“Jihadi Chic”

Cultural Context: The term used by conservative columnist, Michelle Malkin on her blog to describe a scarf worn by Rachael Ray in a recent Dunkin’ Donuts ad.  The scarf supposedly resembled a “keffiyeh” worn by Arabs which is sometimes considered a symbol of radical terrorist activity.  The ad was pulled by Dunkin’ Donuts after receiving criticism from Malkin and others.

Hmmm…

This example of “hate couture,” as Malkin calls it, is new to me. And if you believe some of the coverage of the issue, this form of so-called subversive support of radical muslim terrorism is apparently pretty widespread.  Who knew? Continue reading »

Gift Tag: Joyous Interruption

“Hey, Mommy!”
“Where’s my pen?”
“Let’s play, Mommy!” 

I was in the middle of a now illegible sentence in my journal.  It was just one of the daily, hourly, joyous interruptions that has come to characterize my life.  What a pleasure to be able to respond “ok” to that sweet little voice.  And, what a reward to hear a sweet little “thank you, Mommy” in return.  

Gentle reminder to self: no other gift compares!

“Behold, children are a gift of the Lord…” (psalm 127:1) 

Gift Tags are the tiny messages God continues to include with our gifts — 2 little boys and the anticipation of 1 little girl, each with open eyes, open ears, open hearts, and much to teach.

Nelson Mandela

“Our worst fear is not that we are inadequate.  Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.  It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us.  We ask ourselves, ‘who am I to be brilliant gorgeous, talented and fabulous?’ Actually, who are you not to be?  You are a child of God.  Your playing small doesn’t save the world.”

may, august, november, may

though the air is chilly
and the wind is picking up,
as it blows, I hold on.

I am rustled and tossed,
beaten.
and still I hold on for my life;
for fear of blowing
away.

this was once so comforting.
my place of belonging,
of safety, growth.
but now
the hours of light are fewer
and the blowing
tears me.

it is here.
the coldness.

but, I will clothe myself in warmth.

I will be golden.
I will be rich and deep.
I will choose red and orange.
I will set the limbs
on fire.
I will ride the wind.
it rips my younger dreams
but I will use it.
I will fly.

I will gather up all that is in me,
and I will let go.
I will use every last strength,
every resolve.
I will let go.

the release.

and I soar
scattering my gold.
my brilliant fire
scorching the sky.
I am free.

and though I fall down for some dying,
I am driven by that moment
whey I fly.

and yet
I am the tree.
now laid bare and naked.
by the release
exposed
hybernating.

and then comes the spring.

Thinking About Oxen

“Where no oxen are, the manger is clean.  But, much increase comes by the strength of the ox.” (Proverbs 14:4)

I love the book of Proverbs in the Bible.  It’s the drive-by shooting approach to wisdom.  Each little kernel of truth is maybe one or two sentences arranged in one or two verses without much context or explanation.  Maybe it’s the time of day, but sometimes I’m left thinking, “Hold on.  I know this is profound, probably even life-changing or relationship changing or more, but I’m gonna need a minute.”  

This particular proverb stood out to me today as a jewel of wisdom to help me keep my eyes on the main thing.

I’m one of those that derives a certain amount of comfort and security from being in an orderly, relatively clean space – at least as orderly and clean as you can get with a somewhat pack-rat mommy, husband, dog, cat, two toddlers, one on the way, and all the “stuff” that comes with each.  Nevertheless, we do try.  And while our ordering system may not be readily apparent to the naked eye, it IS ours and we like it.  I have found that when my surroundings are in chaos, so is my brain.  An uncluttered home frees up an uncluttered mind and spirit.

Which brings me to my predicament…
Saturday was partially spent cleaning and getting our home to a nice state of relative calm.  Then, not even 12 hours later, I’m faced with a sink full of syrupy dishes, carpet littered with cupcake/french fry bits and floors dotted with mud.  Plus, various nap time pauses and my own 6-months-pregnant lack of energy have left my nesting projects in the boys’ rooms in a more chaotic state than when I started.  My first instinct:  run screaming from the house.

Then, I see Proverbs 14:4 — cleverly posted above the stove.
“Where no oxen are, the manger is clean.  But, much increase comes by the strength of the ox.”

Now, I’m no oxen expert, but I’m guessing that they can produce quite a mess.  And, the only way to avoid it is not to have them in my manger.  Yes, that might help the barn stay spotless, but look at the “increase” I’m missing.  It’s obvious.  The strengths of the oxen FAR outweigh their mess.

When it comes right down to it:  No amount of sticky fingerprints or clothes-strewn rooms or muddy floors could ever diminish the great joy I receive from the family God has given me.  Those giggles and squeals, drum beats and bouncing balls are a priceless increase.  So, we live with a few crumbs, and our coffee table has honey mustard stains.  At least we’re all in the same room; everyone is healthy and growing and (at the moment) smiling; and I can grab them and kiss them any time I want.  I am a wiser woman when I keep my focus on the blessing and my thoughts away from trivial complaints.

Lesson learned — again today.

THREEBIES #1

I had an idea for a series of posts challenging myself (and maybe other readers/writers) creatively.  I’ve termed it “Threebies,” and I think it may be fun.  I’ll use this list as possible idea or post-starters to encourage myself to think beyond typical terminology.

Our grammar arsenal contains a little structure called an imperative.  It’s a sentence in the form of a command in which there is normally no subject listed, only an implied “you.” I like the possibilities of this structure because it kind of boils the statement down to its essentials.  I’ve placed my own arbitrary standards on the imperative idea to create “threebies.”

A threebie is a 3-word sentence that consists of:
VERB “the” NOUN

Some sentences on my threebies list are common phrases or cliches.  Some are simply common actions. The challenge is to explore the concept of each sentence literally, philosophically, introspectively, etc.  Take the statement beyond it’s most easily accessible use and write about it.  Interesting – maybe.  So, if threebies provide some inspiration for you, send me links to your posts!

Here’s my first set of 20.  Stay tuned. 

Stop the presses.
Hold the horses.
Toot the horn.
Set the hook.
Rip the seam.
Shed the skin.
Bet the ranch.
Paint the town.
Beat the odds.
Shuffle the cards.
Scratch the surface.
Perish the thought.
Turn the tables.
Raise the stakes.
Split the infinitive.
Break the engagement.
Ditch the date.
Up the ante.
Change the channel.
Jerk the chain. 

You’ll Cut Your Eyes!

My grandparents lived on a farm outside Macon, Mississippi that was just a few acres of pasture with a small herd of cattle my Dad nurtured.  As a child, I spent most weekends there enjoying the special attention of my grandfather and indulging in the few tomboy traits I possess.

Saturday adventures with Grandaddy would sometimes include a trek through the pasture behind the house or behind the beagle pens.  As I walked or ran or jumped along, carefree and fascinated by thistle bushes, I would inevitably hear “You’ll cut your foot!”

Now, I’ll leave to your imagination a picture of the pitfalls (or piles) to which my grandfather was referring – the ones littering the grass of a cow pasture.  Needless to say, I was oblivious to the stinky mess that awaited my Buster Browns.  “You’ll cut your foot” was Grandaddy’s code phrase of sorts, a warning the entire family had learned to interpret as “look down, now.”  It was a call to pay attention, because every step isn’t necessarily a solid one.  But, when you’re walking through a cow pasture, what do you expect?

As I think about paying attention and absorbing so much of the world around me with intention, I can hear a warning in my mind – “You’ll cut your eyes!”  The fact is; there are a lot of well-manicured lawns out there, a lot of beautiful, worthy landscapes… and a lot of cow pastures. Not everything – every site, every book, every picture, every news item, every tv show, every personal attitude, every opinion – is worthy of my attention.  

My dictionary widget describes a worthless thing as something without value or use.  Some pursuits are profit-less, of no benefit, even detrimental. Why would I want to muddy my vision and stink up my perspective by spending my attention on what is worthless?  

It’s true that determining what is valuable is somewhat of a subjective thing.  However, I believe that there are some core universal “things” of value:

People.  
Not necessarily their ideas or attitudes or opinions – there’s plenty of stinkiness there – but, people.  The Bible teaches that because God created each of us (knit us together in our mother’s wombs [psalm 139]), each individual is a soul, a unique person of infinite worth to God.  If it matters to Him, then it ought to matter to me.  

Truth.
It doesn’t change.  If it’s true, it’s always true.  If it’s not, it never is.  The Bible teaches that the word of God will stand forever.  To me, that’s the best source of what is true and what is false, and the more relative aspects of what is worthy and what is garbage.

Beyond those universals, I’m left to create my own filtering system of value, a visionometer of what is worthy of attention.  I can wisely use this verse as a good guideline:

Whatever is true
whatever is honorable
whatever is right
whatever is pure
whatever is lovely
whatever is of good repute
if there is any excellence 
and if anything worthy of praise, 
dwell on these things.
(philipians 4:8)

This verse is not to say that I should ignore everything ugly or disturbing around me and only “see” the pretty stuff.  That’s not just naive; it’s ridiculous.  But, even the ugly, hard things can lead us to a place of truth, honor, and purity.  It’s up to me to determine if the potential is there.

I’m still working on that visionometer, but my goal for myself and for EyeJunkie is to commit with Israel’s King David, the poet, “I will set no worthless thing before my eyes.” (psalm 101:3)

“Cyber-Bullying”

Cultural Context:  The term used by MySpace and FoxNews.com to describe the actions of Lori Drew, a Missouri woman who allegedly engineered a fake profile of a teen-aged boy on MySpace which she used to deceive a neighbor teen-aged girl.  The teen-aged girl committed suicide after receiving numerous “cruel” messages from the non-existent boy including one telling her that the world would be better off without her.  Ms. Drew was indicted this week on federal charges of conspiracy and accessing protected computers without authorization related to the girl’s death. Read the stories here and here.

Hmmm…
As I read the stories linked above, one question screamed and then came barreling full steam to mind:  WHERE are the grown-ups here? Continue reading »