Thanks, but...

...I want more.

A while back I picked up a movie I had never heard of from the bargain bin at the pharmacy. I'm not recommending you see it, because it's kinda vulgar. I'm not even sure why I bought it. But I felt the urge to watch it again last night and I remembered that even trashy movies can contain life lessons.

It's about a woman who wanted to be famous. In the course of getting famous she also got a bunch of stuff she didn't know she wanted but was glad to get, including a loving husband who believed in her. She also got a few things she surely didn't want - a severely handicapped child, then cancer.

Her way of praying was to go to a specific tree in a city park and look through the tree's branches to "Him" up in the sky. She went to her tree to ask Him for advice, to bargain with Him, to scream in anger at Him. And when she had all that she ever wanted, she boldly asked Him for more. In my opinion, she wasn't being selfish or ungrateful. She was acting on a belief that she had the right to ask for anything.

I haven't always believed that. Even now I sometimes hesitate to ask God for what I want because my life is already so wonderful. I slip back into "zero-sum" thinking...that there is only so much good stuff to go around, so if I get the next thing I ask for then something has to be taken away (from me or someone else).

But that's not how God is. He wants to give us what we desire, as long as it is good for us and within His plan for our lives. He wants us to ask Him for anything.

So be grateful every day for what God has given you. But don't be afraid to ask for more.

Hi there Classmates!

In case anyone actually makes it here from Classmates.com...hello! While this doesn't contain everything I've done in the last 29+ years since high school, this is a good place to get to know the "me" I have become.

And for my regular readers...I KNOW I AM BEHIND ON BLOGGING. It's been a crazy-busy-stressful couple of months. But things are good. I just got a new position at work that's kinda perfect for me. Everything I've done at work for the past decade has (hopefully) prepared me for this assignment.

More to come (I know, I ALWAYS say that).

The Confident Woman

Just started reading this today.

From Chapter Four - Seven Secrets of a Confident Woman:

Secret #1 - A confident woman knows that she is loved.
Secret #2 - A confident woman refuses to live in fear.
Secret #3 - A confident woman is positive.
Secret #4 - A confident woman recovers from setbacks.
Secret #5 - A confident woman avoids comparisons.
Secret #6 - A confident woman takes action.
Secret #7 - A confident woman does not live in "if only" and "what if".

So far I'm loving this book.

I love Saturdays

Especially those rare Saturdays when you have nothing really planned, and the homestead is already clean, and the laundry is already done, and you can leisurely browse the local outdoor market for a ham and cheese crepe and some pretty flowers.

More good stuff from Dawn

Sorry I haven't posted much lately. It's been a busy and stressful couple of weeks. I'm looking forward to a visit from my niece and sister-in-law this weekend. And right now I have to get back to cleaning up the remnants of my kitchen and closet reorganization project - you know, those last few (hundred) things that came out of one closet or cabinet and have no obvious new place to go.

But we can always count on our friend Dawn to give us something good to read:

Ten and 1/2 Reasons to be Chaste

I particularly like Number 6 - "Be the Kind of Person You Would Want to Marry":

Before deciding to spend the rest of your life with someone, you want that person to have a solid character. That includes possessing faith, integrity, trustworthiness, and self-control.

The fact is, like attracts like. A person with a rock-solid character is going to be attracted to someone who possesses those same qualities.

Yep, self-control. Still struggling with that one.

Timing ISN'T everything

There is also motive. And method. And the end result.

Take this sad story. A mother driving her four kids races to beat a train and almost wins. She was so focused on the train she was racing that she didn't see the other one. Her apparent motive wasn't really bad in itself. Those freight trains can be really, really long. But her method was stupid, her timing was way off, and the end result was horribly tragic.

In this case, it was the mother's conscious decision to do the wrong thing at the wrong time in the wrong way for what she must have thought was the right reason. The kids could do nothing but go along for the ill-fated ride.

There is something going on in my life right now that, if it had been happening even just a few years ago, would have had me extremely angry and worried to the point of illness. The drivers in this scenario are people doing the wrong things for the wrong reasons in the wrong way. And while I'm just a passenger with no control over the situation, and the timing and end result are unknown, I'm OK. The worst thing that can happen to me is no big deal, and may actually end up being a blessing.

And that's because my trust isn't in those drivers, it is in God. He has proven to me again and again that His promises are true. Especially this one:

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." (Jeremiah 29:10-12)

So I'll leave the end result and timing to Him, and not worry about it. I'll do my best to glorify Him in how I react. And I'll pray for the people in the driver's seat, that they might stop what they are doing before they hit the train.

And if they don't stop, I pray that God use me to somehow help the other victims.

Happy Birthday Jan!

xoxoxox

Wedding cake cookies

Here's why I've been so quiet this week:

I just finished packaging the 150th cookie for my friend's wedding tomorrow. Now I just have to figure out how to get them down to my car:

It's all about Him

I'm buying this tomorrow.

Happy Birthday Carrie!

Sorry I'm a day late!

Dream Cruise 2007 - Getting to Barcelona

Read Previous Installment:
...brought to you by...

After months of planning it was finally time to pack and go! Five people x two checked suitcases + eight carry-ons = 18 pieces of luggage. So this is about half of it!



We left on a Monday afternoon. Our transportation to the airport got to the house right on time. We weren't really expecting a limo (we were thinking a van of some sort). But hey...we'll take the nice ride!



The thing I like least about traveling is the flying. Not the flight itself, but getting to the airport, waiting in lines, delayed flights, uncomfortable seats and lousy food. Well, on this part of the trip...we had NONE of that!

Here's where I shall institute The Donkey Ratings System. Remember my friend The Donkey? He's going to help me give you an idea how much we liked or disliked various aspects of the trip...on a scale of one to four Donkeys, four being the best. Because as that old saying goes, four donkeys are always better than one! (OK, I made that up.)

First, the limo ride. The limo was cool and the ride was quick and pleasant enough...but it was just a pain to get in and out of that vehicle. I give it 3.5 Donkeys.



Now let's talk about Air France. Our Air France experience didn't start off too great, as it took several online attempts and one kinda long phone call to confirm our seats the night before we left.

But everything else...WOW! The plane was beautiful and comfortable and there was a video monitor for each passenger! The video services available included a menu of movies and TV shows to choose from, lots of video games, and a channel which showed the flight's progress on a map. The service was spectacular. And the food! This picture of our dinner does not do it justice!



If I didn't know better, I would think that the baguette was baked in the airplane galley!

We had a bit of a delay once we landed in Paris. The airport has a lot of construction going on, and we taxi-ed about 20 minutes, then got on a bus, then through the passport desk, then through security again, then another bus and we were finally on our way for the short flight to Barcelona. FYI...the signs in the Paris airport are in French...who knew?

I can't blame Air France for the problems at the Paris airport, and the plane for the connecting flight wasn't that great, but overall I give Air France 3.5 Donkeys!



By the time we got to Barcelona, we still had about six hours which we could have used to tour some of the city, but we were just too tired. And we had a scare at the airport when it seemed that only seven of our checked bags arrived. Just as Mike was going to the line to file a claim, the rest of the bags arrived, to our great joy!

The only interesting thing we saw on the way from the airport to the ship was a cemetery built into the side of a hill. None of us got a picture, but I have since learned that the name of the cemetery is Montjuic. Barcelona looks like an interesting place. I would go back there exploring sometime.

But for now, we were happy to finally be on the ship. In the next installment, I'll tell you all about the amazing Celebrity Millennium.



(to be continued)

Electricity = Good, Electricity = Bad

I have survived the big storms in Chicago. There is more rain expected tonight, but the super-duper winds and tornado fears have diminished.

My neighborhood was without power for almost 24 hours. Some of the stores are still closed, but my building is back. It wasn't too bad climbing up the 11 flights of stairs last night. What was worse was having to go to work without washing my hair. I couldn't get water because even the best municipal water pressure won't deliver it that high without the help of a pump. And I had only enough bottled water to wash the rest of me.

Since I couldn't really do much of anything else last night, I watched the storm for a while and got to thinking...here I was in the dark because I had no eletricity. But there was plenty of it outside. Same stuff that in one context is good, and in the other is deadly. Just like the water, which we cannot live without but is drowning homes just a few miles from here.

Can you think of anything else that can be very good or very bad depending on where/when/how often it is used/consumed/partaken of? How about...fire...sex...the internet...food...alcohol...gambling?

What would you add to this list?

Flip-flops are not real shoes!

See Mikey, I told you so!

The problem with the flip-flop, [Dr. Steven] Ross explained, is "it doesn't meet the basic criteria of a shoe, which are protection, support and shock absorption. The other most popular shoe, the athletic shoe, does, which is why we recommend wearing it instead."

Dream Cruise 2007, brought to you by...

Before I tell you about the cruise, I would like to let you know how the whole thing came about, and who we have to thank for making our wonderful trip possible.

The idea was born quite a while ago. When my brother- and sister-in-law started the home schooling of my niece and nephew, travel to historical places was planned as part of the curriculum. But the year was 2001, and early that fall world travel suddenly lost its appeal just days after we lost my husband Daniel.

Over the years there was some school-related travel, but other events made a big trip overseas a low priority. That's how life goes...priorities and plans change.

Once the kids neared their high school graduation last year - the same year their parents would celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary - the idea transformed into a dream...a dream cruise in the Mediterranean.

From the beginning, this dream had a sponsor...


I've written about Daniel's dad Teofil before. Well, he was a unique and very generous man. He never made a big show of his generosity. He would decide to do something, and just do it. Like the time he donated sod (and a lot of it) to the church in time for our wedding.

And he wanted to give us the cruise as a gift. His health would not allow him to participate, but he would be with us in spirit. He passed away last fall. But his generosity extended beyond his earthly life, and the dream became a reality.

And so we thank you, Grandpa Phil, for the trip of a lifetime. We think about you every day.

And we toasted him every night on the cruise, as you will see.

Next...Getting to Barcelona

Please stayed tuned

Hello. I am The Donkey.


Aunt Judie asked me to let you know that she is still working on organizing the cruise pictures. It's a big job - there are over 1200 pics from four cameras to get in order.

Between you and me, the real reason she's not done is that she keeps daydreaming...looking at the pictures and sighing, imagining she's back in Santorini, where we met on the staircase.

She should be done in a day or two. If she lays off the ouzo.

Back online

I've got lots to tell you, but for now just wanted to let you know I am back (in my Michigan) home safe and sound. Pictures and stories to come.

The cruise was even more wonderful than I expected. If you have never been on a cruise, and you would enjoy a vacation where you are pampered and well-fed and wake up in a new place each day, I highly recommend it.

Bye for now

I'll be offline for the next two weeks. Our Mediterrean cruise is on! The ship, which was in dry dock until last Friday, is on its way to meet us in Barcelona tomorrow. I won't be blogging at all until we return. Then, watch for pictures...lots and lots of pictures!

Please pray for our safe travel...thank you!

More wisdom from the movies

There's a scene in the movie While You Were Sleeping where the father of the family ponders the events of their turbulent week. One son is in the hospital just out of a coma, and he's talking with the other son, who is about to finally tell him that he doesn't want to work in the family business:

Dad: It's been a helluva week, hasn't it? Life is a pain in the ass, I'll tell ya. You work hard, try to provide for the family. And then - for one minute - everything's good, everyone's well, everyone's happy. And in that one minute, you have peace.

Son: Pop, this isn't that minute.

You might think that life is supposed to be mostly made up of those moments where "everything is good"; that bad things do happen, but it's OK as long as they only happen once in a while. I guess there are some people for which that is true. There are even those fortunate ones who have seem to have a charmed life - a loving intact family, always enough money in the bank and food to eat and clothes to wear, no major illnesses or deaths. Fortunate, indeed. But also totally unprepared when the inevitable occurs.

When Danny died, I was working my way through the list of people to call and came across the number of our neighbors back in Michigan. We weren't particularly close; I cannot even remember their names today. I called them just moments after they had received the news from our friends across the lake. The man had become hysterical when he heard...he was screaming and sobbing in the background. His wife told me that he had never before known someone who died...not even a grandparent.

I wish life was like that lake we lived on...beautiful and calm with a few ripples...and on those stormy days, waves we can handle without much trouble. But I've found that life is more like the ocean...constantly rocking and churning, and sometimes violently stormy with waves so high you can't see the horizon or anything else. And it's only once in a while you get those moments of complete calm and peace...just as the dad in the movie described it.

Does that mean that we have no choice but to be uneasy and unhappy except in those rare moments when everything is good? No. We can choose to recognize that there are still lots of things to be thankful for, even in the worst situations. And we can remind ourselves that no storm lasts forever...whatever we are going through will eventually pass or be resolved.

There are storms going on all around me right now, and I have no idea when any of them will end and what kind of damage they will leave behind. But I am at peace in the midst of the storms, because I know God loves us. He has shown me again and again that it is always safe and warm in His boat. We just need to stay in the boat and trust Him.

Pencil me in

UPDATE: See correction below.

"Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans." (John Lennon's "Beautiful Boy")

"Russians don't take a dump, son, without a plan." (Admiral Josh Painter in the movie "Hunt for Red October")

"I want you all to forget the flight plan. From this moment on, we are improvising a new mission." (Gene Krantz in the movie "Apollo 13")

Planning is a good thing. It is better to plan than not to plan. When I worked as a Project Manager, planning was over 90% of the effort...making plans then planning alternative plans in case the original plan didn't go as planned.

In the true story of the Apollo 13 space mission (the movie is a favorite of us project managers), the lives of the astronauts depended on their own ability - and that of thousands of people on the ground - to completely write off the original plan when something they didn't plan for happened. When they realize they cannot possibly land on the moon and get home alive, they take just a moment to grieve their lost moon before shifting their focus to creating and executing a new plan. If they had spent too much time indulging in their disappointment before moving on, those three men flying in their damaged spacecraft may not have made it home.

My guess is that a very small percentage of all the plans in the history of humanity have ever gone off without a hitch. In my circle of friends, only a very few (one nurse and a couple of priests*) are in the careers they originally planned.

In my life, all my plans are written in pencil. The route I drive to work, lunch dates, vacations, my career...all these plans come with the disclaimer "subject to change without notice". When things change I still feel disappointed sometimes, but I don't stay in that mood for long. I wonder at and take comfort in the fact that while my own plans are in pencil, God's are in ink:

"'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'" (Jeremiah 29:11 [NIV])

God's ink is pretty much invisible to us until the moment arrives. But trust in His promise that He will work out all things for good (Romans 8:28) and don't worry about it. He's God! Who could be a better project manager?

For a long time, my plan has been to be on a cruise ship in the Mediterranean two weeks from now. But last week a submerged rock and a failed electrical system combined to put a big question mark on that plan. The ship is damaged, but is supposed to be repaired and back in service in time for us to sail as planned.

And if it isn't? Well, we might just fly to Europe anyway. Only God knows where we will end up.

*Later today I thought of more of my friends who actually are still working in their original chosen profession...including my brother-in-law the accountant. Or as his mother would say, "my son is A CPA Man".

A thrilling evening

Last night I met one of my favorite bloggers who I mentioned in my last post, Dawn Eden of The Dawn Patrol. She was in town to speak about her book The Thrill of the Chaste, which I reviewed when it came out last year.

We also heard a little bit about her new job with The Cardinal Newman Society Love and Responsibility Project, which I will write more about later.


It was a stormy evening, but the rain stopped in time to have the talk outdoors. Listening to Dawn speak reminded me just how awesome God is when it comes to preparing people for His purpose. Dawn's life has taken a lot of twists and turns, all of which brought her here to this place on this day to speak...with a microphone...about sex...from the door of a Catholic church...in the middle of a busy Chicago neighborhood.

Kinda makes you wonder what God is preparing you for, doesn't it?