A Fortunate Reversal (fictional fun)

Here's a little story I wrote for fun after reading about the Oxford English Dictionary's new additions. The highlighted words below are just a few of 2011's recognized bunch. 

A Fortunate Reversal

 “Steve here, Hi, wassup?” He quickly answered his cell phone while annoying people in the eating establishment around him.

“Yeah, I’m back in town since last Friday. I’m preparing my notes as we speak…Yeah, I’ll have something ready to look at by next week. Can you give me a two-column spread? Hey hang-on, I need to order my food. Yeah…I’m ordering off-the-menu. I’d like a four by four, grilled onions, and the fries, monster-style. Hey, let me call you back; my daughter’s calling."

He missed his daughter’s call and a few minutes later before he took a bite of his dripping cheeseburger, his daughter’s text message came across his buzzing cell phone screen.

OMG Dad, where R U? Mom says U R in La-La Land, LOL . I know you’ve been out of town working on a project. Mom’s hanging out with those WAG friends of hers, but she's still going to that Bible Study too. She's at the doctor now. U R my BFF Dad and I miss you so much  We both miss you. I ♥ U,  Cloie

He sidelines the burger and after wiping his fingers, picks up the cell to try and get his daughter again.

“Hi, Cloie…yeah, couldn’t answer…in the middle of some important food here at In-n-Out.”

“Aahhhh TMI Dad….Now I just got to have one! So, Dad, how was the “couch-surfing” experiment? You survived I see. When is your deadline for the story?"  his daughter asks.

“The first section should hit the paper in two weeks; but in the editor’s hands by Monday. I hope this  just wasn’t smack-talk by these guys. It’s been awhile since I’ve been in print. Learning to trust God in my work, I need to listen and discern even more in each new project.  I know He has something better for our family. I'm really  feeling good and I met such wonderful  people on this last trip; God affirmed so many things. Well, enough about me. I'm sorry hun.  What's new?  I missed you guys too."

“Well dad, Mom certainly would be happy-camper if…”

Dad interrupts. "Cloie, I’m going to call Mom now. Let’s see if we can all have dinner tonight at Pepe’s. Isn’t it “all you can eat” Taquito Tuesday?"

"FYI Dad, Today’s Wednesday. Can you get jet-lag from too much couch-surfing?  Mom hasn’t been feeling too well. I hope she agrees.  Bye Dad, see you tonight." 

Later that evening, after two weeks of doing research across the country on couch-surfing sponsor families and their patrons, Steve's  family is enjoying a reunion at Pepe’s, limit though on the taquitos.

The prodigal husband orders Margaritas for himself and his wife. His wife quickly declines.

“Steve, I hope this is the story that gets you a regular column, because I think I am going to need someone who does his research a lot more locally," Steve's wife, Charmaine, with a bit of mystery in her voice, states.

She smiles at her daughter before grabbing her husband’s hand and places it on her belly.

"This is not a muffin-top. This…is a baby bump”.

“Dad”, Cloie grins “Your writing just took on new inspiration!”

Steve quickly became a syndicated columnist after his award winning personal story of “American-life as Viewed by a Traveling Couch-Surfer” ran in six consecutive weekly features. The network news picked it up as well. Steve’s next column, titled “Reverse Vasectomy, A Mid-life Miracle", landed him a book deal. Steve made another family choice. He cut out the four by four’s and the monster fries along with Taquito Tuesday. His sacrifice was well worth the new blessings coming his way.  The End. 

For more info on what these "words" mean and/or how they're actually defined,  check out this link.  Before you ask, Yes, it is true...♥ is now a verb in the OED (Oxford English Dictionary).

http://www.oed.com/page/updates/recent-updates-to-the-oed;jsessionid=8827D934F0BACC60D1D37E0400FE7A3E

I'd enjoy some feedback on this story.  If you are a frequent reader of my blog, you know I must include some scripture here; so be fair warned all you lovers of the English language and teachers out there. ☺

1 Corinthians 14:9 (New International Version, ©2011)

9 So it is with you. Unless you speak intelligible words with your tongue, how will anyone know what you are saying? You will just be speaking into the air.



Hang Ten!

March Madness

It started with ol’ Charlie Sheen

His goddesses right by his side.
Proclaiming in an arrogant rant;
He’s the “ half-man”, beaten down by his pride.




Winning?

It is written: "'As surely as I live,' says the Lord, 'every knee will bow before me;
 every tongue will confess to God.'"
Romans 14:11 (NIV)



Yes, Charlie, even you too, will bow
Your knee, when you see Jesus’s face.
Sooner... could be,  than later
Your millions won’t buy you a safe place.


(For further reading: II Timothy Chapter 3)



Then the thousands of fish float dead
In the bay, their shimmering glint.
The current, a toxin, no air?
For sure, the wrong way they were sent.

Hosea 4:3 Because of this,(our disobedience to God)
 the land mourns,
and all who live in it waste away;
the beasts of the field and the birds of the air
and the fish of the sea are dying.


So soon did we process all that,
Did the news now flash even more.
Another strong earthquake…How big?
Eight point nine and it moved the ocean floor?

Nahum 1:5 The mountains quake before him and the hills melt away.
The earth trembles at his presence, the world and all who live in it.



And time…no time to process that,

The ocean rose up o’er the land.
A wave of power, unstoppable
Visions of tragedy for this nation, Japan.

Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
 and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
Psalms 46:2

 

Pray for Japan

“He reached down from on high and took hold of me;

he drew me out of deep waters.

 He rescued me from my powerful enemy,

from my foes, who were too strong for me.

They confronted me in the day of my disaster,

but the LORD was my support.

 He brought me out into a spacious place;

he rescued me because he delighted in me."

11 Samuel 22:17-20

Now the fallout of nuclear destruction,
The heroes emerge in the plight.
We watch as a people with much dignity,
Look through rubble, even in death to re-unite.

Unselfish and noble actions
 are the most radiant pages
 in the biography of souls. ~David Thomas



Today this is only the second headline.
For allied strikes and heat light the sky.
In a country where tyranny is godless,
And we ponder, the end times to draw nigh?

 You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed.
 Such things must happen, but the end is still to come.
Matthew 24:6

Psalm 91  A Soldier's Prayer
Psalm 91


1 Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High

will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

2 I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress,

my God, in whom I trust.”

3 Surely he will save you

from the fowler’s snare

and from the deadly pestilence.

4 He will cover you with his feathers,

and under his wings you will find refuge;

his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.

5 You will not fear the terror of night,

nor the arrow that flies by day,

6 nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,

nor the plague that destroys at midday.

7 A thousand may fall at your side,

ten thousand at your right hand,

but it will not come near you.

8 You will only observe with your eyes

and see the punishment of the wicked.

And what is the “real” March Madness?
...The basketball brackets that hold all our bets?
Thankful we have this distraction,
For reality is like casino roulette.



(My Pick) 





Let’s pray to be a light where we are;
Salt, to give flavor when we can.
And pray for our World who needs Jesus,
Across every domestic and foreign land.



For God  so loved THE WORLD...


God tells us to be very aware
And to always be on alert.
Don't ignore these things around you,
Be proactive, share the Gospel to the hurt.

Matthew 28:18-20
¹⁸ Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹ Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Academy Award Analogy

THE BLACK SWAN

Do you ever feel yourself spinning relentlessly out of control through the routines of life? I do not know a lot about dance, but I do know that moving across a room while spinning can get you very dizzy if you are not properly trained. You need a focus point, a “spot” to look at each time you turn so you won’t topple over.

Consider God’s word: Psalms 119:59 (NAS) I considered my ways and turned my feet to Your testimonies.

THE FIGHTER

Our world is becoming a smaller and crazier place. Many things we cherish, ideals we believe in, and morality we stand for, are challenged daily; sometimes even in our own churches and families. Political correctness has taken the place of God’s Holy Word. Who is in our corner? How can we be better prepared?

Consider God’s Word: Romans 8:31 (NAS) What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us?

Allow the Holy Spirit to be “our Trainer.”

I John 14:26 "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.

THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT

God protects His children. God provides for His children, God disciplines His children

Consider these scriptures: Psalms 68:5 (NIV) Father to the fatherless, defender of widows--this is God, whose dwelling is holy.

Matthew 6:26 (NIV) Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?

Proverbs 3:11-12 My son, do not despise the LORD’s discipline and do not resent his rebuke, because the LORD disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in.

TOY STORY 3

Have you forgotten your purpose? Do you feel used up, outgrown, discarded? Even in our loneliest times, when we are questioning our destinies, God promises remain sovereign and true. If we seek after Truth, He will reveal Himself and His purpose and renew our spirit.

Consider these scriptures: Romans 8:28 And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.

Romans 8: 38-39 “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord”.

Luke 19:10 “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

See and Read also Psalm 71.

TRUE GRIT

Like was mentioned earlier, don’t we all want perseverance in our life, consistency, truth and integrity? Well, it wouldn’t really be a life with lessons to learn if we all didn’t have our ups and downs. Even against the toughest of days, when we have messed up, God is always faithful; faithful to help us get back on our horse and face our foes.  Sometimes God can use the strangest people and difficult trials to grow us.

 

Consider this scripture: Matthew 10:22 You will be hated by everyone because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.

Our God is a just God and justice shall be in His courts.

Proverbs 28:5 Evil men do not understand justice, but those who seek the LORD understand it fully.

INCEPTION

God promises us a full abundant life, and when our dreams are aligned with His purpose, all things are possible. Allow God to be your inspiration and partake in His Divine Nature.

Consider these scriptures: John 10:10 “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”

Genesis 31:11 The angel of God said to me in the dream, 'Jacob.' I answered, 'Here I am.'

II Timothy 3:16 “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.”

II Peter 1:4 “Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.”

THE KING'S SPEECH

God’s Word speaks for itself;  no commentary needed here.


John 11:25 Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies.”

John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

See also the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 5-7.

THE SOCIAL NETWORK

God calls us to fellowship, to love one another and lift each other up. As part of the Body of Christ, we are to use our gifts within this same Body to further Christ’s teachings and allow His light to shine to others while awaiting His return.

I John 1:7 “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin”.

What should our “status” be? It’s about all the grace we can share everyday in our walk with Him.

Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.”

WINTER'S BONE

Do you have a firm foundation in your life? When life has not given you a perfect family, a perfect home or job and your generational sins seem to follow, God can restore you on a firm, new foundation, one that will withstand the evil in this world.

Consider His Word: (Jesus said) Luke 6:47-48 As for everyone who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice, I will show you what they are like. 48 They are like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built.”

Psalm 1:1-3 Blessed is the one

who does not walk in step with the wicked

or stand in the way that sinners take

or sit in the company of mockers,

2 but whose delight is in the law of the LORD,

and who meditates on his law day and night.

3 That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,

which yields its fruit in season

and whose leaf does not wither—

whatever they do prospers.

127 HOURS

Consider and meditate on God’s Word.

Psalm 23 “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.”

Isaiah 40:29 (NIV)

29 He gives strength to the weary

and increases the power of the weak.

30 Even youths grow tired and weary,

and young men stumble and fall;

31 but those who hope in the LORD

will renew their strength.

They will soar on wings like eagles;

they will run and not grow weary,

they will walk and not be faint.

Amen

The Punctuation Marks in my Life.

What would writing be without punctuation?  Well, consider these statements:

"King Charles walked and talked half an hour after his head was cut off" ...a little alarming. 
                                                           vs.
  "King Charles walked and talked; half an hour after, his head was cut off", ...less so.

Don't worry, I will not be giving a grammar lesson here, just a tie together of some of this month's observations. 

 Statements of intent, pauses and periods. While in my Study Skills class, the teacher gave an "exit exam" lesson on punctuation marks.  Special Ed. kids aren't ususally the "take notes from a lecture" type. Hands on and visual learning are great teaching helps for those students with   individualized issues and learning disabilities.  Having my own student in mind, I went home and  brain stormed on the computer, creating  a "visual aide poster" in which to use in class to show proper punctuation and also use for testing.  Taking it back to the teacher the next day, he loved it and recopied it, using it as tool.  I was encouraged, since I've been researching this week on-line about  breaking into the educational market for writing as well.  Nancy Sanders,  who I mentioned in my last posting, spoke about how she started  her free-lance career by entering small projects within this market. Working with my student at the other high school, and now my  current special needs student,  I am finding  numerous opportunities to adapt the lessons with a little creativity and visual style, especially when it comes to abstract ideas like British Literature, poetry, idioms and metaphors.  It would be nice to get a little extra income for some of these ideas, thus I will intentionally persue this in any spare time I may have and see what goes.   ...to be cont.



Nancy I. Sanders sharing at Aspiring Writer's Forum

A Question answered

?
A Quote to take note of
"  "

" I think I would die if I didn't have it," quoted one of my favorite high-functioning autistic kids at school. 

"Have what, Mackey?" I asked.

"Knowledge"  he replied.

                                             Parenthesis and Brackets



This is really my work

 For many of you who know me well, math has never been my subject. Let's see, this is probably my 6th go- around at Algebra B which includes a few summer school classes too; that's not including taking it myself  back when I was in high school.  Oh yeah, we used an abacus back then.  I am proud to say, I am finally getting it.  Dividing multinomial polynomials is making sense. Brackets and parenthesis no longer intimidate me.  (please, no one send me a Soduko puzzle...I will lose all my self-confidence). I better give Mr Delfin some credit here or I will never here the end of it.  Thanks Mr. D. 

My Exclamation Point! 

No, I do not have grandchildren yet.  Corey, my 25 year old,  is still a ways off from settling down and I continue to pray for the woman (I don't know who you are, but God does!) he chooses, and that God's choice, well,  will be one in the same. However, I do have a special couple in my life,  in whom I love like a son and daughter-in-law; James and Jessica;  and Ethan is their little pride and joy.  Indulge me here why I post his picture, taken  a little after Christmas with his present from us.

                   

 

Ethan is almost 10 months here, teething as you can see and all boy!

He took his first steps a few days ago and James called to tell me the news!  He has a big brother, named Fabian who is in 8th grade!  I pray we can continue to be a special part in all of their lives!  .

Acts 4:39  For the promise is for you and your children, and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God shall call  to Himself. 

Post 9-11/Post Tuscon

Back to being a little more serious, I noticed a phrase used by the media since the tragedy in Arizona.  We used to say "Post 9/11" and now the newscasters are referring to this time as "Post Tuscon."  It's all about how we act "after the tragedy".  Well, I would like to share something I saw on the news, about how someone was acting BEFORE the tragedy in Tuscon and let this encourage you further. *

: BEN'S BELLS

                      *  BE KIND TO SOMEONE TODAY. 

Finally, Have you seen the newest punctuation mark?  It shows up all the time in e-mails and texts messages.  It looks like this-    :) 

May the commas in your life bring you pause to count your blessings  

May the periods in your life, move you forward.

May the colons and semi-colons add excitement.

May those who quote to you, and your own quotes be filled with love.

May your exclamation points bring joy.

 May you receive great wisdom from your questions.

 May God bless you with a long dash line in which to accomplish many dreams.

 May the asterisk after your name refer to God's Book of Life! Amen. 

 

*http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punctuation_marks

**http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbUs-brNc8o

see also : http://www.bensbells.org/

Writing: The Desire of My Heart.

 Sharing my feelings and thoughts, and what I think are creative anecdotes, puts me in that vulnerable spot of possible judgment.  It's downright scary!  ( I still feel anxious when I want to share).  Rhyming silly poetry all my life and excelling in essay writing in college; journaling finally became a constant in my life about eight years ago.  Notebooks were my companion after losing our house to a fire, not only for practical reasons to keep information, but I started writing out my prayers during this very trying time in our lives. Documenting my son's illness, both our good days and our not so good days, helped me to keep a good  reality check on myself.  A yellow highlighter marked the answered prayers and those notebooks became a personal but tangible way to see God at work in my life.  Somewhere in that fog of what I call my "cave dwelling years" , I started to share a little of my writing and I also purchased a sketch pad and some pastels off eBay. God gave me a memory of the artist I used to be.  Could I rediscover her? 

Later,  A friend told me about a writing site that she had heard about from another friend called Faithwriters.com.  I was new at this writing thing, well, the "writing for purpose" part anyways.  I just knew in my heart that I enjoyed it. I certainly knew I needed to keep busy and this was how I wanted to do this and  grow in my faith as well.  God filled my days and nights with thoughts, inspiration and memories as I allowed myself to spiritually feel His presence and seek my destiny...His purpose. Out of my personal grief, I heard heaven so loudly, I felt every touch of His Spirit, I saw everything as Spirit-driven, the Fragrance of God infused my thoughts and His sweet voice spoke to my soul. Unable to contain all God was doing, I had to write.  Poetry flowed,  devotions from my study of God's Word took on analogies, observances in life around me became an applicable storyline. Writing  brought me peace in a time when  I needed it most. 

When it came to the Faithwriters site, I was hooked right away, submitting stories almost every challenge.  I enjoyed the feedback and especially the challenge of coming up with a story or poem to fit the topic.  As my writing slowly improved, connecting  with a few other writers became an added bonus.  Although I was not real active on the message boards, the names of the writers and the ones like myself who wrote continually and amazingly, I might add,  became familiar.  In June of 2009,  Empty/Full appeared as a new weekly topic.  When I pondered that subject, I thought about a "glass...half empty or half full."

 Two characters, one with this optimistic view of life and one with this pessimistic view of life,  crawled across my keyboard (well, not literally),  thus "A Worm's Eye View" was born.  Yep, my characters were two worms.  As the story goes, these brothers, twins actually,  see things differently until one day, the more positive of the two, Peter,  decided his brother Thomas really needed a make-over, not just physically but mentally and spiritually as well. The attitude just had to go! 

I was rewarded with a First place in my category from the Faithwriter's Challenge staff.   This was so encouraging!  Later that summer, I was able to attend the Faithwriter's Conference in Livonia, Michigan. I had a wonderful time, learning so much and especially meeting fellow Christian writers like myself; many already tasting success in the writing world.     In common, we all love the Lord and wish to share His great love, by allowing God to use us to inspire with what words we may share. 



Faithwriter Conference 2009

  



Some of my Faithwriter buddies



Through the "Yellow feedback bars," some  thought my entry could make a great children's story, and could see this book illustrated.:

 
"This could be turned into a cute children's story/picture book."



Glynis Becker 06/13/09

God gave me a little talent in that area as well. I found myself in art class doing projects right along with my students and feeling the joy it brought me to create and use different mediums in my expression. The artist in me had been on hiatus for way too long. Through the added inspiration of Ms.Hunt at Don Lugo High School, I rediscovered my talent. Thank you also to my friend Cathy, and artist herself who joined with me in this re-booting of a gift.  

 It was very soon, that I attended a one day woman's seminar with my friend Cyndi at a church neither of us attended.  She just thought it sounded fun and would be a chance for us to fellowship and spend a day together...and  what a glorious day we had!  This group of women , a little more charasmatic than I am used to, really spoke to Cyndi and I.  We truly felt the Spirit of God moving; an exciting hope of what was to come.  I believe our friendship that day took another turn as well, becoming even more intimate as we humbled ourselves before the Lord and petitioned for His  understanding, forgiveness and His restorative purpose for our lives. 



Cyndi and Coleene



 Receiving a special gift,  a large book filled with blank pages, graced each attendee. Creatively telling God our dreams, aspirations, and prayers, with scizzors, glue and magazines, we were instructed to "cut out and tell a story."  Like a ransom note, I snipped out words that spoke of a plan, and a purpose I hoped God would honor through me.  I told Him how I wanted to feel again, how I wanted that restoration that was already taking place, to continue.  It is in the inside front page of this same book that I would begin to illustrate Thomas and Peter and their own journey and discovery adventure. 

Psalms 37:3-4 (NIV)
3 Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. 4 Take delight in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart. 


That summer, sketching out a couple of "googly-eyed" worms, deciding I would use my artist colored pencils and praying for a vision for each page, I began.  Many warm  nights, I sat in the living room with the sketchbook in my lap, invisioning and bringing these characters to life.  My own backyard would come alive in the pages of the book and detail was paramount.  I became passionate about every page, anticipating what picture best illustrated the dialog. Packing up the book and my pencils,  they traveled with me to the conference, where I shared part of the beginnings of my dream with my new friends.  It would take me another year to complete. 

New Year 2010, after the Facebook explosion, and reconnecting with many friends, I enjoyed a mini-reunion with some of my high school buddies at a resturant in our home town.  Close to completion, I  the  took a chance to share my storybook.  Thank you Karolyn for taking this picture.

                                            

 

"A Worm's Eye View" is completed.  I have written a query introduction and I am seeking opportunities to  publish now.   What is God doing?  He is bringing the opportunities right to my doorstep.  An award winning author of over 70 books lives right here in my town, Nancy I. Sanders.  http://www.nancyisanders.com/. She leads a writing group I had inquired about, but it met during my working hours.  I never met Nancy, but it seemed we had mutual friends.  I e-mailed her and attempted to make a connection, but she was booked for six months and by that time, I was full swing into my own writing group and our self-published projects, thus 2010 almost went by without meeting with her.  A few days before Christmas while in Staples, I waited while I was having some things lamenated and a woman and  her husband walk in.  Striking up a conversation because she looked familiar to me, we continued to chat, but I could not  place her face.  Back and forth we went until she got a hint, and then introduced herself as Nancy Sanders.  Why did I recognize her but not quite place her in my life?  Pictured on a news clipping, posted on the back of my desk behind my computer all year,  Nancy Sanders!  In my busyness,  God literally brought her to me.  Long story-- short, as the cliche goes, we met after the holidays, she saw my book, she liked it, gave me encouragement, some possible ways to get it published and doors continue to open.  Moving this project along, God grants me the desire of my heart.   

    

Encouraging friends and family supporting me all through this, I thank you so very much. On Thanksgiving day, I completed the back cover.  The first week of January, I wrote my query proposal.  Editing,  re-copying and digitally copying the story, I am about ready for submission. Waiting on God, I continue to move on to many other projects, including two other stories I want to illustrate and several submissions to "Chicken Soup," and a novella loosely based on my own mother in which I am already over 10,000 words.     I am serious about this "writing thing" and so thankful to God that this seems to be working for me.  Perserverence and patience to know that God's timing is perfect timing in now my prayer,  To God Be The Glory. 

Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV).

 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

 

Our Version of a "Snow Day"



Snow bound Kitty
(my own artwork)



When someone says, “Oh, today is a “snow day”, they usually live in some other place like Buffalo, N.Y., Minnesota, Boston  or even Big Bear, California. It is a day off school, off work, definitely off the roads.



Crocus



The drifts lay piled in front of the windows and doors, temporarily trapped  inside, you wait for the   plow service to come by... that’s if you have one. The snow is still falling lightly or it could be blowing with a fierce wind across the landscape; a blinding white, frozen scene. It takes your breath away and you wonder if you will ever see a flower poke its head up out of the ground again or hear a bird sing for its mate. I am only imagining this. I live in So. Cal, the Chino Valley, elevation about 728 feet. Snow days do not happen here.

New Years weekend approaches and a trip we have planned with a large group of friends for several months is finally here. Early December 31st, the three of us hit the road and head towards Las Vegas, a four hour drive, ready to meet this special bunch we have known for over 35 years. We will celebrate more than a tick of the clock. We will celebrate lasting friendships, hysterical stories, exaggerated golf games, yearbook photos, remembering our parents, our teachers, and our children. We celebrate those we miss.

Fremont Street Experience

It was freezing cold in Las Vegas, 20 degrees colder than the average temperature for this time of year. This is when you dress in layers. Brrrrrrrrrrrr… We had great fun rockin’ to cover bands of Queen and the Rolling Stones and even more fun, people watching. (Thankful some visuals DO stay in Vegas...)

We head home Sunday getting a little later start then we should have, knowing a potential storm looms ahead in the Cajon Pass. Holiday traffic takes us two hours to just get to Stateline. We’ve settled in with the right music on the radio, the packages of granola bars and my son,  already snoring in the back seat.




The desert is so beautiful to me, especially in the winter. I take notice of the greenish tint of the desert floor, the amazing volcanic mountain formations and the unique silhouettes of the Joshua trees. The plants seem to grow in a pattern across the desert floor. With all the rain, dry lake beds now reflect the sky and shine on the horizon. 

Baker, home of “The World’s Largest Thermometer”, finally comes into our view. The traffic is heavy and slow going. The storm clouds are gathering in front of us and the afternoon sky is growing darker. We should be home by now. It seems we are the “scout” car, texting back to friends in the “wagon train” who left later than us what to expect.


 

Storm lies ahead



Crawling into Barstow amid big rigs and campers, if we move at 20 MPH, that is encouraging. Onward we go to the outskirts of Hesperia, snow flurries beginning to fall along the 15 south. We are now slowed to 10 mph, stopping and going in a long line of traffic. We look for the Laker game on the radio. The snow flurries melt as I watch them hit the black top of the highway out my passenger window. Each quarter mile progress brings more snow flakes in view and more concern that the pass…well, might just be unpassable. The texting continues to our comrades in common. Hesperia, Apple Valley, Victorville…three towns, three hours, and the sun is no more.



Looks clear here



Stopping at Bear Valley off ramp, we make a quick pit stop and get some coffee. Snow now covers the cars in the parking lots of the restaurants and shopping center. It is suddenly surreal. We quickly re-enter the highway, unsure if the snow will prevent a homecoming. Text messages resume. One “wagon” has retreated for an over night stay in Hesperia. The lanes in the road are now slush trails of ice and the bumpers and roofs of cars are thick with snow. The windshield wipers clear the ice as the blue and red flashing lights of the CHP guide our way up and over the Cajon Pass. The snow plows and gravel trucks are gathering on the opposite side of the highway.



Doing their job 



Yes, it took hours, careful, sober driving, and a healthy distance from the car in front of us along with a prayer for safety. Reaching Glen Helen off ramp on the way down the hill, the snow quickly turned to rain and in 40 more minutes we would be arriving home. Pulling into our driveway, we were greeted by three snowmen still decorating our entry gate. Tomorrow, we will be back to work;  our “snow day” now just another memory and test of fortitude and patience. I was unable to make a snow angel, but they were with us nonetheless.



Welcome Home







Isaiah 55: 8-12


8 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts,



neither are your ways my ways,”


declares the LORD.


9 “As the heavens are higher than the earth,


so are my ways higher than your ways


and my thoughts than your thoughts.


10 As the rain and the snow


come down from heaven,


and do not return to it


without watering the earth


and making it bud and flourish,


so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,


11 so is my word that goes out from my mouth:


It will not return to me empty,


but will accomplish what I desire


and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.


12 You will go out in joy


and be led forth in peace;


the mountains and hills


will burst into song before you,


and all the trees of the field


will clap their hands.