Will You Be My Hodgepodge?

Hello to you on this beautiful Wednesday morning! Welcome to the Wednesday Hodgepodge. It is hosted each week by Joyce, who would love to have you click on the link and stop by for a visit. You will notice a bit of an 'engagement' theme today, and that's because Joyce's D1 got engaged last Thursday! They had a big weekend of celebration, and I'm just guessing we might be hearing a little bit about the wedding plans as they unfold. :) Her D1 is the one who designed my snazzy new blog header. She's talented and engaged! I'm sending congratulations to Shannon and her fiancé, and their families, as they enjoy the excitement of this special time.

Now, it's time to get started on the HP questions:

1. April 22nd is Earth Day. Are you inspired by nature? In what way?

I am inspired by nature every day. The beautiful beach on Grand Cayman is an inspiration every single time. It is a big, big God who creates this big, beautiful world.

I am inspired by the mountains of Fondwa, Haiti. The beauty of the mountains is matched by the beauty of her people.

The majesty of the Rocky Mountians.

The summer sky over the lake. As my brother says, "that's God showing off." 
And loving us with a power and beauty that takes your breath away.

The colors of fall.

The crisp beauty of a winter day. Over and over again. :)

A sunrise over the farm, that inspires me to stop and give thanks for new mercies each morning.

Another morning photo, snapped with my phone when I backed out of my garage to see this. God is good.

God is present in the big things and the small, the majestic and the minute. He is with us in the light of a fresh sunrise, and in the sunset in the rear view. God is with us.

2. Down to earth, four corners of the earth, move heaven and earth, not have an earthly chance, or salt of the earth...which earthly idiom have you most recently encountered? Explain.

I'm beginning to think there's not an earthly chance that we'll get our dishwasher fixed. See number 4 below.

3. Share one piece of advice you might give a newly engaged couple.

I wrote a post in honor of our 30th wedding anniversary with some of the things 30 years of marriage had taught us. Here is part of the post:

Even after 30 years, I don't come close to being an expert on marriage. Jim and I put a little list together with a few things we have learned in 30 years:

• don't sweat the small stuff (and really, it's mostly all small stuff)
• don't keep score
• do appreciate your spouse
• do try to react with laughter, not anger
• the choice between being happy and being angry is yours - you are responsible for your own happiness
• count your blessings
• remember to have fun
• cherish each moment (before you know it, 30 years have passed!)

I read a quote in Reader's Digest today by comedian Cathy Ladman that said, "Marriage is very difficult. It's like a 5,000-piece jigsaw puzzle, all sky."

You can say that again!

• To this list I would add pray. A lot.

4. When did you last engage someone to perform a job, task, service, home repair, or improvement? On a scale of 1-10 (ten being the best) how would you rate their work and/or your satisfaction with the job or service provided?

Well, we have had a repair man come to work on the dishwasher several times now. We still have to do this to get it to stay closed during the cycle. So I would have to say not satisfied. Is that a 1?

5. When did you last find yourself engaged in small talk? Are you awkward or an expert or somewhere in between?

I guess it would be at the baby shower on Saturday. We were among friends, though, so it was more like 'catching up' than making small talk.

6.  What was the last historic place you visited?

Truman's Little White House,

and Ernest Hemingway's house, both on Key West when we went cruising in February.

7. The world would be a better place if we just__would act a little kinder than necessary__.

I borrowed this answer from one of my favorite books, Wonder, by R.J. Palacio. If you haven't read it, you should. So good. The entire quote is below. I think it is one of the best rules to aspire to follow. Be. Kind.

“If every person in this room made it a rule that wherever you are, whenever you can, you wil try to act a little kinder than is necessary - the world really would be a better place. And if you do this, if you act just a little kinder than is necessary, someone else, somewhere, someday, may recognize in you, in every single one of you, the face of God.” 
― R.J. Palacio, Wonder

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

JJ Heller is one of my favorite musical artists. She has a new song, with an adorable new video featuring her two little girls. The song is called I Dream of You. It is just right for moms of newborns and newly engaged, and moms who   dream of little ones, and in-between ones, and all grown up ones.

Wherever you go, I want you to know

When I dream, I dream of you.