A Challenge

Recently, a friend challenged his FB friends to post a piece of art. The point was to flood FB with posts more pleasant than all the political diatribes. It was lovely. I became acquainted with some female artists from the 19th century that were new to me. I saw some beautiful artwork, and it was nice, however brief.

For several years, a few years back, I kept a daily photo journal. Generally, it was one picture a day with a brief description. It was a bit of a challenge, but it helped me look at the world around me more closely. Also, I am a firm believer that our creative natures are of God and that everyone is creative in his or her own unique way.

I have lots of friends on FB who are beautiful photographers, whether they do it professionally or are hackers like I am. It is so joyful to see a photo of something lovely taken at an unusual angle by someone I know.

So, here is the challenge. Below is a list of pictures to take (prompt found on Pinterest),  one a day, during the month of March and post it on your timeline. Being a 9 on the Enneagram, it matters not to me if you wait until March 1 to begin, if you post one picture or 100 a day (people are more likely to actually look at 1 rather than 100), if you use the prompts below or not (I wish you would because I think it would be fascinating to see everyone's different interpretation of the prompts), or if you pick and choose. You can use your phone or your big, fancy camera.

The point is not to put pressure on ourselves or have one more thing to do in our already busy lives. It is just to tap into our own creativity, be presently aware of the beauty around us, flood FB with our own special viewpoints, and share with others.  Anybody in?   I will love you whether you participate or not, but I think it could be great fun, but then, I live a pretty quiet life.

1. Flower.                      11. Nose.                   21. Elbow
2. Window.                    12. Building.             22. Wood
3. Clock.                        13. Road.                   23. Glass
4. Tree.                           14. Bag.                    24. Cloth
5. Jewelry.                       15. Can.                    25. Fence
6. Paper                           16. Cup.                   26. Ball
7.  Animal.                      17. Bowl.                 27. Face
8.  Water.                         18. Book.                 28. Plate
9.  Eyes.                          19. Grass.                 29. Hair
10. Table                          20. Dirt.                   30. Door
     

Perfect

I took one of those Facebook tests. You know the ones. "What one word describes your life?"  You hit the link and the answer comes up, supposedly arrived at by analyzing your FB posts and pictures. A FB friend had taken the test and shared the results. I liked her word, so I wanted to know mine.

The word, according to this test, that describes my life was "perfect."  I was appalled and dismayed. What ridiculousness must I be posting?  Of course, my life is far from perfect. I am a mess.....a lot! I am a mess in myriad ways. I am a literal mess. Just this morning I dropped a pizza box causing pizza crusts, clementine peels, and garlic butter to scatter across a rug in the kitchen. The rug is there because the refrigerator leaked years ago and rotted part of the floor and I am trying to imperfectly cover that up. I am a mess in virtual ways. My mind is often unkind and snarky and judgmental. Sunday, I had a moment of déjà vu when my daughter and I walked into Michaels and I said to her, "people are morons!"  It dawned on me that I said those exact words the last time we walked into Michaels together. Are those the words of someone living a "perfect" life?

It is ironic that "perfect" would be my word because I am a firm believer there is no such thing. My heart aches for those people who are perfectionists. It is my opinion that they are on a never-ending, impossible quest because they are chasing an illusion.  Consequently, they get far less done than those who are not bent toward perfectionism. There is no perfection in this world, other than, I do believe we are perfectly made in the image of God, but, we are great in misrepresenting our origins. So, if I have been dishonest in my FB posts to cause some electronic analyst to arrive at the word "perfect" to describe my life, I apologize. It is true, I am a most fortunate person, and often ask, "God, why do you let me know these wonderful people who are in my life?"  I am extremely grateful for this most imperfect life.

Oh, and I took two more of those tests this morning. I answered 10 questions which caused the electronic analyst to come to the conclusion that I am a 27 year old male, and my three most "liked" FB pictures are of two people I do not know. Go figure.

Wishing you a perfectly wonderful day

The Reluctant Celebrity

She is literally present in one of our minds every waking moment of every day. She is woven in our hearts, and we show it in many different ways. Some express their love and concern in an outpouring of emotion that can not be contained. Some have more private, but no less heartfelt, ways of getting their love across.

She is young. She is a mother, a wife, a daughter. She has a wealth of friends from every corner of the world. She is servant-hearted. She radiates faith and joy. She cannot walk into a room without her presence being, not only recognized, but announced. She graciously smiles and accepts her celebrity status, all the while, I imagine, longing to not be the center of attention. 

It is her own fault, this celebrity she endures. She could be fighting less; fighting this damnable cancer that has invaded her body. She could have cried out, "why me," instead of "lead me, Father." She could have rent her clothes and put on sack cloth and ashes and thrown herself an amazing pity party. Everyone would have understood. But, no. She brings tidings and gifts to those who are ill and smiles and puts those around her at ease. She says with a bold and unwavering voice, " please pray for big surgery, lots of pain, and a long recovery for those are the things necessary for moving forward in treatment. (If you a praying person, please pray for her. If you are a "good thoughts" person, please send them her way. God and the Good Thought Police will know for whom you send them). 

I admire her more than I can say, this woman of strength and faith and hope. This is not the road she would have chosen. She has no doubt where the next leg of her eternal journey will take her, but she fights on for those she loves and who love her. I, along with everyone else who know her, will remain on our faces at the Father's feet on her behalf. We look forward to the day that she sits among us, ordinary, without the trappings of unwanted celebrity. 

Odd Girls Out (or in)

Last night, I enjoyed the company of a random group of ladies. Well, not totally random, but the guest list happened organically, as is the popular term. When I sent out a reminder about dinner, I realized that there were four of the nine whose names were good alliteration. This morning, it dawned on me that, if using maiden names, seven of the nine names make good use of that literary device. That leaves two of us odd girl out....or is it odder to have an alliterative name?  I am not sure, and I am pretty sure it doesn't matter 😊.

To Dele Dillon, Marlene Mason, Betsy Buterbaugh (sp?), Melissa Mobley, Megan Munson, Sharon Shaub, and (drum roll please) Hailey Holshouser Hiett (show off 😉),thank you for gracing my table with your presence. And, to my fellow non-alliterative buddy, Sarah Williamson, many thanks to you as well.

So, if you are part of the OC ladies, I encourage you to have folks over for an elaborate formal meal, a simple casual meal, or a bring your own dinner gathering. I promise you will be blessed.