My Take
DiVoran Lites
Archive by Author
Bon Appetit
29 JunMy Take
DiVoran Lites
It’s always a good idea to stop once in a while and ask ourselves what we have an appetite for. Did you know that God gives us appetites, or desires of the heart, as the Bible calls them?
Many of us have an appetite for reading, even more have one for learning, and then there are those of us who have an appetite for writing.
I started writing in elementary school where I received valuable help from my teachers and family. In my college years, I took as many English and comp. classes as I could. Later on, after Bill and I married and had children, I worked with the publishing group at our church. I learned a great deal from that.
When our children got close to fledging, I knew I needed to invent more of a life for myself, so I started a novel, and became active reading writing books, going to classes, and attending writer’s conferences.
Around the time my grandchildren were born, I began to take painting classes and discovered I had an appetite for art, as well.
Here am I, three published novels later. I’m working on blogs promises, meditations, and a serial novel, Go West. I am now paiting illustrations for almost everything I write. My nest overflows.
If you don’t already know, why not ask God what your truest appetites are for. If He says chocolate, well, you’re in business right off the bat.
Bon Appetit
Psalm 37: 4
Original art for my Go West serial novel
You can read the first twenty chapters of Go West at Rebekah Lyn Books
Share this:
Letting Go
22 JunMy Take
DiVoran Lites
When Bill retired, I had no idea what I was going to do with him. It was the same old story that happens when people retire. The retiree is lost and feels a need to go back to work. Bill had nothing of his own to do. He could only relate to what I was doing. He told me how and to do laundry, wanted the dishes in the dishwasher placed just right, wanted to take me everywhere he went, and expected my full attention when I was trying to concentrate on my own writing.
Now don’t get me wrong. I love Bill dearly, even after fifty-seven years of marriage. But at retirement time I had the normal aversion to change, and to adjusting to someone else being in the house most of the time.
It wasn’t long until Bill got a chance to learn to fly model airplanes — something he has loved all his life. Then, thank Heaven, he was out of the house for several hours every morning. That helped.
Eventually I got him to go down for a nap in the afternoons. I take one and I thought it would be good if he took one too. Now he loves it.
As time went on, he added volunteering at a church to help with their Car Care ministry on Saturdays. Then he started going to the fitness center. All was well.
Slowly, though, airplanes started crashing because of electronic interference. He was going to have to learn to fly in an entirely different way – a computer way.
We each have our own computer and have been working on them for years, but we need a lot of help with them. We have computer angels who make house calls and one that we can trust that we pay, so we’re blessed in that way, but none of them is interested in flying airplanes.
Bill had a friend who volunteered with the Valiant Air Command museum and so he decided in order to still have airplane time, to spend one morning a week doing that. He has made new friends and enjoys meeting people from all over the world.
Wikipedia
Then he decided he wanted to travel around the U. S. and visit other airplane museums and attend fly-ins. At first he invited me to go, but I’m more of a stay-at-home type. We’re a rare type and most people don’t understand us. Did you know that?
The more he traveled, the more of his non-traveling life it took up. He now spends hours at the computer making the most detailed and meticulous plans you ever saw. Then he goes on a trip. He started out going only for one week, but then expanded it to two. He had to, there are many museums to see. Sometimes he visits as many as eight in one day. He travels fast, and he travels cheap. When he comes home he organizes his pictures, and his notes, and writes blogs. When the whole journey has been precisely documented, he starts planning the next one.
| Proverbs 3:5-6Amplified Bible (AMP)
5 Lean on, trust in, and be confident in the Lord with all your heart and mind and do not rely on your own insight or understanding. 6 In all your ways know, recognize, and acknowledge Him, and He will direct and make straight and plain your paths. |
Share this:
Love Encounter
15 JunMy Take
DiVoran Lites
Big cat slides
Between child and fence
Small hand comes out to pet
Cat collapses in dry leaves
Tummy up for scratching
Share this:
Lizard Revenge
8 JunMy Take
DiVoran Lites
Cat catches lizard.
Lizard catches cat
Green anole
Fur in mouth!
Share this:
Heaven
4 MayMy Take
DiVoran Lites
For most of my life, I’ve been wondering what Heaven is like, or will be like for me personally. One of the first blogs I 
wrote was about the time, when I was five-years-old, that I saw the neighbor on her way to Heaven. I may have dreamed it — doesn’t matter if I did or not.
Anyhow, I saw her walk down to the end of our street and up a staircase and I knew where she was going. Later that day Mother told me the neighbor had died and gone to Heaven. Sorry, I don’t know the doctrine in this story. I do know that seeing people go up a staircase is not uncommon. I Googled it.
In college, I wrote an essay wondering what Heaven was like and the class discussed it until the teacher brought us back to earth.
I read a reliable “doctrinal” book called, Heaven, by Randy Alcorn that I enjoyed, but I still wanted to know more.
Finally, a tiny flame started to flicker in my imagination and I came up with an answer that satisfies me. I take no responsibility for whether this is true or not and when you get there, don’t blame me if it’s nothing like I’ve thought up. Ask God for your own vision of Heaven.
I don’t know who will greet me or what that will be like, but it will be a warm welcome, I know that much.
In the song, “Amazing Grace,” it says, “When we’ve been there ten-thousand years, bright shining as the sun, we’ve no less days to sing God’s praise than when we first begun.” So, theology (and practicality) aside, what’s going to keep us entertained for ten thousand years and more?
Here’s my take on it. I will never be alone unless I want to be alone. I’ll be with God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit as well as the people I have loved, love now, and will love when I meet them. Much of our time will be spent in celebration and praising God.
That leads me to the next phase of my fantasy. I will have challenges (and success). I will learn every song I ever wanted to know, play every instrument I ever wanted to play, and see every sight I ever wanted to see. I will learn, do, and share everything I’ve ever wanted to know, experience, or contribute. Life will be full of awe.
Bill and I aren’t in any hurry to go to Heaven. God is so good to us now. We do everything we can to stay healthy and happy. We try to listen to Him and we ask Him to empower us to do the work He sets out for us. We have accepted Christ’s death on the cross for our sins. That means that when our spirits split out of their cocoons, we will go to Heaven. We will fly free of all pain, confusion, and sorrow. Rejoice now. Rejoice later.
“When we all Get to Heaven.”
Heaven, by Randy Alcorn
Share this:
Bridget’s Mustang
27 AprMy Take
DiVoran Lites
Horse trader come down the draw
in a boil of red-powder dust.
I saw he had three stallions,
and own that one, I must.
“I’ll take the paint;” I say,
it looks like he’s got soul.
The mare’s in the corral.
Next year we’ll have a foal.
“You keep an eye on him.” the trader says.
“He’s mustang through and through,
a wild one from the range.
Foal next year? Maybe two.
You need to jaw around these parts.
It’s all that makes life fun.
“You’ve got fine boys and pups,” he said.
The trader wasn’t done.
“My little `un,” says I, “he’s four.”
My boys are twins—them two
I can’t keep clean clothes on them,
Nor even one will wear a shoe.
Share this:
Animal Attraction
13 AprMy Take
DiVoran Lites
Animal Attraction
Sonya likes the furry pets,
But her brother is away,
So she cares for lizards,
Feeds and waters them each day.
Her brother has a snake, too.
She feeds him two live mice.
She thought she wouldn’t do it,
But she only thought it twice.
The furry ones are furry,
The cat and ferret too.
She has a tiny hamster
It’s called a berry blue.
She writes her brother often
And sends money for the phone.
She doesn’t want her bro to feel
As if he’s all alone.
Share this:
Pit Bulls on the Trail
6 AprMy Take
DiVoran Lites
On my way home from my walk day, before yesterday, I came upon two bit pit bulls running wild on the trail. They both barked at me and I started saying my prayers. I’d seen the black and white dog before, but not the pure white one. All I knew to do was act brave and pretend to be friendly. When they stopped barking and started wagging their tails, I took a breath of much-needed air. After a few minutes, I decided to move toward home and they decided to turn around and go with me. I walked a ways then turned to see if they were coming along. They stopped and look nonchalant as if they were busy sniffing the side of the trail and couldn’t care less what I was doing. I went around a corner where they couldn’t see me and when I came out again they actually ran to catch up.
When we got back to the neighborhood, they left me to go to their back door while I went to the front of the block. The owner was in the garage with her son. I told her they’d been a mile down the trail and she was very upset with them. I urged her to keep them in and she thanked me. I could just imagine how terrified people would be by such big dogs of a breed that had such a bad reputation. Here in the south they are often used as fighting dogs for gambling and have been known to fight to the death.
Today I walked past her house on my way to the trail and three pit bulls rushed out. Two were barking, but they didn’t fool me anymore. I said hello and tails started to wag. They knew I was going for a walk and asked if they could go too. I said a big no, although by now I liked them and would have enjoyed their company. The third one was a puppy. She said she’d go wherever everybody else was going. I did everything I could to rouse the person who lives there but at first got no answer.
I thought I would turn around and go home, but I could see they didn’t care where I was going, they just wanted to be with somebody. There’s was nothing else happening right then. Then I thought about trying to get them into the old car sitting in the driveway so they couldn’t follow me, but I didn’t know how long it would be before somebody came. I went to the open garage and yelled HELLO as loud as I could — twice. Finally, the woman who lives there came out. She was mad at the dogs. She was DONE. This was IT! She wasn’t mad at me. We had a little talk. The white dog was her son’s, but he was sharing custody with her. She had found the pup on the street when she came home at three a. m. from work the night before. It seemed lost. Now she picked it up and cuddled it and said in a baby-talk voice, “but you’re going to the pound, aren’t you, sweetie?” The pup snuggled up to her not seeming to understand what she was saying.
The woman and I had a little chat about the white dog’s nipples, wondering if she was pregnant. The woman said she and her son had discussed it, too. They’d only had her five days, but they thought maybe she was.
Everything is going to be all right though, at least for me. I liked the woman and would have enjoyed having her as a neighbor. I liked all the dogs too, but there was just something a bit much about the whole scenario. In the end, she told me she’d be moving because the house, which she is renting, sold. I’ll take another route until I’m sure they’re gone. It’s almost the end of the month so it shouldn’t be long. I used to have a big dog that ran free back when the woods were wild and there was no official trail, no other people. I miss him. I wouldn’t mind if those dogs walked with me, I just don’t think anybody would appreciate my entourage, well, not when they first met them, anyway.
Share this:
Old Things R New 