Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Preventing Grace

Home
Evangelical
7 dithering takes

7 dithering takes

Last updated on: July 24, 2014 at 9:23 pm by Anne Kennedy

7 dithering takes 2014-07-24T21:23:18-04:00 Anne Kennedy

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

One

Every week, for the last four, I have thought, by Thursday afternoon, 'this has been an exceptionally hard week'. And then I go on to the next week and think it again. At what point does it stop being an exception and just count as regular hard and you just stop fussing about it? It's possible I've reached that point. Some hard things this week included our Red Car completely dying in the middle of Conklin Ave and Matt insisting that I sit in it and steer as he gently “nudged” it back into our parking lot. Also, succumbing to general discouragement and bad temper and chucking a school day because of everything just combining itself into many layered evil. And last, as I was finally staking up my tomatoes ahead of a sudden thunderstorm, realizing that Marigold was shouting and flapping about something real, and that was a small budgie or parakeet, irridecsent and luminous green and gold, crouching under a bush, looking very unhappy. Matt quietly picked up the dog and I crept forward and talked to it for a long while, and then suddenly, on a powerful gust of wind, it spread its wings and flew off into the storm.

Two

I am up against another birthday this weekend. Romulus is turning 8. His birthday list included a toy night, clay, paint, two Lego sets, and a “creeper”, “whatever that is” I muttered to myself all afternoon as I wandered dismally around Walmart (it's more satisfying to call it Waremart somehow, and that's what I'll be calling it from now on) wishing that I really knew what the toys really looked like. I finally called Matt and asked to speak to Alouicious who advised me on the merits of different kinds of Legos, who believed that Romulus would be very well satisfied with a Minecraft foam iron sword and who was able to help me, over the phone, to identify what the creeper was and how to find it. Shocker, it's more minecraft. Boy, I wish I was in the video game industry. The amount of money someone must be raking in with these primitive graphics and air of general graininess. I bet I could have done that if I'd stuck it out in any computer class ever.

Three

The day I chucked the school work, the day of the budgie and the car, I gave up for a while and lay outside and read, just a tiny bit. I wanted to read only one, but I read both, because Matt has said we all must. And it isn't bad, it's just not nearly so marvelous as the other.

Life's difficulties, you might know, as some have said, are often eased by hot milky drinks such as ovaltine. I didn't feel like ovaltine so I drank a lot of tea, feeling that the children's summer cold is coming at me like a slow moving but inevitable train.

Four

Matt coped with the general badness by aquiring a new large allotment of black mulch and mollifying me with some new plants, some things I've already forgotten the names of, and a second apple tree. Here's a bad picture of it.

Five

The garden is lush, verdant, overabundant, requiring attention and wonder. My poor tomatoes, lying on the ground, steaming in the sun.

I hammered stakes for a while and applied some string and then wandered away to beat back beetles.

I sort of liked the stakes better, lying there in the sun.

Six

I finally made it through all the spam. I discovered some very nice comments which had never been published, which are now. Going to not abandon the spam comments to the pit and to the grave. Even going to get in and respond myself to real and lovely commenters, not letting the great tide of internet spam stupidity to overwhelm me. Surely I will. I am resolved. Just as I am resolved to floss my teeth every day, instead of halfway half the days. But I feel slow and stupid, like this ugly dog, who lay down next to me today in this very posture. Who can tell him from the mulch?

At least he's comfortable.

Seven

I tried to post on the very bad day but it was eaten by some evil force. I had tried to post a very nice song and write about it. But when it all disappeared in blamed God's providence. I'm trying again, here, and hoping that you all have a beautiful weekend.

Life Going On

Jen's 7 quick takes

Previous Post

July 22, 2014

Spam, and going the distance

Next Post

July 25, 2014 SDfAoWOP: the Widow

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category books Catechesis of the Good Shepherd Children in Conversation culture watch Daily Devotions Demotivations with Anne faith alone for the grandparents GAFCON In conversation with children In the News Kitchen Notes Lambeth Learning Notes Life Going On Men are Human Notes from Home Pictures Reading the Bible Saturday Links Sermons Signs of the Apocalypse The Bad Word Association The Prayer of Jonah Travel Notes Uncategorized Witless Wednesdays Work and the Christian

Select a Month June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 July 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 April 2007 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007 December 2006 November 2006 October 2006

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

My beloved is mine and I am his; he browses among these flowers. What flowers represent purity and beauty?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Lilies Roses Crocus Wildflowers

Books by This Author Books by Anne Kennedy

See All Titles »