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Dear Void,
Please LEND me your eyes and your time for an extremely nerdy post.
Thank-you,
Writer

An ODE to Scrabble: A game of NOUNS, adjectives, verbs, adverbs, prepositions and the occational otamatopiea (words like: POOF, buzz, crack)

I SMILED when I woke this morning to yet another Saturday SKY filled with clouds which noted: Fall is a GONER and the chilly STING of winter is here. Time for TWEED jackets and MINX coats once again. With Christmas right around the corner, I can literally hear consumers DEBITING as they strive to CRAM IN just one more gift or ACE that screaming deal. Several TRIPS to the grocery store on slippery PAVED roads to recover various odds of AG, (i.e. RUBY red BEETS, giant green beans, and fabulous FRUITY flavors) I recall memories of past Thanksgivings at my uncle's house, "You kids are making a ZOO out of this place!" He'd often say.  Amidst the screech of a monkey, the wave of an elephant TAIL, the bellow of an EWE, and the occational, "Joey, have you been to the barber?  You've got quite the SHAG on your head!" there was always LAUGHTER and LOVE to be shared.   AH yes, the holidays DO seem to cause my heart to tickle with a QUEER remembrance of the past and an exciting hope for the future. As I sit and sip my cup of JOE (most definitely not TEA) and enjoy a solo game, I cannot help but wonder IF this holiday season will be much different than the last.  OY!  Is that a ZIT?  DRAT...some things never change.

an eternity of Sundays

And there we'll find our home, our life before the throne.  We'll honor him in perfect song where we belong.  He'll wipe each tear-stained eye as thirst and hunger die.  The Lamb becomes our Shepherd King; we'll reign with him.

Hear heaven's voices sing; their thunderous anthems rings; Through emerald courts and sapphire skies their praises rise.  All glory, wisdom, power, strength, thanks, and honor are to God our King who reigns on high forevermore.

A Higher Throne

by Keith and Kristyn Getty

Ever had one of those weeks?  Monday comes and you're devastated the weekend is over, but absolutely sure the week will fly by in anticipation of the next break from the daily grind.  Tuesday you're a little more positive until sleeplessness hits you about 2PM like a train to a brick wall at 100mph.  Patience goes out the window.  By Wednesday you are in the lowest of lows realizing after two days of solid work you have two to go before glorious rest.  Thursday seems a little brighter by 5 and on Friday the spring is back in your step with visions of TV and friends in your head.  And then, there's Saturday.

Saturday is catch-up day.  Catch-up on sleep, catch-up on laundry, catch-up on friends, catch-up on blogs, catch-up on TV, catch-up on cleaning, and even catch-up on work.  You catch-up because you know the coming week will go much like last.  Monday though Friday you'll endure the hum-drum of everyday life.  Where is the true rest?  Sunday.  Sunday you rest.

Wake up at a reasonable hour, go to worship, fellowship with other Christians, maybe watch some football, order pizza, and go to bed early.  Sunday is a great day.  Sometimes, I wish every day was Sunday.  I find myself praying often, "Come Lord Jesus, quickly come!"

Today as part of my Saturday catch-up I attended Praise Band practice. As I entered the building, I felt the weight of the week on my shoulders .  Then we started singing and the words of the hymn for tomorrow's worship gave me a much needed reminder.  My Lord is coming and he is coming quickly.  Until that day when "Heaven's voices sing" I am refreshed in knowing I will one day have an eternity of Sunday rest in my true home - Heaven.

Today Void, I pray the same revelation for you:  There is a Higher Throne

at the end of the day...

What is it about the end of the day that makes us so sure about things? You know the saying, "At the end of the day... that's the call he should have made." "At the end of the day... I'd pick strawberry over vanilla." "At the end of the day...she's the one I want to be with." "At the end of the day... we're all just people." “At the end of the day…the apple is still going to be red.”

What's the difference? If at the end of the day you decide to be content with what you had at the start of the day, why not just be happy with it at the start of the day?  Of course the apple is still red at the end of the day!  It seems to me you'd save a lot of time if you just realized what you wanted when you woke up, then the end of the day wouldn't seem like such a grand conclusion.

Although, that's what the human mind may desire - a grand conclusion. You'd like to try all the options before coming to the best choice at the day’s end. I wonder if that's why we use clichés like, "Save the best for last," and "The best things are worth waiting for." Why must you prove to yourself what you chose is the best by making all the wrong choices before that one? Is that how we learn what we like and don't like? Is that how we discover new information?

Are we a creation that has to be unhappy before we can be happy? Must we look at things from a backward perspective to see our blessings? Are replays and reruns the 20/20 vision we seek? Maybe that’s why historians preach learning from our forefathers. It also may be why doctors and scientists are so experimental in their approaches. Looking back at the evidence helps us make better decisions for the future.

Humans are reflective. We try and we fail. If we dare try again, we may succeed. At the end of the day, we look back and see our mistakes in a different light:  the light of dusk. As dusk turns to darkness, our many failed attempts to do the right thing, fade into what is now the past. With each new day, the sins of our past show us the way to start anew. 

At the end of this day I know that each day can only get better, because I plan to learn from today.

snowy saturday

For some weeks now I've been longing to wake up late, sip coffee from my moose mug, feel cozy in my chair as the snow falls, and write.  There have been several reasons this has not happened.  Reason Number One:  it hasn't snowed.  Reason Number Two:  the days I get to sleep late are few and far between.  Reason Number Three:  you other writers will understand this, ispiration has been lacking.  It's tough to write when your fingers and your brain tell you there is nothing to write about.  Okay Void, you're right, don't think I can't hear you uttering, "But your blog is about nothing."  I admit, my blog does not have a point or a goal, or a cause.  It's not political, or educational, or even popular.  I would hope it serves a purpose.  It does for me.  Today it fulfills my longing wish to spend a Saturday morning at the keyboard, with my moose mug, while the snowflakes gently fall outside my window.

In Wisconsin, the first snow was an exciting day as a little girl. We'd tear on our hats and gloves, snow pants and boots and run outside just to catch a snowflake on the tongue.  My siblings and I would wait a few hours until there was just enough on the ground to build a midget of a snowman.  But, the best part of the first snow was warming up.  You couldn't go in the back door, "Go around to the front!"  Mom would say.  Inside we'd kick off our snowy clothes, desperately avoid bits of cold snow and puddles of icy water, and race to the kitchen where Mom served us hot cocoa and cookies.  Then she'd set the stove to warm, place the piano bench next to it, open the door, and let us warm our toes in the stove.  Best Day Ever!  It makes me laugh thinking about five little kids sipping luke warm cocoa out of plastic cups, with fifty little toes stuck in the stove.

We're not little kids anymore.  Although we're all over the place, living our own lives, I can't help but wonder what it would be like if we were all together today.  On this day - the first snow in Utah.  Something tells me nothing would change.  That's the blessing of a great family.  No matter how old you get, or how far apart you live, when you're together, life is good.

I can hear the neighbor kids playing in the snow next door...it's all I can do to not throw on my boots and ask if I can play too.