For the June Brides (and all the Others)

May 27, 2016

Congratulations on beginning your life together. While I’m sure that you’ll have many happy years together, sometimes you’ll hit a bump in the road.

When things get a little dicey, know that you’re not alone. Here are some of my favorite quotes about marriage:

(Hester Christie is looking for a birthday present for her husband.)

“…Spend a long time examining dressing gowns for Tim’s birthday present. [A young man in the Men’s Department helps, and they finally find one. …The] Young man says if my husband would prefer a different colour he is at liberty to change it, which confirms me in my belief that he has had long experience in the Men’s Department…”

Tim is having trouble with an officer in his regiment, and asks Hester for ideas on how to handle it.

 “…Suggest tentatively that we might ask the democratic officer to dinner, and Tim make a few tactful suggestions to him over a glass of port. Tim is very scornful of my solitary idea. …

“[The next morning] Tim comes down to breakfast whistling cheerfully and announces that he has been considering the matter…and that there is only one thing to be done… Tim’s idea is to ask young Weir out to dinner some night…and Tim will have a talk with him over a glass of port and put it to him in a tactful way…

“Reply that I am glad he has thought of such a good way out of his troubles.”

From Mrs. Tim Christie, by D. E. Stevenson

(Lord love her! She didn’t brain him—and has been a role model for me ever since.)

Patricia Anne is going away on Monday for a week with the girls, leaving her husband at home.

“…We are apart so seldom that by Sunday night we were already missing each other. … The funny thing is that once we say goodbye, I have this great feeling of freedom. Go figure.”

From Murder Makes Waves, by Anne George

Patricia Anne’s niece has just eloped. She and her new husband don’t think that they can live together, so they’re going to have adjoining condos. Her other niece says that she hopes that the wall will come down soon, because she wouldn’t want her husband living next door.

“We were both quiet for a moment, thinking. Then we burst out laughing. There’s not a woman alive who wouldn’t move her husband out sometimes. Just next door.”

From Murder Boogies with Elvis, by Anne George

So keep it in perspective; keep your sense of humor; and enjoy your marriage.

Self-Importance

May 16, 2016

The House Committee on Oversight and Reform is tackling TSA delays, and the problems they are causing for passengers. John Mica, of Florida, was disgusted because three associates missed their flight after arriving late and being further delayed by security lines.

“You can’t get a hold of a damned person at TSA, even as a member of Congress,” Mica shouted.

I may be being unkind here, but my takeaway from this comment is that Rep. Mica was upset because his late-arriving associates couldn’t use their Congressional clout to cut in line.

Shucks!

How Can You Tell?

May 15, 2016

Re: Laws regarding which bathroom people use:

How can you tell if a transgender person is in your bathroom? Even men’s room have stalls with doors. So how do you know? Is someone going to do a spot-check?

Self-Awareness

May 15, 2016

May 15, 2016

You can ignore your hairdresser for as long as you like (in my case, years);

But when you start singing “Cruella de Vil” every time you look in the mirror,

it might be time to do something about the gray.

A Big Miracle

May 14, 2016

Last June I wrote in “Small Miracles” that I had gotten my dream job in Boise, and that I hoped I could do it again in St. Louis, but without waiting a year.

Well, it did take almost a year, but I did get a job with great hours, good pay, and a not-horrible commute. Considering that it came from a job that had long hours and, due to the starting and ending time, a horrible commute, it’s even more of a miracle.

I did some negotiating for it (and that’s another story); but if I hadn’t gotten that job with those particular people, it wouldn’t have happened that way. And I suspect that the Lord would have arranged it all nicely without any help from me, but He knew I wanted to feel like I was actually shaping my life instead of taking whatever I was handed. I guess He knew I needed a win.

So, Thanks, Lord. You came through for me again.

An Interesting Way to Tell the Story

May 12, 2016

There was a news item yesterday about a fourth-grader on a field trip who got hurt on the fence around the State Capitol. According to the item, the girl “was walking along the fence toward the entrance of the mansion when the point of the fence went through her left arm.” 

The way it’s phrased, it almost sounds like the fence jumped out and attacked her.

Just Like the Lawyers on TV

April 28, 2016

There was a case before the Supreme Court recently, where a guy got fired by a police department because someone thought he was involved in a political campaign. He wasn’t.

He sued for violation of his First Amendment rights, but lower courts said that because he hadn’t actually been exercising his First Amendment rights, he couldn’t sue; even though the department fired him because they thought he’d been exercising them.

It sounds like one of those dodges that TV lawyers use, but that you don’t think really happen in actual courtrooms.

The Supreme Court says that yes, he can sue.