tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8872109829153895722024-03-18T22:06:22.991-04:00Pleasures from the Page"Everything is held together with stories. That is all that is holding us together, stories and compassion."
-Barry LopezRamonahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15929914252480696798noreply@blogger.comBlogger1380125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-887210982915389572.post-86200079463347043992024-03-18T17:33:00.003-04:002024-03-18T21:31:08.898-04:00SOL 18/31: Celebrating<p><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I slept fitfully as one does when one knows the alarm will go off at 2:50 am and your ride will arrive at 3:50 am for a 6 am flight. About an hour before my alarm was set to go off, my phone was making those clicking noises indicating arriving text messages. I wondered which friend was texting in the middle of the night! I was surprised to see that American Airlines was the culprit and not a sleep-deprived friend. They were notifying me of a delay in my flight that would make it impossible for me to make my scheduled connection. My husband phoned and we scheduled a later connection. I texted and called my driver, and waited for him to respond. Once he got back to me, I settled in for a few more hours sleep before our planned departure at 11 am.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;">But things were not to go as planned once again. My flight was delayed again until later in the afternoon resulting in . . . you guessed it! Another missed connection with an overnight stay before I could get home. After some back and forth with husband and daughter (I was supposed to watch the grand boys tomorrow), we decided I should just wait and leave tomorrow. Daughter scrambled to arrange child care and I showered while son sorted out a lingering confirmation that should have been cancelled. Some people say it takes a village, but for us, it takes the whole family and a friend willing to let you extend your stay for ONE MORE DAY!</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Given all the changes that had to be made, you may wonder why I titled this post Celebrating! </span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;">In Spite of the Bad, I Will Count the Good<br /></span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;">1. I was not at the airport when I learned of the delay.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;">2. Family members helped me with the needed changes. <br /></span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;">3. My daughter was able to find child care for tomorrow.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;">4. It is another beautiful, sunny day in Seattle.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;">5. My friend and I packed a lunch and headed to the park. <br /></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7qtsJYz5_VUEGPs034UIDU2J7WryJxffWvS8PiOgcWwQmYGvr1L6VDS1kId0IOSk72QKiK07luqODvZ1uvy1cd0IkxM-lz5q40l85vEGzblT_EQEeBTYLs0JefAZkGnEmemmp5cx9Vq7zdumpdKTOOwTj2APdtf2ylrqpTowObBPkSmxszY7CEKOZuUDI/s3088/unnamed.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3088" data-original-width="2316" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7qtsJYz5_VUEGPs034UIDU2J7WryJxffWvS8PiOgcWwQmYGvr1L6VDS1kId0IOSk72QKiK07luqODvZ1uvy1cd0IkxM-lz5q40l85vEGzblT_EQEeBTYLs0JefAZkGnEmemmp5cx9Vq7zdumpdKTOOwTj2APdtf2ylrqpTowObBPkSmxszY7CEKOZuUDI/s320/unnamed.jpg" width="240" /></a></span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;">6. I am taking my accommodating friend out to dinner this evening.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;">7. I will get a full night's sleep before tomorrow's mid-morning flight. <br /></span></span></p>Ramonahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15929914252480696798noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-887210982915389572.post-23189271662880937092024-03-17T20:39:00.011-04:002024-03-18T21:31:30.042-04:00SOL 17/31: 7 Good Things About This Week<p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">I love reading blog posts because I can always find an idea for the days when I'm in search of a topic. I borrowed from Elisabeth's post (who borrowed from Beth) and probably a few others who have used this format. I did tweak it a bit. 7 Good Things +3 Photos. Enjoy!<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Yesterday, I was unable to post on Word Press blogs which also meant that I couldn't leave my link on TWT. The problem persists, but I'll write my post and try my best to add my link to Day 17.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"> 7 Good Things About This Week</span><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"> <br /></span></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Time in Leavenworth's independent bookstore with my book-loving friends</span></li><li><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Mountains</span></li><li><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Blossoms<br /></span></li><li><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Sunshine</span></li><li><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Leta's homemade rolls</span></li><li><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Becca's Brownie Cookies</span></li><li><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Our annual book club retreat in Leavenworth <br /></span></li></ol><p style="margin-left: 40px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">3 Photos From This Week </span></p><p style="margin-left: 40px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhukUwV7ypMqSXkfbks5upW4kZzPv2575uHgSs8YHSmECX9V3Qth8l42-tLoI2Jf7sFRLF74vVgyTJKy69b92rZO-mtBm1ME2d-ccIgvVftl4k213cuQi6t4SLWnOHxsKnjJeaaynMNRuDr0j5H2H9l8cRzK23NfI3IOzgWG69rN04bdoth95El6TNPoSM8/s4032/IMG_2451%204.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhukUwV7ypMqSXkfbks5upW4kZzPv2575uHgSs8YHSmECX9V3Qth8l42-tLoI2Jf7sFRLF74vVgyTJKy69b92rZO-mtBm1ME2d-ccIgvVftl4k213cuQi6t4SLWnOHxsKnjJeaaynMNRuDr0j5H2H9l8cRzK23NfI3IOzgWG69rN04bdoth95El6TNPoSM8/s320/IMG_2451%204.jpeg" width="240" /></a><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"> </span><br /></span></div><p></p><p style="margin-left: 40px; text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVXKtEOIxYgyj33jOUCmLnzkAzOLoAEM6cXkMPTWhq7jrKupsuqElVBePGd86JcWKXk2diiBrZhrn4Z4S6pWuzAWaSb8NCW3pmd7gfb0HBhD3oesxlMkm3QImKedHJmASJR7U495MZwkSsxnRTxBk1s-QJarOifZ4x2nhmbXbgfBbbFdkyqCpelK-qmKgs/s4032/IMG_0514.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVXKtEOIxYgyj33jOUCmLnzkAzOLoAEM6cXkMPTWhq7jrKupsuqElVBePGd86JcWKXk2diiBrZhrn4Z4S6pWuzAWaSb8NCW3pmd7gfb0HBhD3oesxlMkm3QImKedHJmASJR7U495MZwkSsxnRTxBk1s-QJarOifZ4x2nhmbXbgfBbbFdkyqCpelK-qmKgs/s320/IMG_0514.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-ftL2btdj07SYO53H8WFKGvcTsPHFkMfQuwSWXGSEBpOFhwSmSRZnm3ZiqKkvX8eBV5E0I9tDOGkwu7y5YDsnVmPr98PEvdE0Vh4rHm4RHC_R224DzorTU3H3VJY9XvqDXTA5721TJPZePQKNYG0S8hb9guIrv1rvVpOV0u0WyJzxCNMqR5Rx1IYfHAyx/s3024/IMG_2460%202.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2819" data-original-width="3024" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-ftL2btdj07SYO53H8WFKGvcTsPHFkMfQuwSWXGSEBpOFhwSmSRZnm3ZiqKkvX8eBV5E0I9tDOGkwu7y5YDsnVmPr98PEvdE0Vh4rHm4RHC_R224DzorTU3H3VJY9XvqDXTA5721TJPZePQKNYG0S8hb9guIrv1rvVpOV0u0WyJzxCNMqR5Rx1IYfHAyx/s320/IMG_2460%202.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Choosing books for another year is serious business!</span><br /></div>Ramonahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15929914252480696798noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-887210982915389572.post-32382509719112169572024-03-16T22:47:00.004-04:002024-03-16T22:56:59.909-04:00SOL 16: Tricube Poem for a Book Club Retreat<p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Fellow blogger, <a href="https://sliceoflisa.blogspot.com/2024/03/ode-to-my-trader-joes-purchase.html">Lisa</a>, inspired me to use a tribcube* to capture our yearly book club retreat. </span><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Some of us have been in this book club
for twenty-six years. We meet at a member's family cabin in
Leavenworth each March. It's a pleasure being together and choosing our
books for the upcoming year. <br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Friends gather</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Hugs abound</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Laughter rules</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"> </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Luscious food</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Books chosen<br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Friendly vibes</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"> </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Midnight snacks</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Late night chats</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Friends for keeps </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"> </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">- Ramona Behnke <br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2hlwk0HbYEnigHhzpImQ94ClTDBgQWZcytt5Gn8nadQIWd-IX2NB59DaMDekUwE9qntnOhY-NQkZEdzukaQJMYx8MQozl37GrsoB3eDTevAzsfbVAFF1nMe9QdeZ5J6o6lmXoh3EBwFzpBX_jEujocIdKDlHC39Eb5nkglNES_O4m7JscG0rpPOzb3BSj/s2892/IMG_2485.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2442" data-original-width="2892" height="338" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2hlwk0HbYEnigHhzpImQ94ClTDBgQWZcytt5Gn8nadQIWd-IX2NB59DaMDekUwE9qntnOhY-NQkZEdzukaQJMYx8MQozl37GrsoB3eDTevAzsfbVAFF1nMe9QdeZ5J6o6lmXoh3EBwFzpBX_jEujocIdKDlHC39Eb5nkglNES_O4m7JscG0rpPOzb3BSj/w400-h338/IMG_2485.jpeg" width="400" /></a></span></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">*Rules for a tricube: </span></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;">Each line contains three syllables.</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;">Each stanza contains three lines.</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;">Each poem contains three stanzas.</span></span></li></ul>Ramonahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15929914252480696798noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-887210982915389572.post-41047043153343856572024-03-15T03:56:00.000-04:002024-03-15T03:56:01.948-04:00SOL 15/31: A Stroll through Slices on March 15th<p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span>I rarely write a slice ahead of time, but my book club retreat on Friday calls for me to plan ahead. <span style="font-weight: normal;">I chose to glance back at my writing on March 15th through the years with an accounting of the main topics of my slices:</span></span></span></p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;">2012 <a href="https://pleasuresfromthepage.blogspot.com/2012/03/hope-springs-eternal.html">Hope Springs Eternal </a>- cockeyed optimist embraces new day (haiku)<br /></span><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;">2013 <a href="https://pleasuresfromthepage.blogspot.com/2013/03/a-frenetic-slice-sol-2013-15-0f-31.html">A Frenetic Slice</a> - work first, then the reward<br /></span></h3><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;">2014 <a href="https://pleasuresfromthepage.blogspot.com/2014/03/solsc-15-surrendering-to-joy.html">Surrendering to Joy</a> - a white flag slice or when a teacher surrenders</span></h3><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;">2015 <a href="https://pleasuresfromthepage.blogspot.com/2015/03/2015-solsc-1531.html">Telling Our Story in Pics</a> - book club retreat<br /></span></h3><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;">2016 <a href="https://pleasuresfromthepage.blogspot.com/2016/03/solc-2016-1531-cut-from-same-cloth-as.html">Cut from the Same Cloth as Uncle Frank</a> - I don't even have an Uncle Frank! </span></h3><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;">2017 <a href="https://pleasuresfromthepage.blogspot.com/2017/03/solsc-1531-parking-garage-blues-verse.html">Parking Garage Blues (verse two)</a> - Nightmare Parking at Bellevue Place<br /></span></h3><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;">2018 <a href="https://pleasuresfromthepage.blogspot.com/2018/03/sol-1531-read-by-numbers.htmll">Read by Numbers </a>- How many books did I interact with in one day?<br /></span></h3><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;">2019 <a href="https://pleasuresfromthepage.blogspot.com/2019/03/sol-1531-poetry-friday-call-to-action.html">A Call to Action</a> - climate change on Poetry Friday<br /></span></h3><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;">2020 <a href="https://pleasuresfromthepage.blogspot.com/2020/03/sol-1531-padlet-power.html">Padlet Power</a></span><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span> <span style="font-weight: normal;">- a post about being "padlet happy"</span></span></span></h3><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;">2021 <a href="https://pleasuresfromthepage.blogspot.com/2021/03/sol-1531-i-went-to-island-books.html">I Went to Island Books</a> - first in-person visit in over a year</span></h3><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;">2022 <a href="https://pleasuresfromthepage.blogspot.com/2022/03/sol-1531-writing-retreat.html">My RSVP </a>- responding to Leigh Anne's invitation </span></h3><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;">2023 <a href="https://pleasuresfromthepage.blogspot.com/2023/03/sol-1531-kitchen-memories.html">Kitchen Memories </a>- </span><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;">remembering the kitchen of my youth</span></h3><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;"> </span></h3><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span># of Slices by Topic<br /></span></span></h3><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;">Reading/ book love - 3 (no surprises there)</span></h3><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;">Poetry - 2 </span></h3><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;">Book club retreats - 2 </span></h3><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;">Memories of childhood - 1 </span></h3><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;">Adventure with a friend - 1</span></h3><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;">Classroom whistlers - 1</span></h3><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;">Padlet creations - 1</span></h3><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;">RSVP to a fellow slicer - 1 </span></h3><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;">If you'd like to read one of my more humorous slices about teaching, check out "<span style="color: black;">A white flag slice"</span> from ten years ago in <a href="https://pleasuresfromthepage.blogspot.com/2014/03/solsc-15-surrendering-to-joy.html">Surrendering to Joy</a>. It's just a paragraph long, but captures a joyful interlude from my classroom.<br /></span></h3>Ramonahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15929914252480696798noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-887210982915389572.post-89707839679055785702024-03-14T14:06:00.008-04:002024-03-14T14:37:18.669-04:00SOL 14/31: She took me in!<p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">On my second day in Seattle, I was exposed to Covid. We visited in someone's home for approximately two hours and she tested positive that evening. Suddenly all my plans took a nose dive. I did not want to stay with my friend who had a sore throat and cough. I did not want to stay with my friend who is leaving for Italy and a cruise right after our retreat. I did not want to expose her to the possibility that I might test positive down the road. Planned get-togethers with friends were cancelled. I think I would have just thrown in the towel and headed back home except that I have an appointment with my audiologist tomorrow morning. Oh, the challenges of our post pandemic world and the challenges of navigating medical challenges after a move.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span>In the middle of this quandary, I decided to call my friend, Nancy, who had Covid in January. She opened her door to me with no hesitation whatsoever. I've been here for five nights and if all goes well, I'll test negative again (no symptoms whatsoever) tomorrow morning. I'll go to my 7 am audiologist appointment and then head for the mountains for our annual book club retreat (some of us have been together for twenty-six years).</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span>But I'm getting ahead of myself here. I wanted to write about the fun Nancy and I have shared for the past few days. We've been friends for twenty-seven years. She worked with me at the middle school. We've served together in organizations at church. She's the "chocolate queen" who coordinated our mass group ordering of Ghiradelli chocolate each fall. She was part of our foursome group of friends who traveled to Italy in 2019. She's stayed in touch despite my move across the country last summer. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span>We've talked, enjoyed meals together, talked, shopped, talked, watched the Academy Awards, talked, watched movies, talked, played games (Five Crowns and a new-to-me version of Rummikub with tiles played horizontally AND vertically), talked, taken walks, had late night heart-to-heart chats, and risen in the morning for more talking. She's waited patiently while I've written blog posts, commented on slices, and spent time reading the book we'll be discussing on Friday night. <br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span>I'll wind up this post with a gigantic thank you to my friend, Nancy, who took me in and made this visit unforgettable in spite of my Covid exposure. We all need friends and Nancy's one of the good ones, a definite keeper, a talker just like me!</span></span><br /></p>Ramonahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15929914252480696798noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-887210982915389572.post-41892847591972465252024-03-13T18:18:00.003-04:002024-03-13T18:21:11.230-04:00SOL 13/31: Chasing Springtime!<p style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">walking for spring blooms</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">pink, purple, yellow, blue skies</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">blissful blessedness <br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU1dbWWhFiD-1KeoJGRpEWv5ZMycwyPn0Y42Z7IrbrDUs6gNLDb8CwwlbKeSBTSXejBHueVzf8C9fhGFIi5IcKX8Iu1Pjhxoy-XPb2AWWicDzRYhEv1ftHUiikBepn93UpPOAmg6h3sJuSlECgGf4QXhVFTfGI4YZ-dOrYxQF3Yjs_chQQlu4xpnsiy6R4/s3516/IMG_2999.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3516" data-original-width="2822" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU1dbWWhFiD-1KeoJGRpEWv5ZMycwyPn0Y42Z7IrbrDUs6gNLDb8CwwlbKeSBTSXejBHueVzf8C9fhGFIi5IcKX8Iu1Pjhxoy-XPb2AWWicDzRYhEv1ftHUiikBepn93UpPOAmg6h3sJuSlECgGf4QXhVFTfGI4YZ-dOrYxQF3Yjs_chQQlu4xpnsiy6R4/s320/IMG_2999.jpeg" width="257" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivs57kDa1D_LkUoqJmM-I8RQYffTvwwxAM95zVfs-yuiKPpeqS6qjmbZU0Z4o3CaaAoA2MpmSnGzBW6U5mn_eI8QZgq19fWe0HgtRScCU9DoDxzJ__6jHQ2Z5PdOre50Gs_cUXMr_jCJhwdga8zdYMC7e_ovX_WDlKtJFhC2NyszWEIcvIpA0LumatRhVD/s4032/IMG_2997.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivs57kDa1D_LkUoqJmM-I8RQYffTvwwxAM95zVfs-yuiKPpeqS6qjmbZU0Z4o3CaaAoA2MpmSnGzBW6U5mn_eI8QZgq19fWe0HgtRScCU9DoDxzJ__6jHQ2Z5PdOre50Gs_cUXMr_jCJhwdga8zdYMC7e_ovX_WDlKtJFhC2NyszWEIcvIpA0LumatRhVD/s320/IMG_2997.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVyKQ9zKo4hWcKPkCo2cqjGMUXn1HWlj1zy1atKPZyqGzeqKSZx2YNydXt5oz-z_bd3NTPQySNyJZYrTnpinlX5VgNeCmbytebi2GcOHpea-z5FirkTqepuvDzUGS6B60ejfP4NV1snMgZMZxpEZhCoIJtaN_b4T3B3OBbr-90PlvUb4ED7XGDO2joWnck/s3224/IMG_2996.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3224" data-original-width="2827" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVyKQ9zKo4hWcKPkCo2cqjGMUXn1HWlj1zy1atKPZyqGzeqKSZx2YNydXt5oz-z_bd3NTPQySNyJZYrTnpinlX5VgNeCmbytebi2GcOHpea-z5FirkTqepuvDzUGS6B60ejfP4NV1snMgZMZxpEZhCoIJtaN_b4T3B3OBbr-90PlvUb4ED7XGDO2joWnck/s320/IMG_2996.jpeg" width="281" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRkAaamsobpQaMTJlC8MAOu_pT-_ZLvn6QdMr_C9BcHyg7qJM1HiFPLUlZ2Qam9J7-4emOnSSNRMtNyXmFBDR5TgYPCDEwaYEppCWhJ3W6bjuxcJ0jn1A1jwkclxFrPTo7QC4KKjTJGuYxCOBQmXCAVuly-sVZSOsI1mxHkLHVd8dSgJNgSWyyTSKYEv4N/s2074/IMG_2995.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1578" data-original-width="2074" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRkAaamsobpQaMTJlC8MAOu_pT-_ZLvn6QdMr_C9BcHyg7qJM1HiFPLUlZ2Qam9J7-4emOnSSNRMtNyXmFBDR5TgYPCDEwaYEppCWhJ3W6bjuxcJ0jn1A1jwkclxFrPTo7QC4KKjTJGuYxCOBQmXCAVuly-sVZSOsI1mxHkLHVd8dSgJNgSWyyTSKYEv4N/s320/IMG_2995.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div></div></span><p></p>
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{page:WordSection1;}</style></p>Ramonahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15929914252480696798noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-887210982915389572.post-24804765178475351422024-03-12T22:24:00.002-04:002024-03-12T22:36:41.261-04:00SOL 12/31: Have-To Stops in My Old Stomping Grounds<p><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I asked my friend to pull into my old home's driveway, so I could see the house we lived in for twenty-five years before moving away the summer of 2022. The driveway was filled with two large panel trucks, so we had to back out, past the rock wall that my friend scraped her new car on in the fall of 2020!</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;">We drove past other homes that are no longer inhabited by friends we once knew who have also moved away.</span></span><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> <br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;">We drove past the school where I taught for nine years. Still planning to pop by and say hello to a few friends who are still there from when I retired nine years ago.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;">We stopped by (or called) three friends' houses to drop off some of my pumpkin chocolate chip bread. No one was home or answered our calls. The bread's in the freezer. I'll take it to the book club retreat this weekend. The friend I'm staying with used to love this bread, but she's now gluten free. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I asked for a drive down Island Crest Way to see the daffodils.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;">We drove by the local library, but didn't stop in. </span></span><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I picked up bagels at my favorite bagel shop. <br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I did two loops around Mercerdale Park with another friend. It was very windy!</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The best stop today was in a shop I frequented for 25 years. The current owner had students in our school system back in the day. While there were several employees on the premises, I was desirous of the services of one specific person. The checkout counter had chocolates crafted by the mom of a former student. Can you guess where I was? Au Courant for a haircut from my favorite hairdresser. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;">We stopped by Home Goods where we perused almost every aisle, but bought nothing.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;">We made a stop at Trader Joe's.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjflriScMMnFwBYfCrg4Lj_bJBXK0kTeXl3MYvD3GkkkS8r0418tQiGS5IrIqwzuiRdCKDPCA72y0Km_Iqa-vQ-4QB07sYNJ8418hLwd-mlKQinyGzrvB36EAh7VkhDxYIsymQfNmt7sfDNEsY09N7Iv2U2sI4NtW0EQKhmz6cYKim6s_jgc3BZoY7TbFtj/s3088/IMG_2980.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3088" data-original-width="2316" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjflriScMMnFwBYfCrg4Lj_bJBXK0kTeXl3MYvD3GkkkS8r0418tQiGS5IrIqwzuiRdCKDPCA72y0Km_Iqa-vQ-4QB07sYNJ8418hLwd-mlKQinyGzrvB36EAh7VkhDxYIsymQfNmt7sfDNEsY09N7Iv2U2sI4NtW0EQKhmz6cYKim6s_jgc3BZoY7TbFtj/s320/IMG_2980.HEIC" width="240" /></a></span></span></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;">We went to Bellevue Square and did a bit of shopping. I purchased several tops with the encouragement of a certain friend.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;">We
visited Din Tai Fong for an early dinner. Since I was with my gluten
free friend, I had to eat all ten of the beautifully crafted Xia Long
Bao. They are rather small.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;">And now my friend is waiting for me to finish this post so we can play games. Last night she walloped me in a game of Five Crowns. Tonight, we're playing Rummikub. Cross your fingers I'm the lucky one tonight!</span></span></p><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span><span><span><span style="font-size: medium;">This is my thirteenth year to participate in the March Slice of Life. <span><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><span><span style="color: black;"><span>Thank
you Two Writing Teachers for creating this challenge and providing the
space and support for us year after year. And thanks to this magnificent
community for sharing stories with me and encouraging my writing life.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></h3><p></p>Ramonahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15929914252480696798noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-887210982915389572.post-23038320440441039792024-03-11T22:44:00.003-04:002024-03-11T22:45:45.982-04:00SOL 11/31: Dinner and a Bookstore<p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">When I arranged to meet Mimi one evening during Roots Tech, I asked if we could do dinner and a bookstore. Dinner was delicious, but the high point of the evening was definitely the stop at Weller Book Works, a bookshop established in 1929 with rare, used, and new books. When my friend picked me up for dinner, she mentioned that The King's English Bookshop (our first choice) closed at 6 pm. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Weller Book Works was a wonderful place to amble and suggest books to each other. I love going to bookstores with fellow bibliophiles. Just wandering the aisles is a great way to share books you've loved. One book she recommended was <i>Wallace the Brave </i>by Will Henry, for fans of Calvin and Hobbes and classic comics from the past. We didn't see it, so I recorded it in the Notes on my phone. I snapped pics of several other books to remind me to request them from the library. I'm not sure if they were all recommended by Mimi or if they just appealed to me. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"> </span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2525" data-original-width="1682" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSM9PfPZeVnFgck66MealsJfJmMvdlHKUvbnDKHqpt8jNmYGo3xu8f2hkxuCCUXPmCU3n_CU4Juqso7hXl53ltwid879OB3D5w4lDZYxw60LFIZBvG0l4UAmV4LpRDs3FRfVzBpX5lcU-7In2qEzj3WScpiE6RPOTliltw0DcGQS-DyP2-BjOGIEMMP8RW/s320/IMG_2700.jpeg" width="213" /></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRs3VDW0RnKFve_wFYLdAlP7NBLp3Lp002WnTUF1e2X1kYWLaqQeq70dYIP5vsYtcxjhbP4QWLBEy2RIfo9Sh6L8_Uo2pYEu7p9_dc1cxEo7vLZQcf9frTl-EEhRAmd0GfyZeAwXVEN17qg4JdINugtuE6JmNcvXOU7dfUjERtn_qoygC6pCDXUnJhoaYX/s4032/IMG_2703.jpeg" style="font-family: times; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRs3VDW0RnKFve_wFYLdAlP7NBLp3Lp002WnTUF1e2X1kYWLaqQeq70dYIP5vsYtcxjhbP4QWLBEy2RIfo9Sh6L8_Uo2pYEu7p9_dc1cxEo7vLZQcf9frTl-EEhRAmd0GfyZeAwXVEN17qg4JdINugtuE6JmNcvXOU7dfUjERtn_qoygC6pCDXUnJhoaYX/s320/IMG_2703.jpeg" width="240" /></a></span></div><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdAaZ19IAcl878oqd9Wo_dMU59QhoD1XCanboJczEd4g7RS7dDc3crcof-tzSD0ct5TCTtWXiYgKU28r3CEGuG0Rs9vcVeS5n_bP-pSPI91qdT6BZmCcqkxtupm5wptPDUX0uAUzaqIqgTt8qZt5H8W7wT6GpiTjwEFT-1pSTXHGoin_JHgak6kKmLFRTK/s2619/IMG_2701.jpeg" style="clear: right; float: right; font-family: times; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2322" data-original-width="2619" height="284" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdAaZ19IAcl878oqd9Wo_dMU59QhoD1XCanboJczEd4g7RS7dDc3crcof-tzSD0ct5TCTtWXiYgKU28r3CEGuG0Rs9vcVeS5n_bP-pSPI91qdT6BZmCcqkxtupm5wptPDUX0uAUzaqIqgTt8qZt5H8W7wT6GpiTjwEFT-1pSTXHGoin_JHgak6kKmLFRTK/s320/IMG_2701.jpeg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"> </span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSM9PfPZeVnFgck66MealsJfJmMvdlHKUvbnDKHqpt8jNmYGo3xu8f2hkxuCCUXPmCU3n_CU4Juqso7hXl53ltwid879OB3D5w4lDZYxw60LFIZBvG0l4UAmV4LpRDs3FRfVzBpX5lcU-7In2qEzj3WScpiE6RPOTliltw0DcGQS-DyP2-BjOGIEMMP8RW/s2525/IMG_2700.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgImLxHtYqpzn-sMOz4yl0NpXfjLCkM7AhlExJiODHIu8Mg1JhrN4VxZskZoClO1oPtnXzLinN7K8e1aXs_FIBRjp6z8QrZLQC9wq45HSA8hwOYqKnYLzqQot8tluWdo-O2CC60CbAaCKBRUAngr8ooJ8O-T6pU8TuTfEHBO7dv5TK0cIK-Uvimb2KllqBf/s2451/IMG_2702.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2451" data-original-width="1741" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgImLxHtYqpzn-sMOz4yl0NpXfjLCkM7AhlExJiODHIu8Mg1JhrN4VxZskZoClO1oPtnXzLinN7K8e1aXs_FIBRjp6z8QrZLQC9wq45HSA8hwOYqKnYLzqQot8tluWdo-O2CC60CbAaCKBRUAngr8ooJ8O-T6pU8TuTfEHBO7dv5TK0cIK-Uvimb2KllqBf/s320/IMG_2702.jpeg" width="227" /></a></div></span></div><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Mimi is the daughter of a friend, but I love seeing her when I'm in Utah. She loves books, is currently writing a young adult novel and shares books on an Instagram account. She's also a member of a long-standing book club. We snapped this pic of us in the bookstore to send to her mom.</span><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdZdyAgf0uMWAVuCWcC3my6BC7juM0_cipOOmDCXsv2z9sOYWbCEt6lV4b0-QBeNXVSNsL5UzjTS2lT3N5wvQF_bgjtS_1qf0krYYmVj2d4k8VOEFf31csOtSQXBjf_uynyO3LwTs8ETmsN98R85fw-8kca5dZ5s3NVbsqoa6TKcIBW7oRhQRXhjfpQTig/s3088/IMG_4970.jpeg" style="font-family: times; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3088" data-original-width="1737" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdZdyAgf0uMWAVuCWcC3my6BC7juM0_cipOOmDCXsv2z9sOYWbCEt6lV4b0-QBeNXVSNsL5UzjTS2lT3N5wvQF_bgjtS_1qf0krYYmVj2d4k8VOEFf31csOtSQXBjf_uynyO3LwTs8ETmsN98R85fw-8kca5dZ5s3NVbsqoa6TKcIBW7oRhQRXhjfpQTig/s320/IMG_4970.jpeg" width="180" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"></span><p></p>Ramonahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15929914252480696798noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-887210982915389572.post-78288241615278170322024-03-10T22:30:00.003-04:002024-03-11T20:58:51.293-04:00SOL 10/31: Seattle Getaway <p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;">Day1: Smooth plane ride bodes well for my first trip back to Seattle after moving to NC</span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;">Day 2: Covid
exposure</span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;"> </span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;">Day 3: Friend and I visit Island Books, Terra Bella, & her local library where I score a copy of The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store (928 holds on 206 copies) from the Ready Reads shelf!<br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;">Day 4: </span><span style="font-family: times;">Power outage at friend's
place (and she's not there), but reachable by phone with sure knowledge of
location of two flashlights</span><span style="font-family: times;"> </span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;">Day 5: </span><span style="font-family: times;">Return ride to friend's place
forgets me after Sunday morning service. No worries, my host comes to the rescue! </span></span></p><p align="center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;">Tomorrow will be better, right?</span></span></p><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span><span><span style="font-size: medium;">This is my thirteenth year to participate in the March Slice of Life. <span><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><span><span style="color: black;"><span>Thank
you Two Writing Teachers for creating this challenge and providing the
space and support for us year after year. And thanks to this magnificent
community for sharing stories with me and encouraging my writing life.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></h3><p align="center" style="text-align: center;"></p>
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{page:WordSection1;}</style>Ramonahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15929914252480696798noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-887210982915389572.post-18450833540477156912024-03-09T11:14:00.003-05:002024-03-09T11:25:11.589-05:00SOL 9/31: Why I Slice<p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">1. To enjoy friends from all over the world</span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">2. To expand my world view</span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">3. To uncover new poets, authors, books, music, podcasts, and so much more<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">4. To explore my favorite passions: </span><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">books, bookstores, libraries, grand kids, </span><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">cookies, cats, poetry, ... (to name a few)</span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">5. To expose myself to the passions of other people</span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">6. To connect with the world of education</span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">7. To laugh more</span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">8. To be inspired in my writing journey </span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">9. To bond with online friends</span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">This is my first draft list (I may have tweaked a verb or two), in the order that I thought of them. There are many more reasons why I participate in this community, but I limited myself to nine in honor of this ninth day of March. Heartfelt gratitude to each of you, my fellow slicers! </span></p><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; position: relative; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;">This is my thirteenth year to participate in the March Slice of Life. <span style="color: #2b00fe;"><span style="color: black;">Thank
you Two Writing Teachers for creating this challenge and providing the
space and support for us year after year. And thanks to this magnificent
community for sharing stories with me and encouraging my writing life. </span></span></span><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></span></span></span></h3><p></p>Ramonahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15929914252480696798noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-887210982915389572.post-41220684260155665822024-03-08T12:54:00.010-05:002024-03-15T04:08:08.112-04:00SOL 8/31 and Poetry Friday: Celebrating Friends<p><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I</span><span style="font-size: medium;"> had fun creating a ten-line poem, one syllable per line ascending to ten syllables to capture yesterday's Three Rees (Three Retirees) gathering. The Three Rees are composed of three friends who used to work together in our middle school and vowed to stay friends. Once all three of us retired, we made sure to gather often. We even had pandemic gatherings outside and once in a covered parking garage during inclement winter weather so we could safely distance from each other. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">After my move to North Carolina, we've stayed in touch via frequent phone and Zoom calls. Yesterday's in-person gathering was delightful! There's nothing quite as soul-sustaining as hugging and chatting in-person.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">The </span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">three Rees</span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">together</span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">again after</span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">seven months apart,</span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">meet friend's grand niece, Iris.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Two-and-a-half-year old charms, </span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">excites, entertains our trio.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Next stop - lunch, laughter, chitter-chatter,</span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">joyful scrapbook moments, treasured friendship.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Glad to offer up this etheree as my slice of life and my contribution to Poetry Friday. </span><span class="ILfuVd" lang="en" style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span class="hgKElc">The poetry form, Etheree, consists of 10 lines of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 syllables. Etheree can also be reversed and written 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. </span></span></p><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-5933694962210736643" itemprop="description articleBody" style="background-color: white; color: #363e41; line-height: 1.4; position: relative; width: 520px;"><div><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; position: relative; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">This is my thirteenth year to participate in the March Slice of Life. <span style="color: #2b00fe;"><span style="color: black;">Thank you Two Writing Teachers for creating this challenge and providing the space and support for us year after year. And thanks to this magnificent community for sharing stories with me and encouraging my writing life. </span></span></span></h3><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; position: relative; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSN7IOZsddDMuMfl5Lv5wpFnvsEz4g7DCnN7WkqVRv8y0K6x-NuHYw4dbQ9MhvLbD-Td3on_QtPgT4jVMu2PwGQDEBoWWZWheYF4KkEBa_TJBCibVoWajd1mz26uNnZGOjg0TF_JtCkaeC4vW_BgG-jBNwjp24e9olnMujwG0_oZDPvNXWToA9TDpsk1LS/s200/Poetry+Friday.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSN7IOZsddDMuMfl5Lv5wpFnvsEz4g7DCnN7WkqVRv8y0K6x-NuHYw4dbQ9MhvLbD-Td3on_QtPgT4jVMu2PwGQDEBoWWZWheYF4KkEBa_TJBCibVoWajd1mz26uNnZGOjg0TF_JtCkaeC4vW_BgG-jBNwjp24e9olnMujwG0_oZDPvNXWToA9TDpsk1LS/s1600/Poetry+Friday.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Happy to let this post do dual duty for Slice of Life and Poetry Friday. I've been an infrequent visitor to Poetry Friday lately. <a href="https://laurasalas.com/poems-for-teachers/poetry-friday-is-here-and-so-is-oskar/" style="text-align: left;">Laura Purdie Salas</a><span style="color: black; text-align: left;"> is hosting our round-up of poetic goodness this week. Check out her post where she shares her newest book, <i>Oskar's Journey</i>, and its transformation from prose to rhyme. </span></span></h3></div></div><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"></span></p>Ramonahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15929914252480696798noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-887210982915389572.post-7320995273494843702024-03-07T00:38:00.022-05:002024-03-07T08:33:15.346-05:00SOL 7/31 and SJT: Gathering Goodness<p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">I'm hosting our Spiritual Journey Thursday this week. My OLW for 2024 is gather. I chose <b>gathering goodness </b>as my theme for this month's SJT post<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">I gather goodness when I allow myself to revel in the beauty of the natural world. Here are just a few photos I've taken recently that remind me that God is good and the world in which we live speaks of that goodness.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Early springtime in North Carolina (pics taken in February)<br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjJKGCX7eQtuwLcIgOq5ONFEmtFiJbzPSe-PCLWbfFqF_Xuk7xVbTjr-yW6pU4pHWTB8t7aca2vsqZNBN2wwRqGsOXdP33Lkk8JE7Wwiwbdjy1_L06havIvgxgOsdU3kAzF8lAU8h3B3-BeU8ZAJhyphenhyphenkgSkxymVA4JJwWVPGx6bsKUrBXQ-amIcQYTlXrs9/s4032/IMG_2549.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjJKGCX7eQtuwLcIgOq5ONFEmtFiJbzPSe-PCLWbfFqF_Xuk7xVbTjr-yW6pU4pHWTB8t7aca2vsqZNBN2wwRqGsOXdP33Lkk8JE7Wwiwbdjy1_L06havIvgxgOsdU3kAzF8lAU8h3B3-BeU8ZAJhyphenhyphenkgSkxymVA4JJwWVPGx6bsKUrBXQ-amIcQYTlXrs9/s320/IMG_2549.jpeg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"></span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiciFUrN1VM8r2Wjfwtnu4I-vb20y7WiE-SytMpVMdGbH6wmSuX45o1kgbJRSQyfKNea6beh19LJctweRiz03IWmfcnFSMZehjxhxP1ocMpGVdIJWA_wfz3jpX39_aSI9PmlF04gvKml25yTA7FIMj8uNjoHB90BEn-ZobOjzTDkKL8Xl_k4X947lN4B0F4/s4032/IMG_2634.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiciFUrN1VM8r2Wjfwtnu4I-vb20y7WiE-SytMpVMdGbH6wmSuX45o1kgbJRSQyfKNea6beh19LJctweRiz03IWmfcnFSMZehjxhxP1ocMpGVdIJWA_wfz3jpX39_aSI9PmlF04gvKml25yTA7FIMj8uNjoHB90BEn-ZobOjzTDkKL8Xl_k4X947lN4B0F4/s320/IMG_2634.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"></span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT2-P8kLfOh5oWTN3FHeYub0J42HdwAfYtWuaZnQMIJT4XA9CPncIvbI34JrbBAgyV9tYgAIx0yMjh1yiYrXFjjbazbScPwTnedWEbmShQ_6Uxwg7R0hQW8h2jffg82T7JVn0BSJCm64TW8CVwN8zw_kknFl1GKJtQOtIwBP0TRU6IfnpFVWDgUZendTFk/s3024/IMG_2632.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2896" data-original-width="3024" height="306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT2-P8kLfOh5oWTN3FHeYub0J42HdwAfYtWuaZnQMIJT4XA9CPncIvbI34JrbBAgyV9tYgAIx0yMjh1yiYrXFjjbazbScPwTnedWEbmShQ_6Uxwg7R0hQW8h2jffg82T7JVn0BSJCm64TW8CVwN8zw_kknFl1GKJtQOtIwBP0TRU6IfnpFVWDgUZendTFk/s320/IMG_2632.jpeg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"></span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">I especially enjoyed 5 inches of snow while visiting Utah since we haven't had any snow this winter in North Carolina. It's a beautiful way to clothe our world in white!</span><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyoaid014YzL8S6Ehwm9N8vW0ylpIEnE_mY57rbCmNm_KyOFYTHPqFxcDDd67Hzuc8X7K6A-LrnyrsitQk1UB5Vsj3-6HH7fxCAZQrQDlQLGp9sJZmOpNx0tacq9pcr1Bwgzu897nVgiELWF71_tsJTTgZqaYSsnTxjmr_JnCKJeanI6PZfnhPo2xf1Mv5/s4032/IMG_2767.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyoaid014YzL8S6Ehwm9N8vW0ylpIEnE_mY57rbCmNm_KyOFYTHPqFxcDDd67Hzuc8X7K6A-LrnyrsitQk1UB5Vsj3-6HH7fxCAZQrQDlQLGp9sJZmOpNx0tacq9pcr1Bwgzu897nVgiELWF71_tsJTTgZqaYSsnTxjmr_JnCKJeanI6PZfnhPo2xf1Mv5/s320/IMG_2767.jpeg" width="240" /></a></span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Spending time with family and friends is another way to gather goodness. My Utah visit included time with these grands.<br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"> </span><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw5u09KBvqjIZsuaK_MLRgjUovFghuasgmEds8WQYdyeEx4LoqSKrAg5pDnCipaNirtoM4QrVZaw8qadyyxqrZrXA2KvgR8kFdR3oOTlOEDES1Ssechrv4p4B5U-uoJDd3enMvnmUWQsH755T708-9_R7_6ShBFObLx1atcQgWZiXn_qDbZeyhxPVZY_-E/s4032/IMG_2897.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw5u09KBvqjIZsuaK_MLRgjUovFghuasgmEds8WQYdyeEx4LoqSKrAg5pDnCipaNirtoM4QrVZaw8qadyyxqrZrXA2KvgR8kFdR3oOTlOEDES1Ssechrv4p4B5U-uoJDd3enMvnmUWQsH755T708-9_R7_6ShBFObLx1atcQgWZiXn_qDbZeyhxPVZY_-E/s320/IMG_2897.jpeg" width="240" /> </a><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"> Here are the grand boys who live near us in North Carolina </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">with their mom (our daughter), Sara.<br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgThl9ZA784ximsIaE_uA9WhVD0uLLKr3aQoQ7h2kukEP2mjnSL59DfTChiFeikK0Ti5qGrbs9d5AtOknQQlBybLDjPiVSklvrMkP-zds-Tol2eL35RVPMfLW4KsbACC2r2-Nnwkx_FQUPTbFUnIF5qCQO-k4J2WUdIg_TCTFXZf99YioRXeNEQ9tE46Xhi/s2970/IMG_0405%203.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2970" data-original-width="2289" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgThl9ZA784ximsIaE_uA9WhVD0uLLKr3aQoQ7h2kukEP2mjnSL59DfTChiFeikK0Ti5qGrbs9d5AtOknQQlBybLDjPiVSklvrMkP-zds-Tol2eL35RVPMfLW4KsbACC2r2-Nnwkx_FQUPTbFUnIF5qCQO-k4J2WUdIg_TCTFXZf99YioRXeNEQ9tE46Xhi/s320/IMG_0405%203.jpeg" width="247" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">I attended the Roots Tech conference in Salt Lake City where I </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">marinated in the goodness of family history and genealogical research </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">and enjoyed meeting other attendees.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5w10ErteMTzkspnQONwBwuWGwVtG1TbRLZ301S7B28HcKlchQ8o2mPOWsmRPkSztwCGE_1unGfEjDkOcL8xvCcpiTGvLYJ6xgPs_XsJXj6d9txOoljgOGjCDb0Sn4weZFv07TfFE5dMcpCVTzDc4g2vYEItQTOZvNfQfuNlirijtr-EODrE2bWqx_YZXc/s2649/IMG_2691%203.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2186" data-original-width="2649" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5w10ErteMTzkspnQONwBwuWGwVtG1TbRLZ301S7B28HcKlchQ8o2mPOWsmRPkSztwCGE_1unGfEjDkOcL8xvCcpiTGvLYJ6xgPs_XsJXj6d9txOoljgOGjCDb0Sn4weZFv07TfFE5dMcpCVTzDc4g2vYEItQTOZvNfQfuNlirijtr-EODrE2bWqx_YZXc/s320/IMG_2691%203.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4-X7wrs-_ystKhXPtg7tUiFCVnawFYHOOoCtjhpms-05u8o7293MKCRw8BHCdja7Mn17cWC0LAABOEODS-zB4EAnKWRzkdkJUktaUQiLgJSvaSxH2dFhdQSczNQ8e3_OR6uheCgu8pOonHx93eGE6wqVcd0bcJsCxh4LmTO4JFNmQ6jYwFkhJuCnTFdxV/s4032/IMG_2696.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4-X7wrs-_ystKhXPtg7tUiFCVnawFYHOOoCtjhpms-05u8o7293MKCRw8BHCdja7Mn17cWC0LAABOEODS-zB4EAnKWRzkdkJUktaUQiLgJSvaSxH2dFhdQSczNQ8e3_OR6uheCgu8pOonHx93eGE6wqVcd0bcJsCxh4LmTO4JFNmQ6jYwFkhJuCnTFdxV/s320/IMG_2696.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">I managed to connect with three different friends while attending Roots Tech. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Life is good, especially when shared with a friend.</span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvYOzg8NXDcYMbTiPp8AYR9ZJSc-M0QeUleckOhdlHU-LOZ9kWvVyOyfOiQoz6dJsy_MBTyDPD5A2M0OjoWW2ugbZhwMVj3k6etBXY446NeUlf4hsEj7HYWd82ZWBI2Zp90dGkF9sC15iLvyhni_DILcDgXrgbHW_ZlRy_J9Rmj93iJm1yAvJKRW2deyjj/s3088/IMG_7834.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3088" data-original-width="2316" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvYOzg8NXDcYMbTiPp8AYR9ZJSc-M0QeUleckOhdlHU-LOZ9kWvVyOyfOiQoz6dJsy_MBTyDPD5A2M0OjoWW2ugbZhwMVj3k6etBXY446NeUlf4hsEj7HYWd82ZWBI2Zp90dGkF9sC15iLvyhni_DILcDgXrgbHW_ZlRy_J9Rmj93iJm1yAvJKRW2deyjj/w150-h200/IMG_7834.jpeg" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNuQKNosDr3Qh6YPrmEnSkw7VMLibM66is_LRc9soRtVjtF8pMdRI6LLUEOL_tPqsjfHQxck8MzzJWY4NxAiwp-fVhWBkRVr9IIrDQySRW9NVzMRFaUD69_wicslbN8-ov7nAlzQAG1dIvXrq1D6aHt0YD4Iol6pjMgG_pkPAZ1m4whJX6PiYth8QggK9l/s3088/IMG_4970%202.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3088" data-original-width="1737" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNuQKNosDr3Qh6YPrmEnSkw7VMLibM66is_LRc9soRtVjtF8pMdRI6LLUEOL_tPqsjfHQxck8MzzJWY4NxAiwp-fVhWBkRVr9IIrDQySRW9NVzMRFaUD69_wicslbN8-ov7nAlzQAG1dIvXrq1D6aHt0YD4Iol6pjMgG_pkPAZ1m4whJX6PiYth8QggK9l/w113-h200/IMG_4970%202.jpeg" width="113" /></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoAkwCe0y7bYIZsjOSdRnssW5XtDXcddohdkmRO8tlizvv-jrNlUx2MnS928gIgq4kolUqFxvR6AccwL9ftII24Vn-IP2dL-51Q4hnt0rrca8zl-tqy3hnxDe6sak_Eir9ezF_-uk6buD37m_uOAfH4C1_eMBB0eyDEEiyiUDy5Ss7c-4dfOmmzoRTM3hh/s4032/IMG_7586%202.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoAkwCe0y7bYIZsjOSdRnssW5XtDXcddohdkmRO8tlizvv-jrNlUx2MnS928gIgq4kolUqFxvR6AccwL9ftII24Vn-IP2dL-51Q4hnt0rrca8zl-tqy3hnxDe6sak_Eir9ezF_-uk6buD37m_uOAfH4C1_eMBB0eyDEEiyiUDy5Ss7c-4dfOmmzoRTM3hh/w200-h150/IMG_7586%202.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div></div></div></span></div><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">These two photos were taken from the plane on Wednesday. More snaps of God's glorious world. Mount Rainier and Mercer Island, where I used to live. This is my first visit
back since our move last summer. </span><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDaSN50sfVceWZ-H2UNF_2iZ3g-6f3Tha65MC0ov4HaCYMUFHSYgPREbRWh-5N-xSYtRF55qjaVCREKe3hNUuAJIqW2ErrK0l1ywT2ycN0hiEQZiFm_n5u9TxnM2oO7iNTufY-Nt_X2CxvW4fjm0SvufhxPcFgJ4GJ5h4chGtU4KKUjd6LiceHanclG3Vw/s4032/IMG_2927.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDaSN50sfVceWZ-H2UNF_2iZ3g-6f3Tha65MC0ov4HaCYMUFHSYgPREbRWh-5N-xSYtRF55qjaVCREKe3hNUuAJIqW2ErrK0l1ywT2ycN0hiEQZiFm_n5u9TxnM2oO7iNTufY-Nt_X2CxvW4fjm0SvufhxPcFgJ4GJ5h4chGtU4KKUjd6LiceHanclG3Vw/w200-h150/IMG_2927.jpeg" width="200" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBZe96-0TWPY2s-qpN4zTebeg0M5tjd822yKq_1t6Nd9SESIXPXaRYTG9TPm05CmieZRFxeVl-5Zx2cnGGB9XWiqC1twZNjuliaI_49_1VrBXBuHkF5lTA6gYgAAiFoPvOzeZrv_bikOGd4B35dYgQBC7KNzmj9RmJB3XssvHXjV7OHcBHBE2_bBFeQDLO/w200-h150/IMG_2932.jpeg" width="200" /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">I like to listen to inspiring podcasts. Here are a few favorites: </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Everything Happens with Kate Bowler</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Kelly Corrigan Wonders</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Magnify</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">The Next Right Thing </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">I'm currently reading <i>Good Enough:40ish Devotionals for a Life of Imperfection </i>by Kate Bowler and Jessica Richie. According to my schedule, I should be on Chapter 22 today. Instead, I'm on Chapter 19. That's okay! </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">If I don't finish the book by Easter, I count my ongoing effort as good enough. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">I'm embracing imperfection and moving forward </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">although my pace may be somewhat slower than I had planned.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">How do you gather goodness? </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEineZ0k5Wp_8M4wl9Cyv8jZhyphenhyphendM1KtYM4S5GcM7Es4dDfJwTBW69Ix8MaqIuF6LH1dhZBHdQHiDwDsnLH3gZku9UifSWul97_T0Tdf_Wj0b6HIp-STht7zKifsFqmTx_CAYdzdhNsAHlxyAncBg_UozCqFrNy1fMMxsvAgyiN13fWIQtSZqvIEJqOlQPd2S/w200-h200/spiritual%20journey%202024.png" width="200" /><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span><span><span><span>It's Spiritual Journey Thursday, an open gathering for bloggers who write monthly about our spiritual journeys.</span></span></span></span><span><span> I am hosting this month with the theme of Gathering Goodness</span></span></span><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span><span> SJT friends, click <a href="https://fresh.inlinkz.com/p/2441f081179f4f73b5902f745492c16a">here</a> to add your link.</span></span></span><br /></div><p></p>Ramonahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15929914252480696798noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-887210982915389572.post-59336949622107366432024-03-06T15:09:00.002-05:002024-03-06T15:09:28.579-05:00SOL 6/31: Haiku for a Small Delight<p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Sometimes it's the little things that kick-start your day and lead to delight. </span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Ample restroom stall</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">accommodates bags AND me</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">with room to spare. Bliss! </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Kudos to the Salt Lake airport for this early morning buzz. And when I landed in Seattle, a smaller accommodation, but at least the door opened outward. I like looking for things that make me happy!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span><span><span style="font-size: medium;">This is my thirteenth year to participate in the March Slice of Life. <span><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><span><span style="color: black;"><span>Thank
you Two Writing Teachers for creating this challenge and providing the
space and support for us year after year. And thanks to this magnificent
community for sharing stories with me and encouraging my writing life.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></h3></div>Ramonahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15929914252480696798noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-887210982915389572.post-77945724483945794202024-03-05T06:51:00.002-05:002024-03-05T07:00:07.465-05:00SOL 5/31: Sunday Humor from a Six-Year-Old<p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">We arrive for Sunday dinner at Grandma Barb's (my daughter-in-law's mom) with plenty of time for the grands to play and for the adults to visit while finishing dinner preparations. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">A certain seven-year-old is frustrated because he doesn't have his gloves and wants to play outside with the neighbor boy in the snow. He's supposed to always put his gloves in his coat pockets so they will be there when needed. He sulks outside the front door, refusing to come in., <br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Some time later the six-year-old neighbor boy shows up with gloves for our pouting seven-year-old. All the adults praise the child with some variation of, "Wasn't that kind of him to share his gloves so you could play in the snow?"</span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Aforementioned six-year-old neighbor child replies, "I had no choice because my mom said I had to." </span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Four adults struggle to keep straight faces. I reach for my phone to record his comment delivered with deadpan honesty and no indication whatsoever that what he said might be humorous.</span></p><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span><span>This is my thirteenth year to participate in the March Slice of Life. <span><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><span><span style="color: black;"><span>Thank
you Two Writing Teachers for creating this challenge and providing the
space and support for us year after year. And thanks to this magnificent
community for sharing stories with me and encouraging my writing life.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></h3><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"> </span></p>Ramonahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15929914252480696798noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-887210982915389572.post-16868740194674428912024-03-04T13:40:00.006-05:002024-03-04T22:31:01.742-05:00SOL 4/31: Kitchen Helpers Extraordinaire!<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: times;">Snapshot in time:</span></span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8WyJtQhhMdZf-eLw0ajgbkElwipp6jsYa22uPuhqA6j9aLMtKTYcgemTGI-xh4zxRSEzfAbi0bI2WvUyVJ_UTujcZpa4ga60uDm1OVZhP-RZQePDiqP2-s8p8mCsmXOSa3vP47JkXgoFaZAOeZ35GYFJ5ajS5TPK7RNeAEElOD8n4OAus3UNgRxjVOSnw/s4032/IMG_8791%202.jpeg" style="font-family: times; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8WyJtQhhMdZf-eLw0ajgbkElwipp6jsYa22uPuhqA6j9aLMtKTYcgemTGI-xh4zxRSEzfAbi0bI2WvUyVJ_UTujcZpa4ga60uDm1OVZhP-RZQePDiqP2-s8p8mCsmXOSa3vP47JkXgoFaZAOeZ35GYFJ5ajS5TPK7RNeAEElOD8n4OAus3UNgRxjVOSnw/s320/IMG_8791%202.jpeg" width="240" /></a><span style="font-family: times;"> </span></span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: times;"> </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: times;">Grand baking helpers</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: times;">measure, stir, combine </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: times;">dry with liquids,</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: times;">sprinkle chocolate treasures. <br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: times;">Helping Grandma bake<br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: times;">their favorite bread -<br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: times;">Pumpkin Chocolate Chip!</span></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: times;"></span></span><p></p><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name"><span><span style="font-family: times; font-weight: normal;"><span><span style="font-size: medium;">This is my thirteenth year to participate in the March Slice of Life. <span><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><span><span style="color: black;"><span>Thank
you Two Writing Teachers for creating this challenge and providing the
space and support for us year after year. And thanks to this magnificent
community for sharing stories with me and encouraging my writing life.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></h3><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p>Ramonahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15929914252480696798noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-887210982915389572.post-66062574148998696272024-03-03T16:30:00.007-05:002024-03-03T16:54:55.245-05:00SOL 3/31/2024: Saturday Wisdom from a Seven-Year-Old!<p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">In spite of a long line and extremely breezy conditions, Blake pulled up to a favorite spot for kolaches and began standing in line, a line that wound out the door and halfway across the parking lot. I stayed in the van with three of my grands: Teddy, Ruthie, and Lily.</span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;"> They had just picked me up from my hotel and Roots Tech 2024.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;">I got out of the van at one point to chat with the grands so I could see their faces, but both the girls have coughs and the wind swirling around us didn't seem to be good for them. So back I crawled into the front seat. We predicted how long it would take for their dad to get into the restaurant. Finally, he disappeared from Teddy's sight. Then we predicted how long it would take him to reach the counter, place the order, and return to the van. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;">We talked about Ruthie's preschool, Teddy's favorite subjects in first grade, and I was introduced to each grand's favorite stuffie. I decided to tell them about the "Three L's of Kindness" (Listen, Lift and Love) shared by an emcee from one of the general sessions at the conference. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;">As we discussed each "L", I asked Teddy what was meant by lift. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;">"Are we supposed to actually lift people, as in picking them up?" <br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;">Without hesitation, seven year old Teddy replied, "No, Grandma, you lift someone by lifting their spirits." Then we talked about scenarios when we could lift a friend.<br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;">Perhaps our world needs more wisdom from the mind and hearts of seven year olds!</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;">(By the way, the kolaches were yummy and worth the wait!)</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;">I am thrilled to be joining my slicing friends even though I missed the first two days. </span></span><br /></p>Ramonahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15929914252480696798noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-887210982915389572.post-853869493852187562024-02-06T14:13:00.006-05:002024-02-11T20:01:34.482-05:00Slice of Life: Blossoms!<p>
</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span>Two weeks ago we ventured to the park on a blustery January morning with grandson Ollie. On our return to the parking lot, a spot of yellow lifted my spirits. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span>I intended to write an elfchen, an 11 word poem. Then I discovered it's supposed to adhere to </span></span><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span>a specific structure. I didn't follow that structure, but my structure reminded me of a diamante poem. So I married the two forms. Meet my elfchante!<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span>Winter </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span>swirls brown<br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span> leaves. Yellow curtsies<br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span>to brown, harbinger of<br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span>spring. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"></span><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgISfivCwSVGiPjundtmNq883b0RxcVLgUSQkW9nbHNIH6g4POMOUSipYeQgcwcV5kcDD5bW6jC7iSNjq6uI1Mc2TLZMwKLfOMNbREyoryCX6-6zgT7FTNdTKN58Y6GgqPJ7um4fv2bgfelfI9g7unf1MZoRN-Y4u7drbClo851T9V5HLmMDV-LvpShJLMt/s1894/IMG_2487.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1619" data-original-width="1894" height="274" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgISfivCwSVGiPjundtmNq883b0RxcVLgUSQkW9nbHNIH6g4POMOUSipYeQgcwcV5kcDD5bW6jC7iSNjq6uI1Mc2TLZMwKLfOMNbREyoryCX6-6zgT7FTNdTKN58Y6GgqPJ7um4fv2bgfelfI9g7unf1MZoRN-Y4u7drbClo851T9V5HLmMDV-LvpShJLMt/s320/IMG_2487.jpeg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"></span><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">- Ramona Behnke</span><br /></div><div>
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training ourselves to approach, even when our instinct tells us to
withdraw. It means picking up the phone and calling our friend or
colleague who is suffering. It means going to the funeral and to the
house of mourning. It also means going to the wedding and to the
birthday dinner. <span style="color: #2b00fe;">Reach out in your strength, step forward in your
vulnerability. Err on the side of presence</span>."</span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">As a Christian, I often reflect on the two great commandments of Jesus as shared in Matthew 22:37-39:<br /></span></p><p data-aid="141403488" id="p3" style="--height: 57.59999084472656px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">“Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.</span></p>
<p data-aid="141403493" id="p4" style="--height: 28.800003051757812px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">“This is the first and great commandment.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">
“And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.”</span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">One way that helps me love the Lord with all my heart is to feel His love for me as an individual. I like this quote by Susan H. Porter:</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">“. . . do you know how completely God, our Heavenly Father, loves you? Have
you felt His love deep in your soul?</span></p>
<p data-aid="147979467" id="p2" style="--height: 172.8000030517578px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">"When you know
and understand how completely you are loved as a child of God, it changes
everything.</span> It changes the way you feel about yourself when you make mistakes.
It changes how you feel when difficult things happen. It changes your view of
God’s commandments. <span style="color: #2b00fe;">It changes your view of others and of your capacity to make
a difference."</span></span></p><p data-aid="147979467" id="p2" style="--height: 172.8000030517578px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Susan Porter continues: </span></p><p data-aid="147979467" id="p2" style="--height: 172.8000030517578px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">"</span><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">God’s love is not found in the <i>circumstances</i> of our lives but in His <i>presence</i>
in our lives.</span> We know of His love when we receive strength beyond our
own and when His Spirit brings peace, comfort, and direction. At times
it may be difficult to feel His love. We can pray to have our eyes
opened to see His hand in our lives and to see His love in the beauty of
His creations."</span></p><p data-aid="147979467" id="p2" style="--height: 172.8000030517578px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMSk5YDVW6Tur5XlOJR0Mw2kW_E7UjO0-1VVKmCkXapT_7gsrN-XXPq7k0T1iNOtoAwS3RhjKBnk3q5eeT7nB3y8kqGzoFFxXw45OEL0Pb5Yr5fjsF7R2x65ZcX5B4mOowJ-aZms-WodC1-LMYqDD8gQZaDbWrvmaTnWWFBvwuxMmClZykYAQFDlPwQ44U/s3359/IMG_1991.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2642" data-original-width="3359" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMSk5YDVW6Tur5XlOJR0Mw2kW_E7UjO0-1VVKmCkXapT_7gsrN-XXPq7k0T1iNOtoAwS3RhjKBnk3q5eeT7nB3y8kqGzoFFxXw45OEL0Pb5Yr5fjsF7R2x65ZcX5B4mOowJ-aZms-WodC1-LMYqDD8gQZaDbWrvmaTnWWFBvwuxMmClZykYAQFDlPwQ44U/s320/IMG_1991.jpeg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjGjnaILwmKEHgC7YfVBZlt6bJInHaZoeWE0HgP_LODmGp39RVVmkK6398vuoaRZx2vlmhJVNCtOYRln4zciZe3UwMnQJKhNjBtyio8eRzWrwiu32fzYw5GfdERiaFWqBp-ITT6UgW37Fk7DdP30YhHULHcTQ2tq2RnbYX0y97u0ScfJekOLTenQbj3BVw/s2444/IMG_2327.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2444" data-original-width="2098" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjGjnaILwmKEHgC7YfVBZlt6bJInHaZoeWE0HgP_LODmGp39RVVmkK6398vuoaRZx2vlmhJVNCtOYRln4zciZe3UwMnQJKhNjBtyio8eRzWrwiu32fzYw5GfdERiaFWqBp-ITT6UgW37Fk7DdP30YhHULHcTQ2tq2RnbYX0y97u0ScfJekOLTenQbj3BVw/s320/IMG_2327.jpeg" width="275" /></a></div></span><p></p><p data-aid="147979467" id="p2" style="--height: 172.8000030517578px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Sensing God's love for
us increases our ability to love Him. As we love the Lord we gain the strength to reach out, to step forward, and be present for others. As we focus on seeing His hand in our lives, His tender mercies and loving kindness will be an ever present source of strength and love. Indeed, His love and presence will be the catalyst that nudges us to be present for our neighbors.<br /></span></p><p data-aid="147979467" id="p2" style="--height: 172.8000030517578px;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5qT80TPp8QcpnPPLwHPPDqGvn2vpDDMDS1IcHNTvTo8ltk80nWX4POx5nG3aFqusa7k9PuXyHVNFemJGnlrN2i2KvnhBmpU8h2CxGcThr9dCTgaq3kdsJZsXEYhE6Wl6BhosuXbz_3ZaLEg25462k1CqyN3_1BjonhOC2sSyhyOYGLOEMAQRToxdiRyDD/s500/spiritual%20journey%202024.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5qT80TPp8QcpnPPLwHPPDqGvn2vpDDMDS1IcHNTvTo8ltk80nWX4POx5nG3aFqusa7k9PuXyHVNFemJGnlrN2i2KvnhBmpU8h2CxGcThr9dCTgaq3kdsJZsXEYhE6Wl6BhosuXbz_3ZaLEg25462k1CqyN3_1BjonhOC2sSyhyOYGLOEMAQRToxdiRyDD/w200-h200/spiritual%20journey%202024.png" width="200" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br />Patricia J. Franz at <a href="https://patriciajfranz.com/blog-love-is/">Reading, Writing, Wondering</a> is hosting our February gathering with a Love Is... theme. Pop over to read posts of other travelers sharing thoughts on this theme. All are welcome to join us. <br /></span><p></p>
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{page:WordSection1;}</style>Ramonahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15929914252480696798noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-887210982915389572.post-91651083128432209232024-01-23T22:37:00.004-05:002024-01-23T22:48:06.767-05:00Slice of Life: Stuffie Jeopardy Jumpstarted my Slice!<p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">I'm trying to write a slice each week, in preparation for March which will be here before we know it. With no ideas about what to write, I resorted to a tactic I often use during March. I started reading slices from other people. And sure enough my slice found me!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Sunday morning found me teaching daughter's Sunday School class. (I volunteered to fill in because she was going to Costa Rica, only she didn't get to go because her husband got Covid, and in spite of being extra careful and isolating him from the rest of the family, one child got sick four days later, she got sick three days after that, and another child tested positive on Sunday morning.)</span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">The class warm-up activity is High, Low, Buffalo! Each class member shares a high or low from their week, or a buffalo (a random fact about themselves). I used to do Roses and Thorns with my Sunday School class twenty+ years ago. I could have used this idea because there was always that kid who couldn't think of a rose or a thorn. We could have dubbed it Rose-Thorn-Candy Corn! (But I digress.)</span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">My grandson, the only member of his family still testing negative, is in his mom's Sunday School class. He diligently wears a mask at home and school. He said his high for the week was a new game he and his brother created, Stuffies Incorporated. If you've read Stacey's slice for this week, then you'll know her Stuffie Jeopardy Fever jogged my memory about Stuffies Incorporated. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">The boys spent a large part of Sunday organizing their store and pricing the Stuffies. The store is on the upper bunk and big brother is the boss of the store. Once you select a Stuffie (prices range from $6 to $300), you can opt for a note to be included with the Stuffie at no additional cost. Then the Stuffie goes to the lower bunk where it's prepared for delivery by the younger brother. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">My husband and I did our shopping on Monday via FaceTime. He opted for the puppy and I chose the otter. They are wrapped and ready for delivery as soon as everyone at their house tests negative for Covid. I can't wait to see what's written on my note!<br /></span></p>Ramonahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15929914252480696798noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-887210982915389572.post-62999482416153739012024-01-16T07:30:00.000-05:002024-01-16T11:52:13.359-05:00Slice of Life: This Is Progress?<p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Normally I do not answer calls from numbers I do not recognize. For some odd reason, I picked this one up. It was from a pharmacy I've never used, asking for my address so they could mail my prescription. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">I replied, "You're not my pharmacy." </span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">They countered, "Your insurance covered it. All you have to do is pay $15."</span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">I replied, "Cancel it. I did not order medication from your pharmacy."</span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">At this point, I connected to my chart, virtually, to look at my preferred pharmacy list. My mail order pharmacy and my local pharmacy were not there. Instead, this pharmacy that called me was listed on my chart. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">In an attempt to be a good digital citizen, I drafted a message to my provider, explaining the situation. But the "powers that be" would not let me to send the message. <br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Sigh! Back to the telephone.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">After looking up my new provider's phone # (and entering it in my contacts), I called the office. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Lucky for me, it was not a long wait until someone answered. I explained the problem, she replied that she saw my two pharmacies on my profile, and I insisted that is not what I was seeing on my end. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">After a bit, she replied, "Oh, I see what "she" did."</span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">With a few more back and forth comments, my preferred pharmacies were changed back to the correct ones. Now let's hope that "she" doesn't access my chart any time soon.<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">More than half an hour after I had donned my coat to take a walk, I finally pulled the door closed behind me. I heard a message ding, glanced at my phone, and saw that my mail order pharmacy had received the order.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Whew! Sometimes I long for the good old days. <br /></span></p>Ramonahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15929914252480696798noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-887210982915389572.post-72839996467480986742024-01-07T08:48:00.000-05:002024-01-12T09:50:10.694-05:00SJT: A Redux for 2024<p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span><span><br />I refused to
join in the OLW (one little word) reveals for Tuesday's Slice of Life,
choosing a slower, gentler approach to the new year. I was startled to
realize that Thursday's Spiritual Journey theme was (you guessed it!)
our OLW for 2024. I toyed with connect and more (I do love that rhyming
phrase, More in 24!). It didn't take me long to realize that I wanted
more time with gather. It got stuffed into a moving box as we prepped
for our cross country move from Washington to North Carolina and then
stashed in the attic as we focused on unpacking essentials, finding new
health care providers, and </span></span></span><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span><span> learning our way around our new community.</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span><span>I've enjoyed showcasing my words for each year in this poem-in-progress. This is my twelfth year to choose a word for the year. <br /></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span><span> </span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Listen </span><span>to the stillness,</span></span></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;">
</span></span><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Savor</span><span> the present moment,</span></span></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;">
</span></span><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Stretch</span><span> to grow, and always </span></span></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;">
</span></span><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Abide</span><span> in His love to </span></span></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;">
</span></span><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Nourish</span><span> my soul and reach out in love.</span><span> </span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span> </span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;"></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span><span><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Delight</span> in small moments and simple pleasures,</span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span><span><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Try</span>, a gentle word inviting growth and change.</span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span><span><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Light</span> becomes a beacon during diff icult times,<br /></span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span><span><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Comfort </span>wraps me in a year of coping with loss,</span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span><span><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Clear </span>leads to downsizing challenges and big changes.</span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span><span> </span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span><span><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Gather</span> gets lost in a cross country move,</span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span><span><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Gather </span>stands firm to find its new groove.</span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span><span>-Ramona Behnke <br /></span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span><span> </span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span><span>I've never reused a word, but gather deserves more space in my heart and life. Here's the poem I composed in 2023 that I'll keep with one line added for 2024:</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span><span> </span></span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;"><b> What Will I Gather in<span style="color: #2b00fe;"> 2024</span>? </b></span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;">Words, Moments, Stories</span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;"><b> <span style="color: #2b00fe;">Wonders, Revels, Enchantments<br /></span></b></span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;">Photos, Empty Boxes, Loose Ends</span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;">Friends, Loved Ones, Ancestors <br /></span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;">Hope, Goodness, Faith</span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;">Laughter, Love, Light</span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;">- Ramona Behnke</span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;"> </span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;">I can't step away from 2023 without highlighting a delightful gathering of friends for a book club trip to mark 25 years together. I wrote about this November gathering <a href="https://pleasuresfromthepage.blogspot.com/2023/11/slice-of-life-book-people-are-my-jam.html"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">here</span></a>.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEineZ0k5Wp_8M4wl9Cyv8jZhyphenhyphendM1KtYM4S5GcM7Es4dDfJwTBW69Ix8MaqIuF6LH1dhZBHdQHiDwDsnLH3gZku9UifSWul97_T0Tdf_Wj0b6HIp-STht7zKifsFqmTx_CAYdzdhNsAHlxyAncBg_UozCqFrNy1fMMxsvAgyiN13fWIQtSZqvIEJqOlQPd2S/s500/spiritual%20journey%202024.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEineZ0k5Wp_8M4wl9Cyv8jZhyphenhyphendM1KtYM4S5GcM7Es4dDfJwTBW69Ix8MaqIuF6LH1dhZBHdQHiDwDsnLH3gZku9UifSWul97_T0Tdf_Wj0b6HIp-STht7zKifsFqmTx_CAYdzdhNsAHlxyAncBg_UozCqFrNy1fMMxsvAgyiN13fWIQtSZqvIEJqOlQPd2S/w200-h200/spiritual%20journey%202024.png" width="200" /></a></span></span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;">Margaret at <span style="color: #2b00fe;"><a href="https://reflectionsontheteche.com/2024/01/04/spiritual-journey-one-little-word/">Reflections on the Teche </a></span>is hosting our gathering for this first month of 2024. </span></span><span class="versiontext" style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span>I'm arriving three days late. Pop over to read posts of fellow travelers sharing their spiritual journeys. We welcome all to join us.</span></span></p>Ramonahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15929914252480696798noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-887210982915389572.post-23684848076515842692024-01-02T23:10:00.000-05:002024-01-02T23:14:56.132-05:00Slice of Life: A gentle beginning to 2024<p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">I glanced through the posted comments today and see that many slicer friends are ready with their new word for 2024. I'm not one of those people. I'm still waiting to settle on this year's word. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">This post must be short, so I'll share some meandering I did today, collecting words that resonated with me during this year:</span><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWQLVNEVLY_SKDnM-c1WNS4L3wV9jfiOyMc82ctDjKLXYzSuvLGcelpjHxo1iD4Il36ssMW6y-SwjQcWDG7oVEsf03ui-5p_PUplH6JDiUIkL-89rU0oYvI1043pybK13NG_SMHkLUz-IZ4oTp9F9srxVAc-oSp96J4zNcqpqjeU2Dt0GznCbLUEFUb8zq/s1170/IMG_9444.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1158" data-original-width="1170" height="317" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWQLVNEVLY_SKDnM-c1WNS4L3wV9jfiOyMc82ctDjKLXYzSuvLGcelpjHxo1iD4Il36ssMW6y-SwjQcWDG7oVEsf03ui-5p_PUplH6JDiUIkL-89rU0oYvI1043pybK13NG_SMHkLUz-IZ4oTp9F9srxVAc-oSp96J4zNcqpqjeU2Dt0GznCbLUEFUb8zq/s320/IMG_9444.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div> <p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">I snapped this poem from one of Amy Ludwig VanDerwater's posts: </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY1lHV4ZB-gCa4Rl0ZjGqI9mhkLfdWmht5VprX2zVt9S06KvI1an2ozfxJZ5kYqg70McklfJ36lfd2d8uPUPNdmFxeiIwdaROJGkMa4qEgIyTO6S9MbKq_yRlzsyo0PgpDiShjrkofsAz7PccQEsZzr2VTUs73tZsF7TqMOPmTBOlpFPZdKfsNOVcXoV_I/s1055/IMG_8425%202.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1055" data-original-width="870" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY1lHV4ZB-gCa4Rl0ZjGqI9mhkLfdWmht5VprX2zVt9S06KvI1an2ozfxJZ5kYqg70McklfJ36lfd2d8uPUPNdmFxeiIwdaROJGkMa4qEgIyTO6S9MbKq_yRlzsyo0PgpDiShjrkofsAz7PccQEsZzr2VTUs73tZsF7TqMOPmTBOlpFPZdKfsNOVcXoV_I/w528-h640/IMG_8425%202.jpeg" width="528" /></a></div><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I love this quote so much that I had to stop and copy it into my journal of favorite words:</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhY9XYxMT3qfwSP8nrvgK9LkDx3SAgrPkp2hZwEUr8d_3iYud42VyODSkhCVFzfuNhkvY3AKCQRIwEf0RM_h4E1UaeBooxaCiOGaZ_GSz_PM3igh27oNn05ONsB540BWSbAjPyE-nuHf408Nc8BdGJrZud0YODdYxkbEEuTlN23eABCge7kiQNSaq2SPZK/s1170/IMG_9661%202.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1045" data-original-width="1170" height="572" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhY9XYxMT3qfwSP8nrvgK9LkDx3SAgrPkp2hZwEUr8d_3iYud42VyODSkhCVFzfuNhkvY3AKCQRIwEf0RM_h4E1UaeBooxaCiOGaZ_GSz_PM3igh27oNn05ONsB540BWSbAjPyE-nuHf408Nc8BdGJrZud0YODdYxkbEEuTlN23eABCge7kiQNSaq2SPZK/w640-h572/IMG_9661%202.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">This was my last read of 2023. If you haven't read it, move it to the top of your list:</span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu68ocrZb9WITO6Oeu85WuQjPxywKDidDvxsWIjU2kKhfcDpW3_VHYFHNTMmIxq-hECKGsHKaYU-dgUZeHMojPdXSqy5nCieKjn1Yx3N_8RZXGeZnYgaYzMdrVHicLbL0QhTdj-8fQBNgo-YFTMD5eLHcQMwxmKpkMD-VN7Em0q2XRW8Yn058bnTg3c4vg/s1966/unnamed.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1966" data-original-width="1170" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu68ocrZb9WITO6Oeu85WuQjPxywKDidDvxsWIjU2kKhfcDpW3_VHYFHNTMmIxq-hECKGsHKaYU-dgUZeHMojPdXSqy5nCieKjn1Yx3N_8RZXGeZnYgaYzMdrVHicLbL0QhTdj-8fQBNgo-YFTMD5eLHcQMwxmKpkMD-VN7Em0q2XRW8Yn058bnTg3c4vg/w380-h640/unnamed.jpg" width="380" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"> Happy New Year, my friends!</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">May your year be filled with</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">good friends,<br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">perfectly ordinary moments,</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">daily delights,</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">and books you yearn to share.<br /></span></p>Ramonahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15929914252480696798noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-887210982915389572.post-54933022818164770042023-12-07T22:32:00.000-05:002023-12-31T07:55:35.409-05:00SJT: Darkness and Light<p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">I love this time of year when we look for light to pierce the darkness and bring hope to our troubled world. And this year seems fraught with so many troubles. There's something magnificent and holy about holiday lights, especially as we think of them heralding the birth of the Lord, the light of the world.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">One of my favorite hymns is "The Lord is My Light." My children know it's supposed to be sung at my funeral. When I searched for an arrangement to share with you, I quickly learned of a different hymn from the one I know (with the same title). Here's an <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-TChnk8zM0">arrangement performed by selected Temple Square sister missionares</a> at the 2020 virtual celebration for Light of the World. Each year our church features specific ways to help us #LighttheWorld. during the month of December. You can download a PDF of <a href="file:///Users/Ramona/Downloads/light_the_world-1.pdf">50 Ways to Let Your Light Shine</a>. Stick it on the fridge and let it prompt you to action.<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Jone asked us to consider how we honor/embrace this time of darkness. I often comment that once daylight savings time begins until Dec. 21 marks the time I spend crawling into the cave. Once we have that shortest day of the year, I'm glad to begin crawling out of the cave. I'm not sure that I embrace the darkness. It's more a time of enduring for me, but the lights of the holiday season brighten those all too short days. And I'm happy to report that our days in NC are not as short as our days were in WA. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Another question Jone posed, "<span style="color: black;">Where do you find the points of light in your life?" set me thinking about specific points of light. They include community (family, church, friendships - including my virtual friends I've made through blogging and the Strive Hive, and my bookish connections to name just a few). We were fortunate to have a visit from our son this past week. There's nothing like having someone you love around for a few days to bring light into your life. I'm amazed at the friendliness I encounter in my new community, a definite bonus as I'm adjusting to our new home state.<br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: black;">Another point/source of light in my life is story. When I started thinking about this post, I searched for some quotes from a favorite book, <i>The Tale of Despereaux</i>, by Kate DiCamillo:</span></span></p><p>
</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">"The world is dark,
and light is precious.” </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">“He let the light
from the upstairs world enter him and fill him. He gasped aloud with the wonder
of it.” <br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">“Why would you save me?<br />
Because you, mouse, can tell Gregory a story. Stories are light. Light is
precious in a world so dark. Begin at the beginning. Tell Gregory a story. Make
some light."</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"> <br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">And now, dear friends, I'm off to partake of the light from your stories and be inspired on my spiritual journey. Thanks for being part of my community and one of my points of light! </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="versiontext" style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJexKeuxBZgEt9Gvj_ptJw27ory-TGvit0Ygt0As-LoiAj3U4tWGm53LNssIV9NDXHezWiykK40Vfdh6_FVv7BEWG_AcIC3byBb-dllMWsxt9mugm4AD8jq6ZrtPdZFVP4nqdlzrLdn8PXfK_4vJllhTYsWpWW1rBGmyjRTIHQzjOJy38mIenLmONRmfph/s320/spiritual-journey-image.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="248" data-original-width="320" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJexKeuxBZgEt9Gvj_ptJw27ory-TGvit0Ygt0As-LoiAj3U4tWGm53LNssIV9NDXHezWiykK40Vfdh6_FVv7BEWG_AcIC3byBb-dllMWsxt9mugm4AD8jq6ZrtPdZFVP4nqdlzrLdn8PXfK_4vJllhTYsWpWW1rBGmyjRTIHQzjOJy38mIenLmONRmfph/s1600/spiritual-journey-image.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span class="versiontext" style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span><a href="https://www.jonerushmacculloch.com/blog/december-spiritual-thursday-journey-light-and-dark">Jone</a> is hosting our gathering this month. Pop over to read posts</span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span class="versiontext" style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span>as fellow travelers share their spiritual journeys. We welcome all to join us.</span></span><span class="versiontext" style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p>
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{page:WordSection1;}</font></style></p>Ramonahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15929914252480696798noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-887210982915389572.post-37269240103770194872023-11-14T11:15:00.000-05:002023-11-14T20:03:01.057-05:00Slice of Life: Celebrating Books and Friends! <p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;">I started my first book club in Houston in 1987 as a young mother of a one year old and a three year old. I refused to become like women I knew who would regretfully say, "I haven't read a book since I had children."</span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;">The next ten years found me reading books and gathering monthly with a delightful group of friends. We moved to the Seattle area in mid-1997. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;">Within a few months, I launched another book club in 1998. We celebrated a landmark year, twenty-five years together, in Austin this past weekend. Twelve of us gathered, but we missed many who have been part of our group over the years. Five of the twelve who gathered were part of the founding group from twenty-five years ago. If you've ever been a part of this group, you were probably mentioned at our gathering. We love to stay connected with those who have moved away and usually someone in the group has stayed in touch.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;">We celebrated twenty years in Victoria, Canada; twenty-five years in Austin, Texas; and we have all kinds of ideas for our thirty year event - Prince Edward Island, a cruise, a European jaunt! But we've learned over the years that it isn't the destination that counts, it's the time together. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;">What did our celebration include? </span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;">Late night conversations, laughter, two lovely breakfasts provided by superb cooks, </span><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;">a visit to the Umlauf Sculpture Garden, </span><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;">Rudy's BBQ and warm cookies at Mallory's home, a river cruise, walks together, Austin murals, </span><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;">dinner at Guero's Taco Bar, </span><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;">a sharing of our favorite book from the past year, a morning at the Capitol and the Texas Book Festival, Jeni's ice cream, and a late lunch at Licha's Cantina before it was off to the airport and a return to our regular lives. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;">It was less than 48 hours of joyful friendship time, but the bliss we share as bookish friends remains. Even though quite a few of us have moved away, we still join the monthly book club gatherings on Zoom whenever we can. There's something unique about friends who bond over books!</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji_fmPN8D-z-uw90_nY2NAubi2wcwpTadH1VGNFNyzovXb5sHKAWdiDWsgrQ-yL9GzWErXscBXyo3nJw2869SDOufc7CDwIxnT4gFa7GgBywsjrjuBxKDv_Uj4uJ5BoJy6mbDEKti-oNIpTdsjCunxs6d0gW4Nhpl7NuAw6AGIBgRQEj6BjAo2m3q2DRML/s2049/IMG_2664.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2049" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji_fmPN8D-z-uw90_nY2NAubi2wcwpTadH1VGNFNyzovXb5sHKAWdiDWsgrQ-yL9GzWErXscBXyo3nJw2869SDOufc7CDwIxnT4gFa7GgBywsjrjuBxKDv_Uj4uJ5BoJy6mbDEKti-oNIpTdsjCunxs6d0gW4Nhpl7NuAw6AGIBgRQEj6BjAo2m3q2DRML/s320/IMG_2664.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"></span></div><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"></span>Ramonahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15929914252480696798noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-887210982915389572.post-76535813087752237522023-11-02T12:16:00.009-04:002023-11-02T13:38:02.409-04:00SJT: Renewal<p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span>It's easy to think of fall as a time of decay and death when nothing happens. Fran's topic of renewal encouraged me to look at Bible verses that speak of renewal giving me a changed attitude to this time of year.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span>"Do
not conform to the pattern of this world, but <span style="color: #2b00fe;">be transformed by the
renewing of your mind</span>. Then you will be able to test and approve what
God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will." <span class="versiontext">Romans 12:2, </span><span class="versiontext"><a href="https://biblehub.com/niv/romans/12.htm">New International Version</a></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span class="p">In Ephesians 4. we are taught to no longer be children, to put off our former selves. and to grow up unto Christ in all things. Wow! That's a task that is easier said than done.<br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span>However, the key to this arduous task of transforming our minds is found in this verse: "Instead, <span style="color: #2b00fe;">let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes</span>.<span class="p">" Ephesian 4:23 (</span><span class="versiontext"><a href="https://biblehub.com/nlt/ephesians/4.htm">New Living Translation</a>)</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span class="versiontext">Letting the Spirit renew our thoughts and attitudes requires that we study, pray, and listen. Having the help of the Spirit is the only way that we can cast aside the old (wo)man and embrace the new (wo)man. Growing up unto Christ is a lifelong task.</span></span></p><p><span class="versiontext" style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span><a href="https://www.orri-uk.com/changing-seasons-autumn-the-season-of-letting-things-go/">This writer </a>refers to autumn as a "time of reflection and letting go of what doesn't serve us." We can use the slower pace of this season as an impetus to examine our spiritual journeys and make plans to renew our thoughts and attitudes. Indeed, the falling back of daylight savings time gives us an extra hour this upcoming weekend, a perfect time for reflection and renewal!</span></span></p><p><span class="versiontext" style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="versiontext" style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJexKeuxBZgEt9Gvj_ptJw27ory-TGvit0Ygt0As-LoiAj3U4tWGm53LNssIV9NDXHezWiykK40Vfdh6_FVv7BEWG_AcIC3byBb-dllMWsxt9mugm4AD8jq6ZrtPdZFVP4nqdlzrLdn8PXfK_4vJllhTYsWpWW1rBGmyjRTIHQzjOJy38mIenLmONRmfph/s320/spiritual-journey-image.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="248" data-original-width="320" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJexKeuxBZgEt9Gvj_ptJw27ory-TGvit0Ygt0As-LoiAj3U4tWGm53LNssIV9NDXHezWiykK40Vfdh6_FVv7BEWG_AcIC3byBb-dllMWsxt9mugm4AD8jq6ZrtPdZFVP4nqdlzrLdn8PXfK_4vJllhTYsWpWW1rBGmyjRTIHQzjOJy38mIenLmONRmfph/s1600/spiritual-journey-image.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span class="versiontext" style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span>Fran at <a href="https://litbitsandpieces.com/2023/10/30/renewal-spiritual-journey/">Lit Bits and Pieces</a> is hosting this month. Pop over to read posts</span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span class="versiontext" style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span>as fellow travelers share their spiritual journeys. We welcome all to join us.</span></span><span class="versiontext" style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span><br /></span></span></p><b><a href="https://biblehub.com/ezekiel/11-19.htm"></a></b><p></p>Ramonahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15929914252480696798noreply@blogger.com0