PENSIEVE

Thinkin' spot

2012-06-02T08:05:27-04:00

Robin ~ PENSIEVE

The Closet Epistle

2012-06-01T11:55:49-04:00

It's not like I haven't seen it a thousand times.

But you know the difference between hearing and l.i.s.t.e.n.i.n.g.? It's like that but with eyes instead of ears. Seeing versus s.e.e.i.n.g.

My daughter just finished her freshman year in college; remarkable since she was born last week it seems. It's no secret that I like my babygirl ~ a lot ~ and one day, when the time is right, we'll be friends. Right now she needs her mama more.

Her overriding concern for the past year is that her MamaDear was languishing under layers of her bedcovers, curled in the fetal position, sniffing and stroking her ratty stuffed cat Velveteen Princess while staring longingly at her picture. Why tell her otherwise?

I had her a week before she trotted off for a three week adventure that is sure to change her life; the kind of adventure that severs digital ties to home. Independent and fearless about things she shouldn't be (and fearful about the things there's no need to), she's managed to grace us with One Call; in her words, "to put our minds at ease in case we're worrying," because she's certain I've been staring at the phone, waiting, and well...worrying.

God love her....

She had been gone two weeks when I needed something from her closet.

I forgot about her closet.

Her closet is one giant love letter, brimming with wisdom and joy and all the Important Things You Need to Know.

Everywhere you turn, love is splattered in words and pictures. In her handwriting and from the scrawl of others, the walls speak loudly. And clearly. A masterpiece.

Truth is told.

There are valuable reminders.

There are Ancient Words and Action Words.

There's a memento of her own AMAZING metamorphosis....

There are answers to Life's Greatest Question.

Even when she's not here, the breadcrumbs she's left behind leave a trail to the Gospel. Three things remain....

There are fingerprints and remembrances everywhere.

* * * * * *

No wonder I'm not worrying about her....

Free doughnuts!!

2012-06-01T09:11:02-04:00

Did you know June 1st marks an iconic American holiday?

National Doughnut Day...it's magically delicious, no?

To commemorate and celebrate the occasion, how about FREE doughnuts?

My precious Dunkin' Donuts is giving away your choice of donuts with a beverage purchase.
King of the "Hot & Now," Krispy Kreme is giving away one doughnut per customer, no purchase required.

Local donuteers in Chattanooga ~

Julie Darling Donuts on North Shore's Frazier Avenue is giving away one of their treats with a beverage purchase.
Tasty Delight Donuts on Jenkins Road will give you one of their doughnuts for free and they're asking for a donation to the Salvation Army.

And, what better time to republish my poetic tribute to Dunkin' Donuts? I can't help but play favorites, especially when it comes to that aromatically delectable coffee of theirs.

An Ode to Dunkin Donuts

Dunkin Donuts Coffee, aroma so fine,

Each morning I wake to this Scent of Divine.

We love you so much, we buy by mail order

Oh, no, could we be an addicted bean hoarder?!

Please say it ain't so! We just like our caffeine

From the best - and that's y'all - you, coffee machine!

One cup or two cups or dare I drink three?

Well, if I did that, all day would I pee!

And by nighttime, I'm sure sleep would elude

Ensuring next day a grouchy, bad mood.

But wait! There's a fix when insomnia lingers,

Sweet, sugared goodness all over your fingers!

Sprinkles and icing, doughnuts supreme

You won't find these treats at your Krispy Kreme!

You see, "Hot and Now" is all they can boast,

And here's why I love Dunkin Donuts the most:

Their coffee puts Starbucks, all others, to shame

Their doughnut perfection, I can't help but proclaim!

An edible rainbow, a colorful snack,

Delicious reasons I'll keep coming back.

Beautiful, no?

Inspired by Google Doodles

2012-05-30T12:03:12-04:00

An Ode to Google Doodles

They're King of the World

Alexa says so

Much to Mark Z-berg's chagrin.

I've figured it out, I know what it takes

For Google to squeak out this win.

Hot in pursuit, top ten on the list:

Facebook and You Tube and Wiki

Amazon, Yahoo, Twitter, three more--

Oh, the internet's web is so sticky!

'S'not just about brains

the others have those

#1 demands that you're clever.

Creative and artsy, yes these are a must

if you stand a chance whatsoever.

So, why is it Google sits on the throne

the King of internet traffic?

I'm convinced it's their doodles, they make searching FUN--

Brilliance captured in graphic!

: : : : : : : : : : :

Sometimes interactive, often historical, occasionally cryptic but always witty or whimsical, Google Doodles make me smile. I'm always a little disappointed when it's the plain ol' Google search box, but I suppose it makes me appreciate doodle brilliance all the more.

It's the little things...right?

Do you have a favorite doodle that made a lasting impression? Search through the Google Doodle museum and share your favorites!!

The stranger in the emerald hat

2012-05-29T17:03:40-04:00

In the shadow of Lucerne's Chateau Gütsch, I was spellbound by the lady in the emerald hat.

It wasn't one thing about her, it was everything that begged question.

Cocksure posture. Fiery statement handbag. Head-turning cutout wedge platforms.

And that cigar...cigarello? The way her hand articulated her thoughts. The long ash impassively disregarded. Sophistication or security blanket? Addiction or pacifier?

The wrinkled trench, her hurried cinch, and a peek of emerald hem she never intended to show.

Wouldn't she just die if she knew?

And her hapless companion--a lover? Another habit? Her husband?

Contemplating a walk through Mühlenplatz (Mills Square), the old site of Lucerne markets, she would never have known I was looking at her and not Spreuerbrücke, the ancient Mill Bridge just beyond her.

A spy.

Voyeur.

Wanting to know her story, making up one instead.

I never saw her face.

What a pity.

On this Memorial Day (and always)...

2012-05-28T13:49:10-04:00

My sweet friend, Kristen, a military wife, write a lovely post about sacrifice and obedience today at {in}incourage. Won't you click through, read it and share the names of your family or friends in the military the {in}community will pray for?

When love overwhelms

2012-05-21T07:16:04-04:00

between the lines

it's impossible for them to know

this tender desperation

insisting, impetuous

be still, my heart!

pounding pounding

each wisp of time

skin to skin, sweet assurance

still here still here

for a while not for an ever

looking at them, curious

sensing the familiar

seeing the new

growth, perceptible

the outside kind

sometimes and always

but the inside kind, too

slow down! a plea

on deaf ear falls

and in this, a discovery of motherhood:

my hope for long life

has become less about adding years to my own

and more about

seeing them

m e n

b e c o m i n g

filled out and full

laughter and love

lessons learned well

watching them

still

sometimes and always

tend, work, empty, fill

for good for great for god

this all this

and, yes, more than this

is shouted

and shrouded

in every hug til then.

Like riding a bike...

2012-05-21T07:09:00-04:00

One aspect I most appreciate about living in Tiny-Town-with-a-Castle, Germany is the ability to ride a bike everywhere. Not the case in our hometown.

There, it is required by law that motorists defer to cyclists. Here, cyclists are often looked upon with scorn, particularly when they DARE to ride in the street, and heaven forbid if they're in front of you at a light!

I know...because I've had muttered a few words when someone on a bike dares to slow me down.

I'll return, soon, to my little German bike, where now with much warmer weather than before, I'm sure to get my tail into shape.

Hopefully the rest of me, too.

(I saw Kelly's photo prompt this morning and immediately thought of this iPhone pic; not the best but it was taken after a morning spent with new friends, who discovered it was my birthday and celebrated with cake, flowers, chocolate and art therapy. I imagine a birthday I'll always remember...!)

Present reminders

2012-05-20T11:23:00-04:00

It gives me hope that God knows people are very forgetful. No wonder he tells us to write his words down - on our walls and bodies, no less! - and even to wear them.

Several people have asked me about my bracelets (my Adventure and Dream God-sized Dreams) this year and I love to share their significance. Words matter to me, they mean something to me, and my sister recently stated the obvious, a truth that somehow escaped me-- "Words are your passion...."

Even with all that, it's good to have tangible reminders nearby. In this case, I need only look down at my left wrist.

Are you prone to forgetfulness? What reminds you of the most important things you need to remember?

Eternal oxygen

2012-05-19T08:09:31-04:00

On the ceiling of my daughter's closet, a child scribed the essentials of the forever life. Important things, written on doorposts and gates for now, but on the heart for always.

A smelly(good) post

2012-05-16T08:08:40-04:00

Have you given much thought to the strength of sense-memory? How a particular smell can immediately bring to mind people, places or events in your life?

Though I demanded very little in the planning of my wedding, I just had to have gardenias in my bridal bouquet. Out of season and costly, my florist allowed three. To the sentimentalist in me, that delicately scrumptious flower paid homage to my childhood and celebrated my Southern roots.

But mostly it honored my grandmother.

* * * * * * * * *

Continue reading at {in}courage where you'll see how in the world I mashed up Grandmothers, Gardenias and Goodness...and not only my wedding bouquet but what I looked like as a blushing bride*.

* For some reason I wanted to be tan on my wedding day, despite it being the middle of November and NOT going anywhere tropical for our honeymoon. I stuck out like a bronzed sore thumb among my wedding party, and ever-after that decision left me shaking my head at my young, irrational self.

Little German girl?

2012-05-15T16:11:32-04:00

Maybe I did it to promote a wonderfully fun, worthwhile event.

Maybe I did it as a small attempt to bridge culture and community.

Maybe I did it because I had a wild hair ('cause trust me, the hair, she was wild...!)

Or m a y b e I just did it 'cause I'll use any excuse to slip on a Princess dress.

Who knows?

In any event, Christian Hoeferle (of Höferle Consulting) and I had opportunity to sit down with Cindy Sexton and WRCB's 3 Plus You gang to talk about all things Germany and what's going on this weekend in Cleveland to celebrate the culture.

Maifest is in its seventh year and when I'm done slaying swimming with riding rowing dragons I plan to join my German expat friends for an afternoon of fun.

Thanks to Dawn Scowronnek for the link to our segment below; not showing up for you? Try this.

When did I become a DRAGON SLAYER?! (Oh, yeah...and PLEASE HELP ME!!!!)

2012-05-14T10:54:14-04:00

A Dragon on a boat, not to be confused with the Dragon Boats descending on Chattanooga on Saturday!

What would YOU do if you had only two months in your hometown before leaving the country?

I, for one, can tell you what I'm doing--cramming as much into 60 days as possible.

Take Saturday, for example.

Saturday morning I'll be all "PADDLES UP, Y'ALL!" at Chattanooga's Dragon Boat races; I'm joining the BEST team of them all: Chamber Ambassadors of Hope.

I've known about this event for years and cannot wait to be a part! Not only is this a fun community tradition, it's a fundraiser for Children's Hospital; we've had many friends whose children have had reason to go to Children's through the years...and they've always been provided exceptional care and service.

Would you PLEASE consider a donation? Our team's individual goal is $172/paddler; but I'm not satisfied with the minimum and I like round numbers so I raised it to $250. The competitor in me would LOVE to be the single largest paddler fundraiser of them all, but since that's not likely unless a generous benefactor finds my page, I'll be happy just to reach my goal.

Donations in any amount will bless my socks off, and you can choose to be anonymous if that's more your style. Just click the thermometer below; the process is painless and you'll be doing a very good thing.

One last note: I really need my friends and readers OUTSIDE CHATTANOOGA to contribute, too! Many locals are either participating themselves or are supporting other paddlers, and YOUR support of my little effort will mean a lot to me. A VERY lot ❤.

Click Here to Donate

(When I say "thank you," I really, really, REALLY mean it. Thank you!)

The reason I wish I had a million blog readers

2012-05-11T10:29:59-04:00

I started blogging in the Fall of 2005 after a friend invited me to read hers (I didn't know what a blog was prior); my first post referenced an article that reported the number of blogs to be 30,000 strong. Today, Mashable author Sam Laird reports there are over 3.9 million "mommy bloggers" alone...though he plays fast and loose with the definition of mommy blogger.

My blogging life has seen many seasons--ah, those long-ago times when I published at least once a day, commented generously and often, and enjoyed an engaged community where I knew more about my online friends than those new people I was meeting in a new town.

When I noticed the difference between me owning my blog vs. my blog owning me, I walked away from that season. Plus, there's a lot of NOISE in the blogosphere, and I decided if I wasn't adding something of value, it was better to write less but better.

But, always ALWAYS I have whole-heartedly believed and declared there is no better reason for writing than to use my voice for those who have none.

I've supported a fair amount of great causes over the past six years, given them my voice and my checkbook. And though all of them are worthy, there's one that stole my heart:

Compassion International.

I had the privilege of traveling to India with a group of Compassion bloggers three years ago, and my experience not only changed me then, it continues to affect me deeply and for the good.

This week, several of my friends (and bloggers new to me) have joined leader Shaun Groves on a trip to Tanzania, to witness the work of Compassion.

They see then they tell a great story of HOPE.

Hundreds, thousands? of children will be sponsored when readers are moved to action by their beautiful words.

I wish I had a million readers because that would mean I had a pretty big sphere of influence; and if I asked you nicely to sponsor a child, even if only 1% responded to my plea, 1000 kids would be sponsored!

One thousand children's lives would be saved.

That's not an exaggeration friends.

When you sponsor a child, you're providing for needs, the type of needs we take for granted. Food, shelter, clothing, education; physical, emotional, spiritual.

When you sponsor one child, the entire family benefits. Because you're relieving the financial pressure for one family member, their other limited resources can be used for everyone else.

Please read my favorite accounts from each of this team's bloggers (linked below); then I'm asking you...begging my considerably smaller-than-a-million-readership to sponsor a child--

Their lives and YOUR LIFE will be forever changed for the better.

Decorating Truths from a 15-year-old Tanzanian Boy (Warning, it'll tug tears from the crustiest of hardened souls, by my lovie Nester Smith)
In Defense of Jesus (A great explanation to both believers AND those who aren't professing Christians why Compassion's motive IS Jesus; by Shaun Groves, truly one of my favorite & most-admired writer/artist/Jesus follower/theologian/musician/friends.)
Hope is slow (Kelli feels deeply and out loud, evident in her writing. Read this one but scroll through all her posts to see what I mean.)
Letting your dirty feet rub against the dirty feet of your neighbor (Always enthusiastic and oozing adorable, my creative friend Maggie Whitley takes a fall, bruises her ego...and becomes the one ministered TO.)
Meeting my sponsored child (There is something uniquely special about meeting a child you sponsor; I chose my friend Amy's account to share with you.)
In which I cry again (Jolanthe shares the impact of a family gift...and so wonderful to hear the reciprocal impact to her.)
Where there is no vision, the people perish (Scott Williams has a LOT to say; fantastic perspective.)

YOUR TURN: Is this the first time you've heard of Compassion International or have you been following the Compassion Bloggers already? Do you have a child sponsorship story you can link to or share in comments?

On our first visit to Salzburg: how I almost wet my pants

2012-05-09T11:11:50-04:00

Salzburg is famous for a lot of reasons ~

birthplace of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
where The Sound of Music was filmed
beautiful baroque architecture with some of the most famous churches in the world
it sits at the northern boundary of the Alps and borders the Salzach River.
it's 45 minutes from our German home (okay, that's not so famous) and I discovered the most delicious, thick, frothy hot chocolate IN THE WORLD. I'm pretty sure that's not an exaggeration.

But the first time we visited I almost froze to death despite wearing thermal layers that had me walking like the Abominable Snowman. Impossible to take pictures with gloves on - temperatures below freezing - I gave up when my naked fingers stiffened into claws.

I haven't seen so many ankle-length fur coats since I played dress-up at the Fur Department in Belks, or either giant minks with human heads had taken over the city.

We braved the Salzburgian Arctic Tundra as long as humanly possible; but before heading home, Tad needed to use the restroom. As we've discovered in several European cities, public restrooms might require payment.

And, get this: some demand that you declare your business! Number 1 costs less than Number 2, which to me is just TOO MUCH INFORMATION but I suppose it's based on water consumption and they're just trying to be fair.

But I'd prefer anonymity and injustice and pay a little more to protect my privacy. My shy bladder looks bold compared to my reclusively private bowel!

Which is likely TMI for you.

Though I didn't need to "go" I decided to blow my nose while Tad "went"; I wandered into the women's side of the public WC to hunt for a roll of toilet paper. My frozen nose hairs were holding back a dam of snot, which sounds mildly offensive, but what IS the nice word for snot? Mucus? That doesn't sound right, so please--I'm beggin' for your suggestions.

But I digress.

I discovered coin slots mounted on all the stall doors, and since I had no euros to open the doors, I turned to paper towels hanging over the sinks. While I blew my frozen, raw nose with the equivalent of sandpaper, I noticed another wall of sinks and mirrors on the other side of a little hallway, vaguely hearing but dismissing a voice inside my head that said "The bathroom sure didn't look *that* large from the outside...."

When I got to the end of the hallway, I noticed a small yellow basket with coins in it sitting in a chair to my right; in a nano second I tried to reason "Why does this side have the honor system...?" when a man's voice thundered "WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN HERE?!"

Well, I might not have had to go but I about wet my britches and jumped backwards into the ladies room.

Had I just looked to my left, I would have seen a row of urinals and my husband turning and zipping up. Thankfully, only my husband.

Why there are doors for a men's side and a women's side is beyond me when it's one big happy bathroom with a teensy hallway dividing the genders.

This isn't quite what I had in mind when I declared 2012 The Year of Adventure.

~ smile ~