It was summer.
Emotions were as high as the humidity.
I escaped to the underground
to pack away Christmas.
(January was dark that year).
Into the box went 3 Magi,
One with his head dangling
- a super glue repair job too old –
Two donkeys…
I brushed away mouse droppings from the table
as I wrapped them in tissue paper
decades old.
That couldn’t be all, but
on the table all I saw
were Christmas mugs and
wooden Advent calendar puzzles.
There, under the bubble wrap,
were Mary and Joseph
posed in forever adoration
and holy awe.
I pulled it aside, and
There! The smiling babe...
Right between the pine scented candle
and the angel with the broken wing.
I wondered…does our experience of God
–the Christ –
belong under the bubble wrap,
Or is ok for it to be among rodent turds?
I pondered this as I wrapped them up-
to sleep in dark boxes
for half a year.
Life in Laura's Mind
Monday, September 19, 2011
Monday, June 13, 2011
Laura's Lessons - an introduction
This is a draft of the introduction to a non-fiction work I am planning. The working title is Laura's Lessons - again the alliteration works for me with that title.
The inspiration came from several sources. I love to listen to podcasts, and one of my favorites is Moody's Midday Connection http://www.moodyradio.org/middayconnection.aspx . Jan Silvious is a frequent guest on that talk show, and some time in 2010 I heard an interview with her about her book, Same Life, New Story. http://www.jansilvious.com/ The theme of the book, which I have since purchased, is how changing your perspective on your story, and God's part in writing it, is key to changing your life. A more recent podcast (May 2010) was an interview with therapist Margo Tirado on the topic of what happens when a woman finds her voice. http://margotirado.com/ During that interview she talked about the exercise of with making a sign for yourself - a short description of what you believe about yourself. As you examine those, you learn to replace those statements that we've assumed where true with the real truth of God's word.
So anyway.... that's the back story...it inspired me to put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard) and explore this...I wrote and wrote into the night, several nights over about a week's time. One day while I sat in the dentist's chair I came up with that working title, as well as chapter titles. The reason I use my name in the title is because of the meaning that has become so important to me in my journey. Laura comes from the Greek for laurel, 
which is what they would use to make a victory wreath to place on the head of a champion. This book is to be about how I came to see myself as victorious. It involves an inspired discipline of seeing myself as "victorious" rather than any one of the variety of nicknames thoughtless people threw at me. It has become a way for me to lift up that laurel crown of victory, and show others how, by God's Grace and inspiration, it can be done.
which is what they would use to make a victory wreath to place on the head of a champion. This book is to be about how I came to see myself as victorious. It involves an inspired discipline of seeing myself as "victorious" rather than any one of the variety of nicknames thoughtless people threw at me. It has become a way for me to lift up that laurel crown of victory, and show others how, by God's Grace and inspiration, it can be done.I wrote several chapters in those nights, many of which refer to things I've already written or scenes I remember but only described with a phrase or two, so obviously they will need to be fleshed out. I am taking to heart the advice of my Literacy League supervisor to not show up at work so often, so as not to spread myself too thin. I will take that personal time to work on these chapters of my life -- finding the lessons, finding my voice -- and God's voice...and sharing it here. I welcome your comments -- either by e-mail or as posted comments (you have to register for an account, but all it requires is an e-mail, I think).
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Easter in the Rearview mirror
This is a long overdue posting of a blog I began in late May -- I think it applies just as well now that we're looking at Advent in the distance as it did looking at Easter in the rearview mirror.
This is a quote from a book by Richard Russo called Empire Falls. We hear the story of the declining town of Empire Falls from the point of view of Miles Roby. In this selection, he speaks of a lonely teenage boy who is befriended by his daughter, Tick.
This is not a Christian book, but isn't that a stiking comparison? How would it have felt to be the disciples, to have had your life disrupted for 3 years, and then for it all to turn out so different than you had hoped ("we had hoped that He was the Messiah," they told Jesus)... how they must have wanted to just put the whole confusing thing behind them.
And us? How has Jesus disrupted your life? Don't you sometimes wish you could just live like the rest of the world, and turn away from what He's calling you to? It can be so uncertain, so unsettling, following that voice you think you hear on a way you think you might be called to... toward something you're not sure you can handle...Kind of like that feeling right before your foot touches the ground... most of the time you don't think about it, but there's that time when you forget how many steps there are, and the landing isn't where you expect it to be.
But then I think, "what else is there?" I could go back to living the way I was. It's familiar, so familiar that I can do it in my sleep. I have. I fill the emptiness inside with noise and sensations, then go back to mindlessly living. But I have known another way. I have known the feeling of adventure, and I wake in anticipation of what God will do next. Even if those moments are in the background faraway, there is a knowledge you can't unknow, a knowledge that God will show up, that actually He never left, and He's waiting to show me a better way, bit by bit, and He will walk beside me.
And so I determine to keep listening, to stay awake, to move, to watch and see.
This is a quote from a book by Richard Russo called Empire Falls. We hear the story of the declining town of Empire Falls from the point of view of Miles Roby. In this selection, he speaks of a lonely teenage boy who is befriended by his daughter, Tick.
If Jesus had gone away, things in Galilee would have returned to normal, just as her father had promised they would soon in Empire Falls. ..No one could want this boy, this child who had dangled from a laundry bag inside a closet, not to exist. Merely for him not to exist here, because here has proven to be the wrong place. She feels like Jesus' disciples must've felt. They never wanted him crucified, of course, but what a relief it must have been when the stone was rolled across the entrance to the tomb, sealing everything shut so they could go back to being fishermen, which is what they knew how to do, rather than fishers of men, which they didn't. No wonder they didn't recognize him later on the road to Damascus. They didn't want to any more than Tick wants to welcome this poor boy back into their midst. (p. 446-447)
This is not a Christian book, but isn't that a stiking comparison? How would it have felt to be the disciples, to have had your life disrupted for 3 years, and then for it all to turn out so different than you had hoped ("we had hoped that He was the Messiah," they told Jesus)... how they must have wanted to just put the whole confusing thing behind them.
And us? How has Jesus disrupted your life? Don't you sometimes wish you could just live like the rest of the world, and turn away from what He's calling you to? It can be so uncertain, so unsettling, following that voice you think you hear on a way you think you might be called to... toward something you're not sure you can handle...Kind of like that feeling right before your foot touches the ground... most of the time you don't think about it, but there's that time when you forget how many steps there are, and the landing isn't where you expect it to be.
But then I think, "what else is there?" I could go back to living the way I was. It's familiar, so familiar that I can do it in my sleep. I have. I fill the emptiness inside with noise and sensations, then go back to mindlessly living. But I have known another way. I have known the feeling of adventure, and I wake in anticipation of what God will do next. Even if those moments are in the background faraway, there is a knowledge you can't unknow, a knowledge that God will show up, that actually He never left, and He's waiting to show me a better way, bit by bit, and He will walk beside me.
And so I determine to keep listening, to stay awake, to move, to watch and see.
Saturday, May 7, 2011
Attitude of Gratitude
I heard a speaker on one of my favorite podcasts talk about gratitude. She said she learned recently that when a person "sits" in that place of gratitude, his brain chemistry actually changes. This change requires more than just a passing thought, but dwelling on those grateful thoughts for an extended time. Not just once a year while gathered around the table with family. Not just as you write the obligatory thank you notes. But instead intentionally recalling all the things that generate gratitude.
Whenever I got to feeling down as a teenager about how things weren't going my way, my Dad used to say, "Count your blessings." Sometimes it would say it in an exasperated voice, because teenage girls caught up in drama can be exasperating, and I know for a fact I was no exception. But other times it would be a more gentle reminder, and it brought to mind his granddad's table prayer, which we recited in part at our table growing up -- "Give us thankful hearts, Our Father, for all these many blessings..." it began. Gratitude was something he was taught, and he passed it down to me, as we hope to pass it on to our children.
That same speaker pointed out that in Old Testament times, the children of Israel were taught through the marking of seasons and festivals to recall all that the Lord had done for them. Psalm 103 is just one of the many scriptural examples of how David encouraged others to "count their blessings," to intentionally turn their thoughts to all the good things the Lord has done - here it is from the New International Version -
Praise the LORD, my soul;
all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
2 Praise the LORD, my soul,
and forget not all his benefits—
3 who forgives all your sins
and heals all your diseases,
4 who redeems your life from the pit
and crowns you with love and compassion,
5 who satisfies your desires with good things
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
The LORD works righteousness
and justice for all the oppressed.
7 He made known his ways to Moses,
his deeds to the people of Israel:
8 The LORD is compassionate and gracious,
slow to anger, abounding in love.
9 He will not always accuse,
nor will he harbor his anger forever;
10 he does not treat us as our sins deserve
or repay us according to our iniquities.
11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his love for those who fear him;
12 as far as the east is from the west,
so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
13 As a father has compassion on his children,
so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him;
14 for he knows how we are formed,
he remembers that we are dust.
15 The life of mortals is like grass,
they flourish like a flower of the field;
16 the wind blows over it and it is gone,
and its place remembers it no more.
17 But from everlasting to everlasting
the LORD’s love is with those who fear him,
and his righteousness with their children’s children—
18 with those who keep his covenant
and remember to obey his precepts.
19 The LORD has established his throne in heaven,
and his kingdom rules over all.
20 Praise the LORD, you his angels,
you mighty ones who do his bidding,
who obey his word.
21 Praise the LORD, all his heavenly hosts,
you his servants who do his will.
22 Praise the LORD, all his works
everywhere in his dominion.
Praise the LORD, my soul.
There are so many blessings to ponder in those 22 verses I cannot even begin to comment...but back to that speaker on the podcast -- just think what would happen if we read that psalm and "parked our minds" there for moments everyday? Would our brain chemistry actually change? Would we be less stressed, less likely to snap at people, more likely to smile?
And of course this is the most important question on my mind at my age,
Would my smile lines deepen and become more pronounced than my frown lines?
Whenever I got to feeling down as a teenager about how things weren't going my way, my Dad used to say, "Count your blessings." Sometimes it would say it in an exasperated voice, because teenage girls caught up in drama can be exasperating, and I know for a fact I was no exception. But other times it would be a more gentle reminder, and it brought to mind his granddad's table prayer, which we recited in part at our table growing up -- "Give us thankful hearts, Our Father, for all these many blessings..." it began. Gratitude was something he was taught, and he passed it down to me, as we hope to pass it on to our children.
That same speaker pointed out that in Old Testament times, the children of Israel were taught through the marking of seasons and festivals to recall all that the Lord had done for them. Psalm 103 is just one of the many scriptural examples of how David encouraged others to "count their blessings," to intentionally turn their thoughts to all the good things the Lord has done - here it is from the New International Version -
Praise the LORD, my soul;
all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
2 Praise the LORD, my soul,
and forget not all his benefits—
3 who forgives all your sins
and heals all your diseases,
4 who redeems your life from the pit
and crowns you with love and compassion,
5 who satisfies your desires with good things
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
The LORD works righteousness
and justice for all the oppressed.
7 He made known his ways to Moses,
his deeds to the people of Israel:
8 The LORD is compassionate and gracious,
slow to anger, abounding in love.
9 He will not always accuse,
nor will he harbor his anger forever;
10 he does not treat us as our sins deserve
or repay us according to our iniquities.
11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his love for those who fear him;
12 as far as the east is from the west,
so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
13 As a father has compassion on his children,
so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him;
14 for he knows how we are formed,
he remembers that we are dust.
15 The life of mortals is like grass,
they flourish like a flower of the field;
16 the wind blows over it and it is gone,
and its place remembers it no more.
17 But from everlasting to everlasting
the LORD’s love is with those who fear him,
and his righteousness with their children’s children—
18 with those who keep his covenant
and remember to obey his precepts.
19 The LORD has established his throne in heaven,
and his kingdom rules over all.
20 Praise the LORD, you his angels,
you mighty ones who do his bidding,
who obey his word.
21 Praise the LORD, all his heavenly hosts,
you his servants who do his will.
22 Praise the LORD, all his works
everywhere in his dominion.
Praise the LORD, my soul.
There are so many blessings to ponder in those 22 verses I cannot even begin to comment...but back to that speaker on the podcast -- just think what would happen if we read that psalm and "parked our minds" there for moments everyday? Would our brain chemistry actually change? Would we be less stressed, less likely to snap at people, more likely to smile?
And of course this is the most important question on my mind at my age,
Would my smile lines deepen and become more pronounced than my frown lines?
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Spark
"It only takes a spark..." Raise your hand if you remember singing that song at church camps and youth group meetings in the 80's! It takes you back, doesn't it? But remember the refrain -- "that's how it is with God's love, once you've experienced it. You want to sing, it's fresh like spring, you want to pass it on..." That's what I'm tying to remember -- We were made for more than this. I want to remember that buring in my belly that's like fire -- not like the acidy one I feel when I've over eaten, but like the stirring I feel when I'm passionate about something!
I've found that Sparkpeople.com is a good place to find motivation to live a healthy lifestyle, and interact with others who are doing the same. It's free, and it has thousands of members - Check it out -- my sparkpage is href="http://www.sparkpeople.com/mypage.asp?id=LAURALOUPRIEBE">
I've found that Sparkpeople.com is a good place to find motivation to live a healthy lifestyle, and interact with others who are doing the same. It's free, and it has thousands of members - Check it out -- my sparkpage is href="http://www.sparkpeople.com/mypage.asp?id=LAURALOUPRIEBE">
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Come Thou Fount
Last night we attended our Lenten Midweek services. Mostly, I guess I wanted to eat without cooking, I guess, but I also wanted to see my husband and see what the theme "Pause" could do for me. The hymns, oh, the hymns... we've turned away from these hymns to more popular music from Christian radio, but there is something in those hymns that nourishes me in a way the other cannot. Come thou Fount of Ever'y Blessing, verse 3 - "O to grace how great a debtor daily I'm constrained to be. Let thy goodness, like a fetter, bind my wanderingheart to thee. Prone to wander, Lord I feel it, prone to leave the God I love! Here's my heart, o take and seal it; seal it for thy courts above." How that hymn writer way back in the 1700's could put his finger on how I feel right now is a mystery to me. It seems that my experience is common to believers everywhere, at every time. That is a comfort. Can I give my heart to the Lord in worship and then take it back the next day? I want, Lord, for you to indeed seal it, as I know you can, but you do give us the freedom to go our own way. Lord let that way never lead me so far that I cannot run back into your arms.
Friday, March 11, 2011
He Pushes, She Speaks
Ok, so this blog is a low pressure way to practice my craft, but as you can see from the frequency of my posts, I could use a little pressure. I used to think about pressure and creativity as unrelatied -- we can only creat when we're relaxed and peaceful, I thought. But that is not the case -- like a lump of clay on the potters wheel, the pressure is what shapes you. The heat of the fire is what makes the creation lasting and useful. So though I am trying to discipline myself to write more regularly, my discipline can only take me so far... and that's not very far most days. So enter Lysa TerKeurst and her blog, delivered daily to my e-mail. I can picture her at her "sticky farm table" in the early morning hours, searching the scriptures and reflecting on God's word, and thne sharing those reflections with us, her readers. And I am convicted. My table is not a farm table, it's probably sticky more often than not, and it's commonly covered with mail and school papers, catalogs and book, under which my Bible remains unopened, because in the early morning hours I'm trying desperately to grab a few more quiet moments between my warm cozy sheets. The other day I read about the "She Speaks" conference, and the opportunity to win a scholarship to this conference which offers many promises -- Lysa writes, "you will receive the tools and the confidence to answer God’s call on your life. You will learn how to make the most of your messages, the nuts and bolts of speaking, writing, leading and influencing, and have the opportunity to meet with some of today’s top Christian publishers." I don't know if I'm anywhere near ready for that, but I do know that I have within me the need to write... sometimes is a burning desire, and sometimes I try to quench it with other things... but it's still there, and ignoring it is nothing short of disobedience. Obeying that desire and stetching myself is necessary, yeilding to the pressure and going forth into the world with what I have been given -- that is my calling. Dear Lord, enable me hear that call, and to answer with courage and faith.
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