Family Trees

What do a Florida horse thief, a Dutch dressmaker who can speak seven languages, and an Austrian dairy farmer living in Brazil have in common?

Each one can be found on the family tree of the friend I had lunch with today at Fat Boys ("where the locals go"). One branch of Joy's family traces its Georgia/Florida roots back as far as the 1700s. Another vines its way back in time to pre-World War I Austria and Holland (with that detour to Brazil).

I'm emerald green with jealousy. Sure, my mom's paternal ancestors go in a straight trunkline back to the late 1700s in Ohio. But I'm not sure how they got there or where they came from. And what about their wives' ancestors? They are lost in the mists of history.

My kids know that one of their dad's Irish ancestors probably married a shipwrecked sailor from the Spanish Armada. There's also a chance they have a drop or two of Native American blood. But my husband's genealogical record is even more sparse than mine.

So, yes! I'm envious that my friend has treasured keepsakes from her Dutch dressmaker maternal ancestor.

And I'm thinking I want to learn more about this woman's long-ago life. Her intriguing "fact" may inspire fascinating fiction.

And I'm thinking it's past time to seek out the mysterious women in my own family tree.

Quotable Quotes

A child's hand in yours -- what tenderness and power it arouses.

You are instantly the very touchstone of wisdom and strength.

Marjorie Holmes


Line by line, moment by moment,
special times are etched into our memories in the permanent ink
of everlasting love in our relationships.

Gloria Gaither

Motivating Weaver or Weaving Motivator? Who am I?

I'm a Motivator and a Weaver.

I'm not sure exactly what that means.

You can find out the role you were born to play by taking the fun and easy Strong Life Test for Women.

Several women I know who took the quiz came up with results that fit them to a tee.

And, in a way, so did I. As a Motivator, I'm naturally optimistic and can step into a leadership vacuum. As a Weaver, I'm genuinely curious and trust my friends.

But the rest of the story is that these are people-oriented roles. And I'm an introspective introvert who spends long hours either reading a book or writing (rewriting) one. How do these roles fit into my mostly stay-at-home-with-only-the-dog-for-company life?

So I did the natural thing -- I got on my local library's website and requested Find Your Strongest Life: What the Happiest and Most Successful Women Do Differently by Marcus Buckingham. Still waiting for the call to go pick it up.

Special thanks to social media expert Laura Christianson, Blogging Bistro, for showcasing the quiz.

Late Bloomers

My priority project with the most priority? One more revision of what I hope will be my debut novel. I also hope, as a mom old enough to have three adult children, it isn't too late to begin a fiction-writing career.

Though I make no claims to latent genius, I'm encouraged by Malcolm Gladwell's essay, “Late Bloomers: Why Do We Equate Genius with Precocity?” We may think that creative genius “requires the freshness and exuberance and energy of youth,” but that's not necessarily true.

Prodigies are conceptual, says economist David Galenson, “in the sense that they start with a clear idea of where they want to go, and then they execute it.” Late bloomers take more of an experimental approach, “revising and despairing and changing course” on the long journey to recognition and acclaim.

I'm not sure that the reasons are always as complex as Twain's and Cezanne's experiences indicate. I probably could have written that debut novel in an earlier season of my life. But at what cost to my family? After all, I was already juggling a full-time job and, for several years, working toward a graduate degree.

Just another reason the empty nest days are dazzlin' days -- late bloomers we may be, but our blossoms can be just as lovely!

Help! The Year Has Started Without Me!

Like a lot of my other ambitious, motivated, and introspective fellow sojourners, I spent the days leading into 2010 resolving resolutions, gathering goals, and pondering passions. Before baby new year took it's first toddling steps, I had pretty much prioritized my projects and pursuits.

But our home-from-college son was still hanging out, or at least sleeping (sometimes till noon), at home so I couldn't get too serious about getting back on track.

Then the day after Nate flew back to his Oklahoma campus, I packed up my laptop, books, novel manuscript, cross-stitch project, and clothes and drove to Tampa. The next morning, our daughter had surgery. Somebody (me!) had to give her and her husband a helping hand with their two energetic boys.

I'm still here, a week after her surgery, changing diapers, giving kisses before naps, reading bedtime stories. (And, yes, I'm also unloading and loading the dishwasher, folding laundry, and sweeping the floor.)

I may not have jumped into 2010 with zeal and purpose. But a couple of nights I stayed up way past my bedtime and listened to Nate talk about college classes and friends. And now I'm spending quantity time (a healthy mix of chaos and peace) with my grandboys and their parents.

January speeds by while even my priority projects languish. So be it.

Next week I'll be home, back to a routine, back to my beloved grindstone.

And missing Nate coming in late.

And missing Jeremy's ceaseless questions.

And missing Jedidiah's impish baby grin.

New Year's Resolutions -- For Keeps

The first week of a new year is a great time to curl up in your favorite chair with How to Reach Your Full Potential for God by Dr. Charles F. Stanley. His seven essentials provide a compelling framework for those of us who can’t resist the urge to make resolutions. The book’s path to healthy hearts, minds, and bodies is paved with spiritual insights and practical suggestions.

For example, Essential #1: A Clean Heart encourages us to set our hearts toward purity. In this chapter, Dr. Stanley discusses the power of daily abiding in Scripture and God’s call for “us to actively and intentionally yield our entire selves to His will on a day-to-day basis.” Essential #4: A Healthy Body presents practical advice on sleep, nutrition, and exercise. Other essentials discuss such topics as relationships, scheduling, and taking risks.

The motivational book provides a Godly foundation for this year’s resolutions. The prayerful resolve to improve oneself and grow spiritually within the seven essentials may prove stronger than the making of isolated, easy-to-make/easy-to-break goals. May this be the year to live the book’s subtitle: “Never Settle for Less than His Best.”

(NOTE: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson, Inc.)

Passionate Pursuits

Goals The word hangs in the air, casting its long shadow across the falling grains of sand in Time's hourglass, a pall over our good intentions. To join in the New Year's emphasis on resolutions, I wrote this poetic treatise.

Goals: A Poem

Make 'em.

Break 'em.

Actually, I make goals every year. Sometimes I even keep them.

Sometimes I go beyond them.

Passionate Pursuits A couple of days ago, I found a list of 24 potential hobbies and interests from July 2005. A few I've already embraced or accomplished. Some no longer interest me.

Two intrigued me -- one of those aha kind of moments. So in 2010, I'm going to:

• learn how to operate that expensive camera we bought for our daughter's wedding two years ago;
• participate in Florida's State Forest Trailwalker Program.

Goals guide us.

Passionate pursuits propel us.

You've been thinking about goals. Now think about your passions. What are you pursuing this year?