Wondering, Wonder, Wonderful

It's been a week of wonder.

Wondering why someone used an overabundance of cement glue, now fossilized on our bathroom wall, to adhere the peach, tuliped wallpaper. Wondering how we will ever get it all off or if we will. Wondering how many days I can spend focusing on said glue, without coming unglued.

Wondering if my son will have good weather for driving from New York to home in a couple days. Wondering what meals to plan for family, who will be joining us over Labor Day weekend to celebrate his homecoming. Wondering how our other son is doing so many miles away in California. Wondering when I will see him again.

Wondering if we'll get our fall schedule in order. Wondering when the back ordered psychology text and workbook will arrive for Fash. Wondering if Algebra 2 is the very thing upon which life or death hangs. Wondering where or when or why.....

Wondering how words can be such a friend and yet, foe- in their usage. Wondering why I have more words than I.T.. Wondering when to supply words and when to wait. Wondering how to listen without having the last word.

All this wondering can make me kind of crazy. I get restless wondering how things are going to turn out.

This is why I need my counselor, Jesus. I wake up every morning and I surrender all to him. He gives me strength to take each moment with a step of faith, to trust him with details and lean on his everlasting goodness. I do not wander in the wilderness of self-effort any longer, but reside in the promised land where the wonder is in the fact of his great love for me. The wonder is in the faithfulness he has shown to me over all the years of my life, even when I did not serve him. The wonder is in the peacefulness of a heart that abides in him.

His name is Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. If you need a pocketful of peace today, just give a little jingle to Jesus. You don't need a cell phone or instant messaging- just cry out with your heart- he actually hears that and responds.

Blessings!

Tomatoes Ripened

It happened. Our tomatoes did, in fact, turn red. I know everyone else across the blogglobe has already posted pictures of their garden bounty. Michigan weather made us wait.

Waiting is hard. But I know I am called to wait:

"Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord." Psalm 27:14

In other words, trust in God's timing. It is more perfect than ours. He sees things differently than I do. If I trusted only in my own thoughts and the logic I dream up, well, I'd have made fried green tomatoes every night for weeks now. I honestly didn't know for sure if they would ever ripen. But I decided not to pick 'em, decided maybe I should be patient. More are turning red everyday and they are delicious, nutritious and a good reminder.

Wait.

Word Filled Wednesday

(not literally referring to anyone by the name of Bob, I believe someone had recently seen the old Bill Murray movie)










(driveway resurfacing by I.T., chalk artists: visiting nieces and nephews, the 2 sisters, Fash and me)

Speak, Your Servant is Listening

The time was around 900 B.C., sometime after the division of the nation of Israel into the northern and southern kingdoms in 931 B.C.........So, pretty long time ago.

"In those days the word of the Lord was rare; there were not many visions"........ Samuel's mom had given her son back to the Lord, to serve the priest, so Sam lived with him. Eli ,the priest, was getting old. It was time for bed and Eli was lying in his usual place. They had not yet put the lamp out. Samuel was lying down, too- they were in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was....."Then the Lord called Samuel."....Sam ran over to Eli and said, I'm here, what is it? Eli told him he hadn't called him and instructed Sam to go back to bed......"Again the Lord called, 'Samuel!'".......Sam got up, went over to Eli, do you need a drink of water or something, because I'm right here and I can get you whatever you need. Eli said, Sam you must be losing it, because I haven't been calling you, son......"Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord: The word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him."

This went on until, finally, the third time, Eli realized the Lord was calling Samuel. He told Samuel, "Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, 'Speak Lord, for your servant is listening.'"......So, Sam went and lay down on his mat.....

"The Lord came and stood there, calling as at the other times, "Samuel! Samuel!" "Then Samuel said, "Speak, for your servant is listening." Samuel became a great leader for the people of God.

The time is 2009 A.D.- present day- the time is NOW......

She was living a hard lifestyle. She did not yet know the Lord. A friend took her to a revival meeting. Radical. She liked radical. That's why she went. The Lord called her name, her heart ached, she cried tears. What was happening? She heard the voice of the Lord and she answered, "Speak, for your servant is listening." That was 30 years ago. She serves Him wholeheartedly to this day. She's raised a big family of children, faithfully teaching them daily about the love of Jesus.

She had gone to church all her life. And Sunday school. Youth group. But the commitment to the instruction of His word was not in her. She made bad choices. She still looked good. Bad choices. Everyone else was. She went to a gathering on campus- Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Give your life to Jesus? What does that mean. She'd probably heard about it before, but hadn't been listening. Now. She heard the voice of the Lord and she answered, "Speak, for your servant is listening." That was many years ago. She loves Him and her heart is committed to him, still. She keeps learning.

He was raised in a Christian home, was read the word of God as a child, was surrounded by believers and received a Christian education. He was obedient. He made good choices. One day, at church, when he was seventeen, the pastor's wife gave a message. She said, "We are where we are, so that Christ may be there, also." He heard the voice of the Lord. He understood the purpose of his life, the gift of it. He answered, "Speak, for your servant is listening." He reevaluated his plans. He serves the Lord today, reaching out to teens in the lost and broken, current culture they are forced to navigate. He is twenty-two years old.

She did not grow up in a Christian home. She did not know the Lord. You know the direction in which we all float, in the absence of Biblical conviction. It was the same for her. She discovered God's word. She read it. That's all. She. Read. It. She heard the voice of the Lord and she answered, "Speak, for your servant is listening." She remains faithful to the One who is enough- her strength, her provider, the lover of her soul. She stands on his promises today.

God is alive. Giving life. Gracious and good.

The stories above are all true. One is mine. One is yours. Today I am praying for the one who does not know the One, from whom all blessings flow, that he or she may meet him soon- may hear the voice of the Lord and answer:

"Speak, for your servant is listening."

All are one in Christ Jesus-

Storing up- um, Treasure...

This is Fashionista's peanut plant. No, we don't live in Georgia. I have no idea how peanuts will feel about Michigan soil and climate. We shall see.

But I am stalling.

The truth is: I woke up with this verse on my lips. Yes. Verbally being spoken out of my own lips as I brushed my teeth.

"Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Matt. 6:19-21 ESV

And all I can think about is the toilet paper. The 433 rolls of toilet paper smashed into the top of the entryway coat closet. The Costco toilet paper.

That toilet paper is not where my heart lies. To prove it, I am considering having Fash set up a toilet paper stand today. Kind of like a lemonade stand. And the rolls will be free. 300 rolls of toilet paper.

This will not even seem unusual in our 1970 something suburb.

Oh, when you let your conscience be your guide....

Heidi

My Present Circumstance

How much more does the One who cares for the lilies care for me? See how He clothes them- in orange no less!

Today I am exercising the skill of being still and knowing. I'm still being a little I'll figure this out for myselfish because I think I knowish, BUT I'm working on the exercise of being still and knowing. That is what it is for me. An exercise. Because I am very impatient and a bit control freakish.

I confess to a full evening of sulking and trying to figure out how I will handle my present circumstance- very insignificant in comparison to children starving in Africa, people fighting a war in Iraq and my neighbor's stubbed toe- but seeming quite heavy and burdensome to me in comparison to that neverland beauty of a vacation I was on last week. Boy coming off one of those can be downright harrowing. Was I well stocked with ammo from the Word to fend off the depressing quandry. No. Why? Because I have been so busy having a grand old time with my gift of life down here on this rocky road of an earthly home that I have not been reading the Word of God, have not been being still and have not been paying attention enough to knowing.

So, this morning I picked up Streams in the Desert by L.B. Cowman containing 366 daily devotionals and read the June 29 through July 4 entries and parts of May 6,7 and 8. Is this as effective as spending time with the Lord daily? No, but it is bringing me back to where I need to be- to deal with my present circumstance. Casting my cares on Him, who cares for me.

Excerpts:

"Whatever happens,the worst will only be a weary traveler receiving a joyful and heavenly welcome home." Samuel Rutherford- relating to these words before it in the entry, "God will provide guides and inns along the road, and we will discover food, clothing, and friends at every stage of our journey. Press on!


I'm going by the upper road, for that

still holds the sun,

I'm climbing through night's pastures where

the starry rivers run:

If you should think to seek me in my

old dark abode,

You'll find this writing on the door,

"She's on the Upper Road." selected (I am taking the Upper Road, if you need to reach me, I'll be there this weekend. Heidi)

"Your circumstances are not only shaping you into a vessel of beauty and honor, but also providing you with resources of great value."

"Wait at God's promise until He meets you there, for He always returns by the path of His promises."

Don't let the song go out of your life
Although it sometimes will flow
In a minor strain; it will blend again
With the major tone you know.

Although shadows rise to obscure life's skies,
And hide for a time the sun,
The sooner they'll lift and reveal the rift,
If you let the melody run.

Don't let the song go out of your life;
Though the voice may have lost its trill,
Though the quivering note may die in your throat,
Let it sing in your spirit still.

Don't let the song go out of your life;
Let it ring in your soul while here;
And when you go hence, it will follow you thence,
And live on in another sphere.

While I waited for the iron to heat, so I could press the creases from my shirt, I sat in my rocker and sang this song: Be still, my soul- the Lord is on thy side!......Leave to thy God to order and provide- In every change He faithful will remain....Thru thorny ways leads to a joyful end.

And now. I am ready to go get some groceries for this family- clothed in my wrinkle-free, pink V-neck and God's righteousness. I'm putting my present circumstance in a box, wrapping it up in brown paper, tying it with string and sending it to: Lord God Almighty, Heaven, Universe and Eternity 00xx0.

Sayonara!

Have a blessed day-
Heidi

Follow

Fashionista and I are reading Isaiah. That's where a whole bunch of people get warned about the destruction that is coming their way- the consequence they have to face for their insistence on going every way, but God's way. But He does promise that there will be a remnant and from it He will build a nation of followers. He will ultimately save His people and be glorified among the nations- forever.

I am thankful to identify with the remnant. I have heard the voice of the Lord and have been given epiphany eyes to see the truth of his word- in bits with struggles, but still with joy... As for every knee bowing and tongue confessing- we wait I guess. It's coming. So, that's the important following I do.

The not so important, but fun and hobby type following I do, is the following of blogs. And I have noticed that I am over following many blogs. What I mean is, I am following many blogs twice. Two 2 Thinks profile icons are sitting in grids on many blogs. I want to apologize for this. I told one blogger already and now I am telling all, I don't know how I got my pic on your grid two times. Furthermore, I don't know how to take one off and leave one on, so that I can properly follow you one time and quit messing up your grid. I have studied it, though. Just haven't figured it out, yet. I'm sorry for that annoyance.

These are some of the other questions I hope to have answered before China becomes the next super power of the world- officially:

How do you type a line through a word and have it show up that way, anyway?

Where do you get those buttons with HTML code underneath that others can grab and paste on their site in order to participate in fun, weekly blog parties like " Friday Faves" and "Thankful Thursday" and "30x5" ?

And what about the awards and trophies and such that so many bloggers are proudly displaying in their sidebars- where do those come from, who gives those out, do you register to win them or submit to a contest, is there a blog board?

Where is the bling? The colorful, jazzy buttons you all have lighting up your sidebars. Is it even called a sidebar? How can a blogger get a sidebar on both sides? I don't see any templates like that at blogspot. Are there free ones? What if you switch to one, do you lose your current blog contents?

Is it legal to go to Google and grab any picture you want and post it on your blog? I've been doing that and then checking my e-mail box for fines or warning notices.

Finally, for now, how did those drawings of that suntanning lady get on this post? That is incredible. How long might that have taken, I wonder? I know that's grad school level stuff.

The bloggers I read are some of the most intelligent, creative, humorous, inspiring individuals on the face of the planet. Refreshing.

Heidi

My Mother's Day Message

Happy Mother's Day to all the blogmoms! Don't let today be the day you think about the time last week when you snapped at the kids in a moment when they were driving you nuts. Sweep the little misunderstanding you had w/that guy you're married to under the rug. Otherwise, the cards will have an opposite effect. Instead of making you feel like the best mom in the world, they'll cause guilt to rise to the surface like cream, gone sour.

When our kids were young, I had this repeating Mother's Day occurrence. I felt so unworthy of the "you're the best"s, the flowers, the breakfast in bed, because inevitably the Saturday before I'd had a spat with I.T.-ologist over something silly, like where to plant the tulips or how long it took to build the Brooklyn bridge. This caused me to spend the day using my angry voice whenever I opened my mouth. Of course the kids noticed. I would think: this Mother's Day special, it's just too much pressure! I can't live up to it.

Usually, the true cause of my dilemma was my inability to give. I am selfish by nature; it is a mental, spiritual and sometimes physical exercise for me to put others' needs and desires before my own. Well, truthfully, I do a pretty good job putting the kids' needs before my own, but when it comes to everyone else, I have my own best interest in mind. My kids are grown now. I didn't argue with I.T.-ologist at all yesterday. We had a very pleasant day exploring a beautiful gardens and sculpture park- my Mother's Day gift one day early. But I still have to be intentional when it comes to letting each member of my family have his or her own dreams and goals, especially with these adult kids I have- they come up with the wildest ideas. I work daily on stepping aside and allowing God to lead in each of their hearts and in mine.

Here is a reflection I wrote a long time ago on a message I heard at church. I'm trying to carry the principles of it within me wherever I go, every day.

At church last Sunday, someone shared this: we speak of "idols" as being the golden calf or money and material things or anything that becomes first place in our lives which puts God second (or third or fourth...depending on how many idols we serve). But what about dreams and goals- especially the ones we have for others, like our spouse or children??? We can cling so tight to the dream that everything- my happiness, success, perceived reputation- hangs on the fulfillment of the dream.

But the Bible teaches that we are to trust God for everything, for the details of each individual day, that whatever he gives for one day will be sufficient for that day- that He knows what He is doing, that He can do what we cannot do and that He always has our best interest in mind. Sometimes, we think we have a person's best interest in mind, but really it is our best interest we have in mind, whether we can admit it or not. God asks us only to cling to what is good- His good Word, to know Him and to love Him by letting him be the full authority over all the aspects of our life. He asks us to teach our children about him and his love and his word and he asks us to love Him and to love one another as he loves us.

In demonstrating real love for someone, you seek to put their desires before your own. There may be pain involved because human emotion is involved, but the deeper joy is really always there for those who set their anchor firmly in the Rock. My life, my body, my mind- are not my own, but have been purchased with a great price- Jesus' shed blood at Calvary- I do not have authority over my life- Jesus does. Every Christian must learn this for him/herself eventually because only then will he/she be able to enjoy the peace and joy that is available to him/her in all circumstances.

This was good teaching for me this week. I'm letting go of another idol and asking God to help me trust him fully. I'm reading his word, so I'll know him better and I'm seeing how faithful (and just, which can be scary) he is and always has been to those who allowed him to have authority in their lives. Followers of old screwed up right and left, but for those who clung to Him and did not forsake Him, God was faithful to show mercy and love.

Natural consequences can be pretty painful and the Bible tells how it is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God- he is just. But what He does, He does it out of a deep love for his own, though we cannot always see that. If I train my mind to think about my circumstances in light of the love of my heavenly Father and the truth of his Holy Word, it changes me and I am well. It is well with my soul- you know. It's an exercise worth much more than the weekly trot to Curves.

Have a great Mother's Day everyone!
Heidi

Above All

Notice anything different?

The question to the story problem is 4:38 pm. Who got it right? That chiffon cake was baked by my sister's mother-in-law and it was delicious- I licked it off the screen.

My husband, (I need a name for him; bloggers give their story people fake names- okay I.T.-ologist) I.T.-ologist, works hard all day figuring out people's computer problems (I know what you're thinking), thus the name Information Technologist. When he comes home he appreciates a dinner that at least appears to be cooking. It is not too much to ask. I like to cook and he always says, "thanks for dinner", which is very sweet.

Today I managed to get venison stroganoff simmering in my crockpot despite the fact that I slept in late and had a little trouble with Algebra (daughter, Fashionista is homeschooled). Sometimes complex fractions simply will not eliminate their denominators. When Fashionista finally appeared to be on a roll with the division, I grabbed my coffee and headed for the computer. Blog break.

It was about 1 o'clock. (scroll down to see what condition I began in and how it all ended, if you haven't already read it) And what about that cake picture, 'eh?

So, seeing as 4:38 pm was the answer to the story problem and I.T.-ologist gets home about 4:39 pm, I had exactly one minute to run to the grocery store for the whole wheat noodles I knew I needed to accompany the stroganoff. I grabbed my purse, the keys and was just getting to the car when in rolled I.T.-ologist.

"Thirty minutes to dinner!" I smiled through clenched teeth, still stressing from the cake mess on the computer screen and all.

"Okay, " the cheerful reply. I.T.-ologist had a dirt-hauling project to work on outside and the sun was shining.

All the way to Meijer I was fuming to myself over the blasted blogspot gadgets and how they teasingly looked easy to use. Two hundred and seventy three billion blogs with colorful, personalized backgrounds, calligraphy signatures and visual enhancements that make any reader feel like she (or he, I found men blog) could reach out and touch the elements of the post. How hard could it be?!?

Maybe it was my computer. Perhaps I'd been riding around in a tight circle for four hours and thirty-eight minutes on the old gray mare who ain't what she used to be. Yes. That's why when I had twenty-five tabs open looking for pictures and directions and blog support groups, the horse power was just hanging her head low, slogging along and frothing at the mouth.

I peeled into a parking space just as Michael W. Smith showed up to give me a message from the radio.

"Above all powers, above all kings...........Above all wisdom and all the ways of man....You
were here before the world began......You lived to die, rejected and alone....You took the
fall and thought of me....Above all."

Oh, hello God. What? Ah, the blog, yes, the blog is overtaking my life and all my thoughts. Yes. Yes it is.

So, I sat in the car, cranked up the music and sang the entire song loudly. Other cars came and went around me. I saw the people looking at me sitting there alone in my car. I just kept on singing.

Unbelieveable the thoughts that crowd in, the thinks that whittle away at my peace of mind. I'm thankful for that faithful God I mentioned in an earlier post, who doesn't allow me to carve a totem pole out of stupid worries. He stops me. I sweep up the shavings and above all- think of Him.

Later in the evening, I visited my hair-do friend. She has a cozy little home salon and shares my love for Jesus. Talking a lot is part of getting a new hair-do and with her the talk often focuses on the Lord. Such a blessing. And guess what? She has a blog. Her 8:30 appointment didn't show up, so she marched me upstairs while my color (a secret) was setting and guided me step by step through the process of changing my blog template and then making it a little bit more interesting.

And this, dear readers marks the day when 2 Thinks learned 2 things about gadgets.

Stay tuned-
Heidi

The Rocks Will Cry Out

Brad at Presence. Voice. Touch. put forth an excellent question, which you can view at the link that might show up somewhere around here when I finish and click on "publish post" provided I put the right stuff in the right box etc. This is an experimental post to help me with the daily learning curve of blogbuild. My goal is to figure out how to use one new gadget a day.

The gist of the question is: If your Christian support network is removed, including people, books like your Bible and all things that serve to sustain you in your faith- leaving only you and Jesus- will you be able to have a dynamic relationship w/Him? If so, what will it look like? If not, why not? (definately go to the link; I hope it shows up somewhere, or go to 'Blogs I follow' and click on Presence. Voice. Touch. for the origional question in the context of Brad's writing)

I appreciated being given the opportunity to think about it: Here is the comment I posted.

"You can have all this world, but give me Jesus."

I would do it and do it more purely. I'd miss my Bible the most, well- maybe my family the most- but if the family remained and just weren't contributing to the encouragement of my faith- it's my Bible I would miss. BUT experience has shown me over and again that the Lord God, the One true Maker of heaven and earth, speaks very clearly to me- makes Himself fully known to me- even when my Bible and the commentaries are not around.

I think it would actually be easier. I'd listen to the pure voice of God. That would always be correct, the right answer- no gnosticism etc. mixed in.

Corrie TenBoom had a dynamic, evangelistic ministry in the confines of the lice infested camp of death. I read that someone had actually smuggled a New Testament in to her- small, tattered, torn- but I know she didn't need it. Without it, God would've given her the nightly words of faith that sustained her and others until their death or release, whichever..When there is nobody or no book there to proclaim the truth of Jesus- the rocks cry out!

He is not limited by our circumstances or our haves and have nots. Truth is more enabled than disabled when human helps are stripped away. Yet the world in which we live does not afford this luxury very often.

God is truly amazing, faithful in every way to pull me back into the fold when I wander to the imaginary greener grass on the other side of the fence (a repeating stroll for me). If this were not true- I would not be typing this.

As Brad asked in his post, "how about you- what do you think?"

Heidi

Cerebral Warfare

Sometimes I have flaming feelings fighting in my head. Often I have no control over that activity. Regularly I need help from the Lord to settle it all out. Here is a typical, generic example of what I am talking about.

Someone says or does something (probably very insignificant in the scope of everything in the whole world) that makes me mad. A conversation brews in my mind that goes something like this:

"Well.(humph)That's not right. I didn't do that. I'm not like that. I didn't mean that. I don't like her. He drives me nuts. I'll just tell her a thing or two. I'll stand my ground. I don't need to say I'm sorry, are you kidding! It's all his fault. I'll wait it out. I won't give in. I know I'm right..."

This goes on for a while until:

" I can't stand it. It's gone on too long. It's gone too far. I can't think straight. I can't focus on anything else. What can I do? Can I fix this? No,that's impossible. It's not my problem. It's a big problem. It is my problem. Who can help me? Who will be on my side?"

I might rattle that one around for days trying to strategize and choose my allies.

Then:

"Hello, Lord?" big pause "It's me again. You know 'the problem', well, I can't seem to fix it. Do you have any ideas for me? You know how hard it is for me to hear you, so remember to use the megaphone. Okay. I'll give you about five minutes to come up with something. Thanks."

The answers come in different ways. Last time God suggested I use the phone a friend option. The name of the friend was provided- one whom had been faithful in the past to tell me what I needed to hear and not what I wanted to hear. Here's a peek inside my head seconds after I spoke with this confidente.

"I think my ideas are better than everyone else's? Yes. I don't know everything? Okay, so I don't. Someone knows more than I do? Oh. I could learn from Someone? Hmm. I see how that might be true. I don't know how to submit to authority?? No! No, I guess I don't. That's a problem? Oh. I can see how that might be a problem. I focus on negatives? I build up a tower of trouble so high it becomes twisted with untruth? Yes I do. I'm very good at it. What was it I was supposed to read again...think...whatever...oh yes, Philippians 4:8 'Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.' Hmm. (ponder, ponder) I think I've misjudged. I made a mistake. I was wrong..."

From there it's a cake walk. Apologies aren't so bad.

The war is over. No swords, no slaughter, no spoils. Humility is not humiliating. It is victory- possible only by turning to the One in whom the battle has already been won.

Peace-
Heidi

Let the Blogging Begin

With the husband out of town on a fishing trip and the daughter entertained by a visiting bestie (their word for best friend), it seemed as good a time as any to invite my fellow blogger, 40winkzzz, over to help me set up my new blogsite. I'd been thinking about indulging myself in this writing outlet world for a few months, but every time I'd sign into blogspot.com I could only get as far as the login and password set- up before my mind would boggle with thoughts of failing at bloggle. It wasn't immediately clear to me how to actually view the title page of my blog, let alone type anything on the page. Moreover, I wanted, but had no idea how, to create an intriguing background like the one on my favorite blogspot, A 2nd Cup of Coffee- she has a slick, red coffee machine with coffee actually physically pouring out of a spout at the top of her blog page. When I first saw that I just sat and stared at it stupefied. I thought, I don't even know how to put a picture on a page, in fact, I don't even have a camera, but this blogger has created running coffee. I was aghast at the 500 billion blogs that already existed and wondered if there were really enough people in the world to read all of them. Who would read mine and why? With all of those thoughts crashing around in my head, all I could do was click on the red X in the upper right hand corner of my computer screen and go back to wandering around the house thinking about blogging.

But then the moment of truth came. A revelation from the Teacher of Ecclesiastes- "this (aforementioned stuff) is meaningless.." My blog will be my writing outlet- a place for me to put the words that gather in my head while I'm doing the dishes or vacuuming the living room or driving to work. This will be good because putting those words somewhere else will free up space in my brain, so I will have room to comtemplate the potential environmental threats of land-based biofuels and how it might be that a mere man, Moses, told God to remember His people, as if He was really going to wipe them all out-or was he? If anyone in blogland chooses to read my blog should he or she stumble upon it, I'll feel like an author- that'll be sweet. And if one decides to post a comment about anything I happen to write-icing on the cake for me- I am a communication major, I like dialogue.

So, here I am, two days after 40winkzzz stopped in for coffee and gave me sufficient encouragement, still in my pajamas at 1:45 in the afternoon, plunking out my first blog entry while simultaneously helping my daughter with her Saxon algebra 2 and ACT prep exercises. I'm obviously going to have to get a grip, as shirking homeschooling responsibilities and ignoring personal grooming details are not going to be workable practices for me. The background is a best of the worst pick from only about four choices of blogspot templates and I don't know if or when anyone will ever see any pictures here. I thought the title was my origional idea, but probably at least ten other bloggers already use some version of this Gone With the Wind quote for their blog, which is why I had to use the entire line. I'm signing it Scarlett for now, because I'm still nervous about divulging personal information to the cyberspace world. But- I did it! I churned one out. I'd like to think that my new site offers at least something memorable- perhaps it could be this: the blogsite with the most potential- the most room for measurable improvement. I'll figure out how to jazz it up. After all, tomorrow is another day.

Heidi