I once had a dream where I was swinging a baseball bat. The problem? I wasn’t playing baseball. I was swinging away at things (I’m not even sure what?) just smashing objects at will. When I woke up and remembered my dream, I could still recall the anger and frustration I had felt. It was really weird to see myself that frustrated, even if it was in a dream. It was a bit scary to realize that this anger and frustration was buried in my sub conscious. Like I said, the first time I had the dream, I was dealing with teenage boys. I love my children and the men they are becoming, but there was a time that they were struggling badly. Really….it was hard! Continue reading “Of dreams and dementia”
**A Study in Pink is a series of posts introducing the professions of various women in California’s Central Valley. It is being written to showcase the possibilities for the up and coming young women in our small towns.
It was during Christmas time when I first walked through the door. I remember because it was my first time meeting Grace, and she was playing Christmas music. The station was not just normal carols either, as I can distinctly remember listening to Frank Sinatra belting out a tune.
Blue Door Massage and Spa is the brainchild of Grace Parreira and Ayla Tidwell. These two friends and certified massage therapists had a dream, but interestingly enough, it did not start with massage. Their stories are somewhat similar, as they both were using massage as a way to pay for college. At this point I was a little surprised, but I then started to appreciate their thinking. The thought was to be trained at a technical school, so then they would be able to work and earn degrees without going into debt. Continue reading “A Study in Pink…..Grace and Ayla”
When I was thinking about who I wanted to ask to be a part of this “study”, I was trying to think of people who have conventional professions, and then some that are doing things that seem outside of the box.
I met Connie Wenzel a little over a year ago in a bible study group, and I liked her immediately. She is funny, a little sarcastic and has such a compassionate heart. While she is retired, she has now moved into a new season of life as an author and artist. I was also slightly jealous, as when I first met her, she was just finishing up writing and illustrating her first book, “Is This My Home Now? Featuring Addy”.
Is that really how we look at people, all good, or all bad? It seems that a lot of times we do. I think we can look into our own lives, and know that’s not that way it really is. Am I good, Am I bad, or maybe a bit of both? Continue reading “Good, Bad or both?”
Once there was a woman, and she had gotten her feelings hurt. Nothing too bad, but the unkindness hit her especially hard at that time. Maybe she was feeling a little vulnerable. Anyway, the more she tried to analyze the situation, (sound like anyone you know?) she decided that the only thing she could really do was pray for them. She did that, not because she was so smart, but because the hurt was taking over her mind. She knew the person was probably tired, and under some stress. She also knew that the reaction she had received was not normal for them. It was then that she thought, better me than someone else who maybe wouldn’t be able to let go of the hurt. Continue reading “What’s the moral?”
I live in California. Now before you get all excited, I am not blonde, and I do not have a tan. I feel lucky to live here though. The natural beauty in this state is astounding. I love our mountains, forests and beaches. All of those picturesque places that draw people from all around the world, are wonderful, but I have grown to love our flat, hot and dry central valley. Continue reading “Little trip down the middle”
So every year I wind up writing scenes for VBA, or Vacation Bible Adventure. I take bible stories and I adapt them to these vignettes that we do one a day during the week.
I have done this for years now, and it has been one of the best things I could have ever done. God has used this writing to do some tremendous things in my life. It has increased my love of storytelling, and even shown me that I could do it. Above all though, most of my “bible knowledge” is not from Sunday sermons, or even bible studies, but from the reading and pondering that I have done while writing these stories.
You know this writing thing is not all that it’s cracked up to be. I sit, I ponder and usually out come words. Then I am stuck. No, it’s not writers block, I just know that I am going to start deleting words. I guess it keeps me humble? So I’m gonna start where I think God wants me to, and delete those other 400 words.
“May God continue the unity of our country, as this railroad unites the two great oceans of the world.”
Dear Church (not the building, but those who make up the body),
Is it ok to laugh? No, not the joyful kind of laughter, but that nervous giggle that has to do with truth. You know. You are sitting in service and the pastor says something that 
holds up a mirror. And instead of taking a breath and looking full into that mirror, you glance over thinking you know what it shows and just give a nervous giggle. I don’t know when I stopped giggling and started being sad, but it happened at some point.
In the church we talk about sin quite a bit. Sometimes it seems that we tend to talk about other people’s sin more than our own, and we have chosen some particular ones as our favorites. I think the biggest problem though is when we do bring up sin that is present in the church, we seem to be met with a more relaxed attitude toward it. Something like, no one is perfect, but that is why we have Jesus to “wash them all away”. What I guess I am trying to say is, while God forgives, shouldn’t we be more brokenhearted by our own wrongdoings? Continue reading “A good look in the mirror…”
Cheryl Mendoza 