There are a lot of reasons the Pastor Emeritus at my church retains his popularity. I think one of the main reasons is that he is one of the most unchanging people I know, and I mean that in a good way.
Several weeks ago we heard that Pastor had been asked to officiate at a wedding in Jacksonville, Florida. (200 miles from here MOL). The story I heard was that he had baptized the groom years ago at Palm Grove Church. This young couple had won a Dream Wedding from a local television station and when it came to deciding on who should perform the ceremony they asked Pastor. The wedding was to be televised live on the sponsoring station.
Today was the day and I watched the live feed on the Internet with interest. Would Pastor be nervous? Would the couple ask for some strange ceremony? Would there be room for Pastor's style to show through? I was impressed that Pastor looked and sounded like he always does. The ceremony was quite traditional, and it moved along apace. It was held at a beach front resort hotel, out on a deck sea-view side. It was nice to see a newer symbolic covenant made by the couple. Everyone in the world must know the one with the two candles lighting a third and then being blown out. Probably a lot of people know about the Sand Ceremony too, but I hadn't seen it. The mothers of the bride and groom came in together each carrying a glass cylinder, one looked white, the other beige. After the vows and the rings, the bride and groom each picked up their cylinder, and together poured them into a third container. Two different people blending together inseparably in marriage. Pastor narrated and illuminated the actions.
His recommendations to the couple: Pray together, take the next three weeks to read the Gospel of John - a chapter a day, and worship together.
We love Pastor because of his predictability, his unchanging faith, his positive nature.
Monday, May 20, 2013
Monday, May 6, 2013
Cool Monday
Sunny, breezy, Monday with a high of around 75 to be more precise. Mondays I usually do laundry. I didn't have a huge amount to wash, so I finally took down the curtains in the bedroom, bath and hall and washed and dried them. I say finally because the curtains in this house, along with the mini-blinds, have been holding years worth of dust. I haven't done them since returning to Florida. I've been thinking about cleaning them, but just haven't had the burst of energy to get it done till today. I have some "new to me" drapes that I was given several months ago. I would like to hang them in the living room before the weather turns deadly hot. The thing holding me back from doing that is the hooks aren't compatible with the rods I have. They are quite long, so I may cut them off and make curtains out of them.
Not today though. The whole house is in need of a really good "redding up" as my mother would have said, so I think that is the afternoon activity, after I take a walk in this lovely weather.
Not today though. The whole house is in need of a really good "redding up" as my mother would have said, so I think that is the afternoon activity, after I take a walk in this lovely weather.
Friday, May 3, 2013
Remembering What I Forgot
Those who follow my adventures will be aware that I have recently started volunteering at a local elementary school twice a week. This is a type of therapy for me, helping me to avoid my agoraphobic tendencies and adding to my mental and physical exercise while providing a bit of help for a few teachers and students in the process. Yesterday I told a newly graduated teacher that I had not gone to Kindergarten and that there were no Preschools when I was a child. I'm not sure she actually believed me. The year she was born I was helping monitor preschoolers in family childcare.
Due to my October birthday I entered first grade at the age of five, so what I'm seeing at school probably mirrors my first grade experience. I don't remember doing the story writing that modern American school children engage in. After the initial shock of leaving my mother and entering school I have two memories of my first year at school. One was learning to write. I was one of perhaps 4 or 5 children in my huge first grade class who was left-handed. The class was instructed on how to place the paper on the desk and how to hold the pencil, then the lefties were instructed to slant the paper the opposite way while holding the fat blue pencil in our left hands. I remember being in the midst of the righties with my paper turned the leftie way and succumbing to that early peer pressure and tilting my paper their way. (This is what encourages the hook-handed posture of many lefties.) I battled the peer pressure/teacher pressure till I went home that evening. My father asked me what I had learned in school that day and as I started to demonstrate writing he observed my method of coping and told me in no uncertain terms that I would turn my paper the proper way for a leftie and keep my wrist flat on the desk. After all, neither my mother nor sister hooked their hands in such an awkward way to write. I often wonder what would have happened if I had been born into a right-handed family. My second memorable first grade experience had to do with numbers. I don't really remember what we were learning about them, but I wasn't learning it. Apparently several chances had been given to comply with an assignment and I had failed to comply. The punishment was to stay indoors while the rest of the class went outside for recess and working on the now forgotten concept.
Due to my October birthday I entered first grade at the age of five, so what I'm seeing at school probably mirrors my first grade experience. I don't remember doing the story writing that modern American school children engage in. After the initial shock of leaving my mother and entering school I have two memories of my first year at school. One was learning to write. I was one of perhaps 4 or 5 children in my huge first grade class who was left-handed. The class was instructed on how to place the paper on the desk and how to hold the pencil, then the lefties were instructed to slant the paper the opposite way while holding the fat blue pencil in our left hands. I remember being in the midst of the righties with my paper turned the leftie way and succumbing to that early peer pressure and tilting my paper their way. (This is what encourages the hook-handed posture of many lefties.) I battled the peer pressure/teacher pressure till I went home that evening. My father asked me what I had learned in school that day and as I started to demonstrate writing he observed my method of coping and told me in no uncertain terms that I would turn my paper the proper way for a leftie and keep my wrist flat on the desk. After all, neither my mother nor sister hooked their hands in such an awkward way to write. I often wonder what would have happened if I had been born into a right-handed family. My second memorable first grade experience had to do with numbers. I don't really remember what we were learning about them, but I wasn't learning it. Apparently several chances had been given to comply with an assignment and I had failed to comply. The punishment was to stay indoors while the rest of the class went outside for recess and working on the now forgotten concept.
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
Wet Weather = Cooler Weather
Off and on rain the past two days has meant today's temperatures have been quite pleasant. It should be a good night to sleep. It was clear for the students at Anclote Elementary to have their Field Day on Tuesday. Field Day here in Florida seems to be an afternoon of fun and games outdoors for the students with parents and volunteers running various events. No actual competition except to better one's own performance.
Inside the school the teachers had extra planning time. I pulled worksheets out of math workbooks and filed for several teachers. The kindergartners were learning to differentiate between reality and fantasy in the stories they were writing and I thought a lot about how little I could do at their age. I didn't go to kindergarten. I started my formal schooling in first grade. I didn't know how to write or read when I entered and with the exception of basic math skills I learned to do all of the things these kids are learning - eventually.
Today was Quilt group at the church. We're concentrating on small quilts for kids these days. We have a missionary we support in Arizona who works with Native Americans and often visits new mothers in the hospital where she is chaplain. She can use the quilts as gifts for the babies. Our church also supports a group in Tampa working with moms and babies and we will send them some as well. Sewing the tops together is a bit of a break from the bed sized quilts which are usually twice as big. We use a smaller seam allowance to sew together the smaller squares. otherwise the process is the same. They are completed more quickly, creating a sense of accomplishment.
This afternoon I worked on the bag I showed the beginnings of several posts ago. I have the outside sewn together with all of the pockets and piping and interfacing. Once I get the extra stiffening settled in the bottom I will be able to start on the lining. So, on the downhill slide.
Tomorrow is back to school. Hopefully the teachers will become more accustomed to my presence and will start thinking about things I can do to help them.
Inside the school the teachers had extra planning time. I pulled worksheets out of math workbooks and filed for several teachers. The kindergartners were learning to differentiate between reality and fantasy in the stories they were writing and I thought a lot about how little I could do at their age. I didn't go to kindergarten. I started my formal schooling in first grade. I didn't know how to write or read when I entered and with the exception of basic math skills I learned to do all of the things these kids are learning - eventually.
Today was Quilt group at the church. We're concentrating on small quilts for kids these days. We have a missionary we support in Arizona who works with Native Americans and often visits new mothers in the hospital where she is chaplain. She can use the quilts as gifts for the babies. Our church also supports a group in Tampa working with moms and babies and we will send them some as well. Sewing the tops together is a bit of a break from the bed sized quilts which are usually twice as big. We use a smaller seam allowance to sew together the smaller squares. otherwise the process is the same. They are completed more quickly, creating a sense of accomplishment.
This afternoon I worked on the bag I showed the beginnings of several posts ago. I have the outside sewn together with all of the pockets and piping and interfacing. Once I get the extra stiffening settled in the bottom I will be able to start on the lining. So, on the downhill slide.
Tomorrow is back to school. Hopefully the teachers will become more accustomed to my presence and will start thinking about things I can do to help them.
Thursday, April 25, 2013
A Slight Back-peddle
Several things have happened since my last post. The first two were that I had time to look into the online freelancing platform a bit more and then I had my semi-annual appointment with my GP.
I read a lot of position offers. Really a lot. Several trends emerged. Some of the requests seemed to be for people to make multiple comments on blog posts. I began to wonder if this is the origin of the spam comments I receive on recent posts as well as on really old ones on my now defunct previous blog. Some seemed to be compiling email lists for spamming. Then there were the proposals for jobs where the fee was really insulting. Then there were the insulting requests - "don't bother to reply unless you can do this exactly this way," said one. "Don't waste my time" barked another. Typos, misspellings and poor grammar were rife. I know that's the help some were requesting, but you'd think they could take a little time, but then again, time is money.
I went to see my Doctor on Monday. We had a discussion about how difficult my readjustment to American Life has been this time. We came to the conclusion that I've been mildly depressed. He made some suggestions that were helpful. I should be doing some regular exercise, eating more thoughtfully, making sure I'm getting enough sleep, and getting out and socializing a bit.
On Tuesday I got in touch with the principal of a local elementary school with whom I worked before my last Japan trip and asked if she could use any volunteer help. She jumped at the chance, and we had the application process finished in the matter of two days.
Today I went to meet with her and spent about four hours at the school doing odd jobs in the Kindergarten pod. This kind of work is instant gratification for someone like me. I did copying, I did stapling, I did collating, I listened to children read to me. I'll go back next week for more.
I read a lot of position offers. Really a lot. Several trends emerged. Some of the requests seemed to be for people to make multiple comments on blog posts. I began to wonder if this is the origin of the spam comments I receive on recent posts as well as on really old ones on my now defunct previous blog. Some seemed to be compiling email lists for spamming. Then there were the proposals for jobs where the fee was really insulting. Then there were the insulting requests - "don't bother to reply unless you can do this exactly this way," said one. "Don't waste my time" barked another. Typos, misspellings and poor grammar were rife. I know that's the help some were requesting, but you'd think they could take a little time, but then again, time is money.
I went to see my Doctor on Monday. We had a discussion about how difficult my readjustment to American Life has been this time. We came to the conclusion that I've been mildly depressed. He made some suggestions that were helpful. I should be doing some regular exercise, eating more thoughtfully, making sure I'm getting enough sleep, and getting out and socializing a bit.
On Tuesday I got in touch with the principal of a local elementary school with whom I worked before my last Japan trip and asked if she could use any volunteer help. She jumped at the chance, and we had the application process finished in the matter of two days.
Today I went to meet with her and spent about four hours at the school doing odd jobs in the Kindergarten pod. This kind of work is instant gratification for someone like me. I did copying, I did stapling, I did collating, I listened to children read to me. I'll go back next week for more.
Friday, April 19, 2013
Things Are Hotting Up
It has been in the upper 80's several days this week. The nights continue to be cool and the humidity has only gotten a bit higher; but it's not just the temperatures. After months of spending mornings tidying up the house and afternoons reading, I find that I have successfully begun several diverse projects that I can drift between on the days I don't need to go out.
This last bit of work influenced me to explore the world of freelance online writing and copy editing. When I first looked into this industry I felt that I wouldn't have the qualifications to attract jobs.Through the registration process I took some tests for things like English grammar, spelling, sentence structure, punctuation, even some British English tests. It turns out that the years of incidental experience combined with education and natural bents has stood me in good stead for some special kinds of copy editing. I always enjoyed working with the Ichikawa Volunteer Interpreters Society in taking their word by word translations of Japanese to English and smoothing them out to something that sounds more like the words of a native English speaker.
My first invitation to submit a proposal arrived today. A native Russian speaker with an online service wants just the kind of vetting of online materials that I could warm up to. I'm not fooling myself, there are plenty of others making proposals for the same job. It's all good experience, and might supply some extra cash to keep the air conditioner running.
- I have worked on a couple patterns for clothes for the summer that have turned out reasonably well.
- I have several bags and purses that I want to put together.
- I have my friendship quilt with the squares made by my Japanese quilting friends.
- Then there's the vintage double wedding ring to repair.
- I also have the bi-monthly work in fact-checking articles for Japan Harvest.
This last bit of work influenced me to explore the world of freelance online writing and copy editing. When I first looked into this industry I felt that I wouldn't have the qualifications to attract jobs.Through the registration process I took some tests for things like English grammar, spelling, sentence structure, punctuation, even some British English tests. It turns out that the years of incidental experience combined with education and natural bents has stood me in good stead for some special kinds of copy editing. I always enjoyed working with the Ichikawa Volunteer Interpreters Society in taking their word by word translations of Japanese to English and smoothing them out to something that sounds more like the words of a native English speaker.
My first invitation to submit a proposal arrived today. A native Russian speaker with an online service wants just the kind of vetting of online materials that I could warm up to. I'm not fooling myself, there are plenty of others making proposals for the same job. It's all good experience, and might supply some extra cash to keep the air conditioner running.
Monday, April 8, 2013
Summer's Here - probably
High temperatures for the coming week are all in the low 80's, summer weather for sure in many places I've visited. Here in south Florida I guess we would consider it just the beginning. There are usually a week or two of nights later on when the low temps overnight will be in the low 80's. So far, I have been able to open windows on all sides of the house and run a couple of fans to be comfortable.
The fabric arrived today to make the repairs on the antique quilt - the purple and natural print to replace the pieces that disintegrated. I am still debating about the binding. There are those who think I must replace with the same color rather than changing to a more modern green. The jury is still out. Feel free to cast a vote with reasons if you like.
Last night I was totally shocked to see this quartet ambling around the church parking lot. I thought for sure that given the attempt to cross the road the last time I saw them that their reckless behavior would have gotten at least one of them in serious trouble.
.
I was becoming increasingly discouraged trying to make some new clothes that FIT, so I decided to make this bag. It's from an Amy Butler pattern for an Overnight Bag and is being constructed with Amy Butler Midwest Modern fabrics. It's great to be able to sew accurately and smoothly with a sewing machine that has settings and power to accomplish the job without complaint.
The fabric arrived today to make the repairs on the antique quilt - the purple and natural print to replace the pieces that disintegrated. I am still debating about the binding. There are those who think I must replace with the same color rather than changing to a more modern green. The jury is still out. Feel free to cast a vote with reasons if you like.
Last night I was totally shocked to see this quartet ambling around the church parking lot. I thought for sure that given the attempt to cross the road the last time I saw them that their reckless behavior would have gotten at least one of them in serious trouble.
.
I was becoming increasingly discouraged trying to make some new clothes that FIT, so I decided to make this bag. It's from an Amy Butler pattern for an Overnight Bag and is being constructed with Amy Butler Midwest Modern fabrics. It's great to be able to sew accurately and smoothly with a sewing machine that has settings and power to accomplish the job without complaint.
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