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Showing posts from 2017

Marking the Page │ Bookmarks

You know what I find hilarious? Bookmarks. Not the concept of a  bookmark itself, but what we use to mark our book's page. I remember reading an article once about libraries and the bookmarks the librarians find with all the returned books. Banana peels, toilet paper, pens. You name it, they are the lucky recipients of it. The bookmark is as individual as the person using it, as much as the book choice of each person. And as a vintager, one who buys, sells and wears vintage, I also pick up used and -- sometimes vintage -- books. Because, second-hand books are the best invention ever. The bookmarks I find in said books are comical. If not insightful. For example, here's one from a middle-grade read. And I have a few questions: Was the reader reading this in the kitchen? Why the torn Ziploc box bit? Why not a plastic bag? Or was the Ziploc box headed out to the recycling? A foil or plastic wrap bookmark would've been great, too. Then ther

Turn Your Nevers into Evers

I say two things all the time, and the people who know me tire of it. It's: 1. Never say never. 2. Timing is everything Think you'd "never" do something based on your likes or dislikes? This dress. Geez, I love it. Thankfully I started wearing vintage and liking pink again. Whew. That was close .. . Think something will "never" happen because of your situation? Think again. I find that whenever I say "never" it's due to pride.  My pride. Either it's because I'm living a "holier than thou" moment and think I'll "never" do something based on what I see others doing or have done. Or I'm saying "never" because I've already been through something and I'll "never" do, deal with, have, go, own, like, etc -- fill in the blank. Whatever it is I'll "never" participate in because I have no faith in a great future or my vision is so narrow, that my "view" is the

Pennies from Heaven

Pennies are everywhere, right? I mean, they're on the ground, at the cash register at Starbucks, they're probably in your sofa cushions. A few weeks ago, I began to notice random pennies on the ground when I was about town, running errands, and fueling the car. And it wasn't just one day, they started appearing repeatedly -- it became every day, after every errand, to the point that I began to wonder what was going on. I couldn't ignore them. But, "It's just a penny. Why stop to pick it up? What can it do for me?" Maybe I was going about this all wrong. This jar will be full very soon. After a week or two, it began to bother me not picking up that single penny. It's as if God was saying, "I will provide for you but you have to take it," every time I saw one in the dirt, on the street, underneath a counter. And I was intentionally ignoring it.  By not picking them up, I was saying, "This blessing is too small. This

Morning Through the Shadows

I came across a quote written by J.R.R. Tolkien the other day. He said: "You can only come to the morning  through the shadows." Now, I've read Tolkien's Lord of the Rings Trilogy a few decades ago. So, I don't recall who said these words (they may not even be from a work, but spoken by himself, though I think not) but they ring true. Similar to "it's always darkest before the dawn" and "...though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil" (Psalm 23), they essentially say the same thing. Tolkien's phrase caught my attention because of the word "shadows." These are the things we think we see, or presuppose, or assume, or pretend are there, or any innumerable things we can substitute for the words shadows. Shadows imply something that is there, but the very thing is unclear. Do we see what we actually think we see? After going to bed thinking about these words, and how they apply to u

Writing to Write Because You Write

There's a much-adhered bit of writing advice that most writers are told, whether it's from a teacher, mentor, critique partner or book. It's this: To write well, you must read. And it's true. It's like studying art work if you paint or sculpt Or watching dramas or theater if you're an actor. You have to study the craft in which you create. As Stephen King said in his perfect book On Writing , " If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that” (147)." Yep. Also, I think I need to add that one needs to write in order to be a great writer. I know. How obvious, right? But, it's not to some. I know "writers" who only write the book they are working on, but nothing else. They don't write short stories, articles, poems, not even a blog. They don't do any writing other than the latest book they're working on. And edit it. Over and over. Day in and day out. Wher

Everyday Moments

When I go to sleep at night, my mind literally goes back over the events of the day, chronologically ... but backwards. I didn't realize I did this until I noticed within five minutes -- and nearing the point of falling asleep -- I was thinking about events that happened in the very beginning of the day. I'll think about my puppy, following me around when I'm home, and doing this. Then I'll think about how my husband was painting the entire trellis, and not complaining about it. And then  I'll think about my son driving me today, and how we both wore camo. (And how we didn't rear end anything.) It was weird. And enlightening. And a little bit like looking at snap shots, actual photos, of each major event of the day. Even if the major events were really not so major. And it made me think about how the little things really all add up to big things. You know how people say that every day goes by and change doesn't really seem an obvious thi