Blank Spaces...

Happy New Year!

I spent this second day of January creating some blank spaces in my house...

The day began by saying goodbye to family, reorganizing the house, doing lots of laundry and putting away all the Christmas decorations.

And I realized while going through these chores, that all of these activities created blank spaces... Spaces where our family had been and enjoyed time together, spaces where all our Christmas decorations had been... blank spaces.

Before all of the family left, I got out my calendar to check on some dates in the summer... and as I looked through it, for the most part the year has lots of "blank" spaces too.

It got me to thinking... I kind of enjoy some blank spaces in my life.

Although, I would not rank January as my favorite month of the year, there is something kind of refreshing about the blank spaces in our lives in January, isn't there?

After all the parties and activities throughout the holidays, it is kind of nice to not have too many plans for the next few weeks. And I don't know about you, but I also like some blank spaces in my home too.

In an ironic way, there is something about blank spaces which create a sense of expectancy... an expectancy of what will come... you know nothing is there now, but you know something will be there eventually, but what will it be?

So, as I look around at some of the blank spaces in my life, I am also looking forward with expectation to this new year and what it will bring!

I love studying history...

One of the great joys of home schooling my children is the opportunity to study history in depth. Sorry, Mr. Groves, but my "early bird" high school history class just didn't cut it for me (we took this class at 6:45 in the morning -- meaning we were asleep through much of the class.)

That class did little to inspire my current love (and passion) for the study of history. But, I am willing to admit it now. I love history. I love history because of what I learn of mankind. I love history because it gives us such an perspective on current life; which is someting that only understanding history can do.

We are currently reading "A History of US" by Joy Hakim. These are some amazing history books. If you love history, you will not be disappointed in reading them...

Tonight, we were reading about the muckrakers of the late 1800's... and how they ushered in a new era in journalism, "investigative journalism."

Anyway, we were learning about a guy named Lincoln Steffans. He has an amazing quote from his book called "The Shame of the Cities" -- which incidentally made him famous...

Here it is...

"The misgovernment of the American people is misgovernment by the American people!"

Completely brilliant and spot on. Well said, Mr. Steffans.

And so, once again, studying history helps me fully realize the realities of my current world. It also reminds me of another great writer, King Solomon, who said, "There is nothing new under the sun." So true.

God is Good...

Recently, I had the opportunity to hear former president George W. Bush speak when he came to Wichita.

He told many stories as he reflected on his past and his experiences as a son, as a business leader and, of course, while he was a president.

One story he shared touched me greatly. I will always remember it.

He shared a story of visiting a village in Africa. He was able to meet with a group of orphans who had lost the parents to the AIDS epidemic. As he was leaving them, he said, “God is good.” And they replied back in unison, “All the time.”

I loved this story because of the truth it tells. God is good. All the time. In times of joy. In times of sorrow. In times of hope. In times of hopelessness. In times of prosperity. In times of want.

Bush shared that even though these orphans had the "right" to be angry and bitter and cynical... they weren't. They praised God in spite of their circumstances.

Bush went on to discuss how different America would be if this would be our motto -- what would we as a nation be like if we would recognize the goodness of God all the time! Wow! It makes you think.

The coolest thing about the evening was when Bush left the stage for the evening, he said "God is Good." And in unison, the audience of 4900+, said back "All the Time."

One of the highlights of my year!

That is what I call a dry spell...

Whew! That has been a bit of a dry spell... maybe the drought that swept over the plains of Kansas this summer affected the writer of this blog... To be honest, I haven't had the time nor the desire to post much lately. But, I feel the desire to write growing inside me. I am feeling the need to express some feelings -- the need to analyze and process.

I can't help but wonder if the desire to write isn't directly related to the long, endless nights of late fall? I know that as night falls here around 5:30 p.m., I can't help but feel a bit lonely. Yes, I can feel that way in a house full of kiddos. Have you ever experienced that feeling in the late fall?

Whatever the reason, it seems this time of year lends itself to a creative outlet. I am not exactly a crafty kinda gal, or a seamstress, or a scrapbooker. And to be honest, I can't figure even begin to figure Pinterest out (althought it looks like great fun.) So, I guess that leaves me with writing. Yay! I am thankful for the blog world. Lots of great writing at a click of the button.

I hope your fall has been blessed... Looking forward to sharing some thoughts with you soon....

The Impact of One Man's Life

I remember when I met Delane Butler (back in 1989,) he had this weird looking computer with a small screen. It was different from all the computers I was used to.

But according to him, it was way better than any PC. He also told me of the creative genius behind this computer, a guy named Steve Jobs, who helped invent this fantabulous computer.

We married and I went on to write many college papers on that Apple computer. And through those early years of marriage, I also continued to hear a lot more about Steve Jobs and his latest creative move.

As my husband continued to pursue graphic design vocationally, he decided he needed a bigger computer screen. And of course, the computer that all graphic artists needed to have was an Apple computer. So, we bought another one...

Not very many people had Apple computers in the early 90's. It seemed like it was just the artists of the world. And a few teachers here and there. These were the days before the iRevolution. Yes, there was a time before iPods, iTunes and iPhones. Radical, huh?

When it was time to replace this computer, I convinced my dear husband to get a PC. He. Did. Not. Want. To. But, he was now in a different vocational role and he didn't do much design work anymore. He gave in. We had a PC for a while. It bombed a lot. And did weird things. And every time it did something inexplicable, I would hear something like... "We should have gotten a Mac...."

When we decided to get a laptop, there was really no big decision. Well, maybe a little. But thankfully, we got a Mac. And when our PC bit the dust, well, we had learned our lesson.

It is weird how you can have a fond attachment to "things" in this life, isn't it? I mean, come on, it is a computer. It is basically a bunch of plastic, and some glass, and circuit boards. And yet computer technology has had a profound effect on our lives. It affects the way we live. The way we work. The way we communicate. The way we interact. The way we learn.

And then there is my favorite invention from the Apple people. The iPod. I mean, wow. It is one of my most favorite inventions ever. Okay, penicillin first. But then, probably the iPod. It is great. Having volumes of music and pictures and video and lessons and audio books all at my fingertips in a little tiny case -- that also happens to be cute and stylish. Awesomeness.

And I haven't even mentioned Mr. Jobs' contribution and influence on the genius that is Pixar. I mean where would animation (and modern day pop-culture) be today without Toy Story, Cars, Finding Nemo, Up...?

So, as my story comes full circle. It seems fitting that my dear husband was the one who broke the news of Mr. Jobs' passing to me. He had logged onto the internet and read it first.

Like so many today, I have reflected on the contributions accredited to Steve Jobs. It is amazing to think about how one person's life and creativity and genius can have such a profound impact on the world. Indeed, his life has affected my life in many ways. And I never even met him.

And yet, as I truly think about it all, I realize it is all just stuff. And more importantly, I am aware that when we are done, it all goes back in the box.

My Labor Day Weekend...

Labor Day. The holiday in and of itself is a little unusual. I would venture to say many today do not even know the full meaning behind the holiday.... but that is an entirely different post!

I know for me and many others it has traditionally been seen as the final curtain on summer and the realization that "real life" is now beginning... After Labor Day, we set aside the more leisurely pace of summer and we officially get back to our regularly scheduled life...

We found ourselves on the outset of the weekend without scheduled plans. I was trying to make casual plans with friends for dinner... We had a come and go wedding celebration we were tentatively planning to attend on Saturday... And then on Saturday, a friend called and asked us over for a cookout one evening.

And other than those few things, the only thing we wanted to definitely accomplish was a trip to the drive-in (because this fun tradition was still on our summer "to do" list....)

So, the weekend was basically open. Unscheduled. Up in the air. Not normally the way I roll. Because, those of you who know me, know I love my schedules and to do lists.

But, I put schedules and Daytimers aside this weekend and let the weekend kind of just "roll along." When the husband got home on Friday, we had a brief conversation about a few things we would like to get accomplished and a "very loose plan" was made... Because, come on, you can't take the schedule completely out of a scheduler!

Anyway, all that to say, it was a fantastic weekend. It was almost as if not having a lot scheduled to do... gave us all the freedom to get a lot accomplished! Not that this even makes sense. But it was a very productive weekend -- And yet at the same time it was very laid back and relaxed and fun. So hard to explain. I guess it is kind of like vacation should be. You know, ideally, when you go on vacation, you get to go and do and see a lot... but all the while you are feeling relaxed and calm... Doesn't happen very often on vacations, does it?

Many times, we use long holiday weekends to cram in a quick trip to visit family. Or family comes to see us. Or we plan a house project. Or we make plans to have a big get together at our house. But not this weekend.

And I am not going to lie. I had to fight the urge. The urge to schedule something big this weekend. The urge to have a bunch of company over for a dinner. The urge to not go somewhere. The urge to not have a schedule with plans. It seemed weird to just stay at home and be.

And yet I liked it. A lot.

Summertime and the living is Easy... NOT!

It used to seem like summer was never ending... it literally went on and on...

Now? It flies by... Can you all believe kids are going back to school?

I know part of it is due to school districts starting classes earlier than they used to... (remember when you started school after Labor Day?)

But, I also think this article by Mitch Albom in this week's Parade magazine may help explain how summer has become too busy and overscheduled that it literally flies by...

The Joys of Summer | Parade.com

It makes me want to buy a hammock and get me a big old pitcher of lemondade and a good book...and then go play in the water sprinkler.