Corrie Ten Boom

her quotes:

Forgiveness is an act of the will, and the will can function regardless of the 

temperature of the heart. 

Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.

Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow. It empties today of its strength. 

When a train goes through a tunnel and it gets dark, you don't throw away the ticket and jump off. You sit still and trust the engineer.

The first step on the way to victory is to recognize the enemy.

Discernment is God's call to intercession, never to faultfinding. 

Memories are the key not to the past, but to the future. 

Let God's promises shine on your problems.

There is no pit so deep that God's love is not deeper still.

God will give us the love to be able to forgive our enemies. 

“When people come up and give me a compliment–‘Corrie, that was a good talk,’ or ‘Corrie, you were so brave,’ I take each remark as if it were a flower. At the end of each day I lift up the bouquet of flowers I have gathered throughout the day and say, ‘Here you are, Lord, it is all Yours.'”

~~~

her books:

• The Hiding Place 
• Tramp for the Lord 
• In My Father's House: The Years Before "The Hiding Place" 
• Corrie Ten Boom's Prison Letters 
• Each new day 
• Amazing Love 
• A prisoner and Yet... 
• Clippings from My Notebook 
• Not Good If Detached 
• Father ten Boom, God's man 
• Not I, but Christ 
• This Day Is the Lord's 
• Marching Orders for the End Battle 
• Plenty for Everyone 
• He Sets the Captive Free 
• Corrie's Christmas Memories 
• Don't Wrestle, Just Nestle 
• He Cares, He Comforts 
• Jesus Is Victor 
• Corrie Ten Boom: Her Story 
• Defeated Enemies 
• I Stand at the Door and Knock: Meditations by the Author of The Hiding… 
• Reflections of God's Glory 
• Prayers and Promises for Every Day 
• Anywhere He Leads Me (Life Messages of Great Christians) 
• Messages of God's Abundance 
• He Cares for You 
• The End Battle 
• Snowflakes in September: Stories About God's Mysterious Ways 
• Tramp Finds a Home 
• Reflect God's Glory 
• Common Sense Not Needed 
• Oh, How He Loves You
• Her Life Her Faith
• A Visit to the Hiding Place 
• True stories of survival: Prison letters; In the presence of mine enemies;… 
• Love Came Down: Reflections on the Christmas Story 

~~~

I have been listening to "The Hiding Place" for the second time and with better ears.  I feel the end days heating up and I want to remember more her story.  I started to do a little research on her and was so surprised to find that Corrie has written a lot of books!  She is a good storyteller and I now I am on the prowl to find more of her writings.  I love the title "Don't Wrestle, Just Nestle."  Happy reading!

lacking words ...

Words can be tied up in a ball lying in the dark corner of my mind. Words sometimes just vanish in thin air like a bubble drifting away on a spring breeze. Words can shout within my 'mind cave' at a deafening pitch but I am the only one hearing as others babble on. Words can be silent until I am alone and tumble around me like 100 beach balls falling down the stairs at me who is crouching at the bottom. Words sometimes just don't mean a thing or maybe they are just so treasured that I don't want them to be diminished by careless hands like those who touch butterfly wings.

Please words - make peace with me... I won't hurt you. I am the one who is hurt... I have not forgotten you amongst my other passions and crafts. You are my first love. Please don't desert me like all the others have. Without expression, I shall wither and surely die. It is harder and harder to breathe....

Julie & Julia

I would give this movie an 8. I did have a higher number in mind but I just cannot make myself read the book. I have taken two peeks and have landed on parts that are not to my liking. Crazy but that is me.

What made me like this movie is because the story rings true for me. I am a decade past Julie but I have been struggling with making a go of my dreams. Julie is a girl of 30 at a depressing job and her friends are successful. Talking it over with her husband, she decides in 365 days to make 500 something recipes and blog about it each day. Her dream to write is on the inside just wanting to bust out. This true story has a happy ending of a book and a movie as a cherry on the top.

The movie is two stories intertwined yet telling one story. Both Julie & Julia wanted to find something to do. They choose cooking. And in the end found themselves! It is not just a story about these two women but a story of their relationship with their husbands. I found this side path very warm and delightful. It goes to show that not only behind good men are good women but that behind every good woman is a good man. I long for that but single girls can make their dreams blossom too, right?

I recommend one Kleenex for this movie if you find yourself with dreams wasting especially if you are a frustrated writer like me. However, most are going to find it a happy story which it is indeed. It just struck a chord with me and has been intensified to where it is deafening. I have been going around trying to figure what I can do in 365 days to transform my own life!

I was amazed at her blog journey. Of course it is a happy moment to find good and friendly commenter but does that really exist in the real world? I guess so but it not in my blog world which makes me wonder if maybe I am not a good writer after all. Then her followers started to send her food items! What? Wow! Now that must be a real boost. {{Sighs}}

I am thinking that it might be a movie for my library...

Julie & Julia

***There is one parental disclaimer. The fword is used once.

©

surface vs depth ...

I need this blog. I know this because when I lost the depth person, I was becoming anger and anger. Then when I was able to think on white screen, I found myself peaceful. It is like being able to exhale after breathing in. I am a thinker and that is who I am. I cannot change it. Yet as my birthday came and went I thought 'Whew, middle age isn't so bad but now I am having major loneliness issues again and what am I do with all that I am?' It seems my work life and my home life are at odds and I become a misfit inside.

When I was able to indulge with another deep person, he always mentioned the desire of meat and potatoes but he never had time to read my (ok, I must admit they were long) emails that where laced with depth. Then when we talked we always had fun and did talk depth until he got too tired and didn't have time for that anymore. Even as he wanted meat and potatoes, I secretly was thinking shouldn't there be some dessert?

My blog counter has recently cleared the map to restart the numbering. It gives you a chance to see what the numbers of visitors have come within the past year. The maps are archived. Sadly, for the 3rd year in a row the numbers have halved. I know my writing has been suffering and I have a new craft addiction and I am visiting/listening to more blogs so maybe I need to figure something out.

The thing I have been muling over is starting another blog on the lighter side or more to my surface and width side of me because yes, there is that part of me too. I never thought I would do another blog and wasn't sure how to do another because this is the place I put most thoughts about all parts of my life. I have not put pictures here because this is the a place for words and I didn't want to lean on pictures even though I am highly visual in my learning. I wanted my words to express the pictures. I must honor my writing and even get back to the creativity of it.

My list of blogs I visit/ listen to has grown over the past year. I have stumbled up hard core crafters and even other crafters who do their art on the side who have some really cool sites for their crafts. Again I don't want the pictures here even though I do talk about my creative side. So what if I create another blog for my visual side that would encompass my life but more light and less words since pictures are said to be worth more than a 1000 words....???

I love blogger. But even though blogger has come along way on the backside of things, I have tried to change the background. That comes with a lot of time and know how. It is just too messy and then I don't write. Yes, they have come a long way with the pictures but I think tumbler is more picture friendly. However, I first have to join to see. I just want something simple and easy so that I can spend more time on the writing or dropping in the pix and go. So maybe there will be another blog that is more friendly to the readers.... will give me the feedback that I am needing ...

Happy 5th Birthday, llj!

I started LLJ back in 2005 after a terrible month of May where a confidant wrote a good riddance letter and I was left sorely lacking in the conversation department. This confidant gave me a place to vocalize all the words that had been trapped for so long. I am a girl even if a bit on the quiet side and girls need to get their word allotment in or they become a not so nice word. One of the things the confidant had put out there was something about doing a blog together. I had begun the research and without his two cents anymore, I begun to pour my heart out here.

LLJ allowed me to vocalize and I found myself more peaceful. LLJ lets me speak and doesn't shut me up. Typing and seeing my words form on a white space gives my brain the allowance to think. It still amazes me that I might start with a very small speck of thought and then as my fingers do the writing dance, my brain begins to form strong thoughts, questions, and confidences.

I had hoped that I my writing would find friendly ears. I had thought this would be a great way to make strong connections and find fellow deep thinkers. I had also thought this would help me gauge my writing and thinking skills but no bites. So I keep training...

I started an addition in the past six months where I couldn't get enough of the Amigurumi world. From this I have grown the blogs I read. I love to listen to other women whether it be about their life, their home, or their craft. Reading blogs, crocheting, and my day job have sorely bit into my writing time. But I am a listener at heart and I find blogs a way to 'make friends' without them ever knowing and without the rejection or I have no time for you or your single and I am married jargon! Lame, I know but it is honest. All those barriers are gone in the blog world. Rock on wall flower girl!

So here is to the 5th year of the joys of writing and listening. May the this Mysterious Adventure I call my life-walk with Jesus Christ be fuller and richer with each new day.

4th bday
blogsphere

seconds & thirds please ...

I have been finding it hard to write here like I use to. And this week for sure will be sporadic like usual. Dad is away for the week so I am over being with Mom and the 3 pups for company. It is sorta like a vacation but not! I am planning on some cooking because Mom tends to just eat leftovers or eats fast food. I thought this would be good for me to try cooking for others and save a bit of pocket change. However, this is like living between two places and it means other things are put on hold. This explains this week. Now to explain the other weeks where my writing has become sparse.

The Amigurumi has certainly taken a real strong hold in my life right now. I love these little crochet toys and the smaller the better. While on this wacky ride I realized that besides books and my bike being my 'bestest' childhood friends, small stuff animals that I could pack and hide in my purse because I didn't what to leave them at home since I was afraid a fire or tornado would take them from me. Whew! I know a poor tween girl was I! I am so glad that I don't feel the need to pack them in purse as an adult. Now my purses are very small and only pack the essentials. {sheepy grin & red cheeked} But to be able to make these little pocket friends with smiles have become a driving need inside. When I have completed them all decked out in a smile and cuteness, I smile. I love it.

I have found that Amigurumies de-stress me in these wild and troubling times. Of course they are only apart of the de-stressing but it has been a cool ride. I do wonder if the ride will stop and why my other creative passions don't drive me like Ami does but I am a perpetual learner that what Ami has done to me, I am going to work it in my writing and my painting. This is way to good to let it slide unheeded in my other parts of my life.

Being able to create little best friends that made my childhood is coming full circle. I have to thank my precious Heavenly Father for enabling me to get crochet from web pictures and self teach it. Whenever I look at the things I like and what I have done to creatively express it, I rejoice that God gave these likes and passions to me. I know I feel sometimes embarrassed especially describing my passions to men but I mustn't. I forget to come outside myself and see the light in my eyes. Too often I sit within myself trying to hide! Hmmm, interesting that this comes out here when I didn't intend it too. Another connect the dot...

I did spend a lot of time researching and gathering because I felt so behind. Now that my pattern book is full, I hope I can manage more efficiently by junkie cravings! However, I am finding the need growing stronger and stronger to make my own patterns. Having nieces and a nephew, I do want to create characters from their story books but wait, why not create my own ami characters and stories!!!! My goal is to definitely marrying my passions and crafts together! I might have a full plate of passions but I think it quite alright to have second and thirds full plates! Isn't that the way to have a full and delightful life?

doing w/ what I have ...

I think I mentioned this before that I got fed up with myself and so this year I have decided to live my oneness life. I used really want couplehood and I still do but I have focused on this singleness life that I have been given and letting God romance me. It is amazing that I am getting along ok with this new view. I still have this desire on how to be a good wife but if that never happens ... ok moving on! {smiles}

I also have this very strong desire to have my passions be my vocation. I get tired of my day job. I would rather be creative or write. For some reason from the back of the mind came a thought that instead of being frustrated with my day job that I have this day job of numbers and I have my passions. The day job feeds me and allows me to have a shelter and my passions allow me to live stress free! I have both and I need to have a good attitude about the day job while working out my passions at night. Just maybe my dreams will come true. In the meantime I feel better....

living a lie ...

Why write? To record personal lessons? What about fleshing out choices we don't make or cannot make in our lives?

I am a writer who tends to write out my lessons which are many. So what if I fleshed out a character to take on the choices I cannot seem to make in my own life to see what journeys and paths this character would have to take on even if it got ugly. Who knows maybe this character ends up making the correct choice for her but not for me the writer.

I was watching a show where a girl got to ream out a boy for not showing how much he cared for her. I was going to be really miffed if she kept him on because she was intensely attracted to him. I was pleasantly surprised. I having been in a place where I had kept my mouth shut and had a broken heart looked on feeling old (was hoping for wise) all the while cheering was going on in my heart. About time for a girl victory in the broken heart department. Don't get me wrong. The girl was broken hearted. Her chilling statement was what if she won't ever get to have the happy ever after. She really loved this guy but she wanted to be loved back. She was brutally honest. And she hurt anyway. But to have the ability to be honest can cut like a knife and it will cut your own heart if used. I want to be honest but I fear. I don't know how to balance kindness and honesty.

So my shower thought this morning was be a little-god and direct out a path not taken for myself in a 'throw away' character! Would I be able to grow some honesty? Or should develop a self portrait character and create a noble tale...? Maybe this is all a rouse to help me find my way back to an honest 8 yo and then I can do what I do best - record personal lessons...

I do think what is quite interesting is that whether a girl keeps quiet or is brutally honest, she ends up with a broken heart. However, in one scenario the hardship rest totally on the girl but the other the hardship rests on both if not more so on the guy. Just maybe the guy will be haunted enough to do something about his inability to love. I had thought so all along in my own choice and to see it played out in this way allows me to try baby steps to honesty.

PS: The opposite of honesty is a lie. I have to say that I am not going around and telling lies verbally. And I am not going around and fibbing with my actions. Rather, I live quietly and hide my actions if I don't feel safe. So by omission I live a lie! Yikes. How is that for BRUTAL HONESTY!