Proverbs 31 Woman

Who can find a virtuous wife?
For her worth is far above rubies.
The heart of her husband safely trusts her;
So he will have no lack of gain.
She does him good and not evil
All the days of her life.

Mom and Dad looking at one anotherMom and Dad looking at a cardMom and Dad holding hands

She seeks wool and flax,
And willingly works with her hands.
She is like the merchant ships,
She brings her food from afar.
She also rises while it is yet night,
And provides food for her household,
And a portion for her maidservants.

Mom making breakfastA meal prepared by MomMom preparing a Christmas buffet
A pie Mom madeSome of Mom's canning

She considers a field and buys it;
From her profits she plants a vineyard.
She girds herself with strength,
And strengthens her arms.
She perceives that her merchandise is good,
And her lamp does not go out by night.

Mom's seedlingsMom's gardenPeppers from Mom's garden
Mom teaching us to play hopscotchMom rolling newspaper into firewood logsMom on her bike

She stretches out her hands to the distaff,
And her hand holds the spindle.
She extends her hand to the poor,
Yes, she reaches out her hands to the needy.
She is not afraid of snow for her household,
For all her household is clothed with scarlet.
She makes tapestry for herself;
Her clothing is fine linen and purple.

Mom quilting for her and DadMom cutting out a quiltMom quilting a wedding gift for her son
The girls in Mom-made dressesThe kids in Mom-made outfitsMom in a dress made by herself

Her husband is known in the gates,
When he sits among the elders of the land.
She makes linen garments and sells them,
And supplies sashes for the merchants.
Strength and honor are her clothing;
She shall rejoice in time to come.
She opens her mouth with wisdom,
And on her tongue is the law of kindness.
She watches over the ways of her household,
And does not eat the bread of idleness.

Mom sweeping up during renovationsMom looking over her offspringMom singing with Dad
Mom and Timothy readingMom with Grace on her shoulderMom and Grace hugging

Her children rise up and call her blessed;
Her husband also, and he praises her:
“Many women have done well,
But you excel them all.”
Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing,
But a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised.
Give her the fruit of her hands,
And let her own works praise her in the gates.

The family at Mom and Dad's 25th Wedding AnniversaryMom and Dad kissing while the kids look away in horror
The family at EasterThe family at Grand Teton National Park

Proverbs 31:10-31


Recap (May 2-8)

On bekahcubed

Book Reviews:

  • Get Married by Candice Watters

    I planned to get married June 10, 2006. I set the date in 1999 and had my dad reserve the time in his PalmPilot. It’d be perfect. I’d be 21, so I could enjoy champagne at my wedding if I liked. I’d have only a year left in college, so unless I ended up with a honeymoon baby, I should be able to finish out my bachelor’s degree. And if I didn’t? Meh. I’m all about the stay-at-home-mother thing, and don’t necessarily need a degree for that.

  • Lost in Rooville by Ray Blackston

    What do you get when you cross two couples, a trip to the Australian outback, and a quest for the perfect place to propose?

    A perfectly hilarious novel.

  • Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow by Jessica Day George

    “Beauty and the Beast” was always my favorite Disney fairy tale. I identified with the bookworm Belle–and was absolutely enthralled by the strong and (sometimes) silent Beast. I was disappointed beyond belief when the final ball would come and the Beast and Belle swirl across the dance floor–only to become Belle and, well, whoever that guy is.

    Jessica Day George’s Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow is an unparalleled story of Beauty and the Beast. Based on the Norse story “East of the Sun, West of the Moon” rather than the French version used in Disney’s retelling, George’s story has a unique, Scandinavian twist.

Photo Albums:

Recipes:

  • Ginger Lentil Stew
    I made this quick and easy (and cheap) stew earlier this week to use up a leek that had been sitting in the bottom of my fridge. It was fantastic–perfect for a rainy spring day!

On the web

Laugh out loud funnies:

  • The Guy who takes credit for answered prayer:

    “Am I surprised that the prayer was answered? Not really. That’s what I do. I’m like the Justin Bieber of answered prayer. I make hits. Am I surprised that it took so long? Yeah, a little bit. I took some time off from my prayer training this winter and probably need to get back in shape. I’ve got a 2.3 week average on getting prayer answered, so that it took Brian 4 weeks to get a job is a little disconcerting.”

    I think I might be guilty of this. It’s just so excited when you pray for something and God says yes. It makes me want to do a little victory dance–“He agrees with me!” (Or maybe it should be–“For once, I agree with Him.”)

  • Shakespearean insults for when you’re lacking inspiration:
    Take that, thou puking fen-sucked moldwarp!
    HT: Abraham Piper
  • A rather depressing birthday song…

    HT: Abraham Piper
  • Ted Kluck on Carman’s “Witch’s Invitation”
    This had me seriously busting a gut.

    “Carman is welcomed into the house of the witch, who is wearing some sort of a smoking jacket (red) and has a fu Manchu moustache. He also has lots of scary occultish stuff in his house like “Horoscopes[4]” (Carman’s words), a Dungeons and Dragons board game (apparently he’s a really nerdy witch), and a bird in a cage (some people find birds scary).

    Like all Carman videos, the narrative involves Carman sizing this guy up and then somehow “defeating” him, because as Carman theology has taught me, we’re (Christians) here primarily to dance in abandoned warehouses and win fights.

    My favorite line of dialogue, uttered by Carman (narrating the story): “I sat literally intimidated.”

    Scariest Moment: In a terrifying production value flourish reminiscent of Degarmo & Key’s “666” we learn that Carman also has a skull underneath his face.

    Best Moment: (Spoiler Alert) After preaching to the male witch, Carman leaves the house in a huff and slams the door! The witch’s make-it-yourself-at-home pentagram glass wall hanging falls to the floor in pieces. Cut to the birdcage to reveal a pile of feathers at the bottom. Carman killed the bird! Justice prevails!

    See the video:

Books for the TBR list:

  • Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons
    How have I not heard of this? Apparently it’s a classic parody of the even-older classic romantic pieces where a young orphaned girl goes off to live with her rather awful relatives–you know the stories…
  • The Last Time I Saw You by Elizabeth Berg
    The story of a 40th high school reunion. This must be a book club read, ’cause my library has TONS of copies.
  • Pearl of China by Anchee Min
    A biographical novel about Pearl Buck’s life in China. Fascinating.
  • Radical by David Platt
    A pastor challenges his congregation to live radical lives for the gospel instead of tame lives chasing the American dream. That’s a challenge I/we would all do well to take up. If I wasn’t convinced by Lisa’s review (shown above–which I was, BTW), I’d still have to read it based on these comments to a different Lisa’s post mentioning the book. And then there’s this review from Carpe Libris.
  • She Walks in Beauty by Siri Mitchell
    Christian romance amidst the flurry of an 1890’s debutante season.
  • Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life by Donald S. Whitney
    Carrie had me when she wrote of Donald S. Whitney:

    “If you’ve ever read a book by Jerry Bridges and liked it, then I’m pretty sure you will like Donald S. Whitney’s approach to sharing doctrine and motivating his reader to apply it to life. He has the same kind of easy going manner, and yet despite his calm demeanor, he never waivers in his devotion to truth.”

    Jerry Bridges has long been one of my favorite authors. Four years ago, Bridges preached a sermon to a group of Navigator college students in Jacksonville, Florida. God used that sermon to transform my understanding of justification–and to transform my life thereby. If Whitney’s anything like Bridges, I want to read this book.

Projects to try:

Thought-provoking posts:

  • I mentioned the guilt-motivation for giving when I reviewed The Power of Half a couple of weeks ago. This article from Desiring God talks about true motivation for Christian giving.

    “The Bible does not use the guilt-producing motivation, yet it powerfully argues for the ministry of mercy. In 2 Corinthians 8:2-3, Paul tells us that the Macedonian Christians gave generously to the Jerusalem famine victims. He notes that “out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity” (v. 2). The Macedonians were not of a higher social class than the needy in Jerusalem. They apparently were going through terrible trials of their own. What, then, was the dynamic that moved them to give? “Their overflowing joy . . . “ (v. 2) and “they gave themselves first to the Lord” (v. 5). It was the Macedonian’s response to the self-emptying Lord. Their gifts were a response, not to a ratio of income levels, but to the gift of Christ!”

  • Expositional Preaching. Not gonna lie, I’m a fan. It ensures that we don’t skip or gloss over parts of the Bible.

    “That is where expository preaching that is verse-by-verse and text-by-text and chapter-by-chapter and book-by-book doesn’t allow you to ride a hobbyhorse. It doesn’t allow you to enter into that imbalance. It takes you on to the next truth, which you then have to prepare yourself to teach and to preach.

    I don’t think we are very good, arbitrarily, at setting a sense of balance for ourselves.”

    HT: Challies DOT com

  • The Simple Wife on being intentional in friendship. This one’s still a work in progress for me.

Videos worth seeing:


Fear of Wrong Motives

Notes on Francis Chan’s
Forgotten God
Chapter 4: Why Do You Want Him?

Chan asks why I want the Holy Spirit. “What is your motivation?” he queries.

I search my brain and come up with this answer: “Because my vision is to glorify God by growing in daily relationship with Him, being conformed to the image of Christ; by growing in relationship with others, taking time to invest in their lives; and by growing as an individual, always learning and always practicing what I’ve learned.”

My life vision flows glibly from my lips and my pen. This is what I only pray that someday my life will exemplify. God’s glorification. Relationship with Christ. Relationship with others. Personal growth.

I fear, though, that this answer is too pat, too religious, too straight out of a Stephen Covey exercise. Surely, I have ulterior motives for desiring the Holy Spirit.

I set down the book for a few days. I pick it up again and reread Chapter 3.

What are my motives? I ask myself, digging for hidden selfish motives. “Because I want His kingdom to come and His will to be done.”

“Church answer.” My brain throws back its rapid-fire retort.

I try again. “I want the Spirit because…”

I’m at a loss. “I want the Spirit because more than anything, I want my life to be a testimony of Christ. I want the Spirit because I dream of being transformed into the image of Christ. I want the Spirit because God has put in my heart a dream for the church, His bride, walking in mercy and in truth. I want the Spirit because I know that it is He and He alone who can cause my life to reflect Christ, who can build the church, and who can draw the lost unto Himself. And if my life fails to reflect Christ, to build the church, and to draw the lost to saving grace, then all my achievements are worthless. I want the Spirit because I know that, apart from Him, I will have wasted my life.”

Chan is right–there are many wrong motives for seeking the Spirit. He names attention, miracle hunting, and desire for personal control. But these are not what motivates me at this point in my life. I need not be ashamed that, in God’s mercy, He has caused me to desire the Spirit for the right reason.

I need not spend hours trying to find a false motive. Should one arise, God will reveal that. For now, I can rejoice that God has granted me this pure desire–and I can seek the Spirit’s increased activity unbound by fear of wrong motives.

(See more notes on Forgotten God here.)


How many children’s titles have you read?

Amy at Hope is the Word did a fun little children’s book meme yesterday–and I figured I might play along. The list is supposed to be the top 100 children’s novels, as determined by a group of readers at The School Library Journal blog.

How many have you read?

100. The Egypt Game – Snyder (1967)
99. The Indian in the Cupboard – Banks (1980)
98. Children of Green Knowe – Boston (1954)
97. The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane – DiCamillo (2006)
96. The Witches – Dahl (1983)
95. Pippi Longstocking – Lindgren (1950)
94. Swallows and Amazons – Ransome (1930)
93. Caddie Woodlawn – Brink (1935)
92. Ella Enchanted – Levine (1997)
91. Sideways Stories from Wayside School – Sachar (1978)
90. Sarah, Plain and Tall – MacLachlan (1985)
89. Ramona and Her Father – Cleary (1977)
88. The High King – Alexander (1968)
87. The View from Saturday – Konigsburg (1996)
86. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets – Rowling (1999)
85. On the Banks of Plum Creek – Wilder (1937)
84. The Little White Horse – Goudge (1946)
83. The Thief – Turner (1997)
82. The Book of Three – Alexander (1964)
81. Where the Mountain Meets the Moon – Lin (2009)
80. The Graveyard Book – Gaiman (200
79. All-of-a-Kind-Family – Taylor (1951)
78. Johnny Tremain – Forbes (1943)
77. The City of Ember – DuPrau (2003)
76. Out of the Dust – Hesse (1997)
75. Love That Dog – Creech (2001)
74. The Borrowers – Norton (1953)
73. My Side of the Mountain – George (1959)
72. My Father’s Dragon – Gannett (1948)
71. The Bad Beginning – Snicket (1999)
70. Betsy-Tacy – Lovelace (1940)
69. The Mysterious Benedict Society – Stewart (2007)
68. Walk Two Moons – Creech (1994)
67. Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher – Coville (1991)
66. Henry Huggins – Cleary (1950)
65. Ballet Shoes – Streatfield (1936)
64. A Long Way from Chicago – Peck (1998)
63. Gone-Away Lake – Enright (1957)
62. The Secret of the Old Clock – Keene (1959)
61. Stargirl – Spinelli (2000)
60. The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle – Avi (1990)
59. Inkheart – Funke (2003)
58. The Wolves of Willoughby Chase – Aiken (1962)
57. Ramona Quimby, Age 8 – Cleary (1981)
56. Number the Stars – Lowry (1989)
55. The Great Gilly Hopkins – Paterson (1978)
54. The BFG – Dahl (1982)
53. Wind in the Willows – Grahame (1908)
52. The Invention of Hugo Cabret (2007)
51. The Saturdays – Enright (1941)
50. Island of the Blue Dolphins – O’Dell (1960)
49. Frindle – Clements (1996)
48. The Penderwicks – Birdsall (2005)
47. Bud, Not Buddy – Curtis (1999)
46. Where the Red Fern Grows – Rawls (1961)
45. The Golden Compass – Pullman (1995)
44. Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing – Blume (1972)
43. Ramona the Pest – Cleary (1968)
42. Little House on the Prairie – Wilder (1935)
41. The Witch of Blackbird Pond – Speare (1958)
40. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz – Baum (1900)
39. When You Reach Me – Stead (2009)
38. HP and the Order of the Phoenix – Rowling (2003)
37. Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry – Taylor (1976)
36. Are You there, God? It’s Me, Margaret – Blume (1970)
35. HP and the Goblet of Fire – Rowling (2000)
34. The Watsons Go to Birmingham – Curtis (1995)
33. James and the Giant Peach – Dahl (1961)
32. Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH – O’Brian (1971)
31. Half Magic – Eager (1954)
30. Winnie-the-Pooh – Milne (1926)
29. The Dark Is Rising – Cooper (1973)
28. A Little Princess – Burnett (1905)
27. Alice I and II – Carroll (1865/72)
26. Hatchet – Paulsen (1989)
25. Little Women – Alcott (1868/9)
24. HP and the Deathly Hallows – Rowling (2007)
23. Little House in the Big Woods – Wilder (1932)
22. The Tale of Despereaux – DiCamillo (2003)
21. The Lightening Thief – Riordan (2005)
20. Tuck Everlasting – Babbitt (1975)
19. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory – Dahl (1964)
18. Matilda – Dahl (1988)
17. Maniac Magee – Spinelli (1990)
16. Harriet the Spy – Fitzhugh (1964)
15. Because of Winn-Dixie – DiCamillo (2000)
14. HP and the Prisoner of Azkaban – Rowling (1999)
13. Bridge to Terabithia – Paterson (1977)
12. The Hobbit – Tolkien (1938)
11. The Westing Game – Raskin (1978)
10. The Phantom Tollbooth – Juster (1961)
9. Anne of Green Gables – Montgomery (1908)
8. The Secret Garden – Burnett (1911)
7. The Giver -Lowry (1993)
6. Holes – Sachar (1998)
5. From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler – Koningsburg (1967)
4. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe – Lewis (1950)
3. Harry Potter #1 – Rowling (1997)
2. A Wrinkle in Time – L’Engle (1962)
1. Charlotte’s Web – White (1952)

I’m a bit ashamed to realize that I’ve only read 23, and of those, I can only describe 18 plots. Any guesses as to which ones I DON’T remember?

I also don’t know what’s up with On the Banks of Plum Creek making the list when Little Town on the Prairie doesn’t. Little Town is clearly the best written of the whole series.

Anywho, thanks for playing.


Book Review: “Lost in Rooville” by Ray Blackston

What do you get when you cross two couples, a trip to the Australian outback, and a quest for the perfect place to propose?

A perfectly hilarious novel.

Ray Blackston’s Lost in Rooville had me laughing from start to finish. Main character Jay Jarvis and his girlfriend Allie venture out into the outback alone–ostensibly racing their best friends for most animal sightings, but really looking for a great spot for Jay to make a sunset proposal. They eventually do find some animals–but get hopelessly lost while doing so.

What follows is a wickedly amusing account of Jay’s actions and thoughts as he and his new fiancee sit by their broken-down Land Rover waiting for rescue–if rescue is forthcoming.

Blackston is one of those authors that I picked up willy-nilly from the library shelves one day–and discovered that I really enjoyed. Most Christian “romance” fiction is written by women–and while that’s just fine, it does mean that a lot of Christian “romance” fiction is, well, pretty feminine. Blackston’s romances are definitely not feminine. This isn’t a feel-good, gushy story–it’s a feel-good, almost-wet-your-pants-laughing story. And that’s nice for a change.

Something in the last few chapters tipped me off to the idea that this wasn’t the first Blackston had written of these characters. I investigated a bit–and it turns out that this was a sequel to Blackston’s first novel Flabbergasted. Obviously, since I made it all the way through the book before realizing that this was a sequel–it works fine as a stand alone novel.

This was a fun book, a great turn-off-your-brain read–and I recommend Blackston for anytime you need a nice light laugh.


Rating: 3 stars
Category: Fiction
Synopsis: In the quest for a perfect place to pop the question, Jay finds himself and his girlfriend stranded in the middle of the Australian outback, with nothing to do but wait for rescue.
Recommendation: Amusing but not necessarily profound, the storyline is engaging but not spectacular. Nevertheless, this is a great read for anyone who likes a laugh.


My GREAT Aunts

The Cook Clan, to which I belong, is a clan that is blessed with women.

Of my mother’s eleven siblings, nine of them are sisters.

So I grew up in a world dominated by aunts (although they managed to bring not a few men into the fold as in-laws.)

Some of my earliest childhood memories are of taking romps with a whole passel of aunts, attending the wedding of one aunt or the other, picking up an aunt from her university classes.

My aunts are all smart, brilliant even. The Cook girls were almost universally valedictorians of their class. Most of them went to the University on academic scholarships.

The Cook family, Christmas 1984

The Cook Clan, Christmas 1984

But it isn’t their brains or even the fond memories of childhood play that make me declare that I have the greatest aunts in the world.

It’s Facebook that has convinced me that my aunts are the best.

My aunts read my Facebook stati, the links I post, the blog posts that get automatically transferred as notes. And they comment with wisdom and humor.

I linked to an article about an amusing medical condition. An aunt commented her LOL–and then later privately messaged me. “I’ve been thinking about that article a little more and realized that your younger cousins can see it as well. It’s pretty graphic, and I’m not sure their parents want to have to explain those things.” She was absolutely right–and I never would have thought of it. I removed the link and, thanks to her wisdom, spared my younger cousins from seeing something inappropriate.

I spill my heart, share some of the difficulties I’ve been experiencing–and an aunt comments just to say “I feel you.” When I demonstrate inappropriate thinking, an aunt steps in to lovingly rebuke me, encouraging me to be compassionate towards myself. When I comment on her stati, an aunt responds with an affirmation “Bekah, maybe you should stay in school and get that PhD. I can see you being a professor.”

I mention the “fertility charm” I received as a gift, stating that I won’t be wearing it as I’m lacking certain prerequisites. An aunt comments to say that there are more ways to be fertile than just having babies. “And I would say Rebekah you are very full of fruit, in the Godly way!”

What a blessing to have aunts who are full of wisdom and encouragement–and who are willing to share it so freely.

Cook girls, Thanksgiving 2009

Some of my aunts in their traditional kitchen cabal,
discussing some important issue of the day
Thanksgiving 2009

“…the older women likewise, that they be reverent in behavior, not slanderers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things–that they admonish the young women to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed.”
Titus 2:3-5

I am so grateful to have such wonderful aunts, who fear God and seek to follow His ways–and who encourage me to do the same.


Thankful Thursday: The Morning

Thankful Thursday banner

“Sing praise to the LORD, you saints of His,
And give thanks at the remembrance of His holy name.
For His anger is but for a moment,
His favor is for life;
Weeping may endure for a night,
But joy comes in the morning. ”
Psalm 30:4-5

Today I’m thankful…

  • That I was able to send in another paper this morning
  • That I had a chance to quilt a bit with my dear friend Joanna (it’s been too long, far too long!)
  • That I found a nice little MP3 player for uber-cheap. Now I can listen to sermons and audio lectures and audio books whenever and wherever I want. (I am my father’s daughter.)
  • That I had a nice chat with my mom and my brother when we dropped by to see mom’s “mother of the groom” dress
  • That I sent in the last grades and am done teaching for the semester.
  • That I had such wonderful instructors to work with this semester.
  • That I have a gardening and dinner date with my dad this evening.
  • That dawn breaks, signaling an end, perhaps, to this dark night

Sun breaking out of the clouds

I am so very thankful for the great faithfulness of my Savior. As the hymn says “Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow, Blessings all mine with ten thousand besides.” I have been so blessed with His presence and guidance through the land of shadow–and in Him I have hope for the haze of a thousand tomorrows.

Thank You, my Lord, for the morning.


This book’s a blast!

Romeo and Lou, a penguin and a polar bear, play together in the snow, molding themselves a space ship for imaginary travels.

When their spaceship takes off, they unexpectedly find themselves in the midst of an alarmingly unusual forest.

Romeo and Lou Blast Off

They’re stymied by unfamiliar sites until they finally see something that looks right–another polar bear (actually a small white dog) and penguin (actually a rather large man in a suit.) They ask for directions–and well, things don’t really go so well.

They meet some walruses (workmen) busy “ice fishing” (actually using a jackhammer on a road). They find another space ship (mini-van) and get inside–only to be chased out by a school of angry fish (children coming out of the swimming pool.) A shark (policeman) chases them all the way over a bridge and onto a ship, where Romeo and Lou build themselves a new spaceship and sail home.

Reading My Library

Derek Anderson’s Romeo and Lou Blast Off absolutely enthralled me with its funny juxtaposition of everyday life and polar animals. The story itself is imaginative, even fantastical–but the real treat is seeing the walruses, the shark, the penguin, etc. all just everyday men that you never would have really noticed…well, they really do look rather like walruses, sharks, and the like. It’s uncanny!

If you happen to be able to find a copy of Romeo and Lou Blast Off, I encourage you to pick it up. You won’t be sorry.



Painful Pity

I needed to talk to my professor about some papers–but I knew I couldn’t do it while other students were in the room. So I waited patiently until the last student left.

And then came the moment I’d been afraid of.

“Rebekah, how are you?” he said in that tone that says he actually cares, that he’d be willing to hear the whole story if I wanted to share it.

Just as I suspected, my eyes filled with tears and I could only take a deep breath and shrug, silently cursing myself for letting him see my weakness.

It’s been a hard semester. Probably the hardest of my life.

I’ve worked hard to not let it show–to not let my personal life infringe on my work and school life. If that meant spending long hours at home working on something that previously took me minutes, that’s what I’d do. If it meant crying out all of my tears in the evening so none could be left for work hours, that’s what I did. If it meant avoiding people in “normal life” so that I could be “on” for the hours that I had to be teaching or in meetings, so be it.

I think I was pretty successful. If any of my classmates (except Chante, the classmate who’s also a friend) or my supervisors or my teachers noticed, they didn’t let on. Except for Dr. Newman.

Dr. Newman saw through my disguise and had compassion.

And I hate it. I hate it that he has compassion on the weakness I cannot have compassion on.

“Don’t be nice to me!” I want to shout. “Don’t allow me this weakness! I shouldn’t be weak. I can’t be weak. Despise me, hate me, be harsh with me–anything but kindness is welcome.”

I don’t want to accept my weakness–and it galls me that he accepts it when I will not.

Why is being shown compassion so painful?


Grand Plans

I had grand plans to post about my dad’s garden today.

My parent's garden, circa 1995

My parent’s garden, circa 1995

I also had grand plans of finishing up the editing on a group paper and presentation that’s due tomorrow–and then of getting to work on some personal papers.

Alas, the editing took QUITE a while longer than I expected.

So instead, I’m going to sleep.

Tomorrow I have papers to write, a presentation to give, and grades to drop off. So I can’t guarantee that I’ll have that garden post for you then either.

Sorry about that.

For now, I’ll leave you with a quote that perfectly exemplifies my father’s what my mother wishes was my father’s strategy for gardening:

“A man should never plant a garden larger than his wife can take care of.”
~T.H. Everett

At some point, I’ll explain.