I love New Years!

I love restarts. 

(doesn't matter how many times you tried and failed, try again!)

I love hope and a new year speaks of hope to me.

I love the idea of 365 blank pages.

I've nailed down my New Year's Resolution ...

it's one that covers all of my life.

Every time I think or say "I should"

(or anything that comes close to I should) ... 

I WILL DO IT!  

Or take steps to make it happen, if it can't be done in one step.

That's all Folks.

Happy 2010!

Clarification ... the motivation for "I should" needs to come from myself and/or God, not from guilt from others.

My Creative Sisters Making a Quilt

My mom is an avid quilter, making a few quilts each year. She sews the quilts together on a machine and quilts them by hand. With her help, I made a few quilts while growing up, but somewhere along the way I lost the patience and the skills to make one. Two of my older sisters continue the tradition. One of them made a Stack-n-Whack quilt recently and my other sister wanted to learn how, so we had a sister's day at my moms house today.

Colorful fabric ready to be cut. It's amazing what a kaleidoscope of quilt patches can come from fabric like this. 

Is it lined up right?

Age-old wisdom ... measure twice and cut once!

Instructions passing from one sis to another, "Make sure it is straight! Sew this here. Sew that there. Fold it. Iron it."

Finished quilt in a day!! 

Not!

This is the Stack-n-Whack quilt my sis and niece made recently. It is sewn (pieced) together, but still needs to be quilted by hand - takes yards of thread and hours of carefully moving a needle up and down. My other sis hopes to have one like this in a few weeks after sewing together all the patches that were cut today.

Each of the stars is made from the same fabric. An assortment of squares, triangles, diamonds or wedges are cut from a stack of fabric and sewn together in a certain way to make a set of blocks that create a kaleidoscope effect when sewn together.

Everyone was too busy to pose for a pic today, so here's one of my mom, sisters and I taken this past summer.
(yes, they still invite me, even if I'm different :)

At this time, I use my creativity to organize events and write, maybe someday - when I have nothing else to do, I'll tackle making a quilt again.

We are created in the image of a very creative God and I think we all have creativity in us.

How do you express your creativity? 

Blog Carnival = Serving Love

The soup has been simmering since noon. I've tasted it at least a dozen times - its hard to judge how much seasoning is needed for this large amount. The night is cold - temps hover around freezing. Jerry drives as I figure out the GPS on my new phone. We arrive at North 6th Street, the address of the Hope Rescue Mission, in an area of our local city I've not seen before. I realize I'm nervous as we walk across the parking lot.

 Chicken Corn Noodle Soup

(someone else made a large kettle of Creamy Potato Soup)

We join about fifteen friends carrying food into the building. The doors are graciously held open for us by men waiting for dinner. We exchange greetings and I relax. I remind myself about the saying in my earlier post about homelessness. I don't need to be scared - they are simply people without a home. 

Carol, a friend with an amazing voice and sweet guitar skills, leads the group (the men and us) as we sing a few carols. The familiar songs bring tears to the eyes of some of the men. I think of the story each of them must have - the story of why they are there waiting for a meal. Suddenly, I wish I had a few hours to hear their stories. 

But I feel awkward striking up a conversation. I'm not sure how to do that. I'm a task person, so I head to the food counter. A task is something I can handle. The soup is hot, the sandwiches are tasty and the thank yous are plenty as our group works together to serve dinner.

 

Sloppy Joe Sandwiches

Its busy as we serve, plus I'm cautious about taking pictures, so I only have these two photos - but I have memories of smiles and compliments. The men are kind, thankful and gracious. We greet and acknowledge each one. I see some hope (one man is excited about a new job he started that day) but I realize I see more sadness, stress, disappointment and confusion. 

While serving, my friend Greta says something to a few of us about what we will serve  the "next time." A few raise eyebrows, "Next time?" Greta says, "Yes, we are doing this at least once a quarter." Everyone promptly agrees.

On the ride home, Jerry tells me about Sam, a gentleman from Georgia he ate dinner with. Jerry is quiet and reserved - and he'd been cautious about going, so I hadn't expected him to connect with anyone. But he did, he enjoyed it and he's thinking of ways he can help Sam after hearing some of his story. 

I begin to beat myself up. Why didn't I try to connect more? Why did I focus on the task of serving more than on connecting? 

Later I read a Facebook comment an online friend wrote after I posted the soup picture, "that's a lot of love." 

And I realize that it is. Yes it is! Love in the form of food. 

I tend to want to save the world and if I can't do it all at once, why bother trying? The words of Jesus come to mind, "I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat." So I stop beating myself up. Instead I use my energy to pray for the men and for John, the director of the mission and for our next time there. 

I'm grateful we went and that we added one drop to the ocean of love on a cold December night. I'm really thankful that we plan to go again. We'll serve more food and more love.   

Warm, tasty, fulfilling love.   

There's a love blog carnival happening today. To read more posts about love - go to One Word at A Time by Bridget Chumbley.

Time to Resume Running Club

I'm thinking about my health goals for 2010, as the soup for tonight's meal at the Hope Rescue Mission simmers. Check back tomorrow for a report about our evening serving dinner to some people without homes in Reading, PA (pronounced redding)

Along with too many holiday meals, I gave myself a break from running or biking the past few weeks, so I've watched sadly as the cookies and other goodies have happily settled on my hips and abdomen.

My excuse for the exercise break - most days its been too cold outside and my treadmill and I don't have the best relationship (maybe we need counseling) On a few mild days I walked outside and a few times I walked at the mall, but I'm ready to do more. We've passed winter solstice and the days are getting longer and warmer - right? Please indulge my wishful thinking and say yes!

I only have one body and I want it to be healthy, so it's time to get back to regular running. The winter running clothes have come out of storage and the treadmill dusted off. I'll vary my runs between the two based on the weather and my schedule and my mood.

Last January, a friend Linda and I started a running club, that we named Running, Because I  Can!  The weekly club runs were great (most of the time) Running with others and the accountability of a slightly longer run each week was excellent motivation. The laughing (thanks all, but especially Betty!) after the runs, as we stretched and did strength training, was priceless. We had five relay teams from the club in the 1st annual Garden Spot Village Marathon in April. (pictured are some of the relay participants) I even had 15 minutes of fame with an interview by the local TV station. 

We took a break from the club in November and December. Now its time to revive the club - beginning January 5th. If you live local, you're a woman (sorry guys, but you run faster than us and that's depressing) and you're interested in running - we'd love to have you join us! We will have two weekly club runs - Tuesday night at 7 PM and Saturday morning at 10AM. We'll start out slow - doing a half mile to a mile the first week and add a little distance each week. Everyone runs at their own pace - some walk more than run, some jog slow (that would be me) some jog fast, and some RUN. If interested, I'm sure you'll find a pace that works for you. More info on our Facebook Group Page.

A  healthier body is on the way! I'm ready, excited and looking forward to the 2nd Garden Spot Village Marathon on April 10th. Last year I did the 4.6-mile section of the relay, this year I hope to do the 6-mile section - one step at a time, I'll get there.

I'm feeling ambitions right now, so I'm dreaming of a half-marathon later this year - maybe the Rock 'n' Roll Virginia Beach Half Marathon on Sept 5th. 

What are you doing for your health in 2010? 

Sunday Sayings - Homelessness

For a few reasons ... homelessness is on my mind.

First, I'm reading What Difference Do it Make? by Ron Hall and Denver Moore. Moore was homeless for a portion of his life. His writing is priceless and convicting. (come back on the 6th for Winning Wednesday and you could win a copy!)

Also, my husband Jerry and I meet weekly with a group of friends to laugh, eat and study the Bible. Tomorrow night, the group is cooking for a homeless shelter in our local city.

I care about people. It makes me sad when I think of someone hungry and not having a home to live in. I help others, mostly from a distance. I give money and write a quarterly newsletter for a children's home in Africa.

And when I think of the homeless in the city 10 miles from my house. I think we (and by 'we' I really mean someone other than me) should do something to help. Sad to say, my thoughts are probably closer to this quote by Lingle, governor of Hawaii, than I care to admit.

 

We have come dangerously close to accepting the homeless situation as a problem that we just can't solve.

- Linda Lingle

So, if the problem can't be solved, why even try? I mean, how can I, one person, make a difference? Plus, I don't know how to connect with homeless people. What do I say? How can I help? Blah, blah, blah ... 

Then I read this ... 

People who are homeless are not social inadequates. They are people without homes. - Sheila McKechnie  

So that means my earlier questions aren't even valid because they are people just like me ... hmmm

Its soo sad that I need to have this conversation with myself... 

Pray for me tomorrow - pray I can mix some love into my large pot of chicken noodle soup (using the best PA dutch recipe I have!) while gaining some awareness and understanding about "loving others as I love myself."

I need help - do you help people without homes? If so, what do you do?

Christmas Day is Over - How are You?

How are you ... now that Christmas day is over? 

Was it what you thought it would be? Better? Worse?

If it was worse and/or life isn't what you thought it would be - don't give up. 

Never give up!  

For the majority of the world, the season of Jesus' birth 2,000+ years ago was just another series of days. There was nothing special about it.

It was probably the same old, same old for most. 

They had no idea anything different happened. No idea about the hope that was born.  

 

If today is not good - if its the same old, same old dirt and you are sooo sick of it. Hang on - you don't know when or where hope will be born. 

If the people 2,000+ years ago paid attention - they eventually heard about the hope that was born. 

Hope is available for you also. 

Be aware - look - seek - knock - ask!

Look beyond the dirt ... and the familiar ... and the usual. Be prepared to be surprised. 

I took this picture in Austin, TX (Dec '08) at an event with about a hundred people. I watched for a time and no one else noticed this daisy right beside the pathway. Seeing it was one of my highlights of the day and I continue to experience hope from the memory of it. 

Be Aware!

You don't know when or where or how hope will come.

What unlikely spot have you find hope?

Merry Christmas from my family

For Christmas, I decided I wanted to post a picture of my boys, since they rarely (if ever) grace my blog. Apparently I need to pick up my camera more when they are around - because looking back over my pictures from this year, there's none of us as a family (and no one wants to take pictures now) The boys don't change as much from year to year as younger kids do, so I'm posting pictures we had taken for last Christmas ... by Char from Authentic You Photography.

Jonathan - now age 16. He looks happy in this picture, but he's even happier now - because he passed his driver's test this week

(yes, I'm praying ... a lot!)

Joseph - age 19. He's packing to leave for a week of snowboarding in CO this Saturday with a few buddies. He's making the most of his break from Penn State Berks, where he's studying Mechanical Engineering.

Joshua - age 21. With this job market and and him graduating from West Chester University (Communication Studies) in 2011 - our conversations the past few days since he's home have revolved around the question of what he will do then.

 With this picture, we could be a band ... if we could sing.

Merry Christmas to all!

May you find peace this season.

(even if the potatoes are lumpy, the same old
discussions happen or the house is messy)

Historical Home Tour

Earlier this month, I went on a Historical Home Tour

around Fairmount Park in the city of Philadephia.

  Welcome to Christmas ... done with simplistic elegrance.

 I love the decorations and the windows in the dining room at Lemon Hill

There are three big ones like this that can be removed to allow access to the wrap around porch overlooking the Schuylkill  River - imagine the parties that happened there.

A child's Christmas

 A woman designed this kitchen in Cedar Grove Mansion

 and efficiency of it (for its day) shows that.

 Beauty and wisdom from 1804!

Sweet doors at the Woodford Mansion

 
Merry Christmas!

Note: Winning Wednesday will return in January

Blogs I read

Once upon a time I decided I wanted to be a part of this ...

12 Days of Community = promoting twelve blogs that we appreciate. I wrote two posts promoting fellow bloggers - Billy Coffey and S. Etole and then I didn't get anything else written. Today I hope to remedy that by promoting ten other blogs I read regularly ...

22 Words by Abraham Piper - Love the thoughts he expresses in 22 words (give or take a few)
Barefoot from Heaven by Dagmar - Beautiful photos and words.
Flowerdust by Anne Jackson - She's funny and real, plus she bikes and runs. And I got to be her driver for an hour this fall. (hope Anne doesn't remember I was late) 
History in the Making by Ben Arment - He's innovative, smart and (drumroll please!) he's my coach!   
Kids, Twins and Laundry Bins by Elizabeth Esther - She's sharp, sassy and has substance. 
Rachel Held Evans by Rachel Held Evans - She likes coffee and I was thrilled to find her site and realize I'm not alone in my non-Calvinist thoughts. Love this line from a recent post of hers ... "I believe that God is in control. I do not believe that God controls."
Ramblings and Such by Bryan Allain - He's funny, local and likes the Amish. And he recently ran a half-marthon.
Rants and Ramblings on Life as a literary Agent by Rachelle Gardner - Great info about writing and publishing.
Religion, Culture, Pocket Guides and The Life of a Working Writer by Jason Boyett - He's funny, and honest ... and honest and funny and he competes in triathlon. (did I mention he's funny and honest?)
Seth Godin's Blog by Seth Godin - Love his efficiency with words - his posts are short, but powerful.

Book Review - The Noticer

A snowstorm on Saturday gave me time to finish some books I had started - snug in my warm house with a blanket, tea/coffee, recliner and books looking out my window overlooking the Allegheny Valley.

I finished The Noticer:  Sometimes, all a person needs is a little perspective by Andy Andrews - an e-book I received from Thomas Nelson. (I like reading on my Kindle better than on my computer - glad it was a short book)

This is one sweet book - in a genre all of its own, described as - a blend of fiction, allegory and inspiration, seasoned with a dash of autobiography. I think I will be buying one for each of my college-age boys. Great advice in it about keeping the right perspective in life, especially during tough times.

The jest of it is - Jones, an older gentleman, shows up in the lives of different people who are struggling. Along with helping them notice the good things around them, he speaks wisdom and hope into their lives that helps them turn their life around. 

Yes, that sounds like a fairy tale, but the truth is - we all go through tough times and we all need wisdom and hope to help us through. Sometimes it comes from others. Sometimes we need to force ourselves to focus on the positive and notice the beauty and/or the potential around us. Here's some of the advice that Jones gave ...

Other people's experience is the best teacher. By reading about the lives of great people, you can unlock the secrets to what made them great. (read biographies)

One way to define wisdom is the ability to see, into the future, the consequences of your choices in the present. (think, think, think about the choices you make) 

Many of life’s treasures remain hidden from us simply because we never search for them. Often we do not ask the proper questions that might lead us to the answer to all our challenges. We are so caught up in fear and regret, that hope seems a foolish endeavor. Proof of hope, however, is not only possible; it is an overlooked law of the universe. 

Proof of hope ... is it possible? 

I've had some dark days when I would have answered - no, don't think it's possible. 

But now I say - yes, it is!

The odd thing about 'proof of hope' is there's no one place, formula, quote or verse that will give us all hope. We each have to find it - in a way that speaks to our unique wiring and the time/place we are at in life. I find hope in some of the same ones mentioned in The Noticer - God's promises, books, outdoors and being intentional about noticing beauty around me. 

Where do you find hope?