QUESTION OF THE WEEK

I'VE GOT 
LONE STAR LOVE
by Emily Stutsman
Movies As Literature Student

"There's something about traveling that unlocks the brain. It gets you out of your routine, it shows you a different way of life, the jet lag puts you in a creative fog." -Nathan

The summer I was 13 years old, as well as when I was 14, I traveled out to Texas. I rode in a truck with a trailer escorted by Ms. Bobbi Williams. I was so excited because it was my first time really being away from home for a long period of time. Another reason for my excitement was there, I would meet eight-time NFR team roping champion, Speed Williams (Ms. Bobbi's son).

We drove for 14 hours straight, all the way to Texas. When Ms. Bobbi and I arrived in that Lone Star state, we had to stop at Tony Bracin’s house and let the horses out to stretch their legs. His house was on a 2,000-acre ranch. It was the most beautiful, breath-taking place I had ever seen. It had cows freely grazing in huge green fields and a river running through the acreage. I plan to move near Fairfield, Texas when I have my career set. 

 
We were finally on our way to Speed's house in Llano. The minute we got there, it was all busy, busy, busy. I have always loved staying busy, so there I was, in heaven! We always had ropings to go to or horses to be worked! To this day, those two summers have been the best summers I have ever experienced and I praise God that I was able to do it. Texas is by far my most favorite place to be!

If you have a favorite place where would it be??

QUESTION OF THE WEEK

Now That's Something I Could Do Without!

Ya know, if there was one thing I could do without in my life, it would be sleep. As much as I love to sleep, and enjoy making zzzzz's, I wish it wasn't a requirement. It takes up 6-8 precious hours of my life, involves a time-consuming bedtime routine, and interrupts the flow of my nocturnal creative juices.

I have so many better things to do other than sleep, like write music, sew, scrapbook, write, read, research, organize, play, cruise, fix and build, cook, clean, shop on-line, etc., etc. The list goes on and on. I fight against going to bed because it's in the wee hours of the night that I can finally hear myself think. It's also when all my little chicks and the rooster are tucked in tight that I have the complete run of my quiet house. No one is calling my name!

When forced to slumber, I must face extra dental duties, forebear swallowing evening supplements, and follow through with various other personal responsibilities, all of which annoy me. Unlike other family members of mine who don't mind following every rule, I shrink back with a bit of rebellion at the thought of having to fulfill all of my bedtime routine.

The only routine I enjoy is saying "goodbye" to a chaotic day and "hello" to some me-time. With the rest of the house asleep, I can look forward to uninterrupted bliss. Something flips my creativity switch on and away I go, as if it's the top of the morning!

As I write this blog, it's almost 3:30 AM (I guess that IS the top of the morning) and I realize I need to PUT my body to bed. As much as I wish I could get along without sleep, I do enjoy fluffing my pillow, getting into the fetal position, and watching a dream sequence on the backside of my eyelids. Sleep is a good way to end the day and certainly helps me greet a brand new one, complete with all it's challenges. So for my own good, I'll say goodnight. But before I go, I must ask you one question...

If there was one thing you could do without in your life, what would it be???

QUESTION OF THE WEEK

Playing Your Hand
(This "Question of the Week' is written by Walter Morris, a 12th Grade student in my Movies As Literature class.)

Every day people die knowing full well that they will never be rich, or famous, or happy. It is a sad fact, yes, but a fact none the less, and a fact that one should not disregard. For it is our success that defines us as human beings, no? It’s kind of a cruel game. We are given this gift, this wonderful and terrible gift, and we are expected to make the most out of it in some way or another. And if not, then we have failed. Sometimes I catch my mind wandering about the people who make the most menial things I use. For example, buttons. All they do is hold clothes together, and sometimes not even very well. There are alternatives to buttons, surely. And even some that may be more effective and advantageous. So what about the person who makes these buttons? What is their impact on the world? - to hold sweaters together. And I will never know the name of the person who made the buttons on my sweater, and he or she shall never know me. And we will continue on in our lives to think very little about each other, and then we will die. Se la vie.

It is important to ask oneself, periodically, whether it is possible to ‘fail’ at life - to not achieve success. Given the sheer number of people the Earth moves in and out each day, I’m sure there has to be at least one who never accomplished their goals. At least one who reached for the stars, but never touched them. And of course there is the other end of the spectrum. People like Martin Luther King Jr., and Albert Einstein, and Mozart and Bach and Voltaire and Mahatma Gandhi. They are more famous and wealthy than this poor button-maker, but are they just as integral a part in the advancement of civilization? Surely someone made MLK Jr.’s buttons. But when one does not amount to much in contrast with these truly great people, does this define failure? Does this mean that all the hard work and effort John Doe put into school, and work, and relationships, and friends, has it all been in vain? Or is failure merely a human invention designed to motivate the human race to progress and thrive out of fear? Is success possible? Is failure? And most importantly, can one win a game that one never had a choice to play?

We are thrust into this world with very little. Feeble and young, we rely on our parents to help us survive. And slowly but surely, we learn. We learn about colors and shapes, and colors and shapes turns into letters, and then reading, followed by simple math, and more complex math, and social studies and geography, and religion. All the while establishing a foundation for ourselves in the way of a moral compass, and a conscience, and our personality. But the question remains: is one human more valuable than the next? We try to tell ourselves over and over that all humans are equal and valuable in their own rights, but we don’t buy it. Faced with a burning building, a bum and a lawyer trapped inside, it is obvious which one you would choose. And faced with a life of humble hard work only to earn barely enough to pay the bills, and a life of fame and fortune and glamour, the answer is obvious as well. But I remain determined yet to forge on through the incandescent flames of opportunity, naive and bullheaded. For the only constant in life is that one must play the hand he is dealt.

Classmates, in no less than 5 sentences explain to me what defines your personal success, how you plan to achieve it, and how you would feel if you fell short."

QUESTION OF THE WEEK

It's Never Too Late!

Have you ever said that to someone?
To yourself?

What makes or breaks this statement is the strength and conviction behind it. It means I either believe in you more than you believe in yourself OR you believe in you more than anyone else.

Over a year ago, I had a very serious talk with the Lord about some pretty major issues going on around me and in my life. Instead of answering me directly, He subject jumped me. (That's when you ask a question and instead of an answer, the person changes the subject. I HATE THAT!) The Lord gave me a challenge instead of an answer. He said to my spirit, "I want you to take it up a notch." What a wide-open statement! I could apply it to whatever arena of my life I wanted to. I asked the Lord for more clarification and He said, "Do something you never said or thought you could do... something others said you could never do. I'm gonna teach you courage."

I began to toss that idea around in my mind and recall saying, "Ill never ride my own motorcycle." Then I remember my husband said that to someone in a conversation, "You'll never see Chrissy riding a motorcycle. I'm lucky to get her to ride on the back of mine." I knew what I needed to do but it wasn't going to happen easy.

I began to do some research and started talking around. I found out about a Confidence Building Class for women who wanted to learn to ride. It was a one hour class taught for free at The Roar in Daytona Beach, Florida. I grabbed my sister, who was ready to get her endorsement and together, we took the class.

Shortly after that, we both signed up for our motorcycle endorsement class and before you know it, I had "Motorcycle Also" stamped on my driver's license. I found a bike in Tampa, Florida that suited me and trailered it straight to The Roar for them to service, as well as have them make adjustments to custom fit it to match my vertical challenges.

The first test of my courage came the day The Roar called me to say my bike was ready for pick-up. I would have to drive it home from Daytona Beach. Gary charted a scenic route for my maiden journey and followed me in the car as I captained my ride back to Jacksonville. Was I scared? Yes. Did it take courage? Absolutely! But I accepted the Lord's challenge and took it up a notch. He showed me there was more to me than meets my own eyes and there is way more to Him than the eye can see.

There's not a ride that goes by where I don't sense God's power and strength. I feel Him in the wind and smell Him in the breeze. He fascinates me each time I go for a cruise and often times, I'm able to share my story with biker wanna-bes who have no idea the short distance between their wishes and what could be their realities.

Just so you know, I'm not done stepping it up. I have had the Lord speak to me very specifically about other challenges, some of which I have already taken Him up on. On a side note - Remember those serious questions I mentioned before? Even though He side-stepped me, somehow many of those questions were answered along the way. Go figure :)

What if Jesus told you to "step it up a notch?" What would that entail for you?

QUESTION OF THE WEEK

Chunk of Change

Fall is the time of year when I think about change... the weather begins to change, the leaves change color and the time changes, due to daylight savings. Although change can be good, bringing spice to my routine, not all modifications bring improvement. Sometimes it's inconvenient and comes at the wrong time. Other times, I get weary in the waiting. If I could change three things about my life right now, I would want to grow about four inches, remodel my entire house, and go back to college to finish my degree.

Being vertically challenged has its advantages. For some reason, people associate youth with height. I guess it's because adults are usually looking down at children. Who knows, I never question a good thing. Another benefit is being placed in the front row when it comes to photographs. Regarding dressmaking, being fun sized means I need less fabric to make a garment. But sometimes I just wish I could be about four inches taller. Those extra inches would definitely put me in a different height/weight category... you know, those dreadful charts the medical professionals use to determine if you are overweight - or not.

The other thing I would like to see changed is the interior of my entire home. I love my property and the layout of my house is cozy, but it's in need of serious architectural reconstruction. Although right now I'm in the process of remodeling my kitchen, I'm already thinking about the next room I need to transform. With its wood paneling and drafty windows, my red brick ranch home reflects the true style of the sixties and the sixties are where it's stagnated. Every day, it begs me for a face-lift! I wish I had the money to remodel it all at once, then at least all the rooms would have some sort of design cohesion.

The last thing I'd change would be the sense of unfinished business that hovers over me like a gray cloud. After high school, I went away to college to pursue a degree in Clothing and Textiles. It covered everything from Fabric Science to Drafting & Design. I was completely immersed in my field of my dreams but due to unforeseen circumstances, I never completed the course. To this day, I live with gnawing regret. I met the Lord between the Spring and Fall semester of 1978 and because of the massive changes taking place in my life at that time, I never made it back to school. Although I was able earn a living using my sewing skills, I never reached the goal I had intended for myself. There is something to be said about finishing what you start. Who knows, maybe one day I'll have the opportunity.

If change is possible, then we need to be chasing after it. Our desire must be strong enough to give us the gumption necessary to grasp hold of that which is still within our reach.

Sure, changing my educational status from incomplete to finished is slightly possible, and a whole-house renovation is feasible, if I can lay my hands on a big chunk of change. But in order to add four extra inches to my stature, I'm gonna need a creative miracle, and according to Matthew 6:27, ("Has anyone, by fussing in front of the mirror, ever gotten taller by so much as an inch?" The Message) it won't benefit me one bit! Ugh!!!

If you could change three things about your life, what would they be???

Cyberpsalmist