Top Ten Speaking Images

I love words and quotes, but more than that, I love pictures. An image alone can speak volumes, and sometimes I hesitate to assign words to a picture because then it is locked into that one interpretation. However, I do it often. And for today's Top Ten Tuesday, there will be a series of 10 images and/or designs posted. Each has a word, a phrase, or quote(s). Vote for your favorite!

Click on the image to enlarge.











Have fun! Love you all!

T

i hope.

Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.*

What do you hope for? I have a vivid imagination, so often my hopes are just a daydream away... but at the end of the miniature soap opera or music video that I have played in my mind, what do I have?

Nothing. I can't see it in tangible life. I cannot suddenly hand out copies of my hope and often I can't even fully articulate it in words. Oh, how I wish I could.

Really, though. Where is our hope? In Christ's Redeeming Love. In His Son, who died for not just one of our sins, but for all of them. And He did not die for just one of us, but for all of us. To have faith is to be sure of that.

As for what we cannot see: one day, we will. Do you ever just "feel" God and "know" His character and His goodness and His mercy? That is being certain of what we cannot see.

I had a childhood dream that I saw Jesus during Sunday School and I went running up to Him and gave him a huge hug. Little children were gathered around Him as you see illustrated in children's Bible story books.

I am doing a Bible Study right now that is taking me through Daniel. I love it, but it is a very in-depth study. It's the meat and potatoes of the deal. The other day, I read a passage about Daniel encountering the glory of God by God himself or a heavenly being. It was such a bright vision that Daniel lost all of his strength and could hardly speak or breathe. Can you imagine actually being in the presence of God? At times, I fear that I take that circumstance too lightly. To actually "see" God would completely knock us flat on our stomachs. It would be no small thing. Yet, we have access to this Almighty God through his Holy Spirit! Are we daily talking to Him? Studying His Word? Is He our hope, or is it placed somewhere else in this world?

Being self-employed has given me a lot of perks. One "perk" in particular has also, at times, been my biggest downfall. I have been given free reign of my schedule. Therefore, I choose how my day goes. If I don't "show up for work on time," I won't hear from any boss except myself. A lesson in priorities was long overdue about a month ago. One night, after I had spent all evening wasting time, I thought: How is it that now that I have more time to use, I end up wasting more of it? And for what?

So, I did what I always do. And it works like a charm. One Wednesday evening a long, long time ago, a sermon took place that changed my heart forever. The minister talked about "online" time and how it can so often zap us if we don't watch out. After that evening, I drove home and made a pretty little note card that said "Do Devotions Before Online Time." I taped this onto my laptop. This was during my college days at ISU, so needless to say, I had a few strange looks when people would walk by and see a big old piece of paper taped onto my laptop, but it is what I needed to do. What is most important in my life? Facebook? My blog? My mac?

Anyway, that's a long way of saying that I once again implemented this process in my life. I must start my day with God. And certainly, He must always come before my most prized time-wasting activity. Since I must inevitably be online during working hours because of the nature of my work, devotions always occur before I go to work, which means being up a little bit earlier. Seeing as I am NOT a morning person, this has been a challenge, but I am doing it. :) And it has been such a blessing.

Praying and reading the Word changes you whether you plan on it or not. I once heard it said, "When you don't feel like spending time with God, that is when you need Him the most." You enter the day a better person because of it.

Love you all!

T

*My opening lines were from Hebrews 11:1.

to hear

Think of someone who is close to you.

When they are joyful, do you know it? If they are upset, can you sense it? Can you identify the times that you please them?

My Utmost for His Highest says,

"... If I love my friend, I intuitively detect what he wants, and Jesus says, 'Ye are My friends.' ...The destiny of my spiritual life is such identification with Jesus Christ that I always hear God, and I know that God always hears me (John 11:41). If I am united with Jesus Christ, I hear God, by the devotion of hearing all the time... What hinders me from hearing is that I am taken up with the other things. It is not that I will not hear God, but I am not devoted in the right place. I am devoted to things, to service, to convictions, and God may say what He likes but I do not hear Him."

This concept jumped out at me tonight. Lately, I have been hearing again and again the importance of drawing close to Jesus. It is not necessarily about the circumstances, but about the relationship. Life goes on, and well, it always will. Where we are in it is irrelevant if we don't have a foundation in Christ. He must be Who we know and follow, and then our lives will take shape accordingly.

So many times, I look at my circumstances and think: Why? How? When? Lord, for what reason? What does this mean?

We can ask God questions, and we should. Yet my focus would be better directed in His Word, searching out Truth and drawing closer to Him. The answer is often not a "yes" or a "no" or a "him" or a "that," but it is a lesson He teaches, a life that He touches, or a patience that He grows.

The deeper I know Christ, the more in tune I will be with what He is telling me. Just as I know it when a friend is pleased, I will know it when my ways are pleasing to the Lord. And just as I know when my friend is disappointed, I will sense it when my life does not match the Truth.

I know I may have used this example before, but my former elder once asked me, "How do they know when money is counterfeit?"

I didn't know the answer.

"They study the real thing," he said.

By knowing what is real, what is honest, what is lovely, and what is TRUTH, we can quickly discern what is not. And when the "what is nots" take over, it becomes very difficult to hear the Lord.

Let's devote ourselves in the right place!

Love you all!

T

tuesdays with morrie

I recently went out to dinner with a friend who strongly suggested the book "Tuesdays with Morrie." I had seen this book on a book shelf in our home for years, and it always intrigued me, but for some reason I never read it.

After such a high recommendation, I came home and frantically searched our entire house for this book, running upstairs and downstairs until I found it hidden away in one of our book cases. I took it to Florida with me. It is a very easy read yet it is so deeply profound.

The book is about a man, a college professor, and their relationship throughout the years. It is structured around the fact that on every Tuesday, this man (Mitch) goes and visits his dying college professor whom he connects with after being unlinked for years. During this time, Morrie (the professor) teaches Mitch wonderful life lessons, and opens up his world of understanding. A lot of the principles taught in this book can be applied to our lives spiritually, although the author was not a Christian nor was the professor in the book doing the teaching.

Some of my favorite lines from Morrie:

"So many people walk around with a meaningless life. They seem half-asleep, even when they're busy doing things they think are important. This is because they're chasing the wrong things. The way you get meaning into your life is to devote yourself to loving others, devote yourself to your community around you, and devote yourself to creating something that gives you purpose and meaning."

"Don't cling to things, because everything is impermanent."

"You can't substitute material things for love or for gentleness or for tenderness or for a sense of comradeship."

"The most important thing in life is to learn how to give out love, and to let it come in."

"If you hold back on the emotions--if you don't allow yourself to go all the way through them--you can never get to being detached, you're too busy being afraid."

"The culture we have does not make people feel good about themselves. And you have to be strong enough to say if the culture doesn't work, don't buy it."

---

We are bombarded daily. As far as I am concerned, if you are a citizen living in a home in the United States, it's a little hard not to be influenced by our society in some way or another. Everywhere you look tells you who you should be, what you should do, how you should act, what you should buy, and what you should look like. And somehow, when that's all done, it's supposed to make you happy.

The truth is that no matter how many of society's little games that we play, we will never find anything remotely satisfying about them. We may evoke a temporary happiness or excitement, and it can give us pleasure for a moment and even smiles for a season. But after the new cable is installed and there's still nothing to watch, the cell phone gets scratched up, the diet is over, the new outfit has been worn more than twice, and the self-help book is read, we find ourselves spinning around and circles and absolutely empty. It's all useless. And what does it even matter, anyway? In the end, all of it burns with the rest. We don't take possessions or even our earthly bodies with us to anyplace eternal. Why do we place such huge importance on ourselves?

I have been on a missions trip several times and have always found one recurring theme by the end of the week: contentment and joy by way of living for awhile with little. Take away the fancy house, the car, the cell phone, the computer, and all my toys, and what do you get? PEOPLE. Living, breathing people who need to be loved. Our mission in life is not to accumulate things but to touch lives. To me, "things" are just an obstacle in the way of getting there.

So many times I flip on the TV only just to turn it off. It really sickens me what they televise these days. You can't look anywhere without seeing or hearing evil. It's all about entertainment. I don't get it. To me, it's just a big waste of time. Don't get me wrong, I've watched my fair share of TV and there are definitely shows that I think that I need to see every once in awhile, but all in all, I get discouraged when I keep the TV on for too long. Anymore, the only shows that interest me are the news, "learning" opportunities, or movies that I know hold some sort of a grounds to an inspirational story or history.

Any other form of media can be the same way. Take radio. Or the web. It can suck the life right out of you and take away ALL of your time if you let it. It's one of those mindless activities that can go on for hours and hours, and pretty soon, what have you even accomplished?

It is all a part of how our society works. And I hate to paint all forms of media as terrible and evil, because I believe when used in the correct light, they are excellent tools. TV can educate us if we watch the right programs, and it keeps us up to date with the current happenings. Radio can be great if we're tuned into an encouraging station. The web is an awesome resource of information and a wonderful way to communicate. It's just like anything else in life: you must use it, not abuse it, and everything in moderation.

That is all for this evening... I really enjoyed the various profound quotes and "life lessons" from Morrie that I read about in this book. Anytime we can learn from the older and the wiser, we do a good thing.

Love you all!

T

FL 2

In less than 48 hours, I will be home. As promised, I am bringing with me some warmer temperatures. I just checked the forecast and Central IL can expect 56 degrees on Saturday, so. You're welcome.

In all honesty, that was very likely the high here today. Florida has been experiencing some cooler times over the past few days, and the weather men make a point to announce "freezing temperatures overnight" to all the natives... around here, that's the cue to get out the old parka. However, we from Illinois are out at the pool every day without fail, mid-50s or 80 degrees. Bring it on. If the sun is out, so are we.

Actually, let me paint the truth-- over the past couple of mornings, since it has been a bit cooler, we have had fun with some other activities that didn't require a swimming suit right off the bat. For instance, yesterday morning we went to the zoo. I was heartbroken because we went directly after breakfast spontaneously, and I was caught off guard without my camera (a rare occasion, I know right.) Anyway, my favorites were the brightly colored and LOUD parrots, and the flamingos. The parrots were awesome, they just squawked very loudly and looked at me funny when I tried to whistle back. There were a lot of them, though. Noah loved them, too.

At one point, we were on a path that opened up into a big, sunlit grassy field, and all of these flamingos were just hanging out. The purple hat ladies were there (or is it red hats? I don't know, but whoever they are, I want to be in that club when I meet the age qualifications) checking out the pink birds at the same time as us. So it was like double entertainment. The flamingos were SO COOL. First of all, up until this point in my life, my only encounter with flamingos has been seeing their picture in children's books or on some National Geographic TV special. But this was real life. About 30 of them, surrounding us! They are very tall (taller than me!) and are a bright salmon pink, with very long, skinny necks that twist in all sorts of directions to get done whatever it is they need to get done. They stand on these very skinny sticky legs that literally look like they will snap under the bulk of bird they are carrying up top, but to my amazement, a lot of them stand on one foot a lot of the time. When they walk around, they have this attitude that's like, "Alright, OUT of my way! I'm coming through, and I don't know who YOU are, but this is where I'm going." I just love them.

I told my friend about my love of flamingos tonight and she said, "Taryn, you really are the bird lady." Well, shoot. They always told me I was the cat lady. So then I decided when I'm old and gray and about 90 living in some house, I'll just have lots of birds AND cats, and I'll just let the cycle of life continue on as it may.

Anyway, I feel I am getting off topic. My real reason for this post has yet to be introduced.

I was sitting here tonight thinking about my first FL post, which really wraps up the first week of my stay here. It was a nice intro to the sunny state for me; a real relaxing time observing all the pleasures of the beach, some fun times spent with my friend, and a great vacation with my parents.

Then came week two. Enters the Steffen family with Tom, Tasha, Noah, Oliver, and Naomi. Silas stayed home. Although, he is the sweetest boy ever, and about 3 times a day the question gets brought up, "I wonder what Silas is doing right now?" So it's almost like he's here.

So my plan is to devote the rest of this post to the cool kids that I am vacationing with this very last week. We have had some good times, and tomorrow is my last day with them. It's going to be warmer so I expect some sufficient pool/beach time.

Let's start with the boys.

The Boys

There they are. Noah and Oliver. They are 2 years apart and are such great buds. They get along great most of the time, and love to run, laugh, play sports (with more athleticism than me, I might add), and tackle each other (and sometimes me).

Noah is the oldest. He's the leader of the pack and pays attention to what's going on. He's a very sweet, sensitive boy. He is also quite clever and athletic and fun. On this trip, we have one white car to transport us all, so I have had the great pleasure of sitting in the middle back seat whenever we go to and fro. Naomi is always on my left, and often, Noah, sits to my right. His favorite activity has been tickling me while we are driving. I am the most ticklish person on earth. All you have to do is tell me you are going to tickle me and I start laughing. So you can only imagine how much fun he has with that one.

Oliver is the next in line. He's a lot of fun, too. He has a smile that melts your heart and he is my little helper. Often, it's Ollie who notices that you need a hand and he immediately and willingly jumps in to assist. The other night I was watching the 3 and we popped pop corn and watched a movie. The boys and I were going to town on the pop corn, so I told them if we ran out, I'd just go pop another bag. He told me, "You're the best baby-sitter ever." Why, I asked. Because I let you have popcorn? "Yes," he said. "You let us eat pop corn, as much as we want, and you let me drink pop." I had to smile, but then I bit my lip. Pop, before bed? What was I thinking? Oh well. It maybe caused me one more tackle session to break up before the boys finally drifted off to sleep, but hey. It bought me the "best babysitter" award, and if it's as easy as popping 2 bags of pop corn, I'll hang out with Ollie every night.

The boys have had so much fun running up and down the beach and finding sea shells and stars. They are quite the explorers and have zest and excitement for about anything out here. It's great to see their bright-eyed youth!

The Girl

Naomi, also known as "The Princess," or "Nomi," is a definite girl among an all-boys family. She is a tiny little ball of energy, always dressed in pink or purple, with a spry gait, fast movements, and a low, husky voice. She loves attention although you have to choose your attention-giving wisely, or else you hear her famous lines, "Don't listen to me! Don't HEAR me!" She's a complete riot. Her talent lies in humanizing every little toy or object you give her. She makes up stories and conversations with anything from miniature fairies to water torpedoes to forks & knives. Although, again I might warn: It's best not to let her know you're listening to these imaginations, or else she'll reprimand you with, "Don't listen to me!" She is a lot of fun and loves to have fun. Any sort of twirling or running is a good time for her.

I once heard a comedian say, "When I was a kid, my only goal in life was to get candy. That was all I thought about. Family, school, play: these were all just obstacles in the way of me getting... more candy. I'm serious, my brain just thought GET CANDY GET CANDY GET CANDY all day long." I think of that a lot when I'm around Naomi because she has a similar goal in mind (as do all of the world's 3-year-olds), but it's humorous to watch. Anyway, she's an energetic little girl with a sweet heart and an adorable face.

---

I don't want to leave out Silas. He will be spending a few days at our house because I am getting home before the Steffen clan, so I'll maybe feature him in an upcoming post. Also, I don't want to neglect Steffen baby #5, which is in FL with us, as well. He/she will be arriving in August sometime, and I'll give proper introductions to that little one when the time comes!

Also, one last thing. It's been great hanging out with Tom & Tasha out here... they are great parents and a lot of fun. We have had some nice times together over the past couple of nights... especially once the kids have drifted off to sleep and the place quiets down. :)

There are so many blessings in family!

Love you all!

T

FL

Greetings from the sunny south.

During my stay in Florida, I would like to share a few of my favorite treasures while they are still near and dear.

First, a quick overview of the trip. I traveled out on Saturday by car with my parents and friend, Holly. We are currently staying near Sarasota on Siesta Key Beach. It is fantastic. The sand on the beach is like flour, the ocean is perfect for kayaking, and the skies have mostly been sunny.

Onto the favorites…

1. The Birds.

Holly does not understand my appreciation for the birds, but I love them. They hang out on the beach all day long, and they will just sit in rows and look at the ocean. The idea or actual appearance of food visibly excites them, and if one spots an apple core or bread crumb, he calls all of his friends over. The best are the tiny little baby birds that run around very fast—they are adorable. I really like photographing these birds, and they are quite cooperative since they let me get so close.

2. The Elderly.

I noted tonight that so far on this entire trip, I have been immersed in the “45 and older” age group everywhere that I go. I mean, I knew that Florida was typically filled with those that retire or vacation here during the winter months, but I didn’t know it was this extreme. Consequently, I have really enjoyed seeing the aged walk along the beach every day. They encourage me to appreciate the youth of my life, and I smile at their courage to walk the beach with canes and shell search.

3. The Sunsets.

A bit cliché, but the sunsets here are beautiful. Every night when the sun sets, someone blows a horn, and the same happens for when it rises in the morning. One night, I went out to view the sunset up close and personal, and there was a huge crowd scattered out on the beach with cameras, friends, and lovers, peering out into the orangey yellow ocean’s waters as it fell from the sky. It’s a beautiful signature to the tropical warmth of the day.

Tomorrow and Friday are both supposed to be the first cloudy/rainy days that I have experienced, but with temperatures in the 60s/70s, I’m not complaining. Especially when I call home and find out it’s 10 degrees and snowing. It’s going to be fantastic on Saturday, so. I’ll hit the beach then.

Holly and I found this excellent little smoothie shop thanks to the cabana boy out here, so we enjoyed a strawberry smoothie with a twist of lemon yesterday. The ocean was in the background, the breeze on my face, and the sun shining down. I just don’t think life can get much better than that. Ok, it can. But really, if I had to pick a day of blissful relaxation, that would come pretty close to the description that I would give.

Did I tell you I took my turn at kayaking? It took me about 30 seconds being crammed into a 3-seater to figure out I’d rather go it alone. I tend to be more independent in activities that require my physical participation unless it is extremely difficult to pull off without a team effort, and so I gladly parked in a single red kayak and headed out into the ocean’s waters yesterday, leaving my mom and Holly to kayak in the banana colored 2-seater. It was fun and great exercise. We all had a nice glide on the ocean.

Holly leaves Friday, my parents will most likely take off on Monday and the Steffen family will come on Tuesday. I’m staying on next week to help out with the Steffen kids, so I have one week left yet here in the sunny state. My plan is to bring back a pocketful of sunshine, so if you’re an Illinoisan, look for a warm weekend on the 7th/8th.

Love you all!

T

creative procrastinaor

Procrastinate.

That word is an everyday truth for me. Often, it is what keeps me spontaneous and it lets me play off of my spur-of-the-moment inspirations. Other times, it is responsible for my crashing to meet last-minute deadlines and it plagues my ability to stay on any sort of a schedule.

Anyway, for my birthday, Heather got me a planner that is entitled "Do it Later! A 2009 Planner (or Non-Planner) for the Creative Procrastinator." It's by Mark Asher, and I don't think I've met the guy but he must know who I am, because this planner was written for me.

It's just hilarious. And it's perfect for me and anyone out there who has a tendency to "put off and play with time."

Every week is accompanied by a quip of "Procrastinator Wisdom." Then beneath that there are 4 areas for you to list items that fall into any of these categories:

1. Things I have to do but that can wait a day, or two, or three...
2. Small things I have to do before I can do the big things I have to do
3. Things I absolutely have to do unless I absolutely don't want to do them
4. Things people have been bugging me to do for a really long time

There is also a "doodle block" for each week with a big rectangular space to draw whatever you want.

Then, of course there are spaces to write in your actual scheduled appointments and life meetings for each day of the week. At the end of every month, there are 2 pages designated to fun ideas and advice. Among these include "How to Survive a Deadly Boring Workday," "Play the People Watching Game," and "Quick Time Fillers," which give directions for each. At the end of this month, I also have this little piece of fun to keep me busy sometime:

"If you were a performer with one name (like Madonna, Sting, Bono), what would it be? (List 10 possibilities.) And then there are 10 lines for my possible choices.

So, thanks to Heather, if I am late to an appointment or forget I was supposed to give you a call, I am most likely scribbling away in this planner on my doodle square or trying to come up with 10 new names for myself.

I'm kidding... but really, this is a fun little planner and I laugh every time I look at it!

Today's Top Ten Tuesday will be the top 10 "Procrastinator Wisdom & Activity" pieces it sprinkles throughout the planner. Vote for your favorite.

1. How can I be a procrastinator if I always eat my chocolate right away?

2. WARNING: Finishing every item on your to-do list can cause boredom, disorientation, and emptiness.

3. A to-do item is nothing more than a suggested activity to be undertaken if desire meets opportunity.

4. Buy two bags of your favorite chips and count how many chips are in each bag.

5. A wise man said long ago: The sooner you fall behind, the more time you have to catch up.

6. From time to time, reflect on the things you could have done... then forget about them.

7. Overcoming procrastination is like overcoming ice cream. You can do it, but you'll regret it.

8. Paying your bills on time creates cash flow problems.

9. E-mail has become an indispensable form of communication. It is imperative that you check it every 5 minutes.

10. Separate your laundry into whites and dark. Then separate your darks into individual colors. Then separate your individual colors into regular, light, and dark.

So, this planner is quite possibly not the best medicine for my "put it off and do something else" tendencies, but you have to admit, it is quite humorous, and for those of you who fall into this category, it has some truth to it!

Enjoy.

Love you all.

T

steel magnolias

Last night, I was craving a big bowl of popcorn. My general rule of thumb is that I only like to enjoy popcorn as a treat when I watch a movie. Seeing as it was the coldest day of the year and I had spent all of it inside my warm toasty house, why not wrap up in a blanket and have a movie night?

That's precisely what I did. Sometimes, I feel light-hearted, happy-go-lucky, and I just want to laugh, so I'll pick a comedy. Other times, I'd rather learn something about history or watch something that is going to enlighten me, but last night I felt like it would be ok to have a good cry. And let's be honest-- not matter how strong I'm feeling in the beginning, I know I can't control the flood when it comes. So when I chose "Steel Magnolias" as the movie of choice, I knew I'd be crying by the end of it. And I was.

Yet that's not the point right now. The relevance it has to this post is that I am going to pick my 5 favorite quotes from that movie and list them for today's Friday's Favorite.

1. "Smile! It increases your face value." (Truvy)

2. "Laughter through tears is my favorite emotion." (Truvy)

3. "I'm not crazy, I've just been in a very bad mood for the last 40 years!" (Ouiser)

4. "Oh, Sammy's so confused he don't know whether to scratch his watch or wind his butt." (Truvy)

5. "Well, I'm sorry, Sammy. But I am not about to spend the next fifty years of my life with someone I'm not gonna run into in the hereafter." (Annelle)

Vote for your favorite.

Love you all.

T

Top Ten "When I Grow Up"

In the days when we attended kindergarten, ate milk and cookies, and hung paintings on the refrigerator, a popular question for us was, "What do you want to be when you grow up?"

My current occupation is not one in which, looking back, I would have necessarily accurately predicted. Furthermore, lately I have been revisiting the recurring childlike thought of, "I wish I could be that when I grow up."

My Top Ten Tuesday will be a combination of my childhood wish list and my current one.

1. Author
This roots back to early childhood. Ever since I could hold a pencil in my hand, I have been writing, writing, writing. I could be found at the kitchen table with those large pieces of white paper, scribbling all kinds of stories about cats, fish, rivers, and people. I also wrote poetry and songs. In fact, I may need to resurrect one of these old stories for another post sometime. Then, I learned to type. Oh, that was good. I taught myself the "two finger" method where I used my two pointer fingers and boy, was I speedy. Forget proper typing technique, I flew on that keyboard with my 2 fingers. I tapped away on those keys, writing stories about pets, animals, and friends. I used Lotus Notes, and I remember the blue background on the screen with the white courier text. Then, I would print off my stories onto the white printer paper with the perforated edges, and I would sit and tear off the ends. Anyway, I have always enjoyed writing and honestly thought that someday, I would go on to write books. In grade school, I entered my books into the Young Author's competition and won 3 years in a row for either writing or illustration, attaining the "District Award" in 3rd grade for my book "Pretty Bird II." I was quite the little aspiring writer. My #1 goal in life is to publish a book someday, so it is still an option in my mind.

2. Radio Show Voice
At a relatively early age, I learned how to record to tape. I had my very own microphone that I hooked up to the sound system in my bedroom. From there, I recorded radio shows, meetings, songs, skits, and real life commentary. I loved it. I would get my friends and cousin in on it, and we would make radio talk shows with sound effects and music and everything. I also created these tapes for my cousin with special programs and commentary on them, and then I would give them to her to listen to as entertainment. She would always give me one in return, and we had a little radio show exchange going on for awhile.

As a little girl, I was very quiet and shy in school, but at home and around friends and family I was know as the "motor mouth" who wouldn't stop talking. I talked very fast and tended to "show off" (no, you would have never guessed!) and entertain. My family always jokingly said that I should go on talk radio.

Maybe I missed my calling?

3. Veterinarian
My best friend and I LOVED animals. We would find sick or injured animals all of the time in our neighborhood and care for them. We also had quite the animal cemetery going on in my backyard. Sometimes, if the animal didn't "make it," we would conduct a funeral ceremony. Anyway, we loved to learn about animals and had an "Animal Club." We also watched many informational programs on TV about animals and we would take notes about each animal we learned about in a binder that we created.

Since then, my love for animals has died down quite a bit, but I do still really love cats and birds. Other than that, I can't say that I am too attached to the whole "vet" idea.

4. Taste Tester
I have always wanted to be one of those people who they pay to come taste food. I don't know if they do it for research sometimes or just to see what is more well-liked, but if it's getting paid to eat, I'm in!

5. Illustrator
This was another childhood passion of mine. I used to draw all of the time. It went hand-in-hand with writing. All of my stories were illustrated. In fact, my love for drawing and creating became a fun hobby with my cousin in Jr. High when we used to draw comics and people all of the time in more of a "cartoon" style. We had a blast drawing pictures together, but I must say that after that phase my love of drawing slid to an all-time low. That is when the computer age took over my life and all of my hand-drawn tendencies faded away. Instead of drawing, I used Photoshop as a tool.

6. Actress
Another one that seemed to live out in my childhood. I used to be involved with plays but more than that, I was always so involved emotionally as a child. I was always into emotional experience. I can remember running across the alley barefoot or walking through the woods and pretending like I was in some sort of a movie. I was the actress, and the cameras were following me with music in the background. I have always "seen" movie scenes playing out in my head, especially when I can link them to real life, and most certainly when I hear music. Anyway, lately I have revisited the idea that acting is such an interesting concept. How does one take on the role of a character, and remain "real" and believable? It must take tremendous research, skill, and practice.

7. Gymnast
I was one of those kids who dreamed big. I could hardly pull of a cartwheel but I still thought that maybe I was going to the Olympics. I would watched gymnastics on TV and think, "Maybe if I practice REALLY hard." I took a handful of tumbling classes but I never did win a hand stand contest. It was a nice thought, but now that I have grown older, I see clearly that I was never cut out for such a sport. I tend to shy away from sports in general, and especially ones that require any sort of coordination and guts.

8. Meteorologist
Oh man, I loved the weather. I checked the weather section of the newspaper compulsively every day. I always knew the high and the low, and I was so interested in what was happening. Tornadoes and storms scared me to death, but I thought everything else was so fascinating.

9. Advertising
In Jr. High, we went through a "Career Week" and we had to establish the job we were interested in and have a mock interview according to our choice of occupation. I chose the field of advertising, seeing it as the closets pick to what I wanted at the time. It's interesting that I should end up in a job that requires a reasonable amount of expertise in that very field!

10. Christian
No matter what my job is on earth, one job that I will always have is to be a child of God. Regardless of my earthly occupation, the work of the Lord must be done. In all areas of my life, God gets the glory! I can look back over my childhood or even on this very day think: Now wouldn't it be great if I was that. Yet what could be a more important job than to be a child of the King, and to do the work of the Lord? In all reality, that is my only real job while here on earth. Occupation and career can come and go, and seems to be a pattern in the world. Some people may never even have a career or a job in their lifetime, whether due to health, lack of opportunity, or location. That puts it into perspective, and reminds us that whether we go to the office every day, live in a hut, or get married and have a family, our #1 job on earth is to spread the Truth and glorify God in all things.

---

As a kid, I never wanted to be the typical "teacher or nurse." However, in reviewing my list, one theme does seem to stick out-- most of the probable choices fall within the "creative" and "artistic" categories, which makes me think that my current career of graphic design and photography seem to be a good fit!

What did you want to be "when you grew up?"

Love you all!

T

Friday's Favorites

Everyone has favorites.

Some people are very true to their fancies and establish favorites that are a life-long interest. Others may have a favorite ice cream flavor one day, and completely change their mind tomorrow.

I fall in the latter category.

That is why I am establishing "Friday's Favorites" today. Every so often on a Friday, I'll post the 5 favorites in my life that seem to be lingering at the forefront of my mind.

Here goes today.

My Current Favorite...

1. Quote.
I'm splitting this into sub categories because I have two: a) is inspiring and b) is a spontaneous and irrelevant phrase.

a) "Example is not the main thing in influencing others. It is the only thing." -Albert Schweitzer

b) "Winner winner chicken dinner."
(Derived from Las Vegas casinos back in the day. There used to be a $1.74 chicken dinner special, and standard bets were at $2, so if you won you had enough money for a dinner.)

2. Inanimate Object.
Candles. I love all the different flavors. Scent is also a powerful thing. It sets the mood. It is a sensational experience. AND, it helps us to recall memories! See this for an interesting bit of information on how smell & memory are linked.

3. Experimental Picture.
Shown below. I took this in the Fall time when it was still warm & sunny out. My two friends allowed me to snap photos of them one afternoon as an experimental session. When it comes to pictures, I am a "composition" girl. I like how elements in a picture work together to communicate, and then when we add people (human connection, emotion, or action) to a picture, it creates a wonderful package.


4. Hobby.
Playing the piano. I took piano lessons for years, and unlike most children I did not mind it, other than the occasional recital. My piano teacher was one of the nicest people in my life as a young girl. She was great. It was a relaxed environment with her, although one in which I learned. Anyway, I have been playing a lot lately. It's a wonderful relaxer. I like to sight read classics- Bach, Beethoven, Chopin. I also enjoy playing hymns and sheet music. My favorite times are those when I simply improvise. It's a creation process, and definitely one of experimentation. It's not always easy to know which chords sound good together and in what key, but it sure is fun once you get the hang of it.

5. Concept.
Special Relativity. Fascinates me. I recently watched a program on the History channel with my dad called "The Seven Signs of the Apocalypse." It was a fantastic investigation of the prophecy of the Bible and how in today's world, we have scientifically proven that each and every sign could come to pass. Do we need scientific proof in order for God to pull it off? Absolutely not, but it's fascinating to see how easily these events could start unfolding. Scientists are seeing it. Check out this program and it's facts on the History Channel or the website. ("The Seven Signs are clear: We will be struck by deadly plagues, famines and earthquakes... The sky will turn dark and oceans will turn to blood... And the antichrist will emerge to fight the final battle between good and evil." Source: www.historychannel.com)

Onto special relativity... after viewing this program, I talked to my dad about about one of the signs that was discussed regarding a star falling from the sky. Hence the talk about speed of light and stars and space and ultimately, the concept of special relativity. What strikes my fancy the most is the ideas of length contraction and time dilation. Check it out!

Have a favorite day...

Love you all!

T

coffee shop conversation

Some days my mind wanders so.

It goes here and there. It takes me so many places.

I sit down at the writing board and just type. At times, I have misjudged my course of inspiration and nothing results. But if I’m lucky, the keyboard serves as only a very tiny barrier between what is in my mind and what results on screen. Words, thoughts, emotions, dialogue, characters, and a whole other life jumps into action. It all pours out of me like it was just dying to escape. The oddest part is, I have no idea where these thoughts comes from. I don't spend hours of research or days of pondering over what I write in my stories. It just unfolds before my eyes, leaving even me surprised.

The most exciting part of the process, to me, is that I meet new characters. I discover new places, experience foreign situations, and take the emotional journey in any number of ways.

My desire has always been to experience life at its fullest, and for me that means diving into the deep sea of the unknown. Who will I run into today? What can come from this? How can I design that to affect others? What am I communicating?

Often, who I want to be and what I want to experience is so inhibited by myself.

Today I was inside of a coffee shop, and there were 2 people in line in front of me. One was a man, a very animated storyteller with bright eyes and big hand gestures and he was shooting out opinions about politics. The other was a lady, seated on a stool, glamorously dressed and although she hadn’t said much, I could tell she was full of life by her vivacious laughter.

The lady behind the counter was diligently making coffee drinks of choice, tuned into the conversation but working. The man was suddenly talking about how he and his 3 brothers worked at a jail. Up until this point I wasn’t hugely interested but that sparked my attention.

When my attention is sparked by people, I often start to analyze why I am interested and how I want to make an impact or why they have affected me. What question do I have, or do I even want to get involved?

Often, I don’t participate. And sadly, regretfully so. Yet my mind is so quick to formulate why I shouldn’t speak up because of all the worst case scenarios and awkward moments that may result, that by the time I muster up the wits and verbal eloquence to offer myself, the situation has terminated or I am left cowering in the corner.

Other times, it comes down to one thing that I hate to admit: I don't care enough. Sparking a conversation or joining one, especially in line at a coffee shop, requires effort and social rules and why establish all of this when we will be on our way in 3 minutes or less, and I must fight for a way to wrap it all up with a pretty little bow on top?

During the times that I do exercise my naturally extroverted nature with no inhibitions in the way, I am almost always glad that I did, even when it doesn't go as anticipated. All in all, I am genuinely interested in people and if I had my choice, I would meet a new person every day, because every person is interesting. Today happened to be such a case, and I eventually interjected my main question, which was, what does he do at the jail? He told me, he works as a prison guard.

This fascinated me for some reason. This man was highly sarcastic on several occasions and made jokes about his occupation and those he came in contact with, but before I had time to get anymore of a gist, he had to leave and it was time for me to put in my order.

The lady on the stool continued to chat with the worker and cackled loudly every so often. She was the type that would say something and then laugh very loud for an extended period of time. People with such external joy entertain me so. I asked her how business was going; she runs a small shop attached to the coffee store that sells classy & creative gifts and furniture.

I retrieved my coffee (which wasn’t a coffee, but a green tea freeze) that wasn’t even for me, and left.

My coffee shop experience paired with my urge to go exploring in some of my old writing documents today reminded me of one thing: my mysterious passion for certain things.

I used to write all of the time. Stories about all sorts of topics under the sun… topics that to this day, I am not even sure why I did because I have no experience with them. To me, in order to experience something in life that I maybe never will, I write about it.

One of my older short stories was entitled “Jackson Brown” and was about an elderly lady who revisits a memory of her role as a grade school recess aide earlier in her life when she reads an article one morning in the newspaper about a man who went to jail for robbery, and she realizes it was a child who she had tried to connect with as an aide.

Why did I write about that? ...a criminal going to jail? There is actually a notable inspiration source where this story is concerned but for the most part, my writings spur up from anywhere and everywhere, and any topic that seems fascinating at the moment is game. The story wraps up with a nice emotional sentiment illustrating the importance of human connection, touching peoples’ lives, and the impact we have on one another for years to come.

Every so often, our elder or one of our ministers at church will talk about the prison ministries and how people go every Sunday morning for services. Every time, I get this tug on my heart. Is it possible to have a heart for a group of people when you have had no direct experience with any of them?

Anyway, all of these thoughts and happenings today somehow created this post that, hopefully, is some sort of cohesive whole by the time it is finished.

In order to further randomize, let me tack on a piece that I found while document browsing today.

I took a creative writing course at ISU and loved it. It really stretched me creatively and forced me to break some of the rules that I had been abiding by to construct even stronger, more powerful work.

One of the pieces I came across was titled as a hybrid piece, and I just vaguely remember writing it. It was unfinished, and I did not end up using it for the assignment at hand (rather, I used a “stream of consciousness” piece). So I polished it off today and will share it now.

Here it is:

Driving
A green Volkswagen Beetle, working a full-time creative job, and loving life as a single, twenty-something female.

REWIND

Attending
A four-year university, designing posters and editing videos, and hanging out with friends every chance I get.

REWIND

Walking
To a giant school of many lost teenagers every day for class, returning home just in time to catch a few rays or watch a favorite TV show, and chatting online for hours until my eyes are so tired that I turn out the light.

REWIND

Running
Barefoot through the rocky alley on warm summer nights, spinning around in my backyard until I collapse onto the grass in dizzy laughter, and dancing in front of the red sunset to catch thousands of tiny lightning bugs.

REWIND

Sliding
Down flights of carpeted stairs on my padded behind, gripping a leaky plastic cup of juice while eating pretzels and marshmallows, and learning the many firsts of crawling, walking, and talking.

REWIND

Psalm 139:14
I will praise thee, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Marvelous are thy works, and that my soul knoweth right well.

---

It sure compartmentalizes and simplifies life. In so many ways, it’s such a predictable path. And in every way, it is definitely a blessed one. I can’t help but think of the less fortunate who have experienced more turmoil in their first “rewind” than I have in my entire life time.

May we continue to reach out to people every day and show them Jesus!

Love you all!

T

p.s. To anyone who took the personality test from my last post and commented, I replied to you personally at the very end. Thanks for your participation!

your type.

As promised, this post will be devoted to personality types. I am very tempted to plunge into a full-fledged account of 2008, a welcomer of 2009, a recap of special memories and fond moments, or an opener for the new year.

Yet I will stay true to my word and instead dive into a topic that has continued to fascinated me over the years. There are certain things that become tiresome and boring, monotonous and drab after much study and research. However, any exposure to "personality type" information only adds fuel to the fire for me. My family members and friends often shake their head at me.

"How can you read the same thing over and over?" they ask.

I don't know. I just love it.

Here we go.

---

Start out by taking this test.
It is 72 questions long. Answer the questions as honestly as possible.

This will give you your 4-letter personality type based on the Myers-Briggs temperament preferences.

Each person has a type that consists of the 4 temperament pairs. You are either:
Extravert or Introvert
Sensing or Intuitive
Thinking or Feeling
Judging or Perceiving

E/I Descriptions: Where we get our energy.
Extraverts act/speak first before thinking. They focus outwardly, are talkative, outgoing, and enjoy discussing. They are keen on variety and action, and tend to think out loud.

Introverts like to be alone. They prefer to focus inwardly, and may often appear more quiet. They enjoy one-on-one to big group interactions, and would rather reflect within rather than openly discuss.

S/N Descriptions: Information gathering- how we take in information.
Sensors prefer facts and concrete information. They are more interested in what is actual, and pay attention to specifics. They tend to be more practical and realistic, focusing on the present. Such types value commons sense and trust their past experience.

iNtuitives prefer insights and abstract information. They are more interested in what is possible, and focus on the big picture. Often inspired and imaginative, these types focus on the future and value innovation. They tend to be speculative and trust their imagination and hunches.

T/F Descriptions: How we evaluate information and make decisions.
Thinkers are firm-minded, and analyze any problem at hand. They are objective, and convinced by logic. Thinkers tend to be direct, value competence, and decide with their head. They value justice, are good at critiquing, and usually don't take things personally.

Feelers are gentle-hearted and sympathize with your problems. They are subjective, convinced by their values. They tend to be tactful, value relationships, decide with their heart, and value harmony. They can be seen as overemotional, are good at appreciating, and usually take things personally.

J/P Descriptions: What lifestyle we prefer.
Judging types seek closure and value structure. They plan ahead, like order, and have the mindset of "work now, play later." Such types like to complete projects, are goal-oriented, and want thinks settled and decided.

Perceivers seek openness and value the flow. They adapt as they go, and like flexibility. These types often "play now, work later," and like the startup phase of a project. They are process-oriented, a bit more easygoing, and like things open and spontaneous.

---

As you read those descriptions, it gives a breakdown of each preference and opens up insight about your assigned letter as well as shows you the opposing preference.

At this point, I want to point out one very important thing: There is no right or wrong personality type, or no "one ideal" preference or set of preferences. What this typology does is outlines our personality based on how we communicate, make decisions, and process information. It assigns preferences to us according to how we naturally carry out these areas in our lives. Each type has its positive points, and each type has its own pitfalls and area for personal growth.

In figuring out your own type and researching its tendencies, it opens up a whole new world of information that allows you to figure out why you think, act, and do the things that you do. It may solve some mysteries for you and may expose areas that you have wondered about. Furthermore, as you learn about the personality types of your family members and friends, it allows you to see why certain individuals may act, react, talk, or avoid the things that they do. It also brings to light potential problem areas in relationships, so that both involved may be aware of it and adapt to the other type accordingly.

---

This website gives great information on the 16 personality types formed from these 8 preferences. Once you figure out your type, you may visit this site and read about your own personality.

I own several informative books about these types. Leave a comment about what personality type you are and any other interesting information you found out, and let me know if you want me to share any other further notes with you... I would be happy to relay some more info specific to certain personality types!

I may do a follow-up post depending on interest.

---

My closing thoughts will include a selection from my Sanctuary Bible (NLT) retrieved from the Daily Sanctuary Devotional section:

"...our value and self-worth lie in the fact that we were created by God, in his image. Instead of basing our opinion of ourselves and others on the basis of looks (or personality, addition mine), we should base it on the wonder of who we are. We can run and cry and taste ice cream and program computers and write music. We are marvelous because the Creator made us so."

God has created us all uniquely, and perhaps to box us away within 16 personality types is not all-inclusive. It may generalize who we are as people and predict our patterns based off of theory, but who are we, really? Who we are is "precious in His sight," because we were made in his image.

May we flourish in the unique traits He has blessed us with, the many talents He has given unto us, and the copious preferences He has created in us. We have confidence not in ourselves, not in others or their words, but in who God has made us to be.

T, the text-book ENFP

personality information source: What Type Am I? Discovering Who You Really Are- Renee Baron.

Life 101>> an unillustrated guide

In my Christmas stocking, there was a gift that I had been looking forward to receiving. A couple of months back, I was in a store and saw a book titled, "Life 101 >> an illustrated guide." It intrigued me, so I flipped through the pages. The words of advice paired with often ironic pictures made me laugh. Most of what makes this book so humorous is the image portion; however, if you don't take the words at face value with nothing attached, it offers some nice advice.

Below are some of my favorite lines.

#1 Be Yourself.
#2 Don't blow with the wind.
#3 Try to be positive.
#6 Never be too proud to ask for help.
#7 Think outside the box.
#8 Do one thing at a time.
#9 Life isn't always fair.
#10 Sometimes it takes just one good idea.
#11 Always try to make a good impression.
#17 Keep an open mind.
#18 Beauty is all around you.
#19 Seek and ye shall find.
#20 Preparation is the key to success.
#22 Don't be envious.
#27 Don't be afraid to speak up.
#28 Never interrupt when you are being flattered.
#29 Plan ahead.
#30 Don't get carried away.
#31 You can if you think you can.
#32 If at first you don't succeed, try, try, and try again.
#33 Forget insults, remember compliments.
#35 Be a good listener.
#36-69 Respect your elders.
#70 Exercise regularly.
#71 The key to life is balance.
#72 An apple a day keeps the doctor away.
#75 Take an interest in the arts.
#76 Don't lose your head.
#78 Stay in touch with your friends.
#79 Be a team player.
#80 Remember to dance.
#83 Expect the unexpected.
#85 Honesty is the best policy.
#87 It is better to give than to receive.
#88 Do one good deed everyday.
#89 Love thy neighbor.
#91 Take time out for yourself.
#92 Be observant.
#93 Patience is a virtue, possess it if you can.
#95 Be a communicator.
#96 Learn to follow instructions.
#89 Always give it your best shot.
#101 Above all, just be yourself.

---

As a believer, my ultimate "Life 101" book is the Bible. I couldn't help but notice how many biblical themes jumped out at me in this list of advice.

Pick one or maybe several that jumped out at you and share your thoughts.

I'm not one for New Year's resolutions, but one area that I need to work on is #92. The image paired with this quote in the book is the picture of a man holding a tray of drinks, walking and headed straight into the deep end of a pool because he is looking elsewhere. My mind tends to race and race and race, and take me several different directions in the course of a moment. I can be in a conversation with an individual but also across the room, solving a problem, eating a snack, checking off my mental to-do list, and planning for tomorrow's event all at the same time. Another knock against me is my terrible memory. I cannot remember names, dates, or details to save my life.

I met a lady once who had a little notebook with her, and as I introduced myself and told her what I was doing, she wrote it all down. I'm beginning to think that such measures aren't such a bad idea for someone like me. It's not that I don't care or don't have a genuine interest in someone or what they are doing; it's just that I allow my mind to be on overdrive so much of my life that too much information is taken in at once and then none of it is retained. So perhaps my problem is not #92, but rather, #35. If I practice both more often and even record some of my findings, I can be a bit more aware.

It's interesting, because most of my friends are highly detailed-oriented people who, when asked, could recount a night's entire events by person, outfit, decoration, sensation, surrounding, and environment. Such an individual would score a high mark on the preference "Sensing," in the Myers-Briggs personality assessment. It speaks of those who are in tune to sensory experiences, details, and the "here and the now"... what is realistically happening at this moment.

I possess the opposite preference, also known as iNtuition. If you tend toward the intuitive end of the spectrum, you are a bit more imaginative and "head-in-the clouds" with your thinking. You see the forest rather than the trees, and the "big picture" rather than the nitty gritty particulars. Correlations, patterns, and connections come easily, and your "big ideas" may be good but may also leave out important pieces of information such as pitfalls, bottlenecks, and deadlines. If you were asked to sum up an evening, instead of listing off a detailed account, you would tend to remember meanings, moods, and the overall picture.

S0, #92 comes naturally for Sensors. In fact, I was recently talking to my friend who is an "S" and she was telling me that she doesn't even have to try to remember details; she just sees them and they are there as information whenever she needs to access them. I marvelled at this concept. To me, I would have to write down the specifics or at least make an effort to assign some sort of meaning to them in my mind in order to ever remember. As an "N," I have to make more of a conscious effort at this, so it is my goal for 2009.

What about you?

I will be posting about personality types soon, so stay posted. It remains to be a fascinating concept and important part of my dealings with people in my life, and it's been awhile since I've posted about it. Stay tuned!

T

Vintage Memories

Today in church, the minister pointed out, "Today is the first day of winter, believe it or not. The good news is, the days get longer from here on out."

Sounds like music to my ears, for two reasons. One, it means we are halfway through the brutal weather, and two, the days will continue to get lighter longer rather than darker sooner, and as a victim of SAD my mood meter will point towards "chipper" more often. There is something about the dark night that puts my spirits under-- when the skies are cloudy all day long and to top it off, it starts to really dim around 4pm, it's hard not to become a bit down. I live for bright, sunshiny days. But then I am also of the belief that we must experience the dark and the dim to truly appreciate the bright sunny bliss (and I am speaking literally and figuratively), so it all works for me.

Tonight was the "Kaiser Christmas." Man, our family is big and growing. Over the past 5 years, we have increased drastically in number due to bringing more spouses and children into the mix. It's a wonderful thing to see how blessed a family becomes in this way over time. I looked over at the "kid's section" tonight while biting into my pizza and noted that it wasn't too long ago that I was sitting over in that area with my first cousins, although there were only about 8 of us and now there is around 15-20 of them.

How time flies, and there is no way to stop it. While at my Grandma's tonight, Kelly and I dug out some old photo albums and began flipping through them. This became a popular activity all at once, and we had huddles of aunts and cousins thumbing through the pages and reminiscing about old times, looking at the aged photographs, and comparing the looks of parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents to the current generation. I love looking at pictures, and I especially love it when it becomes such a nostalgic activity for those involved. It's so neat to see how times have changed and fun to hear about old memories.

I read a verse in Ecclesiastes 7 the other night that stumped me a bit at the time. I happened upon this verse very shortly after looking back on the "old days" and smiling at how wonderful they seemed to be. Letters in the mail, horse & buggies, bonnets and baskets. Then I read Ecclesiastes 7:10 which says, "Do not say, "Why were the old days better than these? For it is not wise to ask such questions." I was guilty of that very thing. I often look back on the "old days" with too high a smile, and I credit those times with an idealistic perspective of wonder.

After looking into the verse a bit and studying the context around it, I have a new-found understanding of the application. The chapter talks about wisdom. I could write several posts centered around this chapter, but tonight we will just look at verse 10 and the surrounding verses.

I found a commentary explanation that seems to sum up the meaning of v.7-10 nicely:

"The event of our trials and difficulties is often better than at first we thought. Surely it is better to be patient in spirit, than to be proud and hasty. Be not soon angry, nor quick in resenting an affront. Be not long angry; though anger may come into the bosom of a wise man, it passes through it as a way-faring man; it dwells only in the bosom of fools. It is folly to cry out upon the badness of our times, when we have more reason to cry out for the badness of our own hearts; and even in these times we enjoy many mercies. It is folly to cry up the goodness of former times; as if former ages had not the like things to complain of that we have: this arises from discontent, and aptness to quarrel with God himself."

I put the ending sentences in bold as I would like to pay special attention to those thoughts. Those words popped out to me. Today, we might say the times are not the greatest. Daily, we see evidence of continual corruption in our society, as well as an economic downfall that sheds a very dim light at the end of the tunnel. However, Ecclesiastes 7 points out that it is folly to "cry out upon the badness of our times, when we have more reason to cry out for the badness of our own hearts." Convicting? It made me think. Yes, times my be tough, but then, they aren't terrible. And even if we were huddling together in a box on the street without job or food, at that point, what still counts is our hearts. Our current conditions and the state of the "times" is less important than what is going on in our hearts. If all crumbles away around us, yet our mortal bodies survive, what is left? A human with a heart, mind and soul. And where is our heart? Where is it when we are prosperous?

This brings us to the next thought, "It is folly to cry up the goodness of former times; as if former ages had not the like things to complain of that we have: this arises from discontent..." What Ecclesiastes 7:10 is trying to say is that when we look back on the "good old days" with too high a prescription of rose-colored shades, it's a symptom of a discontent heart. Why? The truth is that the former days had its fill of tough times, as well, and should not be viewed as the "ideal" when we have been dealt the present. Furthermore, looking at the previous verses discussed, ultimately, it's not entirely about "the times" but about the condition of our heart during these times. It is not wise to dwell on what we did have or what we could have, but to live for what we do have, and in that, serve Christ fully with our heart focused on Him.

With all of that being said, I do not think it is so wrong to thumb through old photo albums or talk about timeless memories with grandparents and friends. This is a part of sharing and connecting, and I don't believe Ecclesiastes 7:10 is trying to shy us away from such fellowship. It's talking about the ideas discussed above, and how we should have a wise perspective about our lives in order to effectively serve the Lord.

Enjoy the ice land pictures-- water is such a fascinating concept. It's a vapor when heated, capable of absolutely beautiful formation when frozen, and in liquid form it is what keeps our hearts beating.





Love you all!

T

Christmas TrEAT

I can tell it's nearing Christmas.

Myriad varieties of food are showing up around this house hold. Party mix, puppy chow, chicken chowder soup, fudge, cheese cake, and the list goes on. I count this as one of many blessing in my life currently. Those of you who don't know me so well may not realize my adoration for food. I really enjoy the art of eating, and tend to do so frequently rather than infrequently. I'm one of those types that eats about every 2-3 hours on average during the day, or at least ideally so. When I get busy and concentrate hard, sometimes I forget or just don't make time. Yet it is among my favored activities, and I almost always look at the dessert menu when I'm eating out (just to see.)

Don't get me wrong- I highly honor healthy eating and feel it is so important to treat the body as a vessel to be respected. My take on diets is that I don't believe in them. Let me revise that statement... in some cases, a diet program is necessary to lose the needed weight for some individuals, especially for health reasons. However, in general, I don't go for the "I'm going on a diet to lose 5 lbs" concept. I hold strong to the truth that if we eat what will do our bodies good, such as fruits and vegetables, and pair that with appropriate entrees as well as regular exercise, then we can be healthy. It's about sustaining a healthy lifestyle, not temporary starvation or a cutting off of all carbs or an over-strenuous work-out schedule. The goal is to live within the lifestyle that will keep you healthy, and stay there. Otherwise, after a 3-month diet program, once you finish it, what keeps you from falling back into your old ways? If it's not about changing your lifestyle, then it won't be nearly as effective in the long run.

This may be a poor illustration but let me make a spiritual analogy. If we have someone lost in sin and he decides to go on a "diet" from these activities to become "better" for a few months, but then goes off of this "diet," he may be feeling better, looking better, and acting better, but what if he starts introducing some of those "old habits" back into his life? He may be good for a time, but what keeps him from "gaining back the weight?" However, if he instead makes an entire lifestyle change and allows that to shape who he is and become healthy, then it's a commitment. It is a long-lasting covenant to honor his life with good things.

Let me make one thing clear, though: As I stated before, I always check out the dessert menu. Living a healthy lifestyle does not mean restricting everything that tastes good. It just means having a balanced perspective about what you eat and when, and the phrase "everything in moderation" is a great one to keep in mind.

All in all, food was made available to us on this Earth and must be consumed to survive, so it must be important. I truly believe it is something to be enjoyed, and when it is used and not abused, it can be a wonderful thing!

It's interesting how I will come to write a post and end up in these tangents if only because of my opening thought. Anyway, since tonight's writing session has stolen the topic of food, let me ask you a question:

What is your favorite Christmas-time treat?

It can be anything from hot chocolate, candy canes, egg nog, and fudge to chili or chocolate-covered pretzels. You tell me what you crave most around the holidays.

Love you all!

T

touched

It has been quite the weekend.

I headed up to Chicago with Holly on Friday morning. We decided to take my car because her new car was not available to her yet, and taking a rental up to the windy city didn't seem like the best idea. After fixing a "low coolant" situation, we headed north.

It was bitter cold. That type of freeze that grips your entire self and makes it almost impossible to breathe. All that you want to do is scream. Anyway, we toughed out the wind tunnel, into and out of a few different stores, after grabbing a late-afternoon lunch at a newly discovered corner Italian cafe.

I love Chicago in the winter. It dawned on me, while there, that I have rarely attended Chicago in the summer time. I always go up in the winter, when lights are twinkling on every corner, people are scurrying to and fro, and the snow is falling softly from the sky, adding a sparkling touch to the city's already-charming nature. It's so festive and fun, lively and musical. Every block introduces a new song, whether pounded out on a bucket with sticks or emitted as a melodic Christmas tune from a department store's speakers.

Holly's brother and sister-in-law live just blocks away from N. Michigan Ave., easily accessible by way of the El. (The title heading above the conveniently placed maps that try to somehow explain this very intricate transportation system call it the "Loop," but I learned this weekend that it is called the "El" because it is "elevated," contrasting the subway system.)

Anyway, their apartment is above a restaurant, more famously known as the location where "Return to Me," was filmed. We met up with her family and enjoyed some Nonna's pizza on the top. Then, we made the 4-block walk in the dark but festive cold to Moody Bible Church. It is such a beautiful church.

Among entry, we saw dozens of familiar faces from my church, including my parents. Our seats were on the side balcony, and we packed in to view the annual Christmas Program that takes place every year. This year's theme was "Jesus- A Savior to All." It may sound generic until you think about it. The program executed this concept by way of display of many different countries and cultures, and illustrated it musically accordingly. We heard a wonderful orchestra, mens' and womens' choirs, bells, the entire chorale, and saw touching drama. Moving picture visuals and narration was also incorporated.

It was during this performance that I realized a truth that I have known for quite some time, but it seemed to affect me differently. Music paired with visuals moves me. Really moves me. So much so that it is not past me to get choked up during a television commercial. There is something so powerful about what we hear that plays on what we see, and we you can easily make an emotional connection with the two (and you happen to be a highly "feeling" individual such as myself), you are moved. It makes logical sense. In some ways, it goes back to my "personality type" fetish- those of a more, "objective, thinking nature," may not be so affected, because their ties to reality grounds them enough not to be come emotional over a simple performance. Such an individual may instead consider the historical data that was relayed in this particular production, or marvel at the details and structure of execution. Yet whenever I see music put with picture, tears come to my eyes. Inspiration fills my heart, and at that very moment I want to go running fast to the "creating board" to construct my own message to the world.

Needless to say, it was an awe-inspiring performance that told the story of Jesus in a fantastic way.

Saturday morning welcomed us with a soft blanket of snow, and somehow, a warmer day. It came and went, and after a quick trip to Macy's, the group plus another couple ate lunch at Weber Grill. Holly and I split a burger, and then we were on our way back to Central Illinois.

I spent my Saturday evening in Bloomington outside of a Walmart, right behind a red Salvation Army bucket with a bell and a group of singers. The ISU Young Group huddled together from 6-8 pm and sang many, many carols. I brought some coffee with me, and started out in the front. It was very cold, but it was a nice view. It was touching to see how many gave. The little mittened hands of a child all the way up to the limping elderly dug in their pockets for change or inserted a crisp $5 bill. The feedback for our singing was wonderful. At one point I ended up in the very back so that those in front could be a "wall" of warmth. The only problem was that my view was blocked, so I had a tall friend nudge me whenever someone contributed. It was neat to see so many giving hearts.

I don't often watch television, as I see it as a waste of good time. However, a few weeks ago I had the News on as I worked, and the Salvation Army commercial came on. I love how it was put together, and all night I thought about it. This would be an example of a commercial that brings tears to my eyes.

The evening was topped off by a warm fire, lots of cookies and baked goods, and a viewing of Miracle on 34th Street in black & white. I have something to say about b/w films. I have never been a fan. I have always felt as though I am missing out when I don't see something in color. To the contrary, I feel as though at times, a black & white photograph is more effective than in color. Yet last night, after viewing the entire film in b/w, I had a change in heart. The altogether vintage nature of this movie, paired with its wholesome themes and Christmas-time message showed me a new way to enjoy the moving picture. It was a wonderful time.

I awoke this morning feeling a bit feverish. Also, my throat was very sore. It was as if I could not swallow. The thermometer confirmed a low-grade temperature, and my swollen glands and raw throat to boot kept me home from church today. It was funny, because I was not the least bit tired, and I should have been. With mind over matter, I went back to sleep for a couple of hours and then awoke feeling quite fantastic, as the 3 Advil had set in. Yet at the same time, I felt as though I was missing out. I don't like "missing" out, and I kept thinking about everyone at church.

Tonight is my favorite Christmas event that our church does, which is Christmas caroling. We go around and sing at several locations, and then enjoy a wonderful chili dinner afterwards.

Tomorrow marks the start of another predictablly busy week with Imagine Artists. Christmas Card Rush is still at high speed, but I think that after these next 5 days, we may be past the best of it. I am going to go chug some Gatorade now, and possibly take a little rest. Being under the weather can hardly keep me away from "work," and I have put in a few hours this afternoon, so I best be off to rest.

Love you all!

T

A Point (ment)s

Today I had two appointments.

Appointment #1 was a perm. Some of you may gasp, I know. It's not naturally curly. Never has been. I have pictures of myself when I was 5 years old, sitting at the barber chair with rollers in my hair getting my first perm. Since then, my hair has not lived without curls. Oh, I can straighten it if I want. But it's not that shiny, glossy "straight" that others can achieve. It's okay. I have come to accept the fact that my hair is curly and forever more will be curly.

Anyway, that was a nice chance to relax for a little bit.

Appointment #2 was a dentist appointment. I do not like going to the dentist one little bit. In fact, it is likely my least favorite doctor that I visit. First of all, the dental hygienists always try to make small talk while they are operating on your mouth, which is nice and all, but it is very difficult to answer any of their questions. I have yet to meet a dental hygienist who is either a) quiet, or b) talks the whole time, deleting any questions that need to be asked. Either way would suit well in such a situation.

Furthermore, it is extremely uncomfortable to keep your mouth open for such a long period of time while they use those drills to inject flavored paste into your mouth in order to polish your teeth. It's a nice deed they are doing, but it is just plain rowdy. I feel as though my mouth has run a marathon by the time it is all over. Before any of this happens, they ask my favorite question: "What flavor of paste would you like today?" And before I have a chance to answer, they list off about 5,000 flavors. I have always wondered why anyone would want the dentist cleaning their mouth with choices such as cookie dough, bubble gum, or passion fruit. I always opt for mint, as I feel it's the safest option and the only way my mouth will walk away feeling clean.

Anyway, those are just my thoughts on that particular activity. Now before you get me all wrong and think that I absolutely despise all dentists, let me light up the truth: that's false. Dentists do a wonderful and important thing, and in fact, I think my dentist is great. It's just the activities that I endure along the way that I don't enjoy so much. But God bless the dentists for all their hard work, and the dental hygienists for being such skilled "people" people.

Today was also one of those days where my phone would not stop ringing. Do you ever have those days? It's as if everyone decided today would be a great day to call. Not so. I was in public a greater portion of it, and by my second appointment I was finally smart enough to turn my phone on vibrate. I counted, and today was a total of 33 incoming/outgoing calls. Yikes. It's safe to say that 75% of those were business calls, but still. It was a social day for me. Now watch. Tomorrow no one will call, and actually, that would be really nice.

It was also very productive today, especially in the latter parts. From 8 o'clock until I began writing this post, I edited a slew of pictures. And maybe I talked to a few friends online, but really, other than the occasional chat session, I stayed on task. My friends joke that I will be the "old cat lady" some day, and I grab that title gladly, but that just to say that my cat hung out with me tonight. Her name is Belle, and she's a calico. She's great. She'd rather be in here than out in the cold, so it's a pretty good deal for her.

Well, I am hungry and it's WAY past my bedtime. I will be getting up in less than 8 hours to walk with my walking buddy, Heather. I best be off!

Love you all!

T

This Time

As I awoke this morning, a shocking realization hit me: when you work for yourself at home, there are no snow days.

Oh, well. At least it gives me something pretty to look at. And I might also note that it makes for very fun pictures. Check the Imagine Artists blog in the next few days for some fun family snow pictures.

I am making time now to write. Sometimes I don't give myself the "time" allotted to write. Whenever I get super busy, it's really hard for me to spend large amounts of creative energy on anything other than what needs to get done. This is actually how I view naps. Let me be the rare person who says: I despise naps. I truly do. First of all, I can never bring myself to take one. There is always too much to do in a day. In the event that I am actually bored or out of ideas, napping is usually not on the list. Naps always make me feel worse when I take them. I wake up disoriented, moody, and sick. Then that night, I can't sleep. So what's the point? There are nights when I get very little sleep and a nap sounds oh so nice, and if my tank really is on extreme low, I can't say I'm against a "catch-up" nap just to survive the rest of the day. But trust me that it is not a common occurrence in my world. Sleeping is for night time; the day is for productivity. I love sunlight and daytime, it makes me feel alive. So why would I waste it sleeping? Anyway, all of this to say, I have real difficulty letting myself relax or wind down with creative activities when I am busy, but nonetheless, I need to allow time for such ventures.

You may wonder why I am so busy. Imagine Artists is in the thick of the "Christmas Card Season," and it's no understatement to say we are fully immersed. I count our preoccupation as a blessing; we could not ask for more business. The snow outside adds a nice touch.

Speaking of blessings... we have many of them. Sometimes I wish I had less material possession because I feel like it would simplify my life. The less you have the option of "having," the closer you are to true joy. Stuff clutters your physical life and your spiritual walk... the more you have, the easier it is to trip over it. As the Christmas season approaches, people often ask me, "What do you want?" Honestly? ...really, nothing. Sure, there is stuff that I "want." Who doesn't want this or that, an ipod touch, an iphone, 6 boxes of chocolate, and that really cool CD. But all that stuff does is take up my time, and does it really make me happy? Or does it make me want more?

I have been thinking a lot about time lately, and how I use it. There are daily necessities that must be met, and often, lifelong necessities that follow suit. And those take time. But when we look beyond what we must do to live as humans, we find a whole bunch of time in space that is a gift of ours. The Lord has entrusted us with this time to do as we please. So are we pleasing Him with it? Does the glory go to Him in all that we do? It's a real challenge. If you ask yourself that question daily, it changes your perspective and your attitude.

With all of that being said, I am going to continue to honor time and close up... I have to make "time" for my bedtime snack. :)

Love you all! T