Totally Tuesday Book Club

I have always enjoyed reading as well as writing.  My grandmother used to say that she never saw me without a book in my hands.  Nowadays, one can find books and bookshelves in every room in my house.  And there are also Nooks and apps on the computers, IPad and phone for books and more books.  Yes, I like to read!

A few years ago, our previous pastor and fellow avid reader, Beth Nelson, organized the Third Thursday Book Club at our church.  We have continued it ever since.  We moved it to a Tuesday last year and renamed it the Totally Tuesday Book Club.  We meet the first Tuesday of the month and enjoy discussing a great cross section of books.  I'll share some of our previous selections in future posts.  But for today, here is a look at what we are doing this year.  Maybe there is something here that you might enjoy.  Or maybe you have some suggestions of books that you have enjoyed.

Respect



Image courtesy of [Michael Elliott] / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Respect - from the Latin meaning looking back. 
 

As Election Day 2012 comes to a close, I have been thinking about the word respect.  I am thankful that so many that I know have chosen to respect each other’s similarities and differences as opposed to disrespecting others because of political views.  Throughout the campaign time there have been some who had become so entrenched in their choice and support of candidates that they let that drive their lives.  And, often, some appear to focus on the political climate above all else in relating to others with a sort of tunnel vision.   Some became so focused on all that was spinning around them that they appeared to have forgotten the importance of the concept of respect in relation to others in their lives.

Politics is not what defines who we are.  Respect for each other, for family and friends, and for our country and its leaders is ultimately more important than who supports whom or who votes for whom.  When all finally is settled in this election, as in all elections, all need to acknowledge and accept the outcome and continue to do their best to be the best person that they can be.  It also means to accept and move on.  And that means to respect others and to work together to support all that our country stands for.  Two friends put it quite well when they talked about how friends or family members can have differing political affiliations, different views and still love and respect each other.  It is my hope that this is possible for many.  With such a very close election this year, there will be an opportunity for division or for cooperation.   The choice is up to each individual.   With respect for each other, let us cooperate and work together for our country.  After all, respecting others around us, including our leaders can help us to be the people and the nation we need to be.

So as the election comes to a close and we discover in what direction our country will be going, take time to look back and to respect all who are a part of the process.  Each has a part in history.  And look at those around you and remember what makes them important to you.   Campaigns and elections are but a small part of what occurs in our lives.  Friendships, relationships and respect continue every day.   As you look forward to the future also look back with respect on all who are important in your lives. 

Special thank yous to my friend Mark and Bishop Tom for your inspiring words today as always.

Quotably Yours #12

Who Said It?

The master in the art of living makes little distinction between his work and his play, his labor and his leisure, his mind and his body, his information and his recreation, his love and his religion. He hardly knows which is which. He simply pursues his vision of excellence at whatever he does, leaving others to decide whether he is working or playing. To him he's always doing both.

Hint:  The author of this quotation is known to be loquacious in his/her writing! ;)

Quick Fudge

In an effort to post more, I thought that today I would share a recipe that I like.  It is decadent, but it's really good to have on hand as we move into holiday entertaining.  Now, assuming that you have no leftover Halloween candy, you might want to give this a try this weekend, just to be sure it's good for guests during the holidays!

 

Quick Fudge

This recipe comes from a fellow Longaberger Consultant.  It’s very easy and very decadent for those who love chocolate and fudge!  I think it tastes a lot like the Hershey’s recipe on the can which requires lots of work and talent, which my grandmother always made, but much, much easier.

1 box or 4C. powdered sugar

1/2 c. Hershey's Cocoa powder
1 stick of REAL butter (margarine will NOT work)
1/4 C. Milk
Chopped nuts optional

Place Grandma Bonnie's Pie plate, or 8x8 in freezer for 20 min. or longer

In the lid to the 8-in-1 Entertainer or a Longaberger Mixing bowl, batter bowl, or buffet bowl, mix powdered sugar and cocoa.* Scatter the chunks of butter over the mixture, but do NOT stir. Drizzle milk over mixture, but do not stir. Cover with a paper towel and microwave for 2 min. on high. With a wire whisk, stir until smooth. Pour into the chilled pie plate or 8x8. Place in the refrigerator for 25-35 min. Slice fudge and arrange in your favorite pottery piece or basket.

*Note from Sandy:

I sift the powdered sugar and cocoa together.  It takes more time, but I think it makes it much easier to blend completely.

All Saints Day

Remembering those who have gone before us on All Saints Day.

For All the Saints

Text: William W. How, 1823-1897
Music: Ralph Vaughan Williams, 1872-1958
Tune: SINE NOMINE, Meter: 10 10 10 with Alleluias

1. For all the saints, who from their labors rest,
who thee by faith before the world confessed,
thy name, O Jesus, be forever blest.
Alleluia, Alleluia!

2. Thou wast their rock, their fortress, and their might;
thou Lord, their captain in the well-fought fight;
thou in the darkness drear, their one true light.
Alleluia, Alleluia!

3. O may thy soldiers, faithful, true, and bold,
fight as the saints who nobly fought of old,
and win with them the victor's crown of gold.
Alleluia, Alleluia!

4. O blest communion, fellowship divine!
We feebly struggle, they in glory shine;
yet all are one in thee, for all are thine.
Alleluia, Alleluia!

5. And when the strife is fierce, the warfare long,
steals on the ear the distant triumph song,
and hearts are brave again, and arms are strong.
Alleluia, Alleluia!

6. From earth's wide bounds, from ocean's farthest coast,
through gates of pearl streams in the countless host,
singing to Father, Son, and Holy Ghost:
Alleluia, Alleluia!

Living Life Every Moment!

EMILY: "Does anyone ever realize life while they live it...every, every minute?"

STAGE MANAGER: "No. Saints and poets maybe...they do some.”
― Thornton Wilder, Our Town

10-24-2012

Saints and Poets.   My blog.  This title was the first thing that entered my mind when I decided to begin a blog a few years ago.  My blog would be a collection of many different things that are part of my life every day.  I knew this had to be the title. It’s a line that I have always remembered, even if I have not always heeded its message.   It says it all.  And it hit home once again this week just how precious every moment is in our lives.  I may not be a saint, but I am a poet.  And I’m glad that I am.

The lines, of course, come from the Pulitzer Prize winning Thornton Wilder play, Our Town, written in the late 1930s about the early 20^th century mythical town of Grover’s Corners.  It was one of the pieces of American literature that we studied in high school.  Now, some things that I learned have stayed with me forever.  Others didn’t stay too long.  But I am one to remember some of the wonders of the written language.  And Our Town was one of those.  Now, we didn’t do the play as a performance for others outside the classroom, but we did do it in the LGI, the Large Group Instruction room, a cavern of a room,  I remember.  We all had parts.  We studied and analyzed the story.  We learned lines.  We worked for weeks.  We performed.  Some may say that the main character of the play is Emily Webb.  But the main character is truly the Stage Manager.  The Stage Manager plays many roles in the drama, both within the story and as an outside observer.  I read somewhere that the Stage Manager was able to break down the fourth wall, that imaginary wall that divides the stage from the audience-fantasy from reality.  I can think of no other play that does that so very well.  And in Our Town, there is minimal staging, scenery, set and costumes.  The characters and their part in the story are the focus of this play.    But, back to the Stage Manager.  The Stage Manager knows the story on stage intimately and is very wise.  The quintessential line in the play comes in the third act, as Emily, after her death, tries to recapture moments of her life.  She becomes frustrated that in the everyday things of life, too many of the people whom she loves don’t pay attention to what is really going on.  Too many don’t live in the present and enjoy every moment of life and living.  She asks in her frustration and disappointment in trying to recapture the moments, of the Stage Manager, “Does anyone ever realize life while they live it...every, every minute?".  And his answer is, "No. Saints and poets maybe...they do some.”   I love that line!  It’s truly a line to live by!

We all need to be saints and poets every day.  We need to embrace every moment in our life and celebrate those moments and those around us.  What may seem inconsequential is what life and love and family and friends is all about.  We, like Emily and all of the rest of the characters, can miss out on so much if we are not aware of the joy of life in every moment.   All moments are part of who we are.   And that’s the reason I chose Saints and Poets as the title of my blog.  I want to always remember to live life every moment because every moment, whether happy or sad, is a part of life and a part of all of the people who are a part of our lives.  Each moment is precious and is part of who we are.  This came back to me earlier this week when I learned of the death of a good friend that I had known since childhood.  He was a good person.  He lived life every day.  He loved his family and his friends.   And he will be missed by many.  But we will celebrate his life tomorrow!  And, yes, if you haven’t already figured it out, my friend, John Arthur, was the Stage Manager all those years ago in high school when we did Our Town.  So, John, here’s one friend who will always remember you for many things, but mostly for your line from Our Town.  I will be one of the poets who live life every, every minute!  And from now on, this blog is dedicated to you, your life, and your memory.

Living life every moment!

 

Dreamers

Photo from NASA.gov

If you can dream it, you can do it.
Walt Disney

I thought about Walt Disney and that quote last Saturday when I read of the death of Neil Armstrong at age 82.   Neil Armstrong was a hero and a dreamer who put his dreams into actions.  Walt Disney dreamed about the future.  Tomorrowland, although to some it may seem a make believe world of yesterday’s dreams, is part of the vision of Walt Disney.  The future, space and space travel were part of much that Walt Disney imagined as he created Disneyland and Walt Disney World.  From a short documentary with Dr. Werner Von Braun in the fifties to Mission to Mars to Space Mountain to Mission Space and Spaceship Earth and especially his vision of EPCOT,  Walt loved dreaming about the future and doing the impossible.  So last Saturday, when I read of the passing of Neil Armstrong so soon after Sally Ride, I thought about the impact Walt’s fellow dreamers, who were a part of the space program, had on our nation.  Our astronauts, just like Walt, dreamed of doing the impossible.  And they did it.

Growing up as a Baby Boomer, the space program and the astronauts were an integral part of our daily lives.  We dreamed of space travel.  We played space games and had space toys.  We watched space cartoons.  We learned a whole new set of vocabulary related to space.  Astronauts were our heroes.  We learned about space as we watched space shots on TVs wheeled into classrooms, just for that purpose.    We cheered at liftoffs and water landings and space capsule recoveries.  And we watched as we, yes we, landed on the Moon.  Our lives were changed forever when the “Eagle” landed late on July 20 and Neil Armstrong stepped off that ladder a few hours later onto the surface of the Moon on July 21, 1969.  The astronauts showed us that what others might say is impossible, can be achieved.  We were encouraged to “reach for the stars” in all that we did, which included encouraging boys and girls to learn more about math and science and explore careers involving these.   Girls, especially, learned that they could be anything they wanted to be, including astronauts.

Without dreamers like Walt Disney, Sally Ride, Christa Mc Auliffe and Neil Armstrong, the world would be a very different place today.  Their dreams made the world a better place.  Because of their dreams and their actions, many more dreamers have made discoveries that benefit all.   Their legacies live on in those who follow them as dreamers who make the future happen. 

 

The next time you are in The American Adventure, and you’re singing along and you get to the part of the Golden Dream where we remember the Moon landing, pay extra attention to that dreamer who made the first step.  Thank you, Neil Armstrong, for inspiring so many to follow their dreams.   Thank you for dreaming and living your dreams.

 

Take a lesson from these dreamers, especially Neil Armstrong.  Make your dreams happen!

 

To learn more about Neil Armstrong, visit NASA.