  A number of well-known stars will fill out the cast. 

This certainly sounds like a good use of time, and we are ready to program our DVR in order to be able to see each segment.  Well-known scenes from the Bible, like Daniel in the Lions' Den, will be depicted.  Downey promises that those familiar with the Bible will still find the production worthwhile, and it will be very meaningful for those who have never experienced it.

The Bible is "the Word of God."  Isn't that a striking phrase?  So the words in the Bible aren't just inspired by God; they are God's words.  When reading the Bible, it is important to note that it is not a history book.  It is not a log.  The Bible does not record everything that happened and in one portion the Bible explains itself -- that many other things happened but these were recorded so that you might BELIEVE.  The miracles that we read about in the Bible were only a small representation of the total number of Our Savior's miracles.

When I was a little girl, there was a production shown during every Lent -- Hill Number One.  It is the story of a group of soldiers in World War II hunkered down in fox holes, while a chaplain tells them the story of Jesus.  It was made for television, and one of the stars is James Dean.  We watched it every year, and the words of the Bible spoke to me in a personal way.  It wasn't the acting or the costumes or the scenery.  It was the words!!!

Check out this timely new production as a way to delve into the Lenten experience. 

Ice, Ice, Ice

Life in a small town has a distinct rhythm to it.  A cadence. 

Years ago when I was working at The University of Akron, my younger son was in high school, and older son was attending UA, we had a monstrous ice storm that struck in the morning hours (kind of like today but much worse).

I headed off for Akron and made it just fine.  A friend of mine who lives off Strausser left 15 minutes later and had to turn around and return home.  That's how fast the ice built up.  NW schools called off by this time.

At work, my older son called and said that he had been holed up at someone's house on Portage Road.  The kind strangers saw that his Chevy Nova just wasn't making it up the slight grade going towards High Mill Road.  They invited him in, made him welcome, and showed him pictures of when they built their house.  It was an awesome gesture.  After a while, the husband gave him a ride home if I remember it correctly.  His car just wouldn't have made it (we got it later). 

Later both boys called from home and said they were going ice skating.  On the road!!!  There was maybe an inch or more of pure, solid ice on the streets, so they grabbed their ice skates and off they went.  It was like having the whole allotment as an ice skating rink.  Pure joy for two boys who must have been craving an adventure.

Well, be careful today.  We know that spring is coming -- at some point.

Jersey

Mike Eruzione was on one of the morning shows today.  He is auctioning off the jersey, pants, shoulder pads, stick, and socks that he used during the "Miracle on Ice" competition during the 1980 Winter Olympic games.

The items apparently were in his attic for years, and then when he rediscovered them, he put them in a safe deposit box for a while.  Now he is parting with them for good.  The jersey itself is expected to fetch more than $1 million.  Eruzione intends to divide the money between his three children and a charity that he supports.  He notes that he has two jerseys and three children, so there was no way he could have made it a fair split by keeping them.

The stick was used to make the definitive score against the mighty Soviets, who looked like grizzled, unbeatable, iron-clad men in 1980, versus the boyish college boys they faced and lost to.  Most of us remember where we were during that last game, the best situation being with family and friends.  It was pure sport and pure adrenalin, and given the perilous times we were in, a victory we sorely needed.

Somehow, the American guys believed in themselves.  Was it Herb Brooks, their now legendary coach who instilled such confidence in them?  Was it their unbridled naivety that had not as yet grasped the audacity of thinking they could defeat this pro team?  Were they just out there doing what they had done many, many times before in preparation for the 1980 games?  Whatever, it was an amazing victory.  I didn't even want to watch "Miracle on Ice," the movie.  As I told my son, "I lived this.  I remember it."  But one day it was on TV and I did watch.  It was actually a very good movie.  I relived it again.

Many of us have faced challenges with the odds stacked against us.  Many of us have worked to succeed at something that most would never have thought we could achieve.  I've seen those TV programs where a person survives out in the wilderness or survives a horrific crime, and at the end they give their own reasons as to why they think they did.  "I refused to die," "I just thought about my family," or "I was able to stay warm by doing ____."  Very few times do any of the survivors say what is on the tip of my tongue, "I'm alive because of God."  Pure and simple.  Our life is a gift from God, and He is with us every step of the way.

For me, the credit for anything good goes to God.  That includes the improbable 1980 American victory.

The "Before"

A blog post not too long ago focused on some crafty people who have made their lives so much more interesting with a hobby.  Keeping busy (not frantic) is a great way to ward off an aging mind and body.

The hub of the crafting is key to these efforts.  Most people have an area of the home where they ply their crafts, store their materials, and drift off into creativity.  Mine was a mess.  Embarrassing.  Unworkable.  I did what every former newspaper person would do -- I took a picture.  Why?  Because help was on the horizon in the form of my very talented husband.

The picture posted today is the "before."  We're not quite done, so the "after" will be in a few days or so.  How could anyone really enjoy a hobby in this disaster of a space?  I couldn't even stand it, and often moved my workspace to somewhere else in the house for a while, like the basement. 

The redecorated space features the same furniture.  The difference is the storage closet, furniture arrangement, new paint, new trim, shampooed carpet and new drapes.  Everything will have a place.  Stuff won't be dumped here or there.  And I did do some necessarily recycling of some of my stuff.  You have to get real when you do a project like this.  Some of my so-called art just didn't pass muster, so it went out in the trash.  Don't worry -- no one will miss it.

This project gives me a new sense of purpose in my crafting.  Years ago many of us participated in a Called and Gifted seminar at St. Raphael's.  We did an inventory of our charisms.  To my surprise, my scores were 15s in the three creative categories.  It helped me find direction in my pursuits after retirement -- writing, crafts/art, and music.

It's cold!  Have a great day, keep warm, and maybe think about your hobby or maybe start one.  Crocheting, for example.  Make blankets and give them to the Akron Pregnancy Center in Barberton.   

Great Flood of 1913

Few events have had more of an effect on Canal Fulton than the Flood of 1913.  We are approaching the 100th anniversary in March, so that's why today's blog focuses our attention on the flood.

The winter of 1912-13 had been fairly severe and the ground was still well frozen when the rains began before Easter in 1913.  It rained for nine days straight, and more than nine inches of rain were recorded at Buchtel College in Akron (now The University of Akron).  Water levels rose to the top of one of the two curbs in downtown Canal Fulton.  This means that the basements of the buildings along the canal were completely flooded.  The rising waters of the Tuscarawas River spilled over into the canal and the two became one.

Dams upstream let go.  The delicate clay lining of the canal was ripped out.  Buildings floated downstream, and the industrial park (now Heritage Park) was decimated.  People living on one side of the river/canal were separated from the people on the other.  Enterprising youngsters paddled canoes with supplies to those in need, once the waters calmed down.

The result of the Flood of 1913 is that the canal system connecting Portsmouth with Cleveland was ruined beyond repair.  The transportation method that really built Canal Fulton from farmland, created the many ports along its meandering way, was no more.  Trains were already gaining on the canal by is end.  It might only have been a matter of time anyhow, but in one fell swoop it was over.  The families who had made a living by piloting the packets had to find another way to make a living.

In Ohio, more than 20,000 homes were destroyed outright and more than 30,000 or so were deemed uninhabitable.  More than 700 lives were lost in Ohio during the flood. 

Many pictures of Canal Fulton exist today because of the flood.  Many people wanted to record this moment in history.  There is something uncomfortable about seeing water where it isn't supposed to be.  If you go to the Heritage Park, and visit the little museum at the entrance, you will see a water mark on the structure's underpinnings.  This is where the water crested.  You will be amazed.

The system that built Canal Fulton went so fast that the village was virtually frozen in time, and other than fire damage, the place remains much the same in the downtown as the canawler town it was.

 

Amazing Grace

The hymn that we sing in church, Amazing Grace, contains the line, "Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,  that saved a wretch like me."

The word, wretch, is really an old one.  It's meaning as found online in Webster's is: 1. :a miserable person : one who is profoundly unhappy or in great misfortune. 2. : a base, despicable, or vile person.  In yet another listing, it states that a wretch is so miserable that one almost has to feel sorry for him/her.  Who among us has not been at some point in time a wretch?

The second definition is certainly the more extreme, but when we succumb to envy or anger or revenge, wouldn't that also be a wretch?

Being a wretch is a pathetic state in life, and it begs for resolution and healing, both of which are found in our all knowing and all powerful God.

Grace which is a gift from God saves us. 

The hymn starts out with a wretch who has been saved, and it progresses to heaven:  "When we've been there ten thousand years, bright shining as the sun.  We've no less days to sing God's praise than when we first begun." 

The other day I was heading to the mall with a neighbor for an early morning walk.  All of the sudden she points to the sky and says, "Look, an angel."  Good thing we were still in the allotment where the driving is easy because I did as she said -- looked.  And it was the head of an angel in the clouds, with the sun all about her, and her hair all about her.  Oh, how beautiful!  It was a such a lovely gift.

May all of you be given a gift too.

The Spear of Christ

This is the first Friday in Lent.  A program on National Geographic yesterday at 11 a.m. dealt with "The Spear of Christ."  This would be the spear carried by the Roman soldier who used it to pierce the side of Jesus during his crucifixion.

Perhaps you've heard of the Shroud of Turin, the presumed burial cloth of Jesus.  Perhaps you have heard of the cup used at the last supper, depicted in one of the Indiana Jones movies.  I had never heard of the Spear of Christ artifact before.

This is the story.  After Jesus' death, the spear passed into the hands of Maurice, a Christian Roman Centurion who carried it in battle and was killed for refusing to participate in a pagan sacrifice, along with 5,999 of his fellow Soldiers.

Then at some point the spear was obtained by Constantine, whose mother, Helena, was a devout Christian and who prayed constantly for her son's conversion.  Constantine did in fact become a Christian, and his mother's trip to the Holy Land to recover holy artifacts apparently may have been quite successful.  She brought back fragments of a nail used in the crucifixion.  These pieces were apparently hammered into an old nail (not as old though) and were marked with a cross, a fish, and microscopically with the letters RI, meaning Jesus the King.  The fish was used as a secret Christian sign during the time of persecution.  The INRI above Jesus' cross was sometimes abbreviated as RI.  The old nail with the fragments of the nail used in Jesus' crucifixion was inserted into the spear, then silver was wound around it to strengthen it.

After Constantine, the spear reached Charmemagne who also treasured this object.  A later emperor who needed money sold the spear to Vienna's town council.  During the Reformation, the artifact was forgotten for hundreds of years.  The spear was housed in Nuremburg and Vienna at different points in time -- once to keep it from Napoleon, and then after Hitler's bloody rampage through Austria, it was in his hands.  He chose to send it back to Nuremburg and the Americans found it in a hidden bunker there.  It was returned to Vienna where it remains today.

An expert was brought it to examine the weapon (without carbon dating which would have damaged it).  He determined that the metal in the spear and the metal in the fragments marked by the gold crosses are identical.  Thus, they could be traced back to the time of Christ. 

Two other spears also purport to be the Spear of Christ.  One is in the Vatican but no one is allowed to see it.  The expert checked the other one and determined that it could not be authentic.  So this one, in Vienna, appears to have history behind it.  Isn't this just amazing.  The picture at the top of the blog is the Vienna spear.  It is sheathed in gold, then underneath sheathed in silver.  At least twice, the engraving says, "The Spear of Christ" in Latin.  The first sheath states that it was the spear of Maurice.

Holy objects like the shroud, the cup, and the spear are not necessary for us to believe in God, to believe in Jesus, but perhaps they might help someone who is struggling find their way to our Lord.  If you get a chance to see this program, do so.  And maybe recommend it to someone else.

Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day to everyone!!  The blog photo shows a rainbow of colors and it should brighten your day.  We all need that now and again.

Remember when you were a kid and it was Valentine's Day?  Everyone was so excited to bring in their mailboxes made out of a shoebox.  At the appointed time, the class would set their "mailboxes" on the desk and then the distribution would begin.  Chaos actually most of the time.  Finally, when every single valentine card was delivered, it was time to enjoy whatever the room mothers had figured out for refreshments. 

One year I got some kind of kit to make Valentine's cards.  It had little paper doilies in it and hearts of different sizes.  The kit made it pretty easy to create  lovely little cards for all my classmates.  I think we had about 24 in our class.  That was one year when giving was really better than getting.  Do you remember the absolutely corny sayings on the cards?  There would be a cowgirl and she'd have her lasso all ready to go and it would say something like, "I'm roping you in, Valentine."  Or maybe not.

Wish I had some of those cards today.  Today's Valentine's are still corny, but a lot of them are themed, like princess valentines or Buzz Lightyear valentines. 

The best candy without a doubt came from Fanny Farmer.  What happened to the Fanny Farmer stores?  I haven't seen one in years.  They made something called a French mint.  It was like Andes mints but MUCH bigger and creamier.  Oh, they were so delicious.

If you don't have a special person in your life these days, don't despair.  Just go on out and get yourself something cheerful, like a few flowers or a French mint if you can find it, or maybe a purse.  Why is buying a purse so much fun?  Everything is just going to settle to its bottom like the rest of them?  Don't pay any attention to me.

Enjoy the day.  Some people say, "Love is in the air."  I say love is always.  Thanks to God.

Today's Message

Do you like the painted rock house?  I did not paint this one -- found it online as an inspiration.  If you are interested, you can buy "patio paint" which works well on rocks.  They usually come in six colors, and you can mix them if you need something different.  Just clean the rocks really well, let them air dry and get going.  You can use marker as a guide.

Tomorrow is Valentine's Day and we will be deluged with red and pink.  Flower trucks will be everywhere.  Some poor person will get those footed pajamas.  Another poor person will get one of those giant teddy bears.  Someone told me the other day that rather than flowers, candy, or gifts, they would just appreciate being treated nice every day.  Isn't that just the way it should be?  Maybe we wouldn't need occasions like Valentine's Day if we did just that.

Guilt is a terrible thing because it eats us from the inside out.  Rather than dealing with it, we often cover it over with a thick crust to make sure nothing reminds us of the guilt.  At night the guilt seeps into our dreams and disturbs rest.  After a while, the cause of all of these changes in behavior are forgotten but the guilt remains just the same.  Don't know why I started on this topic, but that's what blogs are for -- we can meander about and hit one topic, then another without a thought.  Someone needed this today would be my best guess.

My friends, we are much loved, so let us spread that love out all around us with smiles and hugs and laughter.

The East

With some food in store, electricity, and nowhere in particular to go, those in the east might be able to appreciate nature's fury and maybe even see the beauty of it.  But when you subtract food and/or electricity, the storm is something altogether different.  It is terrifying.

In 1950 Ohio got blitzed by a huge snow storm.  I'm not going to be one of those people who start telling stories of how high the drifts were, because I have proof -- black and white pictures of my brother and I out in the driveway.  The piles of snow around us are almost as tall as we were.  My dad is using the wrong kind of shovel (that wouldn't be the first time) but somehow the job got done.  He missed a couple of days of work, as I've been told, because even when he got us dug out, the roads were impassable.  School must have been closed for several days, although I was too young to know about that.

Two years later as a first grader, I was trudging back and forth to school (including lunch).  It seemed like a LONG walk to me, especially when it snowed and folks didn't shovel their sidewalk.  One day I was just so tired I could not go on a step further and I just more or less plopped into a snow pile by one house.  The lady who lived there saw me and she rushed out to help, "Oh, honey.  We've got to get you warmed up."  She took me into her very neat house and made me hot chocolate which she served in a pretty china cup. 

I was enjoying my conversation with her and the hot chocolate, and actually didn't care if I ever returned to school, but she did, "I think maybe you ought to start heading towards home.  Your mother will be worried about you."  So I finished the walk to my house and had lunch.  My mother hadn't really noticed that I was late.  Then after lunch, I bundled up and started the long walk back to school.  Part of the reason that walk was so difficult was that I was by myself for the first couple of years of school.  When my two friends ( a year younger) who lived close by joined in, it must have made things better because I don't remember the walks anymore.  Funny how selective our memories are!!  Amazing how having company lightens the load.

Well, our prayers go out to the east coast residents, and especially the people who were already so affected by Hurricane Sandy.  And if we have a little extra, maybe a donation to a charity helping in that effort would be a good idea.

See you Tuesday.  Karen

Cocoon Cat

Sassy is the only cat we ever paid for.  She was raised in a cattery in Mansfield that I found online -- Blessed Be Siamese.  I wanted her very badly because we all missed our first cat, Puddin'Head.  He was a Siamese cat, an amazing buddy, and greatly missed.  There is something amazing about the face of a Siamese, and this is a particular type of Siamese -- appleheaded.  They have a more rounded, attractive face.  The lineage is traced to Siam (Thailand), where some believe they guarded the palaces.

Sassy's father was a robust, broad-backed cat.  Sassy's mother was timid and afraid, with HUGE blue eyes.  At the cattery, Sassy was called "Lime Girl" because they used hair ties on the cats to keep track of them.  It was when we picked her up that I saw the sad, scared mom cat and hoped that Sassy would not be too much like her.  Sassy is skiddish, but she isn't nearly as bad as the mom, and her physical stature is more like the dad. 

This cat likes to be cozy.  She's never been outside, and never tries to get outside.  Lately, she figured out how to get herself into an afghan at the foot of the bed.  Sometimes she is totally enclosed, or like in the picture above, sometimes her head sticks out.  She loves it!!  Next to Sassy is Pumpkin, her sidekick.  They are buds going back to when Sassy came home.  Pumpkin likes to groom Sassy and cuddle with her.  Way in the back you get a glimpse of our newest foundling, Gracie, who is as sweet as they get.  She is small-boned and very playful.  The only one missing is Fred.  He's a honey-colored cat who shows up for every single meal and begs, like a dog.

Pets can be such a pain in the neck, but they are also really nice to have around.  They provide a lot of humor in a household, like when Gracie got herself stuck in a gift bag the other day.  They love you thick or thin without condition.  

God loves us unconditionally, no matter what, even when we are totally disgusted with ourselves!!  He never gives up on us.  He suffers with us when we are ill or hurt.  Far from being weak because we need God, we are much, much stronger.  Recognizing our need for God is the first step.

Be careful out there today.  Snow is coming.

It's Thursday!

I wasn't being lazy this morning, as just posting this at 11:48 a.m. would suggest.  We went to get some wood for the "craft room" at Hartville Hardware.

And I'm not writing about the cats, as promised, because the photo is still in the camera!!  Tomorrow -- I sound like Annie, right?  Can't you just hear me singing, "Tomorrow, tomorrow, there's always tomorrow.  It's only a day away."

In less than a week, it's Lent.  One of the instructors in the Department of Marketing at The University of Akron hailed from the south.  In a previous job, she had become accustomed to celebrating Mardi Gras (or Fat Tuesday).  She thought that we needed to get on board too, so she bought Mardi Gras decorations and brought in her collection of feather masks, and us not having a clue she surprised us one year.  We had King Cake.  Well, the next year one of the guy faculty members said he would give gumbo a try and he really outdid himself.  So now it was King Cake, my rice, and his Gumbo, and decorations.  Then she left, but the custom has stayed, and they still celebrate Mardi Gras there.

What are you doing for Lent?  Here are some suggestions that come from the heart.

1.  Go to Mass on the Fridays of Lent.  Mass is at 9:00 a.m. at SS Philip & James.
2.  Write letters of encouragement and understanding, or send cards to old friends and distant family.
3.  Go through your closet and pare it out, giving the items to a worthy organization.  Dig deep.
4.  Make a donation each week to a charity of your choice, so that you don't have any "extra" for yourself.
5.  Get a good book at St. Raphael's and read it, and meditate on the Passion.
6.  Donate to a family that needs help.  Do it anonymously using a Giant Eagle gift card, for example.
7.  Set up a little remembrance area in your house, using a statue or a cross and some candles, for example.
8.  Give up something that you don't think you can live without. 
9.  Don't forget to offer up any sufferings you might have (arthritis, hurt, pain, etc.) for others.
10.  Make a few phone calls to folks who are alone and listen more than talk.

I bet you have some better suggestions yourself.  If you send me yours, I'll pass them along to the other readers.

All the best,  Karen

Westlake

Going to Westlake today, to see my sister.  I'll post something better tomorrow.  Pray me safe travel.

One good thing -- the Zips basketball team won again last night.  They have the longest winning streak in college basketball right now at 14.  It was close until the last two minutes and then two players in particular really brought their game and made all the difference.  With five players on the court, two players spurred the offense.

We can do that in life.  A tiny Albanian nun many years ago was teaching at a girls school in India.  She implored her order to allow her to minister to the sick, and they capitulated.  Ultimately, she was given approval to start her own order.  The people who had been ignored as they lay in the gutter were now given dignity and a clean place to die in peace, with prayers from the sisters.

Her work goes on today.  One day someone had a question for her, "Mother Teresa, with all of the sick and needy in the world today, how do you know who to help first."  She thought for a few seconds, and said, "That's easy; I help the person who is right in front of me."  I kind of paraphrased this, so I hope it is nearly right. 

Start getting ready for Lent.  Use a few moments of quiet time today to ponder about what you might do.  It does not have to be giving something up.  It can be doing something. 

The Crafting Life

Today's blog post is dedicated to the "doers" out there, who undauntedly work towards near perfection in the things that they do.  God has given each one of them special skills and rather than hide them under a basket, they have honed them and shared them.

Here are some of the folks who have reached that pinnacle, and who have inspired me to work a little harder.  They are in no particular order.

Phyl -- a great seamstress.  She has made many wonderful things over the years and her most recent creations are tote bags and vests.  She can't pass by a fabric display!!  She's also my sister.

Joanne -- She is a scrapbooker and card maker, and recently started as a  Stampin' Up rep.  She is my daughter-in-law.

Phyllis -- another great seamstress.  She works on items for our four-legged friends.  Not cats usually.  They don't like to be dressed.

Mary -- another seamstress.  She makes quilts, drawstring bags, embroidered items, among others.  She has an embroidery machine!!  She has a gift for music too.

Peg -- a quilter.  Her brother gifted her with a how-to book on quilting years ago and that got her started.  She machine stitches or hand stitches them, and her work has gotten her noticed.  Peg sings and plays the guitar.

Catherine -- an artist.  She works in pencil and colored pencil mostly.  She works for Little Tykes.  Catherine teaches continuing education art classes at The University of Akron.

Dolly -- Dolly is a writer.  She works with senior citizens in a writing class she leads.  She's working on a book.  Dolly lives in Washington State.  I've known her since I was five.

Joni -- Joni has a gift for music and a beautiful voice, which she has shared for years and years at church.

Ann -- Ann also has a gift for music, and she sings and plays guitar at church.  She is one of the "harmonizers."

Nancy -- She has a beautiful voice and has even been in stage performances.  We love it when she sings, "Precious Lord."

Judith -- Judith was my continuing eduction art teacher for almost 10 years at UA.  She is a wonderful person and I am lucky to have her as a friend.  She lives in New Mexico these days.

So on this cold and snowy day (yes, another one), we are thankful for the gifts we have been given.  Shine a light on them!!

Karen

Tomorrow's column -- my cocoon cat.

Good Try

No babysitting today.  Ella and Drew (plus mom and dad and grandpa and grandma) are taking in Disney World and I'm so happy for them!!  They made it at around 2:00 p.m. yesterday and it was 72 degrees.  So here's an extra post for you.  And a picture of the basket project. 

What did you serve for Superbowl 37?  We got Chinese.  It sounded good and the sesame chicken dinners from New Peking in Canal Fulton tasted good too.  They enclosed THREE fortune cookies, so the third one, kind readers, is for you.

#1 Message -- "Would you like to do someone a favor?"  A bit strange for a fortune cookie, don't you think, but it's good.  A pay-it-forward fortune cookie.  Sure, I would love to do someone a favor.  With Lent approaching this was timely and got me to think about what my Lenten season should include.

#2 Message -- "When the moment comes, take the last one from the left."  No kidding.  That's it.  What on earth does this message mean?  A silly fortune cookie message if ever there was one.  I googled it (just for you), and apparently this particular message has been out there.  There were a number of people asking Yahoo, for example, about its meaning.  Bottom line -- apparently it means that you should savor every moment of life.  One responder told the question asker, "Dude, they make these things in factories, not in some gypsy hut."  Well, thank you for that.  I had no idea.

#3 Message -- This one is YOURS, "You are endowed with strength of purpose and energy of will."  Sounds pretty new age to me.  We are endowed by our Creator with certain unalienable rights -- among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.  I don't think we are automatically endowed with strength of purpose and energy of will.  Every good thing comes from God.  The Chinese have a saying that I really do like though, "Expect nothing."  Think about that one for a while.  If you do good things for others, and not expect thanks, you are better off.  If you work hard and not 'expect' to win the Lottery, you are going to be a lot better off. 

Snow expected today -- 2-4" 
Hibernate, if you can.  If you are at work, head to the coffee machine and pour yourself a nice fresh cup, and savor being warm and safe.  If you are like me, and tea is your thing, have a delicious flavored blend. 

Au revoir, friends.

The Regret List

Hello Readers!  Here it is Saturday and Lake Erie effect snow is supposed to be hitting here and there, with some expected as far north as we are.  Are you preparing some great snacks for Superbowl Sunday?  At this point, I can’t remember who is playing.

Yesterday on the Fox News online site, they had an article written by a health care professional who has worked with the sick and dying.  She listed the five most repeated regrets that men told her when she asked.

.I wish I'd had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.
I wish I didn't work so hard.
I wish I'd had the courage to express my feelings.
I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends.
I wish that I had let myself be happier.

How would these regrets compare to those of a person who loved Christ?  Or those of a woman? I wonder.  Let’s imagine what the regret list might look like.  Do you agree?  Do you have others you would add?

I wish I would have loved God and my family more.
I wish I would have spent more time with God and my family.
I wish I would have treated others more kindly.
I wish I would have given more of my time, talent, and treasures.
I wish I would have been a better example for my children to follow, so that they might find a relationship with God and reach heaven.

The author, Bronnie Ware from AARP, correctly notes at the top of the article that death is still such a taboo subject.  We all go through it; so why is it so hush-hush.  Maybe it is because everything in our society and in our culture is the antithesis of death.  We ignore it; we hide from it; we are very, very afraid of it.  Or sometimes, worse, the media mocks and makes fun of it.  For some, the fear of death is so paralyzing that they can scarcely live a normal life in any sense of the word.

With Christ, we have hope.  With Christ, we know that there is a life after death.  With Christ, we find solace and comfort, and relief from our burdens.  And yet, it doesn’t hurt to construct a bucket list of things that we should be doing now so as not to have the regrets at the end.
Hope someone wins the Superbowl!!  Whoever it is.

Baskets, Schmaskets

The basket isn't turning out so well.  It's floppy and lifeless and has no shape at all.  I won't take a picture of it either.  No use in documenting my failure!!

The yarn just isn't stiff enough.  That seems to be an ongoing problem with  crocheting baskets.  One idea is to use two strands of the cotton yarn that people use to make dish cloths. There are also stiffeners you can use, or starches.  But there are drawbacks to these methods.

The frustrating part is that the yarn I used is exactly the same as the type recommended by the basket maker in the picture.  It's Lion Brand and wasn't cheap either.  Yikes, what on earth did I do wrong?

Next stop -- WalMart for some jute.  It is supposed to work great but be very hard on the hands.  One way or another, this is going to happen.  Maybe one strand of jute and one strand of the Lions Brand yarn.

Crafting is a mirror of life.  There is this picture of something we want to make and we can see it exactly.  But as we go about trying to create the project, there are frustrations and twists and turns.   Just like life.  Sometimes we try to do something good and it backfires miserably and we say, "No good deed goes unpunished."  Sometimes we try to correct ourselves and our behaviors and we find ourselves slipping back into the same pattern of error.  The last example corresponds to that flip thought that comes along when we undertake some new crafting idea, "Oh, this ought to be easy." 

Years ago, I would have just given up and the yarn would have sat in a box somewhere for years.  Now I will persist.  The cause is a good one.  The baskets will be sold at the SS Philip & James School's annual fundraiser in April.  It's a silent auction and dinner. 

It's going to be a cold one tonight and tomorrow night.  Thanks be to God for a heated house!!