On taking things for granted

Feb 212013
 
 February 21, 2013  Inspiration No Responses »
On taking things for granted

Some years ago, I endured a long night at a hotel where I tossed and turned, trying to get comfortable. You see, I had forgotten to bring my own pillow, and the one the hotel supplied just didn’t feel right. So at 3:00 AM, I lay there wide awake thinking about pillows. When I was younger and used to watch a lot of westerns, I always felt sorry for those poor cowboys who had to set their heads down on rocks or saddles during their long cattle drives. No wonder they were always ready for a fight! Who wouldn’t be [ Read more...]

My Christmas thoughts

Dec 192012
 
 December 19, 2012  Inspiration No Responses »

I actually wrote this short devotional some years ago, but it sums up what I’d write today. It’s actually posted on another blog, but I thought I’d mention it here, and give you the link. The Babe of Christmas Christmas. We think of the lovely pastoral setting with stable, animals, tongue-tied shepherds, priceless gifts delivered by mysterious magi, a smiling Mary, a sturdy Joseph, and the babe, cozy on a sweet-smelling bed of fresh hay. The scene touches us in a unique way. We delight in Mary’s innocence and charming simplicity as she allowed God’s child to irrevocably alter the [ Read more...]

Listening with your mind and your heart

Jul 012010
 
 July 1, 2010  Inspiration, Relationships Comments Off
Listening with your mind and your heart

This is one of two blogs I wrote in 2009 that won The Word Guild 2010 Award for Blog Series this June. “Some people are uncoachable,” said the speaker, who was giving tips on mentoring others. I nodded in agreement. I'd recently been thinking the same thing, and it was good to hear him affirm my thoughts. Now, I've known for years that many people don’t want to be taught. But those aren't the ones he was referring to. He was talking about people who've actually come to you for advice and information. The speaker said he tries very hard [ Read more...]

Why I’ve been reluctant to ask for help

Jan 062010
 
 January 6, 2010  Inspiration, Relationships 1 Response »
Why I've been reluctant to ask for help

I wrote a blog that's really a follow-up to the one I posted here yesterday. My single resolution for 2010 – Lindquist It’s pretty simple. My resolution for this year is that I’m going to ask for help this year. At least once a week, if possible. From people who aren’t married to me and didn’t come into this world because of me, and therefore don’t owe me anything. I’ve never really liked asking for help. Don’t actually like asking people for anything, if it comes to that. I grew up as an only child who spent an inordinate amount [ Read more...]

Coincidence? I think not.

Nov 172009
 
 November 17, 2009  Inspiration, N. J.'s Books 1 Response »
Coincidence? I think not.

So last night, I'm reading a book by Lois McMaster Bujold called Miles Errant, which is really two books and a novella in one, and after finishing the novella (which is very good, by the way) and after hitting myself upside the head for not seeing the ending coming, I happen to glance at the back cover.  On it is an endorsement by Anne McCaffrey, which begins with the words, "Georgette Heyer has met her match for intrigue and style…."   I sit up and begin to laugh. It's midnight, and even though my husband has just fallen asleep, I [ Read more...]

Walking a blind dog

Aug 112009
 
 August 11, 2009  Inspiration No Responses »

This is our first video, so it may need some work. It shows me taking our 17-year-old miniature poodle Silx for a walk. The interesting this is that Silx is pretty well blind and deaf. But she still asks to go for walks by going in circles in the hallway near our front door – especially on warm days. While it looks as though I'm pulling Silx, she's actually on a leash that expands. So she's going pretty well wherever she wants to go. She used to like to lead me by the full length of the leash; now she [ Read more...]

Susan Boyle interview

Jul 292009
 
 July 29, 2009  Inspiration 4 Responses »
Susan Boyle interview

If you aren't familiar with the Susan Boyle story, or if you haven't seen this interview, I highly recommend watching it. Susan Boyle interview with Meredith Vieria Three things about this interview intrigued me. 1. The way that Susan handles herself, seeming to take control of each situation she's in, yet with a great deal of modesty. For someone with so little training or experience in public speaking, she exudes strength and calmness. 2. I think a lot of creative people will relate to her. Somewhere inside we think we know who we are, but the rest of the world [ Read more...]

Boundaries

Jul 312008
 
 July 31, 2008  Inspiration 6 Responses »

My dog and I were walking down the sidewalk as usual, her out in front leading the way, me working a little bit to keep up. Except for occasional times when she decided she just had to stop and sniff a fragrant tree, check out a suspicious walkway, or observe a patch of interesting grass, she went straight down the middle of the sidewalk. Not bad when you consider that she is 16, deaf to almost every sound, and nearly blind. No one looking at her as she heads down the street would ever suspect she has problems. She is [ Read more...]

Putting things off

Jan 232007
 
 January 23, 2007  Inspiration 1 Response »

About two years, I realized that my favorite nightgown was too big. I started looking for a new one, but didn't see anything similar. (By the way, why do clothes designers seem to only make clothes for very thin young women or very large older women? But that's another post.) I considered making my nightgown smaller. Didn't look that hard – just take in the seams at the sides. I even pinned it to see if it would work. Looked possible. But sewing it meant getting my sewing machine out, and it was kind of buried behind a bunch of [ Read more...]

The verse inside my locket

Jan 012007
 
 January 1, 2007  Inspiration 3 Responses »

A year ago, I bought a small silver locket and asked God to give me a verse for the year, which I would then write out on a slip of paper and keep in the locket around my neck. After praying for God to give me a verse, I more or less opened up my Bible at random and put my finger on a spot. It turned out to be Isaiah 30:15. "If you will be calm and trust me, you will be strong." Not a verse I was familiar with. But I liked the promise it offered. I wrote [ Read more...]

A dream with a message

Jan 112006
 
 January 11, 2006  Inspiration 3 Responses »

Have you ever had a dream that seems to mean a lot more than is apparent at first glance? Sometimes my dreams are wacky, or weird, or just plain odd. Easy to see they came from the book I read two days ago, the TV show I watched the night before, the pizza I ate at midnight, or just my fertile imagination. But now and then a dream makes me sit up and take notice. Over the last few months – okay maybe the last two years – my glass has been definitely half empty. I’ve been thinking things like [ Read more...]