Three Things That Gripe My Grits

June 18, 2014June 18, 2014 / Ally Bean / 20 Comments

“Unfortunately, there are assholes and psychos mixed in with regular people everywhere you go, and they’re not labeled as such, so you can’t identify them by sight.”

~ When I Blink [author’s name], If the Fashion Industry Gave a Commencement Speech

• • •

1) Let’s review the basics.

Q: What must we do?

A: Be proactive and not use the word should.

Explanation: When applied to oneself the word “should” speaks to wishful thinking and lazy follow-thru. By using it one denies his or her own power to make things happen– which is not good, kind of pathetic and will get you a Gibbs head slap from me.

• • •

2) Let’s talk about friendship.

Q: Who do we have the best relationships with?

A: People who behave the same way as we do.

Explanation: That is to say, chronological age is not necessarily what keeps friends together. Shared values and subsequent actions are what keep people close, so do not tell me to limit my friendships to people within my age group. That’s nuts.

• • •

3) Let’s talk about manners.

Q: What must everyone do after receiving a gift?

A: Write a thank you note and send it.

[Also acceptable answers depending on age &/or physical condition: Draw a thank you picture and have Mom or Dad send it. Phone a thank you message.]

Explanation: Lack of gratitude is epidemic in our world. Do not be part of this problem; instead, be classy and say “thank you” in a meaningful, time-honored way. Be part of that proud thank-you-note-sending tradition.

• • •

That Place Where Genealogy & A Forgiving Spirit Meet

May 28, 2014May 28, 2014 / Ally Bean / 14 Comments

“It is a duty to forgive everyone that is indebted to us, under pain of the Divine condemnation… for an unforgiving spirit cannot possibly be a happy one.”

~ The Reverend William H. Sutherland, Ohio frontier circuit preacher | DDiv | my great-grandfather

~ • ~

Good thought, eh? I stumbled upon it when I was doing some random genealogical research.

[Amazing what a person can find online.]

The quote you see above comes from Charles C. Cole’s Lion of the Forest: James B. Finley, Frontier Reformer, a biography about Finley. Like Finley, my great-grandfather was a frontier circuit preacher who travelled via horse or on foot to spread the word of God. It was a difficult life and the pay was nominal. Most men did the job for a few years and then moved onto something less strenuous, less religious.

However, my great-grandfather toughed it out and eventually went on to earn an advanced degree in theology. Throughout his subsequent career as a reverend he rose within the ranks of the Methodist Episcopal Church* to become an elder of some sort. [More research needed.] But before he became someone of note within the church, he ruffled a few feathers out there on the circuit.

[Specifically, the feathers of Finley.]

As I understand it, Finley and my great-grandfather did not agree on what constituted Christian forgiveness. Finley believed that a Christian could not forgive someone unless that someone had first repented.

My great-grandfather took a more progressive view and said that forgiveness was not dependent upon someone else repenting, but was an action that a good Christian took as a matter of course. The responsibility to forgive was the appropriate behavior of the forgiver, regardless of what the person requiring forgiveness did– or did not do.

[You still with me here?]

I like learning that my great-grandfather, who is affectionately known within this house as The Old Coot, was not as coot-ish as I imagined him to be. My take-away from this is that he had a good heart, and apparently the sense to know what to worry about and what to let go of.

Rather modern thinking, for an old-time religious fellow. I’m impressed.

* In 1844 there was a schism within the U.S.A. Methodist church resulting in the denomination dividing into two factions: the Methodist Episcopal Church condemned slavery; the Southern Methodist Church allowed slavery. This schism foreshadowed the Civil War by about 20 years.

Insanely Happy Looking At The Morning Moon

May 22, 2014June 2, 2022 / Ally Bean / 29 Comments

This past Tuesday morning was unusually clear so that when I looked up into the sky around 7:30 a.m. EST I saw the waning gibbous moon. I was aware that I might see the moon in the morning after I read this, and I knew from a similar event last year that if I had my camera with me I might get a photo of it.

Above is the best photo that I took. Too cool for school, huh?

I like the moon more than the sun. For one thing I don’t have to apply any sunblock or don a hat before I go outside to see it. But the real reason that I like the moon is that the gradual changes associated with its rotation keep it fresh and fascinating.

Nothing stodgy about it. A bit eclectic, even.

Seeing this moon photo I remembered a quote by Paulo Coelho about the moon. It is in Veronika Decides To Die, a novel which I read years ago but have to admit that I don’t remember much about. All that stayed with me from the novel is this quote which, I feel, makes a perfect ending to this post.

“She didn’t quite know what the relationship was between lunatics and the moon, but it must be a strong one, if they used a word like that to describe the insane.”