Chain Blog

My hubby got tagged with this questionnaire, and in turn tagged me. I don't usually get into "chains"....but I'll give it a go.


1) What’s the most fun work you’ve ever done, and why? (two sentences max)

Once when I worked for the Town of BE they were having a golf tournament for the Police Dept and I got to drive the beverage cart around the ritzy golf course all day. That was fun.

2) A. Name one thing you did in the past that you no longer do but wish you did? (one sentence max)B. Name one thing you’ve always wanted to do but keep putting it off? (one sentence max)

A. Gardened a lot growing up, wish I had a small garden now.
B. I want to learn how to make pottery.

3) A. What two things would you most like to learn or be better at, and why? (two sentences max)B. If you could take a class/workshop/apprentice from anyone in the world living or dead, who would it be and what would you hope to learn? (two more sentences, max)

A. Pottery, love it and would be cheaper to make than buy.
B. I'd like to get to know the Barefoot Contessa from the Food Network. She's groovy. :) Also, Francine Rivers...my favorite author.

4) A. What three words might your best friends or family use to describe you?B. Now list two more words you wish described you…

A. Hard worker, smart, quiet
B. Funny, good singer

5) What are your top three passions? (can be current or past, work, hobbies, or causes– three sentences max)

I love to read, love hubby and love my dog!

6) Write–and answer–one more question that YOU would ask someone (with answer in three sentences max)

Q. What drives you in life?
A. My car. Ha...seriously, I want to make a difference in people's lives.

[Bonus: What is one question you wish people would ask themselves?]
Isn't there more to life than this?

Dusk

At the chill of oncoming winter
My soul is warmed by an unlikely source.
It is the palette of monochrome
delivered at dusk and moon's rising.

It is simple and simply profound.
It is the mark of my Creator, my God.
None other could conjure the abstract barren limbs
Silhouetted against a smooth, gradated sky;
Limbs whose movement assure me you see my pleasure in your work.

My hands try to recreate this image now stored in my mind's eye.
Yet, my feeble attempt of brush stroke on fabric
Serves only to further heighten my awareness of your artistry.
It is the mark of my Creator, my God.

Fall, Fall, Fall

Today we went for a walk and enjoyed a beautiful autumn day in the Blue Ridge Mountains. I love walking down a path covered with crunchy leaves. One of the simple pleasures in life that I am thankful for! Fall is a season that truly seems to be here today and gone tomorrow, so I have to remember to enjoy it while it is here.

I was very happy that we actually got to experience fall twice this year. We were in CO when the aspens were turning colors, then we came home and had another show a few weeks later. Here is a shot of us in the aspens.

The Kindness of a Stranger

I just wanted to share that today I was touched by the kindness of a stranger. I was in a store looking at quilts when a lady came up to me and told me she had a coupon she wanted to give me. I asked if she didn't want to use it herself and she said she had an extra one. Then she handed me a 25% off coupon and turned and walked away. She didn't make a big hoopla out of it and wait around for me to gush over her "niceness." She just came up, handed me the coupon and went away. That was such a sweet thing for her to do. Such a small and simple thing can be a big blessing to someone else, so we should always look for those opportunities.

Erica :->

I'm a Chiquita Banana

I'd like to start this post by asking a multiple choice question, so indulge me if you will.

When someone observes your life, be they Christian or not, how is it that they will know you are a Christian?
a. You are a walking Strongs Concordance from the vast passages of Scripture you've memorized.
b. You are such a faithful church attendee that the neighbors can set their clock 3 times a week by your coming and going.
c. Debate 101 is your middle name, and boy can you wipe the floor with any foe who takes you on.
d. You sing to yourself "I'm a Chiquita Banana, hmm, hmm, hmm" as you hope to display the fruit of the Spirit, and above all, be known for your love for others.
e. All of the above.

While none of the options are bad in and of themselves, when it comes down to it we should strive to be known by our love for each other. (Ding, ding, ding, ding. And, the correct answer is "D".)

As I see it there is a fine line (or maybe not so fine a line) between love and works. In the end it is not going to matter if I won the Bible Bee for most memorization, if I had gold stars for 50 consecutive years of perfect attendance or if I could outwit, outlast, outplay someone else in debate. In the end all that matters is what is in the heart, that it is a heart of love.

The following is 1 Cor. 13 from The Message, and a breath of fresh air to me:

"If I speak with human eloquence and angelic ecstasy but don’t love, I’m nothing but the creaking of a rusty gate.

If I speak God’s Word with power, revealing all his mysteries and making everything plain as day, and if I have faith that says to a mountain, “Jump,” and it jumps, but I don’t love, I’m nothing.

If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don’t love, I’ve gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I’m bankrupt without love.

Love never gives up.
Love cares more for others than for self.
Love doesn’t want what it doesn’t have.
Love doesn’t strut,
Doesn’t have a swelled head,
Doesn’t force itself on others,
Isn’t always “me first,”
Doesn’t fly off the handle,
Doesn’t keep score of the sins of others,
Doesn’t revel when others grovel,
Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,
Puts up with anything,
Trusts God always,
Always looks for the best,
Never looks back,
But keeps going to the end.

Love never dies. Inspired speech will be over some day; praying in tongues will end; understanding will reach its limit.

We know only a portion of the truth, and what we say about God is always incomplete. But when the Complete arrives, our incompletes will be canceled.

When I was an infant at my mother’s breast, I gurgled and cooed like any infant. When I grew up, I left those infant ways for good.

We don’t yet see things clearly. We’re squinting in a fog, peering through a mist. But it won’t be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright! We’ll see it all then, see it all as clearly as God sees us, knowing him directly just as he knows us!

But for right now, until that completeness, we have three things to do to lead us toward that consummation: Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly. And the best of the three is love."

Living a life in Christ is easy...we just have to keep love at the forefront!

Erica :->

"They'll Know We Are Christians by Our _____"

I am writing this post in response to some very disappointing things I just read out in blog land. I have spent at least the past hour reading the comments section of 2 different blogs that left me with a very bad taste in my mouth. What upsets me so much about reading these comments and posts is that the commentors were "Christians" beating up on others. It really grieves me to see this...no wonder the world is so leery of Christians. Why would anyone want to become a Christian when they witness "Christians" bashing each other with such hateful tones? As far as I can tell all this does is reinforce the stereotype that Christians are just judgmental and narrow-minded.

While you may win an argument against other Christians by having the most support and hurrahs from your groupees...please remember that the world is watching how we respond to each other; they are taking note and, sadly, finding another reason to tune us out.

Isn't it the goodness of God that draws people to Him?

Aren't we supposed to be recognized for our love of our brothers and sisters in Christ?

Mirror Mirror

Of late I have started noticing funny things about myself and people in general I suppose, for surely I'm not the only one in the whole wide world who thinks like me! :)

I guess I've been putting 2 and 2 together and now see that the things that are my "pet peeves"...you know, the things other people do that just drive me up the wall...those are the very things I find myself doing.

I have a family member, who is dear to me mind you, but being around this person sometimes makes me want to scream. However, the hardest pill of all for me to swallow is that sometimes I feel like I'm looking in a mirror by being around them.

Is it that I'm genetically predisposed to be like this person, that our traits and character *flaws* are innate? Or could it be that because I've been around this person since birth I've just grown to be like them, that they've rubbed off on me?

I'm thankful that I'm catching these glimpses. Sometimes looking upon the mirror of the heart can make me wince, but it is a much needed exercise.

Erica :->