Sharing Circle

I wanted to share a list of some of what I think are the coolest, most inspirational books ever, and I don’t think they are commonly read these days. (Correct me if I’m wrong!) I hope folks might find something new here, and if so, let me know! I love to read and to share good books.

1.) Man’s Search for Meaning by Victor Frankl is a book by a concentration camp survivor which will really make you think. It will definitely move you, and it may even change your life. It did mine.

2.) The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom is also a very inspirational book having to with the author’s experiences during WWII. Well worth reading.

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Just thought I’d share this quickly, as some of you might gather a little amusement out of it. Apparently an architect in Austria has decided to paint his entire house–and everything in it, right down to the potted plants– a lovely shade of blue.

He wanted to see what it would be like to live with just one color, apparently. Obviously I can’t put up the photo, or I would, but you can see for yourself here. Apparently his neighbors are not amused. I can’t understand why.

Would you paint your whole home a single color? If so, what color would you choose?

And do you believe the guy when he says he did this just to see what it was like to live with one color?

One of the things I think could be really interesting on this blog if it happens is if/when people felt like sharing some of the specifics of what a typical day in their lives was like. I’m one of those American-born people who has not yet had the opportunity to travel outside the USA…so I am hungry, in particular, to hear more from non-Americans about what a typical day might be like (or week, or whatever you’d like to share.)

But really I’m feeling  a bit interested in anyone’s life who wants to share! (So I’m a bit voyeuristic. Sue me.)

And I wonder if any of my imaginings about people in other countries have any truth to them… (more…)

YUM!

I wanted to quickly share a meal that a lot of people may not have ever had, (particularly most Americans) which my British friends and family taught me about.

Sometimes, particularly in restaurants, this is served with sausage and tomato. It’s inexpensive and surprisingly good, filling, and with plenty of protein. See ingredients and the simple how-to on the flip. (more…)

I feel kind of odd about passing along this information, but my role as I see it is to just report and people can make of it what they will.

I have a great deal of respect for military people world-wide; my father was in the National Guard, and my sister and brother-in-law were Marines.  I just stumbled into this relatively new organization made up of retired and currently serving American Military personnel. Called “The Oath Keepers” (which though it might conjure up visions of the promise-keepers who swear to stay virginal until marriage) it seems their role could conceivably be FAR more important to the American people than the latter.  Personally I think these men and women (after a relatively quick examination) have their minds and hearts in the right place.  See why on the flip.

Their point of view seems pretty sane to me, but perhaps it runs counter to the conventional wisdom of those serving, I don’t know. Without further ado, here are the principles that this organization’s leadership are asking American military (past and present) people to swear to do (or not do.) (more…)

I just read in The Nation that one of the leaders of the conservative charge against meaningful health care reform in this country is a guy named Rick Scott. I’d never heard of him until this morning, but at the moment I’m thinking that he may be just as reprehensible as, say, Rush Limbaugh.

Christopher Hayes wrote this piece, and he mentions that Scott is the “leader” of a group called “Conservatives for Patient’s Rights.” {The Republicans never fail to provide an amusing mis-naming of their organizations or bills, e.g. The “No Child Left Behind” act (should be called “Most Children Left Behind” act) or the “Clean Air Act,” which a well known left-wing writer once quipped “Should have been called the ‘No Tree Left Behind’ act.”} (more…)

Serene threw out an interesting challenge so here’s my list.

1.) Governments would behave in a transparent way. You know, like the current one promised they would (in the US.)

2.) People would actually take advantage of all the information that is out there on the internet regarding what is happening, what has happened, etc., instead of being self-delusional or delusional a la what the TV news and the newspapers tell them. (more…)

My mother’s mother, Elsie Jayne Taylor Naylor, was an interesting woman, who also had a remarkable faith in God. She passed that down to all of us who came after her, including my mother.

She was also a remarkably practical woman in many more ways than I knew when she was alive. If you had known her, you might have been tempted to dismiss her as a simple country woman who didn’t know much about the world. (more…)