A Soft Answer

I had a bit of a rough day yesterday. So I decided to journal about it...on my blog. And since I can write about Vatever I Vant, I figured why not?

Anywho, yesterday definitely won't be filed away as one of my favorite days of all time. In fact, I got my "feel feels" hurt. Thumb + finger to forehead=loser...that sort of feeling. But seriously, it turned my day into a rotten banana.

For anyone who knows me, I'm rather a tender soul (sniff, sniff) and I take things to heart pretty easily. I could never be a movie star. One bad tabloid picture and I'd be draped over the bed, box of Kleenex in hand and a six pack of Hershey bars...well wrappers, strewn about.

It got better, though. A lot better.

First, I had a ridiculously therapeutic hour of sweating my Nike's off at Jazzercise. (Yeah, I Jazzercise and no, there are no headbands or leotards involved anymore.) In fact, we rocked out to some pretty good dance music. Which brings me to my second point. During a lovely cool down to the sound of Michael Bublé, the thought struck me--"Stop fuming about it."

"What?" I glanced at the other Jazzercisers but knew it was just the voice inside me. "Yeah, it's not going to go away and you certainly have no possession of a time machine, nor do you have any friends smart enough to invent one (no offense, friends), so move on." But really, I didn't know how to move on and with this thought process rolling around in my mind, I realized that I was so busy running away from the sliver in the eyes of others, that I smacked right into the log in my own. It really hurt! So I sat there last night, frozen peas pressed to forehead, thinking about what's really the core of all this.

And that's when I realized the lesson I was meant to learn: Sometimes, even as Christians, we forget to be nice.

Gasp! No, it's true. And I found myself very, very at fault of that.

I thought over some of the times that I responded in a rather not-so-nice-way towards others and the sting of shame burned hot. I imagined all the people that I had hurt with my words--words spoken in the heat of anger, without thinking or weighing the consequences of how it would make the other person feel.

Now, the bump on my head was really starting to throb and I knew I needed to ask for God's forgiveness. I did, and the best part is that I know he did. Now about the people I've hurt. My motto in a tough situation has often been "Kill 'em with kindness." I don't always heed that advice (obviously), but from now on, I'm going to pin it to my heart as a reminder that a soft answer turns away wrath and a kind word is sometimes just what someone needs.

After the way I felt yesterday, the icky feeling in the pit of my stomach, I realized that I never want to be rude or unkind to anyone again. I don't know if that's actually possible, but then I figured--why not? Isn't that the example that Christ lived out on earth--the one we're supposed to follow?

Besides, it's not as if I witnessed someone running over a basket of newborn kittens. In fact, all those times that I was SOOO offended, weren't really that big of a deal to begin with. I could have shrugged it off, better yet laughed it off, and moved on with kindness towards others. And then of course there's that other golden rule: you can't help what others do, you can only help what you do. Ain't that the truth. I'm going to try, really, really try, to keep Jesus' love as the filter in front of my lips so that I can think BEFORE I speak and treat other's the way I would want to be treated.

Blessings!

Photo credit: Pride and Prejudice, 2005

Book Review: Here Burns My Candle

I am one of those people who eagerly awaited (rather impatiently) Liz Curtis Higgs' most recent Historical novel: Here Burns My Candle. Set in Edinburgh Scotland, 1745, the romantic tale follows the Bible story of Ruth and Naomi.

I would highly recommend this book as it is an important reminder about the value of relationships in our lives, taking the reader beyond the love between a husband and a wife and into the bonds between family. It is a beautiful tale filled with the rich detail of Scotland and bustling Edinburgh.

Following in the path of Liz's previous Scottish Fiction, Here Burns My Candle is well worth the read!

Liz Curtis Higgs

My Writing Playlist

It's the score to the words I write. The symphony behind the pages.


No, you probably wouldn't see Fernando Ortega trapsing around the Blue Ridge Mountains dressed up in hillbilly garb...but that doesn't mean his music doesn't play a roll in the scenes I write, helping me set the mood--sometimes sad, other times dramatic. Whatever the emotion I'm trying to put into my charachters, music plays a huge roll.

I call it my Writing Playlist.

Everything from the rock of Gavin DeGraw and the Fray to the old-time bluegrass of Alison Krauss and Nickle Creek to worship with Casting Crowns and the David Crowder Band.

Whenever I have writer's block (which happens rather often as the mother of two little ones) I throw on my ipod, head out for a walk and let the music transport me to another time and place...away from peanut butter and kiddie pools...to the drama of the worlds I'm trying to create--whether it's an upbeat musical scene or a tense, heart-wrenching goodbye. The music takes me on a mini writer's vacation. One where the scenes play out in my mind like the climax of a movie and suddenly the writer's block vanishes.

The playlist is always evolving. Often I dedicate a particular song to a single charachter. It becomes their theme. When I need to draw that charachter out of my mind and onto the computer, I put on their theme song and I'm instantly swept up in their world, their emotions, their purpose.

Then there are the songs and sounds that are not on my Writer's Playlist but exist within the world around me: a symphony of summer crickets coming out just after sunset, the husky voice of leather-skinned grandfather, the sound of bacon frying in a cast-iron pan. These sounds do not have on and off buttons and cannot be downloaded for a fee at my heart's desire--but exist only in the moment, and it is by the grace of God that He gives us these moments, these glimpses into another world, time and place. A world where our imaginations can run wild.

The Writer's Torch: Elizabeth Wiens

My name is Elizabeth Wiens, and I’ve been married to my wonderful husband, Gary, for twenty-three years. Together we have four daughters, so I’m sure my husband is looking forward to the day when he can welcome a few young gentlemen into the family. Most of our married life, we have been involved in full-time ministry, raising our own support as home missionaries. For sixteen years we served in children’s ministry with Child Evangelism Fellowship, and the last two years we’ve been working with GoodSeed Canada. We have been blessed to be able to involve our daughters in ministry from the time they were little, serving together as a family.

For as long as I can remember, I have always loved to read. I love the way talented authors have the ability to draw a reader into their fictional world and make their characters come to life. I start to feel that the characters are my friends, as I live their adventure. Story is a powerful tool. It not only entertains, but has the ability to affect the reader with its underlying message. Jesus often used stories to teach. I love stories that challenge me to think more deeply about my life and attitudes. Books that challenge me to live a more godly life are a blessing. They convict and encourage me long after the last page is turned and the book is returned to the shelf.

Years ago, as a young mother, I began writing stories with my twin sister. We developed a love for creating characters and transforming our experiences into stories. Many hours were spent huddled over a notebook, which we passed back and forth trying to capture just the right words to express our thoughts. That was the beginning, and I’ve loved working to convey a message through the written word ever since.

As my girls reached school age, my family embarked on a new adventure, one that we have come to feel passionate about—the adventure of homeschooling. We have now been homeschooling for fourteen years, and I wouldn’t trade those years for anything. It was not always an easy journey, and the decision to train up our children at home challenged my husband and me in many ways. Having gone through the public system ourselves, we had to rethink our whole approach to education and God’s plan for our family. Gary and I came to realize the vast difference between a secular education, and one that is founded on Scripture and presents a biblical worldview. The more we studied Scripture and tried to apply its principles to our family, the more we realized how much we had bought into the world’s thinking. It has been quite the journey, one I felt compelled to share with others.

And so my writing began again, and Bringing Them Home started to take shape. However, I did not merely want to write an entertaining story. For the story to have purpose, it must challenge others as I have been challenged. Woven through the lives of my fictional characters, I wanted to include a definite message for Christian parents. I strongly believe that God has given parents the responsibility to raise their children for Him, and it needs to be intentional. As such, it is my desire to encourage parents who read my story to prayerfully consider how their children are being educated and to realize that no education is neutral. A child's education, and the environment in which they are educated, will play a large role in shaping their worldview—whether biblical or unbiblical. It is also my desire to help others understand what homeschooling is about, and to encourage homeschooling families in the spiritual mentorship of their children. That was the message I felt compelled to share.

Now the fun part—the development of my characters, the Knight family. Cassy and David Knight have four children who started out in the public school system. Through a series of events and much prayer, they decide to bring them home, though Cassy feels very uncertain about taking on this new role of teacher for her children. Especially for her 8-year-old son, Jeremy, who hates school. Bringing Them Home follows the Knight family through the many adjustments encountered in their first year of homeschooling and all the surprises along the way.

As a writer, I get very involved in my characters’ lives. I think that is natural, as writers spend so much time getting to know their characters as they try to develop each one’s personality. Each member of the Knight family became dear to me as I struggled through their experiences alongside them. Sometimes they developed a mind of their own and they surprised me with what popped out of their mouths. That’s the fun part—when my characters unexpectedly make me laugh or cry. I can especially relate to the Knight family, because their journey reflects so much of my own.

When I finished Bringing Them Home, I knew my story could not end there. That was just the beginning of the Knight’s journey into homeschooling, I had to tell the end. That is why I have gone on to write a sequel, which follows the Knight family in homeschooling through the teen years and courtship. As For Me and My House reflects our current journey, one which has led us counter to our culture as we seek to honor God as a family.

As far as my writing “career”, I don’t know where it will take me. That is in God’s hands. I don’t feel a need to become a best-selling author, or to write a pile of books in my lifetime. When I feel God moving me to write something He has given me a vision for, I write, and it’s up to Him to do with it as He will. I seek only to honor God with my life, and to encourage others to do the same.

Visit Elizabeth and learn more about Bringing Them Home at her website:

www.elizabethwiens.com

Adventures in Country Living: Backyard Garden

Ah, my garden. I could just sit and stare at it all day long. Seriously, I can. I don't know why it brings me such peace and joy, but it does. Maybe it's the feel of diving my hands into the warm earth or the sight of the first blossoms in my pea patch, but my garden is a place of refuge and quiet, a place my children can dig (safely away from my plants, please) with their tractors and shovels. We're together, working as a family, growing organic fruits and vegetables for our table and it couldn't be more fun.

Starting a garden was daunting for me for several years. I never quite had it all together and it wasn't until I figured out one secret that my garden finally became a success. Shh...I'll tell you...GOOD SOIL!

No matter how much sun or shade or water or TLC a plant gets, if it's rooted in poor soil, it WILL struggle. For years, it seemed, I would water my plants day in and day out only to keep them barely alive. Then I discovered composting and incorporated manure into my garden (ick! you say? I said the same thing until my garden doubled in size. Now I am manure's #1 fan :D) Let me explain.

When we first moved to our home several years ago, we could have sold our garden soil as low-grade concrete. Once the rainy season was over, anything short of an axe would not penetrate the ground. Hence our plants had little to no hope. But with my husband's help (and brawn) we built raised beds, and sprinkled in thin layers of leaves (thanks neighbors across the street for letting me haul a trash can back and forth like a crazy lady), grass, compost, manure, dirt and anything else we could get our hands on. Now, or soil is light and fluffy and the garden is bursting at the seams. Every few days, it seems to double in size like a bowl of dough left to rise--and I love it!

We have so much lettuce, I'm about to beg my neighbors, "please take some lettuce home with you!" We have had a salad everyday for months thanks to the cold frame my hubby built--with a couple of two by fours and some corrugated plastic attached to a hinged frame, come snow or snow or snow, we still had winter lettuce and spinach growing underneath.

With a small container garden, comes the obstacle of space. But we are learning new and fun methods of growing an abundance of fruits and vegetables in a small space. From the creek bed, we cut down willow and hauled it home. From the large pieces, I formed rustic obelisks for green beans, a trellis for cucumbers and used the smaller pieces as stakes along the pea patch. I think the effect is charming and quaint. Not to mention cheap. And as we would say in our family "That's sooo Martha Stewart!"

So if you've been intimidated by starting a vegetable garden, give it a shot. Get your hands on free seed catalogs that explain which vegetable varieties grow best during the different growing months. I highly recommend the book, "The Edible Garden" from Sunset. It has amazing photos and great tips for building and growing your garden. Talk to friends and neighbors who garden--chances are they'll have tips and plants to share--gardeners love sharing their plants. I've gotten rosemary, rhubarb, oregano, chocolate mint, strawberries and blackberries (to name just a few) from friends and neighbors. Gardening doesn't have to be expensive and it doesn't have to be daunting. Grow what you like to eat--if you and your family don't like it don't grow it. (Sorry squash and zucchini, you might find better luck with a different family:-)

Happy Homesteading!