June 25, 2008 by pamela.

I read with some interest a news piece about a man who is auctioning off his life or, rather, his lifestyle and material goods, on eBay. Seems Ian Usher wants a fresh new start.  I cannot help but feel sorry for the man… not for what he wants to leave behind, but for what seems to be an empty life.

During the last several days I’ve been helping my parents pack, move, unpack and settle a bit in their new home.  At some point after some conversation seemed to spark the thought, I wondered, for a split-second, what it would be like to pack up our whole house — everything and move to an entirely different place — to have a fresh new start somewhere else  (I don’t mean without my husband and children). Then I got a sick feeling inside… sick over what I’d necessarily have to leave behind, sick over the “life” we’d leave behind, sick over who I wouldn’t spend time with any longer and, actually, more sickening to me was the thought that in doing that, unless prompted and guided by the LORD, I’d know I was running from whatever it was He had for me to do here. So, as suddenly as the thought popped into my mind, I dismissed it entirely.  Thoughts like that are dangerous.  Thoughts like that are deadly.  Those thoughts are kin to thoughts of despair or thoughts of regret.  Dangerous.

Well, so, there’s a guy who’s auctioning off his worldly goods - not his life.  And… what’s interesting is that there are a number of people looking to take on a life or a lifestyle that someone else is done with, tired of — a life someone else seems to regret — and are willing to step in and pick up where Ian Usher wants to leave off. So, I then have begun to wonder… do people search eBay for new life?  Because… I’m thinking… whatever they’ve left behind to pick up what someone else wants to leave behind will likely have the same end result for them. Maybe?

Everybody’s looking for something.  Everyone wants something. I was looking at the plaques on my step-father’s walls as I was packing them up and thought… everyone’s done things for which they received some renumeration or some notoriety or some accolade and most of the time no one else knows, or few others know, about them.  And so stuff get packed away, put away in boxes or drawers and all those things begin to accumulate dust or memories fade and the once remarkable achievement floats out into the sea of forgetfulness.

My mother and I were sitting on her coffee table (what?!?! we were never allowed to sit on the coffee table!!) looking through slides… we’d slip one out of the bright yellow Kodak box and hold it up to the light - me, barely able to see the images; she, instantly described each one as if to see and remember them with perfect clarity.  But then, I realized, those were her babies… some things you never forget - no matter how many years have passed.

I know a lot of people would like new stuff or, at least, would like to get rid of old stuff and replace it with new stuff.  I know a lot of people would like to be done with trials and hardships, disappointment and failure. I know that sometimes life seems a bit arduous and along comes the “anywhere but here” temptation.

It is for freedom that Jesus came, that He died, was buried, rose again and ascended to heaven.  It is for freedom that He lives - and ever lives to make intercession for us.  It is in Jesus that we find our All in all.  It is through faith in Jesus that we have this calm and blessed assurance.  He alone tells us that He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life… no man comes to the Father but by Him.  I pray that Ian Usher will know the love and salvation of Jesus and put his trust in Him.  I pray that all who are seeking new life will turn to Jesus and that this day will be a day of new beginnings.

So… new life?  It’s in Him.  A whole new life.

Wherever you go… He’s already there.

Posted in More Slices of Life, Family, News DuJour | Print | 1 Comment »

June 2, 2008 by pamela.

Anything, repeated often enough, will be believed by the masses.  And if you’re not careful, thoughtful and understand the Word of God and the enemy’s relentless attack on or distortion of the Truth, you’ll be swallowed up in the easy-believeism or the magnanimity of ‘leaders’ in ‘the church’ today.  You just really gotta be paying attention — both to what they’re saying and what they’re meaning.

These are incredible times in which to be alive - as free people, as abundantly rich people, as believers in Jesus… for many, many reasons, this is an incredible time, in the history of the world, to be alive.

As believers, we’re instructed in the Word, to be wise.  We’re instructed to watch the signs of the times - that in the last days, perilous times should occur - giving way to all sorts of depravity and distortions or misrepresentations of the Truth.  Read Joseph Farrah’s  “Give The Glory To God!” and then, Rick Warren’s response: “Give PEACE A Chance“  (get your Bible out and read what the Word really says - compared to paraphrases Mr. Warren uses) and then read Mr. Farrah’s very succinct, carefully written response to Rick Warren’s reply: Who Gets the Glory?

This is a great study in the ‘think’ of today and the talk of today in ‘mainstream’ churches… the subtle nuances just might be missed if you’re not careful.

From Let Us Reason Ministries  A Global PEACE Plan
Kjos Ministries: The PEACE Plan
Want to discover more?  Google.

Posted in More Slices of Life, The Church Today | Print | 2 Comments »

June 1, 2008 by pamela.

That’s the title of an article in this week’s Parade magazine: Should Home-Schooling Be Illegal?

I don’t often read much of the Sunday paper - well, that is, unless an article catches my eye or unless there’s a series I’m following. So this week, as I was tidying up the table, I was just glancing through the different pages and sections and happened to open the Parade magazine to the page where the aforementioned article is posted in the IntelligenceReport (Parade.com/intel) column. There’s just something about certain words that catches my eye and when I see particular words in the same heading, I take notice! Today’s words? Home-schooling and Illegal.

The very brief article that opens with question: Should home-schooling be illegal? and closes with the question: Should parents need teaching credentials to home-school their kids?

You can vote in the poll here. I think the results might surprise you.

Posted in Homeschooling, More Slices of Life, News DuJour | Print | 3 Comments »

May 7, 2008 by pamela.

  The longer I live, the more I think that when people ask questions, they’re not truly looking for answers.  Not really.  O, they may want results or they may want things to be different than they are — and they may ask questions regarding how to get there — but they don’t really want answers.  I guess, to be fair, I should say: we.  We want good results — we want good conditions — but we don’t really want to have to apply ourselves to the task or the answer to our question.  We may think we do, but our actions betray us.

I’m thinking of lots of things today over which I’ve had conversations with mothers and friends, acquaintances and strangers.  Sometimes I even think that what seem like questions or what seems like a desire for answers is really only a rhetorical question — maybe even a hypothetical question — so that if the answer given to that (hypothetical) question isn’t an appealing answer, it can be dismissed as not applicable or impractical.

For example, I have had many women ask me, over the years, how to keep laundry done or how to tackle the problem of a mountain of laundry.  In short I tell them: Just do it.  If they’re still with me, I tell them how to keep it done.  Usually, women will tell me how my solution is impractical for their schedule/situation.  You know… they’d be able to do it if they didn’t have so many young ones, that they could do it if their laundry wasn’t in the opposite end of the house, that they could do it if they had bigger/better/more machines.  I tell them if they want to get their laundry done, and stay on top of it, they need to: Just do it.  And after they do it one day, when they get up the next day, they need to: Just do it.  And when they’ve done it two days in a row and have stayed on top of it, on the third day they need to: Just do it.

Now if the woman is still with me, then I tell her some keys to doing it and keeping it done — because, the longer I live, another thing I’ve learned is that people are looking for the secret.   We all want to know that.  I mean, consider the billion dollar diet industry… the billion+ dollar cosmetics industry… the billion+ dollar movie industry… the billion+ dollar romance novel industry.  Everyone wants to know how to be thin, how to look beautiful and how to live a romantic life — but the truth is, no one wants to really do all it takes to be, do and have all that.

So back to the laundry — I guess I should say: there’s a no excuse laundry solution; it is this:  Just do it.  Every day.  If it’s your first day of the plan, it starts like this.  Get up… do your stuff and in that doing, start a load of laundry.  After breakfast, switch the load from the washer to the dryer and start another load. Do more of your stuff.  An hour later, *FOLD* the clothes right out of the dryer *AT* the dryer (not the sofa - the sofa is the great abyss and the bane of a mother’s existence).  When the clothes are folded into stacks according to their destinations, switch the load and start another one.  GO put the clothes AWAY — or send a *reliable* helper to *do it*  or to do it with you.  Go do more stuff.  An hour later, go back and… yes… sort of like lather, rinse, repeat — till it’s done.  For you it might be all done.  For another woman, it might take another load or two. If you have older children who are capable of the task, then teach them to *do it* just like that.  It’s a good plan.  It works if you work it.

So… the secret (since everyone is really looking for the secret)?  The secret is to just do it… everyday… do it every day.  One load, two loads or seven loads.  Everyday, just do it — AT the machine and *put it all away* every day.  You may then have a day where you just *don’t* do laundry.  It may be Sunday and Wednesday or whatever.  That is a decision you can make and stick to… bcz you know you’re *going to* do it the next day.  That’s not poor planning or poor performance, that’s prior planning — that’s time management — that’s wisdom at work.  But it’s sort of like credit card use… if you don’t regularly pay it all according to plan, then that’s not a safe plan for you — time and actions speak louder and show more than words and intentions.  Think of good housekeeping as good credit - you want high scores in both areas.

Well, at the outset I typed: No answers; just get me results, please.  Well… I gave a TNT (tried ‘n true) answer… I know it’s TNT bcz I do it and have done it and I don’t have a laundry pile and a laundry mess (note: I didn’t say I don’t have a pile of laundry or that I don’t have messy laundry — for I do have both — every day).   A long time ago I wanted answers to this dilemma *and* I *needed* results… and when I was willing to apply the solution to the dilemma, I *got* results.  And I get them every day.  Good results in one area of homemaking quite literally leads to good results in other areas as well.

Last night… as I snuggled into my warm bed, I heard the lulling hum of the girls working away.  One girl in the kitchen and two more in the laundry area.  One was doing the dishes and one was washing clothes and one was drying them  — all humming away like a well oiled machine (quite literally), I drifted off to sleep — telling my husband as I do many nights: thank you for those great girls, I so appreciate the blessing they are.  When I woke up this morning, I was mindful that they had done a nice job… It’s very easy to have the day already smoothly underway if you: have a plan that works and *work* the plan that works.  Whatever your plan is -  plan your work and work your plan.

As the morning chores routine was underway, I reminded the children that the “girls” had been busy once again while they were sleeping and had left them partially completed work to carry on.  Our plan was already underway… we all just needed to keep working the plan.  If we really and truly want solutions to our problems, we will be glad to find and apply answers .

Posted in Homemaking, More Slices of Life | Print | 3 Comments »

April 28, 2008 by pamela.

I know that for many, the argument would be: there are no ’sudden’ shortages. There might seemingly be ’sudden’ shortages but such shortages would be better described that a realization that supply has been diminishing and media gets wind of it and produces news that sets off a hoarding frenzy. Think of y2k — it was coming… that date, January 1, 2000, was on the calendar. Slowly over time, people began to realize that the potential computer glitches had catastrophic implications around the world. So, in reaction, many stockpiled food, money, weaponry, fuel and water… and the countdown was on. And it passed.

I don’t say all this to say… all this shall pass and there’s nothing to be concerned about. But I think it’s important to not lose sight of, or faith in, the fact that God is our sovereign Lord. We might well get carried away with alarmists who have no hope and who believe every report that’s printed or broadcast over the airwaves.

Should we pay little, no, or some, attention to the news reports? Should we stockpile food and other natural resources? Should we join in the panicked frenzy and buy wheat, rice, corn and gold (and water)? Should we methodically increase food stores? These are questions for which, I believe, there are no hard and fast answers. I guess I’d just continue to encourage faithful patience and wisdom - and action when directed by the Lord to act.

None of these current troubles have escaped the gaze of the LORD and none has come as a surprising turn of events to Him. But, to be sure, a nation that will sanction the shedding of innocent blood will not go unpunished. Surely the goodness, faithfulness and righteousness of God cannot allow for blessing a nation that has turned away from Him - though He has so bountifully and so lavishly provided the abundantly fruitful and breathtakingly beautiful landscape of our nation - He is sovereign to care for His own but God is mocked - whatsoever a man sows, that will he also reap. Everything planted will yield fruit… good and bad - everything yields.

When decisions or reactions are made based on false information or assumptions then the resulting actions will be devastating. Consider all the actions and reactions based on Al Gore’s hypothetical ‘global warming.’ Consider the string of catastrophes as a result of his hypothesis that gasoline emission is destroying our planet.

So… instead of giving the same consideration to those who disprove so-called “global warming” our government (and others) offer an answer to the problem: use a different fuel. Many in government bought this inconvenient truth lie and mandated (and $ub$idize$) the reallocation of crops and the production of ethanol. But this then led to a dramatically decreased production of food for people… and animals. The food grown for animals was diverted. The food grown for people - diverted. Food costs have skyrocketed. The food grown for biofuel? O, it’s there alright - but the staggering amount needed to meet the demand cannot possibly be realized. Now, instead of fuel or need for fuel being the problem - now it’s the people. There is not enough food to meet the growing food needs/demands of all the too many people. Now, the “global warming” is exacerbated by the too many people driving too many cars using too much gasoline. Now, it’s too many people, too many cars, too high emissions… But what about all that goes into (and shortchanged by) the ethanol farmers are *required* to produce?

What if instead of genetically modifying food, instead of shipping food all over the world, instead of foolishly assuming Al Gore’s theory is correct, we were to repent of the atrocities that have marred this nation, return to the Lord, return to using the abundant and natural resources and replenishing and restoring them… and instead of sending food to other countries send missionaries to proclaim the gospel, make disciples of all nations, demonstrate the proper use of available resources for aiding the production and use of indigenous natural resources rather than shipping goods that spoil enroute. Instead of giving a man a fish to feed him for a day, teach him how to fish and feed him for a lifetime.

God’s work, done God’s way, will never lack God’s supply.”
Hudson Taylor

So… a genuine food shortage? I thinking, rather: misuse, a misguided approach and misallocation of resources. of. many. sorts.

Posted in More Slices of Life, News DuJour | Print | 1 Comment »

January 8, 2008 by pamela.

Today’s been one of those ‘not-so-clear-thinking’ sort of days. One of those, put the milk in the cabinet and the cups in the fridge sort of days. But I keep thinking: God is not the author of confusion but of peace and also that He has not given us a spirit of fear but of power and of love and of a sound mind. These are part of the whatsoever’s I’ve been thinking on (after I give into fretful confusion and recognize the need to clear thinking!). So, in an attempt to take every thought captive, I’m needing to continually resort to the whatsoever things are true, honest, just pure, lovely… think on these things.

We’re preparing for Timothy’s soon departure to Ghana, West Africa, where he will begin life as a missionary. Suddenly, today, I’m feeling overwhelmed, underestimating what needs to be done and in the midst of a flood of emotion I’m attempting to gather the needful things, address the necessary and set aside the unimportant - things for today.

While I knew this was coming, and really, I could say that everything and nothing has prepared me for this day, truly I see that it’s the hand of the Lord and His ways that matter - not what I think of these days and not even what I can pack or prepare to send that matters. I guess I know that no matter what we pack and send, there are so many unknowns and, in reality, not much space to pack the ‘known’ or the needed items.

If it were up to Timothy, I think the bag might contain a few articles of clothing, several books, his Bible, some commentaries and some pens - some pictures and important papers. And soccer balls. Minimal toiletries. And a hand pump. I think, so far, that’s all he’s packing. He’s found, wherever he goes, soccer balls speak a universal language - somehow, the simple activity of kicking around a ball, breaks language & social barriers and opens doors of communication unlike anything else. Well, maybe food, too. So… soccer balls travel well.

I’m waiting for an opportunity to add my two cents or at least a few things that make sense to me — you know, and at least a few things that will say to him: I love you. I’m also thinking of survival type things… double checking things like meds, first-aid, flashlights, two-way radios, herbs for ailments, nutrition bars, tissues and purell. Maybe, by the time he boards the plane, most or all of those things will already be or will have found their way into his bags.

Later…

I hugged him goodnight… mindful that he’ll not be here for good night hugs and humorous recounting of the days’ activities… after tonight’s sleep, he will likely fondly remember the cozy night’s sleep… the queen size bed, the memory-foam mattress and the down comforter that snuggles nice and warm with the window open just a tad for some cool fresh air. He smiled as he, too, realized it would be a long, long time before such a night’s sleep happens again.

I’ll write more about this later. For now, it’s off to dreamland… and that lingering place between awake and sleep when reality slips away and memories and dreams fade into yesterday.  And a new journey begins — actually, a bittersweet journey that began 20 years ago, and this is just the next page…

Posted in More Slices of Life, Family | Print | 3 Comments »

December 14, 2007 by pamela.

Many times I have stated or thought in times of trial: The arm or the hand of the Lord is not shortened that it cannot save - nor His ear heavy, that it cannot hear. I say this in response to difficult situations, poor health, wayward children, financial reverses or adversity and, among many other things, despair.

Have you ever sought to understand or answer: How long is the arm of the Lord or how great is the hand of the Lord? And if we cannot begin to answer the question: how long is the arm of the Lord, then how can we possibly fathom that the arm or the hand of the Lord is not shortened that it cannot save.

Behold, the LORD’S
hand is not shortened,
that it cannot save;
neither his ear heavy,
that it cannot hear:”
Isaiah 59.1

How great is the Hand of the Lord? The Lord who holds His hand over the sea… The Lord who shakes the trees of the wilderness… The Lord who calms the sea that the wind and the waves obey Him… The Lord who who says (Isaiah 52.2) “Is my hand shortened at all, that it cannot redeem?” Do you see: at. all. “Is my hand shortened at all…”

There is nothing too hard for the Lord. I may face a mountain of troubles, I may grieve or struggle with health trials or disappointment or loss or financial adversity - but this I know –I know– there is nothing too hard for the Lord. Nothing. The hand of the Lord is not shortened at all. There is no life, no situation, no trial, no hardship too far or too hard for the Lord. The hand of the Lord is not shortened at all. The enemy of God, the enemy of our souls would have us to believe otherwise. The enemy, the devil, would have us to believe that we are without hope, that we have failed too many times - or worse, that though we might not be failing at the moment, it’s only a matter of time where we will fail again and then again we will be too far for the Lord or beyond hope - beyond hope of ever doing better - ever getting things right. The enemy may even persuade us to believe that it would be better if we were dead - that our life is of little use - of little or no worth - that we are the only ones with the type of troubles or the sins or the perpetual destructive habits.

The enemy is constantly waring against our members seeking whom he may devour. He is at once our tempter, deceiver and accuser. Consider that when temptation comes, it is sweet… seemingly harmless, easy and without consequence: Here… have this food, tell this lie, destroy this evidence, no one will see, no one will know, tell that secret… or whatever. But then if we yield to temptation - whatever it is, instantly(!) our tempter becomes our accuser: Ha, how could you have been so dumb, how could you have done that, you always do that, you’ll never get past this, you’ll never be thin, healthy, strong, trustworthy, competent… or whatever.

But God. We turn to God, we turn to the Truth: And we hear: “Is my hand shortened at all…?”

I think of the verse: “This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles.” (Psalm 34.6) You see, the Lord hears and the Lord heals and the Lord lifts. He is at once indeed Jehovah-jireh (the Lord our provider) and Jehovah-rapha (the Lord our healer) and Jehovah-shammah (The Lord is present) and Jehovah-Shalom (the Lord our peace).

He is our All in all - for this I know: He saved this girl. And if He thought on this girl, He will surely think on you. This poor girl cried and the LORD heard her and saved her out of all her troubles. Because this whosoever believed. This whosover believes.

That all the people
of the earth might know
the hand of the LORD,
that it is mighty:
that ye might fear the LORD
your God for ever.

Joshua 4.24

We trust in and proclaim His greatness… we consider that His arm is not short nor His hand shortened that it cannot save. Over the past week I have thought on the hand of the LORD… my own hand in pain because of gout/arthritis in my thumb - my hand has failed me, so to speak, a few times - pain prevented its use. But the Lord is never stilted or halted from His work - He is ever present, ever able, ever waiting, ever watching, ever providing, ever preparing, ever guiding, ever preventing… and on and on: ever able. And I marvel that the hand of the Lord is never shortened that it cannot save - no matter what, no matter when.

So, have you asked: How long is the arm of the Lord?

Posted in devotionals, More Slices of Life | Print | 8 Comments »

December 4, 2007 by pamela.

  We’ve had many inquiries as to our local rainfall and potential flooding of the River…

Here’s the NOAA link we’ve been watching… and, so far as we can tell, the flood danger has passed even though there’s still a tremendous amount of water over the banks of the Snohomish River!

For perspective, here’s a link I posted just after the flood in November of last year.

All’s well… God is still on the throne - a verse that I read during our first flood season in this old farmhouse always gives me great comfort and assurance: “The Lord sitteth upon the flood; yea, the LORD sitteth King forever.” Psalm 29.10

So…
Sunshine or clouds — dry land or floods, warm summer breezes or cold blasting storms: The LORD reigns. He sits King forever.

— standing on dry ground.

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October 17, 2007 by pamela.

Well… about that lingering conversation, I thought I’d add a few lines.

I know there will come a time when I stop writing about our current “lingering conversation.” I know we’ll likely move on to other things. But I write about them — and whatever else I write about — for lots of different reasons. Mostly, I just don’t want to forget - and I know I will forget some of the small details of these days. Blogging’s sort of therapeutic for me. I don’t want to forget what God’s taught me, how He’s worked in these days, what’s going on and what I think of it all these days. I blog so that I will have a place to recall… I blog so that maybe someone else will be encouraged with things that have encouraged me. There’s a risk involved in sharing the personal details of life and I know that. There’s probably as much a risk of being understood as being misunderstood. There’s a risk to being transparent, but this is who I am… and this where I share slices of my life, and maybe something I write might help someone else too. So… I blog.

Wes had an appointment with the cardiologist today. It’s been a few weeks since we saw her and so we went through a time of sort of dialogging questions and answers. She gave Wes strong assurances that he could go back to normal work and any activities… even training for a marathon. We glanced at one another and smiled.

True story: On the way to the doc’s office, Wes said he wanted to ask what he would be free to do, what are his limitations, etc. and then said, ” It’s not like I am going to train for a marathon or anything like that… I just want to be able to do whatever the day requires.” ~smile~

So she answered Wes’s questions and gave strong rationale for the prescribing of each of the meds he is taking. And even humoured him when he questioned the validity of some of the rationales for the meds. But he agreed to take them - and to continue taking them. What was interesting to me was her favourable comments regarding some of the things he had begun taking (fish oil, green food, red yeast rice) and in particular: red yeast rice. She said there were many studies showing very favourable results from taking red yeast rice. And she went on to share some benefits. (Our sincere thanks to Kelli for her studying up on heart stuff - and more - for us!)

I had suggested to Wes that he not eat b’fast just in case they wanted to do some tests. When he was told they’d need some lab work, they asked if he had eaten yet today. O, so glad he hadn’t! He hasn’t gotten the lab results from the ekg or blood work but it seems quite certain that had there been a problem he’d have heard about it.

So we left the office… with sort of glad sense of relief… sort of with a sense of new resolve: now we go on. We needed this - or we needed what we’ve learned from this. And it’s one of those bittersweets… you know, one of those things you come to terms with and as the doctor said this morning, it’s a time of mourning the loss of “where you thought you were and what you thought you had.”

I’ve gotten to the place where I am thankful… and I can see I needed these lessons. I very much needed them. It was as if I was given a gift that day in the hospital as I waited for him in surgery. I remember sitting in a waiting room in that same hospital ten years ago when Wes cut up his hand in a skilsaw and underwent several hours of reconstructive surgery… I remember the lessons learned at that time and how God demonstrated His merciful lovingkindness and abundant provision for me/us.

Well… so now I needed to learn new lessons… not lessons so much about God’s faithful provision and physical restoration and His protection of my husband as I needed to meet his mortality. Now I may well still go before he does, but I needed to come to grips with the fact there will be an end. And I needed to affirm that I know that I know that I know God is sovereign. I knew it… I’ve known it… but I needed to know it in this matter of love and life and my love’s life. I needed to come to grips with the fact that God’s way in the life and eventual death of my husband is perfect.

I will praise thee, O LORD,
with my whole heart;
I will shew forth all thy marvellous works.
psalm 9.1

Posted in Heart stuff, More Slices of Life, Potpourri | Print | 2 Comments »

October 9, 2007 by pamela.

This autumn’s sure brought a strange season of sorrow… and though I’ve often said, sorrow skips no home, it seems its presence is far more prevalent in recent weeks. So much sorrow… so much loss. Though some loss is expected, the sorrow is never really conceived until it washes over the home… then, its intensity is overwhelming. Sorrow’s not only in death and loss, it’s in change and disappointment, sickness and disability. Sorrow’s so intensely personal and yet touches everyone who’s associated in some manner to the circumstances at the center of that sorrow… so sorrow’s sort of a community thing and is far reaching.

I’ve thought on the unexpected assault of sorrow and grief a lot lately as I think back a little more than a couple of weeks ago to the memorial service for our friend and all that’s happened in this relatively short space of time. And in this space of time I’ve mentioned to many: you never know when the loved one you enjoy today will not be around anymore. In a seeming moment, life changes and is never the same again.

Whenever I see the television reporter’s van at our little airport here in town, I think: O, no. Sometimes I know my: “O, no” is related to the ever ongoing saga of the proposed airport expansion and the heated tension in this community over all the ‘what if’s’ surrounding the impact such an expansion would possibly bring to pass. But I knew yesterday’s presence of the television reporters had nothing to do with the expansion. I knew there had to be some major problem. Returning home, I had more confirmation that something ‘really big’ had happened.

Most of the time when friends face loss or trials, my answer or my action is to make food. And when I see lots of cars, lots of food. So, that was yesterday. Our neighbors waited; cried and watched and waited, prayed and cried as they waited for news of the whereabouts of ten people aboard a skydiver’s plane that had disappeared and was presumed to have crashed in the Cascade mountains on Sunday night. That was the reason for the reporter’s hanging around the airport all day yesterday and this morning. But this afternoon, they’re no longer waiting for answers - at least not answers to the question of the location of the plane or if there were survivors… and their grief is inestimable. The plane with its pilot and nine passengers had crashed and none survived. Now, I suppose, their questions will likely only be answered in eternity. And for now, they’re left grieving… the loss of many things, many hopes and dreams. Of those friends, all they have are the sweet memories of those who were ‘family’ to them.

The most recent news piece is here.

In our Bible study this morning, we were so impressed with the many references to the holiness of God - the many references to praising God, to trusting in Him and rejoicing in Him. O, how I pray the families affected by this horrific tragedy will know the peace and comfort of the Lord and that He will minister to their hearts in this time of tremendous grief and sorrow.

All of these things serve to remind me - us - of the brevity of life and the uncertainty of days. And one thing is very certain… just as we shall all face sorrow, we shall all face our own end, the death of this life. And we will all meet the Lord. And we will all give an account. And eternity awaits us all. Eternity in heaven or eternity in hell. And the most sobering thing is that those who do not know Jesus will not spend eternity in heaven with Him but will be eternally separated from God. This is the record of His Word.

1John 5.4-13

4 For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.
5 Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?
6 This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth.
7 For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.
8 And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one.
9 If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for this is the witness of God which he hath testified of his Son.
10 He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son.
11 And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
12 He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.
13 These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.

Sorrow skips no home… but in Jesus there is hope and life and peace.

And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes;
and there shall be no more death,
neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain:
for the former things are passed away. —The Revelation 21.4

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October 4, 2007 by pamela.

Several weeks back, we made some plans for a little ‘working holiday’ away from home. Now… this has providentially been a real blessing - not just bcz we love to spend time here, but also has been a ‘forced rest’ for Wes. We’d originally thought we’d come here a bit later in the year or after the first of the year… but taking into consideration both Kathryn’s and Timothy’s departures (at different times) to Africa, we thought we’d do this now. Well… in truth, I actually thought it might not be a very good idea and even voiced my sort of nervous concern to the cardiologist… and she promptly said: Go! Whatever you need to do to get rest, eliminate stress and not go back to work… that’s a good thing to do (again, candidly here, I was not relieved). Wes was relieved. Though he’s a swimming pool contractor, he really does not like swimming. At all. Isn’t that funny? But… give him a spa and a sauna or steam room opportunity and he’ll like that!

And so, here we are. It’s a wonderful place to spend some time… such a radically different place and pace than home. And bcz we’re not too fond of crowded places or swimming with others, we like that the pools during the week are practically empty, very calm and quiet. In a very peculiar way, I’m even liking the misty weather (even though that’s one of the drawbacks to vacationing in the “off-season”) and the cooler days.
I’ve since come to see that Wes sure did have excellent foresight to make these plans to be here while the Sand Sculptures are still ‘on display.’ Harrison Hot Springs was the site for an international sandcastle building competition that took place in May and the sculptures were available for viewing throughout the summertime Harrison Festival of the Arts… and fortunately, for us, even now! We’ve walked around the lake and then today we looked at each of the sculptures… amazingly, these many months later, the sculptures have withstood many hard rainstorms and high winds and still are quite impressive to see! Some of the sculptures have sustained a bit of damage, and some even have some moss growing on them! but, for the most part, they appear to have just recently been completed. I’ve no idea the tremendous time and skilled work that goes into the creation of these sculptures on the beach… they’re just such amazing things!

The leaves have turned and the air is crisp and we’ve had to bundle up as we’ve gone out for walks! I’m thinking that for the next several months, this will be our daily routine - just not here - we are going home - really! Now, isn’t this an interesting turn of events! Here I am the one who needs to lose weight, exercise and drop cholesterol - and it was my husband who had the heart attack! His blood pressure has been good for years and cholesterol level’s been good, too. He’d made many changes in diet in the last several months and eliminated the daily donut nearly two years ago. So… here we are today. He continues to make different changes and has regained strength and stamina and says he feels pretty good. I continue to… drink coffee.

Tomorrow’s another day… I’ll be home tomorrow. O, home… home sweet home - holidays are sweet… but home’s sweeter!

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September 13, 2007 by pamela.

Throughout the week I’ve been thinking on some of the talks men gave during our fellowship on Sunday. We gather each week with believers in a home church and each week our meeting is in the form of an open meeting - meaning, that in addition to singing and prayer, the men share what the Lord’s given them to share in the way of a message or a testimony or whatever. I generally take notes so that I can review the talks later or so that I can look up whatever Scriptures have been cited. Occasionally one of the men will share something that really gets me thinking or really confirms something the LORD’s already teaching me, or has been impressing or guiding here in our home. I love that we can always learn… I love that the Lord continually shows us new angles of His Truth.

Some of the men, though they might not see or appreciate the comparison, remind me of my husband’s younger self. Their zeal, their fervent love for the Lord and the Truth, their determination to lead their families and their passion for the Word is so refreshing and encouraging. I love the enthusiasm of younger believers - it’s really motivating; motivating to redouble the efforts or to revisit that which the LORD has clearly shown in His Word, to reexamine those things that the Lord directed in earlier years. We get older… we get softer –or so it appears. We appear to become lackadaisical in some ways — we may lose a bit of the fire we once had. Some would say this is weak and some would then tend to discount or overlook an older person. But I think sometimes all we need to do is spend a little time around someone older to see what’s really going on and the older need to spend time with the younger… someone idealistic and zealous for the Truth and the old fire is rekindled. And the younger person may need to take a long walk with the older one to see the view down the road. What this also shows me is that both are needful in a fellowship… both are of tremendous, inestimable value — both need the genuine fellowship of the other. Fellowship takes time… it really takes time; and in our harried world, time’s becoming more and more precious — anything threatened becomes more precious… time, age, health, ability…

So what have I been mulling over? One of the men shared about his family studying ancient history, and drew some analogies to the time of Julius Caesar’s crossing the Rubicon. Crossing the Rubicon made a bold statement, passing the point of no return, Caesar said, “The die is cast.” Our friend likened that move, or the crossing the Rubicon, to our walk with the Lord: that point we lay down our lives at His feet, that time we say we will follow Him no matter what… no matter what others do, no matter what it costs, no matter what happens. He shared a bit about his family and decisions they had made as a family.

History gives us lots of those analogies, those points of no return, those times where the die is cast. Families have to come to that point if they are to walk on with Christ - if they are to be obedient to the cross. A family has to decide the here and now things… the from here on and the from now on things of life. For each family, the from here on and the from now on things might look different one from another family. But the from here on and the from now on things might include: from here on and from now on: we will walk with Christ. From here on and from now on: we will have no divorce, we will have no idols before God, we will walk in faith. From here on and from now on, we will live as a loving, working, courteous, loyal, faithful family. We will cross the Rubicon. We will walk on, we will engage in the battle and we will fight to the end. The die is cast. Our I will’s will stand firm in Jesus.

My husband and I, right before we were married, made a determination with several I will’s and several we will never’s. Along the way, the Lord has brought us to the water’s edge and we’ve had decisions to make: to stay there or to step in and cross the river. When He put on our hearts to leave our childbearing to Him, to give Him Lordship of the womb, we had to cross the river, the die was cast. When He led us to discipline, to homeschool, to guide and train up our children in the way He has, we had to cross the river… the die was cast. We’ve had to mark those decisions well, we’ve marked some with stones because they’ve been challenged, they’ve been tested, others have scoffed, things haven’t always been or seemed rosy and we’ve needed to be reminded: we crossed the river, the die was cast.

By whatever naame or idiom or phrase, every Christian family needs to come to the River. And then, hopefully, to the point of decision… the point of no return: their own Rubicon - their own: “Choose ye this day…”

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September 6, 2007 by pamela.

It seems, far too often, that there are so many good things happening that events or milestones or appointments all start to blend together after awhile. It’s as if each event lately has been a gift and with the passing of each day the previous days’ gift is covered up and it takes days of recollection to take out and examine each event, each memory, to see just what’s happened - to reevaluate and apply the lessons learned.

We experience a similar burying of treasures when we attend the believer’s conference at Deer Lake each Labour Day. Between the good teaching, singing, testimonies, baptisms and table conversations, we’re literally overloaded with good things… good things of the Word, good things of God’s work, good things of answers to prayer, good things of changed lives, good things of God’s blessings and on and on. Each year I’ve wanted to occasionally just put the weekend on “pause” so that I could take time to stop and mull over what’s just been shared or what’s going on so that I can slow it down and store it, as it were, to recall later. But, that not being possible, I attempt to take copious notes —notes I’ve reread many times this week. Note-taking helps me to listen more intently… and and to later recall more specifically what was said.

As the LORD would have it, this past weekend was filled with delightful things… great teaching was only one of the outstanding things. As friends have since discussed the talks we heard, each have had comments or highlights that were especially meaningful -and happily, they heard things I didn’t hear or were impressed with things I’d missed and so the blessing is increased. As I look back, I think one of the things that was most prominent to me was the common thread seen throughout the weekend. A common thread that seemed to both bind the messages and link them together — the thread that seemed to demonstrate the guiding of the LORD. Sometimes in life, when messages are shared, there seems to be a disconnect or a disjointed feel to the time… but then, other times, as was the case this past weekend, the messages just seem to flow… sort of like a book and each talk is simply the next chapter of a very instructive book.

We were blessed to have all our children (well, all that live here at home) together for this year’s conference. This has sadly not been the case over the last few years - something I very much regret! I’ve missed having Timothy with us… so it really was a sweet time this year. The traveling and lodging together was a blessing I’ll always treasure. A particular highlight for me, in addition to Hannah’s baptism, was the time of prayer for the missionaries who would be heading to Ghana in the next few months. I was thankful for that time of prayer as I’ll likely often recall that evening when Timothy is somewhere in Ghana and I’m seeking the comfort of the Lord and the assurance of His presence and protection. It was a blessing to hear the long-time missionary share of the plans for Ghana and then to talk with him and his wife about the plans ahead. I have always known that Timothy has a particular call on his life and God will use him for His glory. As he walks with the Lord, it is evident to me that God has great plans for him. I do know that there is no safer place in the world than in the Hand of the Lord… and nowhere on earth is safe outside the will of God.  I don’t fret about all that lies ahead—it’s clear to me that God’s leading; I pray His will be done.

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August 28, 2007 by pamela.

repeat itself.

I heard that sort of thing from my mother growing up. I read about history repeating itself in school, in letters and in magazines in dentist’s offices over the years. I read about it in Ecclesiastes. The more I read the more I see it. The longer I live I see it: History repeating itself.

So I was driving along and a song popped in my head and I must’ve been humming… one of the children said, O, that’s a new ____ song. I thought… no, no… that’s an old song.  What?  You *know* that song?  Yes… it was… Harry Nillson… 1971… I was in the…  …drifting off.   And then it was affirmed to me once again: there is nothing new under the sun (in addition to: vanity of vanities; all is vanity) and the more things change, the more they stay the same.  And children are still surprised at life that happened before they were born.  Back before… wow, CD players.

I was talking with a young mom and she was lamenting the length of days and the monotony of repetition. I told her, as is my oft repeated mantra these days: this will pass and you will cry for these days. She sort of glazed over when I continued on telling her that these days will be the past all too quickly and she’ll miss them with a physical ache she cannot comprehend at this point in time - but there will come a time that she will, indeed, cry for these days. A curious blend of regret, longing, missing, hope and love. She cannot see that now. All she can see is the daily-ness of today. And that’s a problem with young mothers… motherhood is so daily. Too daily for some and they think real life is happening somewhere else (but that’s a lie). All she can see is the endless mountains of laundry, valleys of despair and dishes mounting in the sink.

I told her she would, one day, be telling another mother these same things. She will be able to tell that future mother more convincingly if she embraces these days and loves motherhood with unreserved abandon. But if she hates these days and continues rejecting God’s precious gift of motherhood… then… she won’t have much to tell that future mother and will certainly leave no joy in her children’s memories of her. History will repeat itself… the daughters will become mothers and who will encourage them? Who will cheer them on? Will they reject or embrace motherhood? Will they be sweet mothers?

I hope she will live long enough to see history. I pray it’s sweet.

So, I was mindful today as I was reading through some articles and noticing a common thread… what mothers went through yesterday, mothers face anew today— but it’s not new, not really. It’s the next chapter. It’s the same thing only different. Different bcz of history. By this I mean that what we face today we have faced already - just differently. As mothers we’ve waited and waited and waited for, say, the birth of the next baby. Then we waited and waited and waited for this or that milestone. Then we waited and waited and waited for the next and so on — History repeating itself. We watch how God worked in a particular situation and then marvel when yet another situation is miraculously covered — History repeating itself. On our behalf. We wait and wait and wait to see history. And you know… for believers what we really want to see is His - story. We all long to see His way and will played out in the lives of our children… and what a blessing it would be to see history played out in our children’s children.

For all of history is HIStory.

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August 10, 2007 by pamela.

It was sort of surreal sitting there last night at the local Burger King… since our family size had been dramatically reduced for the evening and since it was Andrew’s actual birthday, I decided to do some very, very different things for the day and evening.  So, there I was, with the four children, sitting in the play structure area. I was sipping on a DP (btw - I’m not sure that’s on the T-Tapper’s allowed beverage list), and as the sun was beginning to set, there was a glow that sort of obscured the reality of where I was and transported me back to days gone by — days long ago when our four oldest children played on similar climbing toys at a local park. I sat cheering all the: Mama, watch me’s and all the: Mama, can you see me’s?

A man at a nearby table asked if those were all my children. I smiled and said, yes, but not all — and went on to share that we have eleven children and those are the four youngest. He exclaimed some surprised expression — and was even more surprised when I said we have three grandbabies. Sharing the table with him was his mother-in-law and a few other family members. She asked if I was with another local family… a family with a bunch of children.  (I smiled - inside thinking how funny it is that large families are sort of birds of a feather… and of course would be acquainted)  I confirmed that we did, indeed, know them and fellowship with them and she was quite pleased to hear that. We continued to have a delightful conversation and, all the while, our children continued to play together… Joey helping the youngest of theirs get up and around in the tubes. Up and down, round and round they played.

As we took a play-break to eat dinner, the conversation continued. And I was keenly aware, once again, of the fact that we all represent one another to others. We represent the LORD to others. We represent our families and our friends everywhere we go. When I’m diving along in my 15 passenger sports car I’m representing other mama’s who drive similar vehicles. When I’m at the grocery store, I’m representing other mothers…. I’m continually aware of this through the years.

What started this thought, along subsequent decisions and convictions, was an event that happened quite a number of years ago while I was shopping at Costco. As I was placing item after item on the counter, the cashier commented to me that she always noticed that I was always dressed a particular way and that I always had such a clean, wholesome look about me. I thanked her and shared with her that her comments were humbling - that whatever good she saw was all the LORD’s doing.  I made it a point to greet her and ask about her each time I shopped there.  It was the LORD’s doing then and whatever good’s going on today is the LORD’s doing now. I sort of tucked that conversation away and it was added to the (so far as depends on me) “I will always _______ ” list. It’s not an actual list, but personal stands, or guidelines, that govern my life.

As a believer, everywhere I go… whatever I do… whatever I say… whatever I wear… is a representation of something. That something is the Living LORD — that something is my husband — that something is our family — that something is my sisters in Christ — that something is those in our fellowship, along with believers around the world — that something is my husband’s business and etc., etc. When I keep behaviour, presence, appearance, etc., etc., as a high priority, our children see and understand, for they can see and know that I represent them, too.

So, as we sat there last night I suddenly remembered that I was sort of “representing” those who were not there — and you know what? I was sort of melancholy and glad all at the same time.  I rarely ever stop to analyze situations like that — but I did last night.  I was glad that my love and respect for the different ones had been obvious. I was glad that were my husband to walk in, he would have been well represented. Had our friends walked in, they, too, would have been well represented. When we got up to leave, I told them it was nice to meet them… and they said we sure had a nice family and thanked us for the smiles.

As we all hopped in the van sports car I was still smiling. I was recalling parts of the conversation… their comments about our friends and the great work they had done on their house and what a nice family they had. I was glad that we hadn’t “represented” them in anything but a favourable light. I was glad to have been there with our children having such a delightful time.  Whenever I look back on last night (or when those people look back on last night) I imagine it will be with gladness.  Most of all, I was glad the LORD was honoured in our midst.

I think of the verses in Ephesians 5.1-4:

Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour. But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints; Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks.”

For better or worse, everywhere we go, we are a representation…  O, to be a glad representation.

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August 9, 2007 by pamela.

Today’s my sweet boy Andrew’s 9th birthday.  I’ll write about this boy a little later on.  What a delight he is and has been for our family.  I’m marveling today:  what would I do without this boy?

Too bizzy for bloggin’ today — but wanted to share an interesting thing - a YouTube clip…. I put it on our site.  Staggering statistics…

And… I sent out a “Letters to my Sisters” today… hopefully it will be of encouragement to a mama who’s wondering if anything she’s doing is amounting to anything.   This one’s called The Significance of Stones.

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August 3, 2007 by pamela.

And now…. even *I* can see: the baby’s growing up:

These were taken a few weeks ago… Samuel and Hannah were hiking

A terrific view of Mount Rainier

Samuel… at the top of Mount Pilchuck.

They tell me I wouldn’t make it.
Well, maybe not today…

Okay…

And I cannot resist one more.
Those who know Hannah - know she *loves* to laugh.
A lot!

And Hannah and her friend, ‘Rissa, together?
Double the pleasure, double the fun, quadruple the laughter.

more slices of life another day…

and so it goes.

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August 2, 2007 by pamela.

I have a new friend.  And believe me… I didn’t instantly like her… she was just… hmmmm too… too.  O, she hasn’t done anything wrong… no, no, no.  It’s just that I initially thought she was smug and seemed a bit too sure of herself.  O, not that she was arrogant or even that she was overly confident, for I really do appreciate the character quality of “confidence” in a person.  It seems that when a person is genuinely confident, then I can be pretty sure they’re also genuinely… uh… genuine.  I don’t mean the confidence that’s actually insecure, but the confidence that’s confident about what’s known or what’s believed.  I have, however, met lots of people who are insecure but are truly sure and solid about their beliefs (but I digress and that’s probably a whole other blog entry).

So my new friend…. boy, is she direct and commanding!  I don’t know exactly why she had my attention from the very beginning, but she did.  It was as if whatever she said, that was true!  I’m sometimes wary of such boldness and I tend to have reservations… but in her case, I was somehow immediately fascinated by her story - her approach.  So she was standing there sharing her credentials, her experiences and sort of the outcome of her life and those experiences.   There was no arguing with her “success” — I mean, in many ways: seeing is believing!

My husband told me that he was perfectly fine with me investing time with her.  In fact, so much so, that he agreed that if he were to help me develop a friendship with her, he wanted me to agree to meet with her regularly and he wanted me to make a strong commitment to do so.  So I did. You know… just for the “record,” my husband isn’t looking for me to do anything and isn’t even remotely hinting that I need to do anything, by the way - just so’s ya know.

Well, as things would go, about that same time another friend came over to visit… and amazingly, with her was my new friend!  She didn’t know just how serious I was about becoming friends with this woman — and yet, she brought her over to my house?!  My friend warned me that I might not like her after a few visits.  I told her that I was willing to work through any difficulties bcz I was so ready to be done with my current circumstances that I was willing to go through just about anything… remember: no pain, no gain.  O, wait… no pain, no success.
So… the first occasion went fairly smoothly… then the next day was probably equally so.  By the third day I was wondering if I was going to like this friend after all.  I mean, she sort of kept gliding through our new friendship and I was really having a time of it.  I’d say… wow, I can’t do this and there she’d go… over and over again: yes, you can!  Then each time we’d get to the end of our visit, I’d think, well, maybe I can stick it out.  I did make a commitment to my husband after all.  And… she is, after all, adored by so many!   It’s just that I keep thinking I’m not going to be one of the ones to have such a successful friendship with her.  Or, rather, maybe I’m just not like other people… and maybe I can’t.

Today I’m going to visit with her — you know… that commitment I made and all…  And I know she’s going to be as cheerful and commanding as ever — each day she’s always the same… she just says the same things over and over.  She’s got it down to a routine.  I know what’s coming now and I know what she’s going to say.  And… though I’m hurting, she just smiles and says: yes, you can!  Now, I know I haven’t heard her whole story and so I know that there are many things she might want me to do in the future — she has all this stuff planned for me once I get a little more experience… there’s sort of an expectation that I will advance in our friendship.

Though I haven’t told her, the only reason I even wanted to make friends with her is that I have been on umteenth and one diets and I cannot seem to lose weight past a certain point and I do have a goal I “must” meet in six months.  Well… and during that little gout episode recently, my doctor told me I need to lose ten pounds and then lose ten pounds.  That was sort of her truthy way of telling me I need to lose t-w-e-n-t-y pounds.  Ten and then ten seemed to sound better.  Well, better to her (my doctor’s probably a size 0 or 2 - really).  Not to me.  Anyway… so my brand new friend seems to think I can do this and so:  bcz I made a commitment to see her, I will stick to it (and I also have my 6 month goal to keep in mind).  I read her book, listened to what other people think about her and on and on. Today’s my fourth visit.  O, she’s already here!

Now, if I have some good things to say about her in twenty seven days, at the end of this month, I’ll be sure and tell you!  No, wait, if I have any good thing to share about her during these days, you can be sure I will tell you.  What did I say yesterday about blogging and candor?  I’m not being secretive here… I’m just nervous to tell about my new commitment and what this friend’s name is… in case I fail (my husband or me or both).  But… at least for this initial number of 30 days,  I have made a commitment to spend time everyday with my new friend Teresa.  As in Tapp.  And about that umteenth and one diet?  Don’t ask.  And my six month goal?  Drum roll…. my six month goal is to be able to *comfortably* wear my wedding dress on our thirtieth wedding anniversary February 4.  Though I’ve not tried it on in twenty years, I know it’s a bit small for me —- well, okay, quite a bit —Oooooooo: now it’s out in the open.    I can almost hear my new friend now: Yes, you can!

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August 1, 2007 by pamela.

……….is that blog entries so often need to be, or tend to be, past-tense or obscure sounding things so that others won’t think you’re writing about them. It’s truly a balancing act to not offend, to not reveal, to not be too secretive or too open or too candid or so vague that too much is read into what’s posted. Another thing is that, so often, when someone’s telling a story, there’s this vulnerability or fear that others might be all too ready to critique it on whatever merits they happen to be personally concerned with. Say… a grammarian: always critiquing style and grammatical err