Judging your ruler by my yardstick

The scripture for today was Miriam’s song of praise after God parted the Red Sea, led the Israelites across and then let the sea fall on the Egyptians. The writer of Adult Bible Studies (Cokesbury, The Methodist Publishing House) suggested that some might be disturbed by Miriam’s poem for its military mood and violent language (“horse and rider thrown into the sea”). But, he goes on to point out, the Bible “reports things as they are, not as we wish they were.” And things were violent during Old Testament times (New Testament, too). I don’t have a problem with Miriam praising God and saying, “The Lord is a Warrior…”

However, this does remind me of a pet peeve: Taking yesterday’s heroes and judging them by today’s yardstick. There is a trend today to out every famous person’s past mistakes.  And on a slow day, some media personnel searching for sensation look at past presidents, founders of our country, heroes of United States history and point out all their faults.  Ahhh, this one owned slaves, that one had a mistress, another obviously had Asperger’s or ADHD. (Undiagnosed of course, because no one had heard of it back then. But we can pin point it because we saw a PBS special once.)

All this makes me wonder if some time in the future, when the world is enlightened, when there are universal child labor laws, when the world knows what our hunger for the newest electronics has cost in human sacrifice . . . what will historians look back at the leaders of 2012 and say?  “They did a valiant job facing economic challenges, addressing climate change and health care. But they all owned iPhones!”

(An iPhone is made by hand by children working for FoxConn Corporation in Shenzhen, China.  I can’t judge. My Tracfone was probably made there, too.)

And so this has moved from Miriam’s song to American heroes to children working 12 hour shifts in China.  So much meandering you probably need a road map.   Not exactly focused writing, but maybe a few morsels of food for thought.

For more information about FoxConn here’s a link http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-3445_162-57367950/the-dark-side-of-shiny-apple-products/

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Midnight in Paris

When a movie is nominated for an award, it’s rarely a film I have seen. Most of my movie viewing is done on basic cable or through Netflix.  Which means, the movies must be at least old enough to be released on dvd.   But this week, only days after it won Golden Globe Award, I saw Midnight in Paris.

This movie stars Owen Wilson and Rachel McAdams, two of my favorites, and features Kathy Bates, another favorite, in a smaller role.  Wilson was nominated Best Actor, and Woody Allen scored two nominations, for directing and for writing the screenplay.  The musical score is beautiful, good enough for an award nomination, except awards are given only for original scores.  This sound track contains a lot of Cole Porter and other songs from the early Twentieth Century.

Midnight in Paris is different from most Woody Allen movies in that, while it is quirky, as his films usually are, it is rated (only) PG-13 — for sexual innuendos and smoking.   No F-bombs or nudity in this cinema.

On a visit to Paris with his fiance’s family, Gil Fender (Owen Wilson) falls in love with the city. He has become an aspiring novelist after achieving success as a Hollywood screenwriter and he senses Paris is the perfect place to write. While walking the streets one midnight, he steps back into the Paris of the Roaring Twenties.  Great writers and painters together, partying, drinking and living their Bohemian lives. Meeting and talking to the literary geniuses of this era changes Gil’s writing and his life.  Who wouldn’t want to flesh out their ideas with Ernest Hemingway, or have Gertrude Stein critique their work? In the end Gil comes to realize that today’s reality can be as exciting and rewarding as the past. It’s up to us to make it that way.

Because Woody Allen is Woody Allen, some of the 1920-era characters are humorously over the top, written rather tongue in cheek. Hemingway talks like he wrote, all about heroism, bravery, war, and deep, true feelings (for women in particular).  The slightly mad personalities of Picasso and Dali are fodder for Allen’s pen.

Woody Allen won the Golden Globe Award for writing the screenplay.  The Golden Globes are given by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.

This is really a delightful movie that I recommend.

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…With a Little Help From My Friends

My 14 year old Dodge Caravan has been seriously ill this week.  Even though she’s getting on in years, she seldom has health issues.  Only a few usually associated with the aging process.

She has lived a full life. She began as a soccer-mom vehicle and when she came to me at age 5 she was healthy and strong.  For the next five years she visited her health care provider only for wellness visits.  We traveled to Oklahoma, Texas and Tennessee many times. As well as to Branson, MO and several delightful towns in Arkansas – Hot Springs, Heber Springs, Eureka Springs to name a few.  If necessary she could find the Cabot Walmart on auto-pilot.

A few problems arose around her tenth birthday and over the last few years there have been transplants and prostheses – water pump, timing belt, power steering gizmo.  Eighteen months ago there was major surgery for a transmission issue.

Last Tuesday she suffered some sort of attack, became incontinent and lost a large amount of body fluid. She moaned and wailed pitifully as I gently brought her home from the Family Dollar, where she had become ill.

I was devastated. Surely this must be the end. No car could recover from a trauma like that. “Prognosis negative.”

Her Primary Care Provider made a house call.  He diagnosed the condition as serious but not terminal. There was hope, there was a treatment for this affliction.

She is currently home bound on total rest until the procedure, which is scheduled for Monday morning.  At this time we don’t know if it will be out-patient or will require an overnight stay.

She should then be able to resume her normal activities, curtailed only by certain limitations due to her advanced age.

My thanks to Bill Nick of Bill Nick’s Garage, and to my sis, Betty Liddle, for loaning me her car. Also to my son, Phillip, for holding my hand and patting my shoulder.  And to Carla Barnwell and Rhonda Roberts for letting me hitch a ride.

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Books I Read in 2011

Since I’ve had this blog, each January I have listed the books I read the previous year.   Here are 2011’s books with one-sentence synopses.

1. Unlocked by Karen Kingsbury – Christian Fiction. A teenage girl, sensitive to the needs of an autistic classmate, takes a stand against her popular friends to look for a miracle.

2. Witness by Karen Hesse – Young Adult Fiction. Written in blank verse, this is the story of the Ku Klux Klan’s attempt to move into a small town in Vermont. I reviewed this book in January.

3. Blue Like Jazz –  Christian Non-Fiction.  Donald Miller tells of his faith walk and the people he meets along the way.

4. Critic’s Choice by Ira Levin – Play.  The wife of a literary critic for a large New York City newspaper write a mediocre play and manages to get it produced.

5. The Outlander by Gil Adamson – Fiction. A woman running from an abusive husband finds help, comfort and love with a reclusive mountain man in the far reaches of Canada.

6. Wedding Belles by Alan Bailey – Play. Delightful tale about three spinsters who volunteer to provide a wedding for a young girl with no family.

7. True Grit by Charles Portis – Fiction. The classic story of Mattie Ross’ pursuit of her father’s killer.

8. A Million Miles in a Thousand Years by Donald Miller – Christian Non-Fiction. Story of the making of Donald Miller’s book Blue Like Jazz into a movie.

9. Like Dandelion Dust by Karen Kingsbury – Christian Fiction. A couple learn that their five-year-old son’s birth parents plan to sue for custody.

10. The Captain’s Dog by Roland Smith – YA Creative Non-Fiction.  Adventures on the Lewis and Clark Expedition from the point of view of Captain Lewis’ dog.

11. A Short Guide to a Happy Life by Anna Quindlen – Christian Essay. Perspectives on how to lead a life of contentment.

12. The Pilot’s Wife by Anita Shreve – Fiction. When her husband is killed in a plane crash, a widow finds about his secret life, including another family in Europe.

13. Perfect Match by Jodi Picoult – Fiction. A prominent prosecuting attorney kills the priest accused of abusing her child. This book was reviewed here in May.

14. The Trial by Robert Whitlow – Christian Fiction. An attorney with a lot of baggage of his own, takes the case of a young man accused of murdering a young girl. The Trial was reviewed in June.

15. God Came Near by Max Lucado – Christian Motivation. Scripture-based readings about God coming to earth as Jesus.

16. Hotel by Arthur Hailey – Fiction. Plush hotel in New Orleans faces bankruptcy while several sub-plots are taking place.

17. Mosaic by Verna Lee Hinegardner – Poetry. Chapbook by the former Arkansas Poet Laureate.

18. The Helper by Catherine Marshall – Christian Essays. The author shares stories of encounters with the Holy Spirit.

19. Same Kind of Different Than Me by Ron Hall and Denver Moore – Christian Non-Fiction. Story of the unexpected friendship between a homeless man and a wealthy art dealer. This Book was reviewed in August.

20. The Water Seeker by Kimberly Willis Holt – YA Fiction. Life along the Northwest Passage is hard and sometimes tragic for a young boy and his family.

21. Just Like Jesus – Christian Motivation.  Max Lucado writes about Jesus’ attributes and how we can immulate them in our lives.

22. An Uncommon Crusade by Caron Guillo – Christian Fiction. Story of three youth involved in the Children’s Crusade during the 12th Century. This book was reviewed in October.

23. Like a Rock by Steve May – Christian Motivation. Studies on character building from 1 Thessalonians.

24. The Devil in Pew Number Seven by Rebecca Nichols Alonzo – Biography. Minister’s family is persecuted and beset by problems created by an angry church member.

25. A Long Way from Chicago by Richard Peck – YA Fiction.  Two pre-teens travel from Chicago to visit their grandmother in rural Illinois with resulting culture shock.

26. House Rules by Jodi Picoult – Fiction. Teen age boy with Asberger’s Syndrome is accused of murdering his social skills mentor.

27. Near to the Heart of God by Robert J. Morgan – Christian Devotional. Daily readings based on a connection with favorite Christian hymns.

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Happy New Year

It’s been said that no one greets New Year’s Day with indifference. They are either eager and excited about what opportunities lie ahead or they are down and depressed that the future holds no such promise. Some think, “Is this as good as it gets? What if the Hokey Pokey really is what it’s all about?”  But wait, listen to the words of the song. Maybe turning yourself around is what it’s all about.

Well, I’m not going to expound philosophically about a children’s game. I’m just going to say I’m in the first group. I love January 1! I spend the day organizing my new day planner, making lists of things I want to accomplish in the coming year. I set comfortable, do-able goals (i.e. nothing to do with weight loss). I also look over the achievements of the past year, giving practically zero attention to my failures. (I am aware that sounds shallow but what I mean is that I don’t count how many contests I entered, only how many I won.)

This sort of puts unmet goals in perspective. For instance, I planned to finish my current writing project during 2011 and yet I am only half-way through. But when I look at what happened instead I can’t feel too bad about it. That was a very ambitious goal anyway.

So, that’s my view of our brand new year. May yours be blessed beyond anything you can hope or imagine.

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