My dog, Jenna, is a beautiful tri-color collie. She is petite and extremely affectionate. I love her, I honestly do. But Jenna has a dark side. She can be very vindictive, and she plays mean.
Jenna's extreme affection means she cannot be in the same room as Noah. She loves Noah, and would smother him in a lavish bath of doggy kisses and smelly collie fur. Noah is not so sure about that idea. So every day, Jenna stays outside until Noah goes down for his afternoon nap. Yesterday we were all doing our little routine, except for some reason I needed Jenna to spend the last half of her inside time in the air conditioned laundry room with access to the two car garage. Maybe I had to wash the kitchen floor for the tenth time... (Just as an FYI: White tile floors and babies who are learning to eat do not mix well!)
After about 45 minutes I let her out, but Jenna refused to make eye contact and was puffing her cheeks like a puff engine. I believe that is her equivalent of not speaking to me. I remember noticing some slight dampness in the corner on the bathroom floor and thinking, "Gross, Jenna drank from the toilet again". The dampness did not even really register as Noah was crying and I was working on dinner, until later. This morning there was no mistaking what the "dampness" the day before had been. Honestly, I am not even totally sure how she managed her vengeance. The spot is a little awkward for a dog, but this is not the first time she has gone to great lengths to express her displeasure. I refer to the time she climbed up four feet to poop on some old blankets in the garage.
As I steam clean my bathroom floor, I contemplate all the ways I can get back at my vindictive collie. Only unlike her, I never go through with any of my diabolical ideas. I will win in the end. I am the one that buys the doggy treats, so top that Jenna.
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Monday, June 27, 2011
Randomness does have a down side...
I had to get Noah and myself up and out of the house by 8:30 this morning. While this is a hard enough feat, I realized this at 7:15 when I woke up to the sound of Anthony rummaging in his closet. I had a moment of absolute panic,which is never a fun way to wake up, wondering if today was the day he need his suit. After reassuring myself that it was tomorrow he needed his suit, I realized that my randomness and disorganization had struck again.
Last time Anthony needed his suit (which is dry clean only), he told me the day before the event. I thankfully had it clean and hanging in the closet, but asked if next time he would give me plenty of notice. So, last week Anthony asked me to have his suit cleaned for this Tuesday, and I reviled in the amount of warning I received. Obviously, I need more than a heads up, I need a secretary! Seeing as secretaries do not work for room and board, I guess I will have to settle for actually using my dayplanner. I am, however, very thankful for cleaners who have same day service, flat rate priority boxes at the post office, 24 hour Walmarts, free two day shipping from Amazon, and exc....
Last time Anthony needed his suit (which is dry clean only), he told me the day before the event. I thankfully had it clean and hanging in the closet, but asked if next time he would give me plenty of notice. So, last week Anthony asked me to have his suit cleaned for this Tuesday, and I reviled in the amount of warning I received. Obviously, I need more than a heads up, I need a secretary! Seeing as secretaries do not work for room and board, I guess I will have to settle for actually using my dayplanner. I am, however, very thankful for cleaners who have same day service, flat rate priority boxes at the post office, 24 hour Walmarts, free two day shipping from Amazon, and exc....
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Passive Voice
My nemesis in the English language is passive voice. Or is it....Passive voice is my nemesis in the English language. Sigh...I may never know. My luck, both sentences are passive.
I am sure to someone who majored in English or a related field, determining passive and active voice comes naturally. Quite honestly, in high school, I would have rather dissected an extra frog than have to determine which sentences in a paragraph were active vs. passive. Of course, the torture never ended with just being able to pick the sentences out. I would then have to correct the passive sentences to active ones. The paragraphs were never as clear cut as the examples in the textbook. So, despite ample opportunity throughout high school and college, the ability to confidently differentiate between these two voices still escapes me.
As I considered my nemesis in the English language, I realized that passive voice is my nemesis in a more vital area of my life. I am called, as are my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, to be "salt and light" to the world around me. Yet I find myself existing in this world, much like salt sitting in a glass salt shaker. I see things going on around me, but find it easier to stay put and keep my mouth shut. I think someone else will speak up and say what needs to be said. We stand on the sidelines watching issues literally eat away at our churches and our cultures today. Issues of divorce, immodesty, and the destruction of Christian values in the name of freedom have corroded the heart of the church. In fact it has gone so far that now we find ourselves considering such issues as abortion, adultery, pornography, and homosexuality in our bodies and wonder how we got here.
A passive voice is all it takes.
What does an active voice look like? Unfortunately, it is not what I see when I look in the mirror. I hope in the future, I can say differently. I see a few active voices in the church today. But I often see them squelched in a clamour for love and unquestioning acceptance. Perhaps, in time, we will again see the effect of God's salt in our society. But first, the change has to start in our churches and there, my friends, is the rub.
Because quite honestly, to be passive is rather easy.
I am sure to someone who majored in English or a related field, determining passive and active voice comes naturally. Quite honestly, in high school, I would have rather dissected an extra frog than have to determine which sentences in a paragraph were active vs. passive. Of course, the torture never ended with just being able to pick the sentences out. I would then have to correct the passive sentences to active ones. The paragraphs were never as clear cut as the examples in the textbook. So, despite ample opportunity throughout high school and college, the ability to confidently differentiate between these two voices still escapes me.
As I considered my nemesis in the English language, I realized that passive voice is my nemesis in a more vital area of my life. I am called, as are my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, to be "salt and light" to the world around me. Yet I find myself existing in this world, much like salt sitting in a glass salt shaker. I see things going on around me, but find it easier to stay put and keep my mouth shut. I think someone else will speak up and say what needs to be said. We stand on the sidelines watching issues literally eat away at our churches and our cultures today. Issues of divorce, immodesty, and the destruction of Christian values in the name of freedom have corroded the heart of the church. In fact it has gone so far that now we find ourselves considering such issues as abortion, adultery, pornography, and homosexuality in our bodies and wonder how we got here.
A passive voice is all it takes.
What does an active voice look like? Unfortunately, it is not what I see when I look in the mirror. I hope in the future, I can say differently. I see a few active voices in the church today. But I often see them squelched in a clamour for love and unquestioning acceptance. Perhaps, in time, we will again see the effect of God's salt in our society. But first, the change has to start in our churches and there, my friends, is the rub.
Because quite honestly, to be passive is rather easy.
Saturday, June 25, 2011
A Random Thing to Do
I have been thinking about starting a blog for some time now.
I would be in the middle of doing something and I would have this "deep" thought or sudden inspiration and no where to place it. And I would think, "you should have a blog." I would then squash the thought for a number of reasons:
1) A blog involves setting up a website and after my struggles with etsy and artfire, this was a compelling argument.
2) Writing has never been my forte. If you can express it in bulleted fragments and love dangling participles, I am your girl. I also have a very bad habit of writing the way I talk. But to actually form my thoughts into sentences and paragraphs, well it will be a struggle to say the least.
3) Who would want to read my random thoughts? They are random and given my grammatical struggles mentioned above, could be a little embarrassing. But blogger does have spell check (I think every website should have spellcheck, and yes, facebook I am thinking about you), and I am going to wait to tell that my blog exists.
4) I am afraid that blogs can be a little "me" focused. It would be easy to just talk about my amazing life :) but in the end being a Christian is not about me. However, the Bible encourages our speech to be a "word fitly spoken" and our words "to be seasoned with grace". My hope is what I write here will be fitly spoken, seasoned with grace, and encourage others in their walks with the Lord.
I have had other excuses but those four are the main ones. In the end I decided to lay aside my fears, try to develop something I am not particularly good at, and share some thoughts for others to see.
I would be in the middle of doing something and I would have this "deep" thought or sudden inspiration and no where to place it. And I would think, "you should have a blog." I would then squash the thought for a number of reasons:
1) A blog involves setting up a website and after my struggles with etsy and artfire, this was a compelling argument.
2) Writing has never been my forte. If you can express it in bulleted fragments and love dangling participles, I am your girl. I also have a very bad habit of writing the way I talk. But to actually form my thoughts into sentences and paragraphs, well it will be a struggle to say the least.
3) Who would want to read my random thoughts? They are random and given my grammatical struggles mentioned above, could be a little embarrassing. But blogger does have spell check (I think every website should have spellcheck, and yes, facebook I am thinking about you), and I am going to wait to tell that my blog exists.
4) I am afraid that blogs can be a little "me" focused. It would be easy to just talk about my amazing life :) but in the end being a Christian is not about me. However, the Bible encourages our speech to be a "word fitly spoken" and our words "to be seasoned with grace". My hope is what I write here will be fitly spoken, seasoned with grace, and encourage others in their walks with the Lord.
I have had other excuses but those four are the main ones. In the end I decided to lay aside my fears, try to develop something I am not particularly good at, and share some thoughts for others to see.
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