This is an e-mail that I sent to a friend this week. Just this morning, I received her response back and wanted to share it with you. I thought it was amazing...what a good reminder for us all to listen to God's "still small voice" when we get that nudge to pray for others. We may never know why, but God knows all. My friend, Kate (not her real name), works as a public defender, representing "the forgotten."
My e-mail:
Hello there dear Kate!
I'm not sure why...I kept feeling the need to pray for you Sunday night and Monday. Not sure if there was anything going on in your life or if you were just on my mind...
...but I did pray! For your work, for your influence, for your safety and well-being.
I miss you! Wish you were right next door. Suzanne
"Kate's" response:
Dear Suzanne,
Yesterday I completed what may have been the most physically and mentally challenging week since I started this job - just when I start to think it cannot get any tougher... it does.
The Lord put me on your heart b/c I was surviving on prayers - here I am on a quiet Saturday able to look back and see the way God provided in amazing ways.
Thanks for listening to that still small voice!
Love!
Kate
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Friday, October 30, 2009
The Story Behind the Story
On Saturday, November 21st, 2-4 pm, I'm going to be part of an author event at The Door Christian bookstore in San Carlos, California. The five authors are: Kristin Billerbeck, Susanna Foth Aughtmon, Debbie Alsdorf, Sarah Sundin, and myself. Some fiction, some non-fiction.
The five of us have never met! Well, other than via Facebook...but we share a connection to a fantastic publishing house: Revell. We are each going to share "the story behind the story." In other words, how did we break into publishing?
The Door is one of those places that you can't help but get excited about. Kathy Dunn, the manager, has created a "happenin' place" complete with a living room set-up and coffee bar. And would you believe that The Door is the last Christian bookstore on the San Francisco peninsula? We need to support our Christian bookstores!
So if you live in the Bay Area, please try to join us! And bring your most writerly friends.
*Permission to forward granted and encouraged.*
Thursday, October 29, 2009
The Water Cooler, old-fashioned style
Aren't words fascinating? "Scuttlebutt" is a word that I've heard used for years, but never knew how it originated.
scuttlebutt \SKUHT-l-buht\, noun:
1. A drinking fountain on a ship.
2. A cask on a ship that contains the day's supply of drinking water.
3. Informal. Gossip; rumor.
Scuttlebutt comes from scuttle, "a small opening" + butt, "a large cask" -- that is, a small hole cut into a cask or barrel to allow individual cups of water to be drawn out. The modern equivalent is the office water cooler, also a source of refreshment and gossip.
scuttlebutt \SKUHT-l-buht\, noun:
1. A drinking fountain on a ship.
2. A cask on a ship that contains the day's supply of drinking water.
3. Informal. Gossip; rumor.
Scuttlebutt comes from scuttle, "a small opening" + butt, "a large cask" -- that is, a small hole cut into a cask or barrel to allow individual cups of water to be drawn out. The modern equivalent is the office water cooler, also a source of refreshment and gossip.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Do the Amish Laugh?
The Budget is a weekly Amish-Mennonite newspaper, established in 1890, that is published out of Sugarcreek, Ohio. "Scribes" write in once a week from church districts all over the United States, Canada, and many countries, to share news of their community.
You can learn a great deal about Amish life through reading The Budget...what's important to them (face-to-face visits!), what's on their mind, the way nature is a vital part of a rural life.
I had a radio interview recently where the host asked me if the Amish laugh. (Are you kidding me?! Did an educated radio host really ask that question...on live radio?)
This story, taken from October 21, 2009, answers that question:
We had this horse, a horse with a history of balking and a chronic limp. We could not use him anymore and disliked the idea of shooting him so we put a "free horse" ad in the newspaper. We received lots of calls and eventually someone came for him. One call, however, was different, and went as follows:
"Hello, I'm calling about the house."
"House? I'm not sure what you mean."
"Perhaps I have the wrong number. Is this 743-9577?"
"That's right."
"Well, it says here in the paper that you've got a free standard bred house."
The conversation concluded soon thereafter because the caller did not need a horse at all, only a new pair of spectacles.
But the question remains, what is a standardbred house?
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Rave Review Recipe
This recipe was shared by my dear friend Kathy, a brand spankin' new Bible Study Fellowship teaching leader (to quote her!). It was given to her by Kip, the teaching leader she replaced. I think it's been the sustenance...for good reason...for many BSF leader meetings!
Chicken and Rice Salad
1 box Uncle Ben's Wild Rice cooked per package instructions
3 cooked chicken breasts diced
4 green onions, chopped
1 red bell pepper, diced
3 oz. Chinese Pea Pds, ends removed and chopped widthwise
2 medium avocados, diced
juice of one lemon
1 c chopped pecans, toasted
Dressing:
2 cloves garlic
1 TBS Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp pepper
1/3 c seasoned rice wine vinegar
1/3 c corn oil
Combine dressing ingredients in the blender and refrigerate. Mix all salad ingredients except avocados, pecans and lemon juice. Before serving, pour lemon juice over avocados and toss, mix into salad with pecans. Serves 6-8.
Chicken and Rice Salad
1 box Uncle Ben's Wild Rice cooked per package instructions
3 cooked chicken breasts diced
4 green onions, chopped
1 red bell pepper, diced
3 oz. Chinese Pea Pds, ends removed and chopped widthwise
2 medium avocados, diced
juice of one lemon
1 c chopped pecans, toasted
Dressing:
2 cloves garlic
1 TBS Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp pepper
1/3 c seasoned rice wine vinegar
1/3 c corn oil
Combine dressing ingredients in the blender and refrigerate. Mix all salad ingredients except avocados, pecans and lemon juice. Before serving, pour lemon juice over avocados and toss, mix into salad with pecans. Serves 6-8.
Monday, October 26, 2009
25 Things About to Become Extinct in America
Will this happen in our life time?
25. U.S. Post Office
They are pricing themselves out of existence. With e-mail, and online services they are a relic of the past. (refer to #9) Packages are also sent faster and cheaper with UPS.
24. Yellow Pages
This year will be pivotal for the global Yellow Pages industry. Much like newspapers, print Yellow Pages will continue to bleed dollars to their various digital counterparts, from Internet Yellow Pages (IYPs), to local search engines and combination search/listing services like Reach Local and Yodel Factors like 20 an acceleration of the print 'fade rate' and the looming recession will contribute to the onslaught. One research firm predicts the falloff in usage of newspapers and print Yellow Pages could even reach 10% this year -- much higher than the 2%-3% fade rate seen in past years.
23. Classified Ads
The Internet has made so many things obsolete that newspaper classified ads might sound like just another trivial item on a long list. But this is one of those harbingers of the future that could signal the end of civilization as we know it.. The argument is that if newspaper classifieds are replaced by free online listings at sites likeCraigslist.org
22. Movie Rental Stores
While Netflix is looking up at the moment, Blockbuster keeps closing store locations by the hundreds. It still has about 6,000 left across the world, but those keep dwindling and the stock is down considerably in 2008, especially since the company gave up a quest of Circuit City . Movie Gallery, which owned the Hollywood Video brand, closed up shop earlier this year. Countless small video chains and mom-and-pop stores have given up the ghost already.
21. Dial-up Internet Access
Dial-up connections have fallen from 40% in 2001 to 10% in 2008. The combination of an infrastructure to accommodate affordable high speed Internet connections and the disappearing home phone have all but pounded the final nail in the coffin of dial-up Internet access.
20. Phone Land Lines
According to a survey from the National Center for Health Statistics, at the end of 2007, nearly one in six homes was cell-only and, of those homes that had land lines, one in eight only received calls on their cells.
19 Chesapeake Bay Blue Crabs
Maryland's icon, the blue crab, has been fading away in Chesapeake Bay . Last year Maryland saw the lowest harvest (22 million pounds) since 1945. Just four decades ago the bay produced 96 million pounds. The population is down 70% since 1990, when they first did a formal count. There are only about 120 million crabs in the bay
and they think they need 200 million for a sustainable population. Over-fishing, pollution, invasive species and global warming get the blame.
18. VCRs
For the better part of three decades, the VCR was a best-seller and staple in every American household until being completely decimated by the DVD, and now the Digital Video Recorder (DVR). In fact, the only remnants of the VHS age at your local Wal-Mart or Radio Shack are blank VHS tapes these days. Pre-recorded VHS tapes
are largely gone and VHS decks are practically nowhere to be found. They served us so well.
17. Ash Trees
In the late 1990's, a pretty, iridescent green species of beetle, now known as the emerald ash borer, hitched a ride to North America with ash wood products imported from eastern Asia . In less than a decade, its larvae have killed millions of trees in the
Midwest , and continue to spread. They've killed more than 30 million ash trees in southeastern Michigan alone, with tens of millions more lost in Ohio and Indiana . More than 7.5 billion ash trees are currently at risk.
16. Ham Radio
Amateur radio operators enjoy personal (and often worldwide) wireless communications with each other and are able to support their communities with emergency and disaster communications if necessary, while increasing their personal knowledge of electronics and radio theory. However, proliferation of the Internet and its popularity among youth has caused the decline of amateur radio. In the past five years alone, the number of people holding active ham radio licenses has dropped by 50,000, even though Morse Code is no longer a requirement.
15. The Swimming Hole
Thanks to our litigious society, swimming holes are becoming a thing of the past. '20/20' reports that swimming hole owners, like Robert Every in High Falls, NY, are shutting them down out of worry that if someone gets hurt they'll sue. And that's exactly what happened in Seattle The city of Bellingham was sued by Katie Hofstetter who was paralyzed in a fall at a popular swimming hole in Whatcom Falls Park . As injuries occur and lawsuits follow, expect more swimming holes to post 'Keep out!' signs..
14. Answering Machines
The increasing disappearance of answering machines is directly tied to No 20 our list -- the decline of landlines. According to USA Today, the number of homes that only use cell phones jumped 159% between 2004 and 2007.. It has been particularly bad in New York ; since 2000, landline usage has dropped 55%.. It's logical that as cell phones rise, many of them replacing traditional landlines, that there will be fewer answering machines.
13. Cameras That Use Film
It doesn't require a statistician to prove the rapid disappearance of the film camera in America . Just look to companies like Nikon, the professional' s choice for quality camera equipment. In 2006, it announced that it would stop making film cameras, pointing to the shrinking market -- only 3% of its sales in 2005, compared to 75% of sales from digital cameras and equipment.
12. Incandescent Bulbs
Before a few years ago, the standard 60-watt (or, yikes, 100-watt) bulb was the mainstay of every U.S. home. With the green movement and all-things-sustaina ble-energy crowd, the Compact Fluorescent Lightbulb (CFL) is largely replacing the older, Edison-era incandescent bulb. The EPA reports that 2007 sales for Energy Star CFLs nearly doubled from 2006, and these sales accounted for approximately 20 percent of the U.S. light bulb market. And according to USA Today, a new energy bill plans to phase out incandescent bulbs in the next four to 12 years.
11. Stand-Alone Bowling Alleys
Bowling Balls. US claims there are still 60 million Americans who bowl at least once a year, but many are not bowling in stand-alone bowling alleys. Today most new bowling alleys are part of facilities for all types or recreation including laser tag, go-karts, bumper cars, video game arcades, climbing walls and glow miniature golf.
Bowling lanes also have been added to many non-traditional venues such as adult communities, hotels and resorts, and gambling casinos.
10. The Milkman
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, in 1950, over half of the milk delivered was to the home in quart bottles, by 1963, it was about a third and by 2001, it represented only 0.4% percent. Nowadays most milk is sold through supermarkets in gallon jugs. The steady decline in home-delivered milk is blamed, of course, on the rise of the supermarket, better home refrigeration and longer-lasting milk. Although some milkmen still make the rounds in pockets of the U.S. , they are certainly a dying breed..
9. Hand-Written Letters
In 2006, the Radicati Group estimated that, worldwide, 183 billion e-mails were sent each day.. Two million each second. By November of 2007, an estimated 3.3 billion Earthlings owned cell phones, and 80% of the world's population had access to cell phone coverage. In 2004, half-a-trillion text messages were sent, and the number has no doubt increased exponentially since then. So where amongst this gorge of gabble is there room for the elegant, polite hand-written letter?
8. Wild Horses
It is estimated that 100 years ago, as many as two million horses were roaming free within the United States .. In 2001, National Geographic News estimated that the wild horse population has decreased to about 50,000 head. Currently, the National Wild Horse and Burro Advisory board states that there are 32,000 free roaming horses in ten Western states, with half of them residing in Nevada . The Bureau of Land Management is seeking to reduce the total number of free range horses to 27,000, possibly by selective euthanasia.
7. Personal Checks
According to an American Bankers Assoc. report, a net 23% of consumers plan to decrease their use of checks over the next two years, while a net 14% plan to increase their use of PIN debit. Bill payment remains the last stronghold of paper-based payments -- for the time being. Checks continue to be the most commonly used bill payment method, with 71% of consumers paying at least one recurring bill per month by writing a check. However, a bill-by-bill basis, checks account for only 49% of consumers' recurring bill payments (down from 72% in 2001 and 60% in
2003).
6. Drive-in Theaters
During the peak in 1958, there were more than 4,000 drive-in theaters in this country, but in 2007 only 405 drive-ins were still operating. Exactly zero new drive-ins have been built since 2005. Only one reopened in 2005 and five reopened in 2006, so there isn't much of a movement toward reviving the closed ones.
5. Mumps & Measles
Despite what's been in the news lately, the measles and mumps actually, truly are disappearing from the United States . In 1964, 212,000 cases of mumps were reported in the U.S. By 1983, this figure had dropped to 3,000, thanks to a vigorous
vaccination program. Prior to the introduction of the measles vaccine, approximately half a million cases of measles were reported in the U.S. annually, resulting in 450 deaths. In 2005, only 66 cases were recorded.
4. Honey Bees
Perhaps nothing on our list of disappearing America is so dire; plummeting so enormously; and so necessary to the survival of our food supply as the honey bee. Very scary. 'Colony Collapse Disorder,' or CCD, has spread throughout the U.S. and Europe over the past few years, wiping out 50% to 90% of the colonies of many
beekeepers -- and along with it, their livelihood.
3. News Magazines and TV News
While the TV evening newscasts haven't gone anywhere over the last several decades, their audiences have. In 1984, in a story about the diminishing returns of the evening news, the New York Times reported that all three network evening-news programs combined had only 40.9 million viewers. Fast forward to 2008, and what they have today is half that.
2.. Analog TV
According to the Consumer Electronics Association, 85% of homes in the U.S. get their television programming through cable or satellite providers. For the remaining 15% -- or 13 million individuals -- who are using rabbit ears or a large outdoor antenna to get their local stations, change is in the air. If you are one of these people you'll need to get a new TV or a converter box in order to get the new stations which will only be broadcast in digital..
1. The Family Farm
Since the 1930's, the number of family farms has been declining rapidly. According to the USDA, 5.3 million farms dotted the nation in 1950, but this number had declined to 2.1 million by the 2003 farm census (data from the 2007 census is just now being published). Ninety-one percent of the U.S. FARMS are small Family Farms.
Both interesting and saddening, isn't it?
*Source: My niece, Hilary, passed this to me. I found it printed on 103.7 KISS FM and they cited the original source as: sparkpeople.com
25. U.S. Post Office
They are pricing themselves out of existence. With e-mail, and online services they are a relic of the past. (refer to #9) Packages are also sent faster and cheaper with UPS.
24. Yellow Pages
This year will be pivotal for the global Yellow Pages industry. Much like newspapers, print Yellow Pages will continue to bleed dollars to their various digital counterparts, from Internet Yellow Pages (IYPs), to local search engines and combination search/listing services like Reach Local and Yodel Factors like 20 an acceleration of the print 'fade rate' and the looming recession will contribute to the onslaught. One research firm predicts the falloff in usage of newspapers and print Yellow Pages could even reach 10% this year -- much higher than the 2%-3% fade rate seen in past years.
23. Classified Ads
The Internet has made so many things obsolete that newspaper classified ads might sound like just another trivial item on a long list. But this is one of those harbingers of the future that could signal the end of civilization as we know it.. The argument is that if newspaper classifieds are replaced by free online listings at sites likeCraigslist.org
22. Movie Rental Stores
While Netflix is looking up at the moment, Blockbuster keeps closing store locations by the hundreds. It still has about 6,000 left across the world, but those keep dwindling and the stock is down considerably in 2008, especially since the company gave up a quest of Circuit City . Movie Gallery, which owned the Hollywood Video brand, closed up shop earlier this year. Countless small video chains and mom-and-pop stores have given up the ghost already.
21. Dial-up Internet Access
Dial-up connections have fallen from 40% in 2001 to 10% in 2008. The combination of an infrastructure to accommodate affordable high speed Internet connections and the disappearing home phone have all but pounded the final nail in the coffin of dial-up Internet access.
20. Phone Land Lines
According to a survey from the National Center for Health Statistics, at the end of 2007, nearly one in six homes was cell-only and, of those homes that had land lines, one in eight only received calls on their cells.
19 Chesapeake Bay Blue Crabs
Maryland's icon, the blue crab, has been fading away in Chesapeake Bay . Last year Maryland saw the lowest harvest (22 million pounds) since 1945. Just four decades ago the bay produced 96 million pounds. The population is down 70% since 1990, when they first did a formal count. There are only about 120 million crabs in the bay
and they think they need 200 million for a sustainable population. Over-fishing, pollution, invasive species and global warming get the blame.
18. VCRs
For the better part of three decades, the VCR was a best-seller and staple in every American household until being completely decimated by the DVD, and now the Digital Video Recorder (DVR). In fact, the only remnants of the VHS age at your local Wal-Mart or Radio Shack are blank VHS tapes these days. Pre-recorded VHS tapes
are largely gone and VHS decks are practically nowhere to be found. They served us so well.
17. Ash Trees
In the late 1990's, a pretty, iridescent green species of beetle, now known as the emerald ash borer, hitched a ride to North America with ash wood products imported from eastern Asia . In less than a decade, its larvae have killed millions of trees in the
Midwest , and continue to spread. They've killed more than 30 million ash trees in southeastern Michigan alone, with tens of millions more lost in Ohio and Indiana . More than 7.5 billion ash trees are currently at risk.
16. Ham Radio
Amateur radio operators enjoy personal (and often worldwide) wireless communications with each other and are able to support their communities with emergency and disaster communications if necessary, while increasing their personal knowledge of electronics and radio theory. However, proliferation of the Internet and its popularity among youth has caused the decline of amateur radio. In the past five years alone, the number of people holding active ham radio licenses has dropped by 50,000, even though Morse Code is no longer a requirement.
15. The Swimming Hole
Thanks to our litigious society, swimming holes are becoming a thing of the past. '20/20' reports that swimming hole owners, like Robert Every in High Falls, NY, are shutting them down out of worry that if someone gets hurt they'll sue. And that's exactly what happened in Seattle The city of Bellingham was sued by Katie Hofstetter who was paralyzed in a fall at a popular swimming hole in Whatcom Falls Park . As injuries occur and lawsuits follow, expect more swimming holes to post 'Keep out!' signs..
14. Answering Machines
The increasing disappearance of answering machines is directly tied to No 20 our list -- the decline of landlines. According to USA Today, the number of homes that only use cell phones jumped 159% between 2004 and 2007.. It has been particularly bad in New York ; since 2000, landline usage has dropped 55%.. It's logical that as cell phones rise, many of them replacing traditional landlines, that there will be fewer answering machines.
13. Cameras That Use Film
It doesn't require a statistician to prove the rapid disappearance of the film camera in America . Just look to companies like Nikon, the professional' s choice for quality camera equipment. In 2006, it announced that it would stop making film cameras, pointing to the shrinking market -- only 3% of its sales in 2005, compared to 75% of sales from digital cameras and equipment.
12. Incandescent Bulbs
Before a few years ago, the standard 60-watt (or, yikes, 100-watt) bulb was the mainstay of every U.S. home. With the green movement and all-things-sustaina ble-energy crowd, the Compact Fluorescent Lightbulb (CFL) is largely replacing the older, Edison-era incandescent bulb. The EPA reports that 2007 sales for Energy Star CFLs nearly doubled from 2006, and these sales accounted for approximately 20 percent of the U.S. light bulb market. And according to USA Today, a new energy bill plans to phase out incandescent bulbs in the next four to 12 years.
11. Stand-Alone Bowling Alleys
Bowling Balls. US claims there are still 60 million Americans who bowl at least once a year, but many are not bowling in stand-alone bowling alleys. Today most new bowling alleys are part of facilities for all types or recreation including laser tag, go-karts, bumper cars, video game arcades, climbing walls and glow miniature golf.
Bowling lanes also have been added to many non-traditional venues such as adult communities, hotels and resorts, and gambling casinos.
10. The Milkman
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, in 1950, over half of the milk delivered was to the home in quart bottles, by 1963, it was about a third and by 2001, it represented only 0.4% percent. Nowadays most milk is sold through supermarkets in gallon jugs. The steady decline in home-delivered milk is blamed, of course, on the rise of the supermarket, better home refrigeration and longer-lasting milk. Although some milkmen still make the rounds in pockets of the U.S. , they are certainly a dying breed..
9. Hand-Written Letters
In 2006, the Radicati Group estimated that, worldwide, 183 billion e-mails were sent each day.. Two million each second. By November of 2007, an estimated 3.3 billion Earthlings owned cell phones, and 80% of the world's population had access to cell phone coverage. In 2004, half-a-trillion text messages were sent, and the number has no doubt increased exponentially since then. So where amongst this gorge of gabble is there room for the elegant, polite hand-written letter?
8. Wild Horses
It is estimated that 100 years ago, as many as two million horses were roaming free within the United States .. In 2001, National Geographic News estimated that the wild horse population has decreased to about 50,000 head. Currently, the National Wild Horse and Burro Advisory board states that there are 32,000 free roaming horses in ten Western states, with half of them residing in Nevada . The Bureau of Land Management is seeking to reduce the total number of free range horses to 27,000, possibly by selective euthanasia.
7. Personal Checks
According to an American Bankers Assoc. report, a net 23% of consumers plan to decrease their use of checks over the next two years, while a net 14% plan to increase their use of PIN debit. Bill payment remains the last stronghold of paper-based payments -- for the time being. Checks continue to be the most commonly used bill payment method, with 71% of consumers paying at least one recurring bill per month by writing a check. However, a bill-by-bill basis, checks account for only 49% of consumers' recurring bill payments (down from 72% in 2001 and 60% in
2003).
6. Drive-in Theaters
During the peak in 1958, there were more than 4,000 drive-in theaters in this country, but in 2007 only 405 drive-ins were still operating. Exactly zero new drive-ins have been built since 2005. Only one reopened in 2005 and five reopened in 2006, so there isn't much of a movement toward reviving the closed ones.
5. Mumps & Measles
Despite what's been in the news lately, the measles and mumps actually, truly are disappearing from the United States . In 1964, 212,000 cases of mumps were reported in the U.S. By 1983, this figure had dropped to 3,000, thanks to a vigorous
vaccination program. Prior to the introduction of the measles vaccine, approximately half a million cases of measles were reported in the U.S. annually, resulting in 450 deaths. In 2005, only 66 cases were recorded.
4. Honey Bees
Perhaps nothing on our list of disappearing America is so dire; plummeting so enormously; and so necessary to the survival of our food supply as the honey bee. Very scary. 'Colony Collapse Disorder,' or CCD, has spread throughout the U.S. and Europe over the past few years, wiping out 50% to 90% of the colonies of many
beekeepers -- and along with it, their livelihood.
3. News Magazines and TV News
While the TV evening newscasts haven't gone anywhere over the last several decades, their audiences have. In 1984, in a story about the diminishing returns of the evening news, the New York Times reported that all three network evening-news programs combined had only 40.9 million viewers. Fast forward to 2008, and what they have today is half that.
2.. Analog TV
According to the Consumer Electronics Association, 85% of homes in the U.S. get their television programming through cable or satellite providers. For the remaining 15% -- or 13 million individuals -- who are using rabbit ears or a large outdoor antenna to get their local stations, change is in the air. If you are one of these people you'll need to get a new TV or a converter box in order to get the new stations which will only be broadcast in digital..
1. The Family Farm
Since the 1930's, the number of family farms has been declining rapidly. According to the USDA, 5.3 million farms dotted the nation in 1950, but this number had declined to 2.1 million by the 2003 farm census (data from the 2007 census is just now being published). Ninety-one percent of the U.S. FARMS are small Family Farms.
Both interesting and saddening, isn't it?
*Source: My niece, Hilary, passed this to me. I found it printed on 103.7 KISS FM and they cited the original source as: sparkpeople.com
Friday, October 23, 2009
TGIF River Dancing Violinist
My niece, Hilary, sent this. Sure to put a little jig in your step on this gray Friday morning!
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Cindy's Story of the Amish
This wonderful post is shared by courtesy of Cindy at Letters from Mid-Life's blog.
We attended the annual dinner given by the business my husband works for last weekend. This isn't your usual company dinner. This construction company is owned by a conservative Mennonite man and except for Brad, the employees are all Amish or conservative Mennonites. Some drive cars, others drive horse and buggies. Their wives and daughters all wear the appropriate dresses and head coverings according to their church mandates. Brad and I are the only non-conservative/Mennonite/Amish, or "English" as they call people outside of their faith, so each year I'm very aware that I especially am the odd person in the bunch. Brad doesn't look all that different than the rest but I do.
It is a feeling that is self-imposed though because the other women always welcome me with open arms and engage me in their conversation without judgment or hesitation. It helps that I am a homemaker and have knowledge of domestic arts like baking, canning and sewing.
One Amish woman in particular is always glad to see me as I am her. She is probably in her late 20's or early 30's and she and her husband have two young children, a small family by Amish standards and there won't be more. She has multiple sclerosis which has begun to affect her ability to speak and to control the movement of her arms and hands. But she is always smiling and trying to engage in conversation despite the challenges. When I walked into the room she immediately reached for me to shake my hand and say hello. She proceeded to tell me that her youngest child started school this fall and loved it. She asked how my children were doing and was happy to hear that our youngest daughter will be getting married.
That alone brings tears to my eyes but it gets even better. Brad and I sat across the table from this young Amish couple and what I witnessed was so humbling. As the food was being passed (we were at an Amish home and enjoyed a feast of home cooking in abundance), her husband put food on her plate. Then, he carefully cut up the food into small pieces and proceeded to spoon feed his wife before eating his own food. No one stared, neither of them seemed embarassed. I realized this was a daily routine for them, nothing out of the ordinary. She couldn't hold a utensil easily, or drink from a cup gracefully. Everything I take for granted like being able to eat, dress myself, and brush my teeth are things she must rely on others for. Her husband seemed to take it in stride and they both continued to carry on conversation with others around the table as if this was no different than any other meal.
It was a beautiful picture of unconditional love. I suspect neither of them thought twice about who would care for her as her disease progressed. Family cares for her while her husband is at work. The children do all they can to help without question or resentment. Their faith is strong and while I'm sure there are moments of frustration and questioning, they seem to accept this as part of life and God's plan even if they don't know the reason why. It would be a devastating illness for any of us but I'm sure for her it is even more difficult to not be able to do the homemaking chores that Amish women are known for - gardening, cooking, baking, sewing, cleaning, canning, helping husbands with farm work.
I am indeed humbled and awed by what I observed. It isn't often that I have the chance to observe true faith and unconditional love in action and I am better for it.
We attended the annual dinner given by the business my husband works for last weekend. This isn't your usual company dinner. This construction company is owned by a conservative Mennonite man and except for Brad, the employees are all Amish or conservative Mennonites. Some drive cars, others drive horse and buggies. Their wives and daughters all wear the appropriate dresses and head coverings according to their church mandates. Brad and I are the only non-conservative/Mennonite/Amish, or "English" as they call people outside of their faith, so each year I'm very aware that I especially am the odd person in the bunch. Brad doesn't look all that different than the rest but I do.
It is a feeling that is self-imposed though because the other women always welcome me with open arms and engage me in their conversation without judgment or hesitation. It helps that I am a homemaker and have knowledge of domestic arts like baking, canning and sewing.
One Amish woman in particular is always glad to see me as I am her. She is probably in her late 20's or early 30's and she and her husband have two young children, a small family by Amish standards and there won't be more. She has multiple sclerosis which has begun to affect her ability to speak and to control the movement of her arms and hands. But she is always smiling and trying to engage in conversation despite the challenges. When I walked into the room she immediately reached for me to shake my hand and say hello. She proceeded to tell me that her youngest child started school this fall and loved it. She asked how my children were doing and was happy to hear that our youngest daughter will be getting married.
That alone brings tears to my eyes but it gets even better. Brad and I sat across the table from this young Amish couple and what I witnessed was so humbling. As the food was being passed (we were at an Amish home and enjoyed a feast of home cooking in abundance), her husband put food on her plate. Then, he carefully cut up the food into small pieces and proceeded to spoon feed his wife before eating his own food. No one stared, neither of them seemed embarassed. I realized this was a daily routine for them, nothing out of the ordinary. She couldn't hold a utensil easily, or drink from a cup gracefully. Everything I take for granted like being able to eat, dress myself, and brush my teeth are things she must rely on others for. Her husband seemed to take it in stride and they both continued to carry on conversation with others around the table as if this was no different than any other meal.
It was a beautiful picture of unconditional love. I suspect neither of them thought twice about who would care for her as her disease progressed. Family cares for her while her husband is at work. The children do all they can to help without question or resentment. Their faith is strong and while I'm sure there are moments of frustration and questioning, they seem to accept this as part of life and God's plan even if they don't know the reason why. It would be a devastating illness for any of us but I'm sure for her it is even more difficult to not be able to do the homemaking chores that Amish women are known for - gardening, cooking, baking, sewing, cleaning, canning, helping husbands with farm work.
I am indeed humbled and awed by what I observed. It isn't often that I have the chance to observe true faith and unconditional love in action and I am better for it.
Drive Thru Folk Music
Try this next time you're on a road trip. Thanks to Nikki for passing this on! Be sure to see it all the way to the end. Classic!
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Halloween Puppy Party!
Last night was our local puppy club's Halloween Party for the Guide Dog for the Blind pups-in-training. Fun, fun evening...with games for the pups and raisers. A subtle way of running through some exercises.
In a twist on Musical Chairs, we played Musical Hoops...where the dogs and raisers had to find an empty hula hoop to sit in when the music stopped. One way for the puppies to learn how to "sit small." Something they will need to learn as a partner to a blind person when they travel in airplanes, buses, trains, cars.
Here's "Hoops."
This is "Adonis."
These two, Zinny and Brent, are the Cookie Monsters.
And here is my co-raiser, Stephanie, working with Queen "Reyna."
Reyna's had it.
Have a good photo of your dog in a Halloween costume? If so, send it to me! I'll try to post it next week. If I get enough, I'll rack my braines and think up a fun contest...with a dog friendly prize!
suzanne @ suzannewoodsfisher dot com
In a twist on Musical Chairs, we played Musical Hoops...where the dogs and raisers had to find an empty hula hoop to sit in when the music stopped. One way for the puppies to learn how to "sit small." Something they will need to learn as a partner to a blind person when they travel in airplanes, buses, trains, cars.
Here's "Hoops."
This is "Adonis."
These two, Zinny and Brent, are the Cookie Monsters.
And here is my co-raiser, Stephanie, working with Queen "Reyna."
Reyna's had it.
Have a good photo of your dog in a Halloween costume? If so, send it to me! I'll try to post it next week. If I get enough, I'll rack my braines and think up a fun contest...with a dog friendly prize!
suzanne @ suzannewoodsfisher dot com
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
A Day in Public School...Now and Then
In another case of how heightened security-alert is overruling common sense in our country, a 6-year-old boy was suspended from school last week for bringing a camping utensil to school. It wasn’t a can of lighter fluid or a bottle of mace spray that got him in trouble. It was a spoon/fork/knife combo utensil used for eating.
And despite the fact that eating was clearly what this 6-year-old boy...a cub scout...intended to do with his spork, he was given a sentence of 45 days in reform school for violating his school’s zero tolerance policy on weapons.
A cub scout. Age six.
Just to give you a sense of how our country has changed in fifty-plus years...
My son and I attended an American Legion dinner two weeks ago to honor the boys who were chosen to go to Boys' State. It was a wonderful evening--the organization spent all day making a delicious pot of spaghetti with homemade sauce. It was held in our local Veteran's Hall. Most of the Veterans were from the Korean or Vietnam War, though a few were WWII vintage.
The man seated on the far left (wearing the hat) told us an amazing story. He was raised in Mississippi on a cattle and dairy farm. When he was a sophomore in high school...around 1955...the school bus driver retired and offered his route up for sale. This man's father took him to the county to "purchase" the route...the custom back then...which he did. Then they went to the retired driver and bought the old yellow school bus from him.
And thus the sophomore in high school became the new school bus driver! For three years, he drove 35-50 kids from kindergarten to 12th grade, 90 minutes each way. And that was after getting up early to milk the dairy cows!
He said that some kids acted up and he had to discipline them. One boy, in particular. It made things sticky because he had to go to that boy's parents to complain. The problem, he said, was he was dating the boy's older sister!
Can you imagine watching a high school kid...in our modern age...pull up with a busload of kids, then park the bus and run into Geometry class?
And despite the fact that eating was clearly what this 6-year-old boy...a cub scout...intended to do with his spork, he was given a sentence of 45 days in reform school for violating his school’s zero tolerance policy on weapons.
A cub scout. Age six.
Just to give you a sense of how our country has changed in fifty-plus years...
My son and I attended an American Legion dinner two weeks ago to honor the boys who were chosen to go to Boys' State. It was a wonderful evening--the organization spent all day making a delicious pot of spaghetti with homemade sauce. It was held in our local Veteran's Hall. Most of the Veterans were from the Korean or Vietnam War, though a few were WWII vintage.
The man seated on the far left (wearing the hat) told us an amazing story. He was raised in Mississippi on a cattle and dairy farm. When he was a sophomore in high school...around 1955...the school bus driver retired and offered his route up for sale. This man's father took him to the county to "purchase" the route...the custom back then...which he did. Then they went to the retired driver and bought the old yellow school bus from him.
And thus the sophomore in high school became the new school bus driver! For three years, he drove 35-50 kids from kindergarten to 12th grade, 90 minutes each way. And that was after getting up early to milk the dairy cows!
He said that some kids acted up and he had to discipline them. One boy, in particular. It made things sticky because he had to go to that boy's parents to complain. The problem, he said, was he was dating the boy's older sister!
Can you imagine watching a high school kid...in our modern age...pull up with a busload of kids, then park the bus and run into Geometry class?
Sunday, October 18, 2009
A Puppy's Halloween Party
Reyna, my little Guide Dog for the Blind puppy-in-training, just turned six months old.
I'm co-raising Reyna (who, despite her name, did not like last week's rain) with a fellow club member, Stephanie. I hit the jackpot! Stephanie is a total delight--funny (an imperative quality when one works with puppies!), takes awesome pictures of a puppy who is constantly in motion (how does she get Reyna to be still for a pix?!) and sends them to me frequently (another plus). And I shouldn't neglect mentioning that Steph also has excellent dog handling skills. The perfect co-raiser.
So Tuesday night is a big Halloween party for all of our local Guide Dog for the Blind pups...they're showing up decked out. Dressing up is actually a good experience for the puppies-in-training...helps them to get comfortable with something on their bodies, like the training jackets or, eventually (hopefully!), the harness. This is a picture of Brent, one of my favorite puppies, taken a few years ago:
So...you can see my level of costume creativity in Brent's photo. Moderate...one might say, kindly.
Stephanie, who is far more talented in just about everything than I am...is working on a Halloween costume for Reyna...whose name means "Queen" in Spanish.
Want to see a peek of our little Princess-in-training?
I think Reyna has already nailed that look of ennui so common to the Royals.
I'm co-raising Reyna (who, despite her name, did not like last week's rain) with a fellow club member, Stephanie. I hit the jackpot! Stephanie is a total delight--funny (an imperative quality when one works with puppies!), takes awesome pictures of a puppy who is constantly in motion (how does she get Reyna to be still for a pix?!) and sends them to me frequently (another plus). And I shouldn't neglect mentioning that Steph also has excellent dog handling skills. The perfect co-raiser.
So Tuesday night is a big Halloween party for all of our local Guide Dog for the Blind pups...they're showing up decked out. Dressing up is actually a good experience for the puppies-in-training...helps them to get comfortable with something on their bodies, like the training jackets or, eventually (hopefully!), the harness. This is a picture of Brent, one of my favorite puppies, taken a few years ago:
So...you can see my level of costume creativity in Brent's photo. Moderate...one might say, kindly.
Stephanie, who is far more talented in just about everything than I am...is working on a Halloween costume for Reyna...whose name means "Queen" in Spanish.
Want to see a peek of our little Princess-in-training?
I think Reyna has already nailed that look of ennui so common to the Royals.
Friday, October 16, 2009
Yesterday's Post
Yesterday's responses to my "What Would You Do?" question were very interesting! They were split down the middle...and not gender-related.
About half of you would have spoken to the girls and asked them to clean up after themselves.
The other half of you would have just picked up after the girls and some of you would have said a prayer on their behalf.
So here's what I did:
I went into Mom Mode.
I marched after the girls...all the way down the escalator! I stopped them and politely asked them to go back and put away the magazines so the store could sell them. And throw their empty water bottles in the garbage.
The girls said, "Oh. Our dad is waiting outside."
I said, "Your dad can wait."
I followed behind them to make sure they would actually go clean up...and was just appalled at their attitude along the way. Bored! Irritated! Inconvenienced! Not at all embarrassed or apologetic or contrite. They even walked slowly.
I made sure they put the magazines away, downstairs.
Along the way, their dad found them. He was mad at them for making him wait. They pointed to me and whispered to him, probably telling him a psycho lady was on their tail. I politely explained to the dad what the girls had done.
"Do you work here?" he asked me.
"No," I said. "But I do care. And this is how I would like someone to handle my kids if they did such a thing."
"Well," he said. "That's your perogative."
Huh? What does that mean?
To be fair to the dad, he expected the girls outside, about five minutes ago. He was probably thrown off guard. But it still amazed me that the dad--and the girls--did not act as if they had done anything wrong! They had a detached lack of concern.
I don't know if it's better to say something to kids like that, or to realize it's not my problem and my interference probably wouldn't change anything.
But the phrase, "It takes a village to raise a child" rings true. If kids aren't held accountable by others...if they don't feel as if their behavior outside the home matters...what kind of grown-ups will they become?
About half of you would have spoken to the girls and asked them to clean up after themselves.
The other half of you would have just picked up after the girls and some of you would have said a prayer on their behalf.
So here's what I did:
I went into Mom Mode.
I marched after the girls...all the way down the escalator! I stopped them and politely asked them to go back and put away the magazines so the store could sell them. And throw their empty water bottles in the garbage.
The girls said, "Oh. Our dad is waiting outside."
I said, "Your dad can wait."
I followed behind them to make sure they would actually go clean up...and was just appalled at their attitude along the way. Bored! Irritated! Inconvenienced! Not at all embarrassed or apologetic or contrite. They even walked slowly.
I made sure they put the magazines away, downstairs.
Along the way, their dad found them. He was mad at them for making him wait. They pointed to me and whispered to him, probably telling him a psycho lady was on their tail. I politely explained to the dad what the girls had done.
"Do you work here?" he asked me.
"No," I said. "But I do care. And this is how I would like someone to handle my kids if they did such a thing."
"Well," he said. "That's your perogative."
Huh? What does that mean?
To be fair to the dad, he expected the girls outside, about five minutes ago. He was probably thrown off guard. But it still amazed me that the dad--and the girls--did not act as if they had done anything wrong! They had a detached lack of concern.
I don't know if it's better to say something to kids like that, or to realize it's not my problem and my interference probably wouldn't change anything.
But the phrase, "It takes a village to raise a child" rings true. If kids aren't held accountable by others...if they don't feel as if their behavior outside the home matters...what kind of grown-ups will they become?
Thursday, October 15, 2009
What Would You Do?
This last weekend, I was browsing through a bookstore and noticed two high school girls tucked away in an aisle, sitting on the ground, looking through magazines and drinking water. They must have been freshmen or sophomores, I'm guessing. I remember thinking that they looked cute, just hanging out in a bookstore on a Saturday morning.
A cell phone rang and one of the girls answered it. It sounded like a parent was waiting for them outside, so the girls got up and walked away.
Leaving the store's magazines strewn all over the ground. Leaving their water bottles on the floor.
So what would you have done, if you were me?
Tomorrow, I'll tell you what I did.
First, though, I'd really like to know how you would handle a similar situation. And what about your spouse? What would be his or her response? Different from yours' or the same?
Leave a comment (try it...it really is easy! Just leave it under anonymous if you have trouble with it) or send me an e-mail: suzanne @ suzannewoodsfisher dot com
Tune in tomorrow for...the rest of the story!
A cell phone rang and one of the girls answered it. It sounded like a parent was waiting for them outside, so the girls got up and walked away.
Leaving the store's magazines strewn all over the ground. Leaving their water bottles on the floor.
So what would you have done, if you were me?
Tomorrow, I'll tell you what I did.
First, though, I'd really like to know how you would handle a similar situation. And what about your spouse? What would be his or her response? Different from yours' or the same?
Leave a comment (try it...it really is easy! Just leave it under anonymous if you have trouble with it) or send me an e-mail: suzanne @ suzannewoodsfisher dot com
Tune in tomorrow for...the rest of the story!
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
The New Yorker's Take on Book Promotion
My friend, Jeannette, passed this "New Yorker" magazine spoof on book promotion to me. Writers will find this article particularly amusing!
Hi, Ellis—
Let me introduce myself. My name is Gineen Klein, and I’ve been brought on as an intern to replace the promotion department here at Propensity Books. First, let me say that I absolutely love “Clancy the Doofus Beagle: A Love Story” and have some excellent ideas for promotion.
To start: Do you blog? If not, get in touch with Kris and Christopher from our online department, although at this point I think only Christopher is left. I’ll be out of the office from tomorrow until Monday, but when I get back I’ll ask him if he spoke to you. We use CopyBuoy via Hoster Broaster, because it streams really easily into a Plaxo/LinkedIn yak-fest meld. When you register, click “Endless,” and under “Contacts” just list everyone you’ve ever met. It would be great if you could post at least six hundred words every day until further notice.
If you already have a blog, make sure you spray-feed your URL in niblets open-face to the skein. We like Reddit bites (they’re better than Delicious), because they max out the wiki snarls of RSS feeds, which means less jamming at the Google scaffold. Then just Digg your uploads in a viral spiral to your social networks via an FB/MS interlink torrent. You may have gotten the blast e-mail from Jason Zepp, your acquiring editor, saying that people who do this sort of thing will go to Hell, but just ignore it.
The vi-spi is cross-platform, but don’t worry if you think you’re not on Facebook, because you actually are. Jason enrolled you when you signed the contract last year, or at least he was supposed to, and he told Sarah Williams he did before he had to retire and Sarah left for nursing school. You currently have 421 Friends, 17 Pending Requests, 8 Pokes, 5 Winks, and 3 Proposals of “Marriage.”
I’ve attached a list of celebrities we think would be great to blurb your book, so find out their numbers and call them up. Be sure to do all this by Monday, because Sales Conference starts Tuesday. We come back Friday and then immediately on Saturday (!) all of editorial (Janet, plus probably Michelle, her assistant) and I go to the Frankfurt Book Fair for a week. During that time the office will be closed, although to help cover the costs of the Germany trip it will actually be sublet to the John Lindsay Elementary School P.T.A. as a rehearsal space for this year’s fund-raiser production of “The Music Man.” I’m told that this was one of the things that Jason didn’t understand and which contributed to his “condition.”
Once we get back from Frankfurt, we’d like to see you on morning talk shows like the “Today” show and “The View,” so please get yourself booked on them and keep us “in the loop.” If I’m not here—which I won’t be, since after the book fair I go on vacation for two weeks—just tell Jenni, my assistant, when she gets back from jury duty.
Remember in your blog to tabskim your readers’ comments. You can use Twitter, Chitt-chaTT, or Nit-Pickr. When you reply to comments, try to post at least one photo per hour of you doing everyday tasks around the house, such as answering comments and posting photos. Please make sure they’re pre-scorched. Let me know, when I get back from Retreat a week after my vacation, if self-surging is a problem.
As re: personal appearances, to cut down on travel expenses we’re trying something new this season called RAP, or Readings by Author by Proxy. We’re asking authors in certain key areas of the country to stay “close to home” and give readings at local bookstores of both their own books and a few of our other new releases. We can send you a list of bookstores in your area once you fill out the My Local Bookstores list on your Author’s Questionnaire. You’ll be reading not only from your book but from “Code Blue Stat,” a new medical thriller we’re really excited about, and “Fifty Great Pan Sauces,” a cool new cookbook. Their authors, Dr. Steven Rosenthal and Gail Freenye, will stay in Chicago and Boston, respectively, and read from each other’s book and yours. This idea, apparently, is what made Jason take his clothes off and lock himself in a supply closet.
F.Y.I., we’ve migrated all the photos out of your book and onto the Web page. It makes the hard-copy version cheaper to produce (fewer pages; no photos) and the e-text more “Kindle-friendly.” Sometime next week, call Christopher over an ISDN line and say your name, as distinctly as possible, at least two hundred times, so we can dub it as an AudioAutograph onto the podcast edition. (You may already have done this for a previous book, but somehow Jason managed to delete all the audio files before Security escorted him from the building.)
Don’t hesitate to try to contact me if you have any questions. I sort of have my hands full, promoting twenty-three new releases this fall, but I’m really excited about working on your book, and I look forward to collaborating with you to make “A History of Moorish Architecture, 1200-1492” the biggest success it can be.
Best regards,
Gineen Klein ♦
Source: The New Yorker
Hi, Ellis—
Let me introduce myself. My name is Gineen Klein, and I’ve been brought on as an intern to replace the promotion department here at Propensity Books. First, let me say that I absolutely love “Clancy the Doofus Beagle: A Love Story” and have some excellent ideas for promotion.
To start: Do you blog? If not, get in touch with Kris and Christopher from our online department, although at this point I think only Christopher is left. I’ll be out of the office from tomorrow until Monday, but when I get back I’ll ask him if he spoke to you. We use CopyBuoy via Hoster Broaster, because it streams really easily into a Plaxo/LinkedIn yak-fest meld. When you register, click “Endless,” and under “Contacts” just list everyone you’ve ever met. It would be great if you could post at least six hundred words every day until further notice.
If you already have a blog, make sure you spray-feed your URL in niblets open-face to the skein. We like Reddit bites (they’re better than Delicious), because they max out the wiki snarls of RSS feeds, which means less jamming at the Google scaffold. Then just Digg your uploads in a viral spiral to your social networks via an FB/MS interlink torrent. You may have gotten the blast e-mail from Jason Zepp, your acquiring editor, saying that people who do this sort of thing will go to Hell, but just ignore it.
The vi-spi is cross-platform, but don’t worry if you think you’re not on Facebook, because you actually are. Jason enrolled you when you signed the contract last year, or at least he was supposed to, and he told Sarah Williams he did before he had to retire and Sarah left for nursing school. You currently have 421 Friends, 17 Pending Requests, 8 Pokes, 5 Winks, and 3 Proposals of “Marriage.”
I’ve attached a list of celebrities we think would be great to blurb your book, so find out their numbers and call them up. Be sure to do all this by Monday, because Sales Conference starts Tuesday. We come back Friday and then immediately on Saturday (!) all of editorial (Janet, plus probably Michelle, her assistant) and I go to the Frankfurt Book Fair for a week. During that time the office will be closed, although to help cover the costs of the Germany trip it will actually be sublet to the John Lindsay Elementary School P.T.A. as a rehearsal space for this year’s fund-raiser production of “The Music Man.” I’m told that this was one of the things that Jason didn’t understand and which contributed to his “condition.”
Once we get back from Frankfurt, we’d like to see you on morning talk shows like the “Today” show and “The View,” so please get yourself booked on them and keep us “in the loop.” If I’m not here—which I won’t be, since after the book fair I go on vacation for two weeks—just tell Jenni, my assistant, when she gets back from jury duty.
Remember in your blog to tabskim your readers’ comments. You can use Twitter, Chitt-chaTT, or Nit-Pickr. When you reply to comments, try to post at least one photo per hour of you doing everyday tasks around the house, such as answering comments and posting photos. Please make sure they’re pre-scorched. Let me know, when I get back from Retreat a week after my vacation, if self-surging is a problem.
As re: personal appearances, to cut down on travel expenses we’re trying something new this season called RAP, or Readings by Author by Proxy. We’re asking authors in certain key areas of the country to stay “close to home” and give readings at local bookstores of both their own books and a few of our other new releases. We can send you a list of bookstores in your area once you fill out the My Local Bookstores list on your Author’s Questionnaire. You’ll be reading not only from your book but from “Code Blue Stat,” a new medical thriller we’re really excited about, and “Fifty Great Pan Sauces,” a cool new cookbook. Their authors, Dr. Steven Rosenthal and Gail Freenye, will stay in Chicago and Boston, respectively, and read from each other’s book and yours. This idea, apparently, is what made Jason take his clothes off and lock himself in a supply closet.
F.Y.I., we’ve migrated all the photos out of your book and onto the Web page. It makes the hard-copy version cheaper to produce (fewer pages; no photos) and the e-text more “Kindle-friendly.” Sometime next week, call Christopher over an ISDN line and say your name, as distinctly as possible, at least two hundred times, so we can dub it as an AudioAutograph onto the podcast edition. (You may already have done this for a previous book, but somehow Jason managed to delete all the audio files before Security escorted him from the building.)
Don’t hesitate to try to contact me if you have any questions. I sort of have my hands full, promoting twenty-three new releases this fall, but I’m really excited about working on your book, and I look forward to collaborating with you to make “A History of Moorish Architecture, 1200-1492” the biggest success it can be.
Best regards,
Gineen Klein ♦
Source: The New Yorker
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
World Vision's Renee Stearns
Last evening, I went to hear Renee Stearns, wife of World Vision president Rich Stearns, speak to a group of women. Renee is fifty-something, a mother of five, ages 31-18, an attorney, a Bible study teacher and student, and...she's funny! Really, really funny.
For example, when asked about her children, she mentioned each one and their age/marital status. Then, with a big impatient-for-grandchildren kind of sigh, she added, "They have no children yet."
And then she forgot to mention her youngest child! I have four children, so I can empathize. Hey...it's hard to keep track of everybody.
She told us stories of individuals she had met through World Vision (btw, World Vision is a Christian humanitarian charity organization, founded in 1950, that serves close to 100 million people in nearly 100 countries around the world). Renee had a gift for taking us with her to an impoverished country and describing the circumstances of someone--a woman or a girl--caught in a terrible spiral of poverty and injustice. As World Vision came alongside to help, the woman's life was forever changed.
Story after story.
When asked what makes the biggest impact on women in Third World Countries, Renee quickly answered, "Education and self-esteem. If a woman can get an education, she wants more for herself. In turn, she wants more for her daughters. Little by little, a culture is changed."
Much of World Vision's focus is on ending human trafficking...particularly, for children.
Renee made a comment that has rolled around in my mind today: "I know many wonderful people who have very small worlds. We need to help others open their eyes to a hurting world."
She gave wonderful suggestions to help parents spark an interest in missions for their children. The magazine writer in me was starting an article as she spoke!
Tonight, Renee is speaking over at Menlo Park Presbyterian Church's Mountain View "Open Door" campus. If you can go hear her, you'll be glad you did. Even on a dark, rainy night like tonight threatens to be. She's that special.
And if you're interested in learning more about World Vision, go to www.worldvision.org.
For example, when asked about her children, she mentioned each one and their age/marital status. Then, with a big impatient-for-grandchildren kind of sigh, she added, "They have no children yet."
And then she forgot to mention her youngest child! I have four children, so I can empathize. Hey...it's hard to keep track of everybody.
She told us stories of individuals she had met through World Vision (btw, World Vision is a Christian humanitarian charity organization, founded in 1950, that serves close to 100 million people in nearly 100 countries around the world). Renee had a gift for taking us with her to an impoverished country and describing the circumstances of someone--a woman or a girl--caught in a terrible spiral of poverty and injustice. As World Vision came alongside to help, the woman's life was forever changed.
Story after story.
When asked what makes the biggest impact on women in Third World Countries, Renee quickly answered, "Education and self-esteem. If a woman can get an education, she wants more for herself. In turn, she wants more for her daughters. Little by little, a culture is changed."
Much of World Vision's focus is on ending human trafficking...particularly, for children.
Renee made a comment that has rolled around in my mind today: "I know many wonderful people who have very small worlds. We need to help others open their eyes to a hurting world."
She gave wonderful suggestions to help parents spark an interest in missions for their children. The magazine writer in me was starting an article as she spoke!
Tonight, Renee is speaking over at Menlo Park Presbyterian Church's Mountain View "Open Door" campus. If you can go hear her, you'll be glad you did. Even on a dark, rainy night like tonight threatens to be. She's that special.
And if you're interested in learning more about World Vision, go to www.worldvision.org.
Monday, October 12, 2009
Now Here's a Way to Jumpstart Monday!
Not sure what caused this piece of happy news...but The Choice, my novel that will release on January 1st, hit the Christian Book Distributors' bestseller list last week. #13!
Probably helps that the cover is gorgeous. My son is still after me to find out who that model is!
It's ahead of The Shack, which is a book that seems to polarize people...they love it or hate it, nothing in between. Have you read The Shack? Probably. Most everyone on the planet has. I found it to be a book that stayed with me, and I loved the emphasis on the Holy Trinity...but really wished the book had the help of a good editor. It was a self-published phenomenon, virtually, an overnight success.
Anyway...I'm digressing.
Back to CBD. I'm impressed with that company! And not just because they're offering a lower price on The Choice than Amazon, too. I like their energy.
Books are so important, and there are so many good books still to be written...still to be read. I want to support these companies and retail outlets that are working hard to stay afloat in a thin-margin economy. So this weekend, rather than just automatically order something from Amazon, I ordered it from CBD. (And no, it wasn't 1,000 copies of The Choice or Amish Peace.) I'm curious to see how CBD compares to Amazon's amazing customer service.
So...back to Monday. Out in California, we're due for our first big whopper of a storm starting today. The remnants of a typhoon, wet and warm. We need the rain, so most folks are looking forward to the weather change. I'm taking a wait-and-see attitude. Weathermen like to get everyone all excited about storms...but usually, they peter out by the time they make landfall. Hence...California is 'the drought state.'
Hope your week is off to a good start! I know it's a great Monday for postal workers. They're observing Columbus Day. No mail today.
Probably helps that the cover is gorgeous. My son is still after me to find out who that model is!
It's ahead of The Shack, which is a book that seems to polarize people...they love it or hate it, nothing in between. Have you read The Shack? Probably. Most everyone on the planet has. I found it to be a book that stayed with me, and I loved the emphasis on the Holy Trinity...but really wished the book had the help of a good editor. It was a self-published phenomenon, virtually, an overnight success.
Anyway...I'm digressing.
Back to CBD. I'm impressed with that company! And not just because they're offering a lower price on The Choice than Amazon, too. I like their energy.
Books are so important, and there are so many good books still to be written...still to be read. I want to support these companies and retail outlets that are working hard to stay afloat in a thin-margin economy. So this weekend, rather than just automatically order something from Amazon, I ordered it from CBD. (And no, it wasn't 1,000 copies of The Choice or Amish Peace.) I'm curious to see how CBD compares to Amazon's amazing customer service.
So...back to Monday. Out in California, we're due for our first big whopper of a storm starting today. The remnants of a typhoon, wet and warm. We need the rain, so most folks are looking forward to the weather change. I'm taking a wait-and-see attitude. Weathermen like to get everyone all excited about storms...but usually, they peter out by the time they make landfall. Hence...California is 'the drought state.'
Hope your week is off to a good start! I know it's a great Monday for postal workers. They're observing Columbus Day. No mail today.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Michael Buble's "I Just Haven't Met You Yet"
Have you heard this new song by Michael Buble? Great song, fun video...be sure to watch to the very end.
This is the trailer from Michael's new CD, Crazy Love. Lets you get a glimpse of the guy behind the music.
This is the trailer from Michael's new CD, Crazy Love. Lets you get a glimpse of the guy behind the music.
Friday, October 09, 2009
P.S. Conversations with Dad
My sister found this picture of Dad and me, taken in Repulse Bay in Hong Kong. We four kids don't have many pictures of Dad...he was usually the one behind the camera.
Conversations with Dad
Last Friday, my sister and I visited Dad in his Alzheimer's facility. It's a cheerful place, considering it's the last stop for dementia patients, and I admire how kind the staff is to my dad and the others.
But it's still a catch in the heart to see him there. My dad was a man who was always in motion, rarely still. Wendy and I found him in his room, just staring out the window.
And it is really hard to see the different stages of the other patients. Dad's room is in a suite and his "roommate" is a man named Eugene. I've never seen Eugene other than in bed, tucked into a fetal position.
Other bodies are kind of draped in chairs around the living area. It's actually kind of...surreal. This facility is in Palo Alto, California. Many of these patients were Stanford educated, highly professional individuals who had full, rich lives. Nobody ever dreamed the end of their life would be like this.
My sister and I took Dad outside to the garden. Wouldn't you know that Dad keyed right in on the gate to get out? Like a dog with a bone. He kept pointing to it, indicating with his limited vocabulary that we could flee! Escape while we could!
It warmed my heart to see a glimpse of the old Dad...planning a breakout.
The next evening, we went to some friends' home for a potluck dinner. My assignment was to bring a salad, I thought, so I had stopped at the store early that day to get the ingredients.
However, I was mistaken.
My assignment was dessert.
Those are the kinds of slip-ups that strike terror in one's heart when a parent has Alzheimer's. EEEKKK! The first sign.
But it's still a catch in the heart to see him there. My dad was a man who was always in motion, rarely still. Wendy and I found him in his room, just staring out the window.
And it is really hard to see the different stages of the other patients. Dad's room is in a suite and his "roommate" is a man named Eugene. I've never seen Eugene other than in bed, tucked into a fetal position.
Other bodies are kind of draped in chairs around the living area. It's actually kind of...surreal. This facility is in Palo Alto, California. Many of these patients were Stanford educated, highly professional individuals who had full, rich lives. Nobody ever dreamed the end of their life would be like this.
My sister and I took Dad outside to the garden. Wouldn't you know that Dad keyed right in on the gate to get out? Like a dog with a bone. He kept pointing to it, indicating with his limited vocabulary that we could flee! Escape while we could!
It warmed my heart to see a glimpse of the old Dad...planning a breakout.
The next evening, we went to some friends' home for a potluck dinner. My assignment was to bring a salad, I thought, so I had stopped at the store early that day to get the ingredients.
However, I was mistaken.
My assignment was dessert.
Those are the kinds of slip-ups that strike terror in one's heart when a parent has Alzheimer's. EEEKKK! The first sign.
Thursday, October 08, 2009
Winner of the Book Bomb and other news...
Congrats to the winner of Monday's "Amish Peace" Book Bomb! Carol G.
And also to the two winners of the Amish cookbook, Elaine J. and Janice P. I'll send you an e-mail for your addy and get those right out to you.
And thank you to everyone who participated in the Bomb! I've so grateful to each and everyone one of you who are helping to spread the word about "Amish Peace." There are 18 customer reviews up on Amazon...all five star! And I promise...they're not from my mother.
So I just finished two radio interviews and faced a worst-case scenario: a coughing fit. Can you imagine something more blood-pressure spiking than having a coughing fit on live radio? (Maybe a sneeze attack?) There weren't any commercial breaks so I had no easy opportunity to gulp some water or cough to my heart's content.
To top that off, there was an echo on my end, too, so I heard my voice twice.
I plowed ahead and didn't let myself over-focus on the distractions.
In some ways, that's been one of the biggest lessons I've learned in being an author/dealing with promotion. It's getting comfortable with imperfection. Not that I've ever been much of a perfectionist (not a successful one, anyway), but when you're in a public setting...you sort of hope you can give off the impression of having it all together.
I so don't.
My favorite memory is walking into a speaking event and having a good friend of mine, Peggy, grab a velcro curler that was stuck to the back of my blazer. "Here," she said quietly, handing me the curler. Such a kind act forever endeared me to her.
After all, it's hard to look hip in curlers.
And also to the two winners of the Amish cookbook, Elaine J. and Janice P. I'll send you an e-mail for your addy and get those right out to you.
And thank you to everyone who participated in the Bomb! I've so grateful to each and everyone one of you who are helping to spread the word about "Amish Peace." There are 18 customer reviews up on Amazon...all five star! And I promise...they're not from my mother.
So I just finished two radio interviews and faced a worst-case scenario: a coughing fit. Can you imagine something more blood-pressure spiking than having a coughing fit on live radio? (Maybe a sneeze attack?) There weren't any commercial breaks so I had no easy opportunity to gulp some water or cough to my heart's content.
To top that off, there was an echo on my end, too, so I heard my voice twice.
I plowed ahead and didn't let myself over-focus on the distractions.
In some ways, that's been one of the biggest lessons I've learned in being an author/dealing with promotion. It's getting comfortable with imperfection. Not that I've ever been much of a perfectionist (not a successful one, anyway), but when you're in a public setting...you sort of hope you can give off the impression of having it all together.
I so don't.
My favorite memory is walking into a speaking event and having a good friend of mine, Peggy, grab a velcro curler that was stuck to the back of my blazer. "Here," she said quietly, handing me the curler. Such a kind act forever endeared me to her.
After all, it's hard to look hip in curlers.
Wednesday, October 07, 2009
Boyfriend Impresser Bars
A few days ago I mentioned that I have an Amish cookbook with a recipe for "Boyfriend Impresser Bars" and I have been INUNDATED with requests for that recipe.
Which makes me think there are a lot of sweet mamas out there working hard to help their beautiful daughters catch worthy gentleman callers.
And who am I to stand between a cookie and true love?
So here's the recipe:
(Please note that the Amish work off about 4,000+ calories a day...so do not send me any e-mails complaining about the calorie count of this recipe! Just...hit the treadmill!)
1 cake mix
2 (8 oz.) cream cheese blocks
2 cups peanut butter
2 (12 oz.) Cool Whip containers
mini chocolate chips (optional)
Prepare cake as directed on box. Pour into two 13" x9" x 2" cake pans. Bake 15 minutes at 350 degrees. Combine peanut butter and cream cheese. Beat in milk until desired spreading consistency. Spread a thin layer on hot cake. Fold Cool Whip in leftover peanut butter mixture and spread on cooled cake. Sprinkle chocolate chips on top and serve with love. Leftovers can be frozen.
Oh! One other thing.
If these work...please invite me to the wedding! I love weddings.
Which makes me think there are a lot of sweet mamas out there working hard to help their beautiful daughters catch worthy gentleman callers.
And who am I to stand between a cookie and true love?
So here's the recipe:
(Please note that the Amish work off about 4,000+ calories a day...so do not send me any e-mails complaining about the calorie count of this recipe! Just...hit the treadmill!)
1 cake mix
2 (8 oz.) cream cheese blocks
2 cups peanut butter
2 (12 oz.) Cool Whip containers
mini chocolate chips (optional)
Prepare cake as directed on box. Pour into two 13" x9" x 2" cake pans. Bake 15 minutes at 350 degrees. Combine peanut butter and cream cheese. Beat in milk until desired spreading consistency. Spread a thin layer on hot cake. Fold Cool Whip in leftover peanut butter mixture and spread on cooled cake. Sprinkle chocolate chips on top and serve with love. Leftovers can be frozen.
Oh! One other thing.
If these work...please invite me to the wedding! I love weddings.
Tuesday, October 06, 2009
Amish America
Have you found Erik Wesner's blog? It's called Amish America and is well worth your time.
I'm not just saying that because Erik mentioned Amish Peace in a recent post. Or because he endorsed Amish Peace and has a sentence on the back cover. Really, I'm not.
I've followed Erik's blog for a few years now and always learned something new. He's kind enough to answer questions and respond to his "bleaders" (bloggers + readers = bleaders).
Erik is a very interesting guy. He's originally from North Carolina, had a successful career selling books door-to-door in Amish areas, has developed many, many friendships with the Amish, currently lives in Poland, runs marathons, writes books, keeps up with his blog, and still returns once or twice a year to connect with his Amish friends.
A Renaissance guy, I think.
Erik was the 2008 Snowden Fellow at The Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies at Elizabethtown College. He's been quoted in national media on Amish business, including articles appearing in The Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, and (upcoming) this November's Entrepreneur magazine.
Success Made Simple: An Inside Look at Why Amish Businesses Thrive, Erik's first book, is coming out in the spring with Jossey-Bass. I've already pre-ordered it on Amazon! Erik is a talented writer and is able to take complicated subjects, whittle them down to the essentials, and provide relevant information.
So scoot on over and check out Amish America! Bet you'll bookmark it, like I have.
I'm not just saying that because Erik mentioned Amish Peace in a recent post. Or because he endorsed Amish Peace and has a sentence on the back cover. Really, I'm not.
I've followed Erik's blog for a few years now and always learned something new. He's kind enough to answer questions and respond to his "bleaders" (bloggers + readers = bleaders).
Erik is a very interesting guy. He's originally from North Carolina, had a successful career selling books door-to-door in Amish areas, has developed many, many friendships with the Amish, currently lives in Poland, runs marathons, writes books, keeps up with his blog, and still returns once or twice a year to connect with his Amish friends.
A Renaissance guy, I think.
Erik was the 2008 Snowden Fellow at The Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies at Elizabethtown College. He's been quoted in national media on Amish business, including articles appearing in The Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, and (upcoming) this November's Entrepreneur magazine.
Success Made Simple: An Inside Look at Why Amish Businesses Thrive, Erik's first book, is coming out in the spring with Jossey-Bass. I've already pre-ordered it on Amazon! Erik is a talented writer and is able to take complicated subjects, whittle them down to the essentials, and provide relevant information.
So scoot on over and check out Amish America! Bet you'll bookmark it, like I have.
Monday, October 05, 2009
Love Books? Amish or Otherwise?
Are you a book lover? If so, today might be a lucky day for you!
Today, October 5th, is the "book bomb" day for Amish Peace: Simple Wisdom for a Complicated World. Revell Publishers is encouraging you to buy a copy of Amish Peace at your local bookstore or on-line. Then, just shoot off an e-mail where you bought it and your name will be entered into a drawing for a basket of books of Revell authors!
A sweet prize!
And to make it even sweeter, I am giving away two Amish (genuine!) cookbooks...the proceeds of which are donated to the victims of the Nickel Mines Schoolhouse shooting.
Above is a picture of the site of that very schoolhouse, which was razed ten days after the shooting (three years ago--October 2, 2006). I was fortunate enough (blessed is a better word!) to meet some of the families affected by the event.
Graciously, they gave me permission to share their stories in Amish Peace. A few of the families put together this cookbook. Part of the healing, I think.
And it is a wonderful cookbook! I use it often! The one that makes me smile is called "Boyfriend Impresser Bars." (Isn't that a breaking-the-stereotype title for an Amish cookie?! I teased the young Amish woman from whom I bought this cookbook and she turned a shade of plum!) Or how about the "Can't Leave Alone Bars?" Doesn't that sound enticing?!
So folks...today is the day! Go ahead...buy a copy or two of Amish Peace. Then e-mail me: Suzanne@suzannewoodsfisher.com) or amy@litfusegroup.com and your name will be put in a hat for the drawing.
Ahem. I mean, a bonnet.
Sunday, October 04, 2009
How to Preserve a Husband
This tongue-in-cheek advice is taken from an Amish cookbook that I purchased while traveling in the Lancaster area. Tomorrow, I am giving away two copies of this very cookbook! It's filled with amusing bromides of the Amish life. And proceeds are donated to the Nickel Mines Schoolhouse shooting victims. Check in tomorrow for details.
"How to Preserve a Husband"
First use care and find one not too young, but one that is tender and a healthy growth. Make your selection carefully and let it be final. Otherwise, they will not keep. Like wine, they improve with age. Do not pickle or put in hot water. This will make them sour.
Prepare as follows:
Sweeten with smiles according to the variety. The sour, bitter kind are improved by a pinch of salt of common sense. Spice with patience, wrap well in a mantel of charity. Preserve over a good fire of steady devotion. Serve with peaches and cream.
The poorest varieties may be improved by the process and will keep for years in any climate.
"How to Preserve a Husband"
First use care and find one not too young, but one that is tender and a healthy growth. Make your selection carefully and let it be final. Otherwise, they will not keep. Like wine, they improve with age. Do not pickle or put in hot water. This will make them sour.
Prepare as follows:
Sweeten with smiles according to the variety. The sour, bitter kind are improved by a pinch of salt of common sense. Spice with patience, wrap well in a mantel of charity. Preserve over a good fire of steady devotion. Serve with peaches and cream.
The poorest varieties may be improved by the process and will keep for years in any climate.
Saturday, October 03, 2009
Fix It!
This is a Saturday Night Live clip that has stuck in my mind because it is so applicable on SO many levels!
Thursday, October 01, 2009
Book Bomb
Been wondering what a book bomb is?
Sounds a little scary, in this day and age of high security alert on just about...everything!
But it's not! This book bomb is entirely harmless. Downright beneficial!
On Monday, October 5th, Revell Publishers is encouraging everyone so inclined to buy a copy of Amish Peace , send me or my publicist, Amy Lathrop, an e-mail telling us where you bought it...and you'll be entered in a drawing to win a gigantic basket of books from Revell. Not my book...other great Revell authors' books!
Hope you'll consider it! Amish Peace makes a perfect Christmas gift for your neighbors, your great Aunt Ethel, your kids' teachers, your dog catcher, mail man...you catch my drift.
Amish Peace has a gentle Christian message without whacking anybody on the back of the head with a two-by-four. It can be read at many levels. For those who have an interest in the Amish culture. Or...for the deeper message...of incorporating principles of simplicity and forgiveness and God's sovereignty in your life. A lot of folks are using it for small group study or personal devotions.
One of my Revell editors gave a copy to her pastor...and he quoted it in the Sunday sermon!
So if you're thinking about buying it...Monday's the day! And shoot me or Amy an e-mail to let us know, so we can enter your name in Revell's drawing!
suzanne@suzannewoodsfisher.com or amy@litfusegroup.com
And thank you!
Sounds a little scary, in this day and age of high security alert on just about...everything!
But it's not! This book bomb is entirely harmless. Downright beneficial!
On Monday, October 5th, Revell Publishers is encouraging everyone so inclined to buy a copy of Amish Peace , send me or my publicist, Amy Lathrop, an e-mail telling us where you bought it...and you'll be entered in a drawing to win a gigantic basket of books from Revell. Not my book...other great Revell authors' books!
Hope you'll consider it! Amish Peace makes a perfect Christmas gift for your neighbors, your great Aunt Ethel, your kids' teachers, your dog catcher, mail man...you catch my drift.
Amish Peace has a gentle Christian message without whacking anybody on the back of the head with a two-by-four. It can be read at many levels. For those who have an interest in the Amish culture. Or...for the deeper message...of incorporating principles of simplicity and forgiveness and God's sovereignty in your life. A lot of folks are using it for small group study or personal devotions.
One of my Revell editors gave a copy to her pastor...and he quoted it in the Sunday sermon!
So if you're thinking about buying it...Monday's the day! And shoot me or Amy an e-mail to let us know, so we can enter your name in Revell's drawing!
suzanne@suzannewoodsfisher.com or amy@litfusegroup.com
And thank you!
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