Wednesday Hodge Podge

Wednesday Hodge Podge

1. What's the last thing you did that could be described as 'taxing'?  I know what this question is asking but I decided to google 'taxing' and this is their definition "burdensome; wearing - a taxing business schedule."  We run a pretty fast schedule at work but most of the time I don't find it burdensome or wearing.  We say that coming to work at Trinity is like drinking from a fire hose so that gives you an idea of how our days can be filled.  I guess the last thing that was truly "taxing" was when we were flying back from Israel.  The first leg of the flight from Israel to Newark is over 6,000 miles and I had pulled my hamstring in the Tel Aviv airport.  I limped through Newark and we flew to Houston and I limped through Houston and we flew to Birmingham . . .I think it was 27 hours total travel and airport time.  Those hours were pretty darn taxing.

2. If you could plant a garden of anything, what would be in it? I would love to have a garden with tomatoes and zucchini and green beans and peas and strawberries and okra.  I would love for this big garden to have a border of incredibly colorful flowers all the way around the outside edge.  My daddy and granddaddy always had gardens and I grew up eating some of the best tomato sandwiches in the world.  The first year that Mark and I were married, we had a small garden and we had lots of tomatoes and lots of wonderful "fresh from the garden" broccoli.

3. April 10-16 is National Library Week...will you celebrate with a visit to your nearest library? When did you last make a trip to the library? What are you reading right now? What's one title on your want-to-read list?  I haven't been to the library in several years.  I used to be a weekly visitor but now that I have a kindle, I just download a book every few days.  I'm reading a mystery (my fav genre of books!) - the newest Mary Higgins Clark book.  I have two non-fiction books that I want to read soon.  One of those is Communicating For A Change by Andy Stanley.  I bought it several years ago at a conference and found it when I was unpacking a box of books on the weekend!

4. Share a saying or an old wives tale you heard while growing up, you believed to be true or that you paid attention to 'just in case'?  Raise your feet when you drive over a railroad or you will lose your boyfriend.  I'm so embarrassed to admit this but I still do it!  We were just talking about Old Wive's tales yesterday - especially the one about cats and babies!

5. Are you a fan of onions? Garlic? Ginger? What's a dish you love that contains one, two or all three items listed?  I DETEST raw onions.  They give me a horrible head ache.  Isn't that weird?  I like the flavor of finely chopped onions in cooked casseroles, etc. I even like onion soup.  I DETEST raw onions.  I know I already said that.  I like the taste of garlic - I hate the bad breath . . .that lasts and lasts and lasts.  I LOVE Canada Dry ginger ale!  I also like Ginger Snaps.  I'm not sure if I have ever cooked with ginger or not.

6. Where does nurturing end and indulging begin? What are some skills or qualities you think a person needs to posses in order to be viewed as mature?  This is such a tough question and it is one that we talk about quite often.  Nurturing someone helps them to feel loved and valued and even safe. Indulging . . . well, we do some of that around our family (both immediate and extended).  Indulging to a certain extent gives that wonderful feeling of "I'm special" but that can turn in a heartbeat to "you OWE me" or "I EXPECT it."  No one OWES us anything.  I feel quite strongly about that.  I was the baby of our family and my mom died when I was in high school and I'm pretty sure my daddy indulged me at times.  He also wanted us to stand on our own two feet though.  Once we turned 18, we had to get a job and support ourselves.  He would never have allowed us to go hungry but he felt firmly that you earned your own living.  I remember one time when I was working all day and going to school at UAB at night, I needed book money desperately.  I asked and he and Joann paid for my books for that semester and I remember they threw in an extra $20 or so for groceries and I felt like it was SUCH a gift!

What does a person need to posses in order to be viewed as mature?  I think you need to think of others more than yourself.  I think you need to be able to have a conversation with others.  I think you need to be able to manage your money and pay your bills.  To be considered emotionally mature, we need to quit blaming others for our own woes.  Bad stuff happens to good people.  Life happens. Stand up and put a smile on your face and make the best of it.  I think a mature person also is able to make commitments and stick to them.  If I sign up for a six week class, I should stick it out.  I think an emotionally mature person is one who expresses gratitude - who thanks others often.

7. What leading figure in any field would you like to hear speak, and why?  In today's world, we can hear just about anyone we want to hear speak via the internet.  I love listening to famous preachers (Andy Stanley; Adam Hamilton; Jen Hatmaker) and can do with just a few clicks on a keyboard or a few taps on my tablet.  I love hearing anyone speak who can help me do my job better or help me be a better teacher/facilitator or help me be a better Christian/friend/etc.

8. Insert your own random thought here.  We have the funniest cat.  He is a rescue and his name is Harvey.  He loves Mark and follows him around the house.  He loves . . .and I mean LOVES . . .dental floss.  He can hear the sound of us opening the dental floss and pulling out a piece . . he can be anywhere in the house and he comes running.  I have a video on my phone of Harvey flossing his teeth! (actually we are doing the flossing!).  I have tried loading it to you tube so I can share it and I've tried emailing it to myself but no luck so far.  Maybe I'll figure out how to share it with you soon!