Jetisoning G's ~ Life Lessons from Cranky Children ~ A to Z Blog Challenge

When I began thinking about the A to Z challenge, I thought for a long time about what I wanted to write. I tried to think of ways to find neat things about the English language with each letter. And then I thought, what if that letter didn’t exist? So I am doing an abbreviated version of my Life Lessons series that I normally do on Fridays, but without using the letter of the day. What would life be like without that letter? Let’s find out...

This week has been New Warmer Season’s Break for us. That means my oldest has been home from school and I don’t have a requirement to haul three small children out of the house and around town every day. In some ways this is positive. In others... well, not so much.

Here’s the problem: I’m a homebody. Now as an author this is fabulous. I don’t care if I stay in my pajamas all day and live in my made-up little world from breakfast until dinner. My kids are not that way. We did not leave the house yesterday. By the time we left for the, er, Swell Friday service at church this afternoon, claws had come out, moods had soured, and the volume of whines and complaints had reached an all time record.

Unlike me, my children require an alteration in scenery. When we let twenty-four hours slip by without a trip somewhere, all the other family members climb the walls.

Christian ministry can be like this as well. Some people can serve all day in several different capacities and show up the next day with a smile on their face, ready to jump in one more time. Other people require breaks. They need different routines. It’s part of their make-up – who the Lord created them to be.

Sometimes I find myself held up as the yardstick by which I measure another’s service. This is incorrect on so many levels.

One, it’s not my place to measure.

Two, the Lord wants a personal relationship with you which means that He has a different plan for you than for Billy Bob Joe down the street.

Three, I need to focus on what I have to handle instead of what someone else has on their plate.

And four, I could start to find fault in myself in areas where the Lord has not called me.

What expectations do you find you place on others simply because they work for you?

Check out other A to Z participants using the link below. 

Infrequent F's ~ Life Lessons from Writer's Block ~ A to Z Challenge

When I began thinking about the A to Z challenge, I thought for a long time about what I wanted to write. I tried to think of ways to find neat things about the English language with each letter. And then I thought, what if that letter didn’t exist? So I am doing an abbreviated version of my Life Lessons series that I normally do on Fridays, but without using the letter of the day. What would life be like without that letter? Let’s find out...

I have nothing to write about, which is sad because this is day six in the A to Z challenge. There is a long way to go. I guess you could say I have Writer’s Block.

It was somewhat scary, staring at the blank page, knowing I had a deadline to get my blog up and knowing I had no idea what to put down. Normally, I have my blogs written out several days, or more like a couple weeks in advance. This daily blog challenge has me scrambling a bit more than usual.

Normallly, I know what I am going to write when I sit down, but not today. Which begs the question, how should we handle being brought up against the unknown? There are several options. We can respond with terror, determination, or rebellion.

Terror many times makes numbs us until we do nothing. Determination sets us up to dig in the trenches and battle our way through. Rebellion tends to draw us in the opposite direction which isn’t always the best thing for us. 

Obviously, I’m choosing to battle through – given that I have a post up today. How do you react when you come up against things you aren’t prepared to see?

Check out other A to Z participants using the link below. 

As a side note, I am also blogging over at Regency Reflections today. Come check it out! 

Eradicated E's ~ Life Lessons from a Tea Party ~ A to Z Blog Challenge

When I began thinking about the A to Z challenge, I thought for a long time about what I wanted to write. I tried to think of ways to find neat things about the English language with each letter. And then I thought, what if that letter didn’t exist? So I am doing an abbreviated version of my Life Lessons series that I normally do on Fridays, but without using the letter of the day. What would life be like without that letter? Let’s find out...

Today is the letter ‘E’ so you might need your dictionaries handy.

I am not thrilling at today’s post. Hard. Difficult. Absurd. All words that flood my mind as I think about writing without today’s... um... digit? Symbol?

Anyway, upon a day prior to now, my girl child and I had a hot-drink-originating-from-China party. My child put toys on a slab-on-limbs for our food. A cow, dinosaur, railroad track, and a train sat on my dish. Play food abounds in our play room but still toys sat in as food. I brought about thoughts as to why.

What starts us playing with things in ways distinct from original notions? Within us is an infatuation with formulation. Humanity wants to birth origination from within our imagination. It is an inborn part of our souls – to act as originator of art, information, and forward motion of civilization.

Why? On grounds that humanity was brought about in God’s portrait, a part of Him, king of all formulators. It is part of Him and part of His most sacrosanct sirings. So proclaim your original visions with joy for inspiration is a gift from God.

Ha ha! Succ- wait, um, Victory! I shall now go do my jig of triumph.

I am so glad that is done! Talk about digging deep into your creativity... How well can you do?   Leave a comment about your most recent moment of creativity without using the letter E. 

Demolished D's ~ Life Lessons from Pop Tarts ~ A to Z Blog Challenge

When I began thinking about the A to Z challenge, I thought for a long time about what I wanted to write. I tried to think of ways to find neat things about the English language with each letter. And then I thought, what if that letter didn’t exist? So I am doing an abbreviated version of my Life Lessons series that I normally do on Fridays, but without using the letter of the day. What would life be like without that letter? Let’s find out...

My offspring love Pop Tarts. Rather, they love toaster pastries, because until recently they never ate real Pop Tarts. Then we took my female youngster to the allergist where they brought to bear that she possesses an allergy to milk. Lovely. It’s not extreme – it affects her skin for the most part, but it is still a hassle. It explains all the break outs she was having though.

Unofficial toaster pastries of every name I was able to locate contain milk. So I was now possessing an obligation to buy the real thing because they have no milk. My tyke ate a fake one the other morning. Sure enough little pinkish bumps rose on her cheeks.

She will happily eat both types, but one is harmful to her. The other is not.

Are we happy with harmful imposters in our lives? Moral stories, Christian music, or even church services are no fit replacement for taking time in the real Bible, but we think they are just as filling.  Has something fake ever been the cause of a problem for you?

Thank goodness I tested my post with the Find feature. I had several uses of the word “and”. Use the link below to see other A to Z participants.  

C's Circumvented ~ Life Lessons from Wrapping Paper ~ A to Z Blog Challenge

When I began thinking about the A to Z challenge, I thought for a long time about what I wanted to write. I tried to think of ways to find neat things about the English language with each letter. And then I thought, what if that letter didn’t exist? So I am doing an abbreviated version of my Life Lessons series that I normally do on Fridays, but without using the letter of the day. What would life be like without that letter? Let’s find out...

I like wrapping paper. It’s pretty. I have to make myself not buy enormous amounts of it. Unfortunately, it often happens that I don’t have enough time to properly wrap a gift and I end up throwing it in one of the many, many bags I have gathered over the years. (Between getting married and having three babies, I have gotten a lot of bags...)

But, when I have time , I like to make a present really ornate. Ribbons that make looping spirals, bows, and tidy edges really make a gift look good. Sometimes I let my kids adorn the present with images and waxy marking rods. (Really! You try to refer to ... those things without using the letter of the day!)

Then I have to ask myself why. Why does it matter if the bow is angled the right way or if the seam is properly aligned? The really good stuff is under the paper! Most people are going to rip my hard work up in 2.5... small portions of a minute, ball it up, and throw is away. Those that painstakingly remove the wrapping and set it to the side only think they’ll ever use it again. Most won’t.

The same is true in life. We waste huge quantities of time making sure that a person’s first impression of us is favorable. That we have the right friends, the best image, and the most important links. But what do they get when they really get to know us? Is the gift inside better than the wrapping outside?

I spend a lot more time buying the present than I do wrapping it. I need to spend more time      polishing what’s inside me instead of the image I project. What types of wrapping do you hide behind?

Plus, let’s hear your versions of “crayon” that don’t involve using the letter C. 

B's are Banished ~ Life Lessons from a Puppy ~ A to Z Blog Challenge

When I began thinking about the A to Z challenge, I thought for a long time about what I wanted to write. I tried to think of ways to find neat things about the English language with each letter. And then I thought, what if that letter didn't exist? So I am doing an abbreviated version of my Life Lessons series that I normally do on Fridays, but without using the letter of the day. What would life be like without that letter? Let's find out...

From cute and cuddly...

A friend of mine just got a puppy. It was so cute! He was tiny and... wait. I can't tell you what color he is since that would require using the letter. Oh well. Anyway, he's tiny. Or at least he was.

My friend talked to me the other day , telling me that the dog... wait. I can't tell you the dog's name either. Why did I pick this story for today? Anyway, telling me that the dog had grown. A lot. He is on track to weigh eighty pounds. Seriously. Large dog. She said a lot of the fun has disappeared in owning this puppy. The dog doesn't cuddle with her anymore and is starting to get large enough to cause significant amounts of issues, namely she’s had to haul him out of the flower areas of their yard.

... to cute and a handful.

Our lives can have similar issues. We let one little thing in, thinking it won't harm us. Then it grows. Soon it is so huge that we can't handle it anymore. Sometimes it is a little sin that we think is harmless but it leads to more devastating things. People and relationships are occasionally like this as well. Hanging out with a person can lead to us picking up little idiosyncrasies from them until we don't recognize who we are anymore.

Have you experienced something like this? What is something little that took over your life?

I thought it was going to be easy to avoid the letter 'B'. Then I realized I couldn't use the words be, before, became, and bigger. Not to mention black, brown, and Beniah. Sheesh. 

No A's Available ~ Life Lessons from Trees ~ A to Z Blog Challenge

When I began thinking about the A to Z challenge, I thought for a long time about what I wanted to write. I tried to think of ways to find neat things about the English language with each letter. And then I thought, what if that letter didn't exist? So I am doing an abbreviated version of my Life Lessons series that I normally do on Fridays, but without using the letter of the day. What would life be like without that letter? Let's find out... 


Do you ever look upon trees? They bend in beguiling directions. Whether trying to find sunlight or wet nutrition, trees conform to get things they need. Sometimes this conforming requires interesting positions of growth. They end up bent, split, clinging to rocks, but still they survive. They thrive even in crude surroundings.

Some dig roots into rocky crevices, rising toward the sky with no edvidence of where they get their nourishment. But you know somewhere in the rock is just enough to give the tree everything it needs.

Followers of Christ need to be like trees. We must be willing to circumvent impediments in order to get closer to our Lord, even when it brings discomfort. Like trees, it is possible we will be left with odd twists in our history, but they only improve the credibility of our testimony. Be proud of your turns, for they show you were willing to follow Jesus wherever he led.

Whew! It's really hard to avoid the letter 'A'! Thank goodness for my trusty thesaurus! Check out other participants of the A to Z Blog Challenge by clicking the badge below.