10 steps to Becoming a Better Writter

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Addicted to Stuff

I stole this title from Robin Dugall's Homeword devotional Blogpost.

Click here to read Robin's original post.

The title caught my attention.  I love stuff, I have stuff, I'm always looking for more stuff...but am I addicted? I opened the email and read on.

His Scripture verse: Then he said, "This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods." Luke 12:18

Ouch. But really, tear down perfectly good barns just to build bigger ones?  Why not just build a storage barn for your excess? But then I guess the point is the excess.  Do we really need so much stuff that there isn't room to keep it?

My friend Cheryl in Oregon wrote to me about purging some of her stuff.  She said it was painful to get rid of her stuff, but afterwards it was liberating. It made me think I might like to be liberated.

Robin's article is about moving his family across the country and watching as his family's stuff was loaded onto the moving van. It took a group of workers several hours to complete the job. How could he have so much stuff? And in stark contrast, how can so many have so little?

What kind of stuff do you have?  I have a giraffe room and I love to add new giraffes to it. I have pears in my kitchen (Perry) and there's always room for one more. I am a coffee drinker and have an extensive coffee mug collection. My great-grandma's blue willow dishes are on display in my husband's grandma's china closet. Technology toys, I love them.  Bargain hunting for clothing and home decor. My goodness, will my list never end?

Following the example set forth by AA, "I am a consumer." I will publish this post and then start boxing up my excess for a trip to Goodwill, after I unpack my mug from New Orleans and put it in the dishwasher, that is.

Seriously, it is better to give than to receive. And it's not just giving stuff, but more importantly giving time, helping out, and being available to others.

Robin closes his devotional with this scripture: Jesus said, ... "Freely you have received. Freely give." Matthew 10:8

Girl Fun

I'm on my way to Baton Rouge to spend a week with my daughter, my granddaughter and my sister. My son-in-law is going on a business trip to Germany.

Check in at the Lawton air port is EASY. There's one gate, one plane so no waiting and no body scan.  I love it.

A 27 minute flight to Dallas.  I have a two hour layover.  I wanted to leave plenty of time to find my connection gate.  I got off at B12; the flight to Baton Rouge leaves from B12. Can it get easier?

First stop, Starbucks.  Then power up the laptop.  What?!?  No wifi? But they have these funny little stations where you can charge and/or plug in your laptop; but who thinks to bring an ethernet cord?  Luckily there are also these funny built in computers.  The browser doesn't support the new blogger but at least it works. 

It's an hour to take off.  Guess I"ll get back to B12 and maybe buy another Vente Latte. Next stop, Baton Rouge.

A Funeral on Holy Saturday

Good Friday commemorates the crucifixion of Christ and is followed by Holy Saturday, the time when Christ's followers were feeling helpless and hopeless. I'm sure Gayla's family was feeling like this too.  How will Blake and Jennie go on without their mother?  What will Alfred do without his wife? Friends, co-workers, students and family felling empty.

I lift up my eyes to the hills. Where does my hope come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. --Psalm 121:1-2

And then on Sunday, Jesus came back to life, resurrected. New life, joy, problem solved. Gayla has entered into that resurrected life but those left behind will continue to grieve, for now.

E-mail to Website to Blog Post

An email from Focus on the Family titled "Have You Ever Caught a Glimpse of Heaven?" led to reading more on their website. Jim Daly shared about when his mom died (he was only nine-years-old). At the cemetery he saw a cloud formation that looked like stair steps leading into heaven. His soul was comforted. These clouds had a similar affect on others who were there.

Readers left a multitude of comments with similar stories of being close to God during death. Through tears I remembered a story I was told when my Grandma Queal died. The details are fuzzy, she died in 1982. My mom told me about it, seeming to dismiss it as the hallucinations of her dying mom. But maybe it was more, or why would she have told me?

Grandma was in the hospital dying. My mom and her sister, Tookie, were there with her. Grandma kept saying, "When is Sydney going to get here?" Sydney is my aunt's name, as well as mine.  She died when she was 21-years-old of polio. I was named after her. I'm not sure what the sisters said to their mom in response to her question but a time came when Grandma smiled and said, "Here she is. Sydney is here. All my girls together." She closed her eyes and soon took her last breath.

Have you had a close encounter with heaven?


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A Compliment

"Mrs. Perry, you are not one of the most boring teachers at this school."

And people wonder why I enjoy teaching teenagers.


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I Love Grammar

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