Faith

I don't deny what the doctors told my friend. I believe God can work a miracle. Whether He chooses to or no, I will not deny His character-His goodness, kindness and love. Like Job said in the midst of all his troubles, "Though He slay me, still I will trust in Him."

Auntie Mame

I am again stuck at home when I'd rather be at church. But, like C.S. Lewis, I take full advantage of forced resting time to enjoy good literature. This morning I read a chapter from Enter Jeeves by P.G. Wodehouse. My friend the award winning and world-recognized musician recommended it to me, and when the hammer dulcimer champion OF THE WORLD recommends a book to you, you read it! I am enjoying the book immensely. I also took a couple of my sick-stay-on-the-couch days to read Suds in Your Eye, a light and comedic book written in 1942 by Mary Lasswell to offer a few laughs to the depression era, wartime, American people.
I entitled this post as I did because I seem to have collected many very colorful characters in my life. They not only enrich my life, but the lives of all of my friends and relations. I am so very thankful for all the characters in the play of my life. "All the world's a stage," says Shakespeare and Madonna, and the stage of my life is filled with wonderful comedic, tragic, dramatic, loving, vengeful, but all interesting, actors.

Rufus, my inspiration and muse.

As I sat in the back yard enjoying the sunshine this morning with Rufus, he suddenly threw his nose in the air and detected the presence of Abby, our neighbors' dog. Rufus barked a "Good Morning!" In response, Abby, an Irish Setter, barked, "Top o' the mornin' to ya!" The two dogs, who are both pretty stand-offish to each other in person (or should I say, "in dog"), had quite a conversation. I wondered why they were so chatty when they were invisible to each other, yet so disinterested in person (dog.) This seemed odd to me until I realized how like that I am. Why is it so easy for me to express my feelings here, where I can't see my audience?

Mr. Jones

My mom told me about a woman who liked to throw big parties in her huge, waterfront home. One night, just as some of her guests were arriving, the woman was stirring the butternut squash soup she had made. Her best friend was there, co-hosting the party. The woman wanted to look her best when she greeted her guests, so she put her friend on "booger patrol". If there was anything in the woman's nose, her friend would discreetly announce that Mr. Jones had arrived. Many guests came, and the woman was busy greeting them all. Her friend tried all ways to get her attention, but the woman was distracted. Once things settled down a bit, the woman asked her friend if Mr. Jones had arrived. She replied cooly, "Mr. Jones fell in the soup."

Looking for Love

Single Orange Dog seeks walking/sniffing partner. Well bred and handsome gentleman terrier named Rufus. I like to pee on anything vertical, and linger long over the sweet aroma of other dogs' pee. I enjoy romantic walks to the convenience store. Please call so we can see how well we smell together.

"The dishes can wait."

This is a phrase I heard many times growing up, and it is a phrase I've said myself many times. After parties, my mom would habitually leave the dishes for the next day. She was going to be a guest at her own party, (the best kind of host in my opinion), and she was going to have fun and laugh and play games. This was far from lost on me. Not out of laziness, but out of a desire to be a fun hostess hosting a fun party, I have always left the dishes for the next day. I'm always a guest at my own parties, why shouldn't I be?
The simple phrase my mom said so often shows me so much of her character and her priorities. She wanted her guests to have a really good time, not feeling at all guilty or uncomfortable because of the dirty dishes. My mom was not lazy in this, it was very intentional. We all know what it's like to go to a party where the hosts clean up the second something is out of place. That will not be a fun party. You might not even want to go back to that house. (No matter how big their TV screen is!) My mom wanted her guests to feel at home, and she wanted to spend time with them. That's why she invited them, right? She didn't invite them just to show off her mad cooking skills or her cute-as-a-button daughter, she invited her friends to spend time with them. That is why I throw parties. I like to laugh and spend time with my friends. The dishes can wait.

The Accidental Gentleman

There is a very genteel and dapper man in my neighborhood who goes about town on his motorized scooter. He is always accompanied by his insanely large and beautiful dog, Luke. I speak with this man regularly, as my home is on his "canning route." You see, he collects cans to recycle. He shares with me his hilarious adventures, and the characters he meets as he uses his long, mechanical claw, and his dog, to reach the buried cans in the dumpsters. His most recent adventure I find to be worth reprinting in my blog. In his routine, he found a brand-new bouquet of flowers just lying on top of someone's trash can. The bouquet was still in its celophane wrapper. So, the gentleman picked up the beautiful bouquet, and gave it to a lady that also lives on his route. This lady is often outside, working on her car or in her garden, so these two talk regularly. He handed her the flowers, with every intention of telling her he found them in the trash, but she was so overcome at his generosity and kindness, that he confided the true origens of the bouquet only to me. I have nicknamed this kind and generous man The Accidental Gentleman.

Politics and Religion, or Things That Make You Go, "HMmm."

I don't normally watch the news, but as I took a personal day yesterday, I did catch a few minutes. A large group of people was protesting outside of the Mormon temple in L.A. Apparently, the Mormon church gave a lot of money to support Prop. 8. Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't the Mormon church institute the practice of polygamy? That seems just as unpalatable to me as gay marriage. A bit hypocritical, if you ask me. And what about Mitt Romney? Why did he want to be president? Um, don't the Mormons, like, hate us (Americans) and our government? Am I wrong in my understanding that Joseph Smith and his merry little band of followers fled to Utah to flee the American government and our laws?

The Heart of the Home.

I have noticed recently that I am a woman, and that I live in a home. This realization led me to ponder my role as a woman, and my role in my home. I, Mrs. M., am very different from Mr. M. I must say, and I think you will agree, our home wouldn't be the same without me. I've heard it said that, "If Mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy." Now, I ain't no Mama, but I think I can speak for them when I say, "True 'dat!!!" My pondering and reflecting on my role and the power therein as the woman of this house naturally led me to the words of Carlos Santana in his song, Evil Ways. This poor guy comes home to a dark house with cold pots, all because his woman is out hanging around with Jean and Joan and who-knows-who. He finally gets so tired of feeling like a clown that he gives her an ultimatum-either she change her evil ways, or he'll stop loving her.
I'm not afraid that Mr. M. will stop loving me in any case, but I do my best to avoid his having to come home to a dark house with cold pots. However, I do think the state of your home reflects your heart, and it has an impact far wider than the one who lives in the house with you. What about your friends? Do they like coming over, or are they scared to? I've been scared to go to my friends' homes because of what I would find (or wouldn't find) inside. How about your kids, and your friends' kids? Your kids' friends'? Growing up, I was terrified to go to one of my friends' house because of her mother. Will they feel welcome in your home? Is there love and warmth inside? Think of your roommate. Are they proud to bring their peeps over to your pad? Does it feel like home?
I can't write a post about femininity and the home without mentioning the Worthy Woman described in Proverbs 31. This Worthy Woman delights in her work. She enjoys making her home warm and welcoming, both to those who live in it, and to those who don't.
The heart of the home is just that--a heart. In a study of college students who were asked about the homes they visited, and which homes they felt most comfortable in, there was not one mention of the cleanliness or order of the home. All of the students felt the most comfortable in homes filled with love and laughter.
A good home is open to visitors, and shows signs of being cared for and valued, but most of all, it is a place where you can spend time with someone who has a loving heart.

More practically, what does a Worthy Woman do? In my case, a loving wife stands outside in the biting cold wind of winter, waiting in line with her husband to get a free scoop of ice cream.
Also, with her friends, I think a woman honoring to God and worthy of praise, is loyal, and even protective. (I have personally found that this quality that is so endearing is often unappreciated. Like when I rather violently shove my friends out of the path of a slow-moving, but still dangerous-vehicle. Or when I yell at my 30 year old friends to point their knives blade-down in the dishwasher.)