Weekend linkage

My family is funny.

Jared: When we install the new cabinets we have to measure the space is between the radiator and ... um ... you know, the other thing.
Me: Wall?
Jared: Right. The part you can't walk past.

(He was maybe a little bit tired.)

Mark: Guys! I think a UFO just landed. There's a bright blue glow up there!
Matthew: Yes, that would be the sky.

Ray: How much space do you need on the flash drive?
Jared: About half a gig.
Ray: Half a gig, half a gig, half a gig onward! Into the valley of death!

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Pregnancy happenings: Tadpole is moving a lot, particularly when I first wake up, during mealtimes, and right before I go to sleep. Like her momma, it seems, she enjoys good food and is eager to get it.

Finding GAP maternity jeans at Goodwill is exciting. (What? It IS!)

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Washington Post article on Susan Wise Bauer and infighting among homeschoolers.

Someone please, please, please buy this for me. I would absolutely wear it.

I thought this post from Rick Phillips was excellent: "Thank God That Christians Are Not Totally Depraved."

Tim Challies is giving away a set of Theologian Trading Cards. This cracks me up. The giveaway is open until Saturday noon!

From The Atlantic, an article about Messianic Jews in Israel.

This coat! So cute. And I like her minimal makeup. It's refreshing after all the industrial-strength eyeliner one tends to see these days.

Well Written Wednesdays: a friend of your mind

Paul D sits down in the rocking chair and examines the quilt patched in carnival colors. His hands are limp between his knees. There are too many things to feel about this woman. His head hurts.

Suddenly he remembers Sixo trying to describe what he felt about the Thirty-Mile Woman.

"She is a friend of my mind. She gather me, man. The pieces I am, she gather them and give them back to me in all the right order. It's good, you know, when you got a woman who is a friend of your mind."

-from Beloved by Toni Morrison

"oh no, don't bother"

I have plenty of time to think these days. We are living with Jared's parents until our house is ready, a situation which-- while delightful in many ways, and nothing like those dreaded parents-in-law stories you may have heard-- leaves me at a loss for occupation. I can't do anything at our house right now, because all of the remodeling either involves heavy lifting or lots of chemicals. I have two small rooms to keep in order, which is certainly not demanding, and as for work, it comes in spurts: one week I've got ten short stories and five persuasive essays to edit, and the next week, practically nothing. I don't have any of my art supplies with me (dumb. I shouldn't have put them in the storage unit) and even I can only read so much before my head splits.

So. Thinking. I do that.

(Plus plenty of sleeping. If you could stock up on sleep, oh man, I would have one fat account. Too bad I won't be able to draw upon it after the baby is born!)

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I wonder, for example, why it is so hard to let other people bless us. At least it can be hard for me.

One stock answer is pride: we believe that we should be able to do everything ourselves, so we don't want to admit our weakness and ask for help. I think that is a legitimate possibility. Pride poisons a lot of things. For me, though, I see another reason, and that's cynicism.

I mentioned this in a post over the summer. I tend to assume that people don't care about me and that if they offer to serve me in any way, they're doing it out of a sense of obligation rather than sincere love. Why is that? I'm really not sure. For the most part, I enjoy blessing others. If I bring them a present or go out of my way to help them, I'm not acting out of guilt or legalism-- I am happy to do it!

Yet . . . I insist on believing that others don't feel the same way about me. When I am offered an unexpected gift, I get suspicious, and I am more likely to say "oh no, don't bother" than to graciously accept it.

That's silly. I want to have more faith in people, and less skepticism. I don't think it honors my friends to be insistently independent, to push away their help.

What other obstacles might stand in the way of accepting blessing?

pastures and valleys [part IV]

{image credit: Il Medo}

Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

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"surely": the psalmist is certain about what he says. Why? Because his trust is founded on the host's character.

"goodness and mercy": things only God can give perfectly. Thing we all long for, and that are going to comfort and protect us in the valleys.

"will follow me": I love how personal God's care is. He doesn't just follow the church in general, or a family, or a nation. He follows me. And I love, too, the focus on the future here. What comfort for an anxious heart-- he will be there! Also, the act of following shows a kind of dogged loyalty. We're not going to escape the shepherd because he has pledged himself to us.

"all the days of my life": no exceptions. I never realized how absolute the claims of this psalm are.

"the house": something established. A place of welcome. And if it's the house of the Lord, it will be a grand dwelling. I think of a mansion, a villa, a temple.

"the Lord": the first time he has been called by name since verse 1. The psalmist is reminding us who the shepherd really is.

"I will dwell": the journey is over, but life is not. Dwelling is an active, living thing, a state of conscious bliss. Something to look forward to! And it is the ultimate fulfillment of all the pastures and waters and tables where we've rested along the way.

"forever": without ceasing. "No one will snatch them out of my hand."

busting a cold

Yesterday I came down with my first cold of the season. Scratchy throat, cottony head, going through tissues like whoa . . . all the fun you could wish for.

Jared: How are you feeling?
Me: Sick.
Jared: Aww. Are you sneezy?
Me: Yes.
Jared: Are you sleepy?
Me: Yes.
Jared: Are you . . .
Me: Yes, babe. I am also dopey.

So out came my arsenal of vitamins and supplements, and today I feel much better. Hurrah! If you happen to be interested, here are the natural remedies I used to kick the cold bug:

Vitamin C. Make sure it's a buffered formula (with magnesium and calcium) because absorption is much higher that way.

Cod liver oil. This has tons of vitamins A and D. I take it every day regardless of whether I am sick or not!

Oregano oil. Anti-fungal, anti-bacterial, anti-viral, anti-all the bad things.

Water. Staying hydrated is always important, doubly important when you're pregnant, triply important when you're ill. Get yourself a good water bottle and keep filling it.

Echinacea tea with raw honey. Boost your immune system, stay warm, and get more hydration while you're at it.

Homeopathic nasal spray. Mostly it helps with congestion, which means that it allows me to sleep, which leads me to the next item . ..

Sleep! I actually took a three hour nap yesterday afternoon, and then I slept all night again. My philosophy is: sickness means no alarm clocks. If you need to take a big old nap, although you may feel bad about the things you aren't getting done in the meantime, in the end it's a much better investment of your time.

Olive leaf extract. I actually don't know much about this stuff (shame!) but it was recommended to Jared one particularly cold-ridden winter; it certainly seems to speed healing for us.

If I would have had zinc on hand, I would have taken that too. In my experience, it always speeds a sore throat on its way. Now that I am down to occasional sneezing and a slight headache, I am just continuing with lots of water, vitamin C, cod liver oil, oregano, and olive leaf.

Having a personal masseur also helps matters tremendously. But sorry, you will have to find your own-- mine isn't for hire. :)