Blogging Through 2009

Last year was rather tumultuous. I did not post here as much as previously, and I hope to get back into the swing of writing, if only for my own sake, in 2010. Here is a look back at 2009 in the first blogged sentence each month.

January:
Earlier this week we considered the unseen shadow of the cross that awaited the King of Kings, the Prince of Peace, the One who had come to show us what God is like. (This was from the devotional book that I had printed for Advent through Epiphany last year.)

February:
Presbyterian Gal and Kievas Fargo both gave me the "Blogging Friendship Award." Aw, you guys...I like you too!

March:
Yes indeed, it feels very strange, these few remaining days with my congregation of ten years.

April:
I will soon try to post something deep and thoughtful, or at least get on with the doings in Little Big Foot.

May:
Someone asked me, "May I call God Mother?"

June:
Last week Ken and I went to Milwaukee's Veterans Administration (VA) hospital.

July:
Ken recently retired from working with Royal Ranger (a boys ministry).

August:
The worship service for [the Assemblies of God] General Council was really good.

September:
We just returned from the last fur-trade rendezvous re-enacting camp we will be at this summer.

October:
The feed corn is brown and drying in the fields, the soy beans are about ready for harvest, the trees are beginning to show more color, and the wind is usually blowing.

November:
I recently heard a Pentecostal preacher say something about how we Charismatic types tend to look for the "short cuts" in life.

December:
I am currently employed at Veritas Financial Services.

My Continuing Quest

I greatly appreciate those of you who have sent me emails or otherwise have inquired about what I am doing these days and if anything is happening on the employment front. It truly does mean a great deal to know that I'm in the thoughts and prayers of friends near and far!

Here is a brief update. I have not exactly received an enthusiastic response to the brochure I made--though I will continue to contact pastors and others. Not sure whether this is a closed door or just a creaky and slow one.

I did have an interview last week for a job that I could do but increasingly feel I should not do. Mainly I'm hoping they just won't call me back, because part of me does not feel at all good about turning down employment of any kind when the mortgage is needing to be paid.

Ken's brother Kevin is here and settling in fairly well. Ken is out of town for a few days but this Sunday Kevin and I will be visiting a church. This is a stable, charismatic, non-denominational congregation in a town fairly nearby (about 40 minutes away) so it would be possible for me to be a pastor there and Ken still to stay where he is as a chaplain. I did not think I would be pastoring a church, but their long-time pastor took a new ministry position and resigned rather quickly....so...

I'm not sure how to feel about this. I suspect that a resume from a female was likely a surprise. As for not being an Assemblies of God church, if they did extend a call to me I would need permission from the district office--no reason to think that would not happen however. I am NOT counting my chickens before they hatch, so to speak, but I decided that "nothing ventured, nothing gained." Ha--no more cliches. Sorry. ;-)

Kevin and I will be visitors on Sunday just to get a flavor of the place. I have been there, but it was many years ago.

If I have an interview I'll let you know.

Happy Birthday to Me

Are any of the readers of this blog old enough to recall the TV children's program "Sherriff John" and his daily birthday song?

Put another candle on my birthday cake,

And when you do,

A wish I'll make,

Put another candle on my birthday cake,

I'm another year old today!

We'll have some pie, and sandwiches,

And chocolate ice cream too,

We'll sing and play the day away,

And one more thing I'm gonna do...

I'll blow out the candles on my birthday cake,

And when I do

A wish I'll make,

I'll blow out the candles on my birthday cake,

I'm another year old today!

Somehow, somewhere, between Sherriff John and now, a bit of the glee about being another year older has lessened. Ah, I hope and pray that this year will be an improvment on the last one. Last year was full of death, and loss, and unwanted change, and grief and questions.

Onward and upward! God is still good.

Our days are like grass, the scripture says, so I pray that my brief time on this earth will count, in some way, for Eternity!

Thank you, my friends, for reading, commenting, praying, and pondering a bit with me on the journey.

Catching Up on a Couple of Awards

It's been a strange few weeks, but I am finally going to post two awards that I received last month. They are sort of related because both of them require me to divulge info about--who else?--ME.

The first one is from my real-life buddy, Much 2 Ponder over at In Case You Were Wondering, and it is called The Honest Scrap Award. I am supposed to list out 10 honest things about myself and then forward this award to at least 7 other blogs that I find brilliant in content and or design. My award recipients can then do the same if they so choose, and they can add the award to their blog by copying the award graphic and then pasting it.

Ten Honest Things about SingingOwl

1. If I had it to do over again, I'd get more education.

2. I am very sorry that I never learned to play the piano. Perhaps I will after I retire. I think I might have composed some things if I had the "know-how."

3. Like Much2Ponder, I have always wanted to fill the gas tank and hit the road with no preconceived idea of where I would end up. The idea of just going is very appealing. I love to discover new places, vistas, history, and so on.

4. It is difficult to realize that I am aging...one of these days it will catch up with me. I always felt I had limited energy and time. I am deeply aware, these days, that such is not the case. Too much loss lately to remain in denial, perhaps?

5. I am a shy person. The public speaker version of me is quite different than the social me, but both are genuine facets of who God made me to be.

6. I am afraid that I will never really discover what I want to do when I grow up. You think I am kidding? Well, maybe a little, but then again, not totally. I do not want to come to the end of my life and feel that I have missed something important God had for me to do.

7. I have ugly feet. Bunions, icky toenails and other issues combine to make my feet happy that they are usually enclosed in shoes.

8. I hate winter. I love December snow, but other than that I wouldn't care if I never had to live through another Wisconsin winter.

9. Sometimes I am too quiet. Sometimes I talk too much. I do not know why this is the case.

10. My husband is the love of my life. Sometimes, I think he wonders. But I do not know how I would manage without him, and I know that I would not be who I am or where I am if I had married someone else.

The second one is from Auntie Knickers over at Exile's Return. It is the "Fabulous Blog Award" and here is the idea:

"You must pass it on to 5 other Fabulous Bloggers in a post. You must include the person who gave you the award, and link back to them. You must list 5 of your Fabulous Addictions in the post. You must copy and paste these rules in the post. Right click the Award icon and save it to your computer, then post with your own awards."

First I will share why Auntie Knickers gave me the award in the first place. She said, "The Owl's Song taught me that people of faith and goodwill and eminently good sense come in all denominations -- even ones I've tended to think of almost as "the enemy." That is a wonderful compliment. I don't have space to tell you why, but it is!

Okay, on to my fab addictions (???) --though I don't how interesting they will be:

1. Like Auntie Knickers, one of mine is books. A person cannot have too many, can they? If I had my dream house, it would include a library.

2. Music. I cannot imagine life without it. I own lots of CDs, and some cassettes, and even a good number of vinyl LPs that I can't bear to part with. The music ranges from classical to folk to hymns, to rock, to blues, to jazz, to contemporary praise and worship, to...oh, you get the idea.

3. Cheese. I live in Wisconsin where butter and cheese are sort of a separate food group. That is probably one reason Wisconsinites tend to be overly rounded.

4. The Internet. I am astonished at how easy it is to spend two hours in front of a monitor because it feels like 20 minutes. I really do have to be careful of this.

5. Well, assuming I had money and space, I would have numerous sets of dinnerware. I love table settings! I just do not have the means to indulge this particular addiction.

Okay, I hope the roof does not cave in, nor lightning strike me dead, nor my hair fall out...BUT...I am cheating. Everyone in my blogroll is a fabulous blogger! I am combining listing fabulous bloggers with listing honest ones.

Hmmmm...well, one of the most honest bloggers I know is Much 2 Ponder, but she already got the award. Okay, on to the picks--and once again I am cheating and only picking six since one says pick five and one says pick seven. And besides, I have to leave soon.

1. Presbyterian Gal
This woman is hilarious, a gifted writer, and also honest about her struggles. I wish I could meet her in person, and the fact that she lives in Southern California is not the reason. It doesn't hurt, but it isn't the reason. She gets both awards!

2. Amy Maxwell is next. She blogs at Gentle Whisper. Amy is a fellow Assemblies of God blogger, and she is heading towards being a military chaplain. Go read her story, which you will find linked in her sidebar. I met her last year, and I wish I could hang out in person with her sometimes! Even if I am old enough to be her mom. She gets the Honest award.

3. Tim, the director of a homeless shelter, formerly blogged at a different blog, which he has left to begin a new blog Caught a Glimpse of Jesus Down by the Railroad Tracks. The first blog was anonymous, so sometimes grittily (is that a word) honest. Nonetheless, pay a visit to the new blog. A book is in progress. This is a remarkable man. He gets the Honest award too.

4. Next is Bits and Odd Pieces of Mindy's Kingdom. Mindy is a Fabulous Blogger. She is so many things that I am NOT. Check her out for giggles, crafty ideas, more crafty ideas, occasional food ideas...and more. Oh, don't forger the pantipalooza!

5. Last but never least is another Honest award. It goes to Lorna at See Through Faith. Even the name lets you know this is an honest woman. In addition to her transparency she is articulate, faithful, a constant learner. I admire Lorna very much, and I wish I were more like her.

Oops. That was only five. Are you still reading? Go outside and soak up some sun!

I Have Friends!

Presbyterian Gal and Kievas Fargo both gave me the "Blogging Friendship Award." Aw, you guys...I like you too!

Here are the details:

"These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers. Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award."

A decade or so ago if someone had told me that I'd be good friends with people I have never met except on the internet I would have laughed and rolled my eyes, but it is true that cyber friendships are real, if different, than face-to-face ones. I hereby and forthwith award the Blogging Friendship Award to (drum roll) tadaadadadadadadadadadadad.....

Much 2 Ponder (she's a real life friend indeed, but she does have a blog too!)

Psalmist (who is taking a bit of a blogging break, but I hope will be back soon)

Questing Parson (almost, he persaudeth me to be a Methodist ;-) )

Chartreuse Ova (waiting, waiting, wondering....me too, CO...)

Amy (an AG seminarian and chaplain-to-be, and one of those people I reallly wish I lived closer to)

Jules (smart, growing, pondering, and a fabulous photographer)

Lil Kiss (I'll love her always for more reasons than I can share here--she is new to blogger)

Truth (wife and mom and seeker of God)

Follow the rules if you like, or if you don't (like Kievas), you won't hear a peep outta me.

The Lemonade Award

I received the coveted (come on, you know you want one) Lemonade Award from my friend Much2Ponder over at In Case you Were Wondering.

The purpose of this award is to give it to someone who is showing gratitude or a good attitude ("if life hands you lemons, make lemonade") within their life or blog. Here is what Much2Ponder said about me..."the list of hardships is too long to mention because I wouldn't know where to begin. You get an extra helping of lemonade for your ability to push through one difficulty after another and keep your sanity. Your true heart that seeks to love people amazes me."

An extra helping! Thank you, Much2Ponder! Good thing I like lemonade, huh?

The rules:
1) put the logo on your blog
2) nominate blogs that show great attitude and/or gratitude.

3) have your friends pass it along to more bloggers!

I nominate:

Chris over at His Unfinished Work. She is not bubbling over with happiness right now. She is sad, but that is because she has had a miserable year. She needs some time to get back on her feet and then Chris will be making lemonade from the lemons again, sharing insight and wisdom and funny stuff and making me laugh with how she can tell a story of a disaster and make it humorous.

Danny G., the Once and Future Methodist. He has plenty to cope with but still posts humorous and/or insightful posts and some wonderful pictures. Mostly steeple pictures! What a church guy, eh?

Sue over at InnerDorothy has been suffering terrible pain for a long time--and recently found relief (Thanks be to God). Through a very rough time she continued posting and hoping and now she is rejoicing to be back half time at her church. I'm rejoicing with her!

I'll leave it to the three of you if you want to nominate others, and how many, and so on.

A New Year's Meme

Several of the Rev Gals are doing this meme. If you'd like to play, here's what you do:
Take the first sentence of the first post of each month in 2008 and see if you notice any pattern or common theme.

I do not like the fact that how I felt as I wrote my first January 2008 post and how I feel now in January 2009 are just about the same (except that both my mother and sister have gone to eternity). What is up with that? Time for a few answers! It was good for me to note that my first post of the year and my last post of the year spoke of hope.

January Lately it seems to me that I have many questions and few answers.

February My sister, Darlaine, passed on this morning.

March If you note such things...Larry Norman, the so called "Father of Christian Rock Music," passed away a few days ago.

April It was an interesting District Council.

May How I pray depends on the circumstances.

June Six weeks ago our church unveiled a beautiful new banner and I preached...

July Mommy and Daddy and Trinity are camping.

August Iris from "Manna Word" has given me an award.

September This basket of ripe peaches sat on our table...

October The Assemblies of God is providing a 31-day election prayer calendar

November Early yesterday our son, Josh, called to tell us that his...basset hound JJ...was struck by a car and killed.

December Isaiah wrote words of hope...about 700 years before Christ came to earth.

Which Simpson's Character Are You?

I'm Lisa, who are you? by NoHomers.net

Hat tip to Kievas. I think I'm really Marge. My son says so, and I suspect he's right. Sigh.

I Really Wanted to Be Hepburn....but

And now for something light and fluffy...

Your result for Are You a Jackie or a Marilyn? Or Someone Else? Mad Men-era Female Icon Quiz...

You Are a Doris!

You are a Doris -- "I must help others."

Dorises are warm, concerned, nurturing, and sensitive to other people's needs.

How to Get Along with Me

* Tell me that you appreciate me. Be specific.

• * Share fun times with me.
• * Take an interest in my problems, though I will probably try to focus on yours.
• * Let me know that I am important and special to you.
• * Be gentle if you decide to criticize me.

In Intimate Relationships

• * Reassure me that I am interesting to you.
• * Reassure me often that you love me.
• * Tell me I'm attractive and that you're glad to be seen with me.
  
  What I Like About Being a Doris
  * being able to relate easily to people and to make friends
• * knowing what people need and being able to make their lives better
• * being generous, caring, and warm
• * being sensitive to and perceptive about others' feelings
• * being enthusiastic and fun-loving, and having a good sense of humor

What's Hard About Being a Doris

• * not being able to say no
• * having low self-esteem
• * feeling drained from overdoing for others
• * not doing things I really like to do for myself for fear of being selfish
• * criticizing myself for not feeling as loving as I think I should
• * being upset that others don't tune in to me as much as I tume in to them
• * working so hard to be tactful and considerate that I suppress my real feelings

Dorises as Children Often

• * are very sensitive to disapproval and criticism
• * try hard to please their parents by being helpful and understanding
• * are outwardly compliant
• * are popular or try to be popular with other children
• * act coy, precocious, or dramatic in order to get attention
• * are clowns and jokers (the more extroverted Dorises), or quiet and shy (the more introverted Dorises)

Dorises as Parents

• * are good listeners, love their children unconditionally, and are warm and encouraging (or suffer guilt if they aren't)


• * are often playful with their children


• * wonder: "Am I doing it right?" "Am I giving enough?" "Have I caused irreparable damage?"


• * can become fiercely protective

Take Are You a Jackie or a Marilyn? Or Someone Else? Mad Men-era Female Icon Quiz at HelloQuizzy

The Seven-Facts Meme

That nice lady, EmJayDee over at Set the Bird Free  tagged me for the Seven Things About Me meme whille I was gone to MO, but I'm just now getting around to doing it.  Seven things about me....hmmmm....

1.  I would love to sing the blues (just once) with a great blues band.

2.  I am much younger on the inside than I am on the outside.  :-) I am talking about attitude, not organs.

3.  I think Starbucks coffee ice cream is fabulous!  You haven't tried it?  If your store doesn't carry it, ask!     (Starbucks is not my favorite coffee in liquid form.  But the ice cream....ooooh my...especially with      Hershey's syrup and a little whipped cream.)

4.  I started getting grey hair at 15.

5.  I started dying my hair at 25.

6.  I sometimes wish I still did.

7.  When I'm done singing with the blues band I'll take a turn singing harmony with a bluegrass group.

I am supposed to tag seven more people, but a lot of the bloggers I know have done this one.  Since I always like learning things about my friends, if you consider yourself my friend, and you have not played, you are tagged. (Okay, if you don't play I will not cry.)  But let us know about it in the comments.  

Love the Creator / Love the Creation

Iris from Manna Word has graciously given me an award which originated here, at Bible Dude.net. The  Bible Dude says, "This award in excellence has two short statements on it. The first one is, 'love the creator.'  The first thing that I notice about certain bloggers is that they have this great passion for God. They are serious about their faith, and want nothing more than to see God move. The second statement is, 'love the creation.' This one appears on the award because these people also display a great love for God’s various creations. For some, it might be the people that He created. For others it might also be the planet (or some other part of His creation). Whatever it is, they realize that God made all of it. They look at God’s creations through His eyes, and see all of the goodness that He put into it.

I put it in the sidebar, and hopefully after some sleep and some pondering I can pass it on.

"She's So Artistic" Award

To my great surprise, Diane at "Faith in Community" gave me an award for being artistic. Isn't it a thing of beauty?? Thank you, Diane. I'd better get moving on awarding my own statues, because a pick or two that I had in mine got snagged by someone else first.

This coveted award comes with responsibility (figures, doesn't it? ;-) )! I must post and adhere to the following rules.

1) Pick five blogs that you consider deserve this award for their creativity, design, interesting material, and also for contributing to the blogging community, no matter what language.

2) Each award has to have the name of the author and also a link to his or her blog to be visited by everyone.

3) Each award winner has to show the award and put the name and link to the blog that has given her or him the award itself.

4) Award-winner and the one who has given the prize have to show the link of Arte Y Pico blog, so everyone will know the origin of this award -- which is here: Arte Y Pico.

My picks are in no particular order of preference:

My first pick is "Much 2 Ponder" someone I know well in my real life. Our church building has lettering and artwork on several walls that she created for us. A pencil drawing of the two of us hangs on the wall behind me. Her blog, "In Case You Were Wondering" is mostly about her journey with God, and she manages to find the most wonderful images to add to her posts. I don't know what she uses for search words, but the visual illustrations she finds are always powerful.

Late to Life is Jules' blog. Jules has an amazing and powerful testimony--and I just realized that she doesn't link to it on this (a new) blog . Well, her words are thoughtful and truthful and down-to-earth and her photographs of nature are simply astounding. She posts many of them with her blog posts, but if you click on "Who is Jules" you can then click on the link to her photography blog. Her photography is absolutely not to be missed!

Sally blogs at Eternal Echoes. I suspect someone may have given her this award already, but she deserves to get it twice! She lives in the UK, so my chances of meeting her in person are slim, but this is a woman I'd love to sit and walk with for hours. She is wise, honest, open about her struggles, and a deeply spiritual woman, IMO. Along with blog posts, Sally posts great music and pictures and poems and reflections. Some are from others and some are her own.

Presbyterian Gal should be published, and I hope that one day she will be. Her blog is funny and interesting, and if you go there you can click on her story emporium and read some of her stuff! P.G. can write!

If any of you folks have already been awarded this lovely statue, my apologies. If you have two, however, you can use them as bookends!

UPDATE: I don't know what happened, but Proclaiming Softly fell off the post. I intended to give her an award for her "other" blog, Lady of Imaginative Sewing, where she shows us some wonderful odds and ends of creativity. I love her quilts. Check out the nasturtiums!

Scott McKnight's Hermeneutics Quiz

Long ago and far away at Trintiy Bible College, on the windswept praries of North Dakota, Hermeneutics was my favorite class...taught by Dr. James Hernando...and I got a B and I was not happy about it...and...well:

Here is a quiz that might shed a bit of light on your view of scriptural interpretation. I scored a 56 which puts me in the "moderate" camp.

No surprise! Middle of the road....on everything...to a fault...that's me. I have no idea if that is good or bad.

Getting to Know You

Fellow Wisconsinite blogger, Kievas, tagged me for a meme...it's been a while since I've done one of these, so here goes:

Rules: The rules of the game get posted at the beginning. Each player answers the questions/statements about himself or herself. At the end of the post, the player then tags five people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they’ve been tagged and asking them to read your blog.

Ten years ago:

I was working for the State of Wisconsin. I was tired, burnt out, and wondering if I would ever find a place of full-time ministry. I was (once again) pondering whether I should call the District Office and say, "I quit." And it was about ten years ago that this happened (question number one of that post).

Five things on today's "to do" list:

Send letters to Sunday's church visitors.
Email the vision team and the deacon board.
Clean the bathrooms!!!
Find beginning notes for this week's sermon....what on earth happened to them?
Make motel reservations for upcoming vacation (upcoming means later this year).

Things I'd do if I was a billionaire:

Pay off debt, then invest part of the money for ongoing income.
Pay off homes of my kids.
Establish a fund for Trinity.
Use the rest to partner with two or three reputable missions/charity organizations that I would love to bless.

How many billions are we talking about here? :)

Three bad habits:

Hitting the snooze button and falling back to sleep.
Procrastinating when I have a job ahead that I dread.
Talking too much.

Five places I've lived:

I've moved much more than I like. I'll be very general.

Southern California
North Carolina
Washington, D.C.
North Dakota
Wisconsin

Five jobs I've had:

Nurse's Aide
Computer Data Entry Slave
Social Worker/Paralegal (for lack of a more detailed explanation)
Husband's Secretary (never again!)
Long Term Care Ombudsman

I'm going to tag the following...if you've already played, I apologize. Others who want to join in the fun, please do!

Jules

Iris

A Different Iris

EmJayDee

Auntie Knickers

Happy Birthday to Me

Today is my birthday.

Man, how did I get here? It was a short while ago I felt like I had lots and lots of time....not any more.

I woke up feeling chilly. only to discover that the power was out and the house was dark and cold.

Outside, large, beautiful SNOW is falling! BAH!

On the good side, the snow does not seem to be sticking much. the power just came on, finally. The house is getting warmer and I am now willing to shed my fleecy winter robe in order to take a shower. That, and a cup of coffee, makes everything better most of the time!

Just for fun, here is a short clip featuring one of the most familiar voices from the 50s. and 60s.

I Scored as Owl

Of course I did...LOL!

Your Score: OWL

You scored 19 Ego, 13 Anxiety, and 13 Agency!

"Correct me if I am wrong," he said, "but am I right in supposing that it is a very Blusterous day outside?"

"Very," said Piglet, who was quietly thawing his ears, and wishing that he was safely back in his own house.

"I thought so," said Owl. "It was on just such a blusterous day as this that my Uncle Robert, a portrait of whom you see upon the wall on your right, Piglet, while returning in the late forenoon from a-- What's that?"

ABOUT OWL: Owl is considered highly educated because he can spell his own name (WOL) and he can even spell Tuesday... although he doesn't always get it right. Owl is a good sort, really, although he can be a bit of a stuffed shirt, and he tends to overlook the smaller details in life - like the fact that his bellpull is actually someone's tail.

WHAT THIS SAYS ABOUT YOU: You are confident and you feel capable of dealing with whatever life throws at you. You know that you can handle just about everything... mostly because you know how to delegate the job of actually handling things to the people around you. You aren't one of those Bisy Backsons, who rush around trying to do everything at once. You prefer to stay at home and reflect on life, rather than go out and live it.

Sometimes, you know, you need to stop waiting for things to come to you and go out and get them. You need to go enjoy the weather, smell the fresh air, and pay attention to the little people in your life. They may not be as great as you... but maybe they could use your help.

Link: The Deep and Meaningful Winnie-The-Pooh Character Test

Hey, I don't think I am greater than other people!

I Am Ginger? Hmmm

You Are Ginger

Like ginger, you are a total shape shifter. You can be sweet, spicy, mellow, or overpowering. You are both soothing and unique. You are popular... yet you are often overlooked.

What Spice Are You?

Just for Fun

Art Quiz

Well, what a surprise. No, not really. This has been my favorite style of art since I was grown enough to know what it was called. How nice to know (grin) that it is my personality too. Or maybe it had more to do with be extremely nearsighted--and that was pretty much the way I saw the world?

You Are Impressionism

You think the world is quite beautiful, especially if you look at it in new and interesting ways. You tend to focus on color and movement in art. For you, seeing the big picture is much more important than recording every little detail. You can find inspiration anywhere... especially from nature.

What Art Movement Are You?

Because I've Been Gone a Lot and Not Posting

Your Brain is Green

Of all the brain types, yours has the most balance. You are able to see all sides to most problems and are a good problem solver. You need time to work out your thoughts, but you don't get stuck in bad thinking patterns. You tend to spend a lot of time thinking about the future, philosophy, and relationships (both personal and intellectual).

What Color Is Your Brain?