I recently saw a post on Facebook containing some of the greatest childhood book quotes.
Dr. Seuss - Oh the Places You'll Go - "If things start happening, don't worry, don't stew, just go right along and you'll start happening too."
Roald Dahl - Charlie & the Chocolate Factory - "The greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places."
Dr. Seuss - The Cat in The Hat - "Be who you are and say how you feel, because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind."
Shel Silverstein - Where the Sidewalk Ends - "Anything can happen, child. Anything can be."
E. B. White - Charlotte's Web - "You have been my friend. That in itself is a tremendous thing."
Robert Munsch - Love You Forever - "I'll love you forever, I'll love you for always, as long as I'm living my baby you'll be."
Roald Dahl - Matilda - "If you have good thoughts... they will shine out of your face like sunbeams and you will always look lovely."
Marcus Pfister - The Rainbow Fish - "... the more he gave away, the more delighted he became."
Such good stuff! So, I got to thinking: what were some of my favorite childhood books? There were (and are) so many good ones to choose from, it was hard to narrow it down. I came up with a few, though.
Anne of Green Gables series - This was the first collection of books I had. I remember getting points to Barnes & Noble with the summer reading program and I used those points to collect all of the books in the series. I remember being so proud of when I collected all of the books in the series.
Berenstein Bears series - This is a series that I could read and read and read again. Love it! I should plan to get the series for the nepher...
Oh the Places You'll Go by Dr. Seuss - I still have a copy of this book. Maybe it's for kids, but I think it's also very much for adults. It's something that I believe we should read time and time again. The inspiration never gets old. The pictures never get boring. The rhymes never fail to entertain. Love it!
So, what about you? What were your favorite books as a child?
Saturday, March 8, 2014
Sunday, March 2, 2014
My Most Proud Moment
There are three moments in my life (at least recent moments) that I can remember being extremely proud of myself. I think they all speak for themselves, but a couple of them came without warning, they all come with stories and they all not only increased my feeling of self worth, but I think they also increased others' feelings of my value and worth. That is important to me.
Theological Hungarian talk - July 2010 - Yes, I lived and I worked and I ate delicious food in Hungary for about a year of my life. It was wonderful and probably one of the greatest experiences of my life. One thing that I regret (and only a little) is that I didn't exactly master the Hungarian language. Sure, I could speak it and my pronunciation was so on point that I was often assumed Hungarian when only one-word answers were needed. Unfortunately, piecing together a good sentence wasn't my strength. I could read and listen and understand almost completely... but yeah, that forming sentences/speaking/thinking and then relaying what I thought... those things were struggles. Toward the end of my year there, I was working for a camp on Lake Balaton. After dinner one evening, the question came up about how can God be good if so many bad things happen to good people. It's a classic question for those questioning. While I am fairly confident in discussing my beliefs in English, translating into Hungarian (or even Spanish) proved to be extremely difficult. However, it came up. And I can't remember how the conversation went.. but I do remember it being an actual conversation... complete with questions and responses. I walked away feeling so proud that I could not only discuss something that means a lot to me without getting defensive or deeply emotional, but I was also able to discuss it in a language I slightly regretted I hadn't grasped. In fact, I had.
Graduation - April 2013 - Finally. 12 years after graduating high school, I finally graduated from college. I started GVSU in August 2001 as a music education major. I finally finished as a Spanish major. I had finally finished. As I prepared for this day, I couldn't wait to walk across the stage of the Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids, MI and receive my 'diploma.' This excitement was quickly overshadowed by the fact that I hadn't tried on my graduation gown. Apparently they are NOT "one-size-fits-all..." and this girl has got some hips that are definitely not one size. The gown was more like a bodycon dress. Not attractive. No proud. However, aside from that moment, it was a great day. I had finished what I'd started. I had done what I had set out to do. I remember the happiness as if it were yesterday. So good.
Promotion - October 2013 - Of course, this is one of the most recent proud moments. It came completely unexpected. I've already blogged about how it came about and included a lot of my feelings about it, so I won't bore you with that again. Here's a link to that post. However, I was so proud of myself. It was only due to my hard work and abilities as an intern that I'd even gotten noticed. I'm sure some divine intervention, as well, but I'm so thankful that my freewill choice was to do what I was asked to do to the best of my abilities no matter what.
So, what about you? What are some of your most proudest moments?
Theological Hungarian talk - July 2010 - Yes, I lived and I worked and I ate delicious food in Hungary for about a year of my life. It was wonderful and probably one of the greatest experiences of my life. One thing that I regret (and only a little) is that I didn't exactly master the Hungarian language. Sure, I could speak it and my pronunciation was so on point that I was often assumed Hungarian when only one-word answers were needed. Unfortunately, piecing together a good sentence wasn't my strength. I could read and listen and understand almost completely... but yeah, that forming sentences/speaking/thinking and then relaying what I thought... those things were struggles. Toward the end of my year there, I was working for a camp on Lake Balaton. After dinner one evening, the question came up about how can God be good if so many bad things happen to good people. It's a classic question for those questioning. While I am fairly confident in discussing my beliefs in English, translating into Hungarian (or even Spanish) proved to be extremely difficult. However, it came up. And I can't remember how the conversation went.. but I do remember it being an actual conversation... complete with questions and responses. I walked away feeling so proud that I could not only discuss something that means a lot to me without getting defensive or deeply emotional, but I was also able to discuss it in a language I slightly regretted I hadn't grasped. In fact, I had.
Graduation - April 2013 - Finally. 12 years after graduating high school, I finally graduated from college. I started GVSU in August 2001 as a music education major. I finally finished as a Spanish major. I had finally finished. As I prepared for this day, I couldn't wait to walk across the stage of the Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids, MI and receive my 'diploma.' This excitement was quickly overshadowed by the fact that I hadn't tried on my graduation gown. Apparently they are NOT "one-size-fits-all..." and this girl has got some hips that are definitely not one size. The gown was more like a bodycon dress. Not attractive. No proud. However, aside from that moment, it was a great day. I had finished what I'd started. I had done what I had set out to do. I remember the happiness as if it were yesterday. So good.
Promotion - October 2013 - Of course, this is one of the most recent proud moments. It came completely unexpected. I've already blogged about how it came about and included a lot of my feelings about it, so I won't bore you with that again. Here's a link to that post. However, I was so proud of myself. It was only due to my hard work and abilities as an intern that I'd even gotten noticed. I'm sure some divine intervention, as well, but I'm so thankful that my freewill choice was to do what I was asked to do to the best of my abilities no matter what.
So, what about you? What are some of your most proudest moments?
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