And so I tweet:
a quarter mile night hike down the shore, 16 darkened summer cottages in between, a full moon to light the way, he & a warm fire to greet me
Today last night became a movie.
Friday, November 30, 2012
Sunday, November 25, 2012
Pause, for the time being...
The reason so many writers live in New York is because every time you step outside inspiration steps in front of you. You can't go more than a few blocks without seeing or hearing someone or something that has the potential to trigger an epic idea for your next novel or short piece.
And then there's the people you meet - people from all around the world, making their way through the city. Some for a short visit, others for months, or more than 52 weeks. And each person arrives with a rich story in hand - David from Israel, Sabatina from Germany, Leonardo from Mozambique, Retika from India, Ace from New Zealand, and Moses who came up from West Virginia to Occupy Wall Street.
But at the moment I'm far from NYC and inspiration jumping at me is few and far in between. I'm less than a week in to my return to rural, middle of nowhere, Michigan. Today I sulked that the greatest inspiration my county had to offer me was a post church trip to the most popular store in our county's seat - Walmart of Adrian.
Starbucks offered me a spark of normalcy, as I picked up a venti Pike and a pastry before driving 14.2 miles through winding country roads, to get to where I needed to be. Home.
And since I'm here for the time being, and new inspiration isn't shooting up at me. I'll pause from blogging for the time being and instead finish the book writing work God has started in me.
And then there's the people you meet - people from all around the world, making their way through the city. Some for a short visit, others for months, or more than 52 weeks. And each person arrives with a rich story in hand - David from Israel, Sabatina from Germany, Leonardo from Mozambique, Retika from India, Ace from New Zealand, and Moses who came up from West Virginia to Occupy Wall Street.
But at the moment I'm far from NYC and inspiration jumping at me is few and far in between. I'm less than a week in to my return to rural, middle of nowhere, Michigan. Today I sulked that the greatest inspiration my county had to offer me was a post church trip to the most popular store in our county's seat - Walmart of Adrian.
Starbucks offered me a spark of normalcy, as I picked up a venti Pike and a pastry before driving 14.2 miles through winding country roads, to get to where I needed to be. Home.
And since I'm here for the time being, and new inspiration isn't shooting up at me. I'll pause from blogging for the time being and instead finish the book writing work God has started in me.
Saturday, November 24, 2012
The Remaining 10
Over the summer I gambled on my Dad's ping pong abilities and won big! Read story here:
http://katrinablank.blogspot.com/2012/07/ping-pong.html
In September I received a portion, but not all of my winnings. Read story here:
http://katrinablank.blogspot.com/2012/09/ping-pong-payout.html
To be perfectly honest, I didn't think I'd ever see the remaining $10. But last night my brother and I walked down the shore to join the boyz of summer. And when we arrived, the guy from down the shore insisted we join them for a game of Texas Hold 'Em - a game my brother and I have never played before.
We were hesitant, but the guy from down the shore pulled me aside and said, "Look, here's the deal. I know I still owe you $10 from the summer, but I will never flat out give you that money. But I will buy you into this game. So what do you say? Do you want to play?" Although I'm not into gambling, given his offer I agreed for him to buy my brother and me into the game. And so we received $10 worth of chips, and used our shared lack of knowledge to attempt to win.
I thought we'd be out rather quickly, but my brother quickly figured out the game, and how to successfully bluff . So we finished second, receiving a $10 payout for the chips. Thanks bro, for keeping our $10 alive. And thanks Dad for the $30 ping pong win.
http://katrinablank.blogspot.com/2012/07/ping-pong.html
In September I received a portion, but not all of my winnings. Read story here:
http://katrinablank.blogspot.com/2012/09/ping-pong-payout.html
To be perfectly honest, I didn't think I'd ever see the remaining $10. But last night my brother and I walked down the shore to join the boyz of summer. And when we arrived, the guy from down the shore insisted we join them for a game of Texas Hold 'Em - a game my brother and I have never played before.
We were hesitant, but the guy from down the shore pulled me aside and said, "Look, here's the deal. I know I still owe you $10 from the summer, but I will never flat out give you that money. But I will buy you into this game. So what do you say? Do you want to play?" Although I'm not into gambling, given his offer I agreed for him to buy my brother and me into the game. And so we received $10 worth of chips, and used our shared lack of knowledge to attempt to win.
I thought we'd be out rather quickly, but my brother quickly figured out the game, and how to successfully bluff . So we finished second, receiving a $10 payout for the chips. Thanks bro, for keeping our $10 alive. And thanks Dad for the $30 ping pong win.
Thursday, November 22, 2012
Rich in History
This year for Thanksgiving an 86 year old woman named Doris joined us for our dinner feast. She and her husband Marty have lived across the lake next to my Grandpa Cec's since the 1950s. But in recent years, Marty's declining health forced him to relocate to a nursing home, and this past spring he passed away.
Doris still lives across the lake, and although her mobility is limited, she is still sharp in her thinking. After dinner and pre pie, Doris and I challenged my parents to a game of euchre. We nearly beat them with the final score 10 to 9.
But even more fun than the card game was hearing Doris tell stories - like how she and her husband eloped, and ice fishing on Sand Lake (she and her friend caught more fish than the men), and stories about my Grandpa, who Doris claimed her husband once stated, "If I was stuck on an island with only one other person, I'd pick Cec. He's a good man." My grandpa passed away when I was 9, so my memories of him are few, but how neat to hear Doris reminisce about days of past. There's something special about meeting with someone who is rich in history.
Doris still lives across the lake, and although her mobility is limited, she is still sharp in her thinking. After dinner and pre pie, Doris and I challenged my parents to a game of euchre. We nearly beat them with the final score 10 to 9.
 |
| Happy Thanksgiving from Sand Lake, Onsted, Michigan |
But even more fun than the card game was hearing Doris tell stories - like how she and her husband eloped, and ice fishing on Sand Lake (she and her friend caught more fish than the men), and stories about my Grandpa, who Doris claimed her husband once stated, "If I was stuck on an island with only one other person, I'd pick Cec. He's a good man." My grandpa passed away when I was 9, so my memories of him are few, but how neat to hear Doris reminisce about days of past. There's something special about meeting with someone who is rich in history.
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
Dad Gets Published!
Today's blog post is brought to you by my dad. When I returned home from my run this afternoon my dad excitedly exclaimed, "Katrina, I got published!"
He waved about a book called Real Life Real Miracles - true stories that will help you believe. My dad explained that James Garlow and Keith Wall compiled several hundred miracle stories, and they included one of his stories in the mix.
I took a closer look at the book - it was legit. Not one of those self-publishing doings, but rather quality design, and published by Bethany House, a subdivision of Baker Publishing Group.
So here it is, my Dad's story: Financial Aid From the "Bank of Heaven"
At a church I pastored, a young couple attended with their four children, participating faithfully, tithing regularly. The man had a job in a local factory.
One evening they came to see me. They had purchased a house in the past year to meet their expanding family needs. They thought they'd checked out all the costs involved before committing. However, to their shock, an unforeseen assessment had just been levied on their property for $2,000, due within the month. They didn't know what to do.
I didn't know either. I had less than $100 in my discretionary account. I said a prayer with them, asking God to provide.
A couple of days later, I received a call from a wealthy member who said he wanted to catch up on his tithe. He explained he hadn't fully tithed the past few years while paying his children's way through college. He intended to make a donation of $10,000!
Right before the Sunday service, he walked in and said, "As I was writing out the check, it occurred to me that you might like part of this to go into your discretionary fund. Would that be all right?"
I assured him it would be appreciated. He handed me a check for $2,000.
I could hardly wait for the service to end. When it did, I grabbed the couple and led them into a side room. "You're not going to believe this," I said. "I have the money for you." I explained that someone had given me the exact amount they needed.
Needless to say they were overjoyed. And while I never told the donor who they were, he likewise was overjoyed to know that God had used him to bless a Christian family in need.
- Richard Blank, Onsted, Michigan
Funny, how this is right on topic with what I wrote about yesterday... hmmm...
He waved about a book called Real Life Real Miracles - true stories that will help you believe. My dad explained that James Garlow and Keith Wall compiled several hundred miracle stories, and they included one of his stories in the mix.
I took a closer look at the book - it was legit. Not one of those self-publishing doings, but rather quality design, and published by Bethany House, a subdivision of Baker Publishing Group.
So here it is, my Dad's story: Financial Aid From the "Bank of Heaven"
At a church I pastored, a young couple attended with their four children, participating faithfully, tithing regularly. The man had a job in a local factory.
One evening they came to see me. They had purchased a house in the past year to meet their expanding family needs. They thought they'd checked out all the costs involved before committing. However, to their shock, an unforeseen assessment had just been levied on their property for $2,000, due within the month. They didn't know what to do.
I didn't know either. I had less than $100 in my discretionary account. I said a prayer with them, asking God to provide.
A couple of days later, I received a call from a wealthy member who said he wanted to catch up on his tithe. He explained he hadn't fully tithed the past few years while paying his children's way through college. He intended to make a donation of $10,000!
Right before the Sunday service, he walked in and said, "As I was writing out the check, it occurred to me that you might like part of this to go into your discretionary fund. Would that be all right?"
I assured him it would be appreciated. He handed me a check for $2,000.
I could hardly wait for the service to end. When it did, I grabbed the couple and led them into a side room. "You're not going to believe this," I said. "I have the money for you." I explained that someone had given me the exact amount they needed.
Needless to say they were overjoyed. And while I never told the donor who they were, he likewise was overjoyed to know that God had used him to bless a Christian family in need.
- Richard Blank, Onsted, Michigan
Funny, how this is right on topic with what I wrote about yesterday... hmmm...
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Generosity
The words we absorb become who we are - what we read and what we listen to are far more influential in our lives than what we would think. But even the words we speak, shape who we are, impacting our interactions with the world around us.
Because our spirit soaks up each word we hear and speak.
That's why many churches include the practice of reading liturgies. Some churches, like the Catholic, Lutheran, and Episcopal churches, are super liturgical, and include a significant amount of aloud reading that you repeat over and over each week.
Other churches, like my NYC church, utilizes liturgy much more sparingly. However, when I first started attending the church we'd read what is called the Generosity Liturgy most every week. To be perfectly honest, I wasn't really into "it." I was bored by the routine, and haunted by my Episcopal Church upbringing.
But I'm now realizing how much the words have seeped into my being and I now believe every church ought to be "determined to increase in generosity until it can be said that there is no needy person among us."
The reason I bring this up is because I recently approached a church to see if they could financially help out someone who I knew was in need in their community. I had a connection with a staff person at the church, and I knew the person in need (a friend of mine) had been serving faithfully at this church for several years. So I asked the staff person if the church could help this individual out. But instead of receiving my request, the staff person at this church redirected me to my own local church community - miles from this situation and this person in need. This confused and saddened me because I have come to believe that one of the functions of the local church is to help care for the needs of those in their community. I'm grateful my own local church in NYC is one that makes such practice a priority.
THE GENEROSITY LITURGY
There is nothing we have
that we have not received;
all we have and are belong to God,
bought with the blood of Jesus.
To spend everything on ourselves,
and to give without sacrifice
is the way of the world
that the Father cannot abide.
But generosity is the way of those
who call Christ their Lord;
who love him with free hearts,
and serve him with renewed minds;
who withstand the delusion of riches
that chokes the word;
whose hearts are in heaven, and not on earth.
We are determined to increase in generosity
until it can be said
that there is no needy person among us.
We are determined to be faithful stewards
of such a little thing as money
that Christ may trust us with true riches.
Above all things, we are determined to be generous
because our Father is generous.
It is the delight of His daughters and sons
to share their Father’s traits,
and to show what He is like to all the world.
Because our spirit soaks up each word we hear and speak.
That's why many churches include the practice of reading liturgies. Some churches, like the Catholic, Lutheran, and Episcopal churches, are super liturgical, and include a significant amount of aloud reading that you repeat over and over each week.
Other churches, like my NYC church, utilizes liturgy much more sparingly. However, when I first started attending the church we'd read what is called the Generosity Liturgy most every week. To be perfectly honest, I wasn't really into "it." I was bored by the routine, and haunted by my Episcopal Church upbringing.
But I'm now realizing how much the words have seeped into my being and I now believe every church ought to be "determined to increase in generosity until it can be said that there is no needy person among us."
The reason I bring this up is because I recently approached a church to see if they could financially help out someone who I knew was in need in their community. I had a connection with a staff person at the church, and I knew the person in need (a friend of mine) had been serving faithfully at this church for several years. So I asked the staff person if the church could help this individual out. But instead of receiving my request, the staff person at this church redirected me to my own local church community - miles from this situation and this person in need. This confused and saddened me because I have come to believe that one of the functions of the local church is to help care for the needs of those in their community. I'm grateful my own local church in NYC is one that makes such practice a priority.
THE GENEROSITY LITURGY
There is nothing we have
that we have not received;
all we have and are belong to God,
bought with the blood of Jesus.
To spend everything on ourselves,
and to give without sacrifice
is the way of the world
that the Father cannot abide.
But generosity is the way of those
who call Christ their Lord;
who love him with free hearts,
and serve him with renewed minds;
who withstand the delusion of riches
that chokes the word;
whose hearts are in heaven, and not on earth.
We are determined to increase in generosity
until it can be said
that there is no needy person among us.
We are determined to be faithful stewards
of such a little thing as money
that Christ may trust us with true riches.
Above all things, we are determined to be generous
because our Father is generous.
It is the delight of His daughters and sons
to share their Father’s traits,
and to show what He is like to all the world.
Monday, November 19, 2012
Driving Don'ts
Today's blog is inspired by my drive from mid-PA, where I woke up this morning, to my parents' home in Michigan, where I'll fall asleep tonight.
Top 10 things you probably shouldn't do while driving... that I've done at least once before.
10. Brush your teeth
9. Hit a deer
8. Fall asleep (and rear end the car in front of you... )
7. Read your Bible
6. Change your shoes - from flips flops to high heels
5. Change your bra - from regular to sports bra
4. Go REALLY fast (and get pulled over by a cop... )
3. Switch from glasses to contact lenses
2. Make and eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich (did this today!)
1. Exchange phone numbers with the attractive guy driving beside you (on the 91 freeway in CA!)
Top 10 things you probably shouldn't do while driving... that I've done at least once before.
10. Brush your teeth
9. Hit a deer
8. Fall asleep (and rear end the car in front of you... )
7. Read your Bible
6. Change your shoes - from flips flops to high heels
5. Change your bra - from regular to sports bra
4. Go REALLY fast (and get pulled over by a cop... )
3. Switch from glasses to contact lenses
2. Make and eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich (did this today!)
1. Exchange phone numbers with the attractive guy driving beside you (on the 91 freeway in CA!)
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