UnAmerican

The American Flag at Fort McHenry

Baltimore, Maryland

Pss. 136:1 “O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.”

UnAmerican

I’m jumping on the bandwagon here. I’ve been called un-American so many times it makes my head spin. Why? Not standing for the National Anthem? No. Not picking left OR right? No. I’ve been called un-American because I don’t like chocolate or fatty foods like bacon and enormous amounts of cheese. Well I’ll be!

I don’t think this post is really about being un-American as much as it is going to be about what riles the world, gets under their skin, irks people to no end. If the cause does not fit into the norm, meaning the [supposed] majority, then you are on the outside, the minority. If you’re black you’re in the minority, orange, minority, alien minority. What if you’re Irish or German does that count you as a minority too? Are the majority of Americans Irish and German? I don’t think this day and age they are. 

It makes you think. What does it mean when someone calls you un-American? I respect soldiers who were drafted at a young age and basically forced to fight for this country. I admire the men and women who choose to continue to fight for this country day in and day out. But does it make me un-American because I don’t and won’t conform to what YOU might want me to post on facebook, Instagram, or twitter?

I was and never will be someone who votes because you tell me I HAVE to vote or be called un-American. When the National Anthem is on, STAND, place your hand over your heart! Say the pledge of allegiance daily. Well, we want our kids to pledge allegiance to a flag for twelve years of their life and we get all riled up because some lying meme says it’s going to be taken out of schools? Americans want everything THEIR way and you’re UNAmerican if you disagree with one or two people who don't think like you think.

I think that our founding fathers when writing the Constitution knew back in the day that God (or mere mention of Him), our rights or our liberties would continue to be an issue in the distant future. I don’t think they thought that allowing people from other countries here was going to be such a big issue but here we are being our American selves and not wanting immigrants to share in our wealth and prosperous land. (I say that loosely as I look around at other countries, impoverished nations and their debts.)

You know, I find it quite amazing that individuals are not allowed to think for themselves, speak out about something they don’t believe in or are shamed because the small brained feel it necessary to be louder than the minority of people who just want to be heard. I thought we had rights to protect us but year after year, political figure after political figure wants to change the way things are run.

I blog today because it is my right as an American to say what I want to say but to lump me together with the other billions of Americans is offensive to me because I am not like them or you for that matter. I don’t read the ‘what people are talking about today’news. To be honest, I go to facebook and see what people are griping about, reeling about, who is offending whom on this or any given day. Then as the writer in me takes over, I research and see if it is worth blogging about. More times than not, the answer is no because I won’t conform to what the masses expect from me. I won’t be a part of the hate brigade and if that makes me un-American, then so be it, off with my head!

Yup, I’m all about God and I’m sure that offends the majority of people but I don’t care. I don’t live to serve man and debate about who’s right and who’s wrong; I live to serve God. Not a country, not a flag, not a battalion, not a president, not anything but God, so yes, if serving ONE God makes me un-American, then Hail to the King of Kings! 

God you reign, God you reign!

Forever and ever… God you REIGN!

They Ruin It...

Prov. 13:18 “Poverty and shame shall be to him that refuseth instruction: but he that regardeth reproof shall be honoured.”

They Ruin It…

They’ve [humans] ruined my relationship to church; it’s now relinquished to a place to show my face so I can come home and boast of how great the sermon and praise was. They’ve ruined what little trust I had in people by being more about the manipulative angle they can use to abuse me. They make drinking alcohol all about fun and games like it is just a second nature and fine to do without ramifications, they spread lies like mosquitoes spreading Lyme disease injecting their poisonous falsehoods for the world to see and STILL claim to be Christian. 

It is Christians, you know, the very good Christians that are destroying the religion, for ME. I have a faith in Jesus Christ and my Heavenly Father but I have zero faith in humankind. I don’t have faith in the churches because they are imploding while touting their growth. Church is no longer about God, it is about an opinionated what-you’re-doing-wrong drama. 

I read the headlines and the stories are unending of a collapsing society. I should say societies because this is happening worldwide and if you just happily ignore the succession of downfall going on around you, then to me, you are part of the problem. We are perverting society by accepting sin like candy from a dirty old man, it’s become the norm.

Evil is stampeding across the globe knocking down pillars that have been in place for centuries. I’m saddened not celebratory at all. Everything is about race, sexism, politics, shoot or be shot, kill or be killed, blatant propaganda spoon-fed by the media to the masses and fed to innocent children who know nothing yet but are being programmed to follow in the footsteps of the hate in the world.

We as a human race are not coming together to solve problems, I see too often people sitting back and being PART of the problem and enjoying their placement in a world of fellow angry citizens who can’t even rise from bed without feeling hate in their veins.  And that makes you a good person?

What exactly constitutes a good Christian or a good person? I shouldn’t have to struggle to see them; they should be quite obvious among the crowd yet they’re not. They’re hidden among the booze drinkers, layered with, if not covered in, the hatemonger; splintered by the right and wrong in the world.

Actions are what separate the good, not color, religion, race or sex but that is what we’ve done to the world, divided man and thought, and has made information so liquid we bathe in the offering. It does not make us good people by agreeing to everything the hate spewers feed you.

Greed has ruined any form of celebration for me. People want and want but are not willing to give a little time and effort to the term ‘change’. They’d much rather be herded together like cattle and be tagged and counted among the crowd as one of the all.

I feel alone as I wade in the ocean of life. I’m out to sea and see no land in sight. Ruined is the joy in a day. Gone is the hope in tomorrow. I have but one thing to hold onto as a life preserver and that is my faith in God. 

While man has destroyed everything, burnt the promise of growth, singed the tide of deliverance, damaged the blossoms of love and buried the plateau of joy, I remain alone. I will count by single digits the good ones and remain skeptical of the boasting 'good' people; skeptical not judgmental because I hold no right in judging. We each have to judge for ourselves what is right and wrong and prayerfully I choose right.

Ten Things Money CAN’T buy?

Manners
Morals
Respect
Common sense
Character
Class
Integrity
Trust
Patience
LOVE!

Bonus: Faith, Hope and Charity

1 Cor. 13:13 KJV “And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.”

A Pick-N-Choose World

Ps. 55: 16 “As for me, I will call upon God; and the LORD shall save me.”

If you believe what you like in the gospels,
and reject what you don't like,
it is not the gospel you believe, but yourself.
 ~ St. Augustine

I saw this quote and felt like giving St. Augustine a high-five! This is so true. People have a tendency to pick and choose what they believe and read in the Bible. 

Then I spotted this meme of the Mash TV series.  Hawkeye and Father Mulcahy are talking:

“War isn’t hell, war is war and hell is hell. And of the two, war is a lot worse.

How you figure Hawkeye?

Easy Father. Tell me, who goes to hell?

Sinners, I believe.

Exactly, there are no innocent bystanders in Hell. War is chock full of them – little kids, cripples, old ladies, in fact, except for some of the brass, almost everybody involved is an innocent bystander.” 

This struck me: “Who goes to Hell? Sinners, I believe.”

If we are all sinners, does that mean we are all going to Hell?

Well wait, we’re not all going to hell, right? Because all we have to do is read, believe, sin, and ask for forgiveness over and over again? Right? I got it. I don’t believe it but that is my right also just as you have your right to pick and choose what you believe in the bible and what actions you take LIVING the word of God. 

It seems to me that all this country is wrapped up in is politics, lies, media’s supposed truths, and more sin drowning in their veins. They love riling people up as they sit and judge and point fingers demanding transparency from situations we have no business in knowing. I say that with respect to the DECEASED in the matter and families who are dealing with a horrible death. They don’t want the stories rehashed over and over. They don’t want killers faces again and again in the news. When does the media share the innocent victims lives and plaster their images for all of the world to see? They don’t because NO ONE would SHARE that and feed the click-bait world.

The world bathes in sin yet claim an allegiance to God, any God for that matter, they wrap their belief in sin, let sin seep through their veins and bleed falsehood all in the name of an allegiance to their God?

While everyone is enjoying hating the president of the U.S, I’ve heard him called everything from a liar to a Muslim, to being a part of Islam and it goes on and on. People of the world would so much rather HATE than look deeply in the mirror and see the true them that is reflected back. Lies have been going on since the beginning of time itself and we think we have rights to the truth? Just what truth do you seek? Do you seek truth from politicians? That’s funny. Presidents lied in the past and they’ll lie in the future. Man will lie in his own lie.

The further and further we push God out of our country, the more and more people need to hate. They’re addicted to it, it’s a NEED of theirs to feel in control.

John of the Yahoo comment section wrote: “I am so surprised that the anti-Christ [Trump] is going to use political correctness to take over, I always wondered how he would do it, the bible says he will be a great speaker spewing good things from his mouth, that he will preach peace. Years ago I thought all this religion was nonsense, that there was no way we would ever lose Christianity in this country, or that the teaching of Jesus would stop as Jesus said it would, but now as an old man I am a firm believer, because I see the things of Christianity coming to an end in the name of tolerance, and I am not just talking about the saying of have a merry Christmas or the taking down of the ten commandments, I see an assault by our own government and president, and I have to wonder where all the Christians are at.”

All the Christians are too busy picking and choosing what they believe in. They’re rolling around in a mud bath slinging hate to the world, getting caught up in sin and calling their anger justified by the word of Christ. Allow me to tell you, there is no in between. You can’t be against the Lord one day (full of hate, rage and rants) and be a good looking upstanding Christian the next. It just doesn’t work that way. 

Pick and choose right or wrong, there is no justifiable middle.

They Know It's Wrong...

Ezek. 34:11 “For thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I, even I, will both search my sheep, and seek them out.”

They Know It’s Wrong...

They know it’s wrong, yet they still do it, sin. Why is the moral compass so set on headed South? People know right from wrong yet they still CHOOSE to take the wrong over the right thing to do. They feel the temptation pulling on them like two magnets attracted to each other, the pull is too strong to show any kind of resistance.

Satan knows what flavor of sin to bait his hook with and time and time again man chooses to nibble on the bait instead of being the better fish and swim away. Take for example the political year. You can smell rancid satan odor in the air, you know you’re being pulled by only one thing and instead of resistance you jump in head first and go to battle with him. What does he offer that is so sweet tasting that gives you a reason not to fight?

God’s way is not an option, it is a necessity but so few feel HIS pull. They’d much rather jump in the dung heap and swim with the fetid parasites than dance with queer little angels who always seem too happy and filled with joy, choosing the higher road instead of squirming with the vermin on the lower road.

I think political years are poised so that we can really see with a bird’s eye view of just whom it is that we call a friend. I know after this election year is over I’ll still be holding on tight for the strength and armor of God to wrap around me and continue to show me the teensy bit of light that might still be left in all of them who chose to go south.

It’s not a left or right choice, it’s a north and south choice and so many people have chosen the south because of the warm comfortable fit that it gives them in an angry society. The bitter men all bundle together moving in a rampage shoulder to shoulder as they march for what THEY believe is right but if you look down upon the masses from an eagle’s perspective there is only a few here and there choosing the right direction and the masses that are headed south are too numerous to count.

From up here (yes, I’m soaring like an eagle) it looks as if God is separating the good and the evil putting them all in little Easter baskets. I think Ishtar (who Easter is derived from that everyone blindly celebrates thinking it a Christian holiday) would be very happy. 

From Wikipedia: "Woe to him whom Ishtar had honoured! The fickle goddess treated her passing lovers cruelly, and the unhappy wretches usually paid dearly for the favours heaped on them. Animals, enslaved by love, lost their native vigour: they fell into traps laid by men or were domesticated by them. 'Thou has loved the lion, mighty in strength', says the hero Gilgamesh to Ishtar, 'and thou hast dug for him seven and seven pits! Thou hast loved the steed, proud in battle, and destined him for the halter, the goad and the whip.'
Even for the gods, Ishtar's love was fatal. In her youth the goddess had loved Tammuz, god of the harvest, and—if one is to believe Gilgamesh —this love caused the death of Tammuz.”

My new year has begun (thank you, Mike, for remembering) and as usual, I have my blinders on. I don’t want to be a witness to the world collapsing all around me. I don’t want to see people that I trusted fall. I’m losing hope in the world and people in general. I always tried to see the good in people but blindly I’ve been led on and they’re just as wicked as the next person. I thought that Mardis Gras was in February, why are humans still embracing the masks?

I hold onto the tiny rays of light that do make it through to my world and is not the false pretense of the enormous amount of people who have headed south with their immoral compass. They know it’s wrong and if only they knew what truth and Light looked, tasted and smelled like, I believe the world could be a better place to live.

I think I’ll nestle up here on a branch, a Branch that was extended to the world but they were too caught up to see the beauty of it all. May God have mercy on our soul. 

Proverbs 11:18 (NIV) “The wicked man earns deceptive wages, but he who sows righteousness reaps a sure reward.”

Content

Ex. 2:20-21 And he said unto his daughters, And where is he? why is it that ye have left the man? call him, that he may eat bread. And Moses was content to dwell with the man: and he gave Moses Zipporah his daughter.

You could see this post as content [kon-tent] significance or profundity; meaning:
a clever play that lacks content.
Or: substantive information or creative material viewed in contrast to its actual or potential manner of presentation:

Or content [kuh n-tent] satisfied with what one is or has; not wanting more or anything else.

I was going for the being satisfied with what one is or has but it can also be seen as significance. I see a problem that has risen to record proportions in a nation of contentious people. They are not happy with what they have or with whom they are, causing an upheaval of indecisiveness.

Rom. 2:8 “But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath,”

Not only do I see this in the (I never talk about) politics, but in people’s lives. They are never content with the blessings they have and always seeking out more, whether it is more clothes, a bigger house, more selection or more choices, then they’re left confused wanderers by not being content with what they have. 

Why can’t people be content? People are no longer impressed with integrity, kindness, humility and generosity; they’re too busy being overcome by anger and hate as if something has possessed them that they’ll never admit is happening.

“I still get very high and very low in life. Daily. But I finally accepted the fact that sensitive is just how I was made, that I don’t have to hide it and I don’t have to fix it. I’m not broken.” ~ Glennon Melton

We must be able to overcome the dark force that is waging war on our souls so much so that we act like a roaring lion filled with hate, not a gentle Lamb like Christ. It is much easier to come out and attack, lash out at anyone and everyone who doesn’t have the same perspective as we do and yet we find ourselves clinging to the ones who are also filled with the maliciousness.

One of the hardest things to do in my Child of God walk is to forgive, to love my enemy, to turn the other cheek. People see me as either naïve or blind to reality but do they ever see me as a Child of God? No, and yes, do you know why? They’d rather pick a negative connotation not knowing it is an evil dark force that is drawing them to the conclusion. 

You see, they are the ones blind. They are blind to the blood of Christ that they claim is seeping through their veins. Jesus knew the men who were killing Him. Did He choose to lash out and spew hate filled words to carry Him to heaven? Did He choose to separate himself from the prostitutes, the poor, the lame and the different?

I know what you’re going to say. He was a better man than you. Yes, this is true but He is the one whose words should be first out of your mouth, not the ones that satan chooses for you.

We’re human and we are weak but He is strong! He is the one who has the strength to overcome the evil in the world and instead of rallying around satan, without demeaning hate-filled words, whose end has been prophesied about and will come, Jesus’ end is just the beginning.

When you are filled with love and joy part of the time in your daily living then you are not filled with Jesus all of the time. Being human allows you that right to choose good and evil.

I choose to overcome the evil force playing tug of war in my soul. Do you think it is easy? Do you think Joni just wakes up with her head in the clouds? No, she has to work at being there like everyone else but again, it is her CHOICE to choose good over evil.

Being content with all that I am and all that I have, not wanting more and more keeps me grounded in the here and now.

Phil. 4:11 “Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.”

Letting go

Isa. 38:18 For the grave cannot praise thee, death can not celebrate thee: they that go down into the pit cannot hope for thy truth.

Letting Go…

On October 16^th my dad went into the hospital. Being so far away is hard but I imagine not as much pressure as on the ones who have to be there day in and day out and watch the lighthouse of their life crumble before their eyes. When he went in he had told my mother that he wouldn’t be coming back home. She just shrugged it up to his tiredness.

Like water in a clogged drain, my father kept going down, slowly and exhaustively. My mother was tiring but kept holding on to the threads of her husband who was once vital in their daily walk of life. For sixty years they were one for each other. No one else in the world seemed to exist and he was her lighthouse that she sought out in the dark.

By the 23^rd she held onto hope that he would be coming home, not in the condition he went in but much worse off than what he was before entering the hospital. Her daily visits to the hospital, by either my sister or brother, were tiring for her but she kept going on, no matter what, she was holding onto hope that he’d be coming home.

I’ve called twice a day for the last two weeks and what I heard on the other end was not good. He had slept and slept and on a rare occasion would wake then drift off to sleep. He went from ICU to a ‘room’ then back to ICU and then back to a room.

Ironically his first room number was 405. Our address growing up and where we resided for almost 30 years was 1405. The next room he was put in was 317, the time of my first child’s birth/death. Also, it was the same floor and same hospital where my grandmother died one room over in 316 a few years ago.

My feeling in my sunken heart was that this is it; this will be the week my father dies. I cried, I sobbed like a baby, hoping beyond hope my feelings were wrong. By the 25^th my mother had seen a ray of hope, my dad sat up and talked. He sat in the chair (as opposed to lying helpless in the bed) and conversed. By Sunday he was back to sleeping hours on end, not looking as good as he had the day before.

By Monday the 26^th there was talk of putting him in a hospice because there was nothing they could do. He was now seeing people who weren’t there and talking gibberish in his sleep. They were going to take him off the defibrillator because his heart is being overworked. The doctor said this is a painful step as his oxygen is minimal and his heart is pumping at abnormal rates. His blood pressure would drop to a deathly low then soar to an astronomical high. Would he make it through the night? The doctor’s and all around him said no!

The call came in that they had to make a decision to turn the defibrillator off. I spoke to my mother and said is this what you want. After I told her to let him go in peace not pain and the conversation ended with he’d be taken off the life source keeping him alive.

I called my brother, the black sheep whom no one has conversed with, and told him the defibrillator would be turned off and that he wasn’t expected to make it through the night. We cried, we laughed, we spoke of old times, and we mourned. I hung up the phone and drained remaining tears as I let my father go. I would sit and wait impatiently for the call that my father had passed. It never came.

Instead, at nine p.m my mother called and said they DIDN’T turn the defibrillator off. My father had awakened and said not to touch it, he just wanted to go home. This is something impossible since they can’t send the machine home with him to keep him alive. I believe there is another aspect of… affordability. The hospital has done all it can, told the family the options, and they are releasing him to the unknown. Ten to fifteen hours of sleep, the machine alone keeping him alive, pain and suffering abound, the heart and lungs trying to pump the very last second of life as the host lay waiting to take his last breath.

My mother said he was not supposed to make it through the night even with the defibrillator keeping him alive. My day and night was spent mourning like a baby who lost their first puppy.

After calling my mother twice in the early morning and not getting an answer, wondering if he was alive or dead, I waited the entire day of the 27^th for ‘the phone call’ that never came. Instead at 5:30 she did call to tell me that they put him back in a room, #316 by the way, and that he was having hallucinations, unable to eat whole food because he was choking on it, then sleeping for hours on end.

I’ve struggled with the decision to put him at rest but it had to be done to face the inevitable. I woke feeling a peace around me because I had let my father go. I don’t know where his destination will end, I cannot be certain because his destination is his; it is between him and God

Today the 28^th they will decide to put my father in a hospice against his wishes (remember he just wants to go home), to live basically on life support. The ones back home have had to make this heart wrenching decision. I cannot fathom what they are enduring and the guilt of not being there is sometimes overwhelming but I feel peace because I’ve done the hardest part on my end and that is… I let my father go.

Lam. 1:20 Behold, O LORD; for I am in distress: my bowels are troubled; mine heart is turned within me; for I have grievously rebelled: abroad the sword bereaveth, at home there is as death.

The Pits

Concordia, Kansas

Pss. 40:2 “He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.”

The Pit

It saddens me when people are so filled with hate that they need to point fingers, laugh at, mock, joke and make fun of people (after posting scripture mind you). The world is so full of negative influence that people just fall right into the web of deceit.

They are misled and misguided and they are only a source of light and inspiration to make themselves look good? It puzzles me to no end how people really feel good about themselves when they KNOW they’re not following God FOR God, they follow Him for looks.

I liken the world to a pit; a pit where people are clawing at the mud, trying to find purpose in their existence and just spilling more mud because clawing is only stirring up the avalanche of clay that will soon bury them knee deep in the mire.

They seek but cannot find; they search but cannot grasp; they claw and fill their nails deep with the clinging clay. They are stretching for everything out of arms reach. They think but they don’t think fully; they aim but always miss the target.

"Authenticity is a collection of choices that we have to make every day. It's about the choice to show up and be real; the choice to be honest; the choice to let our true selves be seen." ~ Brené Brown

People seem to graze at the truth but never end up capturing the truth. When the truth is captured they can lay claim to their authentic self, which has eluded them while seeking out the wrong things in life.

Why do people strive for what they can’t have? Why do they poke fun at others or crave what other people have? Why do people try to claim goodness when so much is eating at them where they need to release a negative spin on almost everything they touch, read or hear?

I see people trying so hard at being good but they lose track when they try too hard. Being good and righteous should not be a chore that one undertakes, it should be a flow of natural behavior that many, all too many, do not understand. 

They would much rather tread in a mud-filled pit and try to define good and bad and cling to both. It can’t be done. I see it being done but really it should not be a way to live. You cannot serve the masters of good and bad, right and wrong, dark and light. You’ll find yourself stuck in the pit and never finding sure footing of a way to get out. 

You can try and find God, but cling to the negative juncture in the road. You will try to see the light, but offer up a dark shading umbrella for people to climb under. You pretend to offer light but secretly hide the darkness within you and that is what is shining forth, not the light within you. 

Now I see where the term, ‘the pits’ comes from, “the pits” as slang for the very worst, the most degraded and depressing example of something. To me, humanity is ‘the pits’!  They live there, breathe there, share there and cling to their own beliefs infecting others like a wildfire burning out of control with the compulsion of negativity. People of the same thought process, ‘we can serve two masters and get away with it’ feed the pits.

I myself, when I see negative reactions to things I run like a bat outta hell! I won’t allow myself to be infected so I strive to spread light and love in hopes to give the people in the pits a rope to hold onto to pull themselves out.

While they continue on the path of politicizing everything, children are being beaten to death. While they fill their bodies with food and nourishment, people are dying without a bit of kibble to bite on. While they’re off laughing and enjoying poking fun at people, there are people being battered and bullied physically.  

Before laughing at all of the crazy crud going on in the world take action, not words and memes but first, take a look inside yourself and see what is bullied and battered and why you feel the need to poke fun at others. Maybe you’ll see a way out of that pit you find yourself dwelling.

Matt. 18:33 “Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee?”

Tuning Out

Rom. 12:2 “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”

It is quite sad that so many are working hard to bring people to God yet turning them away from Him unaware. I’ve been tuning people out for some time now but still, that doesn’t keep me from observing their behavior. The negative aspects still have a way of seeping in when I least expect. I’m not offended as much as I’m saddened at their inane actions while claiming to be children of God. Human beings are a sad lot.

I see why people are turning from God in record numbers, not just because they don’t believe in the first place, but they are being deceived and that can lead to a falling away of forming any sort of belief system.

It’s confusing when people are touting that they KNOW the truth but don’t LIVE the truth. People boasting of their love of God but are visually so filled with internal hate for everything. People seeking the truth are then led to believe that you can do no wrong and the bible then becomes a laughable joke. They see people practicing not what they are preaching.

I’ve come to the conclusion that we don’t live in God’s world, we live in a political world and man uses the bible as a footstool to base their belief system on and of course, the non-believers are not going to stand for the word Bible or God in their vocabulary. Everyone is too busy seeing the left and right or the wrong and right of things, not the God things. Their focus is NOT on God but the world.

Rom. 12:1 “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.”

I realized something last year; that I had raised my son in a Christian household and when he turned eighteen; I realized his beliefs were not the same as mine. Sure I tried to instill all my Christian beliefs into him but there came a backfire when he said to me, “I don’t believe the same things as you.”

A shocker right? Wrong! I realized (an awakening of sorts) that my son is not my property, he is God’s property. It was my job to teach him in the way that he should go but in the end, he is his own person and can form his own ideas/beliefs. He hasn’t turned from God, he’s just drinking in all the foolish lies people spout and forming his own opinion. Wow, how did that happen, he turned out to be his own being? He doesn’t do the facebook thing because, “There is no good in that place.”

This is what is happening in the world today. We try and shove OUR belief down people’s throats and it backfires, people are not buying what we are trying to sell. To a believer you’ll get an AMEN sometimes but to the non-believer you get tuned out. You are turning them AWAY from God instead of TO God.

I was taught as a child that you don’t discuss money, religion and politics because it causes disagreements, arguments, and division. It’s not a law to abide by but it is a non-formal moral code that humans have supposedly grown accustomed to, you’d think.

I think of facebook as a gathering of friends. It would be no different if it were everyone sitting around in the park at a picnic table sharing food and family fun. What I don’t expect is to be hit (and hit hard) with a barrage of political crud, religious buffs (who know everything, BTW) and gabfests on money. Oh wait, the only time money is brought up is when people are sharing the abundance of the amount they have, which is almost NEVER! So why not hold the religion and politics to the same stature? You’re among friends, act like it!

I’m starting to think that these folk don’t have a moral code that they live by. They just want to point out that they are right and you are wrong. It makes me want to tune out and turn away from the very people I’ve come to know and love. Facebook has become a cesspool for the arrogance of society; taken away (or lost in the crud) is the fun-loving, God embracer. Oh they’re there, but far and very few between. My newsfeed is down to about five people now, a much more POSITIVE flow of the GOODNESS in the world.

This is what is happening in the world today. People are tuning out and turning away; tuning out from the hypocritical society, the political garbage and turning away from God. Guess what, people can actually THINK for themselves. They don’t need YOU to tell them what is wrong with the world, clearly showing them where YOUR focus is, and it isn’t on God!

My only saving grace is turning away from the world and tuning into God. God is my refuge; He’s not my platform, I don’t use Him for gain, I use Him for comfort. He is my Soul Food!

Let me let you get back to your political propaganda, your regularly scheduled program. I’m tuned out of Social Media and I’m tuned into God.

Pss. 139:23-24 “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:
And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”

AMEN!

Why King James Version?

Prov. 30:5-6  Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.

Since first grade and my entry into a Catholic elementary school, I was introduced to the Word via the King James Bible. For countless years the King James Bible was my guide. I read it like it was the only book on my shelf from front to back and over and over again through the years.

In ninth grade I went to a Christian school and again, the use of the KJV bible was the one used for our bible studies. I hadn’t even heard of other translations of the bible but our Pastor at CLA (Christian Liberty Academy) told us of numerous ‘other’ translations that were out there and that we should steer clear lest we wanted to be led astray.

I remember one distinct day a conversation my sister and I were having as she was struggling in her faith. She asked me how I understood the bible so clearly when she herself found it so confusing. She knew of my love of poetry and I told her, “It is poetry to my eyes and ears.”

As you can imagine she looked even more confused by stating, “I just don’t get it.”

I personally don’t think the bible was written for us to ‘get’. I think it was written solely for us to feel! A new age guru did not write the words of the bible. He did not set out to explain every minute detail of every single word defining passages along the way. But in many of the NEW translations I feel that is what someone tried to do, write the bible more clearly so everyone could understand the Word it was speaking.

Even at our church, the KJV is frowned upon, seeking the word from the NIV because that was the most closely translated version of the KJV. Pastor Mike would often reference the KJV because the NIV didn’t have the clarity of the words. Many friends find the NIV an easier read, also. Can you all say, DIVIDED?

Does anyone realize that all these versions are simply dividing instead of what the Word intended on UNIFYING. When people hear that there are over 50 different versions of the Bible in the English language alone, they often think, "No wonder they are so divided.”

They might be wrong and they might be right. I’m not here to say who/what is wrong or right, I’m here to say what works for ME! And quite frankly, the King James version has worked for me for over 40 years now, so why would I want to conform to what other believers are believing and using? If the other translations work for you, that is fine, but my house, and me, we serve the Lord and I won’t let other translations cloud my enjoyment of the poetry it speaks to my heart and soul.

The one scripture that stands out to me that is too ‘changed’, and it’s not because of any Charlie Brown Christmas either, is the one from Luke.

KJV - Luke 2:8-14 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

NIV – Luke 2:8-14  And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.  An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.  But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.  This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

The entire scripture was changed! Did you notice that the NIV omitted the words CHRIST OUR LORD? Yes, I know Messiah the Lord means the same thing but WHY omit CHRIST? How is changing those three words more clearly defining the Word? I find that entire scripture sacrilegious! But then again, that is just ME! And just on whom does His favor rest?

As hard as satan tries to tug and pull me away from what CHRIST has shown me, I will not be led to his lies, fear and doubts he tries throwing at ME! I am SPIRIT-FILLED, not just a liver and believer. I am a follower of Christ and not ashamed of it in anyway way. But satan will have you believe otherwise through guilt, shame and doubt. Be aware of his tactics.
So why do I choose the King James Version? Because it is a poetic imprint on my soul that I just can’t shake and don’t want to either.
 
Follow what is on your heart and may God be with you at all times.

I'm Not Too Blind to See

Romans 14:12 'So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.'

I’m Not Too Blind to See

Man has eyes set on worldly things

I’m not too blind to see.

He roams around looking to find

others like him that agree.

He finds the wrongs then compares

I’m not too blind to see.

Man is lost; his pride beset

by a hate-filled anger spree.

Given free will we make a choice

I’m not too blind to see.

I choose to bow my head and pray

Outrage is not for me.

Silence is not an obvious route

I’m not too blind to see.

But I will not give satan

one ounce of strength from me!

There are fools among the crowd

I’m not too blind to see.

I’ll choose love any day

over animosity.

Prov. 14:15-16 The simple believeth every word: but the prudent man looketh well to his going. A wise man feareth, and departeth from evil: but the fool rageth, and is confident.

Encouraging Words for the Writer's Soul

Well folks, it’s time for some encouragement and you came to the right place. I’ll dish it out and you adhere and help yourself and honestly, you’ll be all the better for it.

Have you looked at the calendar? Did you know spring - the first day - is less than twenty days away! Can you believe it? And have we done any spring-cleaning? Well, with aches and pains, some may find it hard so I’m here to encourage you to get it started!

We’re closing in on Easter and we need to be ready for the rush of warm weather, possible rain showers, and more days OUTSIDE the home. So during these next few weeks as we embrace the chill that is keeping us inside, get to de-cluttering before the warm sunny days keep you from spending time inside.

I know how I am, once Spring arrives, I’m out in the garden raking old leaves, ridding the lawn of what winter has left behind, then my days are spent out there in succession, pain and all. This year, I might set me up a little place for my laptop out there, so all of you can be kept up to date with my activities. Oh you know you’d like it, admit it.

But first, before we can spend endless days outside, we need to get the place inside ready. You can do it, just take small steps each day and in less than twenty days, besides it being my birthday on the 23rd, we’ll be ready to face spring with a bounce in our step.

Our 1st baby step is realizing that the work needs to be done. So we’ll start small, say, with the desk drawers, and move onto the kitchen drawers. Rid yourself of all those saved pens and pencils that probably don’t even work! The kitchen drawers are probably filled with old papers and receipts from Christmas shopping. How about old utensils? Toss them if you see any rust, wood splinters, or worse, anything you haven’t used in a years time.

2nd – Clean out those drawers with some spic and span or your soap of choice. After scrubbing them out, return only the things you NEED and USE!

3rd – We’re going to get a broom, or a wooly-monster (that is what I call my furry TV electricity charged duster) I turn on my TV, run the wooly-monster over it and it charges the thing so it collects, you guessed it, DUST! Take your time! You’re in no marathon here to get it all done in a day.

Are you feeling ready now? These are small tasks (unless you’re a hoarder) and may even be done sitting in your desk chair or kitchen chair. The broom and wooly monster are for standing only; you’ll need to walk around the house, poking in corners at the ceiling to get any remnant cobwebs that linger.

By cleaning just these small things for starters will motivate you for the bigger chores done during spring-cleaning like ridding all closets of clothes not worn for five or ten years.

By this time you should now feel like a cup of coffee, and a nice seat at your desk to do some writing. Why not tell your tale of how glad you are spring-cleaning only comes once a year, and what motivates and drives you in getting it done.

Sure you’d rather be shopping, spending money you really can’t spare at the moment and sure you’d like to be lying on the sofa watching TV accomplishing nothing but remember by not getting these things cleaned up and organized, you’re really not helping yourself finding a cleansing spot to heal your soul.

I always took the saying “Cleanliness is next to Godliness” literally. You see, when you clean up your soul, you’ll feel the need to clean up your house, desk, computer, etc. so your cleansing feels complete.

I’m with you on the back aches, knees hurting and such but we must push our aching bodies to move through the smaller steps and hopefully we’ll be up to the bigger steps.

GET TO IT!

Grammar Police

Grammar Police!

***

I thought that was a funny title since I am on so many occasions the one being ‘charged’ with the crime of  Grammar Faux Pas.
I do try my best but I found that I am human after all, I make mistakes, and I lose sight of grammar skills when I get into the Zone of writing and all grammar rules fly out the window on a catapult!

I’m not talking typo’s here, for today I’m referring to words. This week we’ll get into other aspects of grammar skills but today, words are on my mind. I was talking to a friend from church, she is a fellow writer also, and we got to talking about similar sounding words that are frequently misused or abused, should I say? Or just plain old misunderstood.

read/read --  I read the book in one day. Or  I read a lot of books in a week.

lose/loose -- I’d lose my head if it wasn’t attached. 
                   My head is attached by loose threads holding it together.

wood/would --  This one seems easy enough but you’d be surprised by the writers who misuse it.
                         The wood on deck is solid oak.  
                         I would rather be somewhere else today.

its/it’s --  It’s a sunny day out there. (contraction of it is)  
              My book has a mind of its own.

desert/dessert -- The desert was not a place to be all alone in my travels.  
                         I wanted dessert after a full course meal!

coarse/course -- The material was coarse to the touch. 
                         The course at school was not fulfilling for me.

your/you’re -- Apparently this is my most abused word. I think they’re more of a typo though because I know the difference between your and you’re.
                       Did you get your hair done again?
                       You’re not going to believe this! (contraction of you are)

their/there/they’re -- Another extremely misunderstood set of words.
                       I wonder where they’re supposed to be placed?
                       Place them over there.
                       Their team won the trophy.

We have homophones -- Words which have the same pronunciation but different meanings and (sometimes) spellings.
 
homonyms -- Words which have the same pronunciation and spelling but different meanings.
 
and homographs -- Words which have the same spellings but different meaning and (sometimes) pronunciation.

Can you imagine coming from another country and trying to learn our language? If I’m an American and get confused, imagine someone from Argentina, Russia, or Mexico trying to write our language. Speaking it might be difficult for a foreigner but trying to spell and write the English language? That is an entire different story. (no pun intended.)

While doing research for today’s blog, I found quite a few useful sites for the writer to use as they venture down the writing road. I’m hoping to do a week long Grammar Police series but with another Omaha trip this week and it being a Holy week, we might have to run into next week, but stick with me, there sure is a lot to be gleaned in the way of knowledge for your writing endeavors. Who needs a course in college when you have a blogful of info right here at your finger tips.



Have a grate week, I mean GREAT week! (pun intended)

Quotation Saturday

On everyone’s mind is words, that must convey truth and be written right. ~~ Joni

***

TRUTH

“Live in truth with all people under all circumstances.” 
-- Brian Tracy

“The virtue of man ought to be measured, not by his extraordinary exertions, but by his everyday conduct.” 
-- Blaise Pascal


Truth spoken with a smile will penetrate the mind and reach the heart. . . .
-- Horace

ENDURE

I think these difficult times have helped me to understand better than before how infinitely rich and beautiful life is in every way and that so many things one goes around worrying about are of no importance whatsoever.
--Isak Dinesen

You can know the name of a bird in all the languages of the world, but when you're finished, you'll know absolutely nothing whatever about the bird... So let's look at the bird and see what it's doing -- that's what counts. I learned very early the difference between knowing the name of something and knowing something. 
-- Richard Feynman(1918 - 1988)

READ RIGHT
 
To read a newspaper is to refrain from reading something worthwhile. The first discipline of education must therefore be to refuse resolutely to feed the mind with canned chatter. 
--- AleisterCrowley (1875 - 1947)
 
Literature is the art of writing something that will be read twice; journalism is what will be read once.  
--Cyril Connolly (1903 - 1974)
 
You must have a room, or a certain hour or so a day, where you don't know what was in the newspapers that morning... a place where you can simply experience and bring forth what you are and what you might be. 
-- Joseph Campbell (1904 - 1987)

WRITE RIGHT

The pen is the tongue of the mind.
-- Miguel de Cervantes
 
Many books require no thought from those who read them, and for a very simple reason; they made no such demand upon those who wrote them.
-- Charles Caleb Colton

If you are pointing out one of the things a story is about, then you are very probably right; if you are pointing out the only thing a story is about you are very probably wrong - even if you're the author.
-- Neil Gaiman

OOPS Factor

Job 19: 4 And be it indeed
that I have erred, mine error remaineth with myself.
***

Oops that was wrong. Did you ever have that happen to you? Have an oops moment in writing? Well allow me.

The oops factor is a term we writers use when we have a, dare I say, mistake? This is why I say oops because it just sounds so much better and comes off as being retrievable but we all know, an oops is non- refundable.

Have you ever submitted a work and breathed that deep sigh of relief as you finally sent your work out and as months pass you think, “Hmmm, I still haven’t heard from them.” Then you pull the piece that you submitted out of the secret file that you have it hidden in, and take a second look at it.

OOPS! There it is, shining right in your face, a mistake glaring at you like an eyeball in the sky! It is plain as day so why didn’t you see it BEFORE you clicked that little submit button? Why? Because you were already excited about sending it out into the realm of the unknown and thought for sure it would bring you joy as it got the old accepted letter (one that you quickly print out and make a beautiful new wallpaper out of.)

Lesson learned. Before you ever submit, click submit, or send out your work, there is a checklist that you as a writer need to be aware of that will make the wait less tense filled and maybe a more pleasant outcome will result by doing the list!

1. Always check the guidelines. If it calls for 1200 words, don’t ever think that your writing is so special that the editors will overlook that one word extra that you added. In poetry markets they usually ask for 20-26 lines, don’t give them 30. It will get tossed in the trash. Also check the requirements for font and spacing. No editor wants fancy font! Remember that.

2. Always check for grammatical errors. This is important for submitting to magazines or workshops that you might be in. Putting your best work forward shows the reader that you have taken the time to know what it is that you are submitting. Editors are not going to fix your punctuation errors, nor is any writing group. Learn the concept.

3. Always check the correct spelling. If you are in Canada, then editors want the correct spelling, ie: labor/labour. But in America, they want the American spelling or else they will ask for the proper English spelling.

4. Don’t assume. Don’t assume that your work will be critiqued by a magazine editor. If she/he drops you a note saying fix this or that, then good for you! But they will NOT correct grammar, spelling issues for you, this should have been done before hitting the submit button!

5. ALWAYS and I mean always after writing, revising and preparing to submit, let it STAND for a day or two and come back with an eagle eye and read it. Read it OUT LOUD so you get the right sound to a sentence.

These are simple five tips that will aid you in the rechecking of your work before submitting. Don’t let the editors have to work for what they are reading. Give them something clean and professional and chances are you’ll get that acceptance letter sooner than expected.

Write Right Folks!

p.s. Thanks Raven :-)

Writing on a Diet

Live your dream and write right, it's what we writer's do. Learn from your mistakes and move on. ~joni
***

Well I don’t really need a diet, I’m thin by nature. But my words might need a little exercising. What I mean is, words are worth their weight in gold. If used wisely and correctly, every single word you use will compliment the other.

It’s like that nice little black purse complimenting the dress and heels. When we use one word for a sentence it will compliment the others and in this way our writing will take shape and form. It’s like building muscle mass within the words.

So how can we put our writing on a diet? I can go through many people’s writings, find too many if’s, and’s, and or’s; weighty words that have no use being in a sentence, too many adverbs or maybe the use of big words, that make you sound smart, but have no place in the story or the sentence.

We shape our sentences into paragraphs. If a paragraph is not solid it will appear as a floppy disc, just dangling in the wind. Firm up your writing with words that are strong and words that need to be in the sentence to carry it along. I strongly recommend having a thesaurus on hand. Let’s say you can’t think of a word, it has been alluding you to no end. Look us a similar word in the thesaurus and surely you’ll find a word in equal strength as the one you were looking for, or even a better word with muscle.

When you have a writing group behind you, it helps a lot because they can sometimes see things that you can’t. Lets say you’ve read your work, it is perfect to you, you post it in your workshop and someone says, “Hey, maybe lose this or that. Restructure this or that.” Their eyes are seeing something that maybe you did not see. That is why we have second drafts and third, fourth,etc., etc.

So I’m here to tell you to put your writing on a diet. No the first draft isn’t supposed to be perfect, it is supposed to be you, getting your story out on paper. Your second draft, you’re going to trim here and there, to make it appear exercised, so to speak. I would advise not posting a first draft for your workshop, because when they see all the mistakes and errors, or a weighted piece of work, they’re going to pick your work apart making you feel insufficient as a writer.

Why not post your best work and let them see you shine as a writer. So they pick it apart and see things that you didn’t. This is where you’re going to add, delete, walk away with a feeling of security and move on. Write Right, that’s what I always say.

Conflict in Writing

Numbers 31: 53 (For the men of war had taken spoil, every man for himself.)
***

Now we’re dipping into the good stuff, not that f2k isn’t wrought with good stuff but this week we’re going to learn how conflict added to a story can carry many chapters into a great novel.

Conflict isn’t about writing a scene where two people argue, or buildings blow up, people getting hit by a train, or other death defying fetes, conflict in a story can be as simple as Margo deciding what color dress to wear or which date is the better choice; the long ago high-school crush or the recent guy she met at the library.

All of this lends to the conflict in your story. On a broader level conflict can be a simple choice of whether the doctor gave the right diagnosis, whether the character wants to live or die, or maybe even he/she wants to become a monk and live a life of isolation. Inner conflict is as exciting in a story as are the knock down drag out fights.

Without conflict in a story, we would have pretty boring novels. Just think, had Frodo never found the ring. Would Lord of the Rings been as appetizing as it was? How about Harry Potter? Had he never had those disagreeing adults wanting to run his life, would the door have been open for the people at Hogwarts to come riding in (literally) to save little Harry?

We need conflict in our writing, even in our blog writing. We need to expel all the conflict in our lives or teachings to know whether we are on the right path or not. I can’t say that teaching writing techniques has bunches of conflict in here, enough to make you come back over and over again. But my poetry has enough inner conflict to keep you reading and wondering what the next poem will bring.

And sure enough there is always enough conflict in my blog because it makes you wonder if you’re writing right, you think about the craft, you dive into the conflicting feelings you have about writing and spit them onto the page in hopes you have something worth reading.

So, all in all, conflict is what makes the world go round. Conflict is what’s going to make your story go from wimpy love story to an all out triangle of people’s loves and thoughts.
As Valentine’s Day approaches, can you think of any conflicting feelings you have about the day of supposed LOVE? Why not write about it and see where there might be a story hidden in there for you to give to your reader.

Don’t beat me up for this post, drink from the pool of conflict and get some good writing done!

*** Congratulations to me, I made it to my 400th post! Way to go Joni!

Quotation Saturday~ The love of Writing!

“I write so all that is within me bubbles to the surface and is put onto paper making sense of all the insanity.” ~Joni Zipp
***

I think the first duty of all art, including fiction of any kind, is to entertain. That is to say, to hold interest. No matter how worthy the message of something, if it's dull, you're just not communicating.
~Poul Anderson

The virtue of books is to be readable.
~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Your stuff starts out being just for you… but then it goes out. Once you know what the story is and get it right - as right as you can, anyway - it belongs to anyone who wants to read it. Or criticize it.
~Stephen King

Write what you want to read. The person you know best in this world is you. Listen to yourself. If you are excited by what you are writing, you have a much better chance of putting that excitement over to a reader.
~Robin McKinley

Usually, when people get to the end of a chapter, they close the book and go to sleep. I deliberately write my books so when the reader gets to the end of a chapter, he or she must turn one more page. When people tell me I've kept them up all night, I feel like I've succeeded!
~Sidney Sheldon

Editors also know that the people who are really readers want to read. They hunger to read. They will forgive a vast number of clumsinesses and scamped work of every sort if the author will delight them just enough to keep them able to continue.
~William Sloane

Most of the shadows of this life are caused by standing in one's own sunshine.
~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal.
~Henry Ford

Writing from the Spirit

Genesis 37: 24 And they took him, and cast him into a pit: and the pit was empty, there was no water in it.
***

Truth in poetic form or any form is the only way to write. When I write poetry I feel as if a small surge of energy flows through my veins. I can sense it moving until it reaches my fingertips and urges me to write.

This is what writing should feel like to you. When you sit down to write, if you’re not feeling the surge of the spirit, you will not only write gibberish, you’ll put up a brick wall and you won’t be able to write anything.

When sitting down to write, clear your mind of all of the outside distractions. This is probably the hardest part in writing and that is finding the quiet space and time to get things down on paper. Having access to a computer helps but remember the pen and paper was around before the keyboard.

If you’re drawing a blank on your story, maybe try working on the character you have in mind. Flesh him/her out and fill in the blanks of who they are and what your plans are for them.

Maybe write a synopsis of what your story is about. Just a short general idea of what you plan on accomplishing with your story and characters. Note who the antagonist and protagonist are and flesh them out a bit.

Right now I’ve got too much on my mind to even think of writing anything of useful content. So I’ll allow you to peruse what I’ve already written in two years. Happy New Year...may you get some writing done! And whatever you do, Write Right!

F2K FREE Writing Workshop!

It's none of their business that you have to learn to write. Let them think you were born that way.
Ernest Hemingway
***

What is f2k? Allow me to tell you. It is a seven week free writing workshop that teaches you the basics of writing. F2K stands for fiction 2000, but the concept isn’t just for fiction it spans all writing!

To put it simply, you will learn all the basic steps in writing a short story that will carry you onto writing a novel. With these elements in place you can write your heart out, whether it is blogging, a thesis paper, or even a magazine article.

You’re asking, “Is it really FREE?” YES!

Hundreds of students are divided up into six or seven ‘classes’. Each room has a mentor who oversees the seven weeks. The mentor comments on the first week but sits and watches new writers take shape and form, from the sidelines. We have ‘mentor support’ for a $25 dollar fee, but most students receive their critiques happily from fellow writers who are usually well crafted returnees to the workshop.

Mentor support is one on one with the mentor of your room. PLUS the students get to give you feedback. You get the best of both worlds!

You see, Bob Hembree, a brilliant man, thought that people should have access to free basic lessons in writing. He’s the brains behind this gem of a course. You’ll learn characterization, plot, conflict, point of view, and one of my favorites, the senses!

F2K signup link

Above is the sign up link. We are blind accessible. I know because I had a student last session who had been blind from the age of six years old. I didn’t understand words like JAWS last year, I thought it was a big fish that ate people. But JAWS is a voice system that reads content for the blind.

I have another friend who is quadriplegic and it is accessible to his Dragon Naturally Speaking. I just call her Dragon Lady because she don’t like me! lol

Seriously, if you like to dabble in writing, want to become more concise or at least look like you know what you’re doing, this is the course for you. It will tighten your written words up so that you no longer babble! ha ha.


Now this is an IMPORTANT note: You will NOT gain access until January 6th of 2010.
I repeat, YOU WILL NOT GAIN ACCESS, until 1-6-10. I repeat myself because lots of folks have joined already and want access NOW. They want to look around. But there is no one there so there is nothing to see! Or hear! ;-)

Be patient and I hope to see you there!

Manic Monday

It’s just another manic Monday.

You know, Monday is the day of the week you wake up and realize it’s not the weekend and you must face another week of work. My work consist of writing, teaching,cleaning, washing, folding, scrubbing,vacuuming, cooking, raking, and that is just the beginning.

That is why I say it is a manic Monday because the whole week begins again with the notion, “What’s on the agenda for this week?”

On my blog my work is lessons of the written word, or spoken word, or just Thee Word.We’ve come a long way in learning the proper etiquette in writing. You know some people strive at the craft for years and never get anywhere, when some people who don’t even aspire to write, get published?

It’s not a freak of nature my friends, really. It’s a blessing.

On manic Monday my post must remain short so I can get to the gazillion other things that I must get to.

First on my lesson for the week is the period! No not the monthly type, the period at the end of a sentence. Okay maybe it isn’t even the period or other punctuation, it’s space, not outer space mind you, it’s the space after the period.

I was taught that on the written page, one space after the period is sufficient but last night I had a discussion where someone else was taught that two spaces were sufficient. This led me to wonder what is correct in the writer’s world. I sure wish June would pop in because I consider her to be a grammar pro and a very reliable source of information.

Anyway, this is what I’ve found on the subject. One versus two is a place where the discussion was mainly about on the web page spacing then it turns into an English grammar lesson. He said to “use as you wish” the info on his page, so here is the gist of the discussion.

Kathy Gill told him that the current typographic standard for a single space after the period is a reflection of the power of proportionally spaced fonts.

"The only reason that two spaces were used after a period during the 'typewriter' age was because original typewriters had monospaced fonts -- the extra space was needed for the eye to pick up on the beginning of a new sentence. That need is negated w/proportional space type, hence [it is] the typographic standard."

The design and Publishing Center went on to say:

"In the days of typewriter manuscripts the extra space was necessary to separate the ends and beginnings of sentences. The space character never changed. With the advent of electronic typesetting, the software attempts to 'fit' the type to specific line lengths, it both expands or contracts the available space to make the type fit. Word spacing is where most of this space 'play' takes place."

and they went on:

"With two spaces, there is 'more' space to play with, and if space is added (which is most often the case) the results are white spots, and in some cases "rivers" of blank spots in the body of text. This makes the body both unattractive as a visual element, and distracting to read."

Now it’s your turn writing friends. Which is proper? I know what my editor friends will say, “one space”. But I want my grammar friends to tell me what is right!

Deep sigh here...I will continue to dig this one six feet into the ground until I find something concrete that I can give you!

But for now I must go. Autumn beauty awaits as manic Monday beckons me.