What a Character!

 OK folks, this week in our Write Your Roots class, we discussed character sketching and used our dad's as subject matter. That was pretty easy because dad's can be kind of quirky, display strange and unusual habits, and generally easy to pick on. So I've reserved a spot on the blog for my students to post their character sketches. Have fun!

I'll go first... here's my character sketch about my dad:

  "The more I spoke, the sleepier he became. It seemed like my conversation’s purpose was to lull him to sleep. Earlier, I found Dad working in the yard, determined to fix his broken gate. The problem was suppose to be an easy fix but ended up consuming his entire morning and part of the afternoon. By now, his short temper got the best of him so he put down his tools and decided to take a break.

            It was around 3:45 in the afternoon when Dad finally retreated to his medium green recliner. He was wearing blue jeans and a plaid button-down shirt and I could see his gold cross necklace through the open top three buttons. No matter how hard Dad worked, his silver grey hair was always neat. By this time in the day, his rough, olive-toned oval face was casting an early five-o’clock shadow. 

            Dad never looked as peaceful as he did now. His wide-set apart eyes were closed like a garage door slammed shut. Carefully, I reached for the toothpick that typically hung from his mouth and slowly began to slide it out. That’s when he opened his eyes and said, “I was just resting my eyes.”

Now it's your turn :)

Chrissy

How Many Birthday Candles?

Mia & Benjamin James Larson (3 months)

Those of us who could, gathered together yesterday, to celebrate my husbands 63rd birthday. He's a walking miracle. They say cats have nine lives. Well, Gary Larson has had more lives than I can count. Then there's the other numerous near-death adventures he doesn't think I know about, which put him in an elite, but small category of survivors, all his own.

Not only did I enjoy the birthday celebration, I especially loved holding my three-month old grandson, Benjamin. His instinctive coos and crooked baby grins melted my heart. I carried on with him until his eyelids thickened and he began to sink deep into my arms. My sweet boy endured all the music, laughter, and social stimulation he could handle and then slowly drifted off to sleep. His mother graciously asked me if I needed her to take him, so I could eat the once steaming hot, feta cheese and spinach-stuffed calzone in front of me. But I was already full, satisfied by him.

There's nothing quite like cuddling with an innocent child. While they sleep, you dream for them, hoping they'll reach for the stars in a way you never could. Heaven forbid, the mistakes you made would be repeated by them.

I looked down at him while he took a power nap, and decided to whisper a prayer for his life. "Be strong and intuitive. Guard your heart and don't give your devotion away before your time. Jesus wants you to run beside Him, not behind Him. He will call you his friend."

What if I don't get to tell him all the things penned up in my heart? I hope and pray I'll have trillions of face-to-face chances to say what I believe about him. But, God only knows how many birthdays candles I get to blow out.

QUESTION FOR THE WEEK: If you could give a newborn baby advice, what would it be?

Chrissy (Cyberpsalmist)

Happy New Year Everyone!

It's January, 2014, and although Christmas was only 19 days ago, it seems so far removed from the thoughts that now fill my mind. Lately, I've been busy trying to recapture getting some order back in my home... not because I had an incredibly chaotic holiday, but I'm still not done renovating from the flood of 2013. We've saved a ton of money by doing the work ourselves. The biggest drawback is this way only saves money. It's taking F-O-R-E-V-E-R!

While I'm ready for everything to be put back in it's proper place, I decided I wasn't going to get my undies in a bundle and fret about any of it. This approach has saved me from covering my grey's sooner, as well as a few manicures over chewed fingernails. God's hand has been in this all the way and I'm really enjoying how it's coming together.

Speaking of coming together, one of my favorite fun time childhood memories growing up was playing games. I'm specifically talking about games played around a table, such as cards or board games. My family was so big, we often had to add an extra deck of cards to a game so that the draw pile wouldn't run out so quickly.

On the top of my list of favorites would definitely be the classics such as Candy Land, Chutes and Ladders, Sorry, and Chinese Checkers. I also loved Crazy Eights and Spoons. But Rummy Royal holds the top position. (The game also goes by the title Michigan Rummy.) All ages do well in playing this vintage board game and the only special equipment required is a deck of cards and a good supply of poker chips. The object of the game is to have the most chips at the end and the end of the game comes when your opponents either get bored or tired. If you need to get a snack or step away for any reason, you can ask to be "dealt out" for a round, making the game very flexible.

Now, I know many of you would disagree on this point but, I think games that don't make me think or strategize too hard are more fun. Because I hold this opinion, you won't find me begging anyone to play Monopoly or Chess. I'll leave those games for you to play.

With that said...

QUESTION OF THE WEEK: what's your favorite family table game? And tell me why you love it.

Chrissy