It is Well with my Soul

This is a beautiful song with challenging lyrics. To trust God so much that no matter what the circumstance your soul is well, is hard to do. To have peace in every situation seems impossible. It is not impossible if you have God with you. Every day I need to continually give my life, purpose and future to God. I want to take control of my life and I know it is no mine to control. We want to be our number one and put everything else second. Truth is, God has to be first or we go way off track. No one can successfully live their lives independently. We need God, family, friends, and relationships to keep us from going astray. God does not need us. We are so undeserving of Him. But yet, He chose to save us and because He saved us we need to trust Him. I need Him to guide me, because without him my future plans and life is pointless. For all to be well with my soul, God needs to be in control. This is my challenge for all of you. If you need to, tell Him every day that you are His. Keep Him in your number one position. Let Him guide you and you will find complete all-consuming peace.

The Nighttime Hoot

The birds of the day have gone away.
The nighttime hoots now echo.
The sunny sky is now behind,
but the moon is shining brightly.
Listen to those crickets chirp
in a sweet melodious chorus.
A gentle breeze seeps through the trees
to reveal a haunting creature.
He is strong and sure with his head held high
looking for his prey.
I love to watch those nighttime hoots
when the moon is out to stay.

The leaves rustle beneath the tree
and mice run away to hide,
but the nighttime hoot is on his way
to grab what food he can find.
When the nighttime hoot is satisfied
he stands back on his perch
to silently watch the night go by
and guard the restless creatures.
When the sun comes out he goes to bed
and patiently awaits for dark.
I love to watch those nighttime hoots
when the moon is out to stay.

The Stranger

Have you ever studied a complete stranger and made up their life? Well, that is what this entry is all about.

My stranger is a working, single father. He has two children, an eight year old boy and a twelve year old girl. He is a hard-working electrician. They live in a small one story house in Waynesboro. After work he was at the grocery store buying just the essentials except for a candy bar for each of his kids. His wife left them three years ago. Meet Jim. A simple name for a simple man. He does everything for his kids. Jim barely spends any time for himself, except for the occasional fishing trip. His son is Tyler and his daughter is Ally. Jim is not perfect, but he does his best to raise and support for his children. Today he needs to pick up Ally from her soccer practice and Tyler from grandma's house. Meanwhile, he is grocery shopping, doing house chores, mowing the yard, and putting in extra hours at work. Later tonight he will tuck his two precious angels into bed, give them each a kiss on the forehead, and say goodnight. Jim barely gets any sleep because of the constant worry and fears that roll around in his head all night long.

Fear

Me and my family were on vacation a to Niagara Falls a few years ago. We were about to travel across a huge whirlpool! I saw my life flash before eyes. I was in a cart load of about twenty people packed tightly together. The cart was being help above the rapid, churning water by one thin chord. It bent slowly as the cart slowly made its way off the platform. The deep, drowning water was deafening beneath me. The chord dipped down even further as we got closer to the center. If it were to snap, I would be taken down into the depths of the swirling abyss. The chord was dipping so low to the point of snapping and we were not even to the point of making the trip back. On the way back to the platform my eyes were glued shut. I was frozen in place. Fear overcame every inch of my being. I will never embark on such a dangerous journey again!

My Favorite Things

    Some of my favorite things are baking, reading, and sewing. I enjoy baking because I get to create something so good from ingredients that, by themselves, no one would ever consider eating. Decorating cakes is my passion when baking. It takes patience, but it gets rid of my stress. I have often thought about going to a baking and pastry design school, but I am waiting to hear God's plan for me.
    Reading is also one of my favorite hobbies. When I read I feel like I am in my own personal bubble. It is like I am seperate from the rest of the world. I can put myself into someone elses life for a few hours. I usually read when I have had a bad day. Reading takes my mind off of reality for a little while.
    Sewing is sometimes tedious, but big projects are fun. I have material for a quilt that I am going to start. I have a dress that I am going to remake and I have a shirt that I am going to turn into a throw pillow. I recently got a sewing machine that I always get excited to use. I hope that I can sew more this year, but it is hard to find time during the school year.
    "...When the dog bites, when the bee stings, when I'm feeling sad, I simply remember my favorite things and then I don't feel so bad..."

The Crisp of Autumn

A soft, fresh breeze sends chills up my back. When I walk through the crunchy grass I step on the hard acorns that a squirrel left behind. The sky lights up the fluffy, crystal clouds. The ground begins to harden as the air cools. The trees show off their bright red, orange, and yellow leaves. When they drop their leaves, they leave a soft pathway for the squirrels to scamper through. It smells like newly dug up dirt and crisp leaves. Autumn is my favorite season. I see God's beauty in Autumn more than any other season. I see it as the breeze gently blows the leaves. They dance around in the fields and wisp up to greet me as walk with them. In Autumn I am never alone. The gentle breeze, the crisp leaves, and the curious squirrels are always with me.

Opening Sentences

"A story has no beginning or end; arbitrarily one chooses that moment of experience from which to look back or from which to look ahead."  - The End of the Affair by Graham Greene
The most important part of a book is its opening sentence. It must draw the reader in It can be mysterious or humorous. For example, "She took a walk in the park," is not a good opening sentence. The reader must be enthralled so that they continue reading. I have selected some good opening sentences as examples.


1) "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair."
      - A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens


2) "I am an invisible man."
      - Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison


3) "It was a pleasure to burn."
      - Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury


4) "He woke, and remembered dying."
     - The Stone Canal by Ken MacLeod


5) "It was the day my grandmother exploded."
      - The Crow Road by Iain Banks


6) "It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possesion of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife."
       - Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

This is an example of how not to write an opening sentence!
     "Once upon a time two or three weeks ago, a rather stubborn and determined middle-aged man decided to record for posterity, exactly as it happened, word by word and step by step, the story of another man for indeed what is great in man is that he is a bridge and not a goal, a somewhat paranoiac fellow unmarried, unattached, and quite irresponsible, who had decided to lock himself in a room a furnished room with a private bath, cooking facilities, a bed, a table, and at least one chair, in New York City, for a year 365 days to be precise, to write the story of another person—a shy young man about of 19 years old—who, after the war the Second World War, had come to America the land of opportunities from France under the sponsorship of his uncle—a journalist, fluent in five languages—who himself had come to America from Europe Poland it seems, though this was not clearly established sometime during the war after a series of rather gruesome adventures, and who, at the end of the war, wrote to the father his cousin by marriage of the young man whom he considered as a nephew, curious to know if he the father and his family had survived the German occupation, and indeed was deeply saddened to learn, in a letter from the young man—a long and touching letter written in English, not by the young man, however, who did not know a word of English, but by a good friend of his who had studied English in school—that his parents both his father and mother and his two sisters one older and the other younger than he had been deported they were Jewish to a German concentration camp Auschwitz probably and never returned, no doubt having been exterminated deliberately X * X * X * X, and that, therefore, the young man who was now an orphan, a displaced person, who, during the war, had managed to escape deportation by working very hard on a farm in Southern France, would be happy and grateful to be given the opportunity to come to America that great country he had heard so much about and yet knew so little about to start a new life, possibly go to school, learn a trade, and become a good, loyal citizen."       
        - Double or Nothing by Raymond Federman


 

My Secret Cove

     I like to think of it as my secret,little nook. We all have a place that comforts us and feels like home to us. Well my "place" is in a small section of a trail that runs along a stream in Cowen's Gap. When i walk back the trail I can not wait to reach this spot. The sunlight glistens through the towering trees. The soft mud cushions my steps. When I walk through the stream, the rocks enjoy making me slip, as i step on their algae covered surfaces. The chilled water soothes my blistering feet. The air is sticky and the bugs lurk nearby, but it is impossible to notice the discomforts, when the beautiful and calming scene of nature is before you. The weeds appear to be magnificent flowers and shrubbery. There is a log that stretches across the width of the stream. It is high enough to sit on and dip your toes into the bubbling water. Where the water is low, a tiny island appears. When I an on that island I feel true peace. Everything is beautiful. My hidden cove is my home away from home. It has seen my laughter and tears, my joys and sorrows. I hope to always be a part of that secret, little nook in this big, bustling world.

I Wish I had a Million.....

I wish I had a million bottles of nail polish. I thought about having a million years,  million friends, or a million houses. However, everything I could come up with would be too complicated or take too much work. So then I thought nail polish is great. You can never have too much and it is easy to store. It is one of those things that won't change your life dramatically and it does not cause problems. The most complicated thing about nail polish is deciding what color to wear. Personally, I would have mostly reds and dark browns, but be sure to throw in some purple. I can not forget to include some with thin tip brushes to make designs. Having a million bottles of nail polish would be fabulous. Now where could i store them.....

Our God

BRIDGE
And if Our God is for us, then who could ever stop us
And if our God is with us, then what can stand against?
And if Our God is for us, then who could ever stop us
And if our God is with us, then what can stand against?
What can stand against?

And if Our God is for us, then who could ever stop us
And if our God is with us, then what can stand against?
And if Our God is for us, then who can ever stop us
And if our God is with us, then what can stand against?
Then what can stand against?
Then what can stand against?

These lyrics are to the bridge of on of my favorite songs, Our God by Chris Tomlin. The words our so powerful. Every time I hear this song, I get chills. I just want to shout to Satan, "Ha, my God can never be stopped, therefore neither can I. You have lost this war." Nothing, absolutely nothing can ever stand against the Christian body. How incredible is that? I can not even come up with a powerful enough word to describe these lyrics. No one will stop me as long as I am with God. He is indestructible. What would one be even thinking trying to go up against someone who has been here for ever and will continue to be here for eternity. These words are my daily encouragement. I cannot be stopped, because I am with God.

Fussing over Frizz or Watching in Awe

Tap, tap, tap.....The sound of rain has been non-stop recently. We really needed it, but now there is flooding. The girls complain because of their hair. The guys complain because they can not play soccer. However, there are those few who see the beauty in a storm. A storm comes in layers. The rain, by itself, is peaceful and relaxing. Now add a layer. Thunder brings an introduction to the final layer. Lightning. It is bright and majestic. It brings a bit of danger with a sense of mystery. Add them all together and you get one beautiful storm. You use all of your senses in a storm. You feel the dampness of the rain. Watch the flash of lightning. Listen to the rolls of thunder. Let the rain droplets fall in your mouth as you tilt your head up to the sky. It is dangerous, yet comforting. Mysterious, yet known. Bright and dark.

What's Your Fortune?

Just tiny white strips of paper is all it really is. I keep them in a small heart shaped box along with a few coins to keep them from flying everywhere when the box is opened. Some have simple quotes, others have little messages, and some tell you what is next for your life. I enjoy getting them out and reading them every once in a while. Some of them make absolutely no sense. However, most of them bring an encouraging insight to your day. If you have not figured it out, I collect fortune cookie papers. My favorite one says,"The road to knowledge begins with a turn of the page." The strangest one I have says, " A clever crow will always paint its feather black." I don't have a big collection yet , but soon I am going to have to get a bigger box! I will eventually arrange all of the papers in the shape of a fortune cookie and put them on a piece painted plywood. This way i can make my collection a decoration instead of having them sit around in a box. It's funny how something so small and  simple can brighten your day so much.