A Net in Time

Curriculum and book reviews, faith, homeschooling and more!

Poetry

Proper Politeness Change

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This week I talked with our bread guy.  He comes from India and we got to talking a bit.  I mentioned to him about my son moving out in a couple of weeks.  I asked him why he moved to Canada.  And eventually we talked about family differences.  In India, families stay together.  Adult children don’t leave the family unit, the family just expands.  I suppose if I stopped to think about it a bit, someone would have to leave their birth family in order for one of the families to grow…but we didn’t get that far. 🙂  But it makes me wonder, could what be considered proper politeness does change as depends on the culture?

Proper Politeness Change

Could it be that
proper politeness does
change depending on the
culture or the situation?

For instance, I grew up Dutch,
Politeness to guests required
a house fully cleaned
before they arrived.   But many 
Canadians I find stress less
about such details. 🙂 Mind you,
as a Canadian I am one of those stress less.

I watched a video the
other day about how in
Japan, one needs to find a
fully trained replacement for
your employer before you can
leave your place of employment.
While in England, it’s hard
to get fired, there are so many
rules about how it can be done.
In either situation
it’s just not done…

For an Indian man, seeing a
child leave their family home,
is odd and feels wrong.
What about the respect to
parents and family connection?
It’s difficult to reconcile that
distance in living doesn’t equate
lack of respect or connection.

I know what I’m saying is
not all about politeness
but politeness is
one way that we show respect
for other people in our lives.

So just how do we show respect
for other people in our lives?
How do we wind our politeness into
the different cultures surrounding us?


Nurture

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this short little acrostic occurred to me as I pondered the word Nurture. 

naturally
unnoticed
raised up while
tending to
unruly
replications
encourages

nurture (text) image of small green plant held in two hands

Have you ever taken the time to notice how people nurture their underlings differently?  Whether it be parents or managers?   Some do it well and others struggle in the task.  Therefore one wonders if that is the result of the nurturing they received.  Sometimes folk don’t even see the nurturing they receive, particularly if it is well-done.  

Intentionality needs to be part of it yes?

Like for instance hubby and I are currently in a membership class.  The church is intentionally fostering a need/desire for people to become members.  Why?

To help build up the body of Christ in a manner that demands some accountability.  One can be a bench warmer or one can fulfill their duties as a believer.  Part of that starts with being an active member in a body of believers. 

This week we are talking about the creation of new believers, and then the development of faithful disciples.  One begets the other, which in turn should beget more, and so the body of believers is continually built up.    

The church often fails in this, and so this particular church is seeking to actively change that.  To change the mindset of global mission to more local mission and meeting people HERE.  Encouraging faith in a society that discourages faith in God and promotes it in food, entertainment, and frivolity.  Building faith in God in a community that doesn’t see the need because they are so distracted by everything else.

That’s my five minutes…. 

Time sometimes goes too fast and I don’t feel like I’m done talking…. so let’s see how quickly I can write just a bit more.  🙂

Nurture

Nurture isn’t just external
There is an inward part.
Particularly when it comes
to sharing one’s own heart.

To see the church of God built
up means connecting more your own
to the creator God’s throne.

Seeing his majesty.
Working hard to reflect it.
So that those around you
are inspired to
ask questions and find
answers to their own
questing hearts.
AND THEN
the church can be built.

Make your life of faith
ones the begs questions from
others. One that God’s mercy
and grace shines out of
even if under a glass dimly.

Bury Me

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Bury Me is my thought process on the word prompt provided by Miss Kate.  To read what others have to say about you’ll have to visit her.  I’ve tried to provide a nonchalant view of death since it has no long-term hold over me.  I have wishes and desires to see before I’m gone, but really, I’ve no control over it all anyways, so why be afraid? 

text bury me, image coffin and lamp

Bury Me

Bury me in the backyard,
throw me to the moon,
it doesn’t really matter
since I was dead before noon.

You see I’ve a better place
a-waiting, so it don’t matter
much.  What happens to the old
remains matters not, when I’m ready gone.

I have to admit, I wanted to
stay and see, what happens with
my boy and his girl throughout
the coming years. To see them, hopefully
come to faith in God.

Concern I had for critters,
and what happens to them,
as I don’t much want them dumped,
but safely cared for or at the very
least euthanized well.

I hate to think of the sorrow
of people left behind, but
hope that Christ’s message
is given to all who would so mourn.

I would that death not be
feared by anyone at all.
That more would see their
salvation which is held
so close at hand.

For death has no sting,
it has no victory. It’s all
been beat back by sacrifice
and God’s planning long ago.

The Lord Bless You

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The words from Numbers 6:22-27 immediately popped up into my brain as soon as I saw today’s word prompt.  I’ve heard this Aaronic blessing for most of my life at least two times a month in church services.   It doesn’t seem to pop up as much in the current church I am attending.  They use other scripture frequently to close a service.  Have you ever pondered the words of this benediction?  The Lord bless you… there’s much to consider eh? 

image of blue sky over snow covered mountains. Text: The Lord Bless You

The Lord Bless You

These words popped into my brain
the moment I saw the word
benediction.

Through a restless night of sleep
pondering the words to
The Lord bless you
and keep you;
the Lord make his face shine on you
and be gracious to you;
the Lord turn his face toward you
and give you peace

The Lord Bless You
Just who is this Lord to
whom we call upon?
We know that he is the
maker of covenants, the creator
of the world, and the one by whom
all things are held together.

The Lord Bless You
What does it mean to be blessed?
Is it a inner feeling of well-being?
A prosperity of our soul?
Or unhindered fellowship with God?
What does it mean to you if
someone says “bless you”?

defining bless you

To me it’s different if a person
says it, then if I hear God
saying it through scripture.
When I hear The Lord bless you…
it’s like I know God wants the
very best for me and He’ll be with
me to see it all through.

If a person says “bless you” I don’t
really know what they are meaning.
Are they saying “have a good day” but
just using Christianease to say it?
Or are they basically saying
“good luck” with your day? I don’t
really know what is meant and no one
has ever clearly explained when asked.

The Lord bless you.
Me… blessed!
It’s specific and yet
global at the same time.
Me, part of the people of God,
being held and watched over
by the God of the universe.

Doesn’t that fill you with amazement?
I know how much you matter to
God in part of his whole global
care of the world and his
chosen family of peoples?

What does the word
benediction stir up for you?


Longing for Connection and Purpose

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I started this post last night and then fell asleep with the laptop humming in my ear.  It’s just early afternoon now and I’ve found time to sit and finish.  My focus changed overnight so poem “my longing” changed to Longing for Connection and Purpose.   Anyways, I hope the words given me this day to write find a spot of thought in your brain today.   🙂 

Longing for connection and purpose

Longing for Connection and Purpose

Longing fills my heart
a heart weeping with need
for rest, time, and connection.

Nah, not really.

What is a longing in my life?

That’s the question I suppose.
or perhaps the question is
what is the longing
of the human soul?

Connection. To be able
to have relationship with
others in a way that works
for a given individual.

Purpose. Having a purpose
in life has saved more people
than it has not. Purpose gives
folk a reason to keep going.

The thing is, people let us down,
whether those people be external or
just ourselves. Distraction, internal
conflict, and more threaten.

For people to truly
thrive our connection and purpose
needs to be greater than ourselves.

If it isn’t, we are just
setting ourselves up for disaster.

So truly our longing is for
something greater than ourselves
to impact our lives meaningfully.

Find a way to be connected to something
more. Read God’s word. Think on it.
Focus on truth. Find others who seek
to understand God’s word to walk alongside
of, and find your longing for connection
and purpose fulfilled.

Oh baby it’s cold outside

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-19 it said on my thermometer this morning.  That’s Celcius for you non-Canadian folk.   So a touch chilly.   As I came back inside shivering I sang to my hubby “oh baby it’s cold outside”.   He agreed and then said “I don’t think I’m going to work again today.  I’m still not feeling well.”   This cold is kicking his butt and making me feel miserable.  Unlike him, I don’t get paid if I don’t go to work, he does.  So off to work I went!  🙂 

Oh baby it’s cold outside

Oh baby it’s cold outside,
and has been so for the past
two weeks. A cold that reaches down
into your bones and makes a
body shiver quickly.

It brings to life this line
from a book I recently finished,
helping me picture it well.
“She’s as sane as running
stark naked in an ice storm.”

Can you imagine how absolutely
freezing that would be? Naked?
No protection. In a cold as brutal
as these past two weeks have been?

Gives me a new line to say when
people are acting a tad insane. 🙂

Anyways, I have three piggies
that are heavily pregnant.
Wee piggies don’t do well
in extreme cold, so in the house they came.

guinea pigs indoor housing

piggies in the house

Two weeks they’ve been in
and I started threatening to
throw them outside again… and the next
day… BABIES!!!!

Two ladies had six babies between them.
Babies safe from the cold, but
not safe from genetic defect.

Brandi’s youngsters have
something not quite right
with them. So far only one of them
has a bit of a chance but not a
great one unfortunately. In the cold
it would have perished already. So
I’m glad it has a fighting chance.

But Rilla’s singleton is
running around and just starting
to make the characteristic wheek.
So I think that five day “see how
they do” will pass quickly for him.

guinea mom with baby

mystery to unravel

I love having strong healthy
babies, but enjoy the mystery of
trying to understand genetic
issues and exactly what the problem
is so I can prevent it in the future.

I can’t repeat the breeding, but
I can monitor the other sow bred
to the same boar. Hopefully
her youngsters will be strong
and healthy. And then I can hopefully
find an unrelated boar and see how
mom does with him. Help me track
down where the genetic issue lies.

And to think that if it weren’t so
very cold outside I would have
taken an educated chance and let
the ladies pup outside in their safe
and fairly warm housing. I would have
assumed that death happened from some
odd reason, or small kits due to large
litter size and not realized the
genetic situation.

Again, God at work.
Helping me know I have
some problem solving to do.
A genetic mystery to unravel,
for the benefit of my piggies.

image: genetic code text: oh baby it's cold outside

Look to the Horizon

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Miss Kate chose the word horizon for this week’s word prompt. Look to the Horizon seems apropos for the day.  One needs to keep the future in mind you know?  It’s helps a person to keep their perspective in the correct spot if you keep your eye where it should be. 

image of a beach front horizon with peach and blue in the sky. Text Look to the Horizon

Look to the Horizon

Yesterday a letter came from
friends. A circle letter we
started back in Covid times. A thing
to look forward to that, honestly,
has slacked a time or two, but always
a resurgence makes.

Anyways, a friend asked why a hard
thing was hard last year, and an
explanation made, and how now, when
the same decision is made, it is
no longer a hard thing.

You see, we’ve had a year to
look to the horizon. A goal in mind,
helped youth learn better adulting,
and so, a time to move forward
happens easier, with less stress. 
So a momma’s heart is eased and so
helpful encouragement is given quickly.

At work I struggled today, a
fall last night left me with a banged
up knee, but I – looked to the horizon –
and had a plan in place. No putting things
away that required me to go down on my
knees. I needed no additional pain.
I SO looked forward to getting off work
today, no 10 minutes working overtime. 🙂

A struggle also because, a co-worker has
been crowing about getting additional hours,
while many of us have been getting hours
cut without a boss giving any back,
except to this one dude. And I overheard
dude asking for an extra half-hour today
and getting it, and … I felt resentful.
Why does this dude get what is wanted?
Even at the expense of others?

But I need to look to the horizon.
I’ve been tired lately. Working more
hours isn’t going to help my tiredness,
and God, somehow I know this to be true,
knows what is best and I need to trust
the process and not stress about it.
No resentment, but thankfulness required.