Mis Escritos Y Pensamientos

The scenery was beautiful as we drove along the Ohio River. Tree covered bluffs lined part of the area, while grassy fields covered the rest. Several expensive looking homes were viewed, as well as some plantations.

We passed one older plantation. While we were driving by we looked at it and noticed out back, the old slave quarters. It is not too uncommon to find such places, as many plantations dating back to before the Civil War are still in existence. I, myself, have seen several old plantations including house, fields, barns, slave quarters, outdoor kitchens, and so forth. So, it wasn’t that which got me to thinking.

Before the Civil War, Kentucky was a slave state. As everyone who knows their United States History knows, some states deemed it legal to own slaves, while other states did not. These “Free States” were safe havens for many years if a slave could escape to them. Traffic on the Underground railroad was especially heavy in those border states, ones that touched the Free States. As I reviewed my history lessons in my mind, I realized that, while Kentucky was a Slave State, Indiana was a Free State.

When I looked to my left, I could see a place where the slaves were kept, but when I turned my head to the right, I saw Indiana. Whoever lived in that slave dwelling was able to step out of their door every morning and see freedom right in front of them.

I don’t know the actual story of the person or persons who lived in that small building, but I did begin to wonder. What did they think, living their lives as slaves, seeing freedom right in front of them every day? Did they try to reach freedom? Were they content with being where they were? Was it agonizing for them to be so close, but not there?

Even now, we are faced with the exact same situation. Humans are slaves, Jesus says this in John chapter 8, “...everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin.” Romans 3:23 reminds us that “All have sinned...” So, everyone is a slave. Thankfully, there is freedom from this slavery, and it’s right before our eyes. Jesus said that, “The truth will set you free.” What is this truth? It’s the truth that Jesus’ blood covers our sin, and He extends His grace to us, to offer us freedom from sin.

Yet, there is a problem. So many people are living as slaves in a cramped area. Freedom is right in front of their eyes. Some people see it, wishing that they could get there, but never believing that it is possible, even though a way has already been made. Others try to reach that freedom, but they do it on their own. Jesus said, “No one comes to the Father, except by Me.” We can’t reach freedom on our own. Even worse is the fact that many people convince themselves that they are content with where they are. They don’t realize the beauty of freedom. Instead, they settle for enslavement, when the joys of freedom are right before them.

Freedom is right in front of you. Don’t let it just fill your eyes, be free.

Ok, so it's been a while since I wrote, I know. That's ok, because I've actually written, just not here. Goodness, I've been writing and writing like crazy it seems, and there's even more to be done. The good news is....I finished my novel!!! Finally, after starting it in November, I finished! I can't remember the exact amount now, but I think that there were around 67,000 words or so. Whew...I'm glad that's done, because November is fast approaching. Many have asked if I will NANOWRIMO again, and the answer is, "Yes!" I have so much to write, and I work better with deadlines.

So, what else is going through my mind today? Well, I keep thinking about Kanye West. Yes, he was stupid, but I think people are being a little harsh about it. I mean, hundreds of people do much meaner things every day, and they don't get bashed like that. What do you think? Are people being too harsh?

I have a disease. At least I think I do. See it seems that every time something new in my life happens, I need to compartmentalize and commemorate said event by sharing it with you in a new blog. I know, I have about 7 of them now, although I only update this one and my Facebook; however, I am starting another new blog. I will still write here, because it's a great place for randimosity and no need for correct grammar. My new blog is all about my new adventures of being a housewife, so check it out. Some of the posts there will be the same as some on here, but not all of them. So, check it out, ask me questions, comment on my many mistakes that are sure to come. Check it out here.

I wasn't completely surprised when I glanced at the time and saw that it was already 10 a.m. Since doctors recommend 8-10 hours of sleep, I have no guilt about sleeping until 10 when I don't go to sleep until 2 in the morning. An unusually warm apartment keeps my awake, as well as a new environment. Finally I got out of bed, showered and headed to the kitchen. In my fridge I knew there was a wonderful treasure. (No, I am not speaking about pickles, although, they too are a wonderful treasure.) I am referring to the tomatoes that were supposed to go home with my parents, but got left here instead. Aahhh...what a great sacrifice they made for me. I had bacon in the bottom drawer and a new toaster to try out. After several minutes, and a few near catastrophes with a couple of ornery eggs, my husband and I sat down to a wonderful brunch. The poor boy had never been introduced to such a lovely meals as bacon, egg, tomato and cheese on toast. He's lucky he married me.

Then it was off to work. My apartment was still a mess, and I had to get motivated to get things done. Luckily I learned some time in the past year that I am very goal oriented. I need to set an attainable goal, and then I feel satisfaction in seeing thing completed. I wrote down the name of each room in my house on a separate sheet of paper (eg: kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, etc...), and then drew them out randomly. I couldn't do anything in the next room until I finished the room I was on. It worked like a charm. I finished three rooms in one day! Of course, I still don't have any clothes unpacked (the darn bedroom paper must have stuck to the bottom).

Soon the temperature began to rise again. I watched as the thermometer snuck to the upper 80's. Remembering my plight with the pickles, this day I reverted to a new means of keeping cool. It was definitely one of the highlights of my day. I pulled my frozen bananas out of the fridge. They were delightful, just the thing that I needed. I even shared one with Bert. (He had never had a frozen banana. He sure is getting cultured living with me, the brave soul.) Now, there are some things that you should perhaps know about frozen bananas. Obviously, they are cold, so I will not go over that. However, the best way to freeze them is to cut them in half, not long ways, just across the middle. Then, stick them on a fork, this way you can eat them like a popsicle, but they are so much better for you! Also, and this is of the utmost importance...make sure you peel them before you freeze them! I have learned this lesson from the wisdom of others, thank you for teaching me from your mistakes.

As I unloaded the groceries, trying to find a spot for each item, and crying at the same time, I realized that things will never be the same again. Don't take my crying as a sign that I am living a miserable life. That's not true. It was more of all of the emotion from the last month finally welling to the top of my head and spilling out of my eyes. Day Camp seems ages ago, then there was the wedding, honeymoon, and the saying goodbyes and moving. I had been so busy through it all, that I keep forgetting that I turned 24 in the midst of all of that. Sheesh.

The long awaited (and dreaded) Thursday finally arrived. We left with all of our stuff, and Bert's car packed into two trailers. It took us 8 hours to get to Clarksville, and when we got here, I was a little miffed to discover that we couldn't get into the apartment for another couple of hours. Finally, we got in, as well as getting all of our stuff in. I had no idea I had so many books. I think there are still 7 or more boxes of just my books that are packed away.

It was amazing to have family here for the first couple of days to helps us move furniture, hang things, and wash and wash all kinds of new dishes and kitchen appliances. Oh, my kitchen...I doubt this "quaint" kitchen has ever been packed so tightly. There was hardly any room for any food. So, when we hit the checkout line at Wal-Mart, and gazed into the overflowing cart, I realized that it would take a miracle to fit it all into my kitchen. That is indeed what happened. After some more crying (see aforementioned disclaimer above) I opened up a cabinet next to my refrigerator. It was like finding a 20 dollar bill on the ground. It was completely empty. Quickly I grabbed the bag of potatoes and onions and threw them in.

Apartments have their own personalities. Ours has several little quirks, which I can live with, but the one that annoys me the most (at least at this moment) is the "air conditioning." First of all, in my opinion, there is no need for it to be 7 p.m. and it still over 90 degrees outside. That is just absurd. Our little brick apartment likes the sun. It likes it a lot, and as it passes over our roof and onto the west side, my living room gets warmer and warmer. I took a nap on my couch today, surviving the warmth with our new fan blowing on me, when about an hour later, the warm room woke me up. After making sufficient complaints to my husband, and inwardly pronouncing curses on the evil ball of burning gas in the sky, I headed to the refrigerator. What I needed was something cool and refreshing. I had the perfect solution to my conundrum. I headed to the fridge and got out one of my favorite new items. It's a wonderful invention from the Tupperware company. You open the lid, pull on the handle, and walla! crisp, cold pickles come out. I love pickles. I have every since I was little, and my parents let me drink the juice from the jar when the pickles were gone. I grabbed the container and headed back to the couch. Before I knew it, I had eaten six baby dills. I watched my husband as he sat across from me, wondering how many I could eat before he took them away from me like had had done the day before. For some reason, he has this notion that I should not eat a jar of pickles a day. I agree...that is unless the AC is not working.

I love to cook and bake. I prefer cooking over baking, except for making homemade bread. So, I thought I would spend some time talking about one of my favorite past times.

First - Obviously there are a few cake mix cookie recipes out there. I believe that the one I have is by far the easiest way to make cookies, so here we go..



You need:
1 Box Lemon Cake Mix
1 Container of Koolwhip
Lemon Juice
Powdered Sugar

What to do:
Pour the cake mix in a bowl, and mix it with the container of koolwhip until it is dough like. Then add about two drops of lemon juice and mix. Add more drops if you want more lemon flavor. After everything is mixed up, roll the dough into balls about an inch and a half in diameter, then roll in the powdered sugar until it is coated. Place on a cookie sheet and in the oven at 35oF until the bottom is starting to turn brown.

Wa La! Yummy Lemon Cookies!

Next time, I'll talk about my current favorite main course.

Have you ever felt like you were on a road to nowhere. This was a common feeling in my family. As we were growing up we would often get in the car and "go for a drive." The phrase I remember hearing the most came from my dad. "I wonder where that road goes." So, down the road we would go...off to discover the path on which it would lead us. Sometimes, after endless turns and hills, it would feel as if we were actually on a road to nowhere.

It seems, at times, that my paths in life are really just roads to nowhere. Sure, God might have directed, "Take this road," but as I've gone over hills and around corners, always expecting the destination to be right there, it begins to appear that I'm really on the road to nowhere. Confusion sets in, and I begin to question God.

"Why am I on this road? I'm just wasting time. Where is the end? Am I there yet?"

A few days ago, I spent some time traveling up and down dirt roads. I was with a disaster relief team, looking for people in need of assistance after a tornado had touched down the week before. The day had been a long one, and as we turned down one of those other "roads to nowhere" my mind turned to heading home. Again we saw the telltale signs of the damage left behind by the tornado. We passed a house with a large tree down in the yard and a man sitting on his front porch. Turning around, we pulled into the driveway and introduced ourselves. The man's name was Dennis.

Dennis had been home in his basement when the tornado had hit. He had been there with family members, and even though his house was still standing, it was becoming increasingly evident that it had moved. Foundations were cracked, and doors didn't shut like they used to. We talked with Dennis and listened a lot. Although it had already been a week since the storm, we were reminded how disaster affects people for a long time afterwards. He was still visibly emotional. As we listened to Dennis, I prayed, while my Dad talked.

As far as we know, Dennis doesn't know Jesus. We shared with him about forgiveness and how God loves him. When we handed him a Bible and a tract, he shared that he wasn't much of a reader. I looked back as we pulled out of the driveway, and watched as Dennis picked up the Bible and tract we had left and was beginning to look at them.

This road to nowhere had actually led us to somewhere, or should I say, someone. We weren't expecting to meet Dennis that day, but God led us to him. So, when it seems like you are on a road to nowhere, just keep going. If God has put you on that path, there is a reason for it. It may seem like a road to nowhere, but there is a destination to be reached, and just maybe, a Dennis to share with.