loveourlit
Literature Loves Company
You're heard it been said that "misery loves company," and since some (crazy) folks think that having to read literature IS misery, I thought that thought and the similar sounds (literature/misery--OK, bear with me on this one) make Literature Loves Company work. We all love company--whether we're in misery (or literature) or not.
This is a great opportunity to journal, comment, share, brag, critique, collaborate, and make the world a better place--together via the Internet.
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Some People Have White Coat Syndrome; It's TSA That Makes Me Nervous
I can’t even pass the pre-test
I can’t prove who I am.
At least to TSA.
I went — driver’s license, birth certificate, and two marriage certificates in hand — to my pre-scheduled TSA Pre-Check appointment (available for a limited time at an airport near me!). And I was denied.
Apparently, the document I’ve used as proof of my birth my entire life is not a “birth certificate” but a proof of…
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Don't Miss the Significance of This: He's Right There Right Now
It was an early morning opportunity for answered prayer and so much more
I was sitting in the rocking chair journaling my request to God.
“Father, I would like to do the writer’s retreat this weekend, but I need to ask Steve. Please help me find the time.”
I had wanted to ask him in person, but it was 4:30 in the morning. On Friday. Before a Saturday morning event. I would be leaving in an…
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This Is How a Lost Leg Led to Finding True Love
The story of the ultimate matchmaking feat of all time -- two 'happily ever afters' joined in one weekend. And all because of a missing leg. It only took Adam a rib to get his mate.
It cost Adam a rib to get his perfect match, but God used a leg to match these 2 couples
“Aaaaaaaaaah!”
The scream interrupted our sister-to-sister conversation, intensifying as frantic feet raced toward us.
My niece and her younger brothers burst into the den.
“Somebody’s under the bed!” Megan cried.
Half concerned, half thinking these children were looking for an excuse to delay…
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How I Found Relief from a Nagging Colleague and Took Control of My Workday
Baby steps and learning the problem isn’t somebody else
“Father, she’s driving me crazy,” I had written in my journal, following a week of being coerced by a persistent, nagging colleague who had returned from vacation with a deadline pending.
A deadline that included me.
I’d completed her marketing project before she left for vacation — and she’d approved it — but she had come back with…
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I've Learned My Helplessness Can Be a Good Thing
I know I need to be fully reliant on God's strength to live as a Christian each day, but I haven't mastered being "well pleased with weaknesses." Maybe my hand -- recovering from surgery -- can help me with this.
If only I could learn to be ‘well pleased’ with my weaknesses
“Do you want me to cut your meat for you?”
I’d chosen meatballs labeled “tenderloin” from the buffet, but tender they were not. I’d hoped they might be easily cut with a fork.
But no. These were gray balls of tough, overcooked steak, and I had only a fork and butter knife to saw bits off each lump. One-handed. Maybe one-and-a-half…
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This Was a Meal That Changed My Life Forever
I think Becky asked if she could disciple me, but it sounded a lot like, “Would you like fries with that?”
I said yes, of course. I did have fries with my McDonald’s Quarter Pounder with Cheese that Wednesday evening. It was a meal to change my life – because it was followed by so much more.
“Follow me as I follow the Lord,” she might have said.
I did and do – and I know I am who I am today is…
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In Case You Missed It, Too: God's Grand Invitation Is All-Inclusive
He wants you to RSVP for the event of a lifetime
It wasn’t the remnants left on the trays that so distressed me. It was the full platters covered in plastic unearthed from the refrigerator that did me in.
I had forgotten to give the caterer the final head count — 60 less than the 200 we’d envisioned.
So at the end of the event, my colleagues and I were madly emptying trays of food into white…
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Using Your Core Isn't Just Physical; It's Healthy for Your Spiritual Life Too
Here’s how to raise the bar in your Christian walk
“I can feel myself engaging my core!” I told Connie.
I was delighted — and surprised.
We were powerlifting five pounds on either end of the bar on the incline chest press. I found it a struggle from the first lift.
(“Five” was not a typo; upper body strength is not my strength.)
Partway through my second set, I struggled to lift the weight,…
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That's It! I'm Quiet-Quitting My Car Dealership for Poor Customer Service
Unless writing about my experience isn’t considered quiet
“The next time I need my car serviced, I’m channeling my inner Doris Chandler,” I told my bewildered husband.
I imagined myself approaching the service desk in my highest heels and my “I mean business” suit, hair and makeup flawless.
He imagined I’d lost my mind.
Doris who?
She was my former coworker, at least as tall as my 5’10”.…
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When Fear Threatens, Remembering God's Goodness Can Give You Courage
The door had disintegrated like a mini version of the 9-11 twin towers before our eyes -- though too fast to see. Would the second "tower" also fall?
Even when things crash all around you — or one big thing
The first time I dropped a Corelle dish on our ceramic tile — true to its advertised claims — it didn’t chip, scratch, or break. It exploded.
Apparently, tempered glass — the technology used in Corelle dishes — has a temper. Our shower doors are made of tempered glass, too.
Which was unfortunate. As was our location — inches away — from…
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The One Thing I Needed to Guarantee My DIY Project Succeeded
The YouTube videos made it look like an easy DIY project. I managed to make framing our bathroom mirrors difficult. A reflection of me?
Which goes against the principle of doing it yourself, I realize
It was 4:30 on Sunday morning when my husband plopped his pillows close to my head and chuckled as he curled his body into mine.
“I feel safe with you,” this man told me, as he wrapped his arms around me.
Before I could guess where sweet Steve was going with this, he continued:
“Because I know you can’t frame me.”
We both burst…
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This Advice for Daylight Saving Time Would Have Saved Me Money
Twice a year in the United States, we change our clocks because of Daylight Saving Time, but this year I'm going to make it work for me by doing this.
Maybe it can help you now
You can imagine how surprised the mobile locksmith was when I handed him my keys.
“You’re locked out of your car — but you have your keys?” Marco asked.
My issue had stumped the mechanic at my Ford dealership, too. (He’d suggested my lock could be frozen.)
It was 28 degrees, after all, the fourth frigid morning in a row. By Day 2 of this cold, my car — a true…
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We Love Him Because He Loved Us First-- and Most
It's Valentine's Day, and I'm writing about a Christmas long ago. Why? Because it's all about the love.
The beauty of belonging to a family
It is lunchtime at the Dagen residence. Mom has cafeteria duty. Dad is safely at work. Eight-month-old Adam, who is usually quite good but is working diligently on Tooth No. 5, is fussing as I try to feed him some lunch.
Laura, 7, and A.J., 5, who apparently think I can’t hear the child sitting 12 inches from my ear, are repeating every sound he makes,…
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460 Kid-Friendly Jokes to Break the Tension and Lighten Their Mood
And adults will like it, too!
From time to time, I review a book for a publishing company, because my opinion matters — to you, at least. This time, it’s a joke book, You’re Joking Me: Jokes for Kids by a Kid, written by a 6th grader, William Daniel.
That’s William Daniel, not William Daniels, the actor. (This William’s a bit younger.)
If you want clean humor for your young person — funny…
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#gift ideas#kid-friendly jokes#William Daniel#You&039;re Joking Me#You&039;re Joking Me: Jokes for Kids by a Kid
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Who Wouldn't Want a Pole in Her Bedroom?
And, no, I’m not a firefighter
When we left for vacation, a new floor-to-ceiling pole stood near the foot of our bed.
Should I try to explain its presence to our son who would be housesitting?
Or hope he wouldn’t notice it?
“That pole in our bedroom,” I finally confessed upon our return, “it’s not as sexy as it looks.”
“I figured as much when I saw how rough the wood was,” the 31-year-old…
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The Uncomfortable Step to Healing You Likely Didn't Consider
The Uncomfortable Step to Healing You Likely Didn’t Consider
Whether the wound is visible or not
I left the surgery center, with molded cardboard splints, bandages, two substantial Ace wraps, and a sling supporting my right hand and wrist.
The dressing was so thick, I could punch a wall and be spared injury.
But I wouldn’t. Instead, I kept my hand across my heart — even when the sling slipped — as if saying the Pledge of Allegiance.
I followed…
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Her Death Was a Good One, But We Weren't Ready to Say Goodbye
Her Death Was a Good One, But We Weren’t Ready to Say Goodbye
Steve thought she was just sleeping until he saw her face. Eyes in a dead stare. Jaw slack.
Tori had died in her favorite place atop the picnic table moments before I got home from work on Friday. My husband had an odd look on his face when he came to tell me.
“Tori’s no longer with us,” he said. I followed him outside, observed her where she often lay, and couldn’t quite wrap my mind around…
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