🎵Prompt Response: Angel on my Car Hood?
What’s a moment that made you question reality?
More than once, there have been events in my life that seemed helped by an unseen hand. For example, the times when I used to catch the city bus on a street also known for solicitation activities (you rent where you can afford), and a car would pull up to question me… Before I could even give an answer, the driver would look up a little behind me and shudder just before driving away. What did he see, I wondered? Once, a whole group of people walking in the opposite direction split apart and walked a wide area around me like I was more than one person. They also seemed to look above and behind me as they passed. So, was there an angelic being playing bodyguard where I couldn’t see but others could?
Many years ago, I frequently attended a Cowboy Church that was about 40 minutes from home. We had concerts with some amazing Christian country artists followed by fellowship and pizza that often lasted into the wee hours of the morning. I miss those deep Bible and life conversations that drove me to see and seek God beyond simple church attendance. But I will always cherish those times. And one of them comes with an event demonstrated by the image Wombo Dream created for me.
It was probably about 4 AM when I left to head home. For most of the drive, sleepiness was not an issue. But as I got within a few miles of the freeway exit, drowsiness fell over me like a heavy blanket. Windows open, AC cranked, and determination to get all the way home worked for at least part of the time. But then, boom! Something large and like a big shadow landed on the hood of my van and actually made the metal of the hood pop loudly. It woke me up with a startled jump that infused the rest of my drive with major energy. Though I couldn’t see anything still on the hood or outside the van anywhere, I was sure I saw something like a silhouette jump off the van and fly away. Had I fallen asleep? If so, did I dream about something landing on the hood and then leaping off? Or, did God send an angel to wake me up by jumping on the hood and making the metal pop? I vote for the angel idea.
It’s not far-fetched to believe it could be an angel because the Bible is filled with moments where angels visited with people. And there’s even a reminder to take care of strangers because sometimes they are angels. When they show up as unseen helpers, or even as a shadow that jumps on your hood and then disappears, it does make you question what the reality was in those moments; but not question if they happened so much as how they happened.
Hebrews 13:2 BSB
[2] Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it.
https://bible.com/bible/3034/heb.13.2.BSB
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Prompt Response; Peppermint
What’s the first book you ever finished and still remember to this day?
This prompt got me thinking about all the books I’d started but never did finish, like Watership Down, The Martian Chronicles, and A Wrinkle in Time. Well, I did finish the last one as an adult, but I never could get most books finished before time to return them to the library.
Of course, I had all my little books for small hands, and then the books with matching records that played a little sound when it was time to turn the page. I’m sure some were by Disney, and some were probably by Dr. Seuss. I’m certain I had “Put Me in the Zoo” because I remember how the main character could put his colored spots on other things, but it doesn’t have a stickiness in my brain like the one that goes with the picture above.
The first small book I finished that stuck with me, and is still with me to this day, is probably Peppermint by Dorothy Grider. My mind captured the images so well that, when I needed Gemini to find the book for me, it got it right on the first try. Though there are none available at the sale page on Thriftbooks, there are 45 people signed up to be notified if it ever shows up there, so apparently, I’m not the only one who remembers it as a wonderful story.
See, there was a candy store, and the owner had a cat named “Candy” who stayed at the store with him. Candy had 4 kittens, so the owner gave them sweet candy names like Lollipop and posted them for sale. But the runt of the litter, a tiny white kitten he called Peppermint, was too shy and too small, so she stayed at Mr. Dobby’s candy store. Until one day, a little girl named Barbara was upset and crying because she didn’t have a kitten for the upcoming cat show at school.
When Mr. Dobby said Barbara could take Peppermint home, she didn’t care how dirty she was from all the dust in the storeroom. But Barbara’s mom cared and insisted the kitten must have a bath. Peppermint didn’t like it and jumped out of the soapy water and right into a bucket of water filled with bluing. (In case you’ve never heard of bluing, it’s a laundry additive that removes yellow discolorations to make whites brighter. You can read about it on Amazon at https://amzn.to/4eegCjR {my affiliate link for tracking} if you want to know more.) The clean little kitten was now a beautiful blue, and when Barbara took it to school with the pink ribbon her mother tied around it, the other kids decided that Peppermint was a prize-worthy kitty.
I think I remember it because of my own dreams of being—or sharing— something that could win a prize. I could identify with both Peppermint and Barbara on the rejection front, and I always hoped to have a special moment like she did when she pulled the kitten out of the basket. (Part of me still hopes for something like that when I finally release one of my songs. 😁) It’s just such a happy ending for everyone in this book.
And, guess what? I even found a few places on YouTube where people read the book aloud and show the pictures on the pages. Some were a little long, so I’m embedding the shortest one that is also easy to hear and understand. It’s only 5 minutes and 37 seconds to find out the names of the other kittens and see the artist’s drawings of the little blue kitten.
Deuteronomy 4:9 BSB
[9] Only be on your guard and diligently watch yourselves, so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen, and so that they do not slip from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and grandchildren.
https://bible.com/bible/3034/deu.4.9.BSB
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🎵 Prompt Response: Soul ATM
(CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)
If you had an unlimited budget for 24 hours, what would you do?
Day One
When I first read this prompt, my mind immediately went to how many lasting things I could get if I had no limits. I thought of how I’d contact a banker and ask for help with investments that would keep the unlimited flow going long after the 24 hours. And then…
It occurred to me that an unlimited budget did not have to be about any kind of money or finance. What could be worth more than those things and give me unlimited prosperity for 24 hours? Souls! Having a flow of guaranteed souls dispensed to me like an ATM does money, and then being able to send those souls in a new direction—toward the cross of Christ—would be amazing.
I think my mind went there after hearing from a Facebook friend who I met on the site years ago but who has since blessed me greatly with her sincere love for The Lord. She told me about how she tries to use every opportunity God gives her to share her salvation testimony. She is driven to carry the Good News to as many souls as God allows to cross her path.
So, can you imagine having a day with an unlimited budget of souls being sent your way? They need The Lord you serve, the peace He provides, and the promise of eternity. You have the answers that will give them that hope and peace, and this unlimited budget means they are sent right to you and ready to listen.
Most of us will share our experiences and testimonies here and there as a door opens or an opportunity presents itself. A few, like my friend Miha, will create open doors and opportunities. And whether you were only given 2 talents or the whole 5, or even only 1 talent, the Lord wants to gain interest on the investment He made for your soul and paid with His very own blood. Anything that can make interest (usury) is certainly a valuable asset, and we really do have an unlimited budget of hungry and empty people who need God.
In The Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30) it begins like this…
Matthew 25:14-15 BSB
[14] For it is just like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted them with his possessions. [15] To one he gave five talents, to another two talents, and to another one talent — each according to his own ability. And he went on his journey.
https://bible.com/bible/3034/mat.25.14-15.BSB
Each servant spends his investment differently with one of them not spending at all but burying his talent. There are many interpretations of what these talents are, including the possibility of those abilities within each of us that can be called talents, but the end result is always the same. We need to multiply what The Lord has entrusted us with that He will be able to profit on His return. He tells the person who hid his talent…
Matthew 25:27 BSB
[27] Then you should have deposited my money with the bankers, and on my return I would have received it back with interest.
https://bible.com/bible/3034/mat.25.27.BSB
So whether it’s financial gain, or actual performance talent, when The Lord returns, we know He is returning for souls. That means interest on that would be more souls.
Over forty years ago, I sat on a church pew in Riverside, California, where I was visiting for a revival. They presented a video set to Steve Green’s classic song, “People Need the Lord.” But it wasn’t a generic Hollywood production. The church had taken photos of their own community—ordinary people on familiar street corners, living out their daily lives. I wept as I watched unfamiliar faces with the same needs as the familiar faces in my own daily life. I understood then that the mission field isn’t always across an ocean; it’s often right outside our own front doors. We are surrounded by a Soul ATM, a world of empty people rushing by with a need for mercy and grace and maybe not even knowing where to look. It just takes one person willing to step out of their own busyness, set up a chair, and offer the only Good News that can truly change their direction and fill them with the hope they need.
Here’s a beautiful rendition of that song…
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Prompt Response: Faith is the Answer
How do you handle fear and self-doubt?
I’m not sure where I learned the two acronyms in the image above, but I know they weren’t together when I learned them. The idea of the first part is to see fear as nothing to fear. But, in truth, sometimes it really is something that can harm us or those we love, and being in fear is the normal response we need to activate our “fight or flight” response.
Whether it’s a real, worthy of fighting or evasive maneuvers, fear, or the weight of tossing our troubles around in our minds until they harm us whether they come to fruition or not, FAITH is still an answer. Faith may give you the wisdom you need for a proper fight or the direction to run for a good getaway. Or, faith may just tell you to stand your ground and be still because the battle belongs to The Lord. The hardest and easiest part is when faith tells you that nothing will change but that nothing changing also means God is still on His throne taking care of what we can’t control and of our eternity.
On that last part, I can tell you honestly that the idea of losing anyone I love and care for from this Earth is hard. Thinking of my own passage into eternity is hard. And I need statements like the one above to remind me that God’s got it all in His hands.
Still, it’s totally human to fear and doubt. In Psalm 56:3, King David didn’t say he would not fear but rather …
Psalm 56:3 BSB
[3] When I am afraid, I put my trust in You.
https://bible.com/bible/3034/psa.56.3.BSB
Though, once he acknowledged that he could be afraid, he strengthened himself in The Lord and went on in verse 4 to say …
Psalm 56:4 BSB
[4] In God, whose word I praise — in God I trust. I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?
https://bible.com/bible/3034/psa.56.4.BSB
When the roots of our fears and doubts are of our own making, they can harm us at least as much as real dangers. Recently, I spent an entire night with my lessons, blog, and sleep all negatively affected because I feared an unknown scenario where I’d received a subpoena. Not being a person who likes to defend myself even when I know I’m innocent, that postal note on a certified letter let my mind wander to many possible scenarios. The next day, I thought of better possibilities (like an old family parcel with water rights finally becoming worth something), but oh how the wandering mind can torture us until we know the truth. And at the end, not one thing I imagined matched the real reason for the letter.
So, did I put those weights of the world on a tray and hand them over to The Lord? Unfortunately, not. And He might have been extending His arms, ready to take over, the whole time. As many times as I’ve written about fear and shared miraculous testimonies, wouldn’t you think I’d know better by now? But alas, I am human and have a lot of experience that has set me up for fear and doubt—probably like everyone who reads this post.
I hope that sharing this helps someone to get through a fearful event or time a little more easily, even if it’s because you now know you’re not alone in being a person who loves and trusts God but still gives in to your fears at times. And I hope creating a visual of someone passing the weight of the world to the waiting hands of God will stay with me (and you) for the next time fear becomes a battle.
I wrote the poem below for my sister in 2015 as we both maneuvered life after losing our mom. You can find it to download in its largest size on my Flickr page at https://flic.kr/p/ybqdqj where I’ve listed a regular copyright but am happy to let people use it for personal and non-commercial purposes. Since I’ve placed it on items for sale at Zazzle, I must protect my copyright to make sure no one comes and says I took it from them, but I’m a big believer in freely I have received, so freely I will give.
(Both the image and words are by Crystal A Murray © 2015)
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Real Oil-Cell Kaleidoscopes
What’s a simple pleasure in life that brings you joy?
The simplest pleasure is taking my oil-cell kaleidoscope out into the sunshine and just becoming lost in the beauty of light shining through dichroic glass. The largest image is from my kaleidoscope by Shelley Knapp, and the smaller ones are from taking that same image to Wombo Dream AI and designing similar images without the natural flaws.
I have a lot of them from my original oil kaleidoscope on my Flickr site where you can view the album with the Knapp kaleidoscopes and see the beautiful details. And below, I’ll share my YouTube video of the scope in action.
I may come back and add a few more from different kaleidoscopes when I’ve edited them, so save this post.
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Prompt Response: More Input
How do you stay motivated when learning something new?
Being motivated to learn has never really been my issue. I’m very much like Johnny 5 (the later Short Circuit movies) in always wanting more input. I am far more interested in learning a variety of information than in perfecting any one avenue, so that’s where my motivation might fall off somewhat.
I started learning Spanish as a means of brain growth, but lack of having anyone to practice speaking to, and wrestling with technical changes they keep making at Duolingo, made it hard to want to keep trying. But, I keep going back to keep my streak (1425+ days now), so they know what works there. But they can’t seem to give me conversations with Lily (the AI that does “phone calls” with students) where the topics are simple enough and the speech is slow enough. And they want me to gain my quest points with those calls, so I switched to learning Esperanto. And, actually, that’s a fun language to study if for no other reason than the word for doing is fartas. Lol 😂 (”How are you doing’?” is “Kiel vi fartas?” in Esperanto.)
Of course, they also have music 🎶 and math ➗ and other languages I won’t likely need (like Klingon). But I did add Hebrew because I thought it might help with Bible study. The motivation is tough on that one for a few reasons, including not being biblical Hebrew (with some light slang even) and not spelling things out phonetically until I can retain them. For me, it is harder to stay motivated when the learning has too many hurdles. That made me download some other programs/apps like Memrise, Drops, and FluentU. I’ll probably switch mostly to that last one instead of renewing Duo because of the integration into YouTube. While anyone can switch their closed-captions to Spanish to help with language, FluentU allows me to click on words as they are displayed and add them to my library of words to study.
At the same time, I’m always trying to learn new tech stuff. And learning to work with AI through Gemini and Copilot helps me learn more things and then save them to notebooks to review later. With Gemini, I learned how to program a smart thermostat and got recipes for homemade mayo (using an immersion blender) and homemade gazpacho (using a regular blender). But I’ve yet to try the recipes. Still, I’m truly motivated to learn more than I actually have time in a day to do. I’m thankful for all I have been able to learn about kidney diets and dialysis for my hubby, though, so sometimes the drive for more input isn’t such a bad thing.
Truly, I could stay on this subject for days and tell you all what I learned when I was an actress for a few months, a model as a teenager, and a plug-board telephone operator (answering service) for years. But I’d likely wear most readers out with my small bits of knowledge on a vast amount of subjects. This may never have proved to be great for a career path, but in retirement, it’s good for being a writer, and it’s great for finding common ground with many people, so I can meaningfully share the gospel in ways they can understand.
Before I wrote all this, I would have said I needed to let go of some of the less important learning paths and get motivated to push to the end of a few major subjects. But now, I’m thinking this variety in my brain might be exactly what I need. Now if I could just pull the thread that would let me get writer’s meeting plans and announcements done in a more timely manner, I’d feel even better about all I learn to share with others. Until then, I will seek to apply more of the input God has graciously allowed me to retain, and I will work on being like The Apostle Paul in these verses…
1 Corinthians 9:19-23 BSB
[19] Though I am free of obligation to anyone, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. [20] To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), to win those under the law. [21] To those without the law I became like one without the law (though I am not outside the law of God but am under the law of Christ), to win those without the law. [22] To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. [23] I do all this for the sake of the gospel, so that I may share in its blessings.
https://bible.com/bible/3034/1co.9.19-23.BSB
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Prompt Response: That Printer of Udell’s by Harold Bell Wright
What’s a book that completely surprised you?
The 1902 Novel That Totally Surprised Me (…And Ronald Reagan)
It’s a book written over a century ago, in 1902, by Harold Bell Wright called “That Printer of Udell’s,” but don’t let its age dissuade you from giving it a chance.
I wasn’t actually looking for the book, or any book, when I came across this. I was in the “World’s Largest Toy Museum” in Branson, Missouri, and a part of it includes the “Harold Bell Wright Museum.” I’d never even heard of the man or any of his books, but I quickly found out that The Shepherd of The Hills references in that area were based on one of Bell’s books by the same name. I left with a few books, including That Printer of Udell’s (this links to the free online download at “Project Gutenberg”) recommended by the store proprietor.
Going into it, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Beyond occasionally trying to comprehend some of the thick, old-fashioned “hillbilly” dialects of the region used at the beginning of the book, I was hooked within a couple of chapters. And I was amazed by how deeply this story resonated with me.
What’s it about, you ask? The story is set in the busy, sometimes harsh Midwestern town of Boyd City. It follows the main character Dick Falkner, a young man who has survived a brutal childhood; complete with an alcoholic father, wild yet motherly “madams” for the boy’s babysitters and landlords, and extreme poverty. Dick travels to the city in search of a fresh start, only to face starvation and unemployment no matter how hard he’s willing to work. Worse, the cold indifference of the local church congregations is hard on his spirit as well as his body.
Just as he’s ready to give up, he is hired by George Udell, a kind-hearted printer who’s willing to give him a chance as an apprentice. Through this turning point, Dick encounters real Christianity—not the hypocritical kind he saw from afar, but a faith lived out through kindness, love, and public service. Dick’s later transformation ripples through the entire community.
What surprised me most about this book was its spiritual depth and how it could apply just as well in 2026 and beyond. It beautifully demonstrates the fantastic life changes that happen when a person shifts from mere self-reliance and survivorship to allowing God to set the moral compass and direction of their life. Dick goes from a man just trying to endure day-to-day to a man with an unshakeable purpose driven by The Lord. It’s a powerful reminder that we weren’t meant to carry the weight of the world only on our own shoulders.
As it turns out, I’m not the only one who was deeply impacted by this book. A young boy in Illinois read That Printer of Udell’s at just 11 years of age, and it altered the course of his entire life. That boy was Ronald Reagan.
In the museum, they have the letter where Reagan later stated that the book left an indelible impression on him, shaping his own faith and his view of human nature. He even said that Dick Falkner became a role model for him, inspiring him to become a person who fights for what is right. If a turn-of-the-century novel could help shape a future president, you know there is something powerful in the story.
If you are looking for a story that is inspiring and historically fascinating, and one that will challenge your own Christian walk in the best way possible, I highly encourage you to click the link above to download a free copy in your favorite format. Project Gutenberg offers many options, including Kindle. But you can also check Amazon or other bookstores for print copies. Either way, I highly recommend the read. Push past the dated dialect at the beginning, and I promise you will find a timeless message of grace and the power of a changed life. It will challenge how you see both “sinners” and “saints” in your life.
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🎵CTRL+Z Super Power (Day One Prompt Response)
What super power do you wish you had and why?
I might like to be “The Great Undoer” in life. Imagine if you could go back to any decisions you’ve found out (presumably the hard way) were not good decisions. And then you call on The Great Undoer, who has access to super-powered CTRL + Z buttons to undo anything that might otherwise create a lifetime of regret. Those last harsh words you spoke that you wish you could take back? Just undo them. That phone call you didn’t make because you were busy and then found you’d never get the chance again? Rewind to that moment, click undo, and make that phone call. Yep, with The Great Undoer by your side, you can put the toothpaste back in the tube.
I guess this is the answer to the statement that “hindsight is 20/20.” How often do we wish we had known something, or acted on something, before it was too late to change things? And that’s when regret reared its ugly head and threatened to leave us feeling guilty forever. How nice it would have been to just go back in time and undo the moment like Bill Murray learned to do in the movie “Groundhog Day.”
But, truthfully, what I’m asking for here is a way to perfect life according to my own human idea of perfection. But it’s not truly perfect. No bad decisions means no hard lessons, and no hard lessons leads to not caring what we do because we can just “undo” it. (And my heart breaks at this thought because of all the babies lost to abortion since people so often believe the lie that it will undo pregnancy.)
Sadly, this is what so many have tried to do with the grace and mercy of The Lord. They are so sure that everything will be washed away at the touch of the CTRL+Z prayer, they stop thinking before they act, and they stop asking questions like, “What does the Word of God say about this?” In a non religious program, this issue was actually handled well by an episode of a show I think I saw once before I got saved. It was called “Tales from the Darkside” and the episode was called “It All Comes Out in the Wash.” I wrote about it when I was doing the year of Torah studies in a post called, “When it Won’t Come Out in the Wash.”
As I sit here tonight waiting for a phone call from an ICU 2000 miles away, I battle with that thought of, “Why didn’t I call last Sunday?” I planned on it, and I know that at 84 years old, my stepfather’s last breath is far closer than his first breath. But distractions showed up, and I didn’t make the call like I planned. And now, I don’t know if he’s coming back from this one. I do know we had a great conversation the last time we spoke, but it’s been over a month since then. So, if I had my undo button, maybe I would make sure I made that call on Sunday. Thankfully, he’s got a great friend and caregiver who not only let me know as soon as the ambulance left his house, but also called me from the hospital to let me speak to him in case he can hear even in a comatose state. But I know there are many who’ve missed final chances and never got even a small message to the person. I feel for them because this isn’t my first time of wishing I had that Super CTRL Z option.
I’d like to say I’ve learned perfectly from the moments I could not undo, and that I’ve never made the same mistakes twice after learning a thing the hard way, but alas, my humanness has won out more than I like to admit. But the blood of YahShua does wash and cleanse us from eternal guilt even when God lets us stew a bit here on Earth, so if you’ve never let Him put your regrets under the cleansing fountain, please do so soon. If you have questions about salvation, please leave me a comment, and I’ll do my best to lead you toward your next steps.
Ephesians 1:7 BSB
[7] In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace
https://bible.com/bible/3034/eph.1.7.BSB
Isaiah 1:18 BSB
[18] “Come now, let us reason together,” says the Lord. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they will be as white as snow; though they are as red as crimson, they will become like wool.
https://bible.com/bible/3034/isa.1.18.BSB
Romans 5:9 BSB
[9] Therefore, since we have now been justified by His blood, how much more shall we be saved from wrath through Him!
https://bible.com/bible/3034/rom.5.9.BSB
1 John 1:7 BSB
[7] But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.
https://bible.com/bible/3034/1jn.1.7.BSB
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I Love 🥰 Emojis
What are your favorite emojis?
Ask anyone who gets messages from me. I love emojis! 💝 There’s something about being able to say a lot with a tiny form. A picture speaks a thousand words, right? And when I downloaded Google’s Gboard keyboard and got access to their “emoji kitchen” to create my own, that was the whipped cream and cherry on top.
I’m not sure why “Day One” chose this for their 1921st prompt, because so many emojis only show up as little boxes here on WordPress, but I still love the idea, so I’m experimenting. I’ve downloaded a lot of the mixed ones I created to share in a collage, and they’ll show fine since they’re pictures. Like this set of train emojis from messages I sent to my sister while she was on the train last year.
I really love the train that’s slipping on a banana peel. That was from combining a train emoji with a banana emoji. You should be able to tell what was combined to get each image. I highly recommend the Gboard app for the personal dictionary and the Glide Typing abilities as well. I don’t know if it’s available anywhere but the Google Play Store, but if you can get it, I’m relatively certain you’ll have fun with it. Go to https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.inputmethod.latin
And here are some new ones I just made tonight. As you can tell, I like combining the cactus with different things. Oh, and sparkles. I love adding sparkles to other emojis.
Most of these should be obvious, but the wooden globe may not give away that it’s a combo of the earth and a wooden stump. The frying pan is the combo of a dinner plate and an egg. But I cannot do a train and a cactus, so here’s what you get when you choose to do the two types of cactus 🌵 and 🏜️ (I hope these show) inline with a text…
So, yes, I think you can clearly see that I really like using emojis as a communications tool. I hope this inspires someone to have some fun with these great compact emotions.
Now, since April 27th is also “National Tell A Story Day,” I have one more treat for you. It’s a very old story, some sites say a song, that I learned when I was a teenager. I never sang it until I taught it to my nephews and had them sing it like a military marching cadence for their uncle. As I searched, it seemed all the sites had slightly different words, so I’m using the ones I recall from my years of repeating this tongue tangler of backward, inside-out, and upside-down words..
I started with the introduction of...
Ladies and gentlemen, hobos and tramps,
Cross-eyed mosquitos and bowlegged ants.
I stand before you, not behind you,
To address you, not undress you.
Admission is free, pay at the door.
Pull up a chair and sit on the floor.
I come to this end, not to this out,
To tell you a story--I know nothing about.
~~~~~~~~and then the story~~~~~~~~
One bright day in the middle of the night
Two dead boys got up to fight.
Back to back they faced each other
Pulled out their swords and shot each other.
A deaf policeman heard the noise
And came to kill the two dead boys.
If you don't believe my story is true,
Ask the blind man... He saw it too!
One day, I’ll tell you the story of Petey the Snake. But it’s best to hear it, so I’ll need to get over myself and be willing to record it. But wait, there’s more. I just had to make my juggling emojis with the knit filter. Too cute!
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🎵On Account of my Walk (Prompt Post)
Describe a risk you took that you do not regret.
It didn’t start out as much of a risk. Right in the middle of a grocery store, a big drawing box that said, “Win a FREE 16 x 20 Portrait!” My trailer did not have a lot of wall space, but the word free was enticing, so in my name and number went.
I got the call a few days later. “You didn’t win the 16 x 20, but you won a free 8 x 10.” Wow, I thought, I actually won something. Having done telemarketing for a photo studio as a teenager, I should’ve known it was just a marketing technique, but I decided to set the appointment and have my portrait done. Still no real risk.
Proof day was the first risk. How much money could a truck stop cashier really afford to spend on pictures, no matter how pretty they came out? I decided on the Christmas cards and the free 8 x 10. The sales lady was good and she could see I wanted more but couldn’t afford them. So, she offered me a job. No, that was not how I expected that day to go, but it was a day that would change my life in multiple ways. But, yes, it was a huge risk.
I didn’t have a car that could travel all over the US, so the company said it would take care of all my flights and buses for the first 6 weeks while I was training, and then I’d pay half of my transportation costs myself. I just had to be willing to give notice at my current job and be willing to leave everything I knew, including all the family that lived in the same town, and head to my first training location in Utah within 10 days. I can still feel the butterflies that were there in my stomach as I pondered the decision to make such a huge life change. But I do not regret it at all.
Because of Parkway Studios, I got to travel a large part of the US. I saw landmarks and circuses and dinosaurs in Utah. I learned how cold Wisconsin can get during an Arctic cold front, and I learned how to pronounce Oconomowoc Wisconsin from a local who said to just remember, “On account of my walk.” (Phonetically, it’s pronounced oh-KAH-nuh-muh-wok.) I traveled to a town in Ohio that allowed me to meet my grandmother on my dad’s side for the first time, and a town in Kansas that let me see my father again after many years. And, eventually, I met the friend who put me on the phone with the man I’ve loved and been married to for over 35 years now.
There have been so many experiences since making the decision to accept that job offer that I could write a book. (I’m working on one for real.) I mean, without meeting my husband, I wouldn’t have some of the great friendships I’ve grown here, like those within my writer’s group, and I wouldn’t have gotten my gift of the DNA test that got me my brother. (He’s had a great response to his first single, by the way, so check the post called “Release Day” if you want to stream his amazing song, Savage Grace.) And so very much more than I can put into words because of the deep value of things like finding someone who loves to sing old hymns. So, no, I definitely do not regret that huge risk so many years ago.
Hebrews 11:8-10 BSB
[8] By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, without knowing where he was going. [9] By faith he dwelt in the promised land as a stranger in a foreign country. He lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. [10] For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.
https://bible.com/bible/3034/heb.11.8-10.BSB
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🎵Photo Walking
What’s the most fun way to exercise?
Daily Prompt by Day One
If I can get myself out the door with a camera around my neck, I tend to enjoy the steps I get a little more. A trip–back in 2022–to Azalea Path in Indiana is my favorite of all time. I’ve been there more than once, but that year, we just seemed to arrive during the best color display I’ve seen there. Here’s a collage of some of the captures from that day, all straight out of the camera (SOOC). It was cloudy, so I used a higher color setting, but I was very happy with a few of the shots out of 1200+ I captured. I especially love the ones with waterfalls.
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And even though these are not lilies, this reminder from the words of YahShua HaMashiach (Jesus Christ The Messiah) are a fitting comfort that goes well with such an array of colors.
Luke 12:27-28 BSB
[27] Consider how the lilies grow: They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his glory was adorned like one of these. [28] If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, how much more will He clothe you, O you of little faith!
https://bible.com/bible/3034/luk.12.27-28.BSB
And since I used that verse, well, I might as well share the beautiful song with the same words, right?
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A Patriotic Heart–Daily Prompt 1850
Are you patriotic? What does being patriotic mean to you?
The definition of patriot from Merriam-Webster says, “one who loves and supports their country” and includes synonyms of loyalist and nationalist. The “Did You Know” section at https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/patriot has some interesting history of the word. And, of course, if you’re gonna call yourself patriotic, which means to be a patriot, you should know the meaning of the word.
I wasn’t planning on responding to the prompt today, but it seemed to match the picture I’d already created, so I figured I would try. And in looking at some other responses, maybe it’s necessary. I grew up with a strong respect for our country, our flag, and our leadership–including local law enforcement. I’ve never thought it was okay for someone to flout the law of the land just because they didn’t like it. That doesn’t mean that I’ve been perfect, but it does mean I respect the law and know when I’ve done wrong and deserve consequences (with sequence, or what follows).
As a follower of YahShua HaMashiach (Jesus Christ) and His holy written Scripture, I cannot use “love of country” to excuse attitudes, words, or behaviors that don’t obey God’s word. But, I also cannot use my love of God as an excuse to ignore the law of the land. I stop at red lights, and I pay my taxes. And, if I violate the law, I pay the fine or go to traffic school.
To me, patriotism doesn’t mean I love EVERY thing my country does or every decision it makes. But it does mean I stay supportive of the country as my homeland and stay grateful for the decisions I do agree with. If I disagree with something, I can vote for change. If the subject is not on the ballot, I can enlist the help of others to put it on the ballot where my vote can be counted. Violating the laws of the land, like blocking public roads, is neither patriotic nor a good use of freedom. And if consequences follow that don’t feel good, well, that’s what happens. I mean, I absolutely hate the taking of innocent lives via abortion, but I would never bomb one of the clinics that performs them. Why? Because another thing I learned as a child was that two wrongs don’t make a right.
So, yes, I am patriotic, and I’m still grateful to be an American. Years ago, I shocked some people when I went to hear Bill Clinton speak even though he was not my chosen candidate. But I wasn’t going to hear the man, I was going to hear “The President of The United States.” I respect the office and the authority regardless of who occupies the position. Sadly, it wasn’t long after that when I attended some school events for nephews and nieces and saw teachers refuse to place their hands over their hearts in respect for the flag, or our nation’s National Anthem. It was only a matter of time before students stopped learning how to respect the authority of any position from the highest position in the land to the lowest.
That change in respect was shortly before the first major school shooting incident that seemed to set up a pattern of many others. And I don’t think it’s a coincidence that disrespect of law and authority, and a lack of value for human life, created that subset of attitudes. I would caution parents and teachers about repeating negative media tropes about The President or our law enforcement to children who can sponge it up and turn it into a bigger monster than anyone wants to deal with. Maybe the little parody my mom used to sing to the tune of the Pepsodent toothpaste jingle isn’t sung anymore, but those words (“You’ll wonder where your father went if he talks against The President”) were a lesson in respect that I think we could all use again.
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Ideas and Titles and Brains, Oh My!
Come up with a crazy business idea.
by WordPress Prompts
I’ve never tried using one of the daily WordPress prompts before, so you readers get to join me on my first venture of this kind. You’ll see the prompt like a small subtitle above this paragraph, and it says to come up with a crazy business idea.
But here’s the thing, my mind does this on a regular basis. Ask my husband how many times I’ve asked him, “You know what kind of business someone needs to start? ” And then I’ve regailed him with all the aspects of whatever perfect idea I have at the moment.
One of my great ideas was for a talent show where the contestants first had to compete in brain games before they could perform. I figured it would limit those performers who were too ignorant to recognize that there wasn’t a talented bone in their bodies. Always beware when someone hits the stage with a promise that they are the best you’ve ever seen or heard before.
So this crazy business idea is to have a business where you collect a variety of business ideas, company name ideas, etc., and feed all those ideas to some kind of think tank to see if they really could make something profitable out of all of it. Sort of a “treasures from junk” kind of effort but with investors with multiple MBAs using a jumble of ideas instead of an artist using trash from the dump to create a masterpiece.
If you’ll look through a list of my blog posts, you’ll notice that coming up with titles is one of the most fun parts for me. I love twists and parodies of well-known ideas like my post about Time but using the spice and calling it, “There’s No Present Like the Thyme.” And many years ago, I had a hairdresser who was going to dental school to become a hygienist because she wanted to do both teeth and hair to prepare people for special events like proms and graduations. I thought it was a great business idea and told her she should call it “Style With A Smile.” She loved the name, but after she got married and moved to Kansas, I never found out if she created that business or used my title idea.
I read once about a woman whose actual job was to create titles and names for everything you can imagine. She not only named businesses, but she creatively named projects within the businesses, departments, and of course reports and books and chapters within the books. Back when I was a young person looking to create a career, that would’ve been the one I jumped into with both feet. Or with all the cells of my brain 🧠 in rapid fire mode. And on that note, if you are struggling to name a book or story that just doesn’t seem complete without a better title, drop me a comment and we can see if I can brainstorm something that works perfectly for you.
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