To contact us Click HERE
Sue's memorial service was Friday. There were sure a lot of people there: her cousins from out-of-state, plus people from the college, the bookstore, and her church.
When there was a time to share I spoke about how Sue had pushed me out of my comfort zone. Many of you may not know that it was Sue who got me to blog. She wanted us all to blog, but I was new to computers, and wanted no part of this blogging stuff. I stormed in the next day announcing to all that if I was forced to write a single blog I would no longer work at the store. Somehow, though, by the end of the day I had written two blogs, and the rest, as they say, is history.
You will have noticed that lately we have rarely blogged. Partly, it is because of Sue's death, and partly because the future of the store is uncertain. It turns out that the store is owned by the Houghton Foundation, and they have yet to make the decision to continue the store, or not. You will not be surprised to know that all of us who volunteer at the store hope the Foundation does let us continue.
When I know anything, I will let you know
Karen Sue
24 Şubat 2013 Pazar
tlhIngan Hol Dajatlh'a' (Do you speak Klingon?)
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Do you speak Klingon?
Or do you want to?
If so, this is the book for you. Apparently some people actually do speak this nonsense. At least they do on The Big Bang Theory.
So, here you are:
The Klingon Dictionary: English/Klingon and Klingon/English (Star Trek, The Official Guide to Klingon Words and Phrases), by Marc Okrand (PB, 1985, $5, has a weak binding, and yellowed pages) Look for it on the new non-fiction table (L. sci. fi. )
(I just looked this book up on Amazon. It is amazingly rare. There is a more recent edition still in print. It is even available in e-book format. There are also entire books entirely in Klingon! Amazing, aint it.)
Or do you want to?
If so, this is the book for you. Apparently some people actually do speak this nonsense. At least they do on The Big Bang Theory.
So, here you are:
The Klingon Dictionary: English/Klingon and Klingon/English (Star Trek, The Official Guide to Klingon Words and Phrases), by Marc Okrand (PB, 1985, $5, has a weak binding, and yellowed pages) Look for it on the new non-fiction table (L. sci. fi. )
(I just looked this book up on Amazon. It is amazingly rare. There is a more recent edition still in print. It is even available in e-book format. There are also entire books entirely in Klingon! Amazing, aint it.)
Jim Thompson, hero of Thailand's silk industry
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Jim Thompson: The Legendary American of Thailand, by William Warren (TPB, 1970, $2)
One year in high school I read The Ugly American. It was the first time I had ever considered that Americans could be greedy, selfish, arrogant, or stupid. Well, I was pretty naive back then.
Jim Thompson is an example of the best America can offer. He was from wealth, graduated from Princeton, and then designed homes for the rich. During WWII the OSS sent him to Thailand. After the war he returned to the private sector but stayed in Thailand. He was amazed by the indigenous woven silk, but the industry was dying. Local vegetable dyes were unpredictable and often faded with use. Silk, in general, was seen as either too old fashioned, or too expensive. Few people in Thailand wanted it. Enter our Mr. Thompson, who was fascinated by everything Thai: their people, architecture, art, and textiles.
He started his silk company in the 1950s. He insisted his weavers use color-fast dyes, and that the silk fibers be of the best quality. He had a spectacular eye for color, and an amazing ability to combine colors and patterns, so his fabrics were different from anything anyone had ever seen before, even in Japan.
Thompson believed strongly in helping the Thai people. First he insisted his weavers work out of their own homes and not in factories, so they could maintain their culture. He also insisted that 51% of his silk company's owners be Thai citizens. He made sure profits went to his workers and the people of Thailand. His board of directors kept trying to raise his salary, and he kept saying he made enough.
He was lucky. Rogers and Hammerstein's The King and I dressed its performers in Thompson's silk. Now everyone wanted it. Queen Elizabeth redecorated a room in Windsor Castle with it. Movie stars wore it, both when they were filming, and when they were not. Other companies tried to compete, but Thompson's silk was always the best.
Eventually he wanted a place to display the art he had collected over the years. He designed a "museum" he could also live in. He moved 6 antique Thai dwellings onto his property, and connected them. Then he started to entertain. Anyone who was anyone could be found there, as well as a lot of just regular people that Thompson thought interesting.
Tragedy struck in 1967. He went for an "evening stroll" in the jungle and never returned. Was it murder? Did he stage his own disappearance? Had he been injured, or gotten lost? Everyone looked for him. Nobody found him.
Reading about Thompson's disappearance is fascinating, but this book drags it out for too long, and keeps coming back to it, again and again. Otherwise, I really liked this book, and this man. Now he would have been someone to meet!
Look for the book on the new non-fiction table. (L-Th)
According to the internet, some bones were found in 2007 that might be his, but tests to determine if they were have not been done. Apparently the bones "are in a safe place", whatever that means.
One year in high school I read The Ugly American. It was the first time I had ever considered that Americans could be greedy, selfish, arrogant, or stupid. Well, I was pretty naive back then.
Jim Thompson is an example of the best America can offer. He was from wealth, graduated from Princeton, and then designed homes for the rich. During WWII the OSS sent him to Thailand. After the war he returned to the private sector but stayed in Thailand. He was amazed by the indigenous woven silk, but the industry was dying. Local vegetable dyes were unpredictable and often faded with use. Silk, in general, was seen as either too old fashioned, or too expensive. Few people in Thailand wanted it. Enter our Mr. Thompson, who was fascinated by everything Thai: their people, architecture, art, and textiles.
He started his silk company in the 1950s. He insisted his weavers use color-fast dyes, and that the silk fibers be of the best quality. He had a spectacular eye for color, and an amazing ability to combine colors and patterns, so his fabrics were different from anything anyone had ever seen before, even in Japan.
Thompson believed strongly in helping the Thai people. First he insisted his weavers work out of their own homes and not in factories, so they could maintain their culture. He also insisted that 51% of his silk company's owners be Thai citizens. He made sure profits went to his workers and the people of Thailand. His board of directors kept trying to raise his salary, and he kept saying he made enough.
He was lucky. Rogers and Hammerstein's The King and I dressed its performers in Thompson's silk. Now everyone wanted it. Queen Elizabeth redecorated a room in Windsor Castle with it. Movie stars wore it, both when they were filming, and when they were not. Other companies tried to compete, but Thompson's silk was always the best.
Eventually he wanted a place to display the art he had collected over the years. He designed a "museum" he could also live in. He moved 6 antique Thai dwellings onto his property, and connected them. Then he started to entertain. Anyone who was anyone could be found there, as well as a lot of just regular people that Thompson thought interesting.
Tragedy struck in 1967. He went for an "evening stroll" in the jungle and never returned. Was it murder? Did he stage his own disappearance? Had he been injured, or gotten lost? Everyone looked for him. Nobody found him.
Reading about Thompson's disappearance is fascinating, but this book drags it out for too long, and keeps coming back to it, again and again. Otherwise, I really liked this book, and this man. Now he would have been someone to meet!
Look for the book on the new non-fiction table. (L-Th)
According to the internet, some bones were found in 2007 that might be his, but tests to determine if they were have not been done. Apparently the bones "are in a safe place", whatever that means.
Saint Ambrose's Letter
To contact us Click HERE
An advent letter from Saint Ambrose (born around 340 AD)was printed in my church bulletin. It is as pertinent in our day as it was inAmbrose's time.
Scores of people (including many Christians) don'tappreciate the gift of Christ. I know many who celebrate Christmas and Easter,yet do not believe in Christ's divinity. They either think He never existed orthat He was merely a nice wise man who taught everyone to be kind. (These latterdon't explain why a nice wise man would stir up trouble and claim to be divine,but that's a post for another day.)
Ambrose points out that we should treat everyone withlove. This means, even people who don't believe in Christ, family members whomwe find annoying, and strangers who cut us off on the road.
Ambrose holds up the Virgin Mary as a person to imitate.Sadly, many Christians today brush the mother of our Lord aside. They thinkthat because she's human, she isn't important. But she embraced God's call andthrew herself completely into trusting His plan. She really was the firstChristian. Of course we should look to her as a role model!
We'd be wise to behave like Mary and trust God. The Lord seesbeyond the surface while we see mere appearances filtered through our own egos.He can use what we think of as unlikely situations and people to achieve Hisplan. The teenaged atheist sitting across the Christmas table from you this yearmay in fact be the next great theologian. Just remember, even now, they are abeloved child of God.
Now, here's Saint Ambrose's letter:
My brothers and sisters in Christ,
How beautiful, how awesome it is that our God sent Hisown Son to dwell among us, as one of us, to heal the breach between human anddivine! And how tragic it is when frail humankind fails to appreciate the gift.
In my day, the followers of a man named Arius did notbelieve in Christ's divinity. They demanded that we hand over two churches fortheir use, but I refused to do so. In these difficult times, it was even moreimportant for the followers of Christ to stand united. The mystery and gift ofthe Incarnation is that Christ came for us all. In every age, the language,customs and liturgical practices that separate the faithful are less importantthan the faith that unites us. While we cannot condone heresy, we must approachall those we meet with the heart of Our Lord, Who treated even sinners and taxcollectors as beloved children of God.
The Virgin Mother provides us an example to emulate. Shewho bore the Savior understands the weight of an uncertain future. She, thehumblest of women, found herself called to serve her Lords in a way that seemedimpossible. Yet she embraced the call, both the gift of birth and the sacrificeof the Cross. She trusted the sure and certain hope of salvation promised ofold. We trust in the equally certain promise of Our Lord's return. For God canuse all situations and all people to effect His plan, even those who seem theleast likely candidates. Witness myself, a Roman governor nominated as bishopof Milan even before I was baptized!
In times filled with conflict, then, endeavor to embracethe same patience and hope demonstrated by the Virgin in the days before theNativity. May the peace of Christ dwell always in your hearts.
Your brother in Christ,
Ambrose
An advent letter from Saint Ambrose (born around 340 AD)was printed in my church bulletin. It is as pertinent in our day as it was inAmbrose's time. Scores of people (including many Christians) don'tappreciate the gift of Christ. I know many who celebrate Christmas and Easter,yet do not believe in Christ's divinity. They either think He never existed orthat He was merely a nice wise man who taught everyone to be kind. (These latterdon't explain why a nice wise man would stir up trouble and claim to be divine,but that's a post for another day.)
Ambrose points out that we should treat everyone withlove. This means, even people who don't believe in Christ, family members whomwe find annoying, and strangers who cut us off on the road.
Ambrose holds up the Virgin Mary as a person to imitate.Sadly, many Christians today brush the mother of our Lord aside. They thinkthat because she's human, she isn't important. But she embraced God's call andthrew herself completely into trusting His plan. She really was the firstChristian. Of course we should look to her as a role model!
We'd be wise to behave like Mary and trust God. The Lord seesbeyond the surface while we see mere appearances filtered through our own egos.He can use what we think of as unlikely situations and people to achieve Hisplan. The teenaged atheist sitting across the Christmas table from you this yearmay in fact be the next great theologian. Just remember, even now, they are abeloved child of God.
Now, here's Saint Ambrose's letter:
My brothers and sisters in Christ,
How beautiful, how awesome it is that our God sent Hisown Son to dwell among us, as one of us, to heal the breach between human anddivine! And how tragic it is when frail humankind fails to appreciate the gift.
In my day, the followers of a man named Arius did notbelieve in Christ's divinity. They demanded that we hand over two churches fortheir use, but I refused to do so. In these difficult times, it was even moreimportant for the followers of Christ to stand united. The mystery and gift ofthe Incarnation is that Christ came for us all. In every age, the language,customs and liturgical practices that separate the faithful are less importantthan the faith that unites us. While we cannot condone heresy, we must approachall those we meet with the heart of Our Lord, Who treated even sinners and taxcollectors as beloved children of God.
The Virgin Mother provides us an example to emulate. Shewho bore the Savior understands the weight of an uncertain future. She, thehumblest of women, found herself called to serve her Lords in a way that seemedimpossible. Yet she embraced the call, both the gift of birth and the sacrificeof the Cross. She trusted the sure and certain hope of salvation promised ofold. We trust in the equally certain promise of Our Lord's return. For God canuse all situations and all people to effect His plan, even those who seem theleast likely candidates. Witness myself, a Roman governor nominated as bishopof Milan even before I was baptized!
In times filled with conflict, then, endeavor to embracethe same patience and hope demonstrated by the Virgin in the days before theNativity. May the peace of Christ dwell always in your hearts.
Your brother in Christ,
Ambrose
Mother's Milk
To contact us Click HERE
My mother-in-law forwarded this along to me a few weeks back. It gave me a good chuckle and I thought perhaps some fellow moms may get a good laugh as well. Enjoy!
Studentsin an advanced Biology class were taking their mid-term exam. The last questionwas, 'Name seven advantages of Mother's Milk.’ The question was worth 70 pointsor none at all.
One student, in particular, was hard put to think of seven advantages. However, he wrote:
1) It is perfect formula for the child.
2) It provides immunity against several diseases.
3) It is always the right temperature.
4) It is inexpensive.
5) It bonds the child to mother, and vice versa.
6) It is always available as needed.
And then the student was stuck. Finally, in desperation, just before the bellrang indicating the end of the test, he wrote:
7) It comes in two attractive containers and it's high enough off the groundwhere the cat can't get it.
He got an A.
Studentsin an advanced Biology class were taking their mid-term exam. The last questionwas, 'Name seven advantages of Mother's Milk.’ The question was worth 70 pointsor none at all.
One student, in particular, was hard put to think of seven advantages. However, he wrote:
1) It is perfect formula for the child.
2) It provides immunity against several diseases.
3) It is always the right temperature.
4) It is inexpensive.
5) It bonds the child to mother, and vice versa.
6) It is always available as needed.
And then the student was stuck. Finally, in desperation, just before the bellrang indicating the end of the test, he wrote:
7) It comes in two attractive containers and it's high enough off the groundwhere the cat can't get it.
He got an A.
23 Şubat 2013 Cumartesi
Saint Ambrose's Letter
To contact us Click HERE
An advent letter from Saint Ambrose (born around 340 AD)was printed in my church bulletin. It is as pertinent in our day as it was inAmbrose's time.
Scores of people (including many Christians) don'tappreciate the gift of Christ. I know many who celebrate Christmas and Easter,yet do not believe in Christ's divinity. They either think He never existed orthat He was merely a nice wise man who taught everyone to be kind. (These latterdon't explain why a nice wise man would stir up trouble and claim to be divine,but that's a post for another day.)
Ambrose points out that we should treat everyone withlove. This means, even people who don't believe in Christ, family members whomwe find annoying, and strangers who cut us off on the road.
Ambrose holds up the Virgin Mary as a person to imitate.Sadly, many Christians today brush the mother of our Lord aside. They thinkthat because she's human, she isn't important. But she embraced God's call andthrew herself completely into trusting His plan. She really was the firstChristian. Of course we should look to her as a role model!
We'd be wise to behave like Mary and trust God. The Lord seesbeyond the surface while we see mere appearances filtered through our own egos.He can use what we think of as unlikely situations and people to achieve Hisplan. The teenaged atheist sitting across the Christmas table from you this yearmay in fact be the next great theologian. Just remember, even now, they are abeloved child of God.
Now, here's Saint Ambrose's letter:
My brothers and sisters in Christ,
How beautiful, how awesome it is that our God sent Hisown Son to dwell among us, as one of us, to heal the breach between human anddivine! And how tragic it is when frail humankind fails to appreciate the gift.
In my day, the followers of a man named Arius did notbelieve in Christ's divinity. They demanded that we hand over two churches fortheir use, but I refused to do so. In these difficult times, it was even moreimportant for the followers of Christ to stand united. The mystery and gift ofthe Incarnation is that Christ came for us all. In every age, the language,customs and liturgical practices that separate the faithful are less importantthan the faith that unites us. While we cannot condone heresy, we must approachall those we meet with the heart of Our Lord, Who treated even sinners and taxcollectors as beloved children of God.
The Virgin Mother provides us an example to emulate. Shewho bore the Savior understands the weight of an uncertain future. She, thehumblest of women, found herself called to serve her Lords in a way that seemedimpossible. Yet she embraced the call, both the gift of birth and the sacrificeof the Cross. She trusted the sure and certain hope of salvation promised ofold. We trust in the equally certain promise of Our Lord's return. For God canuse all situations and all people to effect His plan, even those who seem theleast likely candidates. Witness myself, a Roman governor nominated as bishopof Milan even before I was baptized!
In times filled with conflict, then, endeavor to embracethe same patience and hope demonstrated by the Virgin in the days before theNativity. May the peace of Christ dwell always in your hearts.
Your brother in Christ,
Ambrose
An advent letter from Saint Ambrose (born around 340 AD)was printed in my church bulletin. It is as pertinent in our day as it was inAmbrose's time. Scores of people (including many Christians) don'tappreciate the gift of Christ. I know many who celebrate Christmas and Easter,yet do not believe in Christ's divinity. They either think He never existed orthat He was merely a nice wise man who taught everyone to be kind. (These latterdon't explain why a nice wise man would stir up trouble and claim to be divine,but that's a post for another day.)
Ambrose points out that we should treat everyone withlove. This means, even people who don't believe in Christ, family members whomwe find annoying, and strangers who cut us off on the road.
Ambrose holds up the Virgin Mary as a person to imitate.Sadly, many Christians today brush the mother of our Lord aside. They thinkthat because she's human, she isn't important. But she embraced God's call andthrew herself completely into trusting His plan. She really was the firstChristian. Of course we should look to her as a role model!
We'd be wise to behave like Mary and trust God. The Lord seesbeyond the surface while we see mere appearances filtered through our own egos.He can use what we think of as unlikely situations and people to achieve Hisplan. The teenaged atheist sitting across the Christmas table from you this yearmay in fact be the next great theologian. Just remember, even now, they are abeloved child of God.
Now, here's Saint Ambrose's letter:
My brothers and sisters in Christ,
How beautiful, how awesome it is that our God sent Hisown Son to dwell among us, as one of us, to heal the breach between human anddivine! And how tragic it is when frail humankind fails to appreciate the gift.
In my day, the followers of a man named Arius did notbelieve in Christ's divinity. They demanded that we hand over two churches fortheir use, but I refused to do so. In these difficult times, it was even moreimportant for the followers of Christ to stand united. The mystery and gift ofthe Incarnation is that Christ came for us all. In every age, the language,customs and liturgical practices that separate the faithful are less importantthan the faith that unites us. While we cannot condone heresy, we must approachall those we meet with the heart of Our Lord, Who treated even sinners and taxcollectors as beloved children of God.
The Virgin Mother provides us an example to emulate. Shewho bore the Savior understands the weight of an uncertain future. She, thehumblest of women, found herself called to serve her Lords in a way that seemedimpossible. Yet she embraced the call, both the gift of birth and the sacrificeof the Cross. She trusted the sure and certain hope of salvation promised ofold. We trust in the equally certain promise of Our Lord's return. For God canuse all situations and all people to effect His plan, even those who seem theleast likely candidates. Witness myself, a Roman governor nominated as bishopof Milan even before I was baptized!
In times filled with conflict, then, endeavor to embracethe same patience and hope demonstrated by the Virgin in the days before theNativity. May the peace of Christ dwell always in your hearts.
Your brother in Christ,
Ambrose
Saint Faustina and Jesus, Our Ocean of Mercy
To contact us Click HERE
Right after I bought SaintFaustina's diary, somehow, I couldn't get into it. But upon picking it up again, acouple days ago, I began enjoying it right away.
Saint Faustina slips seamlesslyfrom prayer to narration about events in her life and back again to prayer.It's a meditative read. When I first began, I was in a more informationalmindset, like how I'd be if I were reading a history book. Her diary issomething else. It's really a story of a saint and her deep relationship withChrist.
Here's one of the many beautiful passages from Divine Mercy in My Soul: Diary of SaintMaria Faustina Kowalska.
OJesus, eternal Truth, strengthen my feeble forces; You can do all things, Lord.I know that without You all my efforts are in vain. O Jesus, do not hide fromme, for I cannot live without You. Listen to the cry of my soul. Your mercy hasnot been exhausted, Lord, so have pity on my misery. Your mercy surpasses theunderstanding of all Angels and people put together; and so, although it seemsto me that You do not hear me, I put my trust in the ocean of Your mercy, and Iknow that my hope will not be deceived.
Whenever I readthis passage, the song "An Ocean of Mercy" by the Catholic rock band The Thirsting runs through mehead.
Right after I bought SaintFaustina's diary, somehow, I couldn't get into it. But upon picking it up again, acouple days ago, I began enjoying it right away.
Saint Faustina slips seamlesslyfrom prayer to narration about events in her life and back again to prayer.It's a meditative read. When I first began, I was in a more informationalmindset, like how I'd be if I were reading a history book. Her diary issomething else. It's really a story of a saint and her deep relationship withChrist. Here's one of the many beautiful passages from Divine Mercy in My Soul: Diary of SaintMaria Faustina Kowalska.
OJesus, eternal Truth, strengthen my feeble forces; You can do all things, Lord.I know that without You all my efforts are in vain. O Jesus, do not hide fromme, for I cannot live without You. Listen to the cry of my soul. Your mercy hasnot been exhausted, Lord, so have pity on my misery. Your mercy surpasses theunderstanding of all Angels and people put together; and so, although it seemsto me that You do not hear me, I put my trust in the ocean of Your mercy, and Iknow that my hope will not be deceived.
Whenever I readthis passage, the song "An Ocean of Mercy" by the Catholic rock band The Thirsting runs through mehead.
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