Spring Planting

Who better to learn how to plant a garden from than your grandpa? When I was a little girl, we had a garden as big as our house and then some. I hated to garden because it meant endless work during hot weather. YUCK!!!! Mom canned all summer it seemed and I cleaned vegetables, snapped beans, shelled peas, topped strawberries, shucked corn, and diced okra and squash until I was sick of it. The thing about a garden that big, is that once you get one chore done, it's time to do it again. I think we planted a half acre of strawberries. Who needs that many berries? I might have enjoyed gardening if it were a tiny plot like the one Madison is going to grow with her Papa. They used the Almanac to decide when best to plant, and tilled a small place in the corner. Uh-Oh. Now that I think about it, that's where the tomatoes usually go. I'm not sure where they will go now, but we will surely have to have them planted somewhere. HMMM? I'll make a note to ask Dad about tomatoes - best thing grown in a garden if you ask me. This was last weekend, and there is already lettuce and radishes coming up. Hope the Almanac takes into account today's freezing weather. Just imagine - my daughter liking gardens, goats, and fishing. Can she really be mine? I think that grandkids are inclined to enjoy what their grandparents enjoy. If that's true, she's got the gardens and fishing right anyway. The goats are growing on all of us!

Madison's Dad

Many people ask me if Madison's dad is tall because she is so big for her age. I think it's funny that many people think she looks like me, and in some ways she does. But, here's proof of genetics in action. When Eric has hair, it's the same color as hers. He just shaved off his winter beard which she teases him about because it grows in red. She favors her Dad more and more, which suits her just fine. EXCEPT - Eric got the Huff (mom's family) height. He's about 5' 8'. The Kelly's are all easily over 6 foot tall. We think Madison takes after the Kelly side of the family for height and build. I won't comment about the Kelly temperament - stubbornness and tenacity comes to her from all branches of her family tree. Thankfully, she gets alot of good qualities from all of us too. Besides, what we do to spoil her genetically, her step-family members make up for by spoiling her with love.

Reading Christian Fiction - The Shack

Recovering from the flu has taken longer than anticipated. I worked the same week, but would come home and sleep my evenings away. I'm just now starting to feel like I might make it. I haven't felt like blogging, but I have been reading.

I recently read a book called The Shack. It's a fiction book about a man who goes to a shack and meets with God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. I was not turned on by the concept of the book at first, but I found myself enjoying the symbolism portrayed throughout. I know many Christians are not in favor of the book, because they think the author has been too liberal in his writing. However, I love the way that he inspired me to think in new ways. It was a literary challenge, and I didn't find any of the ideas he presented offensive any more than I found the Lion, Aslan, from Narnia, offensive.

One of the ideas I liked was that the trio had all of the time in the world to spend with the character, Mack. I kept thinking that surely God needs to get back to work doing other things. Doesn't he hear all those prayers that are beings spoken, and why isn't he responding to the "God-signal" like Bat Man instead of taking that leisurely walk with this numbskull who just doesn't get it? But, you know that's exactly how God would be. He's "ours" alone. He can do that because of being omnicient and omnipresent and all. He can walk and talk with us anytime we want. The trio is there at our personal beck and call 24/7. Another thing in the book is that Mack keeps asking "human" questions that the various cast of the trinity try to explain, but they warn first that it will be beyond his understanding. Sure enough, it get's deep quick. You know, that's how it is w/ God - simple, but deep. Haven't you been there? Other things that captured my attention: Jesus is not handsome, which suprises Mack a great deal; God is not an old man at first; the Holy Spirit is not human exactly - and they all love to eat!

Lastly, the message is about forgiveness and how easy it is to let our human-nature steal our joy. It is about relationship, and serving each other out of love not selfish expectation. It's got several other object lessons that are worth considering.

It would be a real stretch to say that the book is scripturally accurate. I'm not even sure that was the goal of the author. There are problems with the representation of the trinity. There are a few comments about free will that seemed off-kilter. There was some interpretation problems with the section on judgment. I have included a link to one review that seemed to address some of these concerns thorougly. You must remember that The Passion of the Christ had similar critics. But, as a whole, I thought it was a positive contribution as well.

Listen folks, The Bible is the Word of God - anything else is interpretation. The Bible does say, "Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. Acts 17:11" I do not read books or watch movies to get my "truth". But, I personally think that it's OK to challenge our minds to explore and ponder the life of Christ, the character of God and the nature of the Spirit. If you have never looked at Jesus and let yourself wonder what he was really like, take this time leading up to Easter to consider it. I think of the human Jesus who did a super-human task for ME, that I might have a personal relationship with the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost! AMEN!

Got flu? Get well.

I can't recall if I have ever had the flu, but I have it now. I remember getting mono my freshman year in college during finals week. I took one of my tests with a trash can beside me - you know what that means. My throat got so swollen that I thought I would never be able to swallow again. This is a milder version of that, except I just want to sleep all the time.

I went to the doctor today, and he asked why I didn't come to see him Friday. Because, you'd just give me another prescription - is what I wanted to say, but he would not have been amused. So, here's what I learned - if you get the flu, go to the doctor quick! They can help you in the first 24-48 hours better than if you wait like I did. Who knew?

I did leave with a prescription, and a warning to call if my cough gets worse. I was ordered to cancel my appointments for a week, but I negotiated 3 days instead. The great thing is that when I called to tell my clients about their cancellations, they were truly concerned about me instead of upset about their appointments. Many called back with get-well wishes. Another sent this funny video to me. As I watched it, I was (1) trying to decide if one of the background dancers is my youngest brother Chris (he'd do this in a heart-beat); and (2) wondering what prompted these guys to put this amount of time and effort into this type of activity. This took some incredible work! But, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

18 Again

The day I turned 18 (June afer I graduated), I loaded up a few of my possessions and moved to Nashville. Not because I wanted to explore my music career, but because I wanted to make it on my own. I used what little graduation money I got to put down a deposit on a small apt with bars on the windows and crickets so large that you could hear them hit the floor when they jumped. I had roaches too that really liked the honey-nut cheerios that I lived on. I got a job working at the Shoneys on White Bridge road. There were 6 of us that worked that summer, all about the same age - three girls, three guys. We worked hours and hours, and would close the store at about 1:00a and ride with the windows down when the streets were fairly quiet. Then we'd sleep and do it all over again the next day. It was a crazy summer - but fun!

This week, Jamey Johnson, did a free concert downtown. It was my day off, so I drove to Nashville. It was a great day for a concert - the weather was perfect. The MUSIC was great! It didn't last nearly long enough. After the crowd died down, Jamey came out of his bus to sign autographs. I got in line, and asked the two young women if they would take my pic with him. I asked who they were and where they were from. One said that she had just moved there the day before. She said that she was technically homeless until she found a place to live, but she was going to try her hand at song-writing. She thought it was so cool that her second day in Nashville was spent at a free down-town concert. The other young woman said that she was from Washington state, and was going to try to make it in the business. I was inspired by their youth.

Going to Nashville that day reminded me of many things - my own youth, courage, and gumption. I suppose I have made it, but not on my own. It's only by the grace of God that I have been kept safe in my travels. I'm not sure if Jamey Johnson is a Christian, but he has suffered and makes references that might lend a person to believe that he met Jesus at that time. His music reflects the hard life that he has led, and is not appropriate for many (parental discretion strongly advised). But, his sound is traditional and edgy. The kind that we listened to when we'd cruise the streets of Nashville in the wee hours of the morning with the windows down and the music cranked up.