Social Architecture

"How late are you open today?" Simmy asked the person who answered the phone at 'The Old House Revival Company.'
"We're open until 5:00 pm. Then we're closed..."
There was a list of days that she named and Simmy tuned her out and waited until she took a breath before quickly saying, "Well, we'll be right down then... so we can take a look around."
... Sam thought he had the map figured out but he turned the wrong way on Portage and had to retrace his steps... Simmy managed to keep her mouth shut, mostly,... at least, she didn't scold Sam with any recriminations or discipline.
Whew! Progress!
Three floors of antiques plus a basement full of old windows and tinned ceiling tiles proved to be a treasure hunt of interest. Simmy held up a piece of fabric and then, when she saw the price, put it back. As she was about to leave the area, Sam said, "Where is that fabric with the circles?"
"I put it back because..."
"Buy it! You love that type of fabric. You'll only regret it if you don't. Go! Get it!"
That kind of command isn't very hard to follow so Simmy picked it up and Sam took it from her immediately so she wouldn't put it down anywhere when he wasn't looking.
As they drove home, there was a plaque on a building that was dedicated to Rev. Harry Lehotsky which paraphrased as...

so, this year, let's connect the dots of our social fabric and make building relationships the new architecture.

Walking on Water

The day was warm... for Canada. Sam and Simmy decided to explore The Forks and go for a walk on the river trail. It was a surprise to see so much open water on the river.
"If the river doesn't freeze, the project that Noa and Roy want to build on the river won't even be possible," Simmy said to Sam.
http://www.indiegogo.com/Winter-Garden
Two elderly ladies passed them on the path and Simmy greeted them happily. They responded in kind.
There weren't any other people out at all... until... a slim man walked speedily toward them but then he turned sharply and started walking on a footpath that had been made across the river.
"Really?" Simmy asked begrudgingly. "There is no one else around to rescue you... except us... and you're going to endanger your life and try to cross the river on...

very thin ice.
Simmy blew out her lips in exasperation, "This is how all those incidents happen. There is open water on both sides of this little path and off he goes, trying to walk lightly and hurriedly...
Oh! Did you see his hand go out in a fan shape... I think it may have been trembling."
"Well, he'll be sorry when he finds out the only rope we have handy is in the hood of our jackets and, Oh no!, an 18 inch shoelace type of twine will not be very helpful," Sam said.
"Lord Jesus, I pray that water doesn't open up before he gets across," Simmy said, kind of mad that she had to ask for this,... for a guy who, obviously, was playing with fire and wasn't very concerned about his life.
                                                                 .          .          .
Later in the evening... Simmy relayed the story to construction son, who mumbled,... "Haven't you heard, Mom? It's Darwinism,... not so much that it is survival of the fittest... as... the stupid ones tend to off themselves."
"Oy! Dr. L used to say that all the time," Simmy recalled.

Sherlock Holmes

A Game of Shadows... is a great movie. I mean, it is the best  movie of 2011. Fantastic!
"Hey, you have to pose with these glasses I purchased last year," Sim...my said to Sam.

We didn't know they were for keeping the bugs off your eyes in those early motor mobiles. They look sim...ilar to the ones Robert Downey Jr. wore when he and Watson were driving that jalopy."
Simmy snapped a picture but grimaced and said, "I need another picture. That one isn't quite right. Let's get one with the shadows on the other side of your face."
Snap!
"I think that one is better. What do you think?"
Sam took the camera and looked at the two options. Oh yah, the first one is no good. The second one is better."
"I can take another one if you don't like either one of them," Simmy offered.
"No, that's it. Only two photos. You didn't pay for anymore. You'll have to contact my agent if you want to take anymore."
"Sure! Right!"
Simmy laughed and went to download the photo to see if it was acceptable.
The old typewriter looked like the same keyboard that Watson used... except, the one Simmy had was a portable one...
Updated version, so to speak!
Go see the movie 'Sherlock Holmes- A Game of Shadows.'
You won't be disappointed!

Sugar Plum Fairy

... and a whole lot of pink tutus showcase in The Nutcracker performed by the Royal Winnipeg Ballet. A Christmas gift from the young marrieds gave Simmy a lively, lovely extravaganza of costumed sugar, indeed.
It was a girls night out and a guys night out... by default then.
The dancing was lively, the music was fine and the children's' choir was soft and melodious.
The scenery lacked naught. It was a saucy and sweet affair. May we all have lovely dreams this night... with sugar plums dancing in our heads.

Mission IM Possible

Monday night Simmy had been antsy and she had asked construction son if Mission Impossible was a adrenaline rush because she was in the mood for a good action flick. He had assured her that it was energetic so the three of them had gone to see it.
It was now Tuesday morning and the landline phone rang early-ish. Simmy darted out of bed but all that energy was wasted as she heard Sam pick up the phone and say 'Hello!'
Simmy shuffled back to bed and snuggled under the covers happily... but only for a minute before Sam appeared in the doorway of the bedroom holding the phone and saying, "It's your Mom!"
Simmy had a bit of a cough, so her voice sounded gravelly when she said, 'Hello?'
"Are you coming?" Sun Ray demanded. "We need to buy some stuff."
Simmy knew it wasn't their weekend to serve the old folks but she would have to deal with that after she got off the phone.
"We can't come out today so do you want us to come tomorrow or Thursday?"
Now that Sun Ray knew she would get her taxi service, her tone of voice softened and she said, "Tomorrow."
Okay, it was still a little firm.
As Simmy hung up the phone she thought to herself, 'Mission Impossible, indeed.'
Sorry Cruise, you've got nothing on my Mama.

'Word on the Street'

The 'Word on the Street' at Riverwood Church was an adaptation of the Christmas story that was a here and now interpretation.
Warlike and Driver had agreed to come to the event along with their daughters Favored and German Tribe. Now, these are the meanings of their names and it always adds something interesting to the story when you look them up!
This family was in the city for Christmas... having come from the U.S.A. the night before.
Now... Driver didn't even like church and it was a miracle in itself to have him there. He had grown up in New York and his life experiences had been vast and varied and street- like... in some ways.
Favored had been wearing some awesome shoes...

and they were photo worthy indeed.

Cantors' Hanukkah Cantor

Simmy was a little off the mark with her Happy Hanukkah... she had given one of those old Cantors a warm hug yesterday... first she wished him a Happy Hanukkah and he had smiled serenely and wished her a Merry Christmas.
When everyone had laughed he had said, 'One good turn deserves another.'
That had warranted a friendly Christmas hug for that aging Jewish servant and a, 'You're doing a good job here with your grocery store.'
We're never too old to warrant a little praise.
Simmy chuckled as she realized that was her third 'Merry Christmas,' in as many days, from a Jew.
Doesn't that just make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside?
A favorite Christmas song for me is... 'The Chanukah Song' by Neil Diamond.
Maybe we could say he would be a cantor who the Cantors' can share a love of Chanukah with... and who can be against eight crazy nights of celebration?

Red Movement

Sam and Simmy had been sitting in traffic and a bobbing of red hats caught their attention. They had just come from getting a haircut and Spirited had told them that her brother had died in the Philippines just one month after she had been there to see him... and empty her wallet to pay for some medical care.
Spirited had been hoping that the visit, while her brother was living, was going to suffice and that another overseas journey would not be required of her.
But, alas, her brother had used his last words to tell his siblings not to bury him until Spirited arrived.
'What could I do?' Spirited said. 'I would feel guilty for the rest of my life if I didn't go!'

Oldest construction son and Sam were getting haircuts but Simmy was just there to listen to Spirited and give her love and good wishes.
As Simmy put money down on the counter, on top of construction sons' money... she thought... yes, it is just and good to give her 7 times her wages.
Merry Christmas!

Winter Garden

Dear El,

Last year we were in touch with you after we saw the images you took of our "Woodpile" hut, as part of the 2011 "Warming Huts - Art + Architecture competition on ice".

This year we have a new project for the people of Winnipeg:  "Winter Garden";
"Winter Garden" is a temporary site specific art installation for the frozen Assiniboine Credit Union River Trail, an artificial grove that will be installed inside the ice layers. It is a place for play and pause between the trees, an open playground along the skating trail for the people of Winnipeg.

http://www.indiegogo.com/Winter-Garden?a=337829 

We would appreciate it if you could help us publish it and send it to as many people as possible in order to realize it. Thank you!

Noa Biran + Roy Talmon

Dear Noa Biran + Roy Talmon,

Here is your 'plug' for Winter Garden. I have dedicated this page to your project as my offering.

Psalm 118:25-26 (KJV)

 ²⁵Save now, I beseech thee, O LORD: O LORD, I beseech thee, send now prosperity.
 ²⁶Blessed be he that cometh in the name of the LORD: we have blessed you out of the house of the LORD.

Although I named this blog Winter Garden, I have a subtitled name for it... which is... Starry, Starry Night.
I worked with a young man by the name of Vincent, who went to Israel through the Asper School of Business. He is an amazing person and is currently working in Winnipeg. He is approximately the same age as the two of you.
I send a big Star of David blessing to all of you!
So, my photo of the Star of David is a poetic interpretation of the beautiful communication that has started between us through the simple recognition conferred upon you when I photographed your 'Woodpile' warming hut.

You are most welcome!
El

Old Commonwealth Path

A 300 year old royal succession rule was updated on October 28, 2011. Now, that is historical indeed. http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/fpnewsfeatures/british-pm-says-commonwealth-agrees-to-change-royal-succession-rules-132769968.html?device=mobile
"There was universal agreement, unanimous agreement, that these changes simply recognize the equality of women and Catholics and they're long overdue," Harper told reporters.
It was only 7 a.m. but Simmy was so excited... "Hey Sam, you won't believe what happened on October 28," Simmy chattered excitedly.
"What happened?" Sam was tonally indulgent which is amazing for him seeing as he hadn't had his coffee yet.
"They overturned the primogeniture law," Simmy said.
"Is that one word?" Sam chuckled.
"Yes," Simmy said.
"Who is they?" Sam said.
"Sixteen Commonwealth nations."
Sam kept washing the dishes while Simmy dashed around the house looking for her coffee cup... in her excitement, she had misplaced it.
"We have to decide if we need to bring some more 'random acts of kindness' to Old Commonwealth today," Simmy jabbered on.
The evening before, she had Sam had delivered some Christmas cheer to 7 dark houses on that path. It had been another dismal year of business but Simmy had decided she would rather give things away than store them for another year.
Wait till her accountant heard that!
Oy!
She and Sam had quietly crept onto the creaking wooden stairs of the darkest houses on the path. Wherever there seemed to be no sign of Christmas cheer is where they deposited some.
Sam had been particularly touched by a young family that was sitting very low to the ground, sweetly gathered together... eating dinner. They all seemed to be sitting on child- sized chairs.
Sam had peered in the window ( I know, I know- but he was just trying to see if anyone was living there), and left a table centerpiece candelabra on the wooden porch.
Simmy had snapped a photo of Mary, Joseph and Baby Jesus that was shining brightly in front of one of the homes...
a beacon of hope to the neighbors.

Crazy Shopping

"First, we need to check Sugar Mountain to see if they have those candies... then, we need to go to the fishing store,... then, the other candy store... and, oh, yes... the specialty kitchen store... Are you listening?"
Simmy was rearing up and looking a little unfriendly as Sam seemed to be in his relaxed, grazing mode.
A few hours later, they were at the specialty kitchen store and had picked out a few items. As they were standing in line... there was a lot of activity from the staff but most of it seemed like confusion.
One customer wanted to use a coupon... the other one was trying to decide between this and that... then the sales woman changed customers giving scanty instructions to the new sales guy about what had been rung in and what hadn't been rung in.
Finally, the undecided customer made his decisions and paid for his purchases and Sam and Simmy placed their items on the sales desk.
Suddenly the first sales woman came back to put away the items that undecided guy had not purchased... Gulp!... but they weren't there... she squawked and had that deer in the headlights look as she started thinking that undecided guy had possibly received a free item with his purchased one.
A little bit of mayhem ensued in which time the items were found, allaying the fears of the sales people. Suddenly, Sam was feeling a little cheeky and he said to only just relaxed salesman... 'Hey, we'd like something free with our purchase too!'
Just barely relaxed salesman tensed and Simmy felt sorry for him so she quickly said, 'A Merry Christmas will be just fine.'
A strained 'Merry Christmas' squeezed past thin, tense lips and Simmy wondered why the strain???
As they left the kitchen store, Simmy said, 'This one is for record... I think I just got a Jewish guy to wish us a Merry Christmas!'
As Sam got into the Hummer he said, "Oh, that's okay! That was easier for him than giving us something free!"
"Sam!"
Somewhere between being shocked and amused, Simmy didn't sound too disciplinary.

Copper Up

Swing open the door of your copper and give, give, give...

Wise People

... give gifts.
Well, it's that time of year again... most people want to know what the shepherds have to say... most people know what the shepherds did say over 2000 years ago... and they're looking for a current experience.

It is such fun to walk around the neighborhood and see the decorations all the people put out. This one is just precious, isn't it? Symbolism abounds and inspires with each little lighted ornament... and maybe it will inspire you to... give... give something to show how significant the recipient is.
Giving is precious!
I came across a website that had a beautiful paragraph quote that says what I embrace and adopt in truth.
 "The real reason we keep purchasing gifts and giving them to those dear to us is that we relish giving them; we enjoy giving gifts even more than we enjoy receiving them.  We are more excited, more suspenseful, when we watch someone else open the gift we have given than we are when we open the gift given to us.  And we know why.  Giving a gift is recognition of the recipient’s worthiness.  It’s also a declaration of that person’s significance to us." 
 http://www.victorshepherd.on.ca/Sermons/wisemen.htm
I'm thinking Dr. Shepherd will not be too bothered that I quoted him. Just click on the link and you can find him too. Reading through the article... it is really about the Shepherd as Doctor... Healer.

So Simple

...and rugged and beautiful!

Reformed Reflections

... indeed.
Simmy had been working hard to keep the little stocking gifts interesting. Today, the gift was very interesting. It was a simple mirror, that, in itself, was a mirror of itself...

Simmy had a recollection of a year ago... She had visited a Dutch Dime Store that she had not been to before. It was located on Chalmers. At that time, she had been looking for an old mirror, something antique looking.
When she walked into the store, she found the 'mirror' section immediately. An older gentleman, don't let a hearing aid fool you, offered his help.
"Can I help you with anything?" This is what servant of the chambers said.
"I'm looking for an old mirror," Simmy responded innocently.
"Well, I'm an old mirror but my wife still needs me," he said, just a tad sharply.
Immediately, Simmy stopped to look at this interesting man... tall, very lean, rugged, lined face, very sharp witted... yes, he would make the cut and at some point Simmy knew he would be featured on Romance Designer.
Now, there are many ways of saying the same thing and this man had developed his delivery to be saucy yet savory... kind of like a good, yet spicy, soup.
As Simmy thought about him, today, she figured, "I'll bet that man has rarely bored God."
Now, I know most people don't think that God gets bored... but I do... I think we bore Him a lot.
Imagine God watching you... 24/7... 'Aww, look how cute that family is... hair all tousled... just getting up to greet the day... they look so vulnerable and... Oh, oh, is that a frown, oh, oh, is that yelling... well, I've seen that before... Yawn! Yep! I'll just watch another one of my kids... 'Oh, oh! Same old, same old... Who can change things up a bit?'... 'Hey, that's a good inventive manner of communication. I think I'll watch this guy and that gal for a while! Interesting! Very interesting!'

So, this Christmas, instead of being the bore in the store...
                                             be the red bow that brings some Ho, Ho, Ho...

Christmas Red, I said

Red poinsettias are a favorite of many people but, I have to admit, they have never been my first choice for decorating.
After getting a huge bag of them from Christmas sales the year before, Simmy decided to put them to use... better than let them go to waste.
So, here are my potted red poinsettias... and I have to admit... they are rather gorgeous! Everything outside is so drab this year that the setting, in particular, make them twice as vibrant.

A whole lot of different shades of red in the living room and, Voila!,... we've got a new groove!

Inculturation Missiology

A week ago, Simmy had been at the Dutch Dime Store and they were giving this book away. Yes, that's right! It was free! Now, the reason for this was because nobody could read it so they decided not to take money for it.

Ironically, this book seems to be written in Dutch (correct me if I'm wrong), and the people who volunteer at the Dutch Dime Store can only read High German,... apparently.

Simmy could read quite a bit of it by: combining the High German she had learned in Choir with the Low German that had been spoken at home, converting it, mentally, into a written language... my brain just works that way... then, using recollection of Biblical stories that she had cataloged in her memory.

With these three 'tests,' she had determined that it would be worth investigating the author to see what the book was all about. The investigation led her to a website named 'Reformed Reflections.'

  http://www.reformedreflections.ca/biography/johan-herman-bavink.html

After looking up the meaning of the two big words inculturation and missiology, she decided that reformed reflections was a very good simplification of those bigger words.

Theologically, there are a few Biblical stories that have always grated on me... like the grate of a key in a lock. One such story is of Naaman... after he has been healed... he tells Elisha that he needs God's pardon for...

"When my master, leaning on my arm, enters the shrine of Rimmon and worships there, and I'm with him there, worshiping Rimmon, may you see to it that God forgive me for this." II Kings 5:18 The Message translation.

The way the story is written, one can see that Naaman has truly had a conversion experience because he immediately identifies one of the activities of his 'everyday life' as sin and, knowing that his position and job or work will still be the same for his immediate future, he asks for a pardon, in advance of doing this same thing again, so he can have peace about it.

That is the best old time story I can think of for the inculturation of missiology.

So, this Christmas, I may not have felt like my action of 'giving a dog by the name of Delilah a stocking' (literally- see previous blog entry), was of a particular holy nature exemplifying my faith... but, I have peace about it.

Simmy heard the mailman clomp up the stairs and she excitedly went to see if anything other than bills had been delivered today.

Why yes! 

Paint swatches from the Master Palette and a Christmas card from... I'm not making this up...

the Freedmans.

   

P'aww'lease

'I never thought I would be one of those people,' thought Simmy. What kind of people is that, you may ask.
'The kind that buys stuff for pets,' I whisper very quietly.
Now, Simmy had been stuffing the stocking that she had tied to the fence for the neighbors' children... for twelve days of Christmas now and the ideas were getting harder and harder to come up with. http://romancedesigner.blogspot.com/2011/12/christmas-on-fence.html
The next twelve days of Christmas were going to be a bit more of a challenge. So, De- Lilah got a stocking. Oy!
Delilah had been lovelorn (miserable because of unrequited love), when the neighbors had rescued her from a impoverished life.

Those days were over and she was very much, now, living the other meaning of her name which is 'languishing.'
So yes, I have done the unthinkable and given a stocking to a dog but I'll bet the neighbors think it's cute!

Green with Envy

... or is that English ivy?
Simmy sat down to think about expectations. Youthful seemed to be feeling the crush of expectations. Jane, too, was struggling through large issues of expectation. And, in this economy, there were probably a lot of people who were struggling to decide where their money should go.
People were all having to make really tough decisions these days. Do I spend a little on this or that?
It seems that we may be in a either or time. Hopefully we are not moving to a neither nor time.
Youthful had broached an interesting topic... if you could have whatever you wanted for Christmas... what would it be?
Now, this exercise was likely just meant to be a freedom from restrictions exercise...   -cise from the Latin meaning 'to cut,'... meant to dream a little about life without cutbacks.      
So, Simmy had decided to play the game as well. What or whom or what combination of the two did she envy?
Well, that was an easy one... Simmy was green with envy when she thought about Elton Johns' yearly flower budget... yep!... green with envy when she thought about a 290,000 pound budget for fresh flowers.
There is something so beautiful about real flowers... at least, Simmy and Elton John apparently think so.
But, it would be very foolish, indeed, for Simmy to actually spend that... seeing as her wages could not cover such a cost.
So, as Simmy broached this subject... Broaching was originally developed for machining internal keyways using a toothed tool, called a broach, to remove material.
... she thought it might be a good idea to remove the material of envy and try to find an agreeable substitute for her personal love of fresh flowers this Christmas season.
She had found it, of all places, at the Dutch Dime Store.
Someone had taken a Sudlow's Burslem teapot and planted a real English ivy in it.
Sudlow and Burslem are names in genealogy that are just names and don't have a meaning. Sudlow is said to be a habitational name from an unidentified place, in English (Shropshire).
The price tag, on the teapot with an ivy growing in it, was $1.00... and Simmy thought that was a great way to turn green with envy  into green with ivy... and that made Simmy feel like she was, indeed, in the ivy league.

Bugle Embouchure

Sally had taken on the task of compiling information and gathering together pictures of all the families for the genealogy book that Cornelius was a part of.
Simmy and Youthful were at the Dutch Dime Store in the Ashkenazic city where Horn and Sun Ray lived. The city was experiencing a power outage and Sun Ray was stuck in a hairdressing chair unsure if she would be getting a perm or not.
Horn had taken a taxi back to his house having forgotten some things and, on the way, he had listened to the sad story that the taxi driver told... of her own fathers' death just this week.
Simmy had run into an old acquaintance from her youth who informed her that Sally, who worked hard to get the genealogy book into print, had passed away earlier this week as well.
It was a two bugles kind of day... one bugle was sounding for the taxi man and the other for Sally Genealogy. As Simmy thought about the simplicity of the bugle... it has no valves or pitch- altering devices... all pitch control is done through the player varying their embouchure.
The use of facial muscles and the shaping of the lips is the path to changing embouchure. One could think of it as the difference between a funereal sound and a celebratory one... a sad face or a happy one.
The bugle pitch this week was blowing a mournful sound for these two but, as Simmy arranged the horn napkin rings... she thought of the legacy that each one had left behind.

                That is what would be celebrated! The service that each had given to the world.
When Simmy got back to the city, Sam was napping on the sofa and it looked like he was beating down the infection in his tooth.
"Hey, I got a free bag of bugles from work today," he said.
Simmy grimaced, "Well, at least those bugles you can feast on."

Zu Du: Deutsche Befragung

Ja, das bild ist uhreberrechtlich geschützt. Das ist meine arbeit.
Du hast mich gefragt...
Ich hab dich gesagt...

Romance Designer

Darn Garnet!

It was a relief to see the sun come up on this Wednesday morning.
Tuesday morning Sam had been in terrible agony. The broken tooth pain was vicious. Sam said the pain was second only to 'when he cut the first phalanx of his thumb off with that sliding miter saw.'
Oh oh!
"I'll try to get you in to see the dentist today but you'll have to make sure you answer the phone at work so I can get a hold of you," Simmy warned.
"I will," he promised.
Now, Sam and Simmy were trying something daring... they were trying to live within their means.
This means meant that the cell phone that Sam carried was waiting for minutes to be purchased to be of more use than a calculator.
At 10 minutes before 10 on Tuesday morning, the dental office called to say that Sam could get in immediately.
Simmy thanked her profusely and then dialed the dock phone number at Sams' work.
Fifty rings later, Simmy jumped into the Hummer to drive to his work. When she burst into the lunch room she was agitated and flustered.
"You said you would answer the phone today," she accused.
"I heard the phone ringing but we couldn't find it. We think somebody on the previous shift took it home," he answered, also a bit annoyed.
"Well, you need to get to the dentist office right now."
... less than two hours later, the neodymium- doped yttrium aluminum garnet laser had found the cavity and Sam walked into the house smiling in a happily doped way. Try saying neodymium- doped yttrium aluminum without a frozen- mouth- straight- from- the- dentist- office and that is how he sounded.
"There is a significant infection in there that I need some antibiotics for," Sam said as he handed Simmy the prescriptions so she could run that errand for him.
"The pain won't subside right away," the dentist had warned.
Another long, restless night proved that prophetic word to be correct.
After tabulating the costs of the day... Simmy decided, it was another day in the red.

Garnet Coeval

Lady Wisdom set the table on Monday but... when Sam came home in excruciating pain from a broken tooth that had snapped in the night... Simmy could tell he wasn't going to be eating anything that he had to chew so...
they ate oatmeal for dinner on a very finely set table.
Now, it was early Tuesday morning and Simmy went to find the sandpaper for her painting project.
Well, well, well,... rubies turn to garnet overnight!
Simmy grimaced. After the night they had just gone through with Sam and his exposed nerve... it did rather feel like abrasive Tuesday.
So, if you are bemoaning your lack of rubies... confer with Lady Wisdom and she may tell you to fetch your garnet... sandpaper, that is, and get back to work.
Phonetically, it may sound like it is a coeval, but it takes a lot of sanding to polish a ruby... and wisdom dictates that if garnet polishes rubies, then we can appreciate them equally.

Maybe just apply them differently.

Corundum Conundrum

Most people would not call sapphires and rubies, twins. Yet, 'A blood- red ruby and a deep blue sapphire are crystals of the same, relatively common mineral, corundum.' ( The last sentence taken from: http://www.gac.ca/PopularGeoscience/factsheets/SapphRub_e.pdf)
On Mohs scale of hardness, corundum is a 9, second only to diamond which is a 10.
The symbolism of jewels has long been of greater interest to me than the attainment of them. For, Proverbs declares that Wisdom is more precious than rubies and jewels.
Wisdom will reward you!

 Make something merry for someone this Christmas... that is Wisdom sure to reward!
I love The Message translation of Proverbs 3:13-18

                                                                         The Very Tree of Life

                                              You're blessed when you meet Lady Wisdom,
                                                    when you make friends with Madame Insight.
                                                 She's worth far more than money in the bank;
                                                   her friendship is better than a big salary.
                                                Her value exceeds all the trappings of wealth;
                                                 nothing you could wish for holds a candle to her.
                                              With one hand she gives long life,
                                                with the other she confers recognition.
                                              Her manner is beautiful,
                                               her life wonderfully complete.
                                            She's the very Tree of Life to those who embrace her.
                                             Hold her tight—and be blessed!

                                       

'December' Trember

Sam and Simmy had been very excited to go see 'December,' a play by Marc Moir of 'Padre X' fame. The play is about the 1989 Romanian revolution and... the music is borrowed from the Beatles.
Firstly, Simmy and Sam had been sponsoring a Romanian child since about the year 2000 A.D. through

                 MISSION WITHOUT BORDERS.

The investment of these past years was paying off and the young man was currently teaching deaf children, in Romania. He is also deaf. This investment was an orphan who was never visited by anyone while living at the orphanage.

So, this little Christmas pageant was of some keen interest to Sam and Simmy.

The Beatles music is all performed by local talent and musicians. Anyone who appreciates grassroots talent will enjoy singing along to these old songs that ring forth with prophetic resonance.

There is a good write- up of the story in The Winnipeg Free Press FYI feed your intellect faith section, December 3, 2011.

The tickets are only $10 and I can't imagine getting a better bang for your buck anywhere.

The word 'Trember' is a word I made up to describe the play... I'm sure urban dictionary will be asking to use it soon.

'Trember' is a mix of tremble and timbre. We all know what it means to tremble. Timbre is the characteristic quality of a sound, independent of pitch and loudness, from which its Source or manner of production can be inferred. Timbre depends on the relative strengths of the components of different frequencies, which are determined by resonance. (definition taken from dictionary.com)

That is a great way to describe this play. The traditional Star of Hope overshadows the production with artistic license. (Do you see the Star in the photo?)

This Christmas, maybe you too will sponsor a child to relieve a little suffering in the world. It is a gift to yourself, really... as you make the world better for one, you make it better for yourself too. 

That timbre has a ripple effect.

Go see the play tonight! You'll love what they did with it!

Kindly Sinister Coupon Soupcon

Computer savvy son walked into the house and Simmy called out excitedly.
"I think I won an ipad."
"I doubt it," he answered skeptically.
"What? You don't think so either, hey?" Simmy laughed but there was this little bit of but I thought maybe I may have won something bit of hope slowing blurring into the shadows of I really didn't think so either.
"When you have a chance to look at this email, tell me what you think," Simmy was asking a trusted source.
A few minutes later computer savvy son took a look at the ipad email and said, "No, it's spam!"
So... Simmy got right on that email and sent the sender a warning that she probably wouldn't want to send that to anyone else but...
it was too late.
That little, seemingly innocuous, email had already infiltrated Simmys' contact list and was sending itself to some of her contacts... and the nasty little thing would put in the subject line words like... 'Woow; Very Good; Amazing; Incredible; Check This; See This;...
and, it had the capacity to put different words in the subject line for each address it robbed and so it was savvy in a kindly sinister way.
Simmy sent each person, on her contact list, a warning not to open it and then an apology for 'what was not in her control.'
She especially sent an email to the person who inadvertently sent it to her who exclaimed, "I don't even know how that happened. I only use this email for coupons and offers."
"Coupon Soupcon!" Simmy thought.
Then Simmy sent a warning to the pastor who was somehow addressed as a contact person and he said he didn't even know the sender... Oy!
"I said, 'Well, that little email has infiltrated the church email list... somehow,... so you'd better check it out."
So, what is the lesson today?
If you get a ipad... you paid for it, freely.
If you didn't pay for an ipad, and somebody says you won one freely, check the source.
We do tend to get what we pay for.
After running an anitvirus scan on every computer file, there were 0 infected files on Simmys' computer.
"How is that possible?" Simmy asked computer savvy son.
"The virus was in the email," he explained, "not in your computer."

Christmas on the Fence

It's December 1st, thought Simmy. Hmm, how will I start off the month?
Two emails went out, before 8 a.m., offering Peace. Good start, good start!
But, what else? Simmy tuned in to the Brad Paisley Christmas CD which, Oh! Oh!, I think might belong to Youthful. I'd better see if she is missing it!
Song #11 was a hoot! Kung Pao Buckaroo Holiday!

As Simmy fetched the stocking that she was going to put out for the neighbor children (more like youth, now), she looked at the picture of Jesus and Joseph and Mary and the lamb on the front and, the irony of this, combined with the song Kung Pao Christmas playing in the background, gave her a definite kosher giggle.
Can I say that, she thought.
Oh yah!
Kosher means 'fit or proper or pure.'
So, the giggle was a good fit for having a fit.
Kung Pao Kosher Christmas?
If there is a 'Kung Pao Kosher Comedy' (a Jewish Comedy on Christmas in a Chinese Restaurant) in San Francisco, and a Kung Pao Buckaroo Holiday at the Grand Ole Opry theatre... which used to be a one hour radio 'Barn Dance',...
then,... it should be just fine to give a stocking with the manger scene to the neighbors.
That is a kosher or 'pure' action.
Besides, son of Salmon had himself been wondering just a couple of weeks ago if Simmy knew about the Christmas story.
Oy!
Sometimes being too politically correct confuses the children... don't want to do that now, do we?
So, Simmy wanted to do the kosher, or 'proper' thing and make sure she didn't confuse son of Salmon so...
Simmy put that stocking, that her friend Deborah had encouraged her to purchase, right there... on the wooden fence,...
which really means I'm not, right? 
Simmy instructed Dove Girl to put the stocking back when she had emptied it... for another little gift the next day and the next, and...
'Let's have some fun! It's December Christmas!'  

Peace Offering

Simmy had always loved this little church. It was now mostly inhabited by birds but it had always stood out as a little warm welcoming kind of church. Sandwiched in between two highways, it now had 'historical' status and had even been given a new roof in recent years.
The Jewish Encyclopedia states, "There are three kinds of peace- offering: 1. the thank offering...
The thank offering is a a response to divine beneficence;..."
Now, those are big words and so Simmy had to find a book to read on divine beneficence. She found a good old book called 'The Divine Law of Beneficence' written by Reverend Parsons Cooke in 1850.
We'll see what that book has to say... you can actually read it on-line at...
http://www.archive.org/stream/MN40211ucmf_4#page/n5/mode/2up
The first quote that got my attention was this one, "And when he put in motion the broad mechanism of his mercy, he put upon it laws of action and reaction, and made the work of heavenly charity, in all its branches, twice blessed, blessing him that gives and him that takes." p.6
"... to give scope to our benevolent affections." p.7

Loyalty to the Ring

The bridal shower at Old Winery Inn was being hosted by a sister and the other triangle of sisters were all in attendance.
The mood was tense as the festivities began because Betty and Veronica had been shielding themselves from the other for five years already.
Veronica would make sure Betty wasn't invited to any of her parties and Betty would hide the secret shame of the overt and public rejection by staying mum on the subject. Sort of... Betty has a passion for writing so she started her own little sorority column which was proving to be quite popular.
Betty had provided very lovely bling rings for prizes and for some inexplicable reason, there just happened to be three, four and five winners for each game. The bling rings started to adorn the fingers of the guests.
Suddenly, Veronica won one of the games and as each woman at the party encouraged her to go choose a ring, she sat there in angry defiance, showing all the young ladies in attendance that to be in a relationship with her meant... her rules of rejection had to followed.
She was refusing the gift that Betty was providing. Now, Betty wasn't the blonde most people mistook her for and she had, in advance, gifted a young woman with one of the rings and asked her to be the ring model for the day of the shower.
This had worked out rather well as Veronica had not put the social hit out on this young woman so all the winners of the game were actually allowed to receive a ring when she would announce the winners.
As the bridal shower drew to a close, Veronica was one of the first to exit the party. Another sister also took her leave but there was one sister who hung around.
Betty, always ready to help people with their problems, sensed there was a reason that one of the sisters was hanging about so... she kindly said, "You may have a bling ring too if you wish. I purchased lots of them and you are welcome to have one."
Now, this sister knew she had to stay loyal to Veronica or her social life would suffer so she said with a blush, "Thank you! I thought it looked so nice on the model who was wearing it today!"
Betty sighed, knowing that she had worked the party very well... but, it was a sad thing that this woman had to wait until the others weren't looking to receive the gift of the ring.    
And Betty also wondered, 'Would the ring have to stay hidden in a drawer now?'

Penalty Foul

... for offensive action.
Simmy had spent too much of her day responding to angry sisters... this, of course, created a vicious circle of anger because that made Simmy angry... and so on and so on and so on...
Now, there was this quote that some evangelist had once said on television but because this was second- hand information it would not be right for me to credit that person but I will write the quote because Dr. L, a pastoral professor had spent some time teaching on this subject after a big church fight and split.
Oy!
So, here goes, "There is no grace for the person who picks up another persons' offense."
So, what does this mean in preschool language?
'If Betty punches Veronica, Jughead, who listened to Betty later on and decided to take her side in the matter, actually has no right to spend time hating, berating, or creating more problems in the situation. He can listen but he has no business making it his business until Betty and Veronica try to make up.
Matthew has a good example of the order of things.
'Conversely, if Veronica had been constantly bickered at by Betty until this day when she'd had enough and  socked Veronica in the nose for her unending impudence, Archie, who listened to Veronica and understood her plight should not be hating, berating, or creating more problems in the situation either.'
So, on this football weekend, a penalty or sanction may have to be called for an offender who 'meddles' in the messy relationship of Betty and Veronica.
This violation of the rules is called a foul. There must be a time out for the offender.
Now, Dr. L used to run 'kids club' with very loose football rules. If you got a yellow card, it was a warning and because it was kids club, there was a two yellow card warning system before...
the dreaded red card was given for the offensive action. (pun intended)
If the dreaded red card was given to the offender... he or she would have to go see the referee, Dr. L or a.k.a. the pastor.
Oy!
Football, being a high contact sport requiring a balance between offense and defense requires many rules to exist that regulate equality, safety, contact and actions of players on each team. (We'll leave out contact hoping the differences of opinion don't end in contact.) It is very difficult to always avoid violating these rules without giving up too much of an advantage.
Ergo... an exhaustive system, (exhaustive for most wives of husbands who love football anyway), of rules regarding fouls and penalties has been developed to 'let the punishment fit the crime.'
The goal of this is to have a balance to maintain a good flow in the game and to follow the rules.
To quote Dr. L., "Rules make it fair and fun for everyone!"
So, Betty and Veronica are going to have to follow the same rules in order to make it fun and fair for everyone.
So are Jughead and Archie, by the way!
So is everyone... that is in the game.
So, why is there 'no grace for the person who picks up another persons' offense?'
Well, after going through a huge church split... I think the answer lies in there... rules are for everyone... when someone feels they are exempt from following rules... well, that is a problem. If there is no 'face to face' communication but a whole lot of 'behind the scenes gathering of forces,' there is no reasonable way to resolve something.
'Creep' becomes the slippery slope in the problem. Creep in functionality, feature, mission, and scope is a problem for any project manager like (Dr. L), where the initial objectives of the project are jeopardized
( people getting along and moving towards wholeness), by a gradual increase in overall objectives
( gathering bullies to be on your side), as the project progresses.
Proverbs 6: 6-19 is a good warning for everyone.
Let's accept the fact that rules are to make things fun and fair for everyone... and everyone wants things fun and fair.
Yes?

White Friday

Decorating the white tree, on Black Friday, gave Simmy the catchy blog title of White Friday which, of course, it cannot be because that would be the first Friday after Pentecost.
Why is it that the United Kingdom seems to be the only country that celebrates this holiday?
'Scholars' Walk' or Whit(e) Friday, carried with it a tradition... girls would have a new dress and boys would have new trousers.
Simmy remembered her mother sewing them new dresses for each Pentecost and now she finally knew where that tradition originated.

Which Jewel this Yule?

Jewel tones will always be a natural Christmas element, for historical and precious reasons, and both perhaps. There has always been this niggling belief inside of me that Biblical symbolism has a physical and metaphysical meaning and that the two do hold hands quite nicely when we understand... or just get to know something. I think the clues for understanding do reside in tangible history. One needs to know a lot of history though, to get even a little glimpse of what it all means.
In ancient times lapis lazuli was known as sapphire.
Cylinder seals were often made of lapis lazuli and were picture stories. Seal impressions and texts in cuneiform told the story.

L. Michael White, Professor of Classics and Christian Origins at the University of Texas wrote an article entitled 'The Book of Revelation- Understanding the Book of Revelation.'
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/apocalypse/revelation/white.html
Quote from the article...
"Now we see another important component of how Revelation works by thinking about its sense of the time-line of the story. The various visions of Revelation are not a linear progression, so that the events in chapter 12, for example, do not follow in time after the events in chapter 11. Quite the contrary. In the way they set up, the events described in chapters 12-13 are meant to explain how those circumstances in chapters 5-11 came about. So the time-line of the story moves in a kind of cyclical fashion so that we keep coming back to the "present situation" as it stood for the ancient readers of Revelation."

So, are the cylindrical Babylonian seals that 'tell a story' ( See 'Babylon Myth and Truth' Exhibition for an example-  http://www.smb.museum/smb/babylon/show_text.php?page_id=2&child_id=76&lang=en) the tangible real life item for the symbolic language of the seals in the Revelation?

We'll have to ask White.

Fairly Forgiving Attitude Latitude

Simmy had been thinking about forgiving since Saturday... when she had been at a party with someone she had worked hard to forgive but... felt very awkward around.
Let's face it, she thought, we all think so differently that the thing that bothers one person doesn't bother another... and the thing that bothers another is silliness to many... and the thing that is silliness to many is the thing that ends a friendship between others.
So,... how does one go about dealing with an issue, a boundary crossed, a unforgivable injury as Beverly Flanigan calls 'an offense that forever changes your life?'
I don't have all the solutions but I've waded through a hell of a lot in relationships to be willing to offer an opinion.
Now, this injury happened to have happened in a churchy setting.
Gasp! I know! Unimaginable!
My friend, Deborah, has told me that she thinks church people are: always kind; always generous; always a bunch of other good stuff that I can't quite imagine anyone living up to... well, okay, just One very special person.
I have told her many times that people who go to church tend to be in need of help or helping a need... basically... and both simultaneously, quite often. 

Now, I grew up with three words coming out of my mouth constantly.
'That's not fair!'
And, that is why I have been trying to level the playing field for those less empowered for a long time... since the playing field was quite literally the playground.
Many bullies have found themselves at the wrong, or is that the right, end of a tongue lashing if they gang up on someone.
Bad power! We all despise it but do we do something to keep it in check?

The two things that I think are at the core of all successful life skills are communication and a forgiving attitude.
There are definitely things like timing that do tend to be rather crucial too but communication and a forgiving attitude really lie at the center of all successful aspirations.
So, how exactly I will adopt a forgiving attitude this season..., I am still working on.  Actually, I am always working on it... it is a daily thing, isn't it?
I mean, each act of latitude should really come with an act of communication.
Right?
Latitude without communication will just create repeat offenders.
Right?
But, latitude with communication should create another opportunity.
Right?
To get it right.
Right?
So, this Christmas season I'm going to try to offer some latitude of forgiveness... it's only fair but fairly good!

Shuffle the words around and it seems good no matter which way you phrase it!
A fairly forgiving attitude brings latitude.
A forgiving attitude brings latitude fairly.
Latitude, fairly forgiving, brings a good attitude.
Latitude attitude brings forgiving, fairly.

No matter how you parse it, it just works out!