My friend Susan tagged me!

meme break…You have to open the book you’re currently reading on page 161 and read the fifth sentence on the page, then think of 5 bloggers to tag with…. I’m tagging my last five commenters…

Now, Susan will tell you that I need to read more FICTION for the imagination… and she’s right! Here she has caught me, once again, reading NON-fiction

This is an excerpt from a letter by Alexander Hamilton, Philadelphia, May 26, 1792, to Edward Carrington, as documented in the book Something That Will Surprise The World: The Essential Writings of the Founding Fathers, edited by Susan Dunn.

“As to the first point, the evidence of Mr. Madison’s sentiments, at one period, is to be found in the address of Congrees, of April twenty-sixth, seventeen hundred and eighty-three, which was planned by him, in the conformity to his own ideas, and without any previous suggestions from the committee, and with his hearty co-operation in every part of the business.”

I’m also reading There Goes The Hood: Views of Gentrification from the Ground Up by Lance Freeman, and African American man who studied city revitalization efforts in Harlem and Clinton Hill, Brooklyn. The book is less than a year old and is published by Temple University Press in Philly.

This topic is extremely fascinating to me, especially in light of the recent revitalization efforts happening here in Coatesville.

Eek… the following quote does need some context. This is from chapter six, “Implications for Planning and Policy” under a section entitled, “Are Residents of Other Gentrifying Neighborhoods Likely to Be Cynical Towards Gentrification?” Prior to this quote, the author points out past experiences of “oppression and resentment” over mishandled revitalization efforts that left families displaced.

There is ample evidence that this cynicism is the accepted wisdom in many parts of the black community.

It’s fun to see what others are reading… I’m curious what Emeth, Miwaza, Elrena, Tara, and Tom (crossing my fingers, hoping he’s game!) are reading… so consider yourselves TAGGED! Maybe I’ll get some inspiration from then for my next trip to the library. <– (Check out this link! It will change the way you use your local library.)

A friend recently wrote that she was having trouble trusting God. This was my response:

“Rather than trying to muster up feelings of trust by your own strength, how about taking time to get to know Him better? The book Behold Your God by Myrna Alexander may be a good one to pick up again.

Also, just go back and read the account of Christ in the gospel. Don’t try to sort it all out at once. Just “camp out” on the thought that God loved us so much that He sacrificed His Son - who NEVER sinned - in our place as payment for our sin.

How often do we stop and play out what salvation looks like in a way that we, people living in the year 2007, can relate to?

Imagine you are sitting at home enjoying a delicious meal with an old friend. As you are talking, the familiarity is so great, it is as though he can read your very soul. You love him deeply and never wish to be separated from him. Your friend is kind and good. For as long as you can remember, he has never wronged you - or anyone else, for that matter - in any way.

Suddenly, you hear a loud crash in the adjacent room.

Before you even make sense of what is going on, a special military force enters your home. They move quickly and with skill. With guns drawn, they stand in front of you. The moment you see them, you know they have come for you.
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Not to be confused with a Japanese telephone greeting

Today I received the sweetest mushy email from my Tom!

It’s a good thing he wasn’t here, because I would have attacked him with kisses and hugs.

My five year old read it over my shoulder and gave me a big hug. “Isn’t Dad nice?” she said.

Although it made MY toes warm, it’s tame enough to share.

So I am.

Because I love him.

Thank you for packing my lunch.

Thank you for helping me find my cigar cutter.

Thank you for washing the dishes.

Thank you for making dinner every night.

Thank you for getting me a towel.

Thank you for having clean clothes for me.

Thank you for finding my contact lenses.

I love you, Sarah…

(This post was started in July… so, I’m keeping the original title post )

Hard to believe that Summer ‘07 is almost over!

Tom and I are already thinking about our Christmas Eve dinner menu and putting money aside for our family feast.

If there are difficult family situations or past unresolved hurts, it’s very easy for people to dread family gatherings. There’s an expectation that the family holiday events will be as pretty as the cards we get during that time of year.

A friend of mine said:

It’s six months away, and I’m thinking about Christmas already. I’m not worried about shopping, not worried about cooking, not worried about decorating, BUT I am worried about family peace at the holiday.

I’m smiling because I can relate to what you’re talking about here!

Here are some things to consider as you look ahead to the winter holidays:
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Ice Cream is truly a wonder-drug. And it comes in so many flavors, making it really easy to administer.

“Mommy’s Kisses” is also a highly effective drug that I often administer to my younger patients. However, the effectiveness seems pretty low once the patient is over five years of age.

It’s sad, really. These kids get so many doses of “Mommy’s Kisses” that, in just five short years, they have to move on to the harder drug to get the same results.
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…what do I do?

Recently, someone asked me this question. Her husband’s hours at work changed and he was home less. With some of his free time, he had chosen to play softball for the summer instead of spend this time with her and her family.

I thought I’d post my reply and a few added thoughts here. I think this scenario is one that many of us wives face.

Wanting our husbands home to spend time with us and our family IS an admirable goal. The problem is when we elevate this request to the level of a demand and it becomes an idol of our hearts.

It’s easy to react with spite and withhold love, make ultimatums, spitefully fill up OUR free time, run our husbands down (or take sarcastic jabs at how he spends his free time/down time or to run down his employer). As Christians wives, we know that husbands are the heads of the households - so we sometimes even go the “extra mile” in negativity to be critical of how his job/free time choices are sinful because, after all, he’s not leading the family like he should be.

Ladies, I write these examples of a complaining, critical wife so well because I HAVE DONE THEM ALL. And, I have had to seek forgiveness for all of them, too. Many of you know that my husband travels frequently - sometimes for weeks at a time. Many of you also know that I have small children at home - so it would seem that I have a “right” to complain or behave this way. NOT SO.

Does this mean that we can’t talk to our husbands about our concerns?
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