Jill Kemerer

Monday, February 4, 2013

Saying Goodbye to Our Guinea Pig

We got home from church yesterday, and before I changed into sweat pants or made lunch, I went downstairs to feed our geriatric guinea pig. Domino has been with us for seven years. In fact, Saturday was his "birthday," which was really the anniversary of the day we bought him. He spent the afternoon relaxing on a rug on the floor next to our sliding glass window. That chubby black and white guy loved soaking up the sun.

A birthday celebration a few years ago with Domino!

Our mini-dachshund even managed to climb into the cage with him and gave him several Happy Birthday licks. :)

So when I went downstairs and Domino didn't scurry out of his house to greet me, I knew something was wrong. I peeked in--his little body wasn't moving. I made my husband check on him.

He'd passed away sometime that morning, and by the looks of it, he went peacefully. He was curled up with his paw under his chin.

I've joked often over the years about how old he was getting and weren't they supposed to have a short life span? But Domino was a sweet fellow, always happy and squeaking. We'll miss him.

(I won't miss changing the bedding. Keeping it real, people!)

Have you had to say goodbye to a pet recently?

Have a wonderful Monday!

Sketching: 2 Minute Resolution Vlog

As many eight-year-olds do, I announced I would be an artist when I grew up. I smile thinking of all the hours I spent trying to sketch the perfect zebra. Let's just say a lack of formal training didn't dampen my enthusiasm!

As an adult I've spent time here and there sketching and making crafts, but I find myself missing the routine of regular art time. It became the perfect resolution for February. A chance find at the library, The Sketchbook Challenge by Sue Bleiweiss, gave me some great ideas. In fact, my youngest eagerly agreed to join me. Every weeknight we spend a minimum of fifteen minutes adding to our sketchbooks.

It's fun!

Here are some tips on keeping a sketch journal:

Do you love to draw? Is there a hobby calling you to devote regular time to it? What can you do to make that happen?

Have a lovely weekend!!

Final Writing Prompt: Lilacs

January is coming to a close and with it this series of writing prompts. I know you are crying. :(

I've had a lot of fun free-writing to these prompts. My inner editor could not be silenced, but instead of "fixing" the problems, I detailed what I would have done to fix them. A good lesson on its own.

Here's the final prompt--I hope you enjoy it!

Lilac Bushes

Here's what I came up with:

Ahh...sweet, glorious, purple nectar! Bree, who hated her name since it rhymed with her species, flew into the biggest cluster she could see. She rolled, smiling, and inhaled the beauty of spring. Time to get to business. She scanned for the best spot.

And saw him. Johnny. A buzz pushed her wings faster.

Please let him not see me. Please let him not...

"Hey, Bree-Bee. You've got some nerve stopping in here today. It's my territory."
"Says who?" She tried to sound brave.
"Says me. After that little stunt you pulled the other night, you'll be lucky to show your face at any flower on this block."

***

I would have changed the word "since" in the second sentence because it can be misread. Also, "the beauty of spring" doesn't really match the connotation. It's generic. I would have spent time coming up with a better phrase. Everything about the second paragraph annoys me. I would have reworded it or scrapped it!

"You've got some nerve," is a cliche, and I highly doubt a bee named Johnny would say, "...at any flower on this block."

Sigh...

***

What comes to mind when you see lilacs? Did you try this prompt? What did you come up with? Feel free to e-mail me! jill(at)jillkemerer(dot)com

Have a wonderful Wednesday!!

One of My Favorite Songs

This is one of my favorite songs, and I had never heard it performed by Hillsong United before. Imagine my surprise when I did a little sleuthing and found out Hillsong United's lead singer, Brooke Fraser Ligertwood, wrote it!

I thought I'd share it with you in case you're unfamiliar. This version of "Lead Me to the Cross" is performed by Hillsong United, but you may have heard it sung by Francesca Battistelli or Chris & Conrad. Each artist brings something different to it, and I have to admit, I haven't heard a version that didn't move me.

Enjoy!!

What is one of your favorite songs? Has it been sung by different artists?

Have a terrific Monday!

Winter Highway at Dusk

I drove at dusk recently and marvelled at the beauty of January in northern Ohio. I doubt many people would find a stretch of midwest highway pretty in the dead of winter, but this part of the country is embedded in my soul, and I can't help but love it.

See, the sky is prettier on snowy January days. Indigo clouds are outlined against a peach and wheat-colored sky as the sun descends. The dark brown and gray tree trunks and branches add mystery to the view. Now and then you'll see a hawk perched high on an electrical wire, watching the fields below for mice and other dinner choices.

Tiny wisps of snow swirl for a few miles then disappear.

Forests get broken up by large fields, and you have to stay alert for deer who love to leap on the highway as the sun goes down.

Exits sometimes lead to small towns that welcome the highway with their glowing lights. But I like the stretches of nothing the best. It's where my head clears and I hear my life.

There's something magical about a winter highway at dusk.

How is your weather? Cold, warm, balmy? Do you enjoy this time of year?

Have a wonderful weekend!

Writing Prompt 3: Coffee Mug

I'm sharing writing prompts each Wednesday this January, and it's time for a new edition.

Writing prompts encourage free writing. Don't plot what you're going to write, and ignore the urge to edit. See the prompt and write. That's it!

Today's prompt is this white mug.

Here's what I came up with:

Oh, the stories this mug could tell. Day in, day out it sits there, watching the people shuffle, walk, and run past. Some laugh, some keep their gazes fixed on the sidewalk, but everywhere there is movement.

This mug likes itself. It knows it has a terrific proportion--the round bowl holds a lot of coffee and the matching saucer adds to its style. Plus, it can see its reflection in the saucer.

Every day it lifts its face to the sun, smiling at the puffs of clouds chugging overhead, and saluting the birds as they go about their day.

The mug belongs on this street. It knows it belongs. Why, the street might cease to exist if this one mug were to break. It might. One never knows...

***
When I went through this a second time I wanted to change the sentence starting with "Some laugh..." to end with "but everyone has a place to go" rather than "everywhere there is movement." I also would have been more specific on the amount of coffee the mug could hold. "A lot" doesn't tell you much! There are too many "it" and "its." I would have reworded some for a more interesting read.

This whole thing feels very stuffy to me. Not my favorite free writing, but that's not the point. :)

***
Did you come up with anything? Feel free to share in the comments or by e-mailing me at jill(at)jillkemerer(dot)com.

Have a fabulous Wednesday!!

The Power of Being Positive

Over the holidays, I read a book that changed my life.

Change Your Words, Change Your Life by Joyce Meyer, more than lives up to its title. It came along at the perfect time for me, too. I'd just prayed about and determined the word I would focus on for 2013: Dream (you can read about it HERE), but the dregs of a year-long case of the blues still lingered. It's hard to get out of a funk!

Ms. Meyer's book convicted me from the opening chapters. I saw how negative I'd been, how much easier it was to slip into well-I-guess-this-is-it mentality than to push beyond that.

**For the record, the only thing I was really down about last year was my lack of forward progress in publishing. The most important part of my life--my family--was chugging along fine, and I've never taken that for granted.**

Anyway, I'd purchased a small notebook when I was Christmas shopping. It had a cardinal on the cover, and cardinals have been a symbol of hope for me for about three years. I slipped it in my purse to jot down any random thing that I felt like recording, but I also used it to write key points from Change Your Words, Change Your Life.

One of my favorite bits of advice is to constantly affirm statements of power. The book contains about fifty or sixty of them, and they were all backed up with Bible passages. God expects us to have spirits of power and to put our full trust in Him. We were not designed to have spirits of timidity or weakness. By meditating on and speaking positive passages about our lives, we can loosen the binds of insecurity so prevalent in our lives.

I've come back to several affirmations again and again, and every time I read them, I get a peaceful feeling, like why was I worrying? God's got this!

Satan likes to poke at our sore points. He knows exactly what to do to throw us into a fearful frame of mind, and this can result in inappropriate anger, arguments or self-punishment. One such sore point was poked this weekend, and I reacted as normal--getting mad then worrying. After a long walk in which two Bible passages repeated over and over, God helped me realize the sore point was completely untrue. I was able to head back home and diffuse the situation.

I wouldn't have been able to do that six months ago.

It's strange too, but I've been focusing on ten Bible passages about being strong in God, having an abundance of Godly friendships, and being content right now. And guess what? These things are snowballing in my life.

We all have hard times. Sometimes these hard times last a long, long time. The circumstances in my life have not changed--but my attitude has. And that's made all the difference.

Interested in Joyce's book? Here's my Goodreads review, http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13528467-change-your-words-change-your-life, links to purchase it are in the upper left corner of the page.

How do you stay positive?

Have a wonderful Monday!