Colorstrology?

I believe in astrology about as much as I believe in fortune cookies. Having said that, here is an interesting take called Colorstrology. I really love colors so I found this fun when I saw it on another blog. According to this I'm Aspen Yellow (definitely a favorite color), radiant, uplifting, and intellectually energizing (maybe). What color are you?

Red apples and giant strawberries

Buddy boy started preschool this week. He was anxious to go and excited to go back. He comes home pretty quiet. I think he is tired. The first day all I could get out of him was something about apples and red and yellow. That went along with the red fingerpainting masterpiece. Today it was something about giant strawberry stories. It is all a bit of a mystery, but at least he says it is fun.

Ophelia and Cain

I have recently finished reading two books about raising children and protecting their emotional growth. In each case the examples of the lives of children and teens were less than encouraging about the situations kids face today. It would be easy to assume that at some point all kids will be victims of or perpetrators of violence or cruelty, and discrimination or disadvantage based on their gender. I had to remind myself that the authors were therapists who saw the worst cases and didn't deal with healthy happy kids very much. While they quoted statistics showing the frighteningly high numbers of kids with problems, there are still many, very many who run the gauntlet of junior high and come out OK and perhaps even stronger for the difficulty.

For as disconcerting as the stories were at times, I am glad that I read them so that I can help to prepare my kids from a young age to be empathetic and strong. Not an easy thing to do.

For as much as I might want to at times, it is impossible to keep kids out of harms way. You can't shelter them forever. You may be able to delay their entry into the "real world", but then they may miss out on the growth that can come from the interaction.

The take away message for me was that kids do best when both parents are present physically and emotionally, and when the kids know they are loved for who they are and at the same time know the limits of acceptable behavior. I am very blessed to have a husband who is empathetic and shows emotion. I am also blessed to have examples of Christlike behavior to teach the kids about. The author's advice on raising boys ran through my mind as I listened to the Sunday School lesson last week on Captain Moroni, Helaman and his warrior sons. They were couragous and strong, but still had a spiritual soft spot and loved their mothers. I love the example of Queen Ester and her courage to stand up for her people. She was a great example of strength.

I'll do my best, then pray.

Wordful Wednesday - Finding Joy

Do we find joy or does it find us? I don't really know the answer to this question. I guess it depends on how we go about it.

I find joy by "living the good life" in my own way, pursuing life, and joy comes along.

If we pursue joy, happiness, pleasure while ignoring all else, we aren't likely to find it. We may end up missing it if our focus turns inward and becomes self centered. You aren't likely to find joy if you constantly ask yourself why you aren't happy. That approach only amplifies the negative. Instead of chasing after it, notice it when it happens. Every once in awhile my husband will look up and say, "I'm experiencing domestic bliss." (Yes, he really says domestic bliss.) These are usually times when we are just hanging out as a family, nothing special. He reminds me to enjoy the moment and recognize the good times when joy found me.

other thoughts on Wordful Wednesday

Moderation and shades of grey

I have heard the advice to do all things in moderation, including moderation. I generally agree. Extremism rarely, or never, leads to a good end. Taking a more balanced, measured approach has usually served me well. But sometimes you just have to go for broke, take the plunge, make a stand, put all your eggs in one basket etc. This doesn't just apply to doing things, but also to taking a stand on an issue or belief.

Similarly, some argue for moral equivalence, where there is no good or bad, just believe what you want. Others may argue for moral relativism where every judgment and decision depends on the situation or context. It is true that we don't live in a black and white world. Most issues are complex and require consideration of more than just the surface claims and exist as shades of grey. However at some point you have to draw a line and decide what you believe and where you stand. There is such a thing as an absolute truth.

Because they taste better that way...

Who are you kidding?

I recently read The Distant Land of My Father. The father in the book is at first a man consumed by his life, his business, and his dreams and often living in a sort of fantasy world where he does not or cannot see what is happening until it all comes crashing down around him. How easy is it to be unaware when things are about to get bad, potentially really bad? In my good little life I hope that I am not completely missing something. There are certainly areas where I could do better and I am working on that. It takes some real honesty to lay bare your life in careful introspection. I am working on that as well. Sometimes the easiest person to fool is yourself, especially when you don't want to hear the truth.

Wordful Wednesday - Inner Beauty

When I think of this I am reminded of a conversation I had with my older brother when we were both in our early 20's. He said that some girls got better looking as you got to know them better and for others the opposite occured. I think that speaks to their inner beauty (or lack of it) that came out as he got to know them better and see it.



I was watching a progam on PBS about love and men and women. They did a study that demonstrated that married partners in good relationships perceived their partners as closer to the ideal beauty than they really were. The opposite was true if the relationship was not going well. They were "seeing" what they felt. Have you ever looked at a couple and wondered, "What does she/he see in him/her?" There is so much more than what you see on the surface or what you get on a first impression. Inner beauty is in the eye of the beholder as well.




I was given some good advice as a teenager to seek beauty in all things. You can usually find something beautiful about a person if you are willing to look and, more importantly, listen. I think that inner beauty is the goodness and quiet confidence that makes a person more attractive.

What are others saying on wordful Wednesday?

GrandDad and his Sweetie

not Elinor?

And here I thought I was Elinor Dashwood.

Your result for The Jane Austen heroine Test...

Fanny Price

62% romance, 44% sauciness, 49% etiquette, 74% intelligence

Still waters run deep. You've got plenty of intelligence and more heart than you get credit for. But you never say a word when insulted, and this reticence sometimes allows others to assume you're a pushover. You're also a bit shy in mixed company, which leads those who don't know you well to accuse you of snobbery. They couldn't be more wrong! You just never seem to know what to say. Of course, the meek shall inherit the earth...eventually. But do you really want to wait that long for redemption?

Ideal matches: Edmund Bertram, Edward Ferrars, Captain Benwick, Colonel Brandon

Guaranteed heartbreak: Frank Churchill, John Thorpe

Not worthy of your affections: Henry Crawford, John Willoughby

Take The Jane Austen heroine Test at HelloQuizzy