Required Reading

Monday, August 18, 2014

Ten random things I want to say before bedtime.

http://media.cmgdigital.com/shared/img/photos/2012/10/29/d4/57/hjn041411biztaxes4p.jpg


#10

Who's idea was it to start having people stand on the sides of roads twirling signs for businesses? Like, what is UP with these grown people dancing like nobody is watching while dressed like the Statue of Liberty and holding a sign for a tax company? Like, what?

"Hey! On second thought maybe I DO want an apartment in that building! Thanks, Mr. Poplocking Sign Dancer Man!"

Said no one EVER.

#9  




Zachary made a touchdown Saturday! Which is a huge deal on the travel team. He was so, so proud of himself. And the minute he saw me, he immediately started the inquisition about whether or not I saw it.

Duh! Yes!

#8

I need a haircut. Yet I've been too busy to go to the hair salon. This will be rectified this week. Which means a fun post from the hair salon just might come from it.

#7

Am I the only one who is feeling depressed by the news lately? Man. What is up with all of this. . .sigh. I won't even go there. Nope. Not right now. Too depressing.


#6  

http://assets.forexlive.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Robin-Williams-died.jpg

I'm so sad about Robin Williams. Like really, truly sad. I know he must have felt lonely and like there was no way out.

I heard a pastor talking recently about how dangerous success is. It isolates you. People are meant to be in community. I wonder if he felt isolated? I don't know.

Depression is so, so complicated. So very. I'm mad at it right now for taking so many special people away.

#5  

Isaiah and I are joining a carpool starting tomorrow. He is ridiculously nervous about it. Think happy thoughts for him, okay? He'll be the youngest guy in the crew.

#4

My husband is the hardest working man I know. Seriously. He's even the hardest working man a lot of the men we know say they know. And they are men.

Wait. Does that even make sense?

Oh well. The brother works hard. But he loves hard, too. I dig that about him. He's the least lazy person I know. And the most unselfish. I haven't been on any BHE tirades lately, but know that I am madly in love with him and crushing on him something ferocious this week. He's a good guy.

#3

We've been going to another church lately. It's my first time attending a church that isn't predominantly black. It's a very different experience. But interestingly, it's the same experience. Same songs, different musical arrangement. No one does the happy dance and they don't even know the happy dance music (black folks are all nodding their heads because they know it.) But that's okay. My soul feels convicted. I'm learning. I'm thinking. I'm growing. So that's all that matters.

Oh, and as for my old church? I loved it. It was just becoming too difficult for me to get there since it was far. And popular. Megachurches like that one can be very, very, very hard to get in and out of. That would make me talk myself out of going and hit up Minister MacBook and Evangelist iPad to just watch on line. I think my former pastor would encourage me to go where I can go instead of continuing to miss his church. So that's what I'm doing.

So far so good.

#2  



My ward team was awesome for the first two weeks of August. Such a great bunch of learners. They taught me a ton and we took excellent care of patients. Loved it.


#1


They accepted my essay about Deanna. Remember the one I wrote for her birthday and submitted on the day before her birthday? The one I tortured my dad with a snot-filled narration of over the phone at 2:33 a.m.? Yes. That one. I employed Deanna's recommended method of going into it thinking I'd win. And not even three days later, I got an email from the Editor-in-Chief of the journal saying he loved it. So that means I won. I highly recommend that approach to life's little challenges.

You know what else?

It's getting published in the special Cardiovascular Disease issue of this journal. That means way more people will read it than just the usual subscribers. And you know what else? It comes out in mid-November--just a few days after the two year mark since she left us.



I'm proud that the world will be introduced to one of the hearts worth fighting for when we fight cardiovascular disease. She was extraordinary. And now a whole bunch of other people will know that, too.

That's all I've got.

***
Happy Monday.



7 comments:

  1. Yay on the acceptance of the article. Will definitely send good thoughts to Isaiah.

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  2. I love all these randoms especially the BHE note and even more especially the news about your article about Deanna getting accepted! Congratulations!!!! I can't wait to read it! I've been thinking about your writing and thinking you should publish a book made up primarily of scenes from Grady--the people, stories, cases. It would be so inspirational and best of all, it's already written!! Oh, and praying for Isaiah. Those older kids are going to love his giant spirit.

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    Replies
    1. This morning wasn't too bad for him. I have to ask him after he gets home how the whole thing went once he pulled out of the driveway. Have I ever told you I met with a literary agent? She was pretty adamant that if I did do an anthology book, it couldn't be things from this blog. It would need to be at least 90% new/original material. That was kind of a bummer. She also said that anthologies don't do well. She wasn't being a hater either. She was just being honest.

      The BHE rules. And yes, YAY about my Deanna-festo!

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    2. Well what about self publishing then, and distributing it through amazon. Be your own publisher and you can do whatever you envision. Just a thought. Publishing houses are a crapshoot these days. But they're no longer the only game in town so that's good.

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  3. I know and love one of those sign flippers. She has Asperger's, but is pretty high functioning. She did okay in high school, but college brought on the darkest days I've ever seen her go through. I've known her since she was 5. The job works for her. I'm glad it is there for her. I'm trying to convince her to go into some sort of children's ministry.

    Yeay for Zachary.

    My late grandmother used to say the world is going to hell in a hand basket. I'm afraid she was right.

    I think that when I heard about Robin Williams it was the first time I actually cried because of the death of a celebrity. After watching all my Robin Williams movies this past weekend I kind of wonder if we shouldn't have seen it coming just from the characters he played. Would it be tacky to have a RW movie party as a fund raiser for ASFP? I've been considering it.

    While getting a blood draw today I was talking to the phlebotomist. He and I both have birthdays this week. He told me that he and his partner are going to go to a cool new restaurant they just found. He highly recommends Mardi Gras. He didn't know about your blog. He does now. Small world in a big city.

    I go to a very small church. I know almost everyone there and watched their kids grow up. Now I'm watching the grand kids grow up. We feel more like a family than a congregation. New people come in and they either love it and were looking for a church like us, or we scare them to death and they run out the door toward First Baptist. It's all good.

    Yeay for you and your essay. That's awesome.

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    Replies
    1. That's sweet about your friend who flips signs. I'm glad for that job for her sake but still not so sure about how well it actually does what they are hoping. Just my thoughts.

      I LOVE the Mardi Gras Cafe exchange!! OMG. So telling the BHE who will smile from ear to ear. I appreciate you sharing that with me, Lisa!!

      Love that you love your church home, too. I think that's important. I know they are blessed to have you in the number. :)

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