tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31041342024-03-13T09:46:58.898-07:00JBB's MusingsJanice Bakkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18357339167153096208noreply@blogger.comBlogger791125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3104134.post-56715424353764159782023-09-23T15:53:00.000-07:002023-09-23T20:17:20.075-07:00Fall 2023<p> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJdhzVDDbvRP2V-d0zDyfuIu5RITuiH2qPlAa7B5Jsg2IcRID3Od1_L0eEMsoE5ew9zIs9UloMh0qcYHFUl1opjYxEzHlJmMunzH1293sD7KCSskNTsTtpLOh2CG8vHfwczY0Swm2WA2wEF6ib__2Tv9r3E-S34EHcVSuSPMQvqSS-no6p5CEz/s1000/Vignette%20Fall%202023%20sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="750" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJdhzVDDbvRP2V-d0zDyfuIu5RITuiH2qPlAa7B5Jsg2IcRID3Od1_L0eEMsoE5ew9zIs9UloMh0qcYHFUl1opjYxEzHlJmMunzH1293sD7KCSskNTsTtpLOh2CG8vHfwczY0Swm2WA2wEF6ib__2Tv9r3E-S34EHcVSuSPMQvqSS-no6p5CEz/s320/Vignette%20Fall%202023%20sm.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Autumnal Equinox 2023</td></tr></tbody></table></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This small bric-a-brac shelf hangs over the wood stove in the kitchen. My mother would occasionally change the decorative items displayed on it. I have started a tradition of swapping out the pieces at each change of season.</div><br /><p></p>Janice Bakkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18357339167153096208noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3104134.post-82505090887990759222022-10-23T22:32:00.008-07:002023-09-23T20:17:09.397-07:00On Knitting Season<blockquote><blockquote><p style="text-align: left;"><i>It all starts with the weather…. Through the woodsmoke season that opens all hearts’ doors into kitchen industry and soup on the stove, the signs wink at you from everywhere: sticks of kindling, brushstrokes of snow on branches–this is the whole world calling you to take up your paired swords against the coming freeze.</i></p></blockquote></blockquote><p>Barbara Kingsolver, “Where It Begins,” in Vogue Knitting, Fall 2022, page 24. </p>Janice Bakkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18357339167153096208noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3104134.post-30418327387465888852022-10-14T07:34:00.001-07:002023-09-24T12:46:38.944-07:00Editing the Final Details of One's Life<blockquote>EDITING THE FINAL DETAILS of one's life is like editing a story for the final time. It's the last shot an editor has at making corrections, the last rewrite before the roll of the presses. It's more painful than I anticipated to throw away files and paperwork that seemed critical to my survival just two weeks ago, and today, are all trash. Like the manual for the TV that broke down four years ago, and notebooks for stories that will never be written, and from former girlfriends, letters whose value will plummet the day I die. Filling wastebasket after wastebasket is a regrettable reminder that I have squandered much of my life on trivia.</blockquote><p>Jack Thomas (<a href="https://www.nextavenue.org/jack-thomas-morrie-schwartz/">Source</a>) </p>
Janice Bakkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18357339167153096208noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3104134.post-44761086247666571542022-08-09T07:49:00.001-07:002023-09-24T12:46:27.209-07:00Write in the Process of Figuring Things Out<blockquote><p> I’m still sitting on a bunch more material and drafts in that vein [what he used to write about], but the truth is I’m finding it hard to get excited about. It seems like it’s best to write about things while you’re in the process of figuring them out, because they start to feel stale by the time you’re looking back in hindsight.</p></blockquote><p><a href="https://thedeepdish.org/i-atent-dead/?nab=1">Richard Meadows</a> </p>Janice Bakkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18357339167153096208noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3104134.post-20879240201217213362021-02-13T08:00:00.001-08:002023-09-23T20:19:39.395-07:00Snowy Saturday<p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw5m5OyD-QKjWT7AW8tCP3Hv9LBK9884jbXlSosVeoUCPRhuLN407JGw2FvSrlBPOAmwL0t6nAGAL1FpAd7K7JIpNxHMgiBd4gcichgy3KsvLJYvAxZyiqHrmWiMm3CCsMN-V-xNDni077s-8uY-feeQ79HcajUjvDXma0-rCeplfQzd-KAOWx/s1527/2021-0213-Barn-Snow-Trees.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1180" data-original-width="1527" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw5m5OyD-QKjWT7AW8tCP3Hv9LBK9884jbXlSosVeoUCPRhuLN407JGw2FvSrlBPOAmwL0t6nAGAL1FpAd7K7JIpNxHMgiBd4gcichgy3KsvLJYvAxZyiqHrmWiMm3CCsMN-V-xNDni077s-8uY-feeQ79HcajUjvDXma0-rCeplfQzd-KAOWx/s320/2021-0213-Barn-Snow-Trees.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Barn and Cedar Trees In Snow</td></tr></tbody></table><br /> </p>Janice Bakkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18357339167153096208noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3104134.post-87647181321528913992021-01-31T10:00:00.001-08:002023-09-23T20:19:21.607-07:00Morning Sun<p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpKTI2rRdCn5zeedtiYGoG-CNrd6F0PUOBXwW3t0l8yhpE9yPHivA0G-dzROMraleROP7j8f6TabUcEh8kE0_yQCUPb5F1eHzorKEK4o__IDok6JKdMpbCbKnn1clJxYMbfIog5FXzrrymNYLgh3zfE4walWCl9EayLZLHrpUc6VXXPSqlFqc9/s1509/Queen-in-the-sun_copy_1509x1209.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1209" data-original-width="1509" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpKTI2rRdCn5zeedtiYGoG-CNrd6F0PUOBXwW3t0l8yhpE9yPHivA0G-dzROMraleROP7j8f6TabUcEh8kE0_yQCUPb5F1eHzorKEK4o__IDok6JKdMpbCbKnn1clJxYMbfIog5FXzrrymNYLgh3zfE4walWCl9EayLZLHrpUc6VXXPSqlFqc9/s320/Queen-in-the-sun_copy_1509x1209.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beautiful Queen soaking up the sliver of winter sun that makes it over the cedar trees.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /> </p>Janice Bakkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18357339167153096208noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3104134.post-88806775490079662262020-09-07T20:05:00.001-07:002023-09-23T20:19:06.093-07:00Deep<blockquote><p> Superficiality is the curse of our age. The doctrine of instant satisfaction is a primary spiritual problem. The desperate need today is not for a greater number of intelligent people, or gifted people, but for deep people.</p></blockquote><p>Richard J. Foster in <i>Celebration of Discipline</i>, 1978. </p>Janice Bakkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18357339167153096208noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3104134.post-79757882854806273292020-09-06T09:00:00.001-07:002023-09-23T20:18:55.960-07:00Tollef<p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtrTnD2V6_rqR_Vnmy-Wa20kMtrRNz3G95GwcxDMMwhZ96UO227KAeI6q8zvyfMMcDhqkX6yDc8geyhRLgGDMFWJr7mv99a1VVpfWyMbw1B6rEMu4EMDDZ3HmUvLTTRWqh_nZLJHIxF8SxScpmdJYI1NlnxPvIW894XIXB4A5_Vw4WJRaGye-5/s1095/Tollef-20-weeks_copy_949x1095.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1095" data-original-width="949" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtrTnD2V6_rqR_Vnmy-Wa20kMtrRNz3G95GwcxDMMwhZ96UO227KAeI6q8zvyfMMcDhqkX6yDc8geyhRLgGDMFWJr7mv99a1VVpfWyMbw1B6rEMu4EMDDZ3HmUvLTTRWqh_nZLJHIxF8SxScpmdJYI1NlnxPvIW894XIXB4A5_Vw4WJRaGye-5/s320/Tollef-20-weeks_copy_949x1095.jpg" width="277" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tollef - 20 weeks old</td></tr></tbody></table><br /> </p>Janice Bakkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18357339167153096208noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3104134.post-91867686587939256862020-07-16T18:35:00.001-07:002023-09-23T20:16:43.822-07:00Shasta Daisies<p> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSr-jqH4s80qJ8g-LSAjK664pToais9-hu7XoYiyTAtRVbEUY90auhyvmVBHzE7WQbgat0vOvs6AYAsHbUTNRIcDO8rDpUN4si2-t48Uj7Tg3plUTrlo5BAmnlPM0Yt-9MD_IZkZp7lO1ZGnbxtydRjt-We3hY0F2oht1lugq9sz7p7YkwkYQO/s1024/Daisies-in-morning.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="768" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSr-jqH4s80qJ8g-LSAjK664pToais9-hu7XoYiyTAtRVbEUY90auhyvmVBHzE7WQbgat0vOvs6AYAsHbUTNRIcDO8rDpUN4si2-t48Uj7Tg3plUTrlo5BAmnlPM0Yt-9MD_IZkZp7lO1ZGnbxtydRjt-We3hY0F2oht1lugq9sz7p7YkwkYQO/s320/Daisies-in-morning.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Early morning sunshine</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></p>Janice Bakkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18357339167153096208noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3104134.post-50770404532519450672020-07-07T18:31:00.001-07:002023-09-23T20:16:03.510-07:00Queen<p> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeAYaPeIzY65tGqTz0VKOLNdg2SmIaZePQmQDlh5oGMuA7_9u40_bSmlcwrRd_lj9YqtmRgONGO20pINRyCs-VrU6SB3hzGfU8j0X8J-L_xgSHD8Si8F2HnfIQE1mZJEGXGSmylS2zAz7ig2sbC6mKF-k2sykVMl6sQKt-avRl124rqb2t5Bm2/s1080/img_0093.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeAYaPeIzY65tGqTz0VKOLNdg2SmIaZePQmQDlh5oGMuA7_9u40_bSmlcwrRd_lj9YqtmRgONGO20pINRyCs-VrU6SB3hzGfU8j0X8J-L_xgSHD8Si8F2HnfIQE1mZJEGXGSmylS2zAz7ig2sbC6mKF-k2sykVMl6sQKt-avRl124rqb2t5Bm2/s320/img_0093.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beautiful Queen</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></p>Janice Bakkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18357339167153096208noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3104134.post-49308769305394876702016-01-27T20:32:00.005-08:002023-09-23T19:57:01.034-07:00The Blog is Moving......to its very own domain at <a href="http://janicebakke.com/">JaniceBakke.com</a>! [Currently under re-construction / re-homing after the webhosting fees increased by 41% in one month.]<br />
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Janice Bakkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18357339167153096208noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3104134.post-39452953904872837692015-09-01T18:10:00.000-07:002015-09-01T18:10:24.469-07:00Layers and Signs<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVBAJTxC9aL5hKOvaLJTFtpgkns1t0bnK5TZvWGu6PIMEVDId0tzNbPjg3DlS6524Xm_OyhhOLTaGfQKI91Xsa8RgEVmXMBF3yFZvfnSiBjiblPdC9YtNBkFgPUgaHqn6nEifw/s1600/Layers_2015-09-01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="328" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVBAJTxC9aL5hKOvaLJTFtpgkns1t0bnK5TZvWGu6PIMEVDId0tzNbPjg3DlS6524Xm_OyhhOLTaGfQKI91Xsa8RgEVmXMBF3yFZvfnSiBjiblPdC9YtNBkFgPUgaHqn6nEifw/s400/Layers_2015-09-01.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
September 1st is a good day to write a blog post. <a href="http://jbbsmusings.blogspot.com/2006/09/first-day-well-i-am-sitting-in-front-of.html">Nine years ago today</a> was the first day after I left my corporate job.<br />
<br />
September 2015 is a portentous month, ending with the <a href="http://earthsky.org/tonight/total-lunar-eclipse-blood-moon-hunters-moon-september-27-28-2015">eclipse of the Super Blood Moon</a>. The Fall Holy Days begin.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>The creation waits with eager longing....</i></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<i> </i></div>
Janice Bakkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18357339167153096208noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3104134.post-48528721133166798882015-01-04T20:08:00.000-08:002015-01-04T20:08:28.124-08:00Correction - One Word 2015<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkJLpyCFBpYCikFkydfHLFiS1Ld7rHN5FgF3vg8rD8KPo0HkCMjp_0YsSUxo5fpv1M2M1y-tegjjucSRs_SSpeFWNmY1IAjXrylAcA3BOiBtYiQTLuTBp75QX1Frj4H8zSGVBw/s1600/OneWord2015+Correction.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkJLpyCFBpYCikFkydfHLFiS1Ld7rHN5FgF3vg8rD8KPo0HkCMjp_0YsSUxo5fpv1M2M1y-tegjjucSRs_SSpeFWNmY1IAjXrylAcA3BOiBtYiQTLuTBp75QX1Frj4H8zSGVBw/s1600/OneWord2015+Correction.png" height="400" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">#OneWord365 - CORRECTION</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span id="goog_1590293802"></span><span id="goog_1590293803"></span><br />
It strikes me as an ugly word, a word that emphasizes something is wrong, something is bad: CORRECTION. Not an inspirational affirmation.<br />
<br />
But, the lessons and messages keep coming. This NEEDS to be, this MUST be, my OneWord this year. (See <a href="http://jbbsmusings.blogspot.com/2014/01/deliverance-one-word-2014.html" target="">2014</a> and <a href="http://jbbsmusings.blogspot.com/2013/01/transparent-2013-one-word.html" target="">2013</a>.)<br />
<br />
Two positive messages confirmed the word for me today.<br />
<br />
First, Semicolon's post, "<a href="http://www.semicolonblog.com/?p=22735" target="_blank">50 Facts and Links for Psalm 119 - Semicolon</a>," and her quote in fact no. 34:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
“Blaise Pascal, the brilliant French philosopher and devout Christian,
loved Psalm 119. He is another person who memorized it, and he called
verse 59 ‘the turning point of man’s character and destiny.’ He meant
that it is vital for every person to consider his or her ways,
understand that our ways are destructive and will lead us to
destruction, and then make an about-face and determine to go in God’s
ways instead.” (Boice) </blockquote>
So, I look up Psalm 119:59 in various translations, to see which one I should adopt and memorize for this OneWord. Oh, no! A text critical note! Is it "my" or "your" ways? Rabbit hole! Rabbit hole!<br />
<br />
For today, I will quote the New International Version (NIV) and do the text criticism research later. But NOT NOW. Now, the task is to DO.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b>I have considered my ways and have turned my steps to your statutes.</b> Psalm 119:59</blockquote>
The second positive message came from the first definition listed in the online Merriam-Webster <span id="goog_1590293768"></span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/">dictionary entry<span id="goog_1590293769"></span></a>:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b>a change that makes something right, true, accurate, etc. </b></blockquote>
The emphasis is on what is changed, not the original error. Of course, the error, the sin, has to be pointed out and dealt with, that is, CHANGED.<br />
<br />
And that is the message of HOPE. Change to the right way is possible. Correction is grace.<br />
<br />
So, yes, I want to jump straight to the "right, true, accurate" part. But, I recognize (if not happily) that it must be a process--yes, agonizing--and a re-training. <br />
<br />
***********<br />
Next decision: what "pretty picture" to select for such a stern sounding word? What symbolizes the right way, God's way, towards which I need to turn, direct my steps?<br />
<br />
This year, I was gifted with egg-laying hens. I didn't ask for them. THEY CAME TO ME. First two, then one more, and then another two. Five hens. And they lay the most exquisite, incredible eggs.<br />
<br />
Beautiful in shape and color. A miracle food. Uncontaminated raw egg yolks that can be ingested for healing nutrition.<br />
<br />
God's design for hens. God's provision of a perfect food.<br />
<br />
So, yes, examine my errors, my life of sin. Go through the deep regret, embarrassment, shame, sorrow. Make restitution. Pay the debts. Turn. Repent. Do an about-face to the RIGHT WAY.<br />
<br />
Everyday. Just like a hen offers an egg everyday. Not just once and done. But each new day.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://oneword365.com/">OneWord365.com</a> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.694894750533400.1073741826.321637461192466&type=1" target="_blank">#OneWord365</a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Janice Bakkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18357339167153096208noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3104134.post-70498093946704361282014-03-22T18:28:00.000-07:002014-03-22T18:28:42.138-07:00J.R.R. Tolkien on DeliveranceI don't get the full understanding of this quote, but it speaks of deliverance, so I will record it here, via Sarah Clarkson at <span id="goog_1553891427"></span><span id="goog_1553891428"></span><a href="http://www.thoroughlyalive.com/heroes/" target="_blank">Thoroughly Alive</a>.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Eucatastrophe is a sudden and miraculous grace: never to be counted on to recur. <b>It does not deny the existence of catastrophe, of sorrow and failure: the possibility of these is necessary to the joy of deliverance</b>; it denies (in the face of much evidence, if you will) universal final defeat and in so far is evangelium, giving a fleeting glimpse of Joy, Joy beyond the walls of the world poignant as grief. ~ J.R.R. Tolkien (emphasis added)</blockquote>
Janice Bakkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18357339167153096208noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3104134.post-15484660727305188292014-01-01T19:24:00.004-08:002014-01-01T19:24:55.562-08:00Deliverance - One Word 2014<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrUu4bOYo3TKo17E9KAdN30JAeHA_kINamgClsW5_wkQ1UdK7AJY5yfihm2szEYh-c-QdI-nXF2QC9FmSuwsW5FL9Em5RcY9Fj8ef-b0yidQGbetVC88Sx5CcIjhsulJMgZ5Qf/s1600/Deliverance_OneWord365.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrUu4bOYo3TKo17E9KAdN30JAeHA_kINamgClsW5_wkQ1UdK7AJY5yfihm2szEYh-c-QdI-nXF2QC9FmSuwsW5FL9Em5RcY9Fj8ef-b0yidQGbetVC88Sx5CcIjhsulJMgZ5Qf/s400/Deliverance_OneWord365.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Deliverance - #OneWord365</td></tr>
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Such a rush of earnest longing to make January 1 significant, to set the intention for another year--even if it is only the civic year.<br />
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So, I begin by posting <i>Deliverance</i> as my <a href="http://oneword365.com/" target="_blank">OneWord365</a> for 2014.Janice Bakkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18357339167153096208noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3104134.post-52104230060329918172013-11-06T19:58:00.002-08:002020-10-27T21:59:08.220-07:00Living a Beautiful Life<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qDQ7kNFf7uk/UnsHhcfIT-I/AAAAAAAAAhc/cgbrXeiWua0/s1600/IMG_7394.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qDQ7kNFf7uk/UnsHhcfIT-I/AAAAAAAAAhc/cgbrXeiWua0/s1600/IMG_7394.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Desk and Planner</td></tr>
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<i>I started writing this blog post nearly two years ago. Seeing a friend’s link on Facebook yesterday about the <a href="https://www.lakeave.org/senior-pastors-blog/anne-ortlund-has-gone-home" target="_blank">death of Anne Ortlund</a> spurred me to publish the post finally.</i><br />
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My mother gave me a book—perhaps shortly after I graduated from college—called<i> Disciplines of the Beautiful Woman,</i> written by Anne Ortlund in 1977. It has become one of those books that has shaped me markedly—at least my thoughts, if not always how I live. The book is significant, first of all, because my mother selected it for me. It thus bears her stamp of approval, plus shows how well she knows me—I need extra <i>help </i>being disciplined. It also carries the message of the importance of being/becoming a “beautiful woman,” again, even more significant because it is my <i>mother </i>who believes this is important for her daughter.<br />
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I received this book long before I moved to Pasadena from Washington state or visited <a href="http://www.lakeave.org/" target="_blank">Lake Avenue (Congregational) Church</a>, where Anne's husband, Ray Ortlund, had been the senior pastor for many years. When I first read Anne’s anecdote about visiting an office supply store in La Cañada after giving a seminar to a “luscious-looking crowd of 150 women” only to find that it was sold out of the notebook products she had recommended, I had no idea that one day I’d live just down the freeway from that exclusive Southern California enclave.<br />
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It was Anne’s description of her notebook (or planner as it might be called today) that intrigued me most. My annual attempts at organizing myself via any number of variations on a diary, calendar, notebook, planner or journal, were often modeled on Anne’s description of how she put together her planner—a calendar first, followed by sections for goals and various other lists—and her preferred dimensions of the planner (7” x 9”).<br />
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Related chapters discuss goals, daily scheduling, and a woman’s desk.<br />
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My image of Anne is from the small portrait on the back cover of her book, perhaps when she was in her early 60s? So, I was shocked to read she was 89 years old when she died on November 4.<br />
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Having been reminded of this role-model-via-book, I am encouraged to revisit the many areas of my life—both private and public—that could be more disciplined and, thus, become more beautiful.<br />
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<b><i>What are your thoughts on the relationship between discipline and beauty?</i></b><br />
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<br />Janice Bakkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18357339167153096208noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3104134.post-13378112279904908872013-11-01T11:37:00.000-07:002013-11-06T12:34:35.583-08:00Houses, tea, conversation and beautyYesterday I went with some friends to a beautiful home
nearby, which has been lovingly and tastefully restored and remodeled to recall
an early-20<sup>th</sup> century aesthetic, the time period when the house was
constructed. The exquisite attention to the smallest of details throughout the
house is not for mere show, but reflects the personality of the owner, as well as incorporates
her family’s heritage in antiques, linens, pictures, etc.<br />
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The excursion—which included tea, freshly-baked cookies and
delightful conversation—was a refreshing reminder to pay attention to and
cultivate beauty in whatever surroundings we find ourselves. </div>
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It was not my place to take pictures and “blog” about the
house. That would have detracted from the in-the-moment enjoyment of the
company I was with.</div>
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Rather, I post here a picture of the PROLIFIC Blue Basil in
my front yard that feeds many happy bees and that now obscures a small memento
from my grandmother’s yard.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fpiP0vj6a4U/UnPvl2nDTFI/AAAAAAAAAgI/bkB6et20s0s/s1600/IMG_7425.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fpiP0vj6a4U/UnPvl2nDTFI/AAAAAAAAAgI/bkB6et20s0s/s400/IMG_7425.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Janice Bakkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18357339167153096208noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3104134.post-7450967682412044352013-10-11T12:35:00.000-07:002013-10-11T12:36:05.321-07:00Orange! Pumpkins! It's <a href="http://urbanhomestead.org/journal/2012/10/09/pressure-cooker/" target="_blank">that time of year again</a>! The pressure cooker is steaming away. The house smells earthy and productive.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5JINWtqVGjybDGz6rnHIBfk7PU2A4BTQp5ZJmyG0_EwmtVI-Gfv4hUWuashCgt3LgH7eLhGKvwliEBNL1TfkgpTumxqhnm8Tt85zMd1Rc6MH07kCM38e29q3621KQfy_uFNZN/s1600/Pumpkin_2013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Heirloom variety pumpkin" border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5JINWtqVGjybDGz6rnHIBfk7PU2A4BTQp5ZJmyG0_EwmtVI-Gfv4hUWuashCgt3LgH7eLhGKvwliEBNL1TfkgpTumxqhnm8Tt85zMd1Rc6MH07kCM38e29q3621KQfy_uFNZN/s400/Pumpkin_2013.jpg" title="Heirloom variety pumpkin" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Heirloom variety pumpkin ready for the pot!</td></tr>
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<br />Janice Bakkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18357339167153096208noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3104134.post-43318999830500048442013-10-07T21:41:00.000-07:002013-10-07T21:50:58.824-07:00Understanding Backwards; Living Forwards<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPTvvPIcKnbDUu3ja30l1qOYbXt-ZH3_VcpbmhTHaC4iTdFYRzfAGixQPUuNBBIclZLe6v9s015ezqINktz5gH8sqz3_rvGHbjWHOvgCD2Hk8ABe1TSlnPGQPGed-puUdFepqc/s1600/KierkegaardQuote.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPTvvPIcKnbDUu3ja30l1qOYbXt-ZH3_VcpbmhTHaC4iTdFYRzfAGixQPUuNBBIclZLe6v9s015ezqINktz5gH8sqz3_rvGHbjWHOvgCD2Hk8ABe1TSlnPGQPGed-puUdFepqc/s400/KierkegaardQuote.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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The problem with posting anything remotely religious is that one gives the impression of believing / embodying / BEING what it is that has been written – and that impression may not exactly be true.<br />
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Having said that, I am posting this as a record of what struck me on a Sunday in July as I was practicing getting the phrasing right in a hymn for a substitute organist “gig” at a local Presbyterian church:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Hast thou not seen How thy desires e’er have been Granted in what He ordaineth?</blockquote>
(By <a href="http://www.hymnary.org/person/Neander_J" target="_blank">Joachim Neander</a>, 17th century German Reformed Church)<br />
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Then, as part of the sermon from Acts 22 about the second recounting of Saul’s/Paul’s conversion experience, the pastor quoted from Søren Kierkegaard's journals: "Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards."<br />
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The full quote is:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
It is really true what philosophy tells us, that life must be understood backwards. But with this, one forgets the second proposition, that it must be lived forwards. A proposition which, the more it is subjected to careful thought, the more it ends up concluding precisely that life at any given moment cannot really ever be fully understood; exactly because there is no single moment where time stops completely in order for me to take position [to do this]: going backwards.</blockquote>
(See <a href="http://homepage.math.uiowa.edu/~jorgen/kierkegaardquotesource.html" target="_blank">documentation of source</a>.)<br />
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Later, I was sent<a href="http://www.christianitytoday.com/women/2013/june/youth-ministrys-family-blind-spot.html?paging=off" target="_blank"> this article</a> (written by a 21 year old woman):<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Even if we exhausted our own abilities to serve the Lord in our lifetime, we could never do for the world and the kingdom what our families—what our children and their children and their children—will go on to do.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
In Luke 13:19, Jesus says this about the kingdom of God: “It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his garden. It grew and became a tree, and the birds perched in its branches.”</blockquote>
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</blockquote>
<blockquote>
As we prepare our students for being agents of massive, earth-shattering revival around the world, let us also remember that Jesus says the kingdom will grow slowly, even subtly, from something seemingly insignificant, like a tree from a seed...and like families.</blockquote>
Finally, I read a <a href="http://givemeanap.blogspot.com/2013/07/he-bit-i-cried.html" target="_blank">post by my cous<span id="goog_1288542850"></span><span id="goog_1288542851"></span>in’s wife about another Soren</a> that made me want to cry—and which is a perfect REAL HARD LIFE illustration of what the 19th century Søren wrote about: Although, just when the understanding might come is not clear.<br />
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<i><b>To Do:</b></i> List ways in which I have seen my desires granted “in what He ordaineth” so that life can be lived forwards NOW.<br />
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<i><b>How about you?</b></i>Janice Bakkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18357339167153096208noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3104134.post-86724862314621132192013-09-22T18:16:00.000-07:002013-09-22T18:16:09.144-07:00Autumn 2013<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdRbdAPKZFO_a5dAzyRy984Ot_JJ_KQjPqS_NoSZNeYWS-DJPKCQpd4WLAq7Srh15G5hicp-S-xgiLbROQdfvl_bVO9_HRYOnvQzycsV57VHSh18jvJn-AbLHFQJCq8ObCgp0D/s1600/Fall_table.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdRbdAPKZFO_a5dAzyRy984Ot_JJ_KQjPqS_NoSZNeYWS-DJPKCQpd4WLAq7Srh15G5hicp-S-xgiLbROQdfvl_bVO9_HRYOnvQzycsV57VHSh18jvJn-AbLHFQJCq8ObCgp0D/s400/Fall_table.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"The constant remaking of domestic chaos into the order that keeps a house alive and peaceful takes a lot of doing." <br />May Sarton in <i>At Seventy: A Journal</i>, page 68</td></tr>
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Today was perfect to revel in and take time to reflect on this autumnal equinox. It was an achingly beautiful day in which to do some more organizing in the house but also to escape outside at the slightest excuse.<br />
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Seasonal changes are energizing days that bring renewal to the house, and in turn, renewal to our spirits. <br /><div style="text-align: right;">
~ Corean Bakke in <i>Practicing the Church Year: A Spirituality for the Home</i>.</div>
</blockquote>
Plus, this fall there are reminders of the passage of time--a 30-year high school reunion and a 25-year college reunion. (I’m not attending either, but, thanks to Facebook and e-mail lists, the events can be at least virtually experienced.)<br /><br />The coolness of the air is another harbinger of this turning (and a prod to finish knitting the <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/projects/treechild/pi-shawl-july" target="_blank">Elizabeth Zimmermann Pi shawl</a>).Janice Bakkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18357339167153096208noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3104134.post-32990169620350394482013-05-17T19:53:00.001-07:002023-09-17T21:58:50.544-07:00Marcell Inn - AltadenaAs of June, it will be 19 years since I moved to Southern California. Pasadena has been a wonderful place to live for so many reasons. One of them is the colorful history and cultural heritage of the area, which is actively protected and promoted. I was fortunate to work with someone very involved in historic preservation, and she generously gave me tickets to various home tours and other events.<br />
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So, even though I'm a transplant, I've learned to appreciate the richness of this area's past. So, imagine my excitement when we found a stash of signs from a Prohibition-era eating establishment that had been used to patch the back of the garage!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-gx4qrzNzirnkM6yfceO7hAMJvWWn6AUnUr9Szbs9chbnkztUC3QwG1dKDNyPwTMontqOz3RrNpMSjWfRHQMru7srt7fIYS-SC1Fo3qc4f4SnxvO-fq318eya6Y5QI8bHMrEv/s1600/marcellinn-1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-gx4qrzNzirnkM6yfceO7hAMJvWWn6AUnUr9Szbs9chbnkztUC3QwG1dKDNyPwTMontqOz3RrNpMSjWfRHQMru7srt7fIYS-SC1Fo3qc4f4SnxvO-fq318eya6Y5QI8bHMrEv/s1600/marcellinn-1.jpg" /></a></div>
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My neighbor wrote a blog post about the find <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130501014638/http://urbanhomestead.org/journal/2013/04/25/signs-from-the-past-marcell-inn/" target="_blank">here</a>:<br />
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When the first sign was uncovered, I ran to the computer to see if there was any information about the Marcell Inn. Indeed, I found a carefully researched<a href="http://avenuetotheskylakeavenuepasadena.blogspot.com/2011/02/marcell-inn-altadenas-famous-speakeasy.html" target="_blank"> blog post about the Inn</a> and its storied history. (See also this <a href="http://avenuetotheskylakeavenuepasadena.blogspot.com/2013/04/marcell-inn-from-book-curious.html" target="_blank">excerpt about the Inn</a> from a book published in 1935<a href="http://avenuetotheskylakeavenuepasadena.blogspot.com/2013/04/marcell-inn-from-book-curious.html" target="_blank"></a>.)<br />
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Today, I had an opportunity to meet the author, a long-time Pasadena/Altadena preservationist and historian. He is going to see what, if any, connection there might be between this address and the Inn. How/Why did the signs end up here?Janice Bakkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18357339167153096208noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3104134.post-29242670115645036342013-03-04T07:15:00.003-08:002023-09-17T21:51:17.927-07:00Winter gardenNow that it's almost Spring here in SoCal, here's a<a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130817160416/http://urbanhomestead.org/journal/2013/03/04/state-of-the-winter-front-yard/" target="_blank"> guest blog post about the winter (edible) garden</a>.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4GWEeQjZ0VApsNUVf5Bktsovt-TZHEnvNL_xRu4SI4XwBqloeI6pmLVgSktfcIFehxgnf7NSNs1uTX6XIb_1VVnwckdoMdz_WVj1cMblTaXxgXgxcXRwv_nnYfkeZ5GWAOjXj/s1600/Marjoram1.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4GWEeQjZ0VApsNUVf5Bktsovt-TZHEnvNL_xRu4SI4XwBqloeI6pmLVgSktfcIFehxgnf7NSNs1uTX6XIb_1VVnwckdoMdz_WVj1cMblTaXxgXgxcXRwv_nnYfkeZ5GWAOjXj/s1600/Marjoram1.JPG" /></a></div>
<br />Janice Bakkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18357339167153096208noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3104134.post-33291197397064404872013-02-08T19:41:00.001-08:002023-09-17T21:48:26.074-07:00Blood Orange juice!<br />
Blood oranges! Sensory overload: sight, taste and smell! New<a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130817143839/http://urbanhomestead.org/journal/2013/02/08/winters-abundance-blood-oranges/" target="_blank"> guest blog post</a> about this marvelous winter gift.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1Zy-w04pOqh4dAB4mbszURy-X3DpVAHUT1pjhNFjMx6Abtibla_aIZANF0PHglQe2HqWNmDcmaL1ZVtOmCfShLhep-Sgr7624Owu4fPgfEtA-i-yxI-QBUggaoNf3doW7mSm3/s1600/Blood+Oranges+Juice+7+Quarts.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1Zy-w04pOqh4dAB4mbszURy-X3DpVAHUT1pjhNFjMx6Abtibla_aIZANF0PHglQe2HqWNmDcmaL1ZVtOmCfShLhep-Sgr7624Owu4fPgfEtA-i-yxI-QBUggaoNf3doW7mSm3/s1600/Blood+Oranges+Juice+7+Quarts.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">7 Quarts of Shockingly Beautiful Blood Orange Juice!</td></tr>
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<br />Janice Bakkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18357339167153096208noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3104134.post-67014322343950760092013-02-06T08:03:00.001-08:002023-09-17T21:53:07.233-07:00Garden transitionsI'm (finally) catching up on some guest posts over at the Urban Homestead blog. Today's post is about the <span id="goog_2048679111"></span><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130817113128/http://urbanhomestead.org/journal/2013/02/06/transitions/" target="_blank">summer to fall transition in the front edible yard<span id="goog_2048679112"></span></a> (which happened around mid-November of last year).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHqwi-BABdr6zTYUxWQRLNWU_IV7guo_i80xc44oUbJGCYaioyM2lbaxl1UBLypEtBqEYaNZO07pz0hYOWCos-lU1gS7iwq-c7dkRKUSzvmsCt7L6gbk-ILPhR0Q1wWFUSnWQZ/s1600/SaladBurnet_Border.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHqwi-BABdr6zTYUxWQRLNWU_IV7guo_i80xc44oUbJGCYaioyM2lbaxl1UBLypEtBqEYaNZO07pz0hYOWCos-lU1gS7iwq-c7dkRKUSzvmsCt7L6gbk-ILPhR0Q1wWFUSnWQZ/s1600/SaladBurnet_Border.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Salad Burnet Herb Border</td></tr>
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<br />Janice Bakkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18357339167153096208noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3104134.post-67944783842288557222013-01-02T19:44:00.000-08:002013-01-02T19:44:31.421-08:00Transparent - 2013 One Word<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuy7DA1zT_dARdjKwFg6nYkadkD63jqqHLvaVMs8RxGrY-567pv9n9STJMIBQ3HHIoRO55yLavijX9mNotW8u2sYA8Mu5rzC5yTlEgFBpd_MTI_IMqer8n8yGduV46N-RAmpT9/s1600/Baobab_public_Transparent.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="One Word - Transparent" border="0" height="348" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuy7DA1zT_dARdjKwFg6nYkadkD63jqqHLvaVMs8RxGrY-567pv9n9STJMIBQ3HHIoRO55yLavijX9mNotW8u2sYA8Mu5rzC5yTlEgFBpd_MTI_IMqer8n8yGduV46N-RAmpT9/s400/Baobab_public_Transparent.jpg" title="One Word - Transparent" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/field_museum_library/3948760662/in/photostream/" target="_blank">Source</a></td></tr>
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[Composed June 30, 2012]<br />
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I think blogging is great. As soon as I read about it in a Wall Street Journal column at my corporate job back in 2001, I knew it was something I wanted to do. I started blogging (or writing a weblog, as I very properly referred to it back in the “old” days of the early 2000s) in <a href="http://home.earthlink.net/~jbakke/2001_08_01_archive.html" target="_blank">August 2001</a>, shortly before the events of September 11, when blogging came into its own.<br />
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I blogged fairly regularly for a number of years. However, I was content just to write. It was a long time before I even installed comments on my blog. I never changed the design; neither did I try to “monetize” what I was doing. I did meet some interesting people and enjoyed learning from them. My early mentor (and someone with whom I still keep in contact—now, via Facebook) was Susie of Raspberry World. She started her online journal in 1998. But she has moved on and recently took down her website.<br />
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I used my initials only, not my real name. I wrote about what I read and what I did, but not much about what I felt or what I struggled with. Revealing such things in public was not to my taste (shoot—revealing myself privately rarely happens—even to myself). I was cautious about how such revelations might have unintended, unforeseen (negative) consequences in the future.
Yes, putting oneself out in the open is risky. “Anything you say or do can and will be held against you in a court of law.” Or in the court of the reigning public opinion. Or in any court of opinion, for that matter.<br />
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And my, oh my, how the blogging world has changed! All sorts of rules and standards and “best practices,” not to mention conferences and how-to books! It is overwhelming to consider going out there again, this time in a more focused, intentional way. And, yes, I am interested in seeing if this blogging venture can help pay the mortgage.<br />
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More than that, I need to change—radically, deeply. I don’t necessarily want to change, but I know I need to want to change. Perhaps, this blog can be a platform for experimentation, documentation and accountability in this life-long process of learning to desire to change. Even though I am resisting it BIG TIME.<br />
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As my cousin’s wife wrote when<a href="http://givemeanap.blogspot.com/2012/02/keep-back-200-feet-feeling-awkward.html" target="_blank"> she started blogging</a> about being a mother to an autistic son: “So this blog is a freedom of sorts. I want to be transparent, and I want to move from protecting Others from feeling awkward to just living our lives out in the open. I hope that some day, we all will have been around enough unique people that we won't feel so awkward and we'll instead pop that bubble that separates us from what we fear.”<br />
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While she and I have very different lives, I latched onto her phrase, “I want to be transparent.” Yes, I want to become more transparent. And one of the things I need to change is to become less self-centered. So, I take up writing a personal blog again...!<br />
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[Addendum January 2, 2013]
Via <a href="http://sarahbessey.com/in-which-i-chose-my-word-for-2013-light/" target="_blank">Sarah Bessey</a>, I came across the <a href="http://oneword365.com/" target="_blank">One Word 365</a> project or meme. I decided my word in this new (civic/fiscal) year will be: TRANSPARENT.
Janice Bakkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18357339167153096208noreply@blogger.com2