I Can Only Imagine

I can only imagine that potential audience members for this excellent film will pooh-pooh it and pick another film to watch because ... dadadadum ... it's a "faith-based" movie, which is a great reason to give it a pass. However, for those viewers who see the film, the story takes over the backdrop wash of religion and the movie is great. It's the story of a young boy who is horribly abused by his father, but he discovers singing in public while in high school, and that talent becomes the driving force of his journey to adulthood. Along the way, there are flashbacks to his abusive childhood, just enough to remind the viewer that this is the story of a journey that many make and some don't survive.

And, the boy's faith becomes stronger as he transitions from the young boy who is abused to the young adult who is on a remarkable journey to adulthood. He keeps searching for answers to the "why" of his childhood, but he doesn't get his answer until he finally returns home and learns that his father is not just dying from cancer, but has also turned his life around. It isn't easy for the young man to trust his father, but together they find a way to reconnect and build a relationship that benefits both of them. After his father's passing, the son returns to performing with his band, Mercy Me, which leads to a pivotal moment that changes his life, as well as his career.

The title of the film and the song it is about is "I Can Only Imagine," and it's worth a visit to the web to hear the song performed by the man who wrote it, Bart Millard, performed it with his band Mercy Me, and changed his life forever with 4 little words.

An Open Note to Oprah

Dear Oprah,

You don’t know me, have never crossed paths with me, but I feel that I know you in a way that I don’t know others. You are at a crossroads in your life, with the public clamboring for you to step up and accept that you should be our next President of the United States of America. We can say, as women, it’s time, and we can say as multi-ethnicity Americans that it is time, and we can say as disillusioned Americans, it’s absolutely time for change.

And not just change for the sake of change, or to finally put a woman into the White House, or to give African Americans the chance to be filled with pride. It’s absolutely time for change because it is your time.

If you doubt it, listen to Josh Groban sing “You Raise Me Up” and you will be filled with the spirit of those of us who want you to be our next president. You raise me up to be more than I can be without you. You raise me up because I will never be in your position of being such a champion of the American people, regardless of race, color, or creed. You are a special person who has been called to a higher plane, one which few ever reach and you should not just honor the calling, but be honored yourself for what is your destiny.

Every moment before this one has led you to where you are now. Listen not just to your inner voice, but to the spirit of those who need you to raise us up.

PORCUPINE PROJECT

I have really dry skin, so when I saw a skein of Red Heart Scrubby yarn, I thought wow, that would feel good in the shower with some creamy lotion soap to exfoliate my dry skin.

I bought two skeins because I always think use one, have a spare waiting its turn. And, I love knitting washcloths because they take about two hours and outlast any store brand I’ve ever tried. I use Lily’s Sugar ‘n Cream all cotton yarn to make most of my washcloths, both for the kitchen and the bathroom, and I’m always satisfied with the end product of that endeavor. However, using Red Heart’s Scrubby yarn is an epic fail.

Yes, I finished the washcloth, and it was painful. Whatever gives the scrubby texture to the yarn is very abrasive on the hands while knitting the yarn. My fingers were chafed from working the yarn, and the shorter pieces of fiber wrapped around the yarn kept getting caught in my knitting stitches, giving the appearance of an extra stitch that I was tempted to work before I caught on to what it was. It was very challenging to monitor the stitches, especially at the beginnings of each row when I had to knit 1, knit 2 together, yarn over, knit 2 together to make the border.

I would not recommend this yarn to anyone. It’s a much better idea than it is an experience.

Do-Nation

I have been collecting yarn for ... years, storing it in big boxes that I then hide in a closet. When Y moved in and needed the closet, I relocated the yarn to the livingroom, where it overtook a corner. Some of it I actually used, but there was a lot of it I would never use as I kept going to the JoAnn's Fabric store up the street from the Costco and WalMart across the street. Easy to make both stops in an afternoon, and I always bought yarn that I said I could use for ... whatever.

The bottom line is that my yarn hoarding was out of hand, taking up too much room without providing me with a finished project in return. So, I made it my mission to clean out the yarn stash, beginning with buying 6 clear plastic tubs for storage. I figured if I could see what was in the storage boxes, I would be more inclined to use what I have on hand than I would be tempted to stop at JoAnn' or WalMart. I can proudly admit that I now have just 6 clear plastic bins of yarn stash, and it's only that I think I will use. If there were any doubt, it went into another pile dubbed donation.

Okay, the final step was just as important as the actual starting to clean up the hordes of yarn: I had to get it out of the house. We have a senior center, the Mizell Center, and a couple of volunteers there conduct both knitting and crocheting classes each week. I put all the donations into the SUV and drove directly to the Mizell Center, where I dropped off all the boxes and plastic shopping bags full of yarn.

I did it. After talking about needing to complete this project for the past 3 or so years, I did it! I have moved from living in the Don'tNation to the DoNation and it feels good. The final step will be driving by JoAnn's and refraining from walking the yarn aisle at WalMart as I am committed to using what I have on hand, rather than buying more yarn, and I'm not sure yet how firm that commitment is.

And Red Heart is coming out with a collection of soft green shades that they call Succulents. I'm already dreaming about what I can make ... .