A little more Pride and Prejudice

Pride and Prejudice, Part Two and a half...

As promised, here are more photos from P&P. I hope you enjoy them. These young people are among my favorites, ever!!

Rehearsing the carriage scene - This just struck me as hilarious, but, I could've just been tired ;)

 "Can you hear me now?"

"...Mr. Collins, you puzzle me exceedingly..."

Snack Time - Mrs. Cogburn and Kaitlyn

 Yes, that is black frosting on the face of Mr. Gardiner

 Getting a little therapy during rehearsal

 Miss Hannah Beth as Lydia Bennet

 Voice checks

What is going on with Brianna?

 Kaitlyn taking cast photos. One camera just really isn't enough, you know...

Everything is better when you are wearing a top hat!

 Nap time for Hannah Beth

 Sarah, making good use of down time :)

Noah studying the script

 That's all folks - God's richest blessings to you all!

Jeanne

Be joyful always...

More Pride and Prejudice...

A little more P&P, as promised.... These young people are awesome!

A little bit of bragging on the Pride and Prejudice cast...

ABC Drama has just completed it's 6th production, and it was fantastic! We are so incredibly proud of all the young people who worked so hard to get everything just right. They entertained and blessed their audiences both nights by pouring their hearts into their roles and offering it all up to the Lord!! 

I am happy to use this blog to brag on them!  :)

Here are just a few pictures. I will post more when I am fully recovered from the crazy pre-play week :)

The fabulous cast of Pride and Prejudice

 Our wonderful director, Cathy Heckendorn

Our lovely co-director, Rebecca Heckendorn with our most excellent props gal, Kathy Kuehn 

Luke Drennan and Jordan Cogburn..."Is it hot in here??"

 The cast is falling.....

 Props by Kathy and Jeanne

Lovelies!! Rachelle Raymond as Jane and Sarah Heckendorn as Miss Elizabeth (Did you know she memorized 296 lines??) Think of all the brain space she will have available now that the play is over ;)

Mr. Darcy (Daniel Kuehn) and Mr. Bingley (Caleb Heckendorn)

Sarah Jungling as Miss Charlotte with KK Silva as Mary Bennet

Oh Miss Caroline Bingley, to see you smile... (Lydia Raymond)

And there you have it! A lovely smile :)

Even in his free time, he is a ham.

 Luke Drennan (Mr. William Collins), dramatically eating a snack

Again, Miss Eliza..... Sarah Heckendorn

Here is a link to the article I wrote in the Independent about ABC Drama.

http://www.the-independent-newspaper.com/images/weeklypdf/independent103013.pdf

Ever Feel Like a Comma?

Which one of these doesn't belong? I had to post this short article that I just saw because, like the misplaced figure in the picture, or the comma's in this story, I find myself wondering where I fit in this big world of writing. The author reiterates what I have heard a lot lately... shine where ever God has put you. I like, "bloom where you're planted." :) Don't let anyone, or anything snuff out or even dim your light! Shine brightly and do your work as unto the Lord!

Ever Feel Like a Comma?

by Bonnie Rose Hudson

I closed the lid to my laptop, putting it to sleep for the night. Sleep is what I needed, too, but I doubted I would get much. 

I pushed my chair away from the desk at the head of my bed, turned off the desk lamp, and crawled under the covers. I was tired, tired of trying to figure out where I fit in this world of writing and editing and marketing. What was my purpose? Did anyone care what I had to say? Why on earth had I spent the last two hours struggling with rules governing comma placement? 

I wasn’t the only writer who struggled with the issue, but knowing that didn’t help. How many critique sessions had I participated in where writers struggled with where commas fit and when they were better left out? 

I knew how the commas felt. I wasn’t sure where I fit or if it would be better for everyone if I left the world of writing to others. I closed my eyes. Commas marched like sentries across my mind as I drifted into a fitful sleep. 

I heard whispering and opened my eyes.

“What are we doing here? Punctuation marks aren’t supposed to leave the page. We’re going to get caught.”

I blinked and slowly pushed myself onto one arm just enough to peer over the edge of my desk. A dozen commas had assembled near the center of my desk.I could not imagine where they’d come from. One perched on my paper clip holder; another balanced on a pen. One was curled against my cell phone, and another was hanging apostrophe-style from the spiraled edge of a notebook. The lead comma, at least two font sizes larger than the others, called the others to attention from his position on top of my desk lamp.

“The meeting of the Commas for a Cause support group will come to order.”

I held my breath and listened.

“We’ve called this meeting to give us all a safe place to voice our feelings. It is a confusing time to be a comma, and we need each other now more than ever. Who wants to start?”

The comma perched on my paper clip holder was the first to speak. “It’s all this texting and chirping or whatever it’s called. Who’s going to waste a valuable character on a little old comma?”

“I knew our days were numbered when they started eliminating serial commas,” replied the comma balancing on my pen. 

“Now they don’t even want us in between adjectives in a sentence,” said the comma curled against my cell phone. 

“They treat us like extra punctuation.” The comma hanging from the spiral notebook swayed back and forth as it spoke. “Most people don’t know why we’re still around.”

I could hold my breath no longer. A loud sigh escaped my lips. I blinked and focused on my desk once more. The commas were gone. All was still and quiet. 

Had I been dreaming? Had all the proofreading and editing finally made me snap?

I pulled myself from bed and returned to my desk. I needed my tablet—where had I left it? I scanned the top of my desk and spotted it reaching from the pages of my Bible. 

I opened the Bible to the page my tablet marked. My eyes fell on Matthew 5: “Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house . . . Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.”

I paused. Could it be as simple as that? God had created me to shine his light in whatever room he placed me. No matter where the room was, how many people were in it, or whether I felt like I had any light to share, my job was to shine. 

God promised to pay attention to the details. I may not be a jot or tittle in his Word, but I was part of his plan. While my words were certainly not divinely chosen, my place in his story was. 

I crawled back under the covers. I had been feeling small, insignificant, and unneeded, just like the commas on my desk. I was never sure where I belonged and when it would be better to just hang back and stay out of the way. But God was the Master Editor. He knew the purpose for every jot and tittle, and he knew the purpose for every piece of punctuation he had created. Even if I was only a simple comma in his plan, I was included. He knew where I belonged, whether I did or not. I could rest tonight knowing that God would place me wherever he knew best. Period.

Scripture from Matthew 5:15-18 KJV

Bonnie Rose Hudson lives in central Pennsylvania. Along with spending time with her family and writing, making kids smile is her favorite thing to do.  Her heart’s desire is for every child to feel the love of God and know how special they are to Him.  She loves creating curriculum as a member of The Old Schoolhouse Magazine’s^® Star Contributors Team. She works with both SchoolhouseTeachers.com [http://schoolhouseteachers.com/] and The Old Schoolhouse Magazine^® as an editorial assistant. At TOS, she found a place where her love of God and history combine with her love of writing to bring encouraging, educational, and entertaining material to students and their families.  She would love for you to stop by and meet the star of her children’s series at Exploring with Jake [http://writebonnierose.wordpress.com/] or visit her on her website at WriteBonnieRose.com/ [http://writebonnierose.com].

- See more at: http://altongansky.typepad.com/writersconferences/2013/10/ever-feel-like-a-comma.html#sthash.lkA7hxQS.dpuf

Surviving Breast Cancer

Good morning!
The above photo was taken on Manhattan Beach in California last month while four of us were there celebrating our 50th birthdays. I have come a long way in seven years. This week marks seven years cancer-free for me. Praise the Lord! The journey to wellness was long and painful and I may write about it soon, as the Lord leads.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Last month, Advance Magazine put out a call for occupational and physical therapists who have survived breast cancer, to share their stories in the digital version of their October issue. Below is the link to those stories. Mine is a few down in the list. It is very short and only skims the surface.

I am beyond grateful to God for healing me and carrying me through that difficult time, and to my friends and family who took care of me and my family during that year!

Live well. Be joyful. Love abundantly.

Jeanne

http://physical-therapy.advanceweb.com/Web-Extras/Online-Extras/They-Have-Survived.aspx

Adoption and my friend, Carol

This is an article I wrote last November about a beautiful woman I am proud to call my friend. She is funny, sweet and caring. She and her husband home school their children and she loves the Lord like crazy!  I hope you enjoy this tribute to her, although mere words can't do justice to her character. 

Everyone Has a Story - Carol Gloetzner
By JC Drennan
There are currently over 2000 children in foster care in New Mexico. Typically, a child is placed in foster care because of neglect, abuse, or criminal activity on the part of the parents.  "The system is getting better," reports Carol Gloetzner, Family Contact for the New Mexico Fiesta Project. "Efforts are being made to minimize the number of foster homes in which a child is placed. There are a lot of kids who need families," she said. Carol, and her husband Ron, have a heart for adoption and helping adoptive families - it truly is their passion! And, like any compelling passion, it's difficult to explain where it came from or how it materialized. "It's just something that's in me," she said. Carol can remember wanting to adopt children from a very young age. "It was always in our hearts to do foster care," said Carol, so when she and Ron, a social worker, married when Carol was 18, it was no surprise that just a year later they stepped into the world of foster care, by running a county home for teen-aged girls.  Later, they became licensed with ARCA to do foster care for mentally disabled adults.
Carol and Ron have raised six biological children, and a nephew. Their first adopted child came to them with Down Syndrome from an orphanage in India when she was four years-old. That precious one is now 22. They adopted their second child when she was two. The couple now has eight adopted children living at home, ranging in age from six to 29. All from diverse backgrounds and ethnicities with varying degrees of disability. In this home these children are loved and cared for. They are given structure, stability and a firm foundation. They are taught responsibility and respect in a safe and nurturing environment. But to Carol and Ron, "it's just family." Carol was quick to affirm that they are not saints, or angels as they have been told by some well-meaning people. They are not "doing a good deed, or trying to save the world, and it's not a ministry." This is just how they have chosen to grow their family. "It doesn't matter that they don't look like us or that they are disabled," she added, "They're just our kids."
Certainly challenges and difficulties may arise when adopting a child, particularly if there are behavioral or physical considerations. But, "the good part is just like the good part with any one's kids," Carol conveyed. "Seeing them grow, change and get healthier. Helping them go through things that they have to go through and seeing them come out on the other side stronger." Carol asserts, however, that there is an extra layer of gratification with adoption because the kids have been through so much.
Carol now funnels her experience and passion into helping adoptive families as a "Family Contact" through her work with the New Mexico Fiesta Project. Her primary responsibility is to support families who have adopted children who are medically fragile or disabled. She has expertise in the areas of: Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, vision impairment, autism spectrum, missing limbs, spina bifida, cognitive delays, feeding tubes, wheelchairs, home schooling, and every kind of therapy. The NM Fiesta Project, offering the only post-adoption support in New Mexico, also supports and trains adoptive families (and those considering adoption) across the state with free classes, groups, and family activities. These services are available to anyone who has adopted, whether private, international or through the state. They also offer an extensive free lending library and a respite co-op. "We want people to know they don't have to go it alone," affirms Carol, "we want to help them be prepared."
November is National Adoption Month and Carol would like to encourage anyone who may be contemplating adoption to take that first step by contacting NMFiestaProject.org. They can help families discern myth from reality while eliminating the mysteries surrounding adoption. For example, many people do not know that adopting through the state is completely free!
Establishing a supportive community with other adoptive families will help make the process smoother for everyone, while building life-long friendships.

Living Out Loud, Part one

Good day everyone. I hope you are living well.

I have been focusing on my business blog as of late, which has kept me from Bits n Pieces. Our Home school starts up in less than 2 weeks and I am taking on another writing project, as well as hoping to get back to the business of writing my book. Additionally, I will continue to see therapy clients in my home clinic and manage our home (well, I pray). I know that the Lord will direct my path and quickly let me know if I have chosen well and in accordance with His will. He is awesome that way!!

God has been working on me in some great and greatly painful ways the last few months and I love it! I am tremendously humbled and excited beyond belief that our Magnificent Creator of All Things loves me so much that He would care enough to transform me, help me, move me, shake me and teach me to shine!

I have been reading a book by John Eldredge called Waking the Dead: The Glory of a Heart Fully Alive. It was given to me by a client of mine. I struggled with this book for several months; only reading small snip-its here and there and never getting much out of it. Until last week, that is. I love it when God brings things to me at just the perfect time; the time when I am ready to receive it. It's like receiving a gift.

I have been thinking about what it really means to be a Christian. What does it look like? What exactly should I be doing for God, for the Kingdom, for Eternity? I just felt discontent in my walk because something was missing. I had this nagging awareness that there had to be more to it.

John Edlredge (JE)  wrote how, in the story of Cinderella, the king's son "insisted she come out of hiding." Revelation 2:19 relates that we are chosen by God. We are the objects of His love. God is calling us out. The Bible tells us to let our lights shine before men, so that God can be glorified. So then, we have a light to shine, but, personally speaking, I have been mostly hiding mine under a bushel. The truth is, we are fearfully and wonderfully made in the image of God! Is my life a reflection of that truth? Is yours? JE states that often we don't even know who we are in Christ and what our true self is...the one God created us to be. The unveiled self that reveals the glory of God's reflection.

In Second Corinthians Three  it says, "And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit." See there? JE says, "we were created to reflect His glory, born to bear His image, and He ransomed us to reflect that glory again." He further relates, that we cannot bring glory to God when we are sulking around in a cellar (like Cinderella), weighed down by shame and guilt, or hiding our light.  "Our destiny," he says, "is to come fully alive. To live with ever increasing glory."

I never thought of that, probably because it appears on the surface to be prideful. I don't have any glory. What could I possibly have to shine before men? JE writes that while "..pride is bad, to be sure. It is not prideful to embrace the truth that you are created in the image of God. We walk in humility because it is a glory bestowed. It reflects something of the Lord's glory."

I will continue next time further exploring this topic. I'll discuss shame vs. humility, and why we might fear stepping into this glory...plus more, because that's just how I am. ;)

Live abundantly in the joy of the Lord.

Be blessed,
Jeanne