The Epic Power of Blood
© 2014 by Karen Friday
It was a double-stick kind of day. I’m not talking about double-sided sticky tape.
A needle stick to draw blood in each arm. Right arm in the morning, left arm in the afternoon.
Yes, me. The one they have difficulty getting veins to ‘show up’ for the procedure. “Itty bitty veins” (that’s a direct quote from the lab tech). Normally, it’s an epic fail to get to a vein the first try or two.
A visit to the doctor for a yearly exam and blood panel—three vials full. I’m not sure on the amount because I am looking the other way or have my eyes closed.
November 13, 2014 at 9:22 am | Uncategorized
Outrageous Inspiration for a Country Song
By Karen Friday
“Sadie is howling, and whining, and acting like a crazy female.”
Autumn colors reflected in a fishing pond beside the quaint cabin. A family get-away for four in the mountains of Tennessee.
In trip planning, paw marks indicated a pet-friendly rental. The foursome included me and my husband along with Sadie, a female dachshund and Big-T, a male pug. Pets we refer to as our “kids.” The little furry ones. Our real offspring are people who are grown adults and not too furry.
Sadie does not like new adventures or riding in a vehicle. She is a homebody (home dog). Traveling in a Chevy truck, she paced in the back seat whining with displeasure. Going from window to window, fidgety and antsy. After arriving, she nervously investigated the temporary abode and anxiously refused to eat for hours.
November 6, 2014 at 9:00 am | Uncategorized
The Day ‘Sweet’ Bumped into ‘Happy’
Sweet!
© 2014 by Karen Friday
Whether it’s a meeting by chance or meant to be; things, people, or events bumping into each other are often unforgettable.
Have you ever had a spine-jolting experience on bumper cars at the carnival? Strangers and friends relentlessly bump your car over and over and over? Pinning you in a corner and when you finally maneuver a turn around—bam! Bumped again.
What about the dance, the Bump? You ‘youngins’ won’t remember this dance fad from the 70’s, although you might have seen it. People bumping hips together to a disco song, arms flailing with each bump. Considerably big bumps are when a dance partner sends you flying across the room. Yes, like a football player or wrestler at a school dance—not how it’s supposed to be done.
“Fancy seeing you here!” Bumping into people you know or haven’t seen in a while.
October 30, 2014 at 8:58 am | Uncategorized
A Hill of Beans
Girl Friday, ‘Master’ Credentials
“I don’t like beans, Mom!” My son and daughter swore they did not like beans of any kind as kids. Green beans, navy beans, pinto beans…none. I always reasoned, “how can you know whether you like a food until you try it?”
The determination is made by tasting, then stating. Resolved to have a taste test, I made a pot of pinto “soup” beans. With sprite in one hand and a spoon in the other—ever so carefully—the kids put one pinto bean in their mouth.
Chewing and swallowing with unpleasant faces, gulping a drink lickety-split. “I don’t like beans!” Well then! Now we know…Megan and Caleb do not like beans. There are types of beans I do not like…
We bicker over trivial issues that amount to a mere hill of beans. Anxious thoughts about problems we discover were not worth a hill of beans. Beans—equating to virtually nothing in the grand scheme of life.
October 23, 2014 at 8:57 am | Uncategorized
Here’s Some Good Advice About Good Advice
© 2014 by Karen Friday
As a matter of fact: spiritual matters, matters of the heart, and getting to the heart of the matter…really matter!
Recommendations. Suggestions. Opinions. What we need is good solid advice. Where and how we find advice is a good thing to be advised about.
Words of wisdom should come from a knowledgable and reputable source. You wouldn’t dream of asking a lawyer about dental issues or a restaurant owner for advice on remedies for the common cold. Would you?
Mr. Google is not always correct—not always. To believe everything online is to be naive. I have dived into a deeper anxious state over a simple Google search. Google a few health symptoms, you could have anywhere from an allergy to a dreadful disease.
October 16, 2014 at 8:43 am | Uncategorized
All Things Crossed
By Karen ‘Girl’ Friday
“Keep your fingers crossed.” I looked at the text on my phone. Minutes before my friend sent a message asking me to pray…a request for the Lord to accomplish.
I quickly replied, “I am praying.” Now my friend suggested crossed fingers. A sign of good luck.
I have participated in this lucky ritual of hoping for a desired outcome. What power does crossing my middle finger over my pointer finger really bring? Or is it the pointer finger over the middle finger? I stopped typing to check…definitely for me, the middle over the pointer is much more comfortable and natural.
Is crossing our fingers a magical formula to change the progression of events? To cause something great to happen or stop something bad from taking place?
October 9, 2014 at 8:53 am | Uncategorized
Glam Checklist: Flashing Billboards, Tooting Horns, Scooping Poo
I bent over to scoop dog poo. The bright lights of a billboard flashed across my mind, “I’m living the glamorous life.”
When your office is in your home, there is no incentive to “fix up” to go to work. No reason for glam. My typical daily routine: get out of bed, take the dogs outside, drink hot tea (I’m not a coffee drinker, I haven’t grown up) and eat oatmeal (yes, every single day.) Then I start the work day in sweat pants or shorts and t-shirt, usually no make-up (I do brush my hair and teeth.)
My first consulting meeting each day is with a higher power. Not my direct supervisor or the CEO of a company. The higher power…God. I consult with the Lord through prayer—talking and listening—reading and studying scripture, and devotions written by other authors.
God was the first best-selling author to be in print. You should read his book, the Bible. I endorse it not as “one of,” but “the best book I have ever read.” He inspired humans to write his words and his-story on the pages of a book as a guide for this life and the next.
October 2, 2014 at 8:40 am | Uncategorized
When Your Parade Comes to a Screeching Halt
© 2014 by Karen Friday
Is there someone in your life constantly raining on your parade?
“It’s raining, it’s pouring, the old man is snoring….” Who is this old man and why is he snoring? Does rain make him want to take naps? Oh, that’s right, he bumped his head and couldn’t get up in the morning. That’s a long nap!
In pouring rain, I would rather be inside a safe shelter. And snuggled up with a blanket taking a nap—even better! The snoring I can do without…and the bumps on the head.
“Rain, rain go away, come again another day.” To play outside, participate in outdoor activities…parades, and enjoy sunshiny weather, the rain must go away. Can a chant bring on this kind of power over the skies? I think not.
Caught in a downpour—without shelter—is drenching. During a recent storm, in the middle of pouring rain, I remembered…I had an umbrella…in the car.
September 25, 2014 at 9:02 am | Uncategorized
The Nobody and Somebody Everybody Knows
The Band Perry wedding
By Karen ‘Girl’ Friday
I leaned toward my husband with a revelation, “these people think we are somebody.”
A somebody event. The marriage ceremony of two somebodies of fame. My husband had the honor of officiating the wedding. As the pastor’s wife and a family friend, I was invited to attend. Although they tried to maintain privacy, word leaked to the press and on social media.
We made our way down the street to the small chapel—dressed in a tux and long gown—where a crowd had gathered outside. Fans were being kept behind police barriers marking how close they could come to the area.
I noticed a lady snapping our picture with her cell phone and soon realized many people were taking our picture with phones and cameras. The fandom wonder of, “Who are these guests arriving? Are they somebody?”
September 18, 2014 at 8:49 am | Uncategorized
Spotlight Surrender
© 2014 by Karen Friday
The beaming light was blinding. Illuminating me to the audience, but keeping me from seeing them.
Funny thing about spotlights—they are spots of light. Lighting a spot for one. The one in the spot at the time. Only so much presence can fit into a beam of light.
It’s likely we have desired to be in the presence of a person we admire or who is famous. Attending an event or performance, having our picture taken with the person, or backstage passes—as one of their fans—giving us a momentary glimpse of them. What they are like in person—up close.
Up close and personal. The platform I desire for my ministry in speaking and writing. Momentary glimpses of me through my audible voice and my writing voice—in words penned and shared.
September 11, 2014 at 9:14 am | Uncategorized