Good Friday: A Matter of Perspective

Posted by Vivi on Mar 29, 2013 in Challenges & Change, Encouragement | 1 comment

Bird’s Eye View

As a child, the term “Good Friday” mainly represented a longer holiday and the coming of Easter–chocolate bunnies, egg hunts, a new Easter outfit (complete with patent leather shoes, a hat, and white gloves–the uniform of every little southern girl). It meant going to church with my parents, as we did every Sunday. Still, I realized that Easter was special. So the term “Good Friday” seemed all good to me!

As I grew older, the term “Good Friday” puzzled me.  I understood more about the Easter story, about Jesus’s passion and death and resurrection.  But that focus on Friday, the day of His death with all its pain and suffering, seemed anything but “Good.”

Five Minute Friday: BARE

Posted by Vivi on Feb 8, 2013 in Challenges & Change, Literature/Writing | 2 comments

(Note: This post is part of Five Minute Fridays and is part of an unedited writing exercise. Visit the site after the post for more information.)

“Bare”–such a short, bare word.  Its connotations can be positive, as in a baby’s bare bottom.  (Perhaps I’m conditioned to that one having just visited newborn twins!)  But it can also reflect

“A Little Child Shall Lead Them”

Posted by Vivi on Dec 4, 2012 in Family, Friends, & Fun | 3 comments

A Little Child Points the Way

“A little child shall lead them.” (Isaiah 11:6)  And indeed he did!

Thanksgiving Blessings

Posted by Vivi on Nov 22, 2012 in Family, Friends, & Fun | 1 comment

Thanksgiving Blessings to all on this wonderful holiday–an entire national day devoted to Gratitude!

Fruits of the Spirit

May the true blessings of life–family, friends, health, freedom, faith, & love–be yours!

Vivi

Poltergeists: Literary Frustrations–Part 4

Posted by Vivi on Oct 17, 2012 in Family, Friends, & Fun, Literature/Writing, Road Trips & Other Adventures | 1 comment

Senility must have hit me because there was one more episode of my attempts to see a famous author being thwarted, but I can’t seem to recall the details. Perhaps I’ve become SO accustomed to encountering these difficulties that I simply blocked it from my brain. You’ll just have to trust me that there was another episode.  Maybe it will float up from the recesses of my memory bank.

Still, the poltergeists continued their efforts. Not content with simply preventing my seeing famous writers themselves, the evil spirits broadened their scope.

Poltergeists: Literary Frustrations–Part 3

Posted by Vivi on Oct 11, 2012 in Family, Friends, & Fun, Literature/Writing, Road Trips & Other Adventures | 1 comment

You’d think that old saying “Third time is charm” might hold true.  Not so!

Poltergeists continued to haunt me in my quest to see famous authors. Fast forward a few years:  Maya Angelou is to appear at Southeast Missouri State University in Cape Girardeau, Missouri!  Granted, this trip will take some doing, but the opportunity is simply too great to pass up.

Poltergeists: Literary Frustrations–Part 2

Posted by Vivi on Oct 10, 2012 in Literature/Writing, Road Trips & Other Adventures | 3 comments

As I indicated in Part 1, those poltergeists didn’t stop with thwarting my seeing Eudora Welty. Oh, no!

A few years later I took a trip to the Southern Festival of Books in Nashville, Tennessee, with my two close friends and colleagues in the English Department at our small college.