The Healing Power of Words

On Sunday, February 15, 2009, a day after Valentine's Day Miep Gies, the last living survivor, one of Anne Frank's "helpers" when she and her family were in hiding turned 100 years old. This extraordinary woman, who helped provide food and books for the Frank family as they hid celebrated her special day with her son and three grandchildren.

Though Miep humbly denies making a great difference it was she whom gathered up Anne's scattered papers and notebooks after the "hiding place" was raided in 1944. She hid the writings in a desk drawer for safe keeping until Anne's return. After Anne's death Miep gave the collection to Anne's father Otto, who published it in 1947. It became "The Diary of Anne Frank."

These seemingly simple pages written by a young girl survived beyond the horrors of the holocaust becoming a best seller, selling millions of copies and inspiring millions of people. Though her words did not erase the evil actions of the Nazis it did encourage those who survived. Thanks to the courage of one woman a young girl's journal by the name "Kitty" became a light in the midst of a devastating time. Years later Miep protected Anne's writings by defending its validity from those who accused it of forgery. She also answered letters sent from around the world from those who were inspired by Anne's writings.

I remember reading "The Diary of Anne Frank" in high school not wanting to put the book down. Though the writings originated from the hands of a girl who barely reached puberty and never saw womanhood there is wisdom, and an innocence and beauty about it. I remember wishing that my journals would one day be read by someone and I often wrote entries with an invisible audience in mind. I must admit that I still do this at times.

It's amazing what words can do. The Bible says in Proverbs 18:21, that "the tongue holds the power of life and death." Anne's words were a source of hope and healing for many. I recently came across a quote from the film, "Schindler's List," which I found parallel to this notion. "There will be generations because of what you did." Hitler birthed death with his words Anne sowed life with her journals. Our words and actions breed destinies. What kind of legacy are you leaving behind with your words? May the words you speak or write inspire hope like Anne's in a dark and scary world. This is a prayer for me as well.

Lynda

Words Spoken to a King are a Legacy

She stood up before hundreds and spoke up. A townhall meeting filled with countless people, a planned event for question and answer became the opportunity for one woman to speak to the most important leader in the nation. She simply asked, “Please, help”

In a moment in time Henrietta Hughes, a 60 year-old woman from Fort Myers, Florida became the “face of the financial crisis” after boldly asking the president to help her and her son who found themselves homeless and living in their car. She asked him for a kitchen and a bathroom. The president planted a kiss on her cheek while onlookers gasped and the paparazzi competitively rushed to take the first pictures of this eventful display. In a moment this simple woman became famous and her name and face the topic for countless news services and websites.

Henrietta, a simple, homeless woman stood boldly, in a broken state before a “king” and made a petition. Many questioned her appearance. Was she picked to be there? Was this a planned display to add to the president’s already high approval rates? How did she get to the front of the line anyway? Was it pure determination or was it was it all a con?

I found Henrietta's actions to be parallel to that of many heroic women mentioned in the Bible. From the woman who poured her expensive perfume on Jesus and wiped the tears she wept on him with her hair, to Esther making her request before the king and his men, to the crippled woman who didn’t speak but simply touched the robe of Jesus.

Henrietta Hughes will be remembered in history for her simple boldness. There is currently a website, (www.henriettahughes.com) created in Henrietta's honor to highlight the circumstances that many others like her are suffering because of the weary economy. This simple woman will be forever remembered simply for speaking. When was the last time your bold actions earned you recognition before man? Something to think about and perhaps aim for…

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/02/11/henrietta-hughes-given-ho_n_166028.html

The Potential of Life

http://www.catholicvote.com/

Do you remember this intense commercial from Super-bowl night? Think back to all the commercials you saw that night. Those who got a glimpse of that random pornographic image you're in on this too. Give up? Don't worry you don't have to scratch your head anymore. This add was not included in the many commercial adds to help fund the eventful Super Bowl night. It was actually plugged by NBC. Why exactly did NBC ban this video from being played? Is it because it uses the image of our new president or because it depicts the importance and potential of a life in the womb?

I don't consider myself a political commentator, although I like to give my opinion here and there on hot topics. But this is something that is dear to my heart and I just couldn't keep my mouth shut or my fingers down. I am one of those people who believes that everyone should have the opportunity to live. It's just my opinion and billions of others. But I have a problem with the notion that because I hold to this belief I am instantly against the freedom of choice.

Pause. I will not get into a debate about "pro-life" and "pro-choice" although you already know where I stand. But I do have some questions that kind of nag at me. We are a nation that is divided about war. Many have made themselves vocal about the fact that we should never have begun a war in the first place. I personally am one that wasn't against the start of war but I'm not a fan of the longevity of it or our seeming lack of success. But I have to wonder why the same people who complain about the death of thousands of innocent soldiers and civilians are the very same people who would not think twice about having or encouraging an abortion.

I think the object of this video is to portray the potential that every life has to become something special. That whether or not it is fully human when inside the womb (this is debatable) it could have been something. So my question to those who oppose war but would check off "pro-choice" (as they like to call it) is, "When does life really count?" When did we begin to reserve the right to decide someone else's fate when many believe life was given to them by a superior being. How does one decide whether one child should live or another should simply be confiscated before it ever has the chance to breath its first breath. I don't know about you, but now I'm scratching my head....

Lynda

http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2009/02/02/comcast-apologizes-for-super-bowl-porn-glitch/

The Extinction of Barbie

"Our culture, a culture that takes children and makes them grow up too fast, is also to blame. Tweens are bombarded with images of hip and cool--with adult-like images of themselves in movies and on television, and in popular music. Tweens, instead of wanting to be children, want to grow up immediately into little adults. They wear revealing clothing (short, midriff blouses and low rider pants) and makeup, they see PG-13 and R movies, and they listen to edgy music--and, for the most part, their parents let them! Naturally, they no longer see themselves as playing with dolls."

I came across the quote above in an online article titled, "Why do Girls Outgrow Barbie Dolls At Such a Young Age?" and I immediately said, "Exactly." You see after working with children for more than ten years I have personally observed the fact that our little girls are putting Barbie on the shelf a lot faster than my generation. I remember playing Barbies with my sister when we were both 13 years-old, the same year I got my first period mind you. Here we were in junior high school playing Barbie dolls. Today, the thought of playing with a Barbie doll past the age of 8 is unheard of in our society. Why do our little girls feel the need to put away their childhood? What's causing them to want to grow up so quickly? I think that our culture and the lack of positive role models are to blame.

It saddens me that in our culture being childlike is often associated with being dumb or "frail." I believe that this extends to women's femininity. We so often dissuade women from expressing their feminine side as if being a woman or being “girly” is a sign of weakness. I treasure movies like “Legally Blonde” where Elle succeeds while wearing stilettos and a neon pink dress. Why not? Who told our little girls to put down their Barbie doll? Who told them they shouldn’t wear their tutus anymore or have sleepovers? Maybe we’ll decrease the pregnancy rates if we’ll just allow our little girls to hold on to their femininity and purity a little longer. Why are we teaching our young women that to be strong and to succeed in this world they have to shun what naturally makes them who they are? If you are a woman, be proud! And if you want to buy a pretty Barbie doll go ahead! You'll make Mattel happy and you'll also remind yourself that there's nothing wrong with staying in touch with that inner child. Heck, I still own my Barbie dolls!

http://collectdolls.about.com/cs/barbiemodern/a/barbieoutgrow.htm

Lynda

Do What???

Okay, first of all I want to say that I really do love the South. I love the Southern hospitality, the trees, the "The Cracker Barrel," the sweet little Southern lady who calls me "Honey" everytime I stop at the gas station. I love all of it, I really do! But there's one thing that really irks me about the "dialect" so to speak in the South. It's the question I have heard countless times and sometimes unnecesarilly in my opinion. "Do what?"

What does that mean anyway? Where I come from, Queens, NY we said things like, "Excuse me?" or "Pardon?" or "I'm sorry, what?" and "What was that?" when you didn't hear something someone said. You know the normal responses. But here in TN and other Southern states I'm learning "Do what" seems to be the typical response when someone wants you to repeat something you've said. I don't know what annoys me more, the question or the deep Southern sometimes unrecognizable to my Big City ears accent that comes with the response.

As much as I love TN, I'm literally lost in translation at times. Like I said before, I love the Southern hospitality but there are days I find myself missing the push and shove, the bluntness, the accent and the overall culture of the "Big City." I guess as much as my ears sting at the sound of that "phrase" I will have to put up with it. But something that I've declared to all who surround me here in the little world of hills, biscuits, honky tonk, and country ham festivals is that I will never say "Do what?" or my other "favorite" phrases, "Doggone" and "Y'all." My Southern-bred husband will second that.

Now, I hope I've made myself clear. So don't you dare ask me that question!

Mrs. H ; )

I Love My Backspace Button!

One of the reasons I love to write other than the fact that it is therapeutic and fun is that sometimes it is easier than talking. I find sometimes that the realtime verbal use can be overrated. You see in real conversation you can make all kinds of mistakes like saying something really stupid or making faces in a conversation (I'm guilty of this) you'll regret later. But these issues rarely arise when writing. No one sees you when you write and you can delete as many things as you want and get rid of all that extra stuff before anyone sees it. This is why I've come to love my backspace/delete button.

I'm one of those people who takes 20 minutes to write a paragraph long e-mail. E-mails don't have to be grammatically correct you may say. But as a former college English major these things matter to me okay? I'm not swimming in debt for nothing! (Whatever) Plus, I like all that I write to make sense, which is why my e-mails are throughly proofread before I send them out. (Did I mention I'm also OCD? That's another story I may or may not get to) ; )

Anyway, blogs are included in the tweaking process. And even after I've finished a blog I will come back time and time again and change, eliminate, or add words and necessary corrections. Don't worry this blog entry will not be neglected.

Why am I so meticulous? Because I care about what I put out and simply because I can. So if you see anything here that's misspelled let me know so I can DELETE. It's only a click away!

~L

A Weekend Spent in a Palace

I slept in a princess’ room last Friday night on January 16th. The room was filled with books that spoke of fairytales and dreams. The pillows on the bed were covered with wild flowers and dandelions while Princess Belle smiled at me with her big brown eyes glistening as she sat on a shelf against the wall. I thanked Princess Kinsley for allowing me the honor of sleeping in her palace.

Princess Kinsley is the daughter of a dear friend of mine who hosted a very fun ladies night for our closest friends. She made me feel welcomed as she brushed and made knots with my hair. I'm not one of those who dislikes having her hair brushed and done so I enjoyed the combing, brushing, and sometimes pulling. : ) I felt pampered and comfortable. The ladies and I danced, ate pizza, played games and watched chick flicks until 2 a.m. It was the ultimate ladies night. And God knows I needed it!

After weeks of non-stop work and exhaustion I took some time out and enjoyed myself. The busy part of my head hesitated but I’m glad I listened to the voice that said, “Have fun and don’t think about the list of to-dos you created for this weekend.” In the end I was glad I listened to the other voice because I had one of the best weekends in a while. Yea for girlfriends! And yea for fairytales and princesses that remind me of who I once was before I became a “busy” grownup.