Julie Pippert: Using My Words

The topic for next week's Hmm is this: How I matter ('I' refers, of course, to the writer, not me LOL) What about you, what about something you do, matters? Yes, I'm asking for deep digging, and I'm asking for personal. I'm not necessarily asking for big, though. You don't need to scan your mind for the most monumental and newsworthy item; this doesn't have to be huge, such as the time you delivered a baby in the backseat of a taxi cab with an eyelash curler (although that's a fine topic). This can be about anything, maybe even how you hop to the side to avoid stepping on ants. It doesn't have to be a recurring thing, either---maybe it's something you did once that had an effect. And, most importantly, tell us why. Why this topic? I've listened to a lot of people for a long time talk about the way in which they don't measure up to a greater example. So next week, I'm asking each participant to think about what he or she does that ...

Although it seems hard to believe, the earth is still spinning and regular life is still ongoing even though there is a hurricane out there. There are a lot of things in life I didn't get around to this week, and hopefully that's just a "yet" but I acknowledge some things will have to be dropped. Here are a few that won't: 1. A big heartfelt thanks to Chani for awarding me the Blogger Reflection award. This award should make you reflect on five bloggers who have been an encouragement, a source of love, impacted you in some way, and have been a Godly example to you. Five Bloggers who when you reflect on them you get a sense of pride and joy... of knowing them and being blessed by them. Even with the blatant abuse of the word "impact" and the nebulous wording of "Godly example" I find this a lovely award. Even lovelier is what Chani wrote Julie and I have very different cultural perspectives. She is also far brighter than me. Just the same, I am...

Prejudice : ageism, animosity, antipathy, apartheid, aversion, bigotry, chauvinism, contemptuousness, discrimination, disgust, dislike, enmity, illiberality*, injustice, jaundiced eye, mind-set, misjudgment, narrow-mindedness, one-sidedness, partiality, preconceived notion, racism, repugnance, revulsion, sexism, umbrage, unfairness, xenophobia * I'd say call Webster's here, but errr...this is from the dictionary . What's your gut reaction to the above words? My gut roils, and not pleasantly. Each word carries a fairly bad---perhaps even nasty---connotation. Those words are the rationale we use to harm others. I'm not picturing a billy club to a head per se (although there is historical precedent). I'm picturing less obvious harm as well, such as dimming someone's soul. The thesaurus asks us to consider: a person's bias is based on facts, but prejudice occurs without a person knowing or examining the facts. The facts. We've studied facts in school, cla...

In the car on the way home, I told Patience her friend Meghan had called with some Exciting! News! "When we get home," I told her, "You'll have to call, see what it is." "What is it, Mom?" she asked, impatient to know right now. "I'm not sure, it's only a voice mail. You'll have to call and ask." "Maybe it's a birthday party and she found out we are both invited!" Patience said. It seemed improbable to me that we'd learn of a party this way but I couldn't say so. Instead, I told her, "Remember we do not know, so don't get attached to any theories. It could be anything, a birthday party like you think, or a fun play event, or some happy news of her own like she's learned to whistle too," I mentioned Patience's latest accomplishment, of which she is very, very proud. I immediately sensed my mistake. Patience is a hyper competitive perfectionist who can't stand that anyone else have any...

When we planned our parenting strategy---which is to say when I planned our parenting strategy and announced it to my husband---we settled on Positive Parenting, which incorporates the principles of natural and logical consequence/discipline over punishment. In case you aren't familiar with natural and logical consequences: Natural Consequences Ask yourself what would happen if I didn't interfere in this situation? If we interfere when we don't need to, we rob children of the chance to learn from the consequences of their actions. By allowing consequences to do the talking, we avoid disturbing our relationships by nagging or reminding too much. For example, if your child forgets her lunch, you don't bring it to her. Allow her to find a solution and learn the importance of remembering. Logical Consequences Often the consequences are too far in the future to practically use a natural consequence. When that is the case, logical consequences are effective. A consequence for...

Did you see? More people told us what they think when they think about secrets and lies... This is the original list, plus some completely fresh links! And then...what I thought up for next week. Emily wrote Bathe Your Children Well She also wrote Lies All Lies Chani wrote Hide and Seek Did you catch... Andrea wrote Digging Sober Briquette wrote Taradiddle NEW!! ALL NEW!! Gwen wrote The Ruins Snoskred wrote The choices we make Sephyroth wrote Fear of Failure I have checked comments and email but (a) it's 5 a.m. (b) my mind is in a million busy directions and (c) I can get too easily confused sometimes LOL...so if I missed you, I am very sorry and consider me slapped with a wet noodle. Email me or comment and I will add in your link with tremendous fanfare. If you still want to play, do the same and I will do the same. But please have patience with me. It will be later this afternoon or evening because I'm out all day. (I am so very glad to see you guys, first time and new part...

La Bocca della Verità (in English, "the Mouth of Truth") is a renowned image, carved from Pavonazzetto marble, of a man-like face and located in the portico of the church of Santa Maria in Cosmedin in Rome, Italy. The most famous characteristic of the Mouth is its role as a lie detector; since the Middle Ages, folklore has asserted that if one told a lie with his hand in the mouth of the sculpture, it would be bitten off. Source: Wikipedia, free license to distribute. I've written four posts about this topic---I'm not kidding, and you'll know this because someday I might be in a bind and post a "variations on a theme of secrets and lies" series for a week, and you'll all be, "Umm, wow, wasn't that topic like so last week, Julie?" and "I'll say, yeah whatever, the old writer's block I claim I never get has kicked in, so...read it and like it, or weep, either way, but leave comments because mama needs some good lovin' rig...

If I wanted to, I could call everything about me an accident of birth. At birth, very little was known of me other than the fact that I was not a boy, as my parents had been repeatedly assured I would be. Gazing at their little girl, my parents wondered what to do next. They had only a boy name chosen, and all my baby clothes, blankets, decor, etc. were blue. They observed that, in addition to being female, I was also dark haired blue eyed fair skinned gifted with a healthy set of lungs Perhaps because the chosen boy's name began with J, they focused on girl J names, somehow settling on Julie which was only slightly less popular than Jennifer. Armed with a trendy girlie name and blue accessories, I revealed more about myself: decent sleeper although tremendous early bird mainly affable good appetite all parts in working order But who was I? What could I do? Where did I belong? From that point forward, it gets murkier. What is developed and what is gifted? I am also reasonably intel...

When I posed the Hump Day Hmm questions , I wanted to make the first ones an either/or for myself. My brain went around and around, and I wrote countless discarded drafts about what I'd lose had I missed the last twenty years versus what I'd lose in the next twenty years. If I forced myself to address the paradox (paradoxes, really) or admit that each is equally potentially tragic---which I think it is---I'm still left without an answer. So I pushed on. It finally struck me last night that the twenty years ahead of me aren't mine yet. I have no guarantees of them, what they might hold or even whether I get them. It's like the lottery: you play hoping to win but accept that you might not. I realize we more have a reasonable expectation of having the time, but again, we don't know what it holds. So if I had to choose, I'd say it's harder to give up what I have had, already know and have experienced, the twenty years behind me. And albeit reluctantly and wi...

Updated, Thursday at noon: Check out the comments. There is some good discussion going! Feel free to use this space, really, truly, to think out loud if you want. :) You know I like that. Do it all the time. Sometimes even in public. ;) Without any big fanfare---because the awesome posts stand on their own---these are the Hump Day Hmm particiants who answered this question: What has the experience of being forgiven been like for you? Take some time and go read every one of these responses. It will be worth every second; trust me. Kaliroz at Fortune and Glory wrote "Please forgive me, I know not what I do ..." Gwen at Woman on the Verge wrote To Forgive Divine Lawyer Mama wrote Those Three Little Words Are Hard to Say Chani at Thailand Gal (newly remodeled and GORGEOUS!) wrote The Tree of Forgiveness.... I wrote Shove me in the shallow water Bub and Pie wrote A Few Things I Have to Say Mary-LUE of Life, the Universe and Everything wrote A Gift Too Lightly Received And Mary-LUE...

This post serves a variety of functions, as you might guess from the title. I have been rather prolific this week (which either means I am Virginia Woolf level angsty or Janet Evanovich level chipper) so if you haven't been here at my blog at least twice every day this week, you better scroll down. I'd hate for you to miss what could be from your POV the Best Post Julie Ever Wrote. A Dear Charles Letter Dear Charles Barkley, I think I love you. Who doesn't love a nice looking man with a big bank account and a hilarious sense of humor? My husband and I would like to know if you are interested in marrying us (he's also a fan of big bank accounts and humor, and he love love loves sports). Of all the sports out there, I like basketball best (after hockey, that is). And you, of course, were one of the best. I lost track of you because, well, to be honest, I leave the sports station viewing up to my husband, who takes his responsibility there very seriously. He watches your s...

Mary-Lue serves many, many purposes, great and small, on this earth. Right now, for me, I think she serves the purpose of asking the right questions. (Is this blog post number 4 or 5 courtesy of her? LOL) During the Hump Day Hmm roundtable, she asked me how I felt about receiving forgiveness, and when I wasn't sure how she meant her question entirely, she explained she was curious about how I allowed myself to receive forgiveness, from others and from myself. (On a side note, I am sure we all noticed that I skipped the Hump Day Hmm last week. It's not gone. Just on a hiatus to give us a chance to breathe. It's back this week! The question is at the end of this post.) Before I can tell you why I do not know how to be forgiven, by others or myself, I have to explain where it all began. Where I am in my life is in exile. My extended family---mother's and father's alike---is disassociated from me. I suppose you could call me disowned. Or maybe it is that they are disow...

In good news... Chad signs deal to demobilise child soldiers ...at a "Free Children from War" conference organised by UNICEF in France in February, African governments including Chad said they would try to rid their countries of underage fighters. In other good news... Please make sure to take a little time---if you haven't yet---and visit the roundtable participants. The marvelous contributors are: Kaliroz wrote Cold, Broken Hallelujah Slouching Mom wrote Port Authority: The 1970's After the Ball wrote Practice What You Preach Also, for those of you who are not in a place this week to participate and who requested an extension: granted! I'll extend this topic. Take your time. Just send me a link when you finish and I'll add it in to this post. In more good news... It's time for the April Just posts. Check them out at either Mad's or Jen's spots. There are some really, truly fantastic ones. As usual, but I really mean it. :) copyright 2007 Julie ...

It's long. I know. Too long. And the quotes---which are carefully chosen from Moby Dick and Melville's writings, and which elegantly, metaphorically represent my feelings and thoughts---are long, too. But...it is my honest response to the question of the journey, and I guess my journey has been fairly long so far. I can't tell which bit to cut. So perhaps I can count on you to be patient? And give me more of your time than maybe I can reasonably expect? Thanks. The links to the other roundtable participants are below, at the end of this post. "All men live enveloped in whale-lines. All are born with halters round their necks; but it is only when caught in the swift, sudden turn of death, that mortals realize the silent, subtle, ever present perils of life." Herman Melville, Moby Dick “Some years ago -- never mind how long precisely -- having little or no money in my purse, and nothing particular to interest me on shore, I thought I would sail about a little and ...