Christmas, curls, and cold air

Here's what I don't get.  Two months at this, and more than 1000 pageviews (about a hundred or so of which are my own, I'm sure), and yet no one is bothering to comment?  Do you actually read anything, or is it one of those glance at it because it has a weird name and then move on sort of deals?
Not that I'm not used to people glancing and moving on.  Actually, I have learned not to take it personally.  I don't write for you, you know.
I write for me and for God- and in some ways, for my parents.  Almost kind of like I'm still trying to prove something to myself or to them.
But that's not a thought I like.
I'm doing better now, after the debacle with the publishing software.  I decided to "go another route" as it were.  Instead of using the Booksmart software, I decided to go through createspace instead.  One of the NaNo prizes this year is two free paperback copies of the novel from creatspace.com.  And they even helped me design a cover.  I wish I could have used my own photo, but it apparently wasn't good enough.  *sticks nose in the air*
I kind of enjoyed the process, actually.  Now I'm just impatient for it to be approved.  I plan to make good use of my free copies, and I think I might publish it on Kindle.  *grin*  My dad won't read it unless it's in ebook format.  We tease him now, that he's too good for printed books.
God, do I love my parents!  Sometimes, it's hard to even articulate it, the feeling is so intense.  My parents may not do things the 'popular' way, or the generally accepted ways, but then, I wouldn't want them to.  Their style of parenting is, I think, how I would want to raise my own children- if I weren't set against having any.
I've started another story.  Maybe not a Lakeview Heights novel, but one I think I can finish.  Possibly next year's NaNo project, depending on how inspired I get.  It's about Abby and Dean, and how and when they fell in love.
I always liked that name, Abby.  Abigail, wife of King David.  She was the smart one.  I like author Jill Eileen Smith's take on Abigail- that she was David's favorite until she died.  If you get a chance, read her Wives of King David trilogy.  Some of my absolute favorite books.  Reading them actually made me want to go back and read the actual account of David and his many wives.
I've been doing a lot of thinking lately, about a lot of things.
I am making it a goal to be more healthy next year.  Not like a New Year's resolution to lose weight and exercise five days a week- first of all, that's impossible, since I'm at work three days a week, which only leaves four days to work out.  I'm talking a holistic approach to being healthier.  Nutrition.  Sure, also exercise.  Even some feng sui to help keep my mind happy, or whatever.
Okay, probably not any feng sui, since I'm a notorious packrat.  But cleaning and keeping things clean.  That's what I need to do.
The first change I've decided to make is in my diet.  I love salty snacks, so I need to find a way to have healthy ones.  Mom made these really yummy "seed balls".  She said they were a protein snack with pumpkin seeds and chia seeds and some spices and stuff.  They were super yummy.  And she said there wasn't anything like baking involved, so once I get my kitchen cleaned up, I could make them myself.  I might not like it, but I would make them for myself.
It's probably too cold to go for any significant kind of walk, but I really, really want to.  I have a pair of sneakers in my trunk that I was thinking of using to go for a walk this morning when I get off work...
Hmm.  That sounds like fun.  My lack of exercise lately is making me chubby again. :)
I like this plan.

Why programs should be beta-tested before released to the general public

You try to do something nice for somebody.  You even go and ask someone for help to do it.  And then you end up not able to do it because of some buggy, second-rate, hack job of a program repeatedly karking up your project, making it impossible to complete.
I would be better off leaving the document in Microsoft Word and printing it out at Office Max! 
This is one of those situations where I am so unbelievably frustrated, that I keep bursting into tears.  Why does this always happen when I'm trying to do something fun for somebody I love?
The only good thing about the entire situation is that at least the program was free.  If I'd have had to pay to use it in the first place, I'd have shot somebody.

Whew, okay, surfing deviantart and facebook for ten minutes actually helped calm me down.  So, here we go again.

Merry Christmas!

Came across a couple images today that made me smile:

Think about it! 

Anyway, this is my general, blanket wishes for a happy Christmas filled with love and joy and family and friends...and friends who are like family and good food and...hopefully you get the drift.

Big changes

After

So, it's been done. 

Before

What do you think?  It was definitely a lot of hair to cut, but so far, I like it, and the overall opinions seem to be positive.  I did have one person look at me and go, "What were you thinking?", but I still like it.  And if it's just hair shock, well, hair grows, and I can grow it out right quick, since my hair just does that.
The funny thing being?
I still have the longest hair in my family.

The excitement of giving

Tomorrow is the day.  I'm going to be donating my hair at noon.  I'm so excited for this, you guys!  You have no idea!
I decided to do this the last time my aunt came out of remission, and now my hair is finally long enough to donate.  Sadly, I can't donate to Pantene's Beautiful Lengths (I use their shampoo and conditioner) program (here) because they don't accept dyed/colored hair, and I have some that was colored (at the ends).  However, Locks of Love (here) does accept some colored hair.
I'll have Mom take some before and after photos, and I'll post them here and maybe on Facebook.
Pepper and I spent a truly lovely weekend together.  Meaning, of course, that she sat with me all weekend, determined to keep me from leaving her.  But Mom and Dad were happy in their nice, warm not-Wisconsin weekend (they missed out on our Saturday snowstorm, lucky them).  But Pepper watched the Fast and Furious movies with me (and I mean that she actually watched at leas the first one with me, her head tilting back and forth as she listened to the sounds of the car engines on the TV.  It was pretty funny.)
So, I was watching The Hobbit today, and I was hearing the trolls, you know, from the scene where they're arguing about the cooking- before they capture the Dwarves- and one of them sounds really familiar.  So I'm listening to them talk, and all of a sudden, this line pops into my head, "Earth?  Horrible name for a planet.  Might as well call it 'Dirt.'  Planet Dirt."
Okay, yes, obviously that line's not from The Hobbit, but it is from Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen..  It's a line from Jetfire.
My point is, I think the voice actors were the same.
Just a little bit of nerdiness for you.  And now...a little bit of humor before I say goodnight:

Validated

Have you ever experienced that feeling of knowing, without a doubt, that someone thinks you're good at what you do?  I had that today.  It was nothing dramatic, really.  In fact, it was actually quite simple, and not altogether important in the grand scheme of things.  But it made a world of difference in what I thought and how I felt.
I read a story to my mom.
See, like I said, simple.
A couple weeks ago, I started writing a little "God moment" story at writing group, and I finished it the next day.  Now, with no editing, no tweaking, it sits in my journal, waiting for me to type it up and give it life.  Mom and I were talking about my writing today, and I asked if I could read it to her- impulsive of me; I don't usually let people in on what I'm doing until after I've done it when it comes to my writing- with the possible exceptions of Katya and my grandmother- so I pulled out my journal and read it to her.
And you know, she reacted the way I wanted her to.  She laughed when she should have and understood the seriousness in it, too.  It felt good, knowing I was getting my message across.

The difference a month makes

 

 

These three photos were taken of the exact same view, over the course of thirty days (literally, October 30 to November 30).  Check out the difference a month makes!

Downton Blues

So, based on numerous recommendations in the past from people I know, like, and trust, I started watching Downton Abbey last night.  Overall, I loved the period feel of it; the interconnectivity of the lives of the highbrow and their servants...
I like how Bates said it: "We're surrounded by a pirate's treasure, and none of it's ours."
I did not, however, appreciate being thrown the curveball of homosexual smoochies out of nowhere!  WTH, guys!?  There was no point to the scene, no point to the relationship, and it literally came out of nowhere.  A couple- okay, maybe more than a couple- of reviewers on amazon suggested a liberal agenda in that scene, and I may or may not be inclined to agree with them.
The sad part is, I really liked the show up until then.  Sure, it's more like a period soap opera than a period miniseries, but let's be honest, politics and inheritances were a big deal back then.  Everybody was plotting something.  And I'll watch anything with Maggie Smith in it.
But really?  Violet was the real "dowager" personality; gotta love the boss lady.  Mary annoys me, Edith annoys me, and Siybl is just...airheaded.  The servants are awful!  If it's not Thomas and Ms. O'Brien plotting against Bates, it's Carson tattling to the earl.
I'm going to keep watching in hopes that it gets better.  If not, by the halfway point, I may actually stop watching it.  Which is sad.  Because I'd very much like to see what it is my friends see when they watch that can lead them to tell me the show's amazing.

King's Verse Writing Group

This is what I do when I have nothing to do.

On Monday, I had my first "meeting" with the King's Verse Writing Group from ABC.  I loved it!  Not only was it intimate fellowship with a great group of women- including one I'd never met before- it was a very fulfilling time spent in God's Word- and also writing.  I started a new project, in fact.  It didn't start out that way; actually, I was really only intending to write my reflections of the discussion we'd had.  But my mind took off and I started a new project of short "glimpses" that I'm going to call "God Moments" once it gets a little further along.
I also had the grand idea to include Scripture references for the sermons I "reflected on" in "Unlooked For".
Tomorrow is PRIZE DAY!
I don't think I've ever been this excited about NaNo's Prize Day (when the prize links for the winners are posted on the dashboard page).  Possibly because this is the first time that I've finished my novel instead of just scraping by with a 50,000 word count.
SO EXCITED!

I love Amazon

You know, Amazon.com is a really great corporation.
Not only do they have nearly everything you want, they nearly always underestimate their shipping speeds so that you're always pleasantly surprised when things arrive before you'd even started looking for them.
Like my new kindle, which arrived today while I was sleeping.  Sadly, I've already started a paper book, so I left it at home, but still!  It's early and I can read tomorrow when I get home!  Or whatever.
Btw, I do not like my new kindle (yet).  It's smaller than my old kindle, and it doesn't hold as many books, so I have to be careful about how many I have downloaded at once, but- as my mother and I agree, once we buy them, they're in the cloud, and that's free, so no big really.  It's just...still.
*shrug*
Work started out a party tonight.  It's nice to have more than one client, actually, because you get a variety of personalities that way, but all of them have one thing in common: the connection.  The one that's close and loving.  You have to love your clients when you do this job.  There has to be that emotional context.  Otherwise, it's just a job.
And let's face it- if I wanted just a job, I'd still be working at McDonalds or Kohl's.
But I love this client for two reasons: one, she's a sweetheart.  She's patient and not demanding and forgiving of most mistakes- provided you only make them once, which is a reasonable expectation.  And two, I love this client because I get an element of personal socialization that I don't get when I work with dementia patients.  It feeds my soul.

A treatise on the generational gap

Have you ever wanted something that's bad for you?  Don't answer that, of course you have.  Who hasn't?  Don't answer that either.
The thing is, I think it's okay to occasionally want something you shouldn't, so long as wanting is all you do.  Once you take or even moving beyond mere want into obsession is where people get into trouble.
You know, I think the word 'obsession' has come to be watered down in the past generation or so.  You know what else has been watered down by overuse?  The word 'love'.  It no longer means what it once was.  People say to their casual buds 'love ya' as we once only did to those we truly loved and adored.
What has become of this world, do you think?  Kids are so rarely taught the values we were raised with, that our culture used to be seeped in.  Everything has been redefined to fit within a politically correct mold.  We daren't offend anybody, and yet, in trying to offend no one, you end up offending most.
How this became a rant, I don't know.  Maybe it's that all my synapses are sending short-circuit signals from lack of sleep (the great insomnia monster struck again last night). 
But think about it.  People used to be nicer.  We used to have time for each other.  Nowadays, a typical family of four is all together in the same place only when everyone is sleeping.  Someone's always rushing off to something or another.
It's depressing. 
I work with seniors.  I am familiar with the manners and values they were taught to revere.  I know that advances in technology have virtually wiped out many of those manners.  So have things like feminism, corporations, terrorism...it's a terrifying world we live in.  Makes me wonder why.  We know that the wages of sin is death and that every soul is saved what believes on Jesus and speaks him into their heart.
But what about the rest of the world?  Islam is a growing threat and problem; persecution of Christians is becoming a pandemic.  What have we let our world come to?!
Getting down off my soapbox. 
Sorry for that.  It sort of happened without my full knowledge or consent.

When words aren't enough

It's all the fault of my kindle!  I can't concentrate.  I keep reaching for something to read...but whoops!  That's not going to work, is it?
Good grief, I can't wait until Monday!  I can start reading again.  I'll probably read something like A Little Princess when I get home.  I usually read that around Thanksgiving time, and it's around Thanksgiving time. :)
You know, any other day, and I'd have a million things to say, wouldn't I?  But right now, I have no attention span.  I have no drive.
Oh, dear.  I have the post-NaNo blues...

My NaNo chibi from Yampuff

When you don't want to write, do it anyway

It's weird.  Well, okay, not weird.  But it's not exactly a positive experience.  With all the excitement of NaNo over (for me, at least), and the excitement of finishing my novel wearing off, I'm experiencing a major let-down.
I'm serious; it's taken most of my excitement and motivation with it and sort of dropped them down a hole.  Now I'm just tired and experiencing temporary-permanent writer's crash. (Granted, part of that may be that it's flu season and I've had a semi-permanent headache since the middle of November, but whatever it is, it's annoying and nagging and it's definitely dragging at me.)
I'm busier than ever at work, which is no bad thing; it helps the time to pass quickly.  However, I'm busier than ever at work, which makes me tired.  It's a catch-22.
I'm keeping healthy so far, though.  With my vitamins and fruit and green stuff.  Green stuff can be yummy, just saying.
So, anyway, my kindle is busted.  I had to buy a new one, since my old one wasn't under warranty anymore.  But, on the plus side, I didn't actually buy the first one, so it's not so bad having to buy this one.  I just wish it was the same model as the one I've had.  It's smaller.  And it has less memory. 
In a way, that's a good thing.  I can "clean out" my book list of books that I'll never read again, like I keep putting off. :)

When getting what you want isn't all it's cracked up to be

Have you ever gotten what you wanted, and the thought of it makes you completely exhausted?  Not the thought of how you got it, but the thought of having it.  I feel that way.  Exhausted, but in a strange way, also glad, because it's what I wanted.
But seriously, exhausted.
In the past...today's Tuesday, so...five days.  In the past five days, I've gotten approximately seventeen hours of sleep.  But in a good way, I'm content.
I'm even content that I had to drive in the snow yesterday with a busted windshield wiper.
Funny story, that.  I was on my way to Brookfield for Justin's and my movie of the month (since we ran out of month, we had to choose between Thor: The Dark World and Catching Fire.  I chose Thor.), which is normally about an hour's drive for me.  Well, being that it had snowed and I wasn't sure of the roads...in the dark, I decided to leave early, just in case.
Well, I get out past 5 Corners and realize that while the cars in front of me are kicking up nasty stuff onto my windshield, my wipers were caked with ice and only making the visibility worse.  So I pulled into a parking lot to clean them off.
I grabbed the driver's side wiper to pull it up and the wiper blade popped completely off.  I kid you not, just popped off and went flying.  One of the nursery clerks went to grab a coworker who was good with stuff like that (since I was kind of looking at the blade in helpless bemusement, with absolutely no idea what I was doing).  He summarily informed me it was broken, so we wedged the thing back in and I made my way to the movies, convinced that at any moment, the thing was going to go flying whenever I turned my wipers on.
It didn't, by the way.  I made it to the movies and back from, and even to Walmart for a replacement blade, which I will install in a few minutes.
Pepper is manic.  So far she's attacked the snow shovel, chased a helicopter across the yard, and tried to convince a rather smug sparrow that she is a ferocious, dangerous beast.  The sparrow wasn't buying it.


Poster for truly awesome web-series RWBY
Art found here

Incidentally, about the picture...one of my new favorite shows.  I was watching it last night, and I was struck by how much like a Final Fantasy it is.  Ruby and Nora are my favorite characters, mostly because Ruby's just awesome, and Nora's so...random.  More on this later.

I think the banner says it all

Done



It's a feeling that's difficult to describe.  On the one hand, sheer excitement.  So much excitement, in fact, that I started to cry.  It was a bubbling something in my chest that bade me tell someone or I would explode.
Naturally, I called my mom first.  In tears, but of the good kind.
"Unlooked For" is finished.
I have written a book.

Final count: 51,421 words.

Of course, that's only the first draft.  But it's finished, and I made count, and now I get to start my favorite part of the writing process (and something I'm told most writers actually abhor) the editing.

Reaching the home stretch

I don't know if I've ever felt like this before.  It's kind of a rush, actually.  Also, it's kind of a release of tension.  Not all of it, mind, I still have about 9,000 words left to write before I meet the 50,000 mark.
But I have this thrill that runs through me every time I think about it, because I finally have an ending.  Now all I have to do is connect the ending to what I already have written (just one more chapter, actually, for a total of thirteen, even though one of them is called "epilogue" rather than "chapter thirteen".
I also decided to go simple and obvious for my nom de plume.  I'm going to be myself.  Sort of.  Don't worry, you'll see.
I know I seem to be fixated with my book lately.  That's all I've really written about the last couple of weeks.  But NaNo is almost over.  I owe Sarah a great deal for turning me onto it.  Writing is more than my hobby, more than what I love to do.  It's part of my identity.  So doing NaNo every year is something I need to do- for myself.  Only problem with it is that it can get crazy, trying to churn out a whole novel of 50,000 words in thirty days.
So thanks for putting up with me.  Only one more week to go in this year's NaNo, and then I'll be able to tell you if it was worth it.

38,226 or 11,774?

Minimum goal: 6,000 words
Aim goal: 12,000 words
Ludicrous goal: 20,000 words (which would put me over the top a week ahead of schedule!)

These are my weekend word goals for NaNo.  Actually, the aim goal would, as my word count stands now, put me over the top.  I only have 11,000 and change to go before it's at 50,000.  But my goal isn't to get to 50,000 anymore.  It's to finish the book.  That's what I want more than anything.  To finish this book.
And maybe no one reads it.  And maybe no one likes it if they do read it.  But maybe I wrote it and maybe I finished it, and that means more to me than anything else.
Now, when do I "start" the weekend?  Do I start it now and put everything I write from this moment on into my word count for the weekend goals?  Or do I start it at midnight and make it a Saturday/Sunday kind of thing?
Oh well.  I think I'll forget to remember which words were written when, but it's fun to have goals and make lists, so I'll just be content with that. :)
Off I go.  Taking a break to make some dinner, and then I'll start writing again.  Gotta stay ahead of myself!

There's a scary thought

It's a pretty painful and controversial topic.  One many people would rather not think about.  But it's important to me.  And I feel the need to discourse.  So here goes:
I met a woman this weekend who has been through a terrible time in her life.  She was hospitalized for a debilitating illness, and then sent to a rehabilitation nursing home to recover.
The facility was neither nursing, nor was it a home.  And there was no rehabilitation going on.  In fact, according to this sweet, appreciative, warm-hearted woman, what she went through was nothing short of terrifying. 
She was kept in the dark, unable to open her own curtains to let in light.  Though given a call button for emergencies or bathroom assistance, she was told not to use it and ignored if she did.  Provided with a phone, she was not allowed to call her family- ever, but especially at night.  After being promised twenty-four hour visitation from family and friends, her visitors were summarily booted out of her room after ten-thirty at night.
Now, we've all heard the stories of nursing home abuse.  We've seen the commercials for lawyers promising retribution and remuneration for loved ones who suffered in nursing homes from neglect or abuse.  Some of us may even know or even love someone who went through it.
But still, Medicare sends patients to these places who have had reported problems, documented problems, in the past, many times without the patients' opinions, desires, or input being sought or considered.
And then they have the gall to say that patients have freedom of choice in their own care.
It touches on a nerve, really, to hear people tell me all that's wrong with the health care system without ever mentioning care for seniors.  Aren't they people too?  Aren't they even more people, since they've lived longer than the rest of us?  So where are their choices?

Resources:
Signs of NHA
Elder Abuse
NCEA- Official

Whose life should I be living?

You know I heard somewhere that we don't like some people because we see the worst of ourselves in them.
What I want to know is, what if we love someone, but we hate being around them because they make us feel small and petty and selfish?  Does that have anything to do with seeing something in them that is reflected in ourselves?  Or is it more a matter of seeing in them what we wish was reflected in ourselves?
I started out this day super excited because I had not only caught up to my word count for NaNo, I had surpassed it (in case anyone is interested, I passed the 30,000 word mark about ten minutes ago).  Then I caught a glimpse of another friend's blog, and the whole of my excitement drained from me, leaving me feeling insignificant and stupid for being so excited about something...silly.
How is it that our friends can make us feel so horrible about ourselves just by being enthusiastic about their own lives?
My book has no lasting significance to anyone but me.  I know that.  I know that it's not important in the grand scheme of things, and I've always been okay with that.
Except now I keep wondering if I should be out in the world doing something with more eternal significance: feeding the homeless or teaching Sunday school, maybe.
But then I tell myself that different people find God's will for them in different places.  Because we're not all the same.  Why should I feel guilty because I'm not going overseas on a mission trip?  Why should I feel like less than someone else because I like to stay at home and keep to myself?
You know what?  Yes, I could be a "better" Christian.  I could sell all I own and move to Indonesia and spend all my time and effort converting locals to Christianity or building orphanages.  But I don't think I'd be effective.  I know God has a plan for my life.  And right now, even if that's not my purpose at the moment, if it is someday, God will prepare me for it.
As it is, I'd rather be happy with who and what I am right here and now than feeling guilty about not living out someone else's purpose.
Besides, I'm taking a friend with me to church on Sunday.  I'm praying that he'll keep going with me until God gets ahold of his heart and he starts coming by himself.
*sigh*
I think I'm ready to be excited again. :)

Unlooked For

The cover inspiration for my book:

Katya will get it.
I have found my stride.  And an actual title for my book.  I wrote 1,667 words in half an hour thanks to this genius website idea by a fellow wrimo: ilys
What amuses me is that I've also found a website that generates names for everything.  I was thinking of using it to generate a nom de plume for myself.  I admit, a little while ago, I was doing a Lord Voldemort and rearranging the letters of my own name to try to come up with something.

Quest-y goodness and counting words

Because I'm in a Quest-y mood.  I just saw Sonny's colorings for the upcoming (January 2014, people!) first "official" issue of FinalQuest, and they are AWESOME.  Unfortunately, I've now seen a page of the upcoming issue and it's going to drive me absolutely bats until it comes out.  Plus side, we get to see more of my favorite she-elf, Clearbrook.  And I think I saw Dart in there somewhere (LOVE.  HIM.).

Ugh.

I really am going to drive myself bats.  Well, it's nice to know that this obsession hasn't lost any of its potency for disuse!  I mean, the last new story something that ElfQuest came out with was The Discovery in '07.  I used my lunch hour to go pick it up from Borders that day and almost came back late.  Thank goodness traffic was light that day!

My word count is up again.  Not quite where it needs to be, but I finished editing chapters one through seven and have now begun the all-elusive chapter eight.  It's a little awkward, but I'm writing now for word count.  I can fix the flow of it after I hit that 50,000 mark.  Until then, I'm doing well.  I should be on target by the time I go to bed tonight.  I'm going to finish this novel, even if it takes me beyond November this year.  I can get 50,000 words.  My goal is to actually finish the story.  Every story deserves to be finished.
But since I'm tired, I'm going to sleep now.




When things don't make sense- or do they?

Have you ever been mad at someone for something that happened in a dream?  I know there are people who have a dream about someone being in trouble, and they wake up and they’re still scared something will happen to that person.  But have you ever been mad at someone for something they said or did in a dream- never mind that they have never (and most likely would never)- actually say or do what you’re mad at them for?

I am.  I’m mad at someone for something they did in a dream I had last night.  I had a plethora of dreams throughout the, uh, twenty-one hours I slept, but that one stayed on my mind through all of them after I had it.  And so I woke up mad at this friend, and I still haven’t been able to shake it.  Do you know what that’s like?  It’s a weird thing to experience,

I spent hours at the dealership yesterday getting my car fixed.  Parts of it, anyway.  It made me intensely grateful for my mother.  It’s actually hard to articulate, the way I feel about my mom.  For most of my life (thus far), she was the only parent I had.  She worked hard to support us, but she was always there to be a mom, too.  She made us her priority, no matter what happened.  And now I’m all grown, and she’s still doing her mom thing.  I found out I was going to need to pay for a lot more than I expected, since parts of my car were breaking down just before winter.  So I called my mom and told her what was what, because I was hoping she would let me alter my payment plan on my car so that I could pay for these parts first (which means saving money over the next couple of months).

Instead, Mom wires me enough money for the repairs and just adds it to my loan total, meaning I just keep paying her for longer than originally planned and everything’s hunky dory.  So, my mother is the reason I have a car that’s a-okay.

My mom’s also the reason I’ve been motivated to keep losing weight.  She’s the reason I do half of the good things I do.

And by the way, I’ve never been mad at my mom for something she did in a dream I had. J

Here's another question: have you ever had a thought, sudden and unexpected and seemingly random that turns out to be something from God?

Like inviting an ex to church when he's already given you his opinion of your beliefs.  Of course, I became utterly convinced when he actually said yes.

Genius Guide to Understanding the Introverted

The importance of a good "so there"

I am intensely fond of the "so there" moments found in media.  Whether movies, television or books, I deeply love a good "so there".  They appeal to the vindictive part of my soul, the very human part that screams "eye for an eye" rather than "turn the other cheek".
It's something I'm working on.
However, having just read a wonderful "so there" moment (which I will expound on in a moment), I thought I might compile a list of my favorite "so there" scenes and conversations.

• Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman, episode "The Library"

The wonderful "so there" scene in this episode comes near the end.  The townspeople have set fire to the books Dr. Mike donated to the town for a real library, convinced that books were full of wrong and immoral things, giving people bad ideas, un-Christian thoughts.  Dr. Mike and her family are picking through the ruined books, searching for some that can be salvaged, when she comes across a certain book.  Going into the church, she offers to hand over the book to the reverend "because I'm sure we can all agree what to do with it," she says.  She goes on to explain that the book she is holding has a scene in which God accepts a bet from the devil.  The reverend accepts the book with thanks and looks at the title.  His face goes completely still.  One of the parishioners asks, "Well, what is it?"  Dr. Mike turns to the congregation, head held high, and says quite clearly, "The Holy Bible."  Upon which she leaves the church to return to her books.

• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

All right, so most of the Harry Potter series has a great slew of incredibly entertaining "so there" moments.  My personal favorites- both of them- happen in the fifth book.  The first being, of course, when Fred and George make their spectacular exit from the school in the midst of Umbridge's desperate attempts to recreate order after weeks of chaos since Dumbledore's exile.  The scene starts with the twins being confronted and Umbridge sending Filch for an educational decree to resume corporal punishment for rulebreakers.  Fred and George reply that they don't think they'll be sticking around for that.  In their exit, they call upon Peeves the poltergeist (if you've only seen the movies, you've no idea who this essential character actually is) to "give her hell from us" before flying off into the proverbial sunset, one of their brooms trailing a chain still attached to a bit of the wall from Umbridge's office (for more on how their brooms came to be chained in her office in the first place, READ THE BLOODY BOOK!).
The second "so there" moment, and a great favorite of mine, happens towards the end, right before the Department of Mysteries events.  This one is in the movie, too, so if you've seen it, you'll know what I'm talking about.  Umbridge has Hermione and Harry out in the Forbidden Forest at wandpoint, demanding to be shown Dumbledore's "secret weapon" when a herd of centaurs finds them.  Umbridge does some supremely stupid things, like insulting them, and they decide to carry her off.  She screams at Harry to tell them she means no harm, and he looks her in the eye and says calmly, "I'm sorry, Professor.  I must not tell lies."  Makes me laugh every time.

• The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King

Though it was in the book, the scene was cut from the theatrical release of the movie, then restored to the extended edition.  In it, the remainder of the Fellowship, along with the combined armies of Gondor and Rohan, march on the Black Gate of Mordor in order to draw off Sauron's attention from Frodo.  A truly ugly personage, the Mouth of Sauron, comes to taunt them with Frodo's mithril mail shirt, telling them about how he was tortured and suffered greatly, in order to break their spirits.  Aragorn rides over, looking all solemn, and then in a bloody move, cuts off the Mouth's head and declares that he doesn't believe it.

• Buffy the Vampire Slayer, season three episode "Faith, Hope, and Trick"

This fun "so there" moment comes complete with an awesome mom!  Just after the opening credits, when Buffy and her mom go to Sunnydale High to meet with Principal Snyder, Snyder is giving Buffy his list of demands when Joyce cuts in with the fact that he has no power to prevent Buffy from attending school.  Buffy stands up and comments how when the school board overturned his decision to expel her it "called into question [his] whole ability to do [his] job".  The best part of this scene is when Joyce stands up and smiles smugly and says, "What my daughter is trying to say is 'na na na-na na!'" and then the pair walks out of Snyder's office.

Literary catharsis is a real thing

Have you ever read a book so profound that you have to set it aside to calm your racing heart?  Have you ever read a book so intense that you find yourself white-knuckling it, leaving dents in pages and cover?  Have you ever had to put a book down for a few minutes when you realize that you're getting dizzy from holding your breath- or hyperventilating?
I'm having all those issues and more with The Kingdom.  On the one hand, I know how it ends, because it's a book about God, written by a Christian author.  Duh, God wins.  But it is the journey of discovery that is so exciting, it literally hurts.  Have you ever enjoyed a book like that?
If not, you're missing out.
In fact, I would recommend the Chiveis trilogy, by Bryan M. Litfin.  It consists of The Sword, The Gift, and The Kingdom, and the whole thing is intense.  Incredibly, profoundly intense.  If you ever wanted a deep demonstration of good vs. evil, read the Bible, then read these three books.  You won't regret it, trust me.

Words: 20,283 and counting

My 2011 NaNo "iconitar" by Yampuff

I haven't updated the word count since I started typing again.  I updated my word count yesterday to reflect what I'd already written.  Now I'm editing the first seven chapters before I go and continue the story.
What's really funny to me about this story that I'm working on for NaNoWriMo this year is that it's supposed to be a ChickLit genre story (with heavy Christian influence), but I still haven't figured out what to name the main character's eventual love interest.  What's even funnier is that she doesn't even meet him until chapter (I think) six or seven, and even then, not for long enough to get an introduction- he just sees her talking crazy to herself while out on a biking trail one afternoon.
And actually, this story is flowing out of me better than the other ones did.  Oh, I haven't given up on them, never fear.  But this one...somehow, it's more personal.  I can't wait to finish it.  The story, not just my 50,000 minimum word count.
Wish me luck!

Terminology of memory

I shot the bullet that belonged to this casing. :)

It's kind of amazing the amount of memory you can get from an object.  I made it to Quest's End, and aside from the story itself, the memories attached to that book are pretty prodigious.  When I was in eighth grade, I took it to school with me once, and it was stolen out of my backpack by a couple of bullies.  They hid it in my science teacher's classroom to make me cry.  I actually bought a new version before my science teacher found it.
No one punished the bullies for that.  Actually, they weren't punished until much later, for something else.
It's weird, the memories I have of middle school hell that are attached to the most seemingly random things.  Those two bullies were eventually punished when I finally snapped and dumped a beaker full of water on one of their heads because they just wouldn't let up.
What's weird?  I never really thought of myself as being bullied, even when I was physically attacked and constantly ridiculed.  Even now, it's hard for me to attach the term "bullied" to myself.  Huh.
I guess I really am learning to come to terms with who I am.

Thoughts with associated feelings



I sometimes find myself doing a lot more thinking than I should.  And other times, I find myself thinking a lot less than is probably safe.  In short, I am prone both to overthinking and avoidance.  An interesting combination, and potentially disastrous when it comes to how I divide those up.
I tend to overthink the good things and completely avoid the unpleasant and stressful.  Not exactly a grown-up way of handling things.
I ran into my ex-boyfriend at Walmart the other day, and we ended up having a long conversation outside after we ran into each other.  We talked about all sorts of things.  This conversation was actually pretty dangerous- for me anyway.  He's not a Christian, you see.  So we don't share the same ideals.  When we broke up, that was a major part of why I felt that we needed to break up.
The conversation itself wasn't all that dangerous, except that it was light and fun and mildly (on my part, at least) flirtatious.
Which is dangerous because in flirtations, emotions can easily get tangled up without that intention.  He's a sweet guy, and there's nothing wrong with him.  I just don't want to get over-involved.
It's sad.  I would normally talk to my sister about this, but she's not available at the moment.  She's the kind of Christian I want to be, off following God's leading in her life.  She's going to touch lives here and overseas.  And I'm just going to keep missing her.
Don't get me wrong, I'm enjoying being single.  It's a liberating experience, actually, to know that your happiness is not dependent on someone else, nor is someone else's happiness dependent on you.  And I have been learning about who I am without someone else to fog things up.
For instance, I am not a patient person by nature, but I have learned to be patient.  I learned patience from a former client of mine.  She showed me that a small sacrifice of patience now outweighs a load of guilt for impatience later.
Also, I lack what most people call ambition.  My highest ambition in life is to do what I'm doing now.  Sounds pretty good to me.
Sure, I want to fall in love, I want to get married.  But I don't need to do that now.  And, something it's taken me until now to admit: I am fine by myself.  I'd rather be single for the rest of my life than be with the wrong person again.
I never thought I'd be able to admit that.  And maybe a public forum isn't the wisest place to do so.  Especially since my father might actually read my blogs...
If you're reading this, Dad, I love you.  :)

Who wouldn't love that face?

I started reading The Kingdom by Bryan Litfin, which is the concluding volume of the Chiveis trilogy.  What really gets me about this trilogy- besides its obviously Christian roots- is that nothing happens the way you expect it to.  Half the time, I spend in a fog of worry that the dark powers are actually going to prevail.  Reading The Gift (immediately preceding The Kingdom) was a lesson in patience in and of itself; I had to keep setting the book aside so I could breathe.  I actually almost stopped reading it altogether once.
Today, I may be thankful for the abundance and availability of food (see my list), but I'm also thankful for the God-given, God-led imagination of others.  I may never publish a novel or even write one I let others read.  But I will always look up to authors who wrote what God gave to them to write, and then shared it with the rest of us.

When thoughts provoke

Here's a thought that was provoked; today was the last message in a sermon series on fear.  The topic title was "Fear of Change that Threatens Security".  Now, most anyone who knows me knows that I abhor change.  Not just change that threatens security, but change, period.  I like having things the same.
What really stuck in my attention for the sermon is this: "Trusting God does not remove the ambiguities of life."  When you think about it for a minute, it's almost odd that that should be such a revelation to me.  It's more like a common sense thing.  But it really struck me for some reason.
The message used as its illustration the book of Habbakuk, the whole three chapters of it.  What I enjoy about that book is that it is an actual conversation.  Between God and the prophet.  It deals with the changes happening and those needing to happen in Israel at the time, but I noticed something during the reading of the chosen verses today: Habbakuk is a message to Americans at the current point in history.  I don't think I've ever noticed that before, or  if I did, it's not something I wanted to dwell on too closely.  Because...remember how all those "superior" societies actually fared in Biblical times?  That's not exactly a pleasant direction to be headed in, hey?
But it does make you think.  Here's another point to consider, from Leo Tolstoy to my pastor, to you: "Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself."
The thing is, not all changes have to be immediate or startlingly dramatic.  That's the kind of change I hate.  I hate the ones that come suddenly and change everything.  But I am coming to discover that not all changes are like that.  Sometimes the best changes come slowly and gradually; one day you wake up and realize that your life is different, your character is different, but there's no way to pinpoint exactly when it happened.
Praise God for that.
Today, in case you don't know, is the International Day of Prayer.  Today is a day for B.A.S.I.C. prayers.  It stands for Brothers And Sisters In Chains.  We're supposed to pray for the persecuted Christians the world over. 
You don't often see a lot of overt Christian persecution in America, but it is a fact of life in many countries.  And it is threatening to become more common even here.
Faith and strength to those who love Christ!

Today is family photo day.  It was kind of funny.  I slept all day yesterday and woke up at around midnight.  I've been up since then, periodically getting ready.  I took a shower, then watched a couple episodes of Smallville.  Then I put on my makeup, which took a few tries because I kept extending my eyeliner too far.  And then I changed my mind about my outfit because I realized that I had worn the same sweater for family photos two years ago.  Which meant changing my makeup again, since red and black didn't go with the pink and purple eyeshadow I had chosen.  Watched another episode of Smallville.  Then I did my hair- do you know how long it takes to curl twenty inches of hair?  OMG, I don't think I want to curl my hair again until after I cut it!  Then I decided I wanted to wear a skirt, which necessitated changing my top.  Fortunately, I didn't need to redo my makeup again because I'd decided to go with a neutral color palette.
So I was almost fancy for church, which was kind of fun, particularly when I got to see a bunch of people I haven't seen in a while- I'm not normally able (or willing) to go to first service.  The past couple months I've been working an 8-10 shift on Sunday mornings, then going to second service.  Add to that the fact that I am decidedly NOT a morning person and I rarely, if ever, go to the first service. 
There are benefits, however.  Getting there early was nice, which meant getting a parking spot close to the front doors.
I miss family time, you know.  It's been one of those gradual changes I mentioned before.  I used to see my parents a couple times a week- or my mom, at least.  Now, I see them both once a week on Sundays, either before or after church, for about 20-30 minutes, depending on whether I go before or after church.  So today (and next week, which is Thanksgiving- don't panic, the rest of the country celebrates Thanksgiving at the end of the month), I'll get to spend the whole day with my family.  It's nice.
And hopefully, I'll see Justin four whole times this month!  We have two movies to hit on our "movie of the month" crusade this month: Thor: the Dark World and Catching Fire.  I am still hoping to also get to Frozen, but I don't know if brother will want to go to that one with me. :)
Adios!  God bless.

Counting my blessings- November

1. I'm thankful for my job.
2. I'm thankful for the freedom to own a Bible.
3. I'm thankful for God and all of the miracles and blessings he's saturated my life with over the past twenty-eight plus years.
4. I'm thankful for my apartment, for the sturdy roof over my head at a reasonable price, and for the security of a locked entrance.
5. I'm thankful for the cross and the message of salvation inherent in the symbol.
6. I'm thankful for the availability of good food.
7. I'm thankful for my computer, without which writing my novel would be so much more difficult and time-consuming.
8. I'm thankful for the imagination- mine, especially, and that of others.
9. I'm thankful for advances in medicine.
10. I'm thankful for days like this, spent with my family
11. I'm thankful for my mother's generous nature and her skills at problem solving (and for calming me down without making me feel like a melodramatic idiot).
12. I'm thankful for the unconditional love of dogs, particularly Pepper.
13. I'm thankful for an earthly father who loves me.
14. I'm thankful for the freedom of worship that is still (nominally) available to me in this country.
15. I'm thankful for Katya, who's been there for me, my own personal cheerleader, since I met her.
16. I'm thankful for my reliable car.
17. I'm thankful for my brother, my friend, who is the only one who truly understands and appreciates what it's like to have our parents.
18. I'm thankful for those who consistently see value in me, even- and especially- when I don't.
19. I'm thankful for the ability to laugh.
20. I'm thankful for forgiveness.
21. I'm thankful for Tiffany, who is a good example to follow, even if I don't always.
22. I'm thankful for a bed to sleep in.
23. I'm thankful that I live in a state where there are four seasons (most of the time).
24. I'm thankful for a good, Bible-based church family.
25. I'm thankful for my brother and the rare, precious occasions I get to spend time with him, just the two of us.
26. I'm thankful for my incredible good health.
27. I'm thankful for beautiful sunny days following snow days.
28. I'm thankful that my physical ability is up to the challenge of my job- even though sometimes I do more than I'm supposed to.
29. I'm thankful that "tomorrow is always new, with no mistakes in it."
30. I'm thankful that God loves me, even with everything that's wrong with me.

When inspiration attacks

Sweetbreeze by Elf-in-mirror 

My journaling has taken a dip since I started blogging.  I haven't missed a day yet, but I am definitely writing less on paper.  I wonder what that means.  Of course, it might not mean anything but that I'm lazy.
Sometimes, lazy just gives me time to think and imagine.  I like to think and imagine.  It means new characters and new inspirations for book ideas- which helps me during November.  When I get stuck in a chapter or a scene, I write a bit of fanfiction.  Sounds kind of sad, really, but if it helps me break out of my rut, then I'm all for it.
Sometimes I wonder why I'm obsessed with words.  I mean, think about it.  My brother barely reads.  I haven't known him to read for fun since the fourth Harry Potter book came out.  My mom reads occasionally, but she's more into computers now.  Even my dad, who enjoys reading, is more into computers now.  So why- how- am I so wonderfully, oddly, impressively obsessed with words and reading and writing.
This blog sort of proves how obsessed I really am.  I think and then I write.
Sometimes I write to make myself think. :)
I had an inspiration on facebook today.  A friend of mine posted a blessing she was thankful for, stating that November was going to be a 30-day account of things she was thankful for.  I decided to do the same thing.  Only I think I'll post a list, to keep track.  I have this thing for lists.  I like to make them for the most random things.  At least this one will mean something. :)

Running words

My first post of November!  How exciting!
Do you ever get a song stuck in your head?  I know most people can relate to this phenomenon.  It's always the most annoying songs that tend to be the most sticky, isn't it?  "The Song that Never Ends" is a particularly obnoxious one, as it "It's a Small World".
But have you ever had a song stuck in your head that you enjoy?  That you wish would stay a little longer?
Sometimes that happens to me with praise music.  At the moment, I have Jeremy Camp's "My God" chorus running through my brain like a victory chant.  It goes:
My God, you are the unchanging love
My God, your heart sends hope from above
The great Creator, beautiful Savior
I've been redeemed
There is life now from your victory
You are my God
How could you not enjoy something like that running through your head?
There's a lot going through my mind at the moment.  Over the past several...well, a lot of thoughts repeat themselves and become memories.  The memories I've been dwelling on lately are all somewhat bittersweet.  Mostly sweet, though.
When you remember someone that you love that you've lost, the memories should be sweet.  The only bitterness is in the loss.  And since I know I'll see her again, the bitterness isn't too bad- or too bitter.
You know, most blogs, I've thought, are supposed to have a point.  I guess my parents' does- but that might be because it's their company blog, and so it sort of has to have a point.  My client's granddaughter's blog has a point, even if it's to just keep her friends and family updated.
My blog doesn't seem to have a cohesive point except maybe to prove how random I am.  I write what I think and, as is no doubt obvious, my thought patterns are decidedly out there.  It's less "stream" of consciousness and more "puddle that's just been jumped in" of consciousness.
I decided a little after midnight to participate in this year's NaNo.  I wasn't sure I wanted to, since I haven't been feeling very novel inspired lately, and all of my ideas have been sort of tapped out.  I didn't even finish the first two years, even when I did manage to reach the minimum word count.
So I decided to use my Camp NaNo project from April, touch it up a bit and try to finish it, since it's a different genre than my past attempts and might actually be finished in 50,000 words.  Even so, I'll have to go back and read what I've written so far.
Here's to writing!

Something fun out of all this

I've started a new reading system.  My list obsession has led me to keep a log of all the books I've read this year, as well as what date I started and what date I finished each.  Actually, it's a lot of fun.  But I have been dissatisfied with my monthly totals for the past couple of months, particularly after a rather lovely July in which I literally finished one book per day within the month.
So, I implemented a decision to start reading a series while at home versus taking my kindle to work.  This was a decision partly based on the hassle of hauling around the huge graphic novels- the things are heavy- and partly based on a decision I made in the eighth grade after a pretty traumatic experience to never take those books to school (or really out of the house) ever again.  Only for Katya did I break that rule, since it's so hard to find someone who loves ElfQuest as I do, within my social circles.
So far, the decision is working out well: I finished Blood of Ten Chiefs, Chief's Howl, Wolfrider, and Fire and Flight in the past three days.  I started on The Forbidden Grove last night, but, as I had work this morning, I set it aside, however reluctantly, and went to bed.

Left: 1996
Right: 2012

What intrigues me, though, is how much of things in the real world remind me of ElfQuest.  Here's a rather entertaining example that I found on the EQ facebook page this afternoon:
I love it.  I love that issue of Shards, too.  Whoever would have expected Strongbow, of them all, to put his life and trust (however momentary) in the hand of a human (pun intended- if you don't get it, I suggest you go find out for yourself here: Shards #13).
You know, this particular obsession of mine is almost twenty years old.  Can you believe it?  I started reading EQ in the fifth grade.  Over eighteen years ago.  Only a few things in my life have lasted longer.  I still remember what I paid for my first graphic novel- which I still have- the hardcover, glossy-paged, color version of the cheaper paperback Reader's Collection volume of Fire and Flight: $15.32 (that was with tax and Barnes and Noble in Westminster, Colorado). 
Currently, on average, the copy I have are selling for between $35-50 on ebay, and that- along with other auction sites- are the only places you can buy them anymore.  Before they revamped the site, elfquest.com was selling them for more than $100 apiece!
It's kind of funny sometimes how much things we loved as children stay with us into adulthood.  I never would have imagined that a book handed to me by a classmate to get me to shut up would become one of my most expensive- and pervasive- hobbies.
Gotta love the power of a story!

Ranting is good for the temper

I promised myself I would try to keep my anger checked.  But it's a difficult thing to do when all you want is to grab the stupid people by their shirts and shake them until they realize how stupid they are.  Of course, I've been told that it's not necessarily stupidity that makes these people so wicked.  In fact, it's selfishness.  Democrats and liberals promise 'them' things, so 'they' support the Democrats and Liberals.
It may be interesting to note that in every single state that requires a photo I.D. to vote, Democrats and Obama were defeated. 
Every.
Single.
State.
I find that interesting.  I also find it appalling, because the implications of it are enough to make me sick to my stomach.

Here's something else that builds a fire in my gut and makes me want to lash out: there are now more people in the United States on welfare than there are working for a living.  Isn't that interesting?  The thing of it is...welfare's funding comes from the taxes collected from people who work for a living. 
Think it through.
If there are fewer people working than there are collecting welfare, where the hell is the money going to come from?
Think it through, liberals.  Think it through Obama supporters.  Think it through you stupid people who may or may not be as stupid as I think you are.
Use your brains!



*sigh*
The problem now becomes...my temper is inflamed.  My usual sure for that is praise music, but at the moment, I have none available.  Fortunately, reading is also good for that.  I have a book I'm reading right now that appeals both to the politico in me as well as the Christian, and no, it's actually a novel.
Ironically, it's about a time about five hundred years in the future, after this current generation wipes itself out.  In a kingdom isolated from the rest of the surviving world, a group of people 'discover' the timeless truth that is God's Word and begin to spread it, despite the violent and evil persecutions of their often militant state religion.
God's truth is already written.
We win.

Words That Are Fun to Say

·         Anthropomorphizing

·         Bubbles

·         Cowabunga

·         Dazzle

·         Clunk

·         Proclivity

·         Fork

·         Periwinkle

·         Paparazzi

·         Muppet

·         Pizazz

·         Kleptomaniacal

·         Rutabaga

·         Pyrotechnics

You know, in high school, I created a partial list of words that were entertaining to say or sounded funny with my best friend.  I think ‘fork and ‘periwinkle’ were on that list too. :P

 

Most of the time, the quiet inside my own head is anything but.  Today was one of those days when things finally seemed to shut off.  I think my mental librarians took the day off.  It happens so very, very rarely…  I wrote a story about them once, you know.  It was actually kind of creative.  I redefined “muse”, “imaginary friends”, “characters”, and “feelings”.  It was actually a stretch of my own writing comfort zone; I’m not usually someone for anthropomorphizing things like that (the closest I’ve ever come is the occasional talking animal), but it was actually kind of fun.  Someday I may even use it as a short story.  I seem to be better at writing those than full-length novels.

Here’s a philosophical question: when dealing with ex-boyfriends, how should one deal with them?  If the breakup is amiable, is remaining friends a good idea?  How do you deal with the awkwardness when one party was more emotionally involved than the other, but that one still wants to stay friends?

Sometimes I wonder.  I’m dealing with my own insecurity issues when it comes to my appeal, but sometimes…sometimes I have to wonder.

You know, I have done a lot of thinking, and even more praying when it comes to this sort of thing.  This whole “soul-searching” journey began because I wanted to feel like I was as good as my friend.  Selfish motives, I know, and definitely not the way to begin a spiritual journey.  Actually, I think that I sometimes feel that way.  That if I just apply myself for a while, I’ll have some spiritual epiphany that will shoot me ahead of others in that department.  It’s a very, very selfish way of thinking, and I don’t like it.

But I’m getting better.  At least I think I am.  I hope so, anyway.  I feel more together within myself, but I also feel more together with God, and that’s what I’ve been looking for my whole life.  There’s truth, you know, in the saying that everyone has a God-shaped hole in their heart.  I’m kind of happy to know that mine is a little less empty now.

Some more good news is this: I now fit into pants a size smaller than I have been wearing.  And the rings that I have now fit on larger fingers.  That, more than anything else, helps me to realize that I actually am losing weight, however slowly it’s happening.  It’s been months since I started to realize that I am beautiful as I am, no matter how big or small I am.  That’s a good, good feeling.

Something my mother said to me yesterday made me think.  I’ve been thinking a lot about my Aunt Barb this month.  It being Breast Cancer Awareness month and all, that’s probably appropriate.  I think, too, I’m finally starting to come to terms with her death, which is definitely necessary for healing.  Anyway, I mentioned this to my mom, that I’d been thinking more about Aunt Barb, and she said to me “She’s with Him.”  Now, maybe that seemed overly simplistic to you, or maybe you’re skeptical and rolling your eyes at what you see as my unbelievably naïve view of this.  But those words really got to me.

 

One of my favorite quotes comes from one of my favorite books: Sophie’s Heart by Lori Wick.  In it, one of the characters- Alec- is comforting his children over the death of their mother, and one of the kids asks the inevitable “why” that crops up whenever someone dies violently, suddenly, or prematurely.  And Alec’s answer was very simple, but it puts things in a light that not even many Christians tend to look at things like death.  Alec told his children, “God just loved her so much that he couldn’t wait to have her with him.”

Isn’t that beautiful?