Beginning ~ twice

Prologue

Izzy was suffering from a dull, rattling hangover on the morning of the formal introductions.  It had been too much for most of them, the years of anticipation for this very moment so overwhelming that they'd resorted to a few bottles of bourbon, which while certainly not forbidden was rarely encouraged.

Chapter 1

Three hours after she had graduated from high school, Izzy sat on a park bench next to her art teacher, Mr. Jackson, and told him that she was pregnant.

Perfect Little World ~ by Kevin Wilson, 2017, fiction (Tennessee)

When Isabelle Poole meets Dr. Preston Grind, she’s fresh out of high school, pregnant with her art teacher's baby, and totally on her own.  Izzy knows she can be a good mother but without any money or relatives to help, she’s left searching.  Dr. Grind, an awkwardly charming child psychologist, has spent his life studying family, even after tragedy struck his own.  Now, with the help of an eccentric billionaire, he has the chance to create a “perfect little world” — to study what would happen when ten children are raised together collectively, without knowing who their biological parents are.  He calls it The Infinite Family Project, and he wants Izzy and her son to join.  This attempt at a utopian ideal starts off promising, but soon the gentle equilibrium among the families disintegrates:  unspoken resentments between the couples begin to fester; the project's funding becomes tenuous; and Izzy’s growing feelings for Dr. Grind make her question her participation in this strange experiment in the first place.

Gilion at Rose City Reader hosts Book Beginnings on Fridays. Click here for today's Mister Linky.

My novel

I was wearing this tee-shirt when I got on the elevator the other day, and Tonya read the words out loud:  "Careful, or you'll end up in my novel."
I said, "Be very careful."
Tonya smiled sweetly and said, "I would be honored to be in your novel."
Katie said she wanted to be the villain.  Okay, yes, the bad guys are usually interesting folks.
Later, I told Melvin he couldn't be the villain because Katie had already picked that.  He promptly said, "I want to be the lover."
Not only is my shirt not frightening anyone into being nice, they are even volunteering for parts.
Now I need to come up with a plot.  Any suggestions?

Sunday Salon ~ books, shirt, and family

Stephen Hawking:  "Intelligence is the ability to adapt to change."  I'm trying to finish a couple of library books due back this week (see below), so I haven't been reading Hawking's book as I'd hoped.

Books:  I'm halfway through Friday's book, which is due back on Thursday.  Someone has requested it and it's new, so I cannot renew it from the library.  What's next for me to read?  There's no way I can finish the other book also due on Thursday, but I plan to at least skim it — and buy a copy for myself, so I can mark it up.  Here's the book, the latest by Bishop Spong:

Unbelievable: Why Neither Ancient Creeds Nor the Reformation Can Produce a Living Faith Today ~ by John Shelby Spong, 2018

Five hundred years after Martin Luther and his 95 theses ushered in the Reformation, Spong delivers 12 forward-thinking theses to spark a new reformation to reinvigorate Christianity and ensure its future.  At the beginning of the sixteenth century, Christianity was in crisis — a state of conflict that gave birth to the Reformation in 1517.  Enduring for more than 200 years, Luther’s movement was then followed by a "revolutionary time of human knowledge."  Yet these advances in our thinking had little impact on Christians’ adherence to doctrine — which has led the faith to a critical point once again.

Spong contends that there is mounting pressure among Christians for a radically new kind of Christianity — a faith deeply connected to the human experience instead of outdated dogma.  To keep Christianity vital, he urges modern Christians to update their faith in light of these advances in our knowledge, and to challenge the rigid and problematic Church teachings that emerged with the Reformation.  There is a disconnect, he argues, between the language of traditional worship and the language of the twenty-first century.  Bridging this divide requires us to rethink and reformulate our basic understanding of God.

With its revolutionary resistance to the authority of the Church in the sixteenth century, Spong sees in Luther’s movement a model for today’s discontented Christians.  In fact, the questions they raise resonate with those contemplated by our ancestors.  Does the idea of God still have meaning?  Can we still follow historic creeds with integrity?  Are not such claims as an infallible Pope or an inerrant Bible ridiculous in today’s world?  In this book, Spong outlines twelve "theses" to help today’s believers more deeply contemplate and reshape their faith.  In this, his final book, he offers a revisionist approach that can strengthen Christianity.

Family:  This is my great-grandson.  His mother wrote on Facebook:  "Don’t they know this boy can’t sit still for 2 hours?!"

More Sunday Salon posts are on Facebook.

Beginning ~ by leaving home

"There are two kinds of people in the world, those who leave home, and those who don't.  I'm a proud member of the first category."

An American Marriage ~ by Tayari Jones, 2018, fiction (Louisiana)

Newlyweds Celestial and Roy are the embodiment of both the American Dream and the New South.  He is a young executive, and she is an artist on the brink of an exciting career.  But as they settle into the routine of their life together, they are ripped apart by circumstances neither could have imagined.  Roy is arrested and sentenced to twelve years for a crime Celestial knows he didn’t commit.  Though fiercely independent, Celestial finds herself bereft and unmoored, taking comfort in Andre, her childhood friend, and best man at their wedding.  As Roy’s time in prison passes, she is unable to hold on to the love that has been her center.  After five years, Roy’s conviction is suddenly overturned, and he returns to Atlanta ready to resume their life together.

Gilion at Rose City Reader hosts Book Beginnings on Fridays. Click here for today's Mister Linky.

Throwback Thursday ~ river and church

The Tennessee river was frozen over in Chattanooga on January 27, 1940, when Earl Dowlen took this picture.  He wrote the date on the back, saying also that it had snowed 8-1/2 inches.  That's the Walnut Street Bridge, the first non-military bridge in Chattanooga.  Finding this on "Chattanooga has History," a Facebook group, made me think of my own history.

This photo was taken three months before I was born at Erlanger Hospital, maybe a mile from the south end of the bridge.  At the north end of the bridge, on the left, you can see a building up the hill that stands out against the snow.  That's Forrest Avenue Methodist Church, later Forrest Avenue United Methodist Church.

When I was the pastor there, my office was in the addition, which had my office, classrooms, and a fellowship hall downstairs.  Below are two photos of the church I also found on "Chattanooga has History," a Facebook group.

This one was labeled "mid-20th century."  The Olgiati Bridge, built in 1959, is already there.  I don't see cars on the Walnut Street Bridge, but that doesn't mean it was already closed.  Here's the other photo of the church found on Facebook:

Both of these show the new addition on the left.

This photo shows when the river froze on January 12, 1918.  That's a hundred years ago.  I don't remember ever being told the river had frozen over.  And now I've found two photos of it frozen in Chattanooga.  Both of these occasions were before I was born.

A friend is deleting her Facebook account

"So I have decided to practice what I preach and delete my Facebook account.  The Cambridge Analytica story, which points to a strong involvement in data mining for the purpose of swaying the election for the Republican candidate, along with Facebook’s lack of concern for the privacy of its customers by doing essentially nothing about the data mining for over 2 years, has led me to this.  By the way, Facebook’s value dropped by $35 billion after the story broke, so people are paying attention.  If things change for the better any time soon, I’ll be back.  In the meantime you can find me on Twitter, or you can PM me and I’ll give you my contact info.  I will delete my account on Saturday morning.  Of course, I will go into Facebook purgatory for a while, because it takes up to a year for an account to be permanently deleted.  It’s been great fun staying in touch with so many of you.  Please consider taking action of some kind for yourself.  We have to take back our country!  #resist"

Should we follow her lead?

This cat gets around

Shadow, the very unofficial hospice cat, has emerged out of nowhere again.   Pitch-black with no markings at all, and huge emerald green eyes.  No one knows where he comes from or when he will come.  He just appears when he pleases, knowing that when he does he will be made a huge fuss of by everyone who meets him.  He's large, clearly looked after by someone, someone who probably has no idea of the humanitarian (or feline-tarian?) missions he goes on throughout the day.  (p. 19)

You know where you are with a cat.  Cats don't believe in God either, now I come to think of it.  It's a good rule of life, I think, not to take anything seriously that a cat doesn't.  (p. 89)

"He [Mikey] likes to pretend he's tough, but he loves it when Ninja is here at bedtime.  I think he lets Ninja sleep on his pillow to protect him from zombies," she says.  "I wonder whose cat he is." ... "He's my cat," I confess, and Sarah laughs, and then bites her lip when she sees my deadpan expression.  "Seriously?  What, you're not joking?"  (p. 196)

She opens the door to where my lost mother is sleeping.  And the strangest thing happens.  Jake, my cat, looks up as I enter the room and gets off the bed and trots toward me.  I bend down and scoop him up into my arms, heartened and confused at the same moment.  How can Jake be here?  "That's Shadow," Stella whispers, stroking his head.  "He visits us all the time."  I want to tell her that this is not Shadow, or Ninja, but Jake, strange, mysterious Jake.  (p.296)

We Are All Made of Stars ~ by Rowan Coleman, 2015, fiction (England), 8/10

This novel is not about the cat, but the cat is what I enjoyed most about the book.  The cat makes his own friends, goes where he's needed, and seems to do more good for the people around him than most of us humans do.  I found the picture of the green-eyed black cat at a couple of places online.  I think Shadow-Ninja-Jake must look like this.

Monday Muddle

Actual dialogue of a former (in other words, "fired") WordPerfect Customer Support employee.  (Now I know why they record these conversations!)  I think this guy should have been promoted, not fired.  The operator sued the WordPerfect organization for Termination without Cause.

Operator:  "Ridge Hall, computer assistance; may I help you?"
Caller:  "Yes, well, I'm having trouble with WordPerfect."
Operator:   "What sort of trouble?"
Caller:  "Well, I was just typing along, and all of a sudden the words went away."
Operator:   "Went away?"
Caller:  "They disappeared."
Operator:   "Hmm.  So what does your screen look like now?"
Caller:  "Nothing."
Operator:   "Nothing?"
Caller:  "It's blank; it won't accept anything when I type."
Operator:   "Are you still in WordPerfect, or did you get out?"
Caller:  "How do I tell?"
Operator:   "Can you see the 'C: prompt' on the screen?"
Caller:  "What's a sea-prompt?"
Operator:   "Never mind, can you move your cursor around the screen?"
Caller:  "There isn't any cursor.  I told you, it won't accept anything I type."
Operator:   "Does your monitor have a power indicator?"
Caller:  "What's a monitor?"
Operator:   "It's the thing with the screen on it that looks like a TV.  Does it have a little light that tells you when it's on?"
Caller:  "I don't know."
Operator:  "Well, then look on the back of the monitor and find where the power cord goes into it.  Can you see that?"
Caller:  "Yes, I think so."
Operator:   "Great.   Follow the cord to the plug, and tell me if it's plugged into the wall."
Caller:  "Yes, it is."
Operator:   "When you were behind the monitor, did you notice that there were two cables plugged into the back of it, not just one?"
Caller:  "No."
Operator:   "Well, there are.  I need you to look back there again and find the other cable."
Caller:  "Okay, here it is."
Operator:   "Follow it for me, and tell me if it's plugged securely into the back of your computer."
Caller:  "I can't reach."
Operator:   "Okay.  Well, can you see if it is?"
Caller:  "No."
Operator:   "Even if you maybe put your knee on something and lean way over?"
Caller:  "Well, it's not because I don't have the right angle — it's because it's dark."
Operator:   "Dark?"
Caller:  "Yes — the office light is off, and the only light I have is coming in from the window."
Operator:   "Well, turn on the office light then."
Caller:  "I can't."
Operator:   "No?  Why not?"
Caller:  "Because there's a power failure."
Operator:   "A power ... A power failure?  Aha.  Okay, we've got it licked now.   Do you still have the boxes and manuals and packing stuff that your computer came in?"
Caller:  "Well, yes, I keep them in the closet."
Operator:   "Good.  Go get them, and unplug your system and pack it up just like it was when you got it.  Then take it back to the store you bought it from."
Caller:  "Really?  Is it that bad?"
Operator:   "Yes, I'm afraid it is."
Caller:  "Well, all right then, I suppose.  What do I tell them?"
Operator:   "Tell them you're too damned stupid to own a computer!"

Sunday Salon ~ another book by Stephen Hawking

Nope, I didn't cover it all when I wrote about his death on Thursday.  First, I found another of his books on my shelf.  It's one I bought but haven't yet read.

Black Holes and Baby Universes and Other Essays ~ by Stephen Hawking, 1993

Covering subjects ranging from the personal to the wholly scientific, this is a collection of his essays and other pieces, revealing Stephen Hawking as a scientist, a man, a concerned world citizen, and an imaginative thinker.  He recalls his first experience of nursery school, punctures the arrogance of those who think science can best be understood only by other scientists, explores the origins and the future of the universe, and reflects on the phenomenon of his bestselling book, A Brief History of Time.  It's a collection of pieces he wrote between 1976 to 1992.  The photo above shows him in 1989.

Second, I want to point to an article suggesting that Hawking departed this world on "the most relevant day of the year."  Not only is March 14th called Pi Day (actually, the 30th anniversary of celebrating that day worldwide), but it's also Einstein's birthday.  What a great sense of humor this mathematician had, huh?  Even on the day he died.

More Sunday Salon posts are on Facebook.

I speak fluent Blarney

Yes, I truly DO speak fluent Blarney (talk that aims to charm, pleasantly flatter, or persuade).

Yes, I'm part Irish (along with Scottish, English, and French).  Today is St. Patrick's Day, so let's celebrate by wearing green!

I have a choice of green shirts, and I have some green beads like those in the calendar photo.  I may even wear my light green pants.  By the way, did I forget to mention that today EVERYONE is a little bit Irish?  So go for it and have a great time!

I often find myself pondering strange ideas, like the odd fact that 39 years ago when I was 39 years old, I did something foolish on St. Patrick's Day.  That was half my lifetime ago!  So today, I'll let it go and be happy that it was something that I could (and did) un-do.  I'm just glad it was St. Patrick's Day and not April Fool's Day!

Beginning ~ with a letter

We Are All Made of Stars ~ by Rowan Coleman, 2015, fiction (England)

Dear Len,

Well, if you are reading this, it's happened.  And I suppose that I ought to be glad, and so should you.

Summary of the book:

Married to a soldier who has returned from Afghanistan injured in body and mind, Stella Carey leaves the house every evening.  During her nursing shifts, Stella writes letters for her patients to their loved ones — some full of humour, love and practical advice, others steeped in regret or pain — promising to post them after their deaths.  Until one night Stella writes the letter that could give her patient one last chance at redemption, if she delivers it in time.

Gilion at Rose City Reader hosts Book Beginnings on Fridays. Click here for today's Mister Linky.

Stephen Hawking has died

Many years ago, I read A Brief History of Time: From the Big Bang to Black Holes by Stephen Hawking, which was published in 1988.  It's a fascinating book and got me interested in quantum physics.  Here are some of the posts I've written for this blog that relate in some way:  look at numbers 8 and 9, and see that the 9th includes a list of other related links.

Now that I accomplished that little exercise of finding some of the posts I've written about quantum physics, I realize I never read this next book, even though I wrote about it.  So I bought it for my Kindle.

Paradoxology: Spirituality in a Quantum Universe ~ by Miriam Therese Winter, 2009

This book blends science and spirituality to see whole truths that "make all things new."  Its aim is to help us realize that we who are people of faith cannot continue to practice our faith in isolation anymore.  A quantum universe is telling us that we are all connected; that the God of one is the God of all; that diversity is a blessing; that the suffering of any of earth's people or any part of the planet is a desecration to us all.  The benefit of the book is that it encourages us to look at life through a new lens that will help us see more than we have ever seen before.  It is one of those rare books on quantum science that transcends information and offers us a way of transformation.

But back to Stephen Hawking.  On the table in the lobby where I live, there's a box of cards with questions we can ask each other.  One day recently I pulled out one that said something like "If you could be assistant to anyone, who would it be?"  I immediately thought of Stephen Hawking.  He probably wouldn't have wanted me, unversed as I am about physics and quantum theory, but his thinking fascinates me.  I'll miss his ideas, and I thank him for writing so lucidly for lay readers about a field as deep as quantum physics.

The Guardian shared some of Stephen Hawking's best quotes.

Onions and pies

"An opinion without 3.14 is an onion.  You'll understand."

It's Pi Day, the 14th of March!  Does anyone want to eat pie with me today?  I'm going to O'Charley's where there's free pie with your entrée.

Question:  Do you understand the first sentence?  If not, refer back to Monday's post.

Half Witt

I'm a word person.  When I was ten, I was able to spend a few weeks in Louisville, Kentucky, with my dad's sister and her family.  As a ten-year-old, I thought I was "witty" when I told my folks I was now a "half-Witt."  Yes, I knew the meaning of the word and how to spell it.  What I haven't mentioned yet is that their family name was Witt.  I loved it!  I felt half-Setliffe and half-Witt.  Oh, I was so funny.

By the way, is it true you can't make a wit out of two half-wits?

Also posted on my Joyful Noiseletter blog as "half-wit."

Another week on the Mindful March calendar

I notice there are two "special" days this week.

* Pi Day is Wednesday 3/14 because pi equals 3.14
(mathematically speaking),
so I shall have pie!  Voila!

* St. Patrick's Day is Saturday 3/17, and I shall wear green.


Continuing week by week through Mindful March:

Click to enlarge so you can read it.

March 12
~ Cultivate a feeling of loving-kindness toward others today.
March 13
~ Stop, breathe, just notice.  Repeat regularly during the day.
March 14
~ Enjoy doing any chores or tasks more mindfully today.
March 15
~ Get outside and notice five things that are beautiful.
March 16
~ If you find yourself rushing, make an effort to slow down.
March 17
~ Have a device-free day and enjoy the space it offers.
March 18
~ Do something creative that absorbs your attention.

Sunday Salon ~ week in review

Humor

Tuasmalou.ch is a photographer with a great sense of humor.  You should take a look at what he captures by posing his daughters.

Books ~ completed recently

9.  A Reckoning ~ by May Sarton, 1978, fiction (Massachusetts), 8/10

"I'm trying to reckon everything up.  I don't 'do' much anymore, but I think a lot" (loc. 1475).

10.  Letters from Skye ~ by Jessica Brockmole, 2013, fiction (Scotland), 8/10

"I never would've conjured up an image of an entire store filled with nothing but books" (loc. 1252).

11.  The Story of Arthur Truluv ~ by Elizabeth Berg, 2017, fiction (Missouri), 9/10

"Well, this is just fine!" Arthur says.  "I'll get some wood and we'll build a fire that day."
"I'll get a wreath for the door," Maddy says.
Gordon, sitting next to Arthur, meows.  People think cats don't want to join in, but they're wrong.  (p. 198)

Snow

Donna and I went to lunch at O'Charley's at 11:00, hurrying to the car in a light drizzle.  When we left the restaurant, the car was covered with snow!  I took pictures, truly I did, but even after sending one of them FIVE times over several hours, it still hasn't gotten through to my email box.  If it ever does, I'll post a snow picture here.  Okay, got it.  That's my dark-green Subaru Outback in the middle, now covered with snow.

Caturday

Clawdia's had a rough time.  When I got her in 2015, she was missing her right incisor (the fang).  Now she's lost the left one, so I'll need to take her to the vet this week to find out what's going on.  I think she was mistreated before being left at the animal shelter.

Heard this week

Brad with their third child

"Focusing on personal purity and individual salvation can lead to a spiritual self obsession that isn't healthy and can give a very distorted picture of God. ... You are already loved and accepted and included in God's kingdom right now.  God is not spending every hour of every day assessing your every moral decision.  Instead God is very much interested in all of Creation experiencing the fullness of redemption.  This is God's focus and here's the kicker:  God wants and needs all of your gifts and talents and passions to see that come about.  So try to stop the navel gazing and start to believe that God has already deemed you worthy and join your Creator in bringing life more abundant to the world."

Brad McDowell is a friend who pastors First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Wilmington, North Carolina.  He was serving Ashland Terrace Christian Church (DoC) in Chattanooga when I met him and his family.  When Donna and I finished packing our stuff in a truck in Chattanooga, we spent the night with Brad and Lisa and their two boys before setting out on our trip to St. Louis the next morning.

Find more Sunday Salon posts on Facebook.

Beginning ~ at the cemetery

In the six months since the November day that his wife, Nola, was buried, Arthur Moses has been having lunch with her every day.  He rides the bus to the cemetery and when he gets there, he takes his sweet time walking over to her plot:  she will be there no matter when he arrives.  She will be there and be there and be there.

The Story of Arthur Truluv ~ by Elizabeth Berg, 2017, fiction (Missouri), 9/10

For the past six months, Arthur Moses’s days have looked the same:  He tends to his rose garden and to Gordon, his cat, then rides the bus to the cemetery to visit his beloved late wife for lunch.  The last thing Arthur would imagine is for one unlikely encounter to utterly transform his life.  Eighteen-year-old Maddy Harris is an introspective girl who visits the cemetery to escape the other kids at school.  One afternoon she joins Arthur — a gesture that begins a surprising friendship between two lonely souls.  Moved by Arthur’s kindness and devotion, Maddy gives him the nickname “Truluv.”  As Arthur’s neighbor Lucille moves into their orbit, the unlikely trio band together and, through heartache and hardships, help one another rediscover their own potential to start anew.

Gilion at Rose City Reader hosts Book Beginnings on Fridays.  Click here for today's Mister Linky.

International Women's Day

I've written about International Women's Day twice before on my blog:

• in 2010, when I talked about women having children "on our backs," and
• in 2017, when the theme was "Be Bold for Change."

Today, inspired by my friend Jean on Facebook, I'm paying tribute to my mother.  She was my best teacher and my inspiration as I watched her stand up for what's right and saw her teach an adult class in her church for over 40 years.  She lived with me for 25 years.  I miss you, Mom.

Shank's mare

I came across "shank's mare" in the book I finished yesterday, mentioned to two friends over dinner that I hadn't heard the phrase in years, and discovered neither of them (both well-read women) had ever heard of traveling by shank's mare.  They had no idea what I was talking about.  I looked up Merriam-Webster's definition just now to email it to them.

"A horse! a horse! my kingdom for a horse!"  Many travelers in centuries past would have agreed with King Richard's famous lines from Shakespeare's Richard III — when you needed to travel any distance in the days before automobiles, you definitely wanted a horse.  When one wasn't available, you had to rely on your built-in transportation equipment, your feet and legs.  The word "shank" has been used to mean "the lower leg" since before the 12th century, and "shank's mare" first appeared in writing in the late 1700s.  Another vivid expression connecting people and horses was "horse with ten toes," but that one is now relegated to history.

Merriam-Webster wanted to know why I looked up "shank's mare," so here's the quote from the book:

"I feel as if there are two Elspeths:  One who wears expensive, stylish clothes, travels in taxicabs, dines on duck, and goes across the country on a whim to meet handsome young Americans.  And the other, who wears broken-in homemade clothes, travels by shank's mare, dines on porridge, and goes across the country on a whim to meet handsome young Americans."
— found in Letters from Skye by Jessica Brockmole (2013), set in early 20th century Scotland (location 1563 in the un-paged Kindle edition)

Maybe knowing this unusual phrase confirms my Scottish (not Scotch) ancestry, but that's a word discussion for another day.  The difference between "Scottish" and "Scotch" also came up over dinner last night.

Beginning ~ in the shadows

Opening lines of the first story:

I wait in the shadows.

My cello is already on stage.  It was carved in 1723 on a Sicilian hillside where the sea is very quiet.  The strings vibrate when the bow is near, as though anticipating their lover.

Love Begins in Winter: Five Stories ~ by Simon Van Booy, 2009, fiction

On the verge of giving up — anchored to dreams that never came true and to people who have long since disappeared from their lives — Van Booy's characters walk the streets of these stark and beautiful stories until chance meetings with strangers force them to face responsibility for lives they thought had continued on without them.

Gilion at Rose City Reader hosts Book Beginnings on Fridays.  Click here for today's Mister Linky.

Mindful March

Click on the calendar to enlarge it.

March 1
~ Start today by appreciating that you're alive and have a body.
March 2
~ When someone is speaking, take a full breath before you reply.
March 3
~ Stay fully present while drinking your cup of tea or coffee.
March 4
~ Go nature spotting today.  Even in a city, life is all around.

Here are the suggested actions through this weekend.  What my "body" will do today is change the bulletin board on my floor, updating it for March.  I included copies of the January and February calendars on our board during those months and will continue by posting this mindfulness calendar during March.