More Word Fun!

This is just too fun! On the heels of discovering the Wordle site, a friend sent the following link:

Visuwords

It's another great way to see words from a new and creative perspective. I typed in a number of words, including God. THAT was amazing.

I love that people are so in love with words they come up with things like this. No, it won't change the world, but it brings those of use who are logophiles great joy. And anything that gets people deeper into words is, in my opinion, a blessing!

Peace to you today.

Karen

The Beauty of Words

Okay, if you're a writer, a reader, an editor, or just someone who appreciates words and beauty, you've got to check out this cool site. It takes your words, whatever you type in, and creates these amazing Word Clouds.

I typed in my life verse:

"Slowly, steadily, surely the time approaches when the vision will be fulfilled. If it seems slow, do not despair, for these things will surely come to pass. Just be patient! They will not be overdue a single day!" Habakkuk 2:3

and it made this beautiful picture (click on the picture itself to see it larger)

and this one...

and another!

After doing my life verse, I tried typing in a bio. Then I just typed in a bunch of words from my bio, uppercasing the works I wanted to stand out. Here's what I came up with:

and

You can change layout and colors and font, and tell it how many words to put in. If you repeat a word several times, it makes that word larger than the others, so you can put emphasis where you want it. Fun!

So give it a try and celebrate the beauty of words!

Karen

Make Time for Laughter

Life is stressful, no getting around it. And it seems more stressful lately than ever before. Maybe it's paying close to $5 a gallon for gas (I always laugh when I see the news reports on "the national average" for the cost of gas. Oregon is always a good .20 to .25 cents more than the national average!), or it could be that people aren't getting out as much in an effort to conserve gas, or the upswing in lost jobs, or the constant barrage of political arguments...

Whatever the cause, stress seems to be the greatest malady most of us face today. Happily, I have a solution to offer you. No, not for removing all the stress, but for helping you deal with it.

Laughter.

Yup, that's it. Laughter. Take time to add laughter to your day. Here are a few simple suggestions for doing so:

1. Watch classic humor videos. Anything by Victor Borge, Red Skelton, or Jack Benny. I'm telling you, those things are hysterical!

2. Listen to old time radio programs such as the Bob Hope show, Abbot & Costello, or Evening with George Burns.

3. Check out some of the following videos and websites:
Abbott & Costello: Who's on First

Carol Burnett: Went with the Wind, pt. 1 & Pt. 2

Tim Conway's Elephant story

Victor Borge & Dean Martin: Music & Punctuation

Snoopy.com

Comics.com

4. Spend some time with small children, just listening to them talk.

5. Spend time with someone who you know has a great sense of humor and always makes you laugh.

Remember, the joy of the Lord is your strength for facing whatever comes your way. Ask Him to open your eyes to moments of joy and laughter each day, to let your heart be open to celebrating the blessings He's give us.

May you find your days steeped in His joy and the pure laughter of a child.

In Him,

Karen

Game Time!

Hey there! I found a great site with really fun games: Animal Planet Games!

I had a blast playing the frisbee game, though I'm nowhere as good at catching them as my dad's German shepherd, Kodi. Then there's the game where you get to mix parts from all kinds of breeds. I made a Basscollmationhuahua! Can you figure out the breeds in there? Not only that, but my beautiful Basscollmationhuahua was a angel (complete with wings) and had the coolest funky glasses, cowboy boots, and bubble pipe. Now THAT'S something you wont' see at Westminster!

From the pet match games to the pet detective adventure, this page is full of animal fun. So check it out. And have a blast!

Karen

Roadmap to Gratitude

Okay, so here's what I picked up from Colossians 3:15-17:

God's Roadmap to Gratitude

One: Let the peace of Christ rule in your heart. Focus on Him and all He's given for you. Focus on His laws and words. And let Him be in charge of your wants, your desires, your heart. Let what matters to Him matter to you.

Two: Be Thankful. Each day, every day. For little things as well as big.

Three: Let the Word of Christ dwell in you. Spend time in His word, letting the truths contained there soak deep into the fabric of who you are. There's life and healing and wonder in those words.

Four: Teach and Admonish One Another with Wisdom. In other words, don't let each other get away with being self-focused, spoiled, and ungrateful. And don't expect them to let you get away with it, either. We're to hold each other accountable. Let's start doing that, but only in wisdom and love--and with gratitude in our hearts to the One who created us and loves us, often in spite of ourselves.

Five: Whatever you do, always be thankful to God. Remember that video? How can we not be thankful, every day, for all we've been given? So life may not be exactly what we'd like it to be. We're still blessed beyond belief. How much more peaceful and kind would our world be if we lived with that awareness and appreciation every day? I'm guessing a lot.

And I'm going to give it a try today. How 'bout you?

Peace to you.

Karen

Gratitude: A Dying Attribute, Pt. 2

If you haven't watched the video from June 11, please do so. For one thing, it's fascinating. For another, it helps set the stage for this blog. It won't take long, I promise.

So anyway, a few days ago I was at the mall, waiting for my hubby to come meet me. I'd spent about two hours shopping (I was on a mission, courtesy of my darling Siberian husky pup, who just that morning devoured the shoes I wear to business meetings. Comfortable, nice shoes that I've had and loved for almost 15 years. Do you know how hard it is to find shoes like that?? Sigh...but that's another blog...). Anyway, I was exhausted, so I did what any exhausted writer does. I made my way to Starbuck's, begged a glass of ice water (too late for coffee and what's the point of decaf?), and settled into one of the cushy chairs. I still had at least a half hour before my hubby would arrive, so I called a good friend.

Said friend is a singer in a band. Said band just decided to perform at weddings. Band, weddings...no brainer, right? Not so. You see, my friend, used to be a DJ. Which meant a lot of his business was with weddings. After five years, he stopped. Why? Because dealing with "wedding" people was a nightmare. Especially the brides. Awful, demanding, petulant, spoiled-brat women who want what they want NOW! Don't even think about saying no to these women, not unless you want your hair (and heart) scorched by vitriol, because this is their day, by heaven, and you better not mess it up. (Think Bridezillas, which I thought was the exception, but from my friend's experience is apparently far more the norm...)

I don't know about you, but I found that disturbing. I mean, your wedding day is a precious, holy day, right? The day you pledge your life to another, under God's covering and blessing. When did the focus of such an amazing event shift from the people and the union to the trappings? As I wondered that, I thought back on the day. In my journey from shoe store to shoe store, I did what all writers do. I people watched. And here are a few snippets of what I observed...

• Two teenage sales ladies griping because a customer had the gall to actually talk with them. "You should have told him, 'Hey, just shut up and get out,'" one commented to the other. "I mean, like we care what he has to say."
  
• A young family schlumping their stroller and blankets and baby bag to a table on the outskirts of the food court, setting it all down. Dad suggested a table closer to the food places would be easier. Mom clearly not happy. Grabbed one kid and her blanket, and stomped to another table, baby blanket dragging on the floor, leaving hubby to bring all the stuff and the little boy.
• Two women talking together about how cheap their husbands were, and how they had no recourse but to not tell them they were out shopping. "I used to worry he'd see the bags," one said with a grin, "so now I shop while he's at work and put it all away before he gets back."

What, I wondered, makes people so snarky, so self-focused? That's when it hit me. We've lost our sense of gratitude. Worse, we've replaced gratitude with a sense of entitlement. I want, I need, I deserve, doggone it!

How have we let that happen? We, who live in the richest country in the world...who are able to shop and buy with impunity...who have homes and clothes and food and weddings and lives people in other countries can't even dream of, let alone make happen... When did we decide we have all this bounty because we deserve it? Because friends, we don't. Sure, we work hard. But just the fact that we have jobs is a blessing. Not, by any means, a given. Remember that video? Those last words hit me hard: Appreciate what you have.

So how, in this give-me-what-I-want-and-do-it-now world do we cultivate a heart of gratitude? Good question! I went to Scripture to see what God thinks about gratitude, and found Colossians 3:15-17:

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Great words, huh? As I read them over, I saw they gave a perfect Roadmap to gratitude. Which I'll share in my next blog.

Peace, all.

Karen

Everything You Wanted to Know about Friday the 13th

Look out, everyone! It's that day again!

So, when you saw what day it was today, did you shiver a bit? As silly as it sounds, I always do. And I always tease my family that maybe it's a good day to just stay in bed. Sadly, I have to get ready for a flight tomorrow morning, and my plane leaves in the wee hours of the morning, so I have to get everything done today. So no hiding under the covers for me!

Still, I thought I'd share these little tidbits about this (supposedly) unlucky day/number. Did you know that:

• More than 80 percent of high-rises lack a 13th floor?
• Many airports skip the 13th gate?
• Airplanes have no 13th aisle?
• Hospitals and hotels regularly have no room number 13?
• Italians omit the number 13 from their national lottery?
• On streets in Florence, Italy, the house between number 12 and 14 is addressed as 12 and a half?
• Many cities do not have a 13th Street or a 13th Avenue?
• In France, socialites known as the quatorziens (fourteeners) once made themselves available as 14th guests to keep a dinner party from an unlucky fate?
• Many triskaidekaphobes, as those who fear the unlucky integer are known, point to the ill-fated mission to the moon, Apollo 13, to prove their point?
• If you have 13 letters in your name, you will supposedly have the devil's luck? (Jack the Ripper, Charles Manson, Jeffrey Dahmer, Theodore Bundy and Albert De Salvo all have 13 letters in their names.) source: www.corsinet.com/trivia/scary.html#friday
  
• Every year has at least one Friday the 13th. The most that can happen in a single year is three. Thanks to leap year rules, which make some patterns of weekdays happen more often than others, a 13th is slightly more likely to fall on a Friday than any other day. source:http://mathforum.org/dr.math/faq/faq.calendar.html
• In 2001, Good Friday fell on Friday the 13th. That won't happen again until 2063.
  

Fun stuff, huh? I thought so, too. But even as I read through all the superstitions and cautions, another thought weighed in:

When you have God on your side, you needn't fear any day, the 13th or otherwise.

So here's to a blessed Friday 13th for all of us!

Peace to you.

Karen

Gratitude: A Dying Attribute

I was browsing some of my favorite blogs the other day and found something very cool--and thought-provoking--at Robin Lee Hatcher's blog (http://robinlee.typepad.com/).
It's a project that some folks put together to remind us how very blessed we are. The video is several minutes long, but it's worth watching. It's fascinating and it really makes you think. And it lays the foundation for my next blog entry. So take a few minutes and check out http://www.miniature-earth.com/me_english.htm.

Thanks!
Karen

I'm Being Stalked!

It was a dark and stormy night. The rain pelted my window, and even through the darkness I could see the storm clouds roiling, churning...moving across the night sky like some undulating viper. I sat in the dim light of my office, staring at my computer screen, alone except for the characters playing out their lives in my head.

That's when I felt it. Something flicked the back of my hair.

Considering how short my hair is, I knew whatever was behind me was close. Veerrryyy close. Slowly I turned--and found myself staring into a pair of gleaming eyes. Malevolent eyes. Eyes that warned me not to move another fraction of an inch...

...without scratching those fuzzy ears.

It's official. I have an office cat. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm an animal person. LOVE animals. But this is my brother's Kamikaze cat who used to hide under things and shoot out razor claws to slice my ankle as I walked by. The cat I've threatened on a number of occasions with "Can you say 'drop kick'??" NOT the kind of cat I wanted hovering over me. But lately, for reasons known only to cats and the mystics of old, Garfield has decided he likes me. So much so that he spends a good portion of his day stalking me. And when he's not doing that, he's jumping up and walking across my keyboard, or racing crazy circles around my office, or--his favorite pastime of late--scrambling up the back of my chair and perching there, a kind of breathing, tail-twitching head rest while I work (though weather it's to be near me or to watch out the window where the birds are dipping in the bird bath is anyone's guess).

And I have to admit it, I like it. I like that the cat's adopted me. And that he's decided his spot is on the back of my chair. Makes me grin when I feel the end of that twitching tail tweaking at my ear, or the soft nudge of his head when he wants a scratch, or the gentle touch of a paw when he just wants me to remember he's there. And when he deigns to jump up into my lap, I pet him with respect, ever aware of those muscles and the warning they give off when he tenses. Too much. Stop or pay the price. And yet for all of that, when Garfield's claws are sheathed, he's a pretty nice cat.

Kind of reminds me of God. That gentle presence, reminding us we're not alone. That nudge when we need it, that twitch in our hearts when we're about to take a path we shouldn't, the warning that comes with enough time to head off trouble if we'll just pay attention. And if we don't? Well, you know what Scripture says: "It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God" (Hebrews 10:31). (There is one place, though, where my comparison fails. Garfield is a nice cat when his claws are sheathed, but God is always good. My actions don't change His goodness. Thank heaven.)

Having this cat hang around has helped me better understand a poem I've always liked: For My Cat, Jeoffry by poet Christopher Smart. It's long, so I won't quote it all, but I'll leave you with my favorite stanzas:

For I will consider my Cat, Jeoffry,
For he is the servant of the Living God, duly and daily serving Him.
For at first glance of the glory of God in the East he worships in his way...wreathing his body seven times round with elegant quickness.
For he has the subtlety and hissing of a serpent, which in goodness he suppresses.
For he will not do destruction, if he is well-fed, neither will he spit without provocation.
For he purrs in thankfulness, when God tells him he's a good Cat...
For every house is incomplete without him and a blessings is lacking in the spirit...
For he is of the tribe of the Tiger.
For there is nothing sweeter than his peace when at rest.
For there is nothing brisker than his life when in motion...
For though he cannot fly, he is an excellent clamberer.
For his motions upon the face of the earth are more than any quadruped.
For he can treat to all the measures upon the music.
For he can swim for life.
For he can creep.
For all this, will I consider my Cat Jeoffry.

And will I consider, and appreciate, my brother's cat, Garfield.

Peace, all.

Karen

Finding the Answers

I've been thinking about getting a different camera. Thing is, I love my camera. It's a Sony Cybershot (also called a credit-card camera because it's about that big), and it takes great pictures. Videos, too. I can take it with me where I go--just stick it in my purse or a pocket. So why was I thinking about replacing it? Because I couldn't take closeups.

I love taking closeups! I love seeing minute details, the fine points of beauty and structure. But when it came to capturing that on film, I was an utter failure. I tried monkeying with the settings. Hit all the buttons I could find to hit. But no matter what I did--and I've been trying for a couple of years--here's what I got:




As you can imagine, I was, at first, disappointed. Then frustrated. Then determined to find a camera that worked, doggone it! So I've been looking at the new cameras coming out lately, exploring, but guess what? Every time I tested one, I got the same results. Blurry closeups.

Now, if you know digital cameras at all, you've probably already figured out what I was doing wrong. If not, let me clue you in. I finally, last week, talked with one of the sales guys at an electronics store. Told him what it was I wanted to do and what I'd tried. He responded without hesitation: "Oh, you need to find the macro setting."

I looked at him like he'd just sprouted an elephant's trunk in the middle of his forehead. (Which would have made a GREAT closeup, but even if I'd had my camera, it would've come out blurry...) "The what?"

"The macro setting. Here, let me show you."

Unfortunately, he wasn't a camera salesman, so he couldn't figure out where it was on the new Cybershot, but that didn't matter. I'd discovered the key: Find the macro setting.

So home I went, straight to my trusty computer. (Yes, I should have gone to the manual, but this camera is over a year old, and you think I know where I put that manual for "safe keeping?" Ha!) Happily, the manual was right there, online. Directing me to another document. Something called: READ THIS FIRST. So I did another computer search, found the PDF of my camera's READ THIS FIRST, and voila! There it was. The macro setting. Right in front of my face every time I used the camera! In fact, it was a little symbol that I'd always wondered what it was. But did I ever try to find out? Of course not. I was too busy trying to figure out how to take closeups! No time for distractions. Gotta figure this out!

So I press the handy-dandy macro button, ran outside, and took the most beautiful closeups you could want. No kidding. Just by pressing one suddenly obvious button.

As I was looking at the pictures I'd taken, delighting in the detail, it hit me. How often do we do this with God? We have something we can't quite figure out, but forge ahead with our strategies, doing every we can think of to solve the puzzle. When all we need to do is go to the manual. To His Word.

To Him.

Because He has the answers, we don't. Or at least I don't. And He knows what I need to understand. What's more, those times when I have finally turned to Him for guidance and help, He's shown me, as often as not, that the key was right there in front of me. But without His leading I didn't even what I was looking for.

All those years I wasted missing great shots just because I wanted to figure it out for myself. But I didn't even know the right language. Had no idea what I needed to know. So all that research I'd done before talking with folks in the know? Wasted time. And all those years I've tried to figure life out on my own? Worse than wasted.

Try downright foolish.

I set my camera down and bowed my head, asking God to imprint this moment on my heart. To remind me, next time I hit a puzzle, that I don't have to figure it out all by myself. Far better to go to the Creator, the One who wrote the Manual of Life. He knows the right language. And He's ready and waiting to teach it to me. And oh, if I'll listen, what beauty awaits! Beauty of understanding, and of peace because I'm resting in the One who has the answers. And the beauty of God's blessings. Like the things my self-focused, wasted efforts can never achieve.

Such as...







Peace to you today.

Karen