A few weeks ago, I posted my top ten hymns for Semicolon's Top 100 Hymns project. Since then she has tabulated the results and been posting them. What a gorgeous project! She accompanies every hymn with a recording, some historical background as well as lyrics. It's not only inspirational but educational too.
Here for your Sunday listening pleasure is the beautiful "Children of the Heavenly Father." I found this version on (where else) Semicolon!
These intriguing cave house photos (which I put into collage) came to me in an email forward. Aren't they incredible? This short note of explanation about their age and location came with the email:
In the north east of Iran at the foot of Mount Sahand in Kandovan, the villagers live in cave homes carved out from the volcanic rock. The age of some houses is more than 700 years.
Title: West Nile Diary: One Couple's Triumph Over a Deadly Disease
Author: Kathleen Gibson
Publisher: BPS Books, March 2009, paperback, 184 pages
ISBN-10: 1926645014
ISBN-13: 978-1926645018
It was in mid-August of 2007 that Rick Gibson got the mosquito bite – a most unexceptional thing to happen at a picnic in Yorkton, Saskatchewan. But days later he was in the throes of such mysterious and disparate symptoms, it took a while for doctors to come up with a diagnosis – West Nile Neurological Disease (WNND). Over the next months his wife Kathleen Gibson rode the roller coaster ride of WNND with him. In West Nile Diary she tells their compelling story from his hospital bedside in Yorkton and the Wascana Rehabilitation Center in Regina. Using a mélange of journal entries, emails to friends and family, newspaper columns, and articles, Gibson journeys us through a six-month interlude that changes the course of this couple’s life forever.
We experience at close range the terrifying first days of Rick’s illness as he gradually loses his ability to walk, undergoes a change in personality, and even sometimes forgets his name. During rehabilitation we live the elevator ride of one day’s progress followed by the plummet of the next day’s regression. We cheer for him as he regains function, participate in Kathleen’s joy at seeing the real Rick emerge again, but wonder if he’ll have a job to return to.
Of course the book does more than just tell a story. For in the telling, Gibson touches on many topics, among them divine healing, the purpose of sickness and pain, the beautiful people found in unexpected places, the importance of family, the need for advocacy, what really matters in life, and the key role that faith in God plays when handling such crises.
Gibson (long a successful freelance writer and editor), puts her skills to good use in this memoir. She displays the sensitivity to beauty of a poet:
“I can always tell when Bus is at the keyboard. The man’s music soars to the glass roof, joins the sunshine, and becomes the spirit of optimism itself. Then it rains back down and washes over us, healing things that only music can heal” p. 79.
“Maggie has been teaching me to help Rick transfer from bed to chair and back…. Here’s what it looks like:
Take the side arm off the wheelchair. Bend low in front of him, wrap my arms about his waist, do a lunge, front knee bent, back straight; brace legs, rock both our bodies back and forth, and then, on the count of three, HEAVE!” p. 78.
“The children were especially interested in the putty….
Benjamin accepted the pile of moldable yellow rubber carefully. Hesitating at first, he began digging his fingers in and drawing them forward, just like ‘Gampa.’
Looking up, his eyes met mine. “Not poo, Nana,” he said reassuringly. “Is not poo.”
Amanda and I figured it out: He had never heard the word putty before. Likely ‘potty’ was the closest he could find in his two-year-old vocabulary” p. 94.
“I’ve learned three things in my journey down the West Nile with Rick and the pirates: God is a lot stronger than I thought he was, I’m a lot stronger than I thought I was, and God can do exquisite things with broken circumstances” (p. viii).
Today is Canada Day - the celebration of Canada's 142nd birthday. This scenic version of our national anthem comes from the Mother Corp.
"O Canada" is actually a hymn with the second verse a prayer.
After the Writers Conference, hubby and I spent a few days holidaying in the Toronto area. From our motel in Mississauga we were within easy motoring distance of Lakeshore Drive and the Waterfront Trail. We took many walks along the waterfront. This is the wrecked boat seen from Port Credit.
During our time there the weather was hot and muggy and the sweet smell of roses and clover hung heavy in the air.
This family of swans was out almost every day.
On Monday we met with nephew T. That's our rented PT Cruiser. I always wanted to drive around in one of those!
We also drove to Newmarket where cousin J. served us dinner in her pretty back yard.
Tuesday we drove to Niagra Falls. Wow!
I'd seen the falls one other time - on our honeymoon - but had forgotten the raw power of this natural phenomenon. This is a short video I took.
Hubby and I got back early yesterday morning from a trip to the Toronto area. We took the trip in conjunction with Write! Canada, the annual writer's conference put on the The Word Guild. (E. also wanted to take a sentimental journey back to Toronto where he spent four years of his career in financial services.)
We arrived late Tuesday afternoon (the 16th) and in good time to attend the awards gala on the 17th, the night before the conference began. I got to present the poetry prizes sponsored by Utmost Christian Writers. Here I am presenting the Award of Merit to Lori Wiens-MacDonald. (Marcia Lee Laycock won the Word Guild Award for her poem "Dying to Live," published by Utmost.)
The conference ran from 2:00 p.m. on the 18th to 5:00 p.m. on the 20th. I had signed up for Chip MacGregor's continuing class, which was fabulous. If you read his blog, you'll be aware he knows writing, agenting and publishing inside and out, upside and down. His lectures were full of common sense and wisdom on how to build a successful writing career, even under the current changing conditions (each session laced with his quick wit of course).
Here's a sampling of some of the things he told us -- this particular list delivered at breakneck speed to fit into the four minutes each speaker-expert was alotted during a symposium about the future of publishing: "Where will we be in five years?"
I taught a workshop on Friday afternoon. It went okay, I think...
A highlight for me was interviews with the pros. Because we were advised to schedule these in advance, I had given them some thought -- to the extent of putting notes on paper. I'm so glad I did because I was able to get right to business and not waste any of those precious 15 minutes.
I met with Stephen Kennedy, editor of testimony, my denomination's publication. He remembered me and that I had recently submitted an article. From him I got some tips about the kinds of articles he's looking for.
I also met with Steve Barclift, an editor at Kregel, and came away with an invitation to submit two proposals!
Finally, I must tell you about the plenary talks, given by Audrey Dorsch and Brian Stiller (I missed the last one by Ray Wiseman; I'm sure it was excellent as well) packed with stories and inspiration. Some gems from Stiller's talk:
"If you have a desire to write, you probably can write.
"In the development of your writing material, let the brew be heated by the Spirit. Don't be in a hurry to get everything on the page. Test your ideas. Allow them to percolate and refine.
"Learn from others. Borrow shamelessly.
"Writers transform by breaking down defenses. They open windows and doors for people. We write in secret and our writing is read in secret. The Holy Spirit is the agent God uses. We are dependent on the Spirit both for the writing and its application."
One way to handle aging is to thumb your nose at it while getting all the mileage you can out of the old lady cliches. I've always loved this poem for its attitude.
Warning
When I am an old woman I shall wear purple
With a red hat that doesn't go and doesn't suit me.
And I shall spend my pension on brandy and summer gloves
And satin sandals and say we've no money for butter.
I shall sit down on the pavement when I'm tired
And gobble up samples in shops and press alarm bells
And run my stick along the public railings
And make up for the sobriety of my youth.
I shall go out in my slippers in the rain
And pick flowers in other people's gardens
And learn to spit
You can wear terrible shirts and grow more fat
And eat three pounds of sausages at a go
Or only eat bread and pickle for a week
And hoard pens and pencils and beermats and things in boxes.
But now we must have clothes that keep us dry
And pay our rent and not swear in the street
And set a good example for the children.
We must have friends to dinner and read the papers
But maybe I ought to practise a little now?
So people who know me are not too shocked and surprised
When suddenly I am old and start to wear purple.
by Jenny Joseph
Continuing with the focus on writers and aging - have you noticed how many books lately have aged heroes or heroines?
- Gilead by Marilynne Robinson is a story an old preacher tells in a letter to his young son.
- In Winter Birds by Jamie Langston Turner the heroine is 80 (review).
- I've just finished another - Sometimes a Light Surprises - also by Jamie Langston Turner. Ben Buckley, main character in the book celebrates his 58th birthday during the story (review).
- And then there are all the Mitford Series books by Jan Karon - where the main character, Father Tim, is an Anglican priest in his 60s. (Interested in finding out how Karon came to write these books? Go here, click on "Multi-Media" and watch/listen to her tell the story in a talk from the National Cathedral.)
There may be more ... .
I'm thinking since senior citizens are getting so much main billing, there must be something wonderful to recommend the stage of life!
On the I.N.K. (Interesting Nonfiction for Kids) blog, author Jan Greenberg writes:
"Here is a question that comes up every now and then in my writers workshops with adults. How does aging affect your writing, especially your ability to connect with kids? I usually answer jokingly. “ Who me? Age?” or something to that effect.
Recently, when I was invited to be on a panel, sponsored by Washington University Medical School, entitled “In the Words of the Artist: The Influence of Age on Creativity and Expression,” I was forced to give this subject more thought.
"I mentioned to my daughter that I actually had agreed to participate on such a panel, and she remarked, “Perhaps you’ve decided finally to act your age.” It occurs to me that our children expect us to age gracefully, to age with dignity. What popped into my head was a line from Dylan Thomas’ poem “Do Not Go Gentle into that Good Night.” “Rage, rage, rage against the dying of the light.” Well, forget the rage. I prefer to age creatively."
John Updike, who died in January 2009 at 76, reflected on the challenges and satisfactions of the aging writer in Books section of seattlepi.com (November 2008).
The caption under his pensive mugshot reads: "Revered literary figure John Updike writes: 'With ominous frequency, I can’t think of the right word.'"
Despite that, his article reads as Updike-polished as ever. The thoughtful piece begins:
"Young or old, a writer sends a book into the world, not himself. There is no Senior Tour for authors, with the tees shortened by 20 yards and carts allowed. No mercy is extended by reviewers; by then it is not extended to the rookie writer, either. He or she may feel, as the gray-haired scribes of the day continue to take up space and consume the oxygen in the increasingly small room of the print world, that the elderly have the edge, with their established names and already secured honors."
Read all of "John Updike reflects on the challenges and satisfactions of the aging writer."
I'm Write! Canada-bound - and excited! It will be so fun meeting face to face with many of the folks I've only had contact with on the internet.
On Friday the 19th I'm doing a workshop on Writing for the Children and Teen Christian Market (prayers appreciated if you think of it!).
Otherwise, on top of doing a few interviews and talking with several people whose manuscripts I critiqued, I'll be soaking in the expertise of agent Chip MacGregor (whose continuing class I signed up for) and others, as well as rubbing shoulders with my kind. YES!!
Have you ever noticed when a person approaches you but is still a good way off, you already have a sense of their age? I'm not talking about the obvious difference between children and adults, but subtle signs of age in a full-grown person who could be any age. We pick this up pretty much subconsciously, taking in a multitude of body language clues -- a thickening of the body, a face slumping ever so slightly into jowls, a wrinkly neck, the beginning of stooped shoulders, the spring or lack of it in the step.
We can't talk about aging without mentioning some of the physical changes. Of course we all know about gray hair, wrinkled skin and going bald. Here are some of the less known physical changes that aging also brings:
1. Some men grow hair in their ears.
2. Irises lose their pigment.
3. Gums recede.
4. People lose height. It's estimated that one loses 1 cm. every 10 years after age 40. In total, that could be a loss of 1-3 inches by the time we're age 75.
5. Fingernail growth slows, nails become dull, brittle, yellowed and opaque. Nail ridges may develop and tips of nails crumble and chip.
6. Toenails become hard and thick.
7. Skin thins and is more fragile.
8. Senses become less acute. Hearing, for example, may begin to decline at about age 50. Hearing loss is especially noticeable for high frequency sounds.
9. Aging eyes produce less tears.
10. By 60 years pupils decrease to about one third of their size at 20.
11. The number of taste buds decreases.
12. The mouth produces less saliva.
13. Ear wax gets dryer and more likely to get impacted in the ear - making hearing even worse!
Depressed yet? Because that's just a start. We haven't even begun to look at the changes that happen inside our bodies to bones, muscles and organs.
But there is one ray of hope. The Medline Plus website encyclopedia where I found all this enlightenment assures us: "Dementia and severe memory loss are NOT normal processes of aging."
Oh really? With everything else that's going on - and off - maybe memory loss would be a blessing!
Our adventure today was walking the new Golden Ears Bridge. It's opening for vehicle traffic Tuesday but today Translink invited the public for a mass look-see.
We drove to the Langley Events Centre and parked there to catch a shuttle. (Just as we were parking the car, we heard something on the car radio about three-hour waits for people catching the shuttle at Colossus - the theatre complex just down the road in Walnut Grove -- oh my!)
We were on the bridge deck by around 12:00 noon and already it was teeming with people. (The bridge opened at 9:00 a.m. for some kind of a race, I think, then opened to the public at 11:00)
It's a beautiful bridge...
The bridge seen from a distance.
On the deck. Note the two eagles suspended from the pilings (or whatever they're called).
The bridge spans the Fraser River over log booms.
Cranberry fields.
Our plan was to walk the entire bridge.
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