MY BLOG POSTS

A couple days ago, a fellow English teacher came across the letters “YOLO” on a paper. She didn’t know what it stood for.

I did.

That’s right. I know the lingo. I was pretty proud of myself. So I thought I’d blog about it.

Because bragging about being cool is SUPER cool.

And I am cool like that.

The Princess Bride is one of my favorite movies (though, of course, the book is better!).

And like all my favorite movies, lines from it have made their way into my life. My kids love the “No more rhyming and I mean it…” “Anybody want a peanut?” and “Hello, my name is Inigo Montoya. You kill my father. Prepare to die.” lines. And so do I. But the line above is the one that I thought of almost everyday when I was writing First Date.

For those of you who don’t know this movie (I am gasping in horror at the thought), let me set up the scene: Wesley (above) is telling Buttercup, the love of his life, how he survived being captured by the Dread Pirate Roberts. Roberts was known to leave no prisoner alive (hence the “Dread”). But when he captured Wesley, he allowed the younger man to work on the ship. But every night, he would say to him, “Good night. Sleep well. I’ll most likely kill you in the morning.” He never killed Wesley, though, and after a few years, he told him a secret.

You’ll have to watch the movie to find out what it is, though. That part isn’t pertinent to my story and, seriously, if you are reading this and haven’t seen it, that is now your summer movie assignment. I expect a report on my desk no later than August 1.

Anyway, it was the summer of 2009 and I was taking my now-retired laptop into my public library to write First Date. Every day I would pull into the library and that line would pop into my head. Except instead of “I’ll most likely kill you in the morning,” I was thinking, “I’ll most likely run out of ideas in the morning.”

But every day, God gave me new ideas. Until I had a whole book.

And that’s my Princess Bride story.

What about you? Do you have a Princess Bride story? Favorite lines? Comment away. Please!

“Don’t change.”

I saw this line – or something like it — over and over in my students’ and my kids’ yearbooks. And while I understand the sentiment, I don’t like it.

Why?

Because we should be changing. All the time. I cringe to think what I would be like if I hadn’t changed since high school. Big hair, big mouth, I was constantly seeking attention, always thinking about myself. I still struggle with self-centeredness. I think I always will. But God has helped me grow in that area, to think more about others and less about me, to make pleasing Him my priority and not be so concerned with pleasing others.

Admittedly, some people change for the worse. Some folks who used to be kind and gentle become bitter and jaded. That’s not the kind of change I’m talking about. That kind of change results from wrong responses to difficulties faced in life. People mistreat us, circumstances don’t work out the way we think they should, and we get angry. The anger festers. We turn into the Hulk, scary and awkward, frightening people around us.

What God wants is for us to grow from the difficult times. James says “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials…” (James 1:2). He goes on to say that these trials make our faith stronger, make us more like Christ. There are several passages of Scripture that affirm this, reinforce the fact that a problem-free life isn’t our goal. That won’t make us happy. But learning to face problems on our knees, seeking God’s help, His strength, His purposes, allows us to be joyful even in the worst of times.

And these lessons take a lifetime. If I am growing in my relationship with Christ, I should be able to recognize God’s fingerprints in my soul every year, molding me and shaping me into someone who looks more and more like Him.

Change is good. Change is necessary. Change reflects maturity and growth.

So change. Please!

We are currently traveling north — into the south.

Florida might be the southernmost state, but Florida is not the south. I was born in Tennessee. That is the south. Georgia is the south. The Carolinas, Mississippi, Alabama, Kentucky — all south.

I love the south. Not that I don’t love Florida. I do. Great weather, beaches, theme parks galore. What’s not to love?

But I love our trips “back home.”  I love the hills (we don’t have those in Florida). I love the lightning bugs (don’t have those, either). I love that you can make real mud pies down here (we get sandcastles…but no mud).

I love that folks slow down, ask how you’re doing — and mean it. I love that complete strangers will wave to you from their cars at four-way stops. Not because they’re angry. Just because they’re saying hi. My New Yorker husband still can’t get over that one. I love seeing brick houses and barns and farmland with cotton and corn and soybeans.

I could go on. But I’d rather get out and enjoy my time in the south. Tell me, though, you southerners – or those who wish you were – what is it you love about the south?