mirror, mirror

"Everybody looks into the mirror but nobody notices the mirror itself. They are naturally drawn to the image reflected in the surface. So through this [difficult season], my 'look-at-me' personality must be sure to say instead 'look-at-God'. All it takes is a little tilt. God is, perhaps, trying to shift my axis."

-Zonoma

8/17/2003

LEGO Fail

LEGO club
Jan-Feb 2013 issue

Dear LEGO,

When you market a series to geeks, especially one as dear to us as Lord of the Rings, then you'd better get it right. You should not, for instance, mislabel the names of Thorin Oakenshield's company. It will be noticed and acclaimed a FAIL. If you need a geek to copy-edit your geek series, I know a 12 year old and his mother who will work for Legos. Just sayin.

-Zonoma

Can you find the mislabeled dwarves?

There are five. Sound off!

authenticity

We can give one another access to our successes and our failures. Successes are always more fun but the failures can mean the most to a struggling friend. Be authentic.

-Zonoma

2013 Resolutions

Write more, eat less. 

-Zonoma

Happy New Year!

Christmas time of 2011, I ran across these glass pears while shopping and God used them to nudge me. 2012 will be a Year of Fruitfulness for you, I felt him say. So I bought them and spent most of 2012 thinking that either I was crazy or God was because it felt anything but ‘fruitful’. Rather, it felt like a year of stretching for my heart. My head had lots of knowledge but my heart had not yet been given chances to apply it.  I guess that is the essence of ‘fruitfulness’, spiritually speaking because it’s easy to do the right thing when there’s no resistance. As soon as those waves start rolling in from the shore, though, watch out! Now you get to sink, swim, or walk on water.  So, without further ado, these are the lessons I learned from  2012:

Gentleness. Gentleness should never be under-rated either as a virtue or as a tool. It is the ultimate forgotten virtue in our culture but the ministry of Jesus cannot move forward without this healing balm permeating our actions, words, and thoughts. It has the power to turn conflict into community. 

Confidence. I learned to be more confident when I hear God’s voice because I was right, even when I thought I might be wrong.

Humility. I learned to be humble because even when I got it right, I was wrong. Hearing God's voice and having the wisdom and experience to do something with it are two very different things. Oh have great care, my friends! We see though a veil, not face to face.

I am with God, God is not with me.  Before you preach at me, let me explain! When my boys were young they would tug at my arms in the store to get to the aisle they wanted faster and I would stop until they stopped pulling and tell them, "You are here with me. I am not with you."  This year, I felt God telling me much the same thing and I’ve been especially careful to Stop! Collaborate and Listen (yeah, I went there) before moving forward. If God isn’t leading me there, I don’t want to go.

Friendship. I learned that God prepares a place for me now just as he did when I was younger and just as he will when this world passes into the next.  I learned that part of that preparation is people. Beautiful, messy, and treasured people.

Mostly, though, I learned a deep appreciation for my own two feet. I have learned that no one can do things like I do them. I learned that I am strong. I woke from my long sleep and remembered who I am and that I love power tools, chickens, philosophy, bad sci-fi, puppies, poetry, and music- everything from Gershwin and The Doors to  LeCrae with his no holds barred poetry and compelling melodies. I don't really care for cooking and canning but a well maintained garden makes my heart sing and, if you want to make me happy, then buy me a pack of new markers and a sketchbook. In short, I have finally found my Voice and I can’t wait to use it in the coming year to invite people in from the cold. Welcome to the new year.

-Zonoma

Better with Friends

World's Rarest Beer

WARNING! (I doubt anyone but foodies and micro-brewers will appreciate this post.)

Tonight I had the privilege of trying Westvleteren XII, aka: The World's Rarest Beer. After all the hype, I was prepared to be underwhelmed. Boy, was that a mistake! It is bitter to the tip of the tongue but goes down smooth and sweet with a hint of horehound and honied undertones. It. Was. Amazing.

I am so thankful to Brandon and his buddies who managed to get their hands on a single 6 pack but especially to Brandon who brought it New Year's Eve because, in his words, "Good things are always better when shared with friends."

oh nooooooes!

Little Frog

My youngest nephew, Little Frog, is a huge Looney Tunes fan and when he's being good he gets to watch it as a treat during his rest time. Today was one such day so we (my sister, mother, and I) were mystified when he left his rest time and his cartoons and came to the living room in tears. After much cajoling we finally figured out what had upset him so badly:


Apparently, the episode that came on was in black and white instead of in color. 


He was convinced that the television was broken and he could no longer watch Looney Tunes. We couldn't convince him otherwise and he cried himself to sleep. We couldn't stop laughing for a good ten minutes as he sobbed and someday this picture is getting shown to a girlfriend.