The definition of "Open Sesame":  From the magical formula Open Sesame used by Ali Baba in the Arabian Nights to open the door of the robbers' cave.

 

Maybe that's what I had in mind when I was walking up to the "automatic" front doors at Target.  As I approached the door I dug my car keys out of my pocket, found the "unlock" button, and pressed it. 

 

Whaddaya know?  The door opened up just fine.

 

Signed,

Wutt Evrr Werx

 

 

 

For the record, last night's teenaged guests left....

 

1.  Very little food uneaten.

2.  One Christmas puzzle piece under the dining room table.

3.  One Scrabble letter under the counter ledge.

4.  One Scrabble letter under the couch.

5.  One broken purple Christmas bow near the bottom of the banister.

6.  One missing "missile" behind the computer (from Jordan's new USB missile launcher).

7.  Four tired Herrema offspring who slept until nearly noon.

6.  And an evening of great memories.

 

I count that a success.

 

Signed,

All Waze Well Kumb

 

 

 

I never got around to blogging yesterday, but it was CHRISTMAS after all!

 

Our Christmas was unexpectedly white!  A snowstorm "slowed down" and "intensified"...which meant we had the rare privilege of hunkering down at home with our children and riding out the storm - thanking God for a warm, cozy, safe place to call home.  No one HAD to go out in the snow, but of course the kids still did.  By late afternoon there was plenty of snow to do some sledding out back - and it was still coming down.  (It was also reportedly extra slippery.)  The fireplace was in rare form - which unfortunately is not always the case.  The simple Christmas dinner I prepared really "hit the spot" for some reason, and the kids were extra appreciative.  I'll skip further details...but it was a day to remember.

 

For our Christmas reading before opening gifts, we decided to read the Christmas story from the gospel of Matthew instead of our traditional choice of Luke, and we read it from The Message.  As much as I love the familiarity of the traditional Christmas story, there's also something "fresh" about hearing it from a different gospel and from a different version.  It certainly makes you think.  As our 10-year-old put it, "That was wierd."  But everyone was definitely listening extra closely!

 

Sometimes the popularity of gifts is hard to gauge - and you never know which gift is going to emerge as #1.  This year on impulse I bought the cheapest version of Scrabble you can find.  I still remember receiving it as a Christmas gift when I was a young girl and it turned out to be one of my favorite gifts ever!  I often played it on Sunday afternoons with my Mom and my Great Aunt Nell, and I remember being amazed at all the words my Great Aunt Nell knew that I had never even heard of!  Anyway, our kids are absolutely thrilled with the game - especially the two oldest boys.  Their competitive natures have definitely emerged, but I'm here to say that I am NOT giving up without a fight!  ....  Actually, this evening we have something like 10 teenagers sitting at the kitchen table, and they are enjoying a ROUSING game of Scrabble!  It's hilarious listening to them. 

 

I have to admit that two of our guests are lobbying for a trip to the basement home theater to watch Transformers instead.  And since that hasn't happened yet, they've abandoned their teammates and have meandered over to where Blake is bowling on Wii.  (Last year's gift, but still popular.)  Anyway, I guess it takes all kinds!

 

There were fewer gifts this year than in the past, but it didn't matter.  All six of us are home for Christmas - safe and sound.  At this moment I'm tempted to launch into a reflection of the past year, but I'll restrain myself until next week when the New Year is upon us....  (Did you notice that display of self-control?)

 

When we went to bed last night I said to Scott, "Well, Christmas 2007 has come and gone."  But as soon as I said it, I realized I was wrong.  God doesn't "come and go", and neither does Christmas.  It continues on.  It changes you, if you'll let it.  God is with us at this very moment - and He always will be.

 

Sending a belated Merry Christmas to each of you!

 

Signed,

Skra Bull Chamm Pyon

 

 

 

Today is Christmas Eve, and it feels like a strange mix. 

 

1.  There's no school so my two youngest are sleeping in - that seems normal. 

2.  The older two headed for church to help deliver holiday bags of food, socks, etc. to the homeless in downtown Denver.  I'd say Christmas Eve seems like the perfect day to do that.

3.  We have Christmas Eve services at 3, 4:30 and 6 p.m.  My 15-year-old and I will be on the praise team for two of those.  Unfortunately my husband, Scott, who was scheduled to sing with us, won't be.  Why?  Well....

4.  Scott has to work at the office today.  Yes, I know, tons of people are working today.  But it feels so strange for him to be starting a normal work-week on a Monday morning...when it's Christmas Eve.  (And yes, we're probably still spoiled by 16+ years of self-employment, when we could make our own decisions.)

5.  It's laundry day. And dirty clothes don't wash themselves.

6.  Things will start to feel "normal" again when the services are over and we're all back home to open a couple of stocking gifts and then play some family games or watch a new movie that just might appear in someone's stocking. 

 

No church service tomorrow on Christmas Day - which still feels unusual to me after all these years.  When I was a child we always went to church for Christmas Eve AND Christmas morning, as well as New Year's Eve AND New Year's morning.  Sometimes I wonder what life will be like for my children when they're grown and have their own families. 

 

No, I don't have Christmas cards or Christmas letters finished yet.  Somehow I think they won't reach anyone in time for Christmas!  (Better late than never, right?)

 

And above all - it's still Advent.  And so I'm watching and waiting and longing.  For Christmas.  And for more than that.  Much more.  I can feel it deep in my bones....

 

Signed,

Mare E. Kris Muss Eeeev

 

 

 

Christmas shopping is complete.  Our college student arrived home late last night...on clear roads.  Today the weather rolled in - and it's now a Colorado snowstorm.  Scott was sent home early because of slippery roads.  It's so slippery, in fact, that his car that had been parked in our driveway eventually slid out into the middle of our street - under its own steam, or lack thereof.  I discovered it when I got home from my errands, and I had quite the adventure getting it back in the driveway! 

 

Shelby's evening LifeGroup Christmas party has been canceled.  I just made some cookie dough with Blake and we put it in the refrigerator in preparation for tomorrow when we plan to bake cut-out cookies and decorate them with the family.  Our Christmas lights weren't working, but we just figured out the problem and now they're proudly lit up once again - displaying, among other things, my favorite Christmas decoration of all time.  It's a spotlighted banner on the front of our house. proudly proclaiming "Wise Men Still Seek Him".

 

Pizza is in the oven and movies are ready to roll.

 

The weekend is definitely here!  And so, we begin....

 

Signed,

Ko Z.

 

 

 

As 2008 approaches....

 

                                                 (Dr. J. Konrad Hole)

 

Signed,

All Rye T. Thenn

 

 

 

Last night we attended the last K-5 Christmas musical of our 13-year career of attending such events as parents.  !!  Well, maybe it won't technically be the last if we have grandchildren some day...but still...it felt momentous.

 

My favorite lines of the entire musical were tucked away in the middle of a song which I think was called "Love to Tell"...and they were lines from an old song I loved so much as a child.

 

I love to tell the story

T'will be my theme in glory

To tell the old, old story

Of Jesus and His love.

 

It doesn't get much better than that.  Tears immediately sprang to my eyes, and I noticed the lady ahead of me wiping away tears as well.  Afterward my 10-year-old asked me what my favorite song was, and I told him I liked "I Love To Tell The Story."  What?!!  We didn't do a song called that.  It was so seamlessly interwoven into the "new" song that he didn't even realize there was a piece of something from the "olden days".

 

I've been humming that tune ever since - and finding myself looking forward to glory when we'll all get to do exactly that.  (One of my next songs is going to be related to this somehow.  I can feel it in my bones!)  And guess what?!!!  There will be absolutely no rush about the story-telling once we arrive!  We can sit around and retell stories of Jesus and His love for as l-o-n-g as we like, over and over, every detail celebrated.  Glory indeed.

 

I hope and pray the thought of all that brings a smile to your face.  And a familiar tune to your heart.

 

Signed,

Sowndz Purr T. Gud 2 Mee

 

 

 

Okay, not really!  But....

 

Scott and Blake watched Ratatouille while I was out of town.  Scott said that even if I didn't watch the movie, I needed to watch the bonus feature on cooking and animation.  He thought it would be like an Artist Date for me.  He was right!

 

So here are some things I copied down--on the subjects of cooking and animation--but so true of songwriting if you ask me:

 

1.  Anybody can cook.  It's just that you have to have the desire - the determination to make something that you're going to feel proud to give to somebody - have that emotional connection with somebody.

 

2.  I think you have to be emotionally attached to what you're doing.

 

3.  You're constantly trying to get the audience into the state of feeling - and how things feel rather than how things are.  You are trying to get to a very primal, a very simple thing, which is indulging in the human aspect of being alive.

 

4.  Every idea comes about in its own way....

 

5.  We're really looking at the end product - what do we want to see - what do we want to feel - and then we work backwards in establishing the different techniques...that we're going to use that are going to result....

 

6.  The mistake that a lot of people make is thinking that you can force ideas to come.  You can't really.  All that you can do is observe what kind of environment puts you in a creative state of mind, and then try to create that environment.

 

7.  One of the exciting things about doing something spntaneously is the risk.  Are you going to fail or are you going to succeed?  And if you succeed at it, how are you going to make that dish feel spontaneous over and over again without becoming somewhat "old" in your feeling?  And I think that really is about us as cooks - making sure that each dish [song] that we do is something that is as fresh and as dynmaic as it was the first time that we did that.

 

8.  Animation is the same way.  It's not a spontaneous act, but if you do it artfully you get the feeling of spontaneous thought.

 

9.  I started looking for role models - other chefs - that I wanted to be like.  ....  His book really resonated with me for what the qualities of a cook really were.  And that was about the product and about execution, and about interpretation of what you know how to do - what you feel inside yourself and how to express that on a plate.  ....  You look at all that and you know what makes them great.  Commitment.

 

10.  I think what you try to do is get people excited about what you're excited about.  I really love capturing moments; I love trying to hit new standards.

 

11.  So many people have greatness in them.  It's just coaching it out of them.

 

12.  If you try to over-control the process, you limit the process.

 

13.  You have to think about it in terms of "what do I want to see"  and "what delights me?"  Am I happy with what I've done?  You've gotta make something that pleases you and hope that other people feel the same way.

 

***

 

Maybe you think I've slipped a cog, but I loved all that.  Especially as it was interlaced with so much great footage of cooking and animating!  (I was suddenly rather hungry.)

 

Of course I had to watch the movie after that!  Actually, it took me a couple of days to get to it, but today was the day.  Naturally there were all kinds of sub-themes in the movie about following your heart...taking risks....living your dream.  Here's a quote from the movie itself:  "If you focus on what you've left behind, you'll never be able to see what lies ahead."

 

I'll admit it.  I cried at the end.  (sniff)  I guess rats inspire me after all.

 

Signed,

E. Z.  Tarr Geht

 

 

 

"It takes courage to grow up and turn out to be who you really are."  --e.e. cummings

 

Signed,

Nouw?

 

 

 

Quote:

 

"Follow effection action with quiet reflection.  From the quiet reflection will come even more effective action."  (Peter F. Drucker)

 

I would like to think that the week I spent in Nashville = effective action.

 

I would like to think that the moments I spent sitting in the carpool lane this afternoon without the radio on = quiet reflection.

 

So since I obeyed this guy's advice and followed "Nashville" with a "carpool minus radio" experience...that must mean more good things lie ahead.  Right?

 

Signed,

May B. Dih-lear-E.-Uss

 

 

 

The thing about songwriting is that there are always too many ideas and not enough time to write them.  

 

Today it occurred to me that in Heaven I will have even more ideas that I want to write about - drawn out of God's vast ocean of creativity.  But at the same time, there will be absolutely no shortage of time (or cowriters, for that matter).

 

Heaven just keeps looking better and better....

 

Signed,

B. Thare Sune

 

 

 

What a week!  I will never again have uncharitable thoughts toward anyone who fails to blog when they're having a busy writing week.  (Not that I ever did!)

 

What a week!  So many great songwriters (including those at The Listening Room and The Bluebird Cafe).

 

What a week!  I've made SO many new friends.  Some expected - like the gal I met for the first time at a scheduled coffee date and who is as sweet as everyone said she was.  Others unexpected -  Like the gal I met merely because I was accidentally an hour early to a Christmas concert (oops).  I chatted with her (the ticket-taker) for 30-40 minutes, and before I knew it, I had a new resource for "if you ever get lost or just want to do something", I had an invitation to look her up the next time I was in town, I had an invitation for Sunday lunch (I'll actually be back in Denver by then), I was being introduced to everyone within ear shot as "my new friend, Bev!", and I was saving seats for something like eight young ladies - each one just as friendly as the first!  When I told Scott, he just laughed and said, "That's Southern hospitality for ya!"  He may be right, but she's only lived here for two years!  I dunno - maybe it rubs off on you.  Hopefully it will rub off on me!

 

What a week!  (And this is the clincher, folks.)  Without question the very best part was doing the cowrites themselves!  Why did I used to think that I only wanted to write alone?  I can't remember anymore.  ....  Every cowrite had its own flavor - not only in terms of the song that was written, but simply in terms of the mix of people and working styles - and yet every single one was so much fun!  And the songs definitely turned out better than they would have if they were simply in my hands.  This week has been defined by those moments - cherished moments that are permanently inscribed on my heart and my writing journey - and I will never forget them.  A simple invitation launched a life-changing week, and I am deeply grateful.

 

What a week!  But I sure can't wait to see those Rocky Mountains tomorrow afternoon...not to mention my family!

 

Signed,

A. Nu Kon Vurt

 

P.S.  And now I've spent four hours at Panera Bread - free wireless!  THat soup and sandwich seem like ancient history, and I definitely hear a cream cheese pastry and some hot chocolate calling my name....  

 

 

 

 

I really should blog about Nashville.  I'm here after all, and friends have asked for reports.  But, really, it's a bit too much for words at times.  And in those moments when I consider, yet again, just how inadequate I am - I'm reminded that my only "hope" is God.  I'm here for Him, first and foremost.  He's made me who I am, and He's led me to this juncture.  (There are a lot of things in life I'm not clear about, but that is one thing I am.)

 

I'll take more time for an update later this week.  Really, I will!  But right now I desperately need to hit the sack.  So in the meantime, your prayers are much appreciated.  I can feel them.

 

Signed,

Heer Whith Gawd