tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-207549232024-03-07T18:47:46.859-08:00Cause I Believe in YouCheriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05089859839673632529noreply@blogger.comBlogger739125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20754923.post-18657972477898636872024-02-26T15:21:00.000-08:002024-02-26T15:32:33.700-08:00When You Can't Get to France or Italy Soon EnoughSpringtime, printemps, France and Italy.What do these have in common?They call to me so loudly that I am distracted on a daily basis.Spring is entering my world slowly and steadily. Yesterday, I caught the first cherished scent of spring breezing in the air, the moment I wait for all winter. It's gentle stream of sweetness casually tickled my nose. I stopped and gasped At last! Buds are Cheriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05089859839673632529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20754923.post-21105201252733310462024-02-22T12:44:00.000-08:002024-02-22T12:44:55.685-08:00Hemingway's GeniusIn the movie Papa Hemingway in Cuba there is a scene in which Ernest sits at the bar with a new friend who, as a young writer, asks Hem about writing.Hemingway implores the kid, as he calls him, to think of a number between one and ten.Six, replies the kid.With a pen, Hem begins writing on a small white cocktail napkin.Finished, he slides it over the smooth bar to his friend, a Cheriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05089859839673632529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20754923.post-12473790703021009732024-01-29T23:46:00.000-08:002024-01-29T23:46:27.780-08:00Who Cares About Art? Repost from March 2016[First published in March, 2016 here on Cause I Believe in You, this post is even more relevant today as we observe the diabolical erasing of Western culture and its history. If you follow culture, as I try to, you are likewise familiar with this rapidly unfolding tragedy. Alas, God will only allow what is necessary for His story to be told. We who believe in God, and in His saving grace, are HisCheriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05089859839673632529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20754923.post-58646422290614269012023-12-28T19:26:00.000-08:002023-12-28T19:53:51.820-08:00Who Does Your Indifference Hurt Today?It seems we have entered an age where attention spans are so short, distractions so plentiful, shallow busyness so unquestioned, and conformity so widespread that the real aspects of living - of love and sharing and communicating in openness and sincerity - have been relegated to the bin. Who cares enough to set aside time to listen, to hear the voices of those we say we love? Who takes Cheriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05089859839673632529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20754923.post-61566227830777543342023-12-23T12:53:00.000-08:002023-12-23T12:53:44.566-08:00Christmas Through the Glass Darkly In all the Christmases in all my life this one feels the most fully deep, the most clarified, the most connected to its purpose. Perhaps because I am older, perhaps because my daughter is to have a baby, perhaps because the chaos of the world demands the Peace of Christmas. All of this and more brim my heart overflowing with the Love and Joy of Christmas, that Baby in the manger, the man HeCheriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05089859839673632529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20754923.post-6754780813831324282023-11-01T15:12:00.006-07:002023-11-02T23:58:10.879-07:00Overcoming Evil with Good - Living in the Perilous TimeSigns of strain begin to show in my loved ones' eyes, voices, words, and shoulders. The mirror's reflection reveals the same about me. While the blows of current events batter us, we are not alone. Millions walk under the same questions with the same confusion, frustration, horror. Burdened. Shock from heretofore unimaginable human behavior stirs anger and fear in our hearts, Cheriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05089859839673632529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20754923.post-24490239182644233072023-09-09T23:19:00.005-07:002023-09-10T13:16:42.089-07:00Surprising Grace - Revisited (First Published September 13, 2010)An ominous storm blacks out the entire sky ahead as I drive the car to the repair shop early this morning. The Coastal Mountain Range in the far west - north to south - bears the weight of the dense disturbance. Still embraced by the eastern morning blue that thus far cheers my drive, I grip my steering wheel in anticipation of encountering the looming darkness."The only way to receiveCheriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05089859839673632529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20754923.post-25806691709678699632023-09-01T12:33:00.004-07:002023-09-02T00:01:17.519-07:00Discovering My Purpose in the WorldYou'd think at my age I'd know my purpose.I suppose I always have - sort of. We all subconsciously act on our purpose in relationships and also within our homes and spheres of influence, to a degree. But there is more. So much more.August was designated as a rest month, calendar kept free. It was good for me. In it were choices that put my health and needs first. Revitalizing for my mind and Cheriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05089859839673632529noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20754923.post-66088708838994480692023-09-01T12:06:00.001-07:002023-09-01T12:06:57.673-07:00I started to be free when I discovered that the cage was made of thoughts. Cheriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05089859839673632529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20754923.post-65249837038938310972023-06-27T11:58:00.005-07:002023-09-02T00:03:37.421-07:00Lessons from Black-Eyed SusansApologies for the 18 day gap between my last post and this one. Life events happen. Happy for my personal interlude. Happy to be back. This morning I carefully snipped the curled-up flower heads from my cheery black-eyed Susans. Amazing to me is the difference it makes when surgically removing dead flowers, leaving only vivacious blooms. My eyes are instantly drawn to the beauty, Cheriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05089859839673632529noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20754923.post-11159412563859974992023-06-09T17:12:00.003-07:002023-06-09T17:21:06.226-07:00Debussy and MeWhen an unsettledness presses on me, Debussy's music calms me down, restores my balance.Claude Debussy (1862-1918, French), considered by some to be the first Impressionist Composer, though he himself rejected this term, was the youngest of five children in a musical family, his father a sales representative, his mother a seamstress. He was close to his siblings and had an especially strong Cheriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05089859839673632529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20754923.post-7955642892788552632023-06-02T15:26:00.033-07:002023-06-03T20:31:41.283-07:00Joie de Vivre Moment #5 - Venice Water TaxiAs Indiana Jones sighed, "I love Venice."Founded in 697, Venice has a unique history, a watery setting, and a romantic atmosphere with its canals, arched bridges, colorful buildings, and smells of the pleasant and not so pleasant varieties. I'll leave it to you to research her further.Narrow walkways, hard cobblestones underfoot, GPS unreliable, like a puzzle to navigate but what fun! An absoluteCheriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05089859839673632529noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20754923.post-59513329150754444192023-05-30T20:30:00.003-07:002023-06-01T15:04:47.614-07:00Coronations Require Memorabilia - Right?My King Charles III tea tin with tea arrived today from across the Pond.A Coronation keepsake for this Anglophile.I couldn't be happier about it.God Save the King!Long Live the King!(Oh, just humor me . . . ;)Cheriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05089859839673632529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20754923.post-76981328510972254652023-05-26T15:59:00.009-07:002023-05-27T09:40:58.833-07:00Recaptured Memories "It was marvelously quiet under a sky of burning blue. The air smelt of eucalyptus and tomatoes and heliotrope from the garden. I would get up early to work, and about noon walk out to a sand fringed cove named la Garoupe. There I would find the household sunbathing. Gerald would be sweeping the seaweed off the sand under his beach umbrellas. We would swim out through the calm crystal blue water,Cheriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05089859839673632529noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20754923.post-1637260998873947792023-05-23T15:00:00.009-07:002023-05-24T14:39:56.588-07:00Bocce Bocce, a ball sport belonging to the boules family, is a calm but strategic game with an ancient lineage. Probably dating back to ancient Egypt its popularity emerged with the Romans and Emperor Augustus.Developed into its present form in Italy, bocce is closely related to the British bowls and French pétanque. It was first played as a modern sport in the 18th century in Italy. With the Cheriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05089859839673632529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20754923.post-27791513065940094932023-05-05T17:07:00.001-07:002023-05-09T13:44:46.237-07:00Why is Zadok the Priest Played at British Coronations?When England’s Queen Anne died without immediate heirs, the throne passed to her German cousin, the elector himself, who was crowned George I and was pleased to claim the attention of Handel.George I’s son, George II, also preferred the work of his father’s longtime favorite, and he requested that Handel write music for his coronation.Zadok the Priest is a British anthem that was composed by Cheriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05089859839673632529noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20754923.post-91199034708807147752023-05-03T10:27:00.004-07:002023-05-03T14:07:44.265-07:00SuperimpositionIn our butcher's shop yesterday a family - which included a mom, dad, and two little boys - stood ahead of me in line. Perusal of the meats, cheeses, and specialty foods held their attention.As a mother and grandmother, my attention naturally gravitated to the little boys, one about three years older than the other, the same age difference as my now-adult sons. I'd say they were around four and Cheriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05089859839673632529noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20754923.post-26254199823717860432023-04-26T15:18:00.013-07:002023-05-02T21:48:19.799-07:00Joie de Vivre Moment #4 - Église Saint-Martial de Cazenac (Saint-Martial Church in Cazenac)Serendipity . . . . . . of the soulful kind. . .. . . deep in the heart of Perigord. . .. . . in France.Sundays on the road usually mean missing church. Tom and I usually set out for parts unknown on those days, just to see where God might take us.One early sunny summer morning, after buying bread and pastries from a charming Beynac boulangerie-pâtisserie (bread and pastry shop), Tom Cheriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05089859839673632529noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20754923.post-26478447362560744832023-04-18T19:14:00.003-07:002023-04-18T19:17:39.745-07:00April RainLet the raindrops kiss you,Let the rain beat upon your head with silver liquid drops.Let the rain sing you a lullaby.~~ Langston HughesRain is grace; rain is the sky descending to the earth; without rain there would be no life.~~ John UpdikeAfter the rain cometh the fair weather. ~~ AesopPhotos all mine, taken this evening. All rights reserved. Enjoy!Cheriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05089859839673632529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20754923.post-86373820650462781832023-04-12T11:53:00.019-07:002023-04-12T17:20:32.719-07:00Joie de Vivre Moment #3 - French Parking MetersAs in America, French parking meters can be found in parking lots and on streets. Ubiquitous, right, no big deal? Pay for your parking spot, and off you go. I've used these boxes at home in Oregon many times. They make sense and they work. I've witnessed French people using their parking meters with deft and ease, so I felt confident I would be just as adept when my turn arrived. How hard Cheriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05089859839673632529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20754923.post-48381934688545683502023-04-03T15:15:00.006-07:002023-04-03T15:39:32.517-07:00Book Clubs and MeWhen you select peaches or strawberries or asparagus for your dining table, do you linger and study the produce? Are you picky? Do you look for the freshest pieces which invite you to smell and taste them? Do you look for just the right size of asparagus with closed tips, indicating freshness? Do you look for good color and plumpness in your peaches? Do you only choose strawberries completely redCheriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05089859839673632529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20754923.post-628947586351431892023-03-31T16:26:00.005-07:002023-04-11T15:28:56.803-07:00Soaking in the Rue Royale in ParisWhile sight-seeing on the elegant Rue Royale in Paris, a short street lined with high-end stores (think Chanel, Gucci, and Dior), creamy classical French architecture gleaming in the summer sun, the Place de la Concorde visible at one end of the street, the Place de la Madeleine at the other, I had to pinch myself to believe I stood in the middle of such history and magnificence. Amazed andCheriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05089859839673632529noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20754923.post-67372121821358510342023-03-27T19:40:00.005-07:002023-03-29T13:56:33.438-07:00Joie de Vivre Moment #2 - Père-Lachaise and My 'Little French'Pére-Lachaise Cemetery located on the northeast side of Paris boasts more than 5,000 trees on its 110 acres. It is both her largest park and largest cemetery. Estimates of people buried within her walls vary wildly between 300,000 and a million. It is in this eclectic place that Paris personally hugged me for the first time.My daughter, Caroline, and I have a secret bond between us that I Cheriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05089859839673632529noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20754923.post-49385385662052372512023-03-25T15:58:00.007-07:002023-03-25T19:18:19.000-07:00Artful DayAn artful day introduces itself early, in the après dawn morning.A heightened sensation of pleasure as I walk the hall gliding my warm fingers through silky clean hair, brow to nape, their tips gently massaging my scalp causing eyes to close, a smile to spread. Ah, life, health.Warm water delights on my cheeks, eyes, nose, mouth, forehead, neck, drips like rain into the basin, swirls in rivulets Cheriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05089859839673632529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20754923.post-34072697597911900802023-03-23T12:54:00.003-07:002023-03-23T12:54:48.620-07:00Spring Fever, Mark Twain Quote "It's spring fever. That is what the name of it is. And when you've got it, you want - oh, you don't quite know what it is you want, but it just fairly makes your heart ache, you want it so!" ~~ Mark Twain Cheriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05089859839673632529noreply@blogger.com0