Uphill idealist

About a year ago, I was speaking to an acquaintance about something I'd wished I'd always done. I always wanted to write to Madeline L'Engle after reading her book A Circle of Quiet because I wanted to tell her how much it meant to me. Because of this book, I made the decision to go to college after the birth of my first daughter. It was frightening for me to take this step, because I was not fond of the idea of being a 22 year old freshman, but somehow I gathered up enough strength to do so by reading and re-reading the words in that book. My new friend wanted to know why if I had the courage to go to college, why I never had the courage to write to the person that had so inspired me. I was afraid that if I wrote to her she would think I was some odd duck or a crazy fan. But Madeline was much more than a famous person that I looked up to, she was through her writing - a much needed mentor to me at that pivotal point in my life. This person smiled at me and said, " Yo...

Image from the blog Almost Clouds . “A book comes and says, "Write me." My job is to try to serve it to the best of my ability, which is never good enough, but all I can do is listen to it, do what it tells me and collaborate.” Madeleine L'Engle quotes Madeline L'Engle is one of my all time favorite authors. According to the preface in her just released last-first novel, "Joys of Love" that was written by her granddaughter. "Her (Madeline's) spirit suffered badly with those rejections (to her work), but she never stopped writing, never stopped trying. Hers remained a legacy of discipline and dogged persistence. She has always said that being published doesn't make you a writer - writing does." (Page ix of the introduction to , "The Joys of Love". For many years now I've written poetry, articles, essays and even some songs. I've not yet attempted to assemble any of these writings into a complete volume. Yet that is. For ...

Image found at Life. The Tate Unveils The Alternative Christmas Tree LONDON - DECEMBER 3: A woman looks at Tate Britain's Christmas tree dressed by sculptor Richard Wentworth on December 3, 2004 in London, England. The traditional Norwegian Spruce tree is decorated with broken halves of plates and strings of dimmed domestic light bulbs also text panels on the base of the tree describe the histories of the tree's four elements: the light bulb, the plate, the Christmas tree and the plinth. There is so much preparation, anticipation and excitement in the days just before Christmas. Even adults become giddy with moments of child-like joy and frivolity, at least I know I do. I feel its effects in the holiday songs I find myself humming, in the flutter of joy in my heart, and in the smile plastered across my face as I sat down to share Christmas Eve dinner with this years entourage. I had been touched and filled with a healthy dose of the Christmas spirit. The faces around my table m...

A Facebook friend tagged me in this meme and I couldn't resist. Here goes my effort to recall the first 15 books that have stuck with me. 1. Circle of Quiet by Madeline L'Engle. This book made me what to go to back to college. 2. Sacred Space - this devotional book is published every year and has been my most consistent companion in my prayer life. 3. The New Moosewood Cookbook - This cookbook offers incredibly tasty vegetarian dishes. Its always fun to cook out of. 4. The Message - Whenever I'm looking for a fresh way of looking at scripture I look in Eugene Peterson's paraphrase version of the Bible. 5. Bird by bird by Anne Lamott. I don't think this book is one a writer is ever "done" with. Just when you think there is no more to write about, Anne pushes you to dig deeper. 6. The Shack by William P. Young - I read this last summer when I had been laid off and was dealing with so many emotions. It helped me make my way through to the other side. 7...

My Sleeping With Bread friend Mary Lue , mentioned last week that little crackers would suffice for bread in a pinch. So this week I'll call my bread Croutons. This week has had both kinds of croutons, the too-crunchy-stale-out-of-the-box-kind and the tasty made at home with lots of garlic and butter kind. I suppose I'll start with the stale croutons first. Stale croutons: I have acquired a mean-spirited cold that does not want to quit. I'm foggy headed, feverish, and sleep-seeking. It is my main focus to consume lots and lots of OJ, Tea and anything else that is liquid. I even went to the doctors to check for strep - thankfully it isn't. Only a virus that lasts at least only 10 days, so says the Dr. I'm frustrated that apparently some disorder and mess was left at the end of a youth event on Friday. Instead of spending a day away from work, this afternoon, I will now have to deal with the group that may or may not be responsible for the problem. Conflict is so not ...