Brnwebgrrl

Knitting is one of my favorite passions in life. A few weeks ago, I was interviewed by Synolve Craft, the editor of the fabulous new online publication called, Infinite Field Magazine, about my passion for knitting. Take a look at the February edition, which is absolutely lovely. My interview is the last story in that issue.

I’d like to thank Synolve for the interview. It made me feel proud to be able to share about my love of knitting and the natural fibers I work with.

Enjoy!
http://theinfinitefieldmagazine.com/current-issue/

Today I attended my first completely secular funeral service. It was for the son of a close friend who is an atheist. Instead of being held in a church or even a funeral home, the service was held in the community room of the apartment complex where the young man lived and had many friendships.

There was an informal service where his mom spoke and then several people came up and said a few words about how this wonderful young man had touched their lives. It was lovely and moving and I felt a strong sense of community around the fact that we all loved and cared for this many who had passed away.

But as a Christian woman who is deeply spiritual, it was challenging for me to sit there through this whole program where there was not a single mention of God, not a scripture was read, and there was no mention of how Jamaal’s eternal soul is now resting in the arms of Jesus and that the suffering that wracked his body in his final days was now over and he was finally free.

But I prayed for Jamaal in my heart, and I prayed for his family who will miss his sunny spirit and the special spark of life that he brought to this world. They will now carry that spark with them in their hearts forever.

I tried to comfort my friend, but the words I offered about Jamaal now being happy and free in heaven rang hollow for him because as an atheist, he does not believe in the soul, or God or any continuation of life after the body dies. He believes that death is the end of everything–that the body is it. This philosophy absolutely boggles my mind, but I respect his freedom to have those beliefs.

For so long I have taken my faith for granted. I have taken the comfort it gives me, and the peace if fills my heart and mind with completely for granted. I am so confident in the knowledge that I am a spirit, a spark from the Divine, that has come to inhabit this human form for a certain number of days and then I will lay it down. When this body dies, as the hymn says, “I’ll fly away.” My spirit will go into the light from whence it came and I will be at peace with God for all eternity.

To some degree I inherited my beliefs because I was blessed to be born into a family that loved God and brought me up in the church. But when I grew up I had a crisis of faith and set those beliefs aside to embark on my own search for meaning and significance. I guess you could say that I took a long journey only to arrive back at the place where I began. When I came back to the faith I was born into it was because no matter where I searched I could not find the unspeakable joy and peace I had found from my faith in and love for God.

But my heart is open and wide and I have plenty of room to love those who do not share my exact views. I figure that if God really wanted everyone to be a robot and only believe in Him, he could have wired our brains that way. But he gave us all free will–that is the option to choose to love Him or to turn away from Him. It doesn’t seem to make sense to give someone the option to do something and them penalizing them for exercising that option.

While I may never understand my friend’s world view, I can love him just the same. He is bereft at the loss of his son, while I am filled with joy that he has graduated from this existence and now lives in the bliss of heavenly communion. I was also stricken with grief just a few months back when my daddy passed away quite suddenly in his sleep. But now my mourning has turned to rejoicing because I know that he is among the angels.

So, my heart is filled with gratitude for the faith I learned as a child that comforted me as I grew up and that gives me strength each day. I will pray for my friend and feel a bit sad that he doesn’t know the blissful comfort that comes from being sure of the love of God. I wish Jamaal Godspeed and ask that he hold a place for me in heaven because I know I’ll meet him there when my time here is finished.

I wanted to take a moment on this day that we celebrate love in all of its forms to tell you that I love you! Yes, I do. I love you and my heart is full of gratitude for you and I want you to know that.

I found this description of love from the movie, ‘Captain Corelli’s Mandolin,’ and I wanted to share it with you because it has been a favorite of mine:

“Love is a temporary madness. It erupts like an earthquake and then subsides. And when it subsides you have to make a decision. You have to work out whether your roots have become so entwined together that it is inconceivable that you should ever part. Because this is what love is. Love is not breathlessness, it is not excitement, it is not the promulgation of promises of eternal passion. That is just being “in love” which any of us can convince ourselves we are. Love itself is what is left over when being in love has burned away, and this is both an art and a fortunate accident. Your mother and I had it, we had roots that grew towards each other underground, and when all the pretty blossom had fallen from our branches we found that we were one tree and not two.” -St. Augustine

So, please enjoy this day of love, and be sure to express your love to everyone around you because, as we used to sing as children, “Love is the one thing that if you give it away, you end up having more.”

I have been overwhelmed with grief as all of you have at the devastation from last week’s earthquake in Haiti. There were so many lives lost and those who somehow survived are now homeless and injured. I guess I really don’t need to describe what you’ve already been seeing on the news coverage.

My heart is breaking for the Haitian people as we are all sisters and brothers. I just wanted to take a moment and express my grief and send my love to the people of Haiti.

I found this song by Kirk Franklin on youtube:

Watch it and be inspired. Give what you can and pray for God’s comfort and mercy and blessing on those who have survived. May this tragedy teach us all that we are indeed all connected, and that whatever we do for the least of our brothers and sisters, this we do unto our Lord.

Here is CNN’s handy list of ways to help Haiti now:
http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2007/impact/

I am thrilled to be hosting an Internet Mary Kay Skin Care Party right here online with my friend Sydney Chase, and you are invited. She is a Mary Kay Skin Care Consultant.

My party is starting this weekend January 16th at 12am Eastern and will continue until January 18th, 12am Eastern, at:

http://www.marykay.com/sydney4139

No order is too big or small but any of my friends who place orders during this time online of $40.00 or more will receive a free gift. And guess what? All orders include free shipping! While you are there, why not take Sydney up on a “Free Virtual Makeover” and sign up for a “Free Sample” so you can try Mary Kay’s delicious make-up before you buy. This is too easy! : ) http://www.marykay.com/sydney4139 Just visit the website and start shopping.

My friend Sydney is offering me some free fabulous gifts for hosting an online Mary Kay Party with my friends. She still has dates open for this month, if you are interested you could host one too. Send her a message right on her website. And she will send you the details. Let her know that I sent you. : )

And if you place an order at Syd’s party this weekend, I’ll put your name in the hopper for an *additional* special gift from me.

Happy New Year to all of me online peeps! On this second day of the new year and new decade I’m still feeling giddy with the excitement of the newness of it all. I know that it’s really just another day, but I’m loving the good energy that I’m feeling in the air. It’s a time when I talk to my friends and loved ones and wish them a happy and prosperous new year. We had a nice, quiet celebration at home and I actually dozed off before midnight and my girls had to wake me up as the ball was dropping. We toasted with sparkling cider and hugs and kisses all around.

I’ve been feeling quite prolific lately writing up a bunch of blog posts for my other blogs and social networking sites. I’ve also been using Facebook a lot lately. It’s funny, but when I started using Facebook, I had mainly business contacts as friends because no one that I knew in ‘real life’ was on Facebook. Well, something happened towards the end of this year and it seems like *everyone* I know is now on Facebook. I mean, even my mommy has Facebook profile. (Although she still has not posted a photo yet.) I’ve created a Fan Page for my Freelance writing business and I’m trying to think of a diplomatic way to ‘un-friend’ my business and random friends and encourage them to follow my Fan Page.

So, what are your exciting 2010 plans? I’ve got a bunch of exciting plans for my business that I’m cooking up. I feel so incredibly blessed to have been able to experience so much positive growth in my business over the past year that saw a lot of businesses fold due to the ‘down’ economy. By the grace of God I created my own economic stimulus package and bailed myself out after I experienced a lay-off at the end of 2008. God is good and He has blessed me with the energy and strength to persevere and to work every day on my business so that now I have something that I can be proud of and that will glorify Him.

I’ll end by encouraging you to pick a challenge and go for it in 2010. Do something that will stretch you and inspire you and those around you. But also do something that you will enjoy. Find a way to factor more fun into your life and it will feel more rewarding.

I am excited about the start of the holiday season. As a mom I struggle with trying to make sure that my daughters understand that the reason for all of the celebrating and the festivities is to celebrate the birth of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. It’s not about getting into a competition to see who can get the coolest gifts, and it’s not about spending money you don’t have to impress people who don’t really care about you.

For me, the holidays mean spending time with loved ones, showing them how much they mean to us, and reflecting on the love of God shown to us through the gift of his beloved Son who came to us in a form that we could understand–one of us.

As an artist, I enjoy making most of the gifts that I give, so my fingers have been busy lately crafting the treasures that I will give on Christmas day to my loved ones. I’m working on a painting, which is almost finished but need just the right frame. Of course I’m knitting up a blue streak and I’ve made hats, cowls, gloves and scarves to keep everybody snuggly and warm.

Moving through this special season whenever I feel tempted to fall prey to the hurry and hustle and bustle of the season, I try to remind myself to keep it all in perspective. Everything that needs to get done will get done.

I feel blessed to be living right here and right now with the family that I have, all of the love that I have in my life and with all of my dreams coming true right before my eyes.

I wanted to take a moment to say “Thank You” to all of the members of our military. We are in war time and so many families are sacrificing their loved ones to go and fight in battles where they might be paying for our freedom with their lives. It is the ultimate sacrifice, and while I could not possibly find adequate words to express my gratitude to all of the mothers who sent their sons who have died, my abiding hope is that we as a people would one day evolve to the point where war is not necessary.

War to me is an abomination. I am not a pacifist. I believe that we should defen ourselves if we are attacked, but a war that seems to have no purpose and no end seems like such a waste.

So, as I go through this day of reflection, I hold all of the veterans in my heart and I bless them for their service. My ex-husband and my cousin Stephen served in the Navy, and I am grateful to them for their service to our country. My father’s heart condition and flat feet kept him out of the draft when he was young, but several of his friends were lost in Vietnam.

My step-son is contemplating joining the military, and I had a long talk with him about it the other day. In my heart of hearts I would not want him to sign up and get shipped off overseas, but it’s clearly something that he wants to do because he see it as a great opportunity. So, I am praying for him that he makes the decision that is best for him and for his future and his family’s future. I pray that God would be with him and guide him in whatever he decides to do.

As you enjoy this day, take a moment to think, pray or even thank a veteran for their sacrifice.

Yesterday afternoon when I arrived at my daughter’s school in the pouring rain to pick her up, the Principal greeted me warmly and asked if I wanted some movie passes to see the premiere screening of the new film, Where the Wild Things Are. I said, “yes we would!” and she handed me two passes. But I looked at the passes and realizing that I have two children plus myself I asked her if I could impose upon her to ti give us just one more. She said that that’s all she had, and I thanked her and we headed for the car. But after giving it some thought I decided to give the passes back so that she could give it to someone who could use them. I did not want to drop the girls off at the movie theatre alone and then come back for them, and with only two passes for this special event all three of us would not get in. So, we walked back to the office and as I was getting ready to hand the passes back, Ms. Shanklin said, “Oh! I’m so glad you came back. I’v got anothe pass for you.” I breathed a huge sigh of relief and Jordan jumped up with excitement because now we’d be able to go. I thanked her again and we dashed off to pick Leila up from school early.

We missed the red carpet arrivals, but when we arrived it was all still lit up and the press was still there with their cameras. When we got into the theatre I was given a, ‘Guide for Educators and Parents,’ which was a booklet filled with outdoor activities that parents and teachers can engage their children in. The kids got a special program and we all got free drinks with our passes.

Before the screening of the film there were a few speakers. Jeremy Symons, who is the Sr. VP of Conservation and Education for the National Wildlife Federation. They are partnering with the movie’s producers to launch a program called ‘Be Out There,’ which is a campaign to get kids away from their video games and into the great outdoors. Congressman John Sarbanes of Maryland and Congressman Jared Polis of Colorado, both are sponsors of the No Child Left Indoors legislation. The issue is, “The American childhood has moved indoors.” They spoke about the fact that the average American child spends about 44 hours per week staring at a variety of electronic screens indoors. Kids spend less than half the time outdoors that kids did twenty years ago. (back in the day when I was a kid)

Finally, after all of the talking the movie began and it was delightful. Where the Wild Things Are was one of my favorite books when I was a child, and this movie interprets it for the big screen in a really fun way. I will say that my six-year-old girl enjoyed it, but found parts of it a bit scary and she had trouble sleeping last night. Here’s what the passes said about the rating: “The film is rated PG for mild thematic elements, some adventure and brief language.” But if you loved this book as a child as I did, you will enjoy this movie.

Despite the pouring rain and the chill I’m glad that we went to see the movie. It was fun getting a chance to see it a day before the rest of the world. They did a fabulous job with this beloved book.

I have been a devoted fan of Mohandas K. Gandhi’s since I was a child. I first learned of him in relationship to Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King. When I learned that Dr. King was greatly influenced by Gandhi’s work in India, I did some research about who he was and I was impressed by the accomplishments of this small, shy, brown man who stood up to the British Empire and won freedom for his people.

When the movie Gandhi came out in 1982, I was a young girl and I remember sitting absolutely transfixed as I watched the horrors of what the people of India endured in trying to win their freedom. Gandhi’s story had a huge impact on me. I took from it the idea that one person can indeed change the world. One of my favorite inspirational quotes, which is now almost a cliche, was his advice that we should seek to, “Be the change you want to see in the world.” I took this to mean that I should focus on being the best person that I could be and in so doing change the world. I also took this to mean that if I wanted to see something done I would do what I could to accomplish it.

When I look at the state of our world today I wonder what will come of all of us. Everything is changing so quickly. The old paradigms are crumbling and the new way of doing things is being invented before our eyes. I am an eternal optimist. I believe in the inherent goodness in every human being because we are all instruments of the Divine. It is my prayer today that each of us would take a moment and reflect on the shining example of the potential of the human spirit that Gandhi embodied, and do whatever is in our power to create more freedom for those that we love.