A Perfect 44

I'm in one of my moods; now that doesn't mean what you think it does! When I get moody it usually means silly, crazy, mischievous or any combination thereof. I blame it entirely on the Manufacturer--He wired me this way!

I was speaking today with a co-worker who was interested in getting her BA degree and that got me thinking about my own. An AA in psychology means that I can psychoanalyze moderately well. My BA in theology means that I understand dogma and the Bible even better but the place where I really shine is psychoanalyzing biblical characters.

I took an evaluation and found out that I'm a 44. No, that is not my IQ or my age...it is my score on a Dr. Phil's personality something-or-other test.

This is the description of those who are 44: "Others see you as fresh (but not rude), lively, charming, amusing, practical and always interesting. Someone who's constantly in the center of attention (God forbid!), but sufficiently well-balanced to let it not go to their head. They also see you as kind, considerate and understanding, someone who'll always cheer them up and help them out."

Now there are so many wonderful accolades in the preceding statement but the only one that really mattered was
WELL-BALANCED. If Dr. Phil thinks I'm mentally fit then I don't care who thinks I'm crazy!

True Beauty

True Beauty

True beauty awakens in me
fragrance of immortality:
I see it in the face of a child,
hear it in a line of music,
or read it till it fills my soul.

All true beauty affects me in the same way:
it starts as an ache,
builds to a longing,
till it overflows into tears unrestrained.

It is not the rose I want
but something beyond it.

We Are Shaped

We are shaped by what we love.
Our sight is formed by what we see.
Our heart is molded by what we hold on to.
Our imagination is baptized by where we linger.

Like the Elves

I’m like the Elves.

I love the night.

I love the stars.

I love the stillness of a forest.

The sound of water

is like music to me

And whenever I hear a seagull cry

I am wistful for the sea.

How You Commit

Bitterly blows the wind on the barrenness of Mordor.
Sweetly soothes the breeze on Lorthlorien’s elanor.

Chilling to the mind are the shrieks as Nazguls fly.
Thrilling to the heart are the eagle’s joyous cries.

Noisy is the pit that Saruman has made.
Quiet is the peace of Rivendell’s leafy shade.

The earth responds in kind to all that is done in it.
Nightmare or paradise depends on how you commit.

NEED

Hard exterior yet tender of heart
Strider, wander…may your loneliness depart.
Life shaped you this way but it was never your intent
through years of hardship your journey went.
Till you found yourself in Bree’s Prancing Pony Inn
where your adventure with four Hobbits would begin.
Cautious they were till they began to understand
your heart for them…even though a lonely man.
Gandalf understood the need they would have of you
but it worked both ways, for you needed them too.

TREES WIN

Merry and Pippin seem more trouble than they’re worth
until they meet an Ent of considerable girth.
They stir up a folk who have never been hasty
and that is quite a feat in itself.

They bring an unexpected cavalry
to break up Saruman’s party.
For every twig and branch
that cries out for revenge…
it’s the only story where the trees win in the end.

WHICH WAY DO WE GO?

They were shaped by unseen forces
that found its way into their own choices.
Have they the light of Valinor?
Or the twisted shape of Melkor?
Kindred they would more than prove
by something else than their own mood.
It’s an inward being in the core
that reveals itself on outward shores.
The imprint of their master they’ll show
by the direction they choose to go.
The fork is not on Middle-earth’s map.
It’s found in the heart like an eternal gap
that forever separates Mordor from the West.
We can languish in darkness or choose to rest.

Reconciled

I grew up hating my name. There are lots of reasons but the one that sticks out the most is when kids called me "Helllllllllllen" or just plain "Hell" or sometimes "Helen-melon." I didn't get reconciled to my birth name until I found out what it meant. This monumental discovery came from a college friend who also had the unfortunate moniker. She also confessed to her aversion until she learned that the name was Greek in origin and meant "light."

That revelation changed everything for me. It reminded me of one of my favorite scriptures: "Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever." Dan. 12:3

Now I don't like being referred to as hades; I much prefer light which is also the meaning of "Hiraki" in Japanese. So if you are like me and have had difficulty with your name you may want to look up the meaning...who knows what you will discover?

We Remember

To all veterans everywhere

we will never forget:

from my father's generation
(standing on the left)

to the newest generation

we thank you for your sacrifice
and pray for your safe return.

A Peculiar Blend

A few mornings ago I was listening to Beethoven's sixth symphony as I was driving to work but just so that you won't misunderstand me, for highbrow I am not...I ended the same day with a decadent delight off Youtube. Are you a bit curious what a morning of classical music would be topped off with? What flavor was I in the mood for? Hmmm, you probably wouldn't guess in a hundred years so I'll make my grand confession now--I had to watch the Muppets. I was dying to hear the Mehna-mehna song. Never heard it before? You have no idea how much you are missing. I can be serious and deep at times but lurking at my core is an undercurrent of absolute zaniness. Are you tracking with me?

I love the majestic, the grand, the raw
power of nature.









but who could resist a massage
and morning java?

Ah, the sweet moments at the end
of the day when a boy and his dog
unite in holy petitions before the Lord
in heaven--who would not be moved
by such earnest goodness?












But then this perverse thing comes
over me and I throw all sweetness
to the wind.

The Heavens Declare

When I consider Your heavens,

the work of Your fingers,
the moon and the stars which You have set in place
what is man that You are mindful of him,
the son of man that you care for him?

Ps. 8:3,4

I’M NO MYSTERY TO YOU

You understand why I love the stars.
You know me and share my joy.
You know why the tears start to flow
when something beautiful
touches me deep down inside
I am no mystery to You!

REACH FOR THE STARS

To reach for the stars with my feet on earth.
“Impossible” you say, yet I know it’s the truth.
For of myself the highest I can reach is but two feet over my head.
Yet through God I can reach up to the stars and even further yet.