Month: August 2007

This is how far the world has come: you can buy rattlesnake meat on Amazon.com. Or you could at one point – unfortunately for all those of you who find yourself wishing for something other than beef and chicken and pork and giraffe and frog legs, it is listed as “currently unavailable”.

Here’s the link: http://www.amazon.com/Rattlesnake-meat-Medium-2-5-pack/dp/B000NNKJRS/ref=pd_ts_gf_1/002-3135675-2443208?ie=UTF8&s=gourmet-food

And here’s what they say about it: “Rattlesnake is light and chewy,with a delicate flavor that resembles chicken.” (That must be true. After all, what doesn’t resemble chicken these days?)

Onward.

This hymn by Civilla D. Martin is a beautiful portrait of a believer’s identification and acceptance “in the Beloved”. Wow – it’s a beautiful truth.

“In the Beloved” accepted am I,
Risen, ascended, and seated on high;
Saved from all sin thro’ His infinite grace,
With the redeemed ones accorded a place.

Refrain

“In the Beloved,” God’s marvelous grace
Calls me to dwell in this wonderful place;
God sees my Savior, and then He sees me,
“In the Beloved,” accepted and free.

“In the Beloved”— how safe my retreat,
In the Beloved accounted complete;
“Who can condemn me?” In Him I am free,
Savior and Keeper forever is He.

Refrain

“In the Beloved” I went to the tree,
There, in His Person, by faith I may see
Infinite wrath rolling over His head,
Infinite grace, for He died in my stead.

Refrain

I wrote a post a little while back on the naming of vehicles, specifically about my enjoyment of the practice in Kenya. Who would have guessed I would have seen a van here in downtown Milwaukee that would make me chuckle just as much?

It was one of those medical transit vehicles and was called “Divine and Able Transport”

Now, we have two possibilities here -maybe their service is so good, they feel free to call themselves absolutely Divine and, yes, also Able to Transport you . . . or maybe they just misheard /misinterpreted /misquoted the saying “divine enablement”. You decide (though I personally am leaning toward the latter explanation – and splitting my infinitives in the process).

Onward.

Speaking of divine enablement:

2 Corinthians 12:9-10  But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.  For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Another splendid definition from Terminology of Communication Disorders, Fifth Edition. And I quote:

“burp Belch”

Does it get any better than that?

Onward.

Isaiah 26:3-4 

You keep him in perfect peace
whose mind is stayed on you,
because he trusts in you.
Trust in the Lord forever,
for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.

When our mind is stayed, fixed, on the everlasting rock, how could there not be perfect peace? 

Metacognition: ability to reflect on thinking in general, i.e. thinking about thinking. (Terminology of Communication Disorders, Fifth Edition).

To illustrate, consider the following conversation:

You (noticing me sitting outside on a bench, looking very pensive): Whatcha thinking about?

Me (startled from the depth of my metacognizing): Oh, you know, I’m thinking about thinking. I’ve never really thought before, but now that I think on it, I think I’m gonna start this whole thinking thing really soon. I mean, think about having actual thoughts! That’s gotta be cool.

Oh, yeah – this metacognition stuff is serious mind-bending fun.

Thus began my brother Noah’s fictional story of a boy moving to Kenya – I beleive there were 4 “trapters”. He wrote it a while ago, in early elementary school, and it is a story that has become an integral part of our familial dialect -we still use his phrase “jet-legged and eggsalsted” whenever we are really tired. It just seems to fit.

As a supposed linguist/soon-to-be SLP/wanna-be orthographer, I find his spelling both endearing and very logical: “trapter” for “chapter”, “eggsalsted” for “exhausted”. Hey, they really make sense.

If only all our English spelling was that easy. And whose idea was it to spell it P-H-O-N-I-C-S, anyway? We aren’t really Greek anymore . . . are we?

Onward.

I’ve heard people say that there is no God, but if there is, he must be unimaginably cruel – an assumption based on all the heartache aned evil in the world. As I read through Isaiah, though, I see the exact opposite; I see a God who is righteous in his judgment of man’s sin, who is just in destroying the wicked, but who is gracious beyond measure. For after the judging, comes this:

Isaiah 25:8-9 “He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the Lord has spoken. It will be said on that day, “Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us. This is the Lord; we have waited for him; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.”

He is not unimaginably cruel. He is unimaginably kind.

We are smack dab in the middle of a very soggy week here in Milwaukee. Feels a little like a rainy season migrated from Kenya over to here. 

And honestly, the rain doesn’t bother me. I’m not gloomy. It’s actually been very nice and cool, if a little dark. I guess I think back to times when the rainy season in Kenya didn’t come and the earth cracked and crops died. Rain is a blessing.

I miss the rains down in Africa.

Onward.

Ephesians 5:8 “for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light.”

Even when the sun ain’t shining!

Today my sister started college. Well, orientation. Actually, she’s going to be going on a pre-orientation backpacking trip starting tomorrow. Sounds like something she’d do.

I called her this morning, thinking I’d leave a message on her voicemail while she was on the plane flying from Philly to Columbus, but I actually caught her at baggage claim, which was a pleasant surprise.

“Did you think I’d be going to college at the same time as you?” she asked.

No, I did not. If you had told me 8 years ago that I’d be living in Wisconsin with a year of graduate school left, I might not have believed you. That wasn’t in my plans. Silly me.

Proverbs 16:9 “The mind of a man plans his way, but the LORD directs his steps.”

I wonder where Em will be in 8 years. She’s at the beginning of this adventure, and I’m excited to see where the Lord directs her. 

Before I hung up this morning, I remembered getting off my first domestic flight and somewhat confusedly looking around for the customs and immigration sign. I almost told Emily that there were no customs, but then I stopped. She’s smart. She knows. And if she doesn’t, she’ll figure it out.

She’s a grown-up now.

One of the strangest things we humans do is name our vehicles. I know several people who have named their cars. Bessie. The Silver Bullet. Ye Olde Bucket of Bolts. You know how it is.

When I was younger we had two cars; two station wagons to be precise. And we named them. Woody was a boat of an Oldsmobile and had that good ol’ wood paneling, while The Pup was a little maroon Chevy wagon. It sure cleared up any confusion regarding which car we’d be using.

Dad would say, “Get in The Pup,” and we would. I kinda miss The Pup. But that’s beside the point.

The point is, some people (or places) have this vehicle-naming thing down to a science (an art?).

Take Kenya. There, they not only name the vans (“matatus”) used for public transportation, they also proudly splash the names in bright colors on the sides, the front, or the back. My sister kept track, bringing a list of the best back with her.

Among my favorites:

“Flossy the Biomagnetic Force” (I think this is at the top of my list)

“Princess Daina [sic]”

“Tolerance of Women” (not to be confused with another, “Tolerance of Ladies”)

Onward.

Weddings have been on my mind quite a bit lately. My cousin got married this month. Two close friends of mine got married last weekend, and two more close friends are getting married in 8 days. I love weddings. Especially weddings between believers who are walking by faith and growing in the Lord. 

Pastor preached on “The Greatest Wedding Ever” last night. That marriage ceremony will take place between Christ and his bride – us. The church. Revelation 19 is an awesome picture in the truest sense of that word. Here’s part of it:

Revelation 19:6-8 “And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.”

What do I say to that? Only that it is incomprehensibly wonderful. What a glorious, gracious God we have!

I realized today how comfortable I am. It hit me when we were having a goodbye party for a departing co-worker.

I thought, “That’s gonna be me in 9 months.”

I’ve lived in the same little apartment for 2 years. Worked at the same place for 2 years. Gone to class and clinic in the same building for 2 years. I’ve reached a really nice point in my life, a nice routine of work, school, relaxation.

And then suddenly, today at about 12:25 pm while I was standing upstairs in the “goodbye gathering”, my mind switched into transition mode. It was as if I saw a bright orange sign flashing “Big Changes Ahead”. Not that I haven’t already thought about graduation, moving, finding a “real” job, or any of the other challenges coming my way, but today it really started to sink in.

In some ways, I’m going back at square one, where I was two years ago, getting ready to move, clueless about where I’d find a job, clueless about what this whole grad school thing was all about.

In some ways, I’d like to stay in this comfort zone. I can’t. Time is pushing on ahead, and the Lord is taking me further into this adventure that is life by faith in him. And like any adventure, it isn’t always easy. But it’s his best for me.

I’ll take that over “comfortable” any day.

Someone asked me this weekend what that word meant. I learned the term from my roommate and it has become part of my own vocabulary.

I think the meaning is self-explanatory, and pretty close to being onomatopoeic.

Still, here’s an example of it’s use in context:

“I woke up this morning, instantly realized that I’d overslept, and now had only 3 minutes before I had to be at work. Unfortunately, I also realized at about the same time that I had left my bathroom faucet on all night (with the sink plugged), and had a major flood in my apartment. I reached for my phone to call my building manager and my boss, but my cell battery was dead and my charger was ruined in the flood. This was turning into a major kafaffle.”

Note 1: The above narrative is not based on actual events. 

Note 2: I spell it “ka FA ffle” because that’s how I say it. This is a spelling variant I have decided that I am ok with. The dictionary spells it ka FU ffle.

Pleese rememmber tu allways youse speling veryasions responsiply. Thangx.

Onward.

As I’ve stated before on this blog, according to the Bible, salvation is not a reward for good people but a gift for sinners: Romans 5:8 “But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Now add to that another truth: Christianity is not a crutch for the weak – it’s a stretcher. No, actually, it’s an entire life support system. Earlier in Romans 5, it says, “For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.”

That pretty much goes against everything this “be-independent-pull-yourself-up-by-your-own-bootstraps” world will  tell you. But in truth, we are all weak. We are all helpless. We are all need the Savior.

Will you trust in him today?

I’ve recently discovered that reading one’s work schedule in an astute way can be very helpful in avoiding unexpectedly stressful situations.

Take yesterday as Exhibit A of this new-found truth.

While at work yesterday morning, I heard that the person scheduled to work the 2-6 PM desk shift had called in sick. “Oh,” I said, thinking the remainder of the day was free, “I’ll take the shift.”

And take it I did. Armed with a mind fresh off vacation and some reading material, I settled in at the desk ready to help any patrons who came my way. It was a slow afternoon as far as questions were concerned, but I was pleasantly surprised when I looked up from my book to see the computer clock reading 5:50PM.

“Good,” I said to myself. My eyes were feeling a little dry and irritated, and I was tired from my late plane trip the night before. I was thinking of going home, doing some unpacking, and getting to bed early. I reached over and flipped open the schedule to see who was relieving me and working the 6-10 shift.

“Katie: 6-10pm”.

Oh.

So, I was my own relief. And relieved I was. Felt like a whole new person when the clock struck 6.

Yes indeed, it helps to read the schedule right. 

The last time I blogged was two and a half weeks ago – which feels like a very very long time. 

Highlights from the time at home:

1. The kids. The tall, big, grown-up kids who somehowly replaced the little ankle-biters I once called my siblings. I enjoyed Emily’s maturity, Noah’s honesty, and Daniel’s puns. I enjoyed their rediscovery of America – cars that actually follow traffic laws (“Hey, they stopped at the stop sign even though no one else was there!”), Wal-mart, complicated cell phones, smooth roads, dishwashers, Toasted Oats. I enjoyed throwing a sprinkling of Swahili into our conversations. I enjoyed the instance when we saw 11 Corvettes in a row on a Lancaster County road (they’d been hoping to see a Corvette in America). I enjoyed running with them at the nearby park. I enjoyed the fact that the boys ran a “warm-up mile” extra slow for me.

2. Family and friends. Besides my younger siblings and parents, I also got to see my older brother, Luka, both sets of grandparents, and a plethora of aunts, uncles, cousins.  One cousin got married on Saturday, so right there were 14 relatives. I also got to catch up with a few friends, including one from Moody who has been transplanted from CA to PA. Poor girl (weather-wise, of course).

3. Rhode Island. We spent three glorious vacation days with some of my parents’ friends at their house overlooking the Rhode Island Sound. We traipsed all over the place, got tan (me) or tanner (the rest of my African family), picked 30 pounds of the biggest blueberries I’ve ever seen, learned how to eat lobster, ate fish that was purchased straight off the boat, found pretty rocks and sea glass, went sailing on actual sailboats, had picnics on the rocky beach, visited the house our friend grew up in which was built by a Pilgrim (as in the came-over-on-the-Mayflower kind, which for history buffs like me & Emily was extremely exciting), watched sunrises (not me so much) and sunsets (yeah, that was more me). Plus, the kids spent hours jumping off high dives into the ocean. And I didn’t check email the whole time. 

Seriously, the best vacation ever.

Driving back through New York City in Friday afternoon traffic? Not quite as much fun, especially for poor Dad. Glimpsing the Empire State Building through the smog was a small consolation after we went 10 miles or so in an hour.

4. Just hanging out. Walking into the kitchen in the morning and getting hugs from Dad and Mom. Playing soccer with Noah. Enjoying Em’s 4th grade writing assignments as she sorted her things. Cheering on the Phillies with Daniel. Laughing around the dinner table. Trying to teach the boys how to load the dishwasher and use the garbage disposal. Watching We’re No Angels, an old favorite. And so on. You know, ordinary-except-for-the-fact-that-everyone’s-in-the-middle-of-a-major-transition family life.  

And that “just being there” with them was all I really wanted.

So, now I’m “home” again in my little place in Milwaukee. I’m back at work, but not quite back all the way. That’ll take a little readjustment.

After all, dear reader, I’ve been gone a short forever.