Plans, God, and Day Lilies | by Linda Brendle

Proverbs 16:9 says “We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps.” The Yiddish version is something like “Man plans and God laughs.” I wonder if God laughed when I thought today’s plans might include a little writing.

I knew I wouldn’t get anything done before lunch. I always begin the day with prayer and Bible reading, and since we started a ladies’ Bible study at church a few weeks ago, my study time has gotten longer. I thought I’d have time to do a little work in the garden before lunch, but by the time I sent a few e-mails that were overdue, it was time to hit the showers. That was okay. There would be time for gardening this afternoon with time left over to come up with a brilliant post and spend some time on my WIP (that’s work in progress for those not in “the business”).

One Good Things About Daylight Savings Time | by Linda Brendle

Last week’s AgingCare.com newsletter featured a piece by Anne-Marie Botek titled “Daylight Saving Time Can Negatively Affect Senior Health.” I’m glad to have a convenient excuse for being in a fog for at least a day or two, and I’m laying claim to her article as my explanation for missing yet another “posting” day.

Being Hacked and Other IT Challenges | by Linda Brendle

I’m having a real “IT” week, and it’s only Wednesday. It began on Monday morning with a text from my son Christian. If you’re new to my world, you may not know that he’s a writer, a prolific writer, and the Internet is his life. He has published several books and is a frequent contributor to a number of e-publications – and he BLOGS. He gets more views in a couple of weeks than I’ve gotten in the 19 months since I published my first post. So here’s the text he sent me:

Is My Face Red! | by Linda Brendle

I have all sorts of excuses for not posting a blog on Monday and for not posting one earlier today. Some are interesting and some are not, but the real reason is a little embarrassing. One of my fellow AKA Literary authors mentioned a writing contest, and I decided to give it a shot. It was fiction only, so I took a deep breath and wrote my first work of fiction since I was a sophomore in high school. After tweaking it to my satisfaction, I went to the contest site to check out the submission procedures. The first thing I saw was “OPEN ONLY TO LEGAL RESIDENTS OF PENNSYLVANIA WHO ARE AT LEAST 18 YEARS OLD AS OF THE DATE OF ENTRY.” Well, duh! The name of the contest is “The 2013 Central PA Magazine Writing Contest.” So, I have a story that’s all dressed up with no place to go.  I know it’s not my usual genre, but give it a read and let me know what you think.

New Beginnings | by Linda Brendle

I was sitting in the waiting room of the dentist’s office the day it began – a typical waiting room with nondescript furniture, bland wall prints, the faint smell of lemon-scented cleaning products and antiseptic, the distant sound of a drill. I was looking at a magazine article titled “New Year, New Beginnings” – looking but not reading. I was in the season of endings. My marriage ended after twenty years, and a couple of ill-advised relationships ended much more quickly. My career ended in a corporate downsizing, and my stint as a caregiver ended with the death of my mother, taking half my retirement savings with it. The rest of my plans for a semi-luxurious retirement ended when the stock market and the housing market crashed at about the same time. All my new beginnings had faded, and I’d resolved to make do with what was left.

Potpourri | by Linda Brendle

Potpourri (Photo credit: Niina C)

Potpourri is defined as “a mixture of flowers, herbs, and spices that is usually kept in a jar and used for scent.” That’s not the kind of potpourri this blog is about. It’s about the alternate kind of potpourri: “a miscellaneous collection” or “a combination of incongruous things.” My sister-in-law Jo Lynn recently posted an article on Facebook, and she said it was especially for me to add to my future-blog-material file. It was attributed to a woman named Regina Brett on the occasion of her 90^th birthday. After years of internet experience, I’m a little skeptical of the origins, but the humor and wisdom of some of the thoughts are inescapable. I’ve chosen a few of my favorites for further comment.

Get rid of anything that isn’t useful. Clutter weighs you down in many ways.

I think my former employers followed this line of thinking, and unfortunately, they decided that usefulness diminished with age. On or about my 60^th birthday, I was informed that my services were no longer required. I can only pray that my husband doesn’t subscribe to the same school of thought.

One Body – Many Parts – How Hard Could It Be? | by Linda Brendle

From: Zeology The Art + Science of Sleep

I missed my Friday post, partly for the same reasons I’m writing instead of sleeping at 12:30 in the morning and partly for other reasons. First, we were out of data on our WiFi card and our new month didn’t start until Saturday, and even though I have unlimited data on my new iPhone, I wasn’t sure I was up to blogging on a three-inch keyboard. Second, we spent the morning winding up our New Year’s visit with David’s mom and the afternoon driving home. I intended to write on Saturday, but then the real reason kicked in – I was preoccupied. Several months ago our pastor asked if I would consider coordinating a one-day ladies’ conference our church was planning to host. If I had said no right then, I might have posted a blog on Friday, and I might be asleep right now. Instead I said I would think about it and pray about it and let him know.

Wishing You a Messy New Year – Again | by Linda Brendle

When you’re visiting family around the holidays, it’s sometimes hard to find time to blog regularly. But the good thing about having been a blogger for over a year is that you can recycle. Here’s a post I wrote last year, and as I re-read it, and in spite of my earlier decision not to make any resolutions this year, I may renew this one. Happy New Year!

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The Christmas Eve service was beautiful last night. Lights were twinkling, carols were playing, candles were burning, people were singing and smiling and laughing and hugging and wishing each other a Merry Christmas. Excited children crowded to the front when the pastor told the children’s story. The service ended with Communion and the traditional singing of “Silent Night” as candlelight passed from person to person until the whole sanctuary was alight with it. But something was missing.

Blog Awards: to Participate or Not | by Linda Brendle

When I got my first “blog award” a few months after I published my first post, I was really excited. Then I read the instructions: post this award button on your blog, write a post including 7 things about yourself and links to 15 blogs including the one who sent you this award.  Be sure to send an award notification to the bloggers you mention along with an explanation of the award requirements. It sounded an awful lot like a chain letter to me, and my excitement dwindled a bit. In fact, I handled those awards the way I handle most chain letters: I did nothing. Then I got an award from Liz.

The Horror of Alzheimer’s | by Linda Brendle

A human brain with Alzheimer’s (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Last week Krista Krueger was a guest on my blog. Although she normally writes dark fantasy, paranormal, and horror, in keeping with the topic of my blog, she wrote an open and heartfelt post titled “When Reality Bites, Write.” This week she invited me to be a guest on her blog KompletelyKrista.  In keeping with her genre, I wrote a post called “The Horror of Alzheimer’s.” Pop over for a read, and spend a few minutes browsing through Krista’s other writings.

Blessings,

Linda

Top Ten Comments from the First Year | by Linda Brendle

I published my first post on this blog a year ago today. In thinking about how to mark the day, I thought about doing something like what I did when I hit 10,000 all-time view,  reviewing the numbers and stats, but I really wanted to do something with more meaning.