Pretty?

Roaming around the internet recently, I found a video of a woman reciting a poem called “Pretty.”  She talked about a time when she asked her mother, “Will I be pretty?”  You see, life had left her with a crooked nose, teeth that needed braces, and bad skin.  Her mother’s reply,

“Don't worry.  We'll get it fixed!”

In her mother’s eyes, pretty was all about the outward appearance.  A pretty face.  Pretty teeth.  Pretty skin.  In reality, being pretty goes much deeper than that. 

If you look at the word ‘pretty’ you will see that there are two main ways it can be used: as an adjective (pleasing or attractive to the eye but less than beautiful) and as an adverb (to hold to a fairly or moderately high degree).

So which would you rather be, an adjective or an adverb?

The practical side of my mind tells me it would be better to be adverb pretty.  There are many ways I am adverb pretty:  I’m pretty considerate, pretty courteous, pretty forgiving, pretty friendly, pretty honest, pretty optimistic, pretty positive, pretty responsible, pretty sincere, pretty serious, and pretty trusting, just to name a few because I am so much more.

To be adjective pretty is to be, well, pretty.  That’s it.  You’re just pretty.  Boring!!  Right?  Hmmm.  Let’s see about that.

I like the way the poet summed up her poem.  She said if her daughter ever asks, “Mom, will I be pretty?” she will reply,

“I will wipe that question from your mouth like cheap lipstick and answer, “No! The word pretty is unworthy of everything you will be, and no child of mine will be contained in five letters.  You will be pretty intelligent, pretty creative, pretty amazing. But you will never be merely 'pretty'.”

Perfect answer!!

 

Honorable Mention

When I was a little girl, my aunts and uncles told my mother that I was pretty.  Maybe I was…to my family.  Mom must have thought so because when I was about three, she entered me in a beauty contest for children held by some local photography studio.  I placed “Honorable Mention.”  My prize—an 8x10 portrait. 

Such is life.  We all can’t be winners.  Mom never entered me in any more contests after that.  What does that say?  Did she, like me, think that Honorable Mention meant I wasn’t pretty enough so why bother?  Why did I let some silly little no-name beauty contest peg me for life with a “you’re not pretty enough” label? 

I understand that being adjective pretty is very subjective.  What’s pretty to one is not necessarily pretty to another.  A few months back when I was still pinning on Pinterest, I posted a picture of myself showing off my curly hair for other curly-haired enthusiasts to see.  A perfect stranger, a woman looking to be in her late 20’s, commented on my picture and said, “You are so pretty.”  What?  Did she just say I was pretty?  OMG!!  That comment had an immediate effect on me.  My mood lightened.  I smiled.  It made my day.  No one had called me pretty since I was a little girl!

So there it was.  I finally had my day in the sun, the moment I had been waiting for ever since I received that “Honorable Mention” from all those years ago.  On that day, at that time, to that person I was pretty, and to that I reply,

 “I’m so pretty, oh so pretty.  I’m so pretty and witty and gay.  And I pity any girl who doesn’t feel that way.”

Smiles,

~ P

P.S.  Please, no comments telling me how pretty I am.  It’s too late.

To view the poem quoted in this post, please click the link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6wJl37N9C0

A Picture is Worth...

I took my camera with me today as I did errands in Blacksburg and Gaffney.  Gaffney is about ten miles from Blacksburg heading west and where I go to do banking and Walmarting.  There are some sights around this area that only a picture could do justice.

Sometimes, when I am in a new area, I will see something that reminds me of someone or some place I’ve been to before.  It's so cool when this happens.  It's like a surprise visit from an old friend.  So far I've had two such surprises.

There is a street I pass on my way to the Post Office that reminds me of two great people who were leaders in our Bible Study Group when we lived in Mobile, Alabama.  Chuck and Sharon Whisonant are the nicest people you could ever meet.  They immediately took Rick and me in as friends when we started going to Cottage Hill Baptist Church.  We feel blessed to know them. 

I think of Chuck and Sharon whenever I pass by WHISONANT STREET.  I don’t think it’s a very common name.  They are the only Whisonants I know.  Chuck and Sharon have come to this area of South Carolina on vacation in the past, to visit family I think, so it could be a distant relative of Chuck's that this street is named after.  You never know.



I am curious to find out if this sign has any connection to Chuck.

Another person I think about often is my best friend, Barb Bergstrand.  She lived in Pittsfield when I lived there.  I miss her dearly and haven’t seen her since May of 2008 when we passed through Pittsfield on our way to a job in Gillette, Wyoming.  However, when we talk on the phone, we pick right up from where we left off.  Friends do that. 

Lots of changes have happened to Barb this year.  She retired from teaching elementary school and she recently moved with her husband Kevin to Indiana.  They sold a great home near Pittsfield that Rick and I dubbed “The Bed and Breakfast.” We loved staying there whenever we came to visit. 

Their cabin-style house with its huge front porch was located on Ambrosia Hollow Road.  Barb would often say they lived in the “holler,” just like a hillbilly from Appalachia would say.  [No Barb, I am not calling you a hillbilly.  I would never do that!]  Now they live on Possum Trot Road in Indiana, another unusual street name. Don’t you think? 

Besides naturally thinking about Barb because she is my friend, I also think about her whenever I pass this historic landmark in Gaffney.  It’s a one room schoolhouse that was built in 1880.  It’s a double whammy reminder of Barb because it’s a schoolhouse and because of its name, Possum Trot School.  As soon as I saw it, I knew Barb would love it, so this picture is for you Barb!

This one-room schoolhouse was restored in 1969.

According to information I found on the web, the name “Possum Trot”
mostly like came from the fact that the students reached the school by following
an existing possum trail through the nearby woods.

   

There are a few other pictures I want to share with you that don’t remind me of anyone or any place I’ve been.  They are just cool pictures of things I found interesting in this area.

The first is a water tower, but it’s not your typical water tower.   It is in the shape of a giant peach. They call it the Peachoid. The peach is South Carolina's state fruit.  There are several peach farms near Gaffney and this may be why they decided to build this unique water tower.



The Peachoid looking east. 

It is listed as one of the state’s famous roadside attractions.

  

The Gaffney Peachoid was built in 1981. 
It's an awesome sight as you drive along I-85 between Exit 90 and 92.

Looking straight at the peach is not the best way to view it.  Rick

says it looks like a fat butt, crack and all!!  [Pardon my French.] 
I think the Fatz sign is very appropriate considering!!  LOL



Part of my errands today included stopping at the Work Boots Plus store to pick up some Boot Guard for Rick's work boots.  It’s in a quaint little shopping center.  Next door to Work Boots Plus is the Bargain Shoes store.  What I particularly like about the Bargain Shoes store is not necessarily their shoes, it's what they have added to their sign.  See picture.

What a blessing to see this bold statement of faith!!

After leaving here I went to Walmart to shop for groceries.  I passed by McDonald’s and I noticed their marquee sign was flashing this message: “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord.”  I am happy to see more and more Christians taking a stand for what they believe in. 

So there you have it!  This completes our mini tour of my little corner of the globe.  I firmly believe you have to make an area your own.  You must claim it for yourself.  If you have no family or friends around, that's all you can do.  I claim Whisonant Street, Possum Trot School, the Peachoid, Bargain Shoes and Jesus.  What do you claim?

Peace and Love,

~ P

Agnes Sparrow

I just finished reading the book The Prayers of Agnes Sparrow, and I must say I was pleasantly surprised.  I found myself looking forward to spending time with Agnes and her sister Griselda and the other residents of Bright’s Pond, Pennsylvania.

Bright's Pond could be any little town in the US.  It's a place where everybody knows everybody.  As I was reading, I imagined it to be a little like Pittsfield, Illinois, a place I lived for almost ten years.  The Blue Moon Cafe in the story could easily have been the Cardinal Inn.  If you've ever lived in a small town, you would understand the "feel" this book has.
 

Barnes and Noble offered The Prayers of Agnes Sparrow as one of its Free Friday selections last year around Christmas.  I put off reading it because I always seemed to have something else I wanted to read instead.  But last week I decided to give it a try, and I’m glad I did.  I found the book to be quite charming and not what I expected.  What did I expect?  I expected a story deep in religiousness.  Boy, was I wrong.

 

The story centers on Agnes, a 700 lb. woman who is unable to leave her house because of her massive size.  She is cared for by her sister, Griselda, the town librarian.  Agnes has devoted her life to praying for the residents of Bright’s Pond.  Their prayer requests range from car trouble to bleeding ulcers, from marital problems to heart condition and everything in between.

 

Agnes is credited with a few miracle cures and the townspeople are very excited about this.  So happy in fact that they want to put up a new sign on the interstate that says, "Welcome to Bright’s Pond, Home of Agnes Sparrow."  Agnes is totally against this. She gives all the praise to God for any miracles that have occurred, but the people won’t listen to her or her sister as they try to fight it.  They continue to bring more and more prayer requests to Agnes and Agnes continues to pray for them because as she herself puts it, "It's what I do."

 

Agnes’s notoriety brings a stranger to town looking for his own miracle.  His unspoken prayer request is answered in a horrific way causing the people of Bright’s Pond to turn their backs on Agnes.  She begins to question herself, her reasons for praying and even starts to think she might be the cause of what happened. 

 

It’s at this time that Agnes confesses to Griselda a secret she has been keeping since childhood.  When the secret is revealed, we begin to see why Agnes has let herself gain so much weight and why she has taken up praying as her vocation.  Revealing this secret brings relief to Agnes but causes Griselda mental anguish.  Only after much soul searching can Griselda come to terms with what Agnes has revealed and why she has devoted her life to her sister.

 

While the actual prayers of Agnes Sparrow are not the main focus in this book, they are very important to the story and how it progresses.  The same goes for us.  The words of our prayers are not as important as we would like to think.  The Bible says in Matthew 7:8 —

 

“And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.  Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.” (NIV)

How comforting!  It blesses my heart that my Heavenly Father knows me so well that he sees what I need before I can utter the words.  What an awesome God we serve!!

 

The next time you find yourself in a situation where you need God’s help but don’t know how or what to ask, don’t worry, He already knows.  And the next time you are looking for a light-hearted book to read, full of wonderful characters that come to life on each page, think about picking up The Prayers of Agnes Sparrow.  You will be pleasantly surprised, just as I was.

 

Be blessed,

 

~ P

Hello In There

On Friday, I noticed that we were getting the HBO channel, which we do not subscribe to.  Yipee!!  Free movies this weekend!!  While perusing the channel guide to see what was playing, I noticed that Bette Midler had a special on from Las Vegas.  It reminded me of the last time I last saw her perform.

It was many, many years ago, sometime in the late ‘70’s, that I saw Bette Midler on another HBO special.  She was quite the performer then.  Out of all the songs she sang in that show, there was one song that has left a mark on my heart to this day.  It’s the song called “Hello In There.” 
 

Before she sings the song, Bette tells a story about a 400 lb. lady she passes in the streets of NYC.  The lady is going bald on the crown of her head and there on the crown sits a fried egg.  Bette prays asking God not to let her wake up the next morning and decide to put a fried egg on her top of her head; but if she does, she prays that nobody will notice; but if they do notice and want to talk about her having a fried egg on top of her head, she prays that she won’t hear them talk about it. 

 

She goes on to say that sooner or later everyone will get a fried egg, call it what you want, but everyone will get one; some will wear it on the outside and some on the inside.  After this moving performance, she begins to sing the song “Hello In There.”

 

The song is also very moving.  It’s a slow melody with sad lyrics.  They almost make you want to cry.  It’s about the loneliness of the elderly.

 

Imagine.  You are in the twilight years of your life.  Your children, if you had any, are grown and have moved away.  You don’t hear much from them.  You feel alone even if you are not.  Life doesn’t seem to matter like it used to.  You don’t do much anymore.  You sit and stare and think about things that were.  You think about getting in touch with old friends, but don’t because nothing has changed and you don’t have much to say.  Loneliness consumes you and you let it.  You feel invisible.  You go through the motions each day and the people around you don’t know how lonely you really are because you can’t tell them or don't want them to know.  You are satisfied to sit on your porch and stare out into the world as it passes you by. 

 

All those years ago, the “fried egg” story impressed upon me that everyone should be treated with dignity and respect no matter what is different about them.  We are all different in our own unique ways.  The song showed me I need to be gentle and kind to all, especially the elderly.

 

The last verse of the song says,

So if you're out walking down the street sometime
and you spot some hollow ancient eyes,
please don’t just pass them by and stare
as if you didn't care.

        Say, "Hello in there. Hello."

I took this to heart.  Over the years I have had several opportunities to wave to strangers sitting on their porch.  It lifts my heart as I watch them smile back and wave.  I know they are wondering who I am and how do they know me.  Even if it's just for a few minutes, I hope I have given them something different to think about, maybe even taking their mind off of some trouble they are having.  I like this.  It makes me feel good about waving to them.

Since moving to Blacksburg, Rick and I have been waving to an elderly, white haired lady who lives on Lime Street.  We see her sitting on her porch most Sunday mornings as we drive by on our way to church.  I can see the questions on her face as she waves back, uncertain of who we are.  I am always disappointed when I don't see her sitting on the porch because it lifts my soul to wave and say, "Hello in there."  I pray it does the same for her.

Hugs ♥

~ P

I was able to find Bette Midler’s performance on YouTube and it was still very moving to me.  Click on this link if you want to watch it. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hn0YqNvBvy4&feature=results_main&playnext=1&list=PL043345848EE3240B

Before and After

I watched a movie today titled Before and After.  It was a story about how your life can change in an instant when something tramatic happens to you. Life as you knew it is no more.  It's something that you can't forsee.  It just happens.  You can never be the same as you were before this incident happened. 

Sometimes an auto accident can be a "before and after" incident, especially if one is seriously hurt.  Sometimes, the incident can happen to someone else, such as a family member (as was the case in this movie), that causes your life to suddenly and drastically change. 
 

I got to thinking about incidents in my life that were “before and after” moments.  I am happy to say I have not had any bad ones.  My philosophy is “change is good.”  I always try to embrace the new that comes to my life.  In some ways I even look forward to it.

 

Now marriage can certainly bring about change.  I’ve had three of them and all were different.  In each I was a different person; young and demure in my first, fearful and dependent in my second, and mature and confident in my third.  Each one helped mold me into the person I am today.

 

Babies for sure change how things are.  Your life is never the same after you start having babies.  Your time is no longer you own and no longer scheduled by you.  Everything revolves around your kids, and that’s okay.  They are your life now and you want to give and do for them everything you didn’t have.

Jobs can certainly change things up.  Sometimes you have to move around to find them, like Rick and I do.  Sometimes you end up doing something completely different from the job you had before.  Sometimes your job takes you to a new town where you can begin anew, like when I moved from Centereach, NY to Kissimmee, FL.  THAT was a huge change.

 

Most of these changes to your life you can see coming, some by a mile away.  Others are a surprise.  The biggest “before and after” moment that I had no idea was coming was the day, the hour and the minute I gave my heart to Jesus Christ—October 31, 1992, 3:15 p.m.  It was a Saturday.

 

On that day God opened my eyes and I saw things in a new way.  On that day I became a child of God.  On that day one minute I was one way and the next minute I was different.  They don't call it Amazing Grace for nothing!

 

My advice would be to prepare as best you can for change.  Be as flexible as a willow so you can flow and go, but also be as sturdy as an oak so you won’t buckle under the pressure that always seems to come when "before" suddenly becomes "after."

Bountiful blessings to you all,

~P

A Very Perplexing Question

Rick and I spent the Memorial Day weekend at my brother’s cabin in north Georgia, just outside of Blairsville--population around 20,000.  We always enjoy going there and spending time with Mike and BJ.  That weekend there was an arts and crafts festival going on in downtown Blairsville.  We walked around and looked at the creativity of all the vendors.  I saw some outstanding things.  I purchased a handmade ceramic cross strung on leather rope and some glazed pecans that were to die for.  We had lunch at a little restaurant called The Hole In The Wall.  It’s been there since 1931.  I had a yummy club sandwich with chips.

Back at the cabin, Mike grilled burgers for dinner, Angus Steak burger patties from Walmart—so good I had to purchase some after I returned home.  Afterwards we all played a mean game of Sequence.  The girls beat the guys (again) ten games to seven.

Sometime during the weekend I read the local newspaper, the North Georgia News.  It is your typical small town newspaper.  In it I found an article where the writer asked that age old question, “Why did the chicken cross the road?”  Listed were several answers supposedly given by famous people.  It was a very amusing read.  I even laughed out loud at several of the responses.  After I was done reading, I said to myself, “now here is something I can blog about.”

I looked online today and found a similar article.  Apparently this piece has been around for a while.  I saw one from 2006, but the one I read was updated to include people in the news in 2008.  I’ve copied the article here for your enjoyment.  You may have seen this before and maybe even received it as an email.

 

Why Did the Chicken Cross the Road?

SARAH PALIN: Before it got to the other side, I shot the chicken, cleaned and dressed it, and had chicken burgers for lunch.

BARACK OBAMA: The chicken crossed the road because it was time for a change! The chicken wanted change!

JOHN MC CAIN: My friends, that chicken crossed the road because he recognized the need to engage in cooperation and dialogue with all the chickens on the other side of the road.

HILLARY CLINTON: When I was First Lady, I personally helped that little chicken to cross the road. This experience makes me uniquely qualified to ensure right from Day One that every chicken in this country gets the chance it deserves to cross the road. But then, this really isn’t about me.

GEORGE W. BUSH: We don’t really care why the chicken crossed the road. We just want to know if the chicken is on our side of the road, or not. The chicken is either against us, or for us. There is no middle ground here.

BILL CLINTON: I did not cross the road with that chicken. What is your definition of chicken?

AL GORE: I invented the chicken.

DR. PHIL: The problem we have here is that this chicken doesn’t realize that he must first deal with the problem on this side of the road before it goes after the problem on the other side of the road. What we need to do is help him realize how stupid he’s acting by not taking on his current problems before adding new problems.  (My personal favorite!)

OPRAH: Well, I understand that the chicken is having problems, which is why he wants to cross this road so bad. So instead of having the chicken learn from his mistakes and take falls, which is a part of life, I’m going to give this chicken a car so that he can just drive across the road and not live his life like the rest of the chickens.

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN: We have reason to believe there is a chicken, but we have not yet been allowed access to the other side of the road.

NANCY GRACE: That chicken crossed the road because he’s guilty! You can see it in his eyes and the way he walks.

MARTHA STEWART: No one called me to warn me which way that chicken was going. I had a standing order at the Farmer’s Market to sell my eggs when the price dropped to a certain level. No little bird gave me any insider information.

DR SEUSS: Did the chicken cross the road? Did he cross it with a toad? Yes, the chicken crossed the road, but why it crossed I’ve not been told.

GRANDPA: In my day we didn’t ask why the chicken crossed the road. Somebody told us the chicken crossed the road, and that was good enough.

BARBARA WALTERS: Isn’t that interesting? In a few moments, we will be listening to the chicken tell, for the first time, the heart-warming story of how it experienced a serious case of molting, and went on to accomplish its lifelong dream of crossing the road.

BILL GATES: I have just released eChicken 2008, which will not only cross roads, but will lay eggs, file your important documents, and balance your checkbook. Internet Explorer is an integral part of eChicken 2008. This new platform is much more stable and will never crash or need to be rebooted.

ALBERT EINSTEIN: Did the chicken really cross the road, or did the road move beneath the chicken?

COLONEL SANDERS: Did I miss one?


Pretty funny, don't you agree?  So what do you think?  Why did the chicken cross the road?  Is it as simple as "to get to the other side," or is there a deeper spiritual meaning to this question?  The mystery continues.

I'll leave you with this:

A cow and a chicken break out of jail and a road is the only thing between them and freedom. The chicken then tells the cow to go ahead and cross it, but says that he will turn back. When asked why, he answered that if he crossed the road, it will raise many questions.     

LOL!!

~ P