Great Devotional

I’ve read so many devotional books in my life you’d think by now I’d be so holy I’d glow in the dark. ;-)

That hasn’t happened and isn’t likely to, but I have just finished reading an extremely inspiring devotional book.

Waiting For God, Trusting Daily in God’s Plan and Place is probably the best one I’ve ever read.

It’s designed to be used for one month and could be read at any time of the year. 

Besides the usual Bible readings and quoted verses, the author, Xochitl Dixon, shares deeply meaningful and entertaining stories and Bible readings.

I don’t usually review books for grown-ups on my blog, but this one is so good I couldn’t resist sharing about it.

1984

I recently reread that classic book, 1984, by George Orwell.

I’d been thinking about how many things in that book that were science fiction when it was written are actually happening today.

For instance, people can watch you in your home from far away.

But I’d forgotten how depressing that book was.

Thank goodness we don’t have the evil kind of government in that novel.

There are LOTS of problems in our world and we have plenty to complain about no matter what our political or religious beliefs may be.

But that novel makes our current world seem wonderful by contrast.

Things could be much worse, but I doubt that they will ever become like those in that novel.

And, in many ways, things were worse in centuries past.

I’m glad I live in 2019.

Writers Groups

I love writers groups.

But, as a writer, I’m concerned about punctuation and can never decide if that term should be writers’ groups, since the group belongs to writers, or just, plain writers groups since it’s plural and lots of us are there.

Probably other writers understand why I care about what I just mentioned.

Writing is a solitary job, but writers are communicators, so when we get together we just click. We understand each other in ways ‘normal’ people can’t.

I only belong to two groups with speakers and events and one critique group, but I have belonged to others in the past and still consider members of those earlier groups to be my close friends.

If I ever stop writing I’ll probably have to change my identity, because I am a writer and that’s an important part of who I am.

Turn Signals

When I moved to the Sierra foothills from the urban San Francisco Bay Area I was pleased to see that people up here stop at stop signs and take turns at four-way stops. They stop to let pedestrians cross the street and usually stay within five miles of the speed limit.

But, just like in the Bay Area, lots of people don’t seem to know how to use their turn signals.

Back in ancient history, when I was young, turn signals hadn’t been invented. At least not the electric kind.

Instead of signal lights we would hold our hands and arms out the driver’s window to signal that we were going to turn or stop. Holding the arm straight out to the left showed that we would turn left, holding it straight up meant we’d make a right turn, and holding it down toward the ground meant we were about to stop.

Of course there were problems with that. Drivers had to keep their windows open most of the time, put their arms out in the rain or snow in winter and risk getting sunburns in the summer.

And sometimes it was difficult for people to see the hand signals of some other cars, depending on where their own cars were.

You would think since people using electric turn signals don’t have any of those problems, drivers would use their turn signals all the time.

Do they use turn signals most of the time where you live? Do you?

Technology

A few decades ago if we’d seen someone walking around alone talking out loud we’d have thought they were crazy. Today we just assume they’re using a cellphone.

We can do things today that were only science fiction back when I was a kid. (Yes, I’m old.)

A few weeks ago I was without internet access for a few days and I was amazed at how much I missed it.

Perhaps in the future instead of cellphones we’ll have brain implants. 

Then some evil world government will take over and control us all.

I guess you can tell my writerly imagination is at work. ;-)

For the Fourth of July