It Comes Alive

It has great value in my household and it's an honor to have in my room. I have three siblings living at home along with my mother and myself. We all have one in our separate rooms. It usually just sits there unused in some rooms more than others. I pick up mine when I really try hard to make time. My excuses are still "I am really tired," and "I work too many hours and I have so much homework. I just can't find time." Some may call them excuses, but that is my current life.

I take great care of my Bible. Before heading to bed, I grab it and begin my prayers along with the reading. It sits right on my nightstand next to my bed. So convenient. Yet, I still have a hard time reaching for it on my tedious nights. Many probably think that it is just a storybook written to teach morals, but not my Bible. Mine comes alive whenever I read it. I relate to the characters as the characters relate to me. They talk to me and make me realize what I am missing out on. Wisdom reassures me. My fear of the Lord brightens up my knowledge. My sins scream back at me whenever I read John 3:16.

I learn more than just morals, I learn to become. I change. I become strong and faithful. Honest. Righteous. I learn to love. I dig deep down in my heart and know what is missing. My Bible does that for me by not letting it just sit on my nightstand. In order for effect to take place, it has to come alive. I have to breathe life into it the way the main character of this book did for me, so I am holding on to my promise the same way He held onto His. I am off to read the Good Book...

Telling it Straight...

I like this week's blog question because I get to write about the readings that we have read freely, and I can truly say that they do help me write these blogs. Two of my favorite articles we have read for this course are: “Reading History to My Mother” by Robin Hemley and “The Clan of One-Breasted Women” by Terry Tempest Williams.

I like Hemley's "Reading History to My Mother" because it holds genuine truth. Actually both stories do, but what I really like about this particular one is he writes about something so simple as sight, yet its his mother's losing sight. So, he immediately grabs a reader into his life, and he manages to do it in a way that allows the reader to feel for his mother and completely understand the situation he is in. His article contains of the simple conversations anyone can go through in one's life; however, it is the history that begs readers to keep reading.

One thing I noticed about both of the articles I chose was the clever titles of both. Personally, a title has so much to do with my choosing or liking a story. I have noticed that I have had this interest in titles, and you will see that I try to be creative with mine. That is something that will be passed on to my future writings. Tempest's “The Clan of One-Breasted Women” is so beautifully written. What makes me admire this story is its truth, simplicity, and commonality that many people can relate to. It incorporates culture, the injustices people face, the powers of this world, and it all ties into the term: family.

Both writings are an encouragement to writing with clarity, genuineness, and originality. I do believe that they motivate me to write in a way that grabs my own attention and keeps me focused on what I have to say. I would definitely recommend these stories to people that want to learn more about reflective essay style.

My Parents' Most Tragic Day....

There they were, so distraught and so young. My parents had just gotten married a year before mama gave birth to my first sibling, Rena. She was absolutely beautiful with her golden, shiny hair and green eyes. Everyone was shocked to see how long she was for a baby, and how blond her hair was for an Assyrian baby. My mom was the happiest person until my 3 month old sister stopped eating and kept throwing up. From a healthy and a very energetic baby suddenly became shockingly sick. The doctors didn't know what was wrong with Rena. They checked every part of her, and did all the tests. Nothing came up. She started withering away in front of my 19-year-old distressed mother.

My mom spent those three days doing the impossible and just crying because she had started losing hope. The medicine the doctor prescribed wasn't working. My father felt helpless because he couldn't do anything to save his daughter, but only console his wife.

On the last night that Rena was alive, mom and dad were sitting right next to each other watching her take her breaths strenuously in her little bassinet. She finally went to asleep as my parents vigilantly looked over her. My mom put her head on my dad's shoulder and her eyes would no longer stay open. My dad's eyes stayed open and focused right on Rena's little chest until she took her last breath. He didn't move and his eyes never left her. A few minutes later, my mom jumped as if someone told her to wake up and quickly peered over the bassinet. She just knew she was gone, "She's gone??" Silence.

Friendly Vampire...

I don't really have time to watch movies, but I wish I did because I absolutely love films. The last movie I watched, which I am too embarrassed to say was Twilight. I guess that is not a looong time ago, but it sure feels like it.
There are many features of this movie that I liked, but I was kind of disappointed it didn't do justice to all the hype it caused. I have never read the books, but I was still disappointed.
Overall, the film was entertaining and it had a good plot, so I would imagine if I had time, I would enjoy reading the books. Elements of good filmmaking can really inspire anyone to write evocative nonfiction prose. However, Twilight is far from being nonfiction; it still motivates someone to write anything because one's imagination expands after watching an artful and inspiring movie about a friendly vampire who falls in love with a teenage girl.
I guess what I am trying to say is the sky is the limit with this movie because when I first watched it, I was amazed at how different the plot was from all the vampire movies. It inspires me to write about the normal things in life and make it extraordinary. I love writing, so when an opportunity comes up I jot notes down to write about it later. Watching the great features of Twilight such as its creative plot or simplistic, yet engaging setting can help me just write about whatever comes to mind from my past, my family's, or a friend's past. Onscreen, the teenage girl moves in with her lonely father while her mother lives with her new man. Good filmmaking provides background, and that is what Twilight does. He gives us a background of the family, which stimulates the viewers' mind allowing them to relate.

The Alarm Went Off...

So I recently started working at a Jewelry Store, and I had to open this morning with the stand-in manager, who is still in training I should add. We were the only two opening this morning, and I was a little surprised, but I was sure the manager knew what she had to do to turn off the alarm, turn on the system, and get all registers up and working.
She was twenty minutes late, "Good morning! Sorry, I had a flat tire."
I didn't mind it at all; she is too sweet to be upset at. She unlocked and pushed the gate up and asked me if I knew how to turn off the alarm. I got a little nervous, and replied as if I was asking her, "No?"
In my mind, all I kept thinking was PLEASE GOD TELL ME SHE KNOWS THE CODE THAT TURNS OFF THE ALARM because I sure as heck don't!
She said, "Oh. Well, I wrote it down in my book, I will find it." Too calm, yet I was relieved, but not until she came out of the backroom to tell me the alarm wouldn't turn off with the code that she has. The alarm kept beeping and a female voice kept saying, "Please disable alarm." "Please disable alarm." ahhh...
I called the district manager, no answer. The manager tried calling the other employees, no answer. 58, 59, 60 seconds! ALARM went off and we frantically started pressing the code in with no luck and making calls. Finally the district manager calls, and she can't do anything because the code she has is different. The phone and the alarm were blaring at the same time. The security called to see if everything was okay. I explained the situation, but I highly doubt she believed me because she hung up on me. I still don't understand why. The mall security stood at the gates. For ten minutes the alarm blared; it was really embarrassing. Then we called a sister company in the same mall, the manager that worked there was a former employee, and she knew the code. My manager was shouting in the phone because the alarm was too loud. "Alright, I will try that code and see what happens."
"Alarm disabled."
We just looked at each other's frazzled faces, and laughed. It was too early in the morning for this type of stress. I remember telling her, "This was definitely a learning experience." She said to me, "There must be a fall moon out."