Conversation . . . How Did We Get To Here? (Peter A. Black)

Source: en.wikipedia.org

Quite often when sitting down to a meal my mental wheels begin to grind along with my teeth and I muse about one matter or another. My Beloved isn’t so keen at such times to put up with my ponderings about current affairs, national concerns and international tensions. She’s especially disinclined to get drawn into theological discussion. “Why can’t we just eat and enjoy our meal without all that serious stuff?” she’ll say.             

One morning recently we were doing that, enjoying breakfast and chatting ‘light-duty’ about ordinary things. Somewhere in course of conversation I slid into serious talk about life, delving decades back, recalling my approach to romance as a young adult.

I was interested in good looks, so attractive appearance played a part. Qualities I’d hope for in a girl included pleasant personality and her holding certain interests in common with me, as well as sharing an active Christian faith. (My wife of almost fifty years sat there, yet amazingly didn’t try to get me off this historical, serious stuff!)

She listened (perhaps politely humouring me), even as I shared how the things I’d valued in a potential life-partner had begun to change. (I wasn’t quite twenty years old at the time!) Did I still hope for those qualities? Physically attractive features? – Yes. Friendly, engaging personality? – Yes. Common interests? – Yes. Committed Christian girl who loves God and trusts in Jesus? – Yes, definitely. These still featured firmly in the desirable mix.




Ca. 51 years ago. Where does the time go?

Breakfast was almost over, yet we (mostly I) chatted on. I mentioned that before we met several specific factors became really important to me. For example: Character . . . character that evidenced wholesome values and a lifestyle that demonstrated them – honesty, diligence, practicality, spirituality, wisdom and grace.

I hadn’t made a list, but harking back I realised that these things and more featured on my radar of hoped-for qualities. (Admitted, I might sound like an arrogant jerk, since in my senior years I’m still no paragon of virtuous maturity; but still she listened.)

My Beloved and I first noticed each other in 1964 in a crowded auditorium – a church youth event. Some friends and I were guest speakers and musicians. I made a point of getting acquainted with her and that led initially to several group event dates.

She was pretty. She laughed and smiled and appeared at ease among her friends, and when engaging with me in conversation I detected a hint of shyness; even that seemed attractive.

Several years ago.

But those other desirable character qualities and values – were they active in her life? During this breakfast conversation, almost 52 years after our meeting, I said, “And that’s what I saw the very first time I was in your home; I saw those qualities in you.” Right then as I told her that, I felt an emotional tug at the corners of my mouth, my eye-rims moistening, and yet I managed to pull a wide grin.

She smiled too, perhaps bemused; maybe slightly uncomfortable. Laughing at the situation, I asked what we’d been talking about that got me onto this candid reminiscence. How did we get to here? Brain-scratching pause . . . Oh – we’d been chatting about neighbours who’d moved away that week, on a sweltering hot sticky day!                    

The non-air-conditioned truck was finally loaded, and May had invited the weary, perspiring family and a couple of helping friends over for lunch and dessert, before they headed out on their five-hour journey. They came and we enjoyed a lovely time of fellowship around the table.

That was quite a circuitous conversational route, yet May’s special qualities featured in our journey.

They still do!

~~+~~


~ Raise Your Gaze ... Mindful Musings of a Grateful Heart 

~ Parables from the Pond

Contact 

Olympic Attitude Quandry Ruth Smith Meyer

Olympic Attitude Quandary

The Olympics of the past two weeks remind me of the proverbial elephant . That beast nosed into our living rooms and our lives with the Olympic Torch’s journey across our fair land. With the opening ceremony, the elephant took over the room and many hours of our lives.

We began to stay up late in the evenings to cheer on our athletes, rejoicing when Canada made the podium. Our routine started to centre around the live broadcasts of Olympic events. Especially at first, with typical Canadian grace, we cheered for those who made gold, silver or bronze no matter what nationality, and congratulated all those who gave it their best. We were awed by the tremendous dedication of those young people. We applauded with extra exuberance if Canada did well and our pride in our country grew. Having some people from our own community added to the sense of involvement, so when Drew Doughty was on with the Canadian Hockey team or Scott and Tessa were skating I was all gung- ho, cheering and straining for the prize for them.

Gradually I felt a sense of disquiet. I wondered what was happening to me. As the weeks wore on, more and more, I found myself wanting gold for our country—or silver at least. By this last Saturday the elephant was taking up most of the space in our lives and I began to feel discomfort even while I cheered on with each new gold or silver for Canada. A real tug-of-war raged within me that I still can’t completely understand.

Part of me glories in the accomplishment of Canadian athletes. I am truly proud of the quality and the effort expended, but there is also a part of me that decries putting so much importance on a few winners. Haven’t all the athletes given their best? Were not many “losers” very close to the time of the “winners”? When I saw the disappointment on some faces even though they had done a good job and won silver losing out on the gold by mere hundredth or thousandth of a seconds, I felt distressed that those athletes couldn’t feel good about their accomplishment. When I saw gold winners come to congratulate their competitor just to have the silver medalists turn their backs and walk the other direction I grieved the lack of sportsmanship and questioned the effectiveness of what the Olympics were meant to accomplish.

Then there is another side of the conflict within me. Although I believe in exercising our bodies and perhaps pushing them to greater limits than we thought possible, I feel some hesitation when I see the skiers on a dangerous course that probably should have been shut down, careening down the hill and ending up being taken away on stretchers. Others coming down the mogul hill in spite of knee damage not fully healed or skating with injuries, continuing in spite of broken ribs and more made me wonder how those people are going to feel, in thirty, forty or fifty years, about how they used their God-given bodies.

So I am in a quandary. The Olympics have come to an celebratory end and the elephant will retreat from the living room, but will its spirit and the moral predicament linger in my mind?

Goal Planning - Payne

Back in December, Denise Rumble challenged The Word Guild members to share the plans we have for the New Year as far as scheduling time for our writing.

Instead of the usual breakdown of goals (for example, I will write 500 words a day, or I will send out 10 query letters a month) I have decided to try something different this year.

I plan to examine my goals in detail with respect to my personal values – those things I feel are most important in my life. I picked my top six values – health, learning, family, friendship, variety, and humour – and wrote at least two specific goals to pertain to each.

For example, I plan to attend The Word Guild’s Write! Canada conference in June. This goal supports my values of education, variety, humour, and friendship. I plan to read one fictional novel that has “laugh out loud” as a credit on the cover. This goal supports my values of education, variety, and humour.

I have twelve book projects that I am currently working on. However, instead of stressing about working on one and getting it done by a certain date, I plan to work on the project that fits my fancy for the day. This way, I continue to move toward my goal of completion but without the added stress of finishing to a deadline. I want to enjoy the whole writing process! This supports my values of health and family.

The other thing that I am trying is to break these projects down into smaller chunks. I’ve often read that it is not the best idea to start writing a book; but instead, to write smaller articles towards the goal of a book. For example, I want to write a book about the different types of trees in the Bible. What I have just offered to do is write a small chapter each week to be printed on the back of the church bulletin. (This is not an original idea…I took it from Peter Black’s Parables from the Pond. Great idea Peter!)

I don’t have an agent. I don’t have a publishing contract. And I don’t plan to stress about it. My goal this year is to get back to the joy of writing. To write what I want when I want without a schedule to bog me down.

Who knows…when a writing project is done, maybe I’ll feel motivated and energized to pursue publication. Maybe.

It’s the first time I’m trying this new approach to goal planning. Have you ever tried a new method of goal planning?

Kimberley Payne
http://www.kimberleypayne.com/

Christmas: Past, Present and Future - Meyer

Not Far from the Tree, my newest novel, had me researching the time of the dirty thirties and the Great Depression. Even though I didn’t live through that time, I was born while the world still felt the effects and just as the Second World War began. My research and writing brought back the memories of a time when the differences between wants and needs were distinctively known.
About the same time as Not Far from the Tree was released, the financial world began to tremble and there were answering shivers felt especially by many dependant on the automotive trades. The shudders are still spreading in ripple effects and we still don’t know where it will stop.
Now Christmas is almost upon us. My mind went back to the Christmas gifts of times past. One year there were dolls for my older sister and me. My aunt and grandmother had fashioned some home-made clothes and we were ecstatic! Another year we received wallets (and that was it-nothing more) and again I felt most fortunate and not just a little grown up. That year we received a little pin try from my grandparents. Christmas could not have been better, I had no thought of wanting more. Of course there were the “fancy” cut oranges for breakfast and even a few sweets! (an unheard of occurrence in our regular meals!) Family gatherings, bountiful meals the Christmas story and carol singing in the afternoon rounded out the memorable days. For several years, there wasn’t even a Christmas tree but we didn’t miss it all that much. We felt extremely fortunate even without the stack of gifts to which we now have become accustomed. What would it take to get society used to less or smaller gifts? One would hope it wouldn’t take an all-out depression to force us into realizing that relationships are more important than things, gifts of the heart are worth more than those with a high price tag, attention and time spent with loved ones, the lonely or alone is more treasured than the amount of parcels under the tree, that the spirit of Christmas, goodwill, the celebration really is all about the Reason for the season—the birth of a Savior. Once we acknowledge that and put Christ back in the center of our festivity our priorities will be straight.
This year, there is evidence of some reserve in the usual buying frenzy, but many are still moving through the check-out lines with carts full as though quickly buying in case it is the last time it will be possible for awhile. While I was standing at the end of the line behind six or eight people (no use moving to one of the other six lines—they were all just as busy) I pondered what it would be like for our society to change its expectations, to be happy with less material goods. Perhaps then we could take time to nurture relationships, enjoy the basics in life and renew our consciousness of the Giver.

Ruth Smith Meyer
Author of Not Easily Broken and Not Far from the Tree
http://www.ruthsmithmeyer.com/