New Blog Address

Hey Kids,

I've moved my blog to a new site: rachelelwood.com. You will find the same quirky and eclectic posts that you have come to know and love, and far, far more. So, yeah, go there.

A Desperate Act

This story on BBC.com grabbed my attention this week: "Builders Find Auschwitz Message." http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8022667.stm.

While being held at Auschwitz-Birkenau during WWII, seven prisoners were forced to reinforce walls in a school building near the camp, that the Nazis used for storage. On September 7, 1944, they wrote their names, ages, prisoner numbers, and hometowns on a scrap of paper, put it in a small bottle, and buried it in the concrete walls. Two of the men survived the war, but the fates of the other five are unknown. Considering the reputation of Auschwitz, it's most probable that they died there.

Why did these men hide that message? What were they facing that they felt the need to leave some evidence of their existence - and to what end? It wasn't like they were trying to communicate with someone. I'm sure they knew that it could be decades before that message might be found, if it ever could be. Maybe it wasn't even really meant to be found.

Five months after the message was hidden, the Nazis began destroying the gas chambers and other evidence of crimes because the Russian army was quickly approaching. Prisoners healthy enough to walk were forced on a death march towards Germany. On January 20, an order was issued to murder all remaining prisoners. But because of the chaos of the Nazi retreat, the order was never carried out. The death camp was liberated by the Russian army on January 27, 1945.

We have been told since childhood that "be sure your sins will find you out." It was madness for the Nazis to try to hide evidence of 1.1 million murders, but they certainly tried to. Maybe these seven men decided - just in case - to leave a message for God and whoever else would find it to stand as evidence against the horror they lived at Auschwitz.

Devon Street Happenin'

We're up in Wheaton, outside Chicago, this weekend visiting Steve's brother Phil. We always have an interesting time when we're up here, and this weekend was no exception. Chicago has this awesome area around Devon Street, which is sort of like a Little India. A whole bunch of Indian restaurants, shops, and mosques are clustered within a few blocks. It's a glorious place. I had been there a few times before I'd gotten married, but that was like, almost six years ago. So, this weekend, I made it clear to the menfolk that I wanted to go to Devon Street.

We got there around dinnertime last night, just as Friday evening prayers were getting out at the little mosque we parked next to. It's strange that there's a place in the States that makes me immediately feel very much at home. And all I had to do was walk down a street. (Well, and drive about four hours)

We spotted a nice grocery store to visit after dinner, and then went to Tiffin Restaurant, which kind of means "lunchbox." I remember going there before a long time ago, but it was for lunch, and the place turns a lot swankier for the dinner crowd! It was unbelievably good - we ordered chicken tikka, veg curry, naan, and chicken korma. They gave us an eggplant curry too, as an extra. So good. Words cannot describe the amazingness. I was in curry heaven.

We finally stumbled out, and went to "Himalaya Grocery." I happily browsed around, gathering spices, dhal, henna, and bags of rice. When we were checking out, the shopkeeper chatted with us about what brand of rice was best, that mango juice was best served cold, etc. I asked her where she was from (She had an Indian accent, she was wearing a hijab, and she had brown skin) and she smiled at us and said, "Mexico." I laughed, thinking she was joking with us, and then she said,"No really, I am. My husband is from Hyderabad, though." We talked a bit more about how she and her husband met, and as we were leaving, she said, "Here - just a small gift," and handed us three little boxes of tea. How cute was that?

Everyone should go to Devon Street.

Unsolved Mysteries in Missions

Here's my shameless plug for WGM's magazine, The Call. This current issue is really rad. It looks at 28 "unsolved mysteries" or problems we see in the world, with four people commenting on each one. I'm in it, Steve is in it, my in-laws are in it, and a bunch of my friends are in it! (I was in charge of getting commentators for eight mysteries about Europe, and I happen to have a lot of family and friends who have lived in Europe for extended periods of time.)

Also, I'm on the cover. In a weird way.

If you would like to experience the joys of The Call, you can sign up at http://www.wgm.org/! It's free! There's a web version available too, but it's only a portion of the print version. Each issue is packed with practical information about how you can get involved in missions. If you prefer your media via podcasts, we're on iTunes, or go to http://www.hearthecall.wordpress.com/. Let me know if you want a copy of this issue!

Rachel's Weird Frugal/Green Tips

Just like salvation, being frugal and environmentally conscious is a process. Okay, maybe not EXACTLY like salvation. But I do try very hard to do what I can to take care of the earth, and it’s always a good thing when that saves you a few bucks. My main philosophy with all this is to be creative with what I have, wanting to waste less, save more, and not buy things when something I already have will work. So, with that in mind, I’ve listed a few maybe a little off-beat things I do to that end.

1. I use every freaking last ATOM of shampoo or conditioner, adding water to get it out of the bottle until it’s all completely gone. Savings: a few more uses means you get to put off buying another one for a little while.

2. Heels of dried-out-but-not-yet moldy French bread go in the freezer to be later processed into bread crumbs for schnitzel, casseroles, etc. Savings: you don’t have to buy bread crumbs, plus these taste way better than the stuff that comes in a can.

3. I turn off the water when I brush my teeth or wash my face. This requires some small amount of manual dexterity as you turn on the water to wet your face, squirt facial cleanser in your hand, get a little water to foam it up, turn off the water with your hands full of cleanser, soap up your face, squint one eye open to find the faucet, and turn the water on to rinse. Whew! Savings: I’m sure someone has done studies on the water savings. Go Google it.

4. Super ripe bananas go into the freezer to be later used in muffins or bread. Once frozen, they turn a disgusting shade of green-black, and then in order to use them, you have to let them thaw enough to squeeze the banana out of the skins, which frankly also looks disgusting. But the muffins or bread always turn out! And I'm a girl who loves her banana-themed baked goods. Savings: no more wasted bananas.

5. If I bring home my nalgene at the end of the day that still has water in it, rather than tossing it down the drain (where you’d have to pay for it), I give the water to my plants. I also do this when people don’t drink all the water in their glasses at dinner. Savings: pennies, but it makes me feel better about conserving water, and the plants get much-needed drinks, which they sadly don’t get very much.

Hope this sparks something in your gray matter to use what YOU have!

Normal Saturday with Steve and Rachel

Saturday was a lovely normal day, with sleeping in, meeting a good friend for lunch, a leisurely stroll around a pond, and playing cards with friends in the evening. Perfectly, completely, and in every way all things civilized, refined, and normal.

Well, and then this happened:


Here's how it went down: Steve is working on a phone system upgrade at work that means they have lots and lots of nice-sized boxes that I can use for my half.com bookstore. I get free shipping boxes, Taylor feels a little less guilty about trashing the environment, and everyone's happy. He recently brought home all those that you see in the picture. But Steve also is sort of mischievous. And I'm kind of a klutz. As we were carrying stacks of these boxes upstairs, Steve got to the top of the stairs, turned around, and decided to drop his stack down towards me, who was paused at the landing. I tripped on them, fell backwards, and ended up as you see. Definitely one of my shining moments. (Don't worry, no Rachel's were harmed in the carrying-out of this prank.)

But Steve also won major points yesterday for buying me a new bike and a 250 GB hard drive to upgrade my lappy. So, the way I see it, it all evens out. And I totally married Steve for his money.

The Namesake

I succumbed to my cold-ravaged head today, and stayed home from work. After sleeping half the day, I popped in my Netflix DVD, The Namesake, which had been sitting around for the last couple weeks.

It’s a beautiful movie about a Bengali couple who moved to the US, raised a family, and it morphs into a story of their son’s journey to reconciling with his Indian heritage. Mira Nair, who directed Monsoon Wedding, did a fabulous job of creating a story that is incredibly relevant to ABCD’s – American-Born Confused Desi’s (natives). I believe that term was actually coined from the novel that the movie was based on. Anyways, as an ABCD myself, I cried like three times.

And it got me thinking, will I be okay with wherever my kids call home, or whatever culture they become attached to? I’m sure it was difficult for my parents at times to realize that I did not feel attached to the US at all. I just know that my children’s culture will be radically different than mine – and will I be okay with it? Even as Ashima and Ashoke stayed in the US because they knew their children would have many more education and career opportunities than they would in India, it hurt when Gogol and Sonali rejected some aspects of Indian culture and heritage. Steve and I plan to live overseas eventually, because we want to follow God’s call to make disciples of all nations. But I know that it will mean that our children will be extremely influenced by whatever culture that is, and we will have to deal with the good with the maybe not-as-good.

What parts of my heritage are so important to me that I will feel the need to pass them on to my children? Will I want them to learn about Ghandi as well as Abraham Lincoln? Will I teach them how to get around an airport as well as how to cross the street? Will I want them to be equally adept at eating with chopsticks and fingers as well as silverware? How do I keep myself from passing on my own hang-ups and prejudices?

Oh, heaven help me if they’re picky eaters. It would serve me right, I guess.

MK's, a Scary Baltimore Underpass, and the White House

The Baltimore underpass was the fault of our GPS. Yes, we are one of those. At least we didn't turn into a lake or drive off a cliff. But because we were UNDER the freeway system, the GPS couldn't find us, and there was trash and abandoned vehicles everywhere, and then Rachel (MK from Bangladesh) pointed to a train track, "Oh look! There's a creepy man walking toward us!" Fun times.

Steve and I spent a week away. It was VERY nice to disconnect from life and stuff here, and just spend some time together. We drove to Washington, DC, and stayed with some friends of my parents, traveling into and around the city during the day. We saw all the essential DC sights, and even had time to spend a day visiting some Civil War battlefields. We also got to hang out with a few friends from Taylor who showed us some fun places in the city.


Then we drove to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, stopping by Baltimore (scene of the aforementioned underpass adventure) to pick up Rachel at the airport. Another of our Bangladesh MK friends was having a wedding reception at the ABWE headquarters. (actual wedding happened in Thailand) About 11 MK's and spouses gathered for the momentous occasion. It's so nice to be with people who understand you, inside and out. Got to wear a sari, eat curry, talk about politics and the world, and stay in one of the executive suites!

Postcard from Lithuania

I’m usually okay with getting rid of stuff. I go through stages, I guess. But every once in a while, there’s something that stops me from pitching something. For example, I’m moving offices this week. Our whole department – eight people and tons of files – is moving to another building. That’s a PILE of stuff, and I definitely got into a purging mood. My walls in my old office were pretty much covered with pictures and other fun stuff, and I wanted to pare down - you know, the whole fresh start thing. As I’ve been setting up in my new digs, I’ve been getting rid of even more.

But I came upon an old postcard I bought in Lithuania when I spent a semester there in 2001.




It’s really kind of dumb – it’s just a black card, with “Vilnius by night” on it, in English and Lithuanian. (Vilnius is the capital city.) I thought it was hilarious and I still do! It reminds me of the amazing and somewhat offbeat creativity and ingenuity I saw at Lithuania Christian College. The school had a really small budget for publicizing events and parties, but they did an absolutely amazing job with poster board, a few markers, and pictures cut out of magazines. I’ll never forget a huge poster for a party, advertising: “Drug-free party! (with moderate beer consumption).” Awesome.

The postcard is a little beat up, as you might expect from a postcard that not only travelled the world (it went with me to Bangladesh, where I went right after Lithuania), but also has been through, oh, about five moves. But I don’t want to throw it out! So I’m taking it home to live in my Lithuania scrapbook.

Maybe I’m pathetic for having an emotional attachment to a ratty old postcard. But if something has meaning, is it so wrong to want to hold on to it? I mean, that’s why I hang out with Steve.

I'm fine with change, it's just ....

Today was a day of relief tempered with sadness. Relief in finding out I still had a job. Sadness in realizing that some of my friends did not. On top of that, they're totally restructuring things and moving people around. And I'm totally fine with change, I really am. It's just that this time, people I know were hurt.

In the midst of pain and uncertainty, God is there. No big surprise, really, but still, it's good to remember. This morning as I was getting ready, I put on a necklace with a pendant of an elephant made from a tiger's eye stone. Elephants are a symbol of strength, and I thought I would need it! Steve was sick, so I got to drive his car, which has a working radio. (mine doesn't. But I have a shorter commute, so he gets the nicer car) As I was driving along, the song "Eye of the Tiger" by Survivor came on. How cool is that?? And it's such a fun song about overcoming, being brave, taking risks, etc. It was like I could hear God saying, "See? I got you covered. And I'm cool, too."

Also, I almost drove off the road as I was holding the wheel with my knee and hammering out the drums. I love Rockband.

Uncertainties and Certainties

Like many nonprofits, WGM is having to adjust to the global economic situation. Interestingly, donations are up compared to this time last year, so our supporters are still firmly supporting. But income from investments are down, and that is a significant portion of the support staff budget. So, trusting God to help the organization through this, the leadership is doing some restructuring to try to get the place moving more efficiently. Which is great! But that means we're all a bit uncertain about job security. So I've compiled a list of my current certainties and uncertainties to make myself feel better.

Uncertainty: that I will have a job at the end of the day on Monday
Certainty: God's got my back
Uncertainty: that we'll be able to celebrate our vacation in DC next week with as much gusto as we'd hoped.
Certainty: that we're sure as heck still going!
Uncertainty: that I'll find a new job quickly, if I lose my current one
Certainty: that God will take care of us no matter what!

And because I'm an optimist at heart, I thought of a bunch more certainties!

Certainty: I have the most awesome husband ever
Certainty: I have great friends and family who love me
Certainty: I have a nice house and a warm bed to take cover in if the world gets too much
Certainty: God has blessed us in wonderful ways, and I know He's got plans for us!

So I know it will be okay. It's just still hard. Pray for me?

World Go Manual: Witness

By the grace of God, I was saved from a life and eternity separated from Him, I get to live with Himforever. If it were not for Him, I would be a horrible person, and my life – I’m sure – would be awful to match. But instead, I’m blessed with an amazing husband, a lovely house, parents who love Jesus, and knowledge that I’m following Him every step of the way. Why is it that I am not so overcome with gratitude that I tell every single person I meet about Him?

Chapter 2 of the World Go Manual deals with this issue of witnessing: “It is a wrenching, soul-bearing experience to tell other people who Jesus Christ is and what He means for us and for the world…Talk about how Christ has changed your heart. You are the world’s leading expert on that subject.”

The action step I chose was "Become a witness for Christ online." In my daily life, I don’t know very many non-Christians. I work for a Christian organization, my family are all believers, and most of my free time is spent at church or with my friends, most of whom are Christians. One of the reasons I started doing theatre at Marion Civic was because I wanted to feel like a missionary again, and I’ve met several people through that who needed Christ. I turned to Facebook, which is where I have most contact with my non-Christian friends. Most of my spiritual talks happened on the phone, but Facebook helps keep constant contact going.

One of the questions in the action step was, “Were your efforts successful at reaching anyone?” My response to that was: I’ve been able to communicate the truth about Jesus and what he has done for me. The rest is up to God.

There’s an awesome story about a guy in Sydney, Australia who witnessed on George Street. In the 1990’s, a British pastor started meeting people who all had the same testimony – they were given a tract by a old man and asked where they would go if they died tonight. He met people in India, the US, England, the Caribbean, Australia - all had the same testimony. Eventually, this pastor travelled to Sydney, and was able to meet Frank Jenner, the George Street witness. As he told Mr Jenner these stories of missionaries, pastors, and others who had come to Christ because of his witness, Mr Jenner started to weep. For 40 years, he had faithfully witnessed to people out of gratitude for the change Christ made in his life, but he had never known anyone to come to Him during that time. He just knew that’s what he was supposed to do, so he did. He obeyed God, and left the results up to Him.

Video Switching at College Wesleyan Church

About every other Sunday, Steve and I work on the tech crew at our church, College Wesleyan Church. The church has three simultaneous venues, and the two venues outside the sanctuary tune in to the live sermon video feed. We use three cameras, and a director/producer switches between the shots. Steve usually does camera, and I'm the director/producer, also called switcher. So I thought I would take my camera along today and take a few shots of the process. Only a few of these were staged. :)

Gathering the necessary supplies. Headset, cell phone, order of service, bulletin, and of course, COFFEE!

Steve helping Victoria, the PowerPoint operator. Steve wasn't on camera this week, so he hung out with me and Victoria in the tech room.

Ben, CWC's technical director, giving Jared and Kristina a few last-minute tips. They were really good!

Ready to work my magic!

Following Pastor Steve DeNeff takes a lot of concentration! The man moves around like none other! He was doing an illustration this morning, talking about how your perspective of the cross changes depending on what you need (Maybe...to tell you the truth I was paying more attention to whether or not he was in focus!) and he was almost running from one side of the stage to the other. One of my camera operators said over the com, "I think we need to put in speed bumps!"

A little Mozart with your pizza?

Amazon is offering 99 Mozart Masterpieces for $2.99. That's a pile of masterpieces for $2.99! I'm not one to sneeze at such a deal, and I like a little Mozart now and then, especially while I'm working. So I bought it. But I really didn't think about what 99 Mozart songs would look like, size-wise. It's still downloading and the folder is over 900 MB. But I'll have all the Mozart I could ever want! How cultured am I?


Steve and I are watching Strange Brew, a Canadian Bacon-like, let's-diss-Canada comedy on NetFlix. It's pretty funny. I like me a cheesy 80's comedy, especially with lots of "eh's" and beer jokes. And we had Papa John's pizza. A nice Friday night at home. Deeper, more insightful post to happen another day.

"Auntie Jesus will take care of me."

One of WGM's ministries in Kenya is the Africa Gospel Church Baby Center, a home for orphaned or abandoned babies and toddlers. It's actually one of the few orphanage-like places in Kenya that accept HIV-positive babies. Staci Keter is serving there, and she and her husband, Wycliff, are in the process of adopting two twin boys, Gifton and Solomon. The whole family is in the US right now, and Staci and the boys stopped by our office yesterday.

They're three years old now, and like all three-year-olds, they got their little paws into anything that was shiny or looked like it would be fun to throw. They only speak Swahili, but Staci said they can understand English; they just chose not to use it. While we watched them rearrange our carpet squares into a more pleasing pattern (Staci said they were making them into a train track) and play with a couple blow-up toys (What? We're a creative department. We also have play-doh in our meeting room.), Staci talked about how they handled the plane ride over from Kenya, and she said, "Solomon was afraid at first. But then he turned to me and said, "Mommy, I know I shouldn't be afraid, because Auntie Jesus will take care of me."

After we stopped laughing, I started thinking about what he said. It really makes sense, considering that except for Wycliff, all of his caregivers have been women. Also, an "auntie" is someone you trust, someone who loves you, someone who takes care of you. Which is what Jesus does.

And then Staci cracked up and said that during the trip, when he would hear any other children cry, he would say, "That one is afraid." Staci would ask, "What would you want to tell them?" Solomon would reply, "I would tell them that it's okay, because Auntie Jesus will take care of them."

Here's a picture of Staci with a bunch of the babies in Kenya, baskin' in some sunshine.

Living with a geek is contagious

You have been warned. Living with a geek is seriously contagious. Now, I am more than thrilled that I get to and I wouldn’t have it any other way, because I love him to pieces. But the fact remains, because I live with a geek, I must suffer/enjoy the consequences.

My geek is awesome. I love the fact that he can fix any computer issue known to mankind, and that he thinks creatively about solving problems. (We recently set up a web-based system for assigning chores and household projects) I love it that he’s extremely capable of fixing the TV, managing our phones and network system. And he can fix cars, too! He’s pretty amazing. Plus, you know, there's the whole love thing, but that's another post.

Over time, I have found myself actually starting to understand him when he comes home at night to talk about his day. I’ve become mildly amused at tech jokes. I have (although he might disagree) actually become half-way competent in fixing issues with my laptop. And I read xkcd web comics. According to the creator, they are comics about “math, language, sarcasm and romance.” Basically, that means I find them funny about 30% of the time, and usually the funniest ones to me are the inappropriate ones. But for some reason, regardless of the 60% that don't earn a guffaw, I keep going back, every Monday, Wednesday and Friday! (that's when they put new comics up)

And this one, I found hilarious, because it’s something that my geek would do, if he slipped just a hair farther into geekiness.

This is a true story, too! The dude really did this! And the funny thing is, my geek told me that one of his geek friends (he has a lot of them) did this once – almost to the letter. They really are very funny people.

Want to adopt a terrorist for prayer?

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of God in heaven.” Matthew 5:43-45

Do you have a hard time praying for people you don’t like? What about individuals who are actively trying to destroy innocent people – like militant Islamic terrorists?

Let’s face it: it’s easy to pray for people you like and who think the same way you do. It’s hard to pray for people you don’t understand. But in reality, nothing we are told to do as Christians is easy. Admit that you are a sinner and are utterly depraved? Believe in a God who is somehow one yet somehow three at the same time? Treating others as we would want to be treated? It can only be done if we die to our own desires and prejudices and allow Christ to live in us.

As Jesus was teaching the message of praying for one’s enemies, Judea was under control of the Romans. Jesus was not talking about the guy who you just can’t see eye to eye with. He was talking about Roman soldiers who got their kicks out of inflicting pain and suffering on others. For a Jew to be told to pray for these men, it would have been incredibly hard to take.

For an American who watched the Twin Towers fall and knows soldiers serving in Iraq or Afghanistan, is being told to love Islamic terrorists any different?

We know we’re supposed to pray for our enemies, but if you’re like me, it’s hard to pray for someone when all you know is just a name. So I was so happy to discover atfp.org – Adopt-a-Terrorist for Prayer!

This is just so cool. These guys have NO idea what they’re in for! For each person, this organization has basic bio info (you can often find more info on Wikipedia), their status (at large, captured, etc), and in most cases, a photo. ATFP also has specific suggestions for how to pray for these guys, which is really helpful if you have little or no experience with Islam.

Want to adopt your own terrorist for prayer? Just go to the website, and browse through the database until you find one you connect with. I know that sounds ridiculous, but I do believe that God leads us to particular people to pray for. My dude is a scholar and preacher from Saudi Arabia. (If you’re unfamiliar with Islamic names, they can be a mouthful. So maybe start by memorizing his name!)

This is such a great way for the church to respond to the need for these men and women to know Jesus. We can’t go there ourselves, so we place them in his arms, and keep praying. It’s mind-boggling, to think of what we could do if the church started specifically praying for these guys.

World Go Manual: Beginning

WGM produced a really interesting missions resource last year called the World Go! Manual. (Hereafter called WG manual. Names for things shouldn’t include punctuation marks. Like Panic! At the Disco. I was elated when that band got rid of the silly exclamation point.)

At ANY rate, the WG manual is sort of a Bible study for missions. The idea is that there are nine qualities of a missions-active Christian (pray, witness, serve, love, give, partner, endure, teach, and plant) and the WG manual helps you develop those qualities. Each chapter has three or four action items you can choose from to exercise your prayer, serving, giving, etc muscles.

The WGM administration has asked all the staff here in Marion to go through the book, which makes total sense. How can we recommend a resource that we ourselves haven’t touched? We’re meeting together as departments to discuss the chapters, but the administration didn’t want to require us to do an action item, because of the significant time commitment. Which also makes sense, because taking 15 minutes to read a few pages is one thing, spending an hour or two – or more – completing an action item is another.

But yesterday, as my department met for the first time to discus the first chapter, Pray, our discussion seemed a little hollow. The chapters are very short, because most of the meat is in the action times, so there just wasn’t a lot to comment on. It was actually kind of awkward. So I suggested that from now on, before we meet, we also complete an action item. That way, the manual has a bigger impact on us, and we have more to talk about. So, stay tuned for more about this WG adventure.

First impressions of the WG Manual: Chapters are short, but the action items are intense – definitely meant to stretch you spiritually. There’s an incredibly cheesy fiction story that carries through the whole book. I’m willing to let it slide, because I'm sure it will float someone's boat. Just not maybe mine.

My Awesome Office

I need visual stimulation to feel creative in my job. My perfect office would have a big window, with my desk strategically placed so I could always be facing it. But my office used to be part of a video editing suite, so I have no windows. So, I have to develop my own visual stimulation. I'm well on my way to completely plastering my walls with fun pictures and other artwork. Here's a look at the place where the magic happens.

Come on in! Don't be alarmed by the status - it was added by a disgruntled missionary.

Here we have the collage in front of my desk. We have pictures from Bangladesh, Aslan, old-world maps, Machu Piccu, and lots more. Oh, also Dwight and Jim represent at the top.

Behind my desk. Woven door hanging from Khabarovsk, Russia, Chinese lantern rescued from the trash, and my recycling bin!

My ultra-comfy chair. I'm the only one I know at WGM with a lazy boy chair. Note the map of Bangladesh on the wall.

I think I might be a tad eccentric. Oh well, I'm okay with it.

Gardening pros we are not, but we get pretty flowers in January

In the fall, when flower bulbs were on sale, Steve and I bought some pretty white narcissus bulbs, planning to plant them outside. But we never got around to it, and by Christmas, they had started to sprout. (We didn't know that we could have delayed that by putting them in the garage.) We realized that they would probably die if we didn't plant them soon, so Steve suggested we plant them in pots.

So we planted them over New Year's weekend, and here are the results:


This is how they started out. Itty bitty little sprouts of greenness.


And then a WHOLE bunch of them came up! It's like our own little garden. In the middle of freakin' January. They did like the sunshine today.


Close-up of prettiness. Also, they smell nice. Which is great, because it helps combat the faint smell of turtle. Because we're pet-sitting a turtle, not because a massive plague of turtles has struck our neighborhood. THAT would be weird.

My Obligatory Political Post

Possibly even more than religion, politics are the most divisive institution out there. At least with religion, people are (or they should be) tempered with kindness when they disagree. But with politics, kindness doesn't really enter into a disagreement.

It was an interesting day yesterday. Besides the obvious historic event, it was fascinating to read people’s statuses on facebook. Some were jubilant, some were THERE, some said they were praying for America, some were angry, some were cynical, and the ones who live in DC were complaining about the traffic.

As an Obama supporter with no declared party in a Republican sub-culture, I’ve been a little sensitive to unhelpful political remarks that I hear all too often, most of which are made out of ignorance. But I was pleasantly surprised yesterday, as a group of us gathered around a TV to watch the inauguration ceremony, that no one said anything mean or rude. It seemed like at that moment, people put aside their ideological differences. No one can deny that it’s just absolutely amazing that less than 50 years after Jim Crow laws were still in effect, we have elected an African-American president. And that’s what brought us together.

It was a cool moment.

Podcasts for The Call now available!

We are working on our podcast strategy, and we finally have some up on the WGM website! It's a work in progress, so please feel free to leave suggestions. I promise, I won't be offended or hurt.

Creative exercise for the day: (Okay, so I've hit a road block in the two articles I'm working on, and I'm trying to find my breakthrough. So I'm doing a couple creative exercises to try to knock something loose in the old noggin.) Think of 20 creative uses for toothpicks, paper clips, rubber bands, etc. I chose toothpicks, and my favorite one that I came up with was "weapon of choice for stick figures."

Eh? Eh? Think about it.

Praying for Boxes

I've been really trying lately, when something is on my mind and bothering me, to pray about it right then. So, a few days ago, I was worrying about boxes for mailing the books I've been selling. I had bought bubble envelopes, but whenever possible, I like to use free "found" boxes or envelopes. Because they're free. The IT industry has perfected a box for shipping memory and whatnot, and it's the PERFECT size for a trade-sized paperback, of which I have a lot. The WGM IT department kept me stocked for a while, but I had used my last one on this particular day, and I was worrying about where I would get more. So I prayed. I know it's silly, to pray about boxes. But I did anyway, and felt much better. It's amazing what happens when you tell God what's on your mind. It's like He cares and listens or something. :) A few days later, Steve brought these home:

Yep, a whole pile of perfect-sized boxes. God is amazing. Steve had told the guys he works with at Taylor to be on the lookout for me, and boy, did they deliver.

And while we're on the subject of boxes for books, here's a peak at my store.

This is only some of them. There's more on the right. I have over 500 posted on half.com.


Here's the rest that I still have to post from SF's stock. But the "problem" is, I've been selling so many more than I'm used to, that I'm a little overwhelmed. So I'm waiting a few days to post the rest of this stock. I've gone from maybe one sale a day to this:

A few more than one. Yay for college students starting a new semester! Check out the awesomely sized memory box!

Steve thinks it's funny. He said, "What other girl in the world gets this excited about boxes?" I still think God is so amazing that he would indulge this little want.

Of Life Lessons and Cats

My cat, Chai, HATES being held.

Which is annoying, because she’s very cute. She’s a beautiful “blue-and-cream” calico. (Thus saithed the pet shop tag on her cage) Chai will jump on the bed and curl up at my feet, and she’ll let me scratch her ears, and maybe play with her a bit – but only on HER terms. And when she’s done, she’s done. If you pick her up, she’ll go all stiff for a few seconds, and then start struggling, all the while wimpering piteously.

As I said, it’s annoying. Because I love holding soft, warm things, and Chai is a soft, warm thing that purrs.

Basically, I can look forward to holding her once a year. That’s when we go to the vet. The whole expedition is fraught with trauma as far as Lady (Other cat. Black shorthair. Looks like a demon when she’s mad) and Chai are concerned. First, they are stuffed in the kitty carrier (“Mew, mew!”), then a 5-minute car drive (“MMRROOOWWW!!), a brief pause in the waiting room that is inevitably inhabited by a spastic puppy (“Hisssssssss!!”), and finally a 10 minute wait in the exam room. (both cats now scared spitless)

When the vet finally comes in to do what needs to be done, poor little miss-I-don’t-like-to-be-held Chai is clinging to me and burrowing in my arms like the world is going to end. She doesn't stop until we're back, safe, at home. The other day, I was counting the months until her next vet appointment, and I started thinking, is this how I can be with God?

Do I tend to only spend time with God on my own terms, not allowing him to sometimes scoop me up in His arms without me planning it? But then when I DO want to be in His arms, I cling as hard as I possibly can, as if I never want to be let go. Only to back away as soon as my world falls back into place.

Lord, help me to quit loving you like a cat!

And I'm a girl who loves her cats.