Scribbles and Scrambles ~ More Thoughts on Life Well Spent

Apparently, I've hit a patch of melancholy. It happens -- far too often during some seasons. I'll try to keep it contained to a small slick so you don't slip in it.

I'm reading the book I mentioned yesterday called "One Month to Live..." Each of its thirty chapters start with two quotes. I happen to love quotes. Looking around my living room, I can count ten items with a quote or a saying or a statement about life. A primitive wall hanging right across from me shares Proverbs 24: 3-4 By wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established: by knowledge it's rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures.

Over my left shoulder is the wooden sign stating, "Dwell in possibility" Emily Dickinson

Sometimes, when the house is clean and the clutter doesn't cover these favorite items, I stop what I'm in the middle of doing, take a deep breath, read the words and ponder what they mean to my life, right now.

When I decided to write, to take it seriously, my mother bought me a giant pencil that says "Write On." I wonder if I shouldn't have a sign above my bed saying, "Seize the day." But since I stumble around before the first cup of coffee, there would be a loss of effectiveness.

Bottom line. I don't want to squander what God has invested in me.

I'll leave you with two quotes from the book. Do they speak to you? What can you do today to live life to its fullest in the areas you've embraced? I can't answer for you. But I'm going to keep on learning and growing and giving today. And tomorrow, too.

The measure of a life, after all, is not its duration but its donation.

Corrie Ten Boom


I don't want to get to the end of my life and find that I have just lived the length of it. I want to have lived the width of it as well.

Diane Ackerman

Scribbles and Scrambles - Never, Never, Never Forget

A friend recently had a conversation with a person which left my friend several pounds lighter from the verbal filleting that occurred.

As my pal shared frustration and hurt we both agreed that verbal assault is kind of a signature for this individual.

And then I read the following quote.

"They may forget what you said, but they will never forget how you made them feel."

Carl W. Buechner

Ouch.

As a parent, and a wife, a "teacher" and a friend, this comment cuts deep. As a frequent wielder of sarcasm, it cuts even deeper.

For my friend, the pain of the benign words came from the intention, the delivery and the attitude of the word sniper. Said a different way and in a different setting the words could have helped.

The quote above came from a book I'm reading to review called "One Month to Live...Thirty Days to a No-Regrets Life" A book that's forcing me to think a bit. I really want to leave hope and healing as my legacy. And while I'm still on earth, I don't want to watch a shudder of apprehension pass over the faces of those I encounter when I walk into a room.

May our words bring healing and our attitudes bring hope today.

Serials and Scenarios - Mountain in My Rearview Mirror

Book Description:

One of the most sought-after communicators in venues all over North America, Bill Butterworth has a message for those overwhelmed by life's many obstacles.

Through heart-tugging and hilarious real-life stories, he illustrates practical, biblical principles for living a victorious life. Whether he's struggling to climb a mountain or getting caught stealing baseball cards, recovering from a divorce or duct-taping his glasses to his head (yes, really), Bill has an extraordinary ability to inspire readers through his blend of humor, wisdom, and practicality.

Mountain in my Rearview Mirror encourages readers to conquer life's mountains--and offers help and hope along the journey.

My Review:

With stories of physical and emotional triumphs and failures Bill Butterworth shares encouragement and his testimony of God's faithfulness to him through trials and dark, dark nights.

Surprisingly meaty scriptural teachings accompany common sense examples, inspiring stories and humor. The short to-the-point but deep chapters make Mountain a read that would be easily digested in short meals, like a devotional book, or gobbled down in one or two sittings.

With Father's Day right around the corner, Mountain might be something to look into. The sports, the triumphs, the male perspective might be the perfect gift for a man in your life, especially if he is facing a challenge, or just conquered one.

Super Cinema Saturday ~ Dan in Real Life

My thoughts. Click on the picture and go to Amazon and read 93 more reviews, if you'd like. I gave it 4 stars.


Almost as awkward as a coming of age story, Dan in Real Life, is full of sweet and grief filled moments. Steve Carell plays Dan, a parenting columnist who has single parented three daughters since his wife died four years earlier.





He and his daughters pile into the car and head to Rhode Island to the family summer house. The cabin, full of brothers, sisters, nieces and nephews as well as his parents is a place where Dan can be himself and be humbled in the process. Carell plays grief-numbed very believably. I thought it might be difficult to separate him from Michael Scott, but other than flashes of Michael, Steve played Dan, and I bought into it.





On day one with his extended family, Dan is chased away from the cabin by his mother when his daughters reveal togetherness tension. While away, Dan meets a woman and bares his soul.





There are some touching scenes, humorous moments and a celebration throughout of family in all its warty importance. The familial interaction feels real. Of course, I come from a touchy, feely, in your face family. Some from hands off homes may struggle with the intimacy of the group.





There is some predictability. Juliette Binoche plays Marie, who except for a few glimpses of emotion doesn't come across as right for Dan. But then, that's often the way friends and family see couples, as mismatched.





Overall this flick is heavier than a first date movie or feel good romance and definitely worth looking into further.

Serials and Scenarios - Tina Ann Forkner

Tina Forkner visits. Charming answers to the dregs questions. Don't you think? Don't forget to read the first chapter of Ruby Among Us.


Fiction character you would most like to be or most identify with and why?

It would have to be the bat, Stellaluna. Just like her, sometimes I just get the sense that I don’t quite belong in this big world of publishing. When Stellaluna discovers she’s really a bat and that the reason she can’t perch on a tree limb is because she wasn’t made to, I get a little teary eyed.

And I love it when her bird brothers and sisters try hanging upside with her. It’s a great story about misunderstanding who we think we are and learning to be friends with people who are different.



If you could ask any person, living or dead, a random question -- what question would you ask of whom?

It would be Shakespeare. “Who were you really and which stories did you actually make up and which ones did you simply adapt for production?”



Some out there in writing land have strange rituals. Share yours.

I don’t think it’s strange, but I have to have music, a quiet house, and something hot to drink nearby. My music consists of all different styles, but it can’t be anything loud. I still like Edie Brickell and the Bohemians, REM, Harry Jr., U2, Keith Urban, Amy Grant, Norah Jones, and lately it’s been a little bit of Colbie Callait, Faith Hill, Joss Stone, John Mayer and Jordin Sparks. It changes depending on the day of course. As long it’s not too loud, the flow of my writing sort of moves with the music.



Favorite turn of phrase or word picture, in literature or movie.

“After all, the richest source of my fiction does come from life as I have misunderstood it – its contradictions, its unanswerable questions, its unlikely twists and turns.”

Amy Tan, from The Opposite of Fate



What period of history intrigues you the most?

Believe it or not, the 1800’s. That’s why I love Jane Kirkpatrick and Kim Vogel Sawyer. I write contemporary fiction, but at one time I thought I would be a historical writer. I think I am so intrigued by it because it gives me a glimpse of how my great-grandmothers might have lived. It inspires me that they lived through those times that took hard work and probably a lot of faith.



How does something worm its way into your heart? Through tears, truth, humor or other?

Something worms its way into my heart when I am put into the circumstance myself, so I guess it would be truth. For example, I always felt compassion for single moms, but I didn’t really understand or respect them until I went on that journey myself and saw what it was really like. I’m happily married now, but I now have a bigger heart for single parents and their children because I understand how someone can end up in that situation.



Book, music, person, food you would take with you on a very long trip.

I’m not just trying to score points with my mom, but it would be the Bible.



Favorite book setting and why?

I think a book or a scene set beside the ocean. The smells, the sounds, the expansiveness, the sense of freedom seems to open new possibilities for the characters that can’t be had in the boundaries of land and cities.



What word annoys you more than any other?

It’s like, you know. I mean, like really. It’s like the word that gets misused like all the time. Like know what I mean? It’s like, I mean it. I know we still have to use it, but can we use it the right way? I don’t like it at all. Like… you know?



Superhero you most admire and why?

It absolutely has to be Mrs. Incredible. I don’t know how she does it all with being a mom and a superhero, but I think if I had her stretchy arms and that tone of voice she gets when she’s mad I could totally get people, like my kids and hubby, to do my bidding and change the world.



Super power you'd love to borrow for awhile?

That’s easy. Besides Mrs. Incredible’s stretchy arms, it would have to be her daughter’s ability to disappear so I could get some uninterrupted writing time.



Societal pet peeve…sound off.

It would have to be the way we make snap judgments about each other. Just look at how the media blasts the stars and how society just keeps on wanting to hear more of it. A little bit more grace in our society would be fantastic, along with some rearranged priorities about what is truly important.

Scribble and Scrambles - Forward from a Cynic

AMAZING SIMPLE HOME REMEDIES

(My cynical and slightly off-kilter wonderful brother shared these helpful hints with me. Please don't try these at home, kids. And if you do and it turns out hilariously funny then send pictures!)


1. IF YOU'RE CHOKING ON AN ICE CUBE, SIMPLY POUR A CUP OF BOILING WATER DOWN YOUR THROAT. PRESTO! THE BLOCKAGE WILL INSTANTLY REMOVE ITSELF.

2. AVOID CUTTING YOURSELF WHEN SLICING VEGETABLES BY GETTING SOMEONE ELSE TO HOLD THE VEGETABLES WHILE YOU CHOP.

3. AVOID ARGUMENTS WITH THE FEMALES ABOUT LIFTING THE TOILET SEAT BY USING THE SINK.

4. FOR HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE SUFFERERS ~ SIMPLY CUT YOURSELF AND BLEED FOR A FEW MINUTES, THUS REDUCING THE PRESSURE ON YOUR VEINS. REMEMBER TO USE A TIMER.

5. A MOUSE TRAP PLACED ON TOP OF YOUR ALARM CLOCK WILL PREVENT YOU FROM ROLLING OVER AND GOING BACK TO SLEEP AFTER YOU HIT THE SNOOZE BUTTON.

6. IF YOU HAVE A BAD COUGH, TAKE A LARGE DOSE OF LAXATIVES. THEN YOU'LL BE AFRAID TO COUGH.

7. YOU ONLY NEED TWO TOOLS IN LIFE - WD-40 AND DUCT TAPE. IF IT DOESN'T MOVE AND SHOULD, USE THE WD-40. IF IT SHOULDN'T MOVE AND DOES, USE THE DUCT TAPE.

8. REMEMBER - EVERYONE SEEMS NORMAL UNTIL YOU GET TO KNOW THEM.

9. IF YOU CAN'T FIX IT WITH A HAMMER, YOU'VE GOT AN ELECTRICAL PROBLEM.


DAILY THOUGHT:

SOME PEOPLE ARE LIKE SLINKIES - NOT REALLY GOOD FOR ANYTHING BUT THEY BRING A SMILE TO YOUR FACE WHEN PUSHED DOWN THE STAIRS ( I know, I know! Tasteless and awful on at least three levels. But I can't stop laughing. Let's call it a nervous laugh, stress relief...whatever... rather than what it actually is.)

Serials and Scenarios - Ruby Among Us

Visit Tina's blog, click on her book cover, or read the first chapter. Come back Friday for an interview.


Book Description:

Sometimes, the key that unlocks your future lies in someone else’s past...

In Ruby Among Us, Lucy DiCamillo is safely surrounded by her books, music, and art─but none of these reclusive comforts or even the protective efforts of her grandmother, Kitty can shield her from the memory of the mother she can no longer remember. Lucy senses her grandmother holds the key, but Kitty seems as eager to hide from the past as Lucy is eager to find it.

From the streets of San Francisco and Sacramento, to the lush vineyards of the Sonoma Valley, Lucy follows the thread of memory in search for a heritage that seems long-buried with her mother, Ruby.

What she finds is enigmatic and stirring in this redemptive tale about the power of faith and mother-daughter love.


My Review:

Ruby Among Us is a coming of age novel that wends its way through the lives of three women and the men who have loved them. Exploring the complexity of a young woman's fight to know the truth and an older woman's desire to protect her granddaughter from it results in a slow waltz of control, passion, fear and longing. Moments that shine of allegorical truth swirl within the story of Lucy and Kitty who live steeped in sorrow and guilt in parallel companionship that is only an inch deep.

Decades of story unfold when Lucy struggles to find out the truth about her mother's short life. Her quest takes her from a college campus to a vineyard, from death to death of innocence and from longing to sorrow to acceptance.

In the advanced reader's unproofed copy I struggled with some POV/tense issues that no doubt have been taken care of in the final version.

Inspirational fiction fans should find quite a bit to like in Ruby. Literary or romance fans may not find enough of either to really satisfy though there are flashes of each. The faith elements are realistically handled and some heavy duty topics are covered with grace and sensitivity.