Tag Archives: #amblogging

Cloudland

20 May

My Take

DiVoran Lites

Author, Poet and Artist

 

I was telling about Mother playing with us and training our imaginations by showing us how to find dogs, cats, and worlds of imaginary creatures in the clouds.

There’s a lot to be said about clouds, though, and I’m saying more. It occurred to me that electronic devices use Cloud technology and God uses it too, in a manner of speaking.

Have you ever been concerned that you didn’t pray hard enough or long enough about a situation or that you had to constantly remind God of a need or your prayers wouldn’t get answered? Well, my printer set me straight on that one. I realized that all I had to do was hit, click, or press print and the item I wanted would store itself in the printer and, all things being equal, not go away until it was printed. I began to know that God was like that too. He doesn’t forget. In fact, the Bible says He, or Jesus, or The Holy Spirit, or all three pray diligently for us all the time. Yes.

When I was looking at the clouds I took it a step further. I have a computer, an IPod, and a Kindle. I no longer have to worry about having enough Gigas or whatever it was that happened when I first got a computer. All my devices have lots of room and if they run out of room, it can all go to the cloud and be there if I ever need it again. I guess God has enough memory too. And the thought went even further to trying to remember what I need to do, and ideas I have about things I’d like to do or write or whatever, it gets to be a lot, but hey, maybe all that is in God’s cloud too.

I have one technical question. If God can handle all that “stuff” and God lives in me, does that mean that there’s a place in me that keeps it all and that if I need it, He can make it available to me? Hmmm. Experiment time.

Psalm 34:8 Taste and see that the Lord is good.

 

Cloud

 

 

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Our Trip to Italy~Part 9

1 May

A Slice of Life

Bill Lites  

Bill

                                                                 

On Wednesday, DiVoran and I walked into Mogliano Veneto so she could see the small part of the town we were staying in close up, and pick up some fresh fruit for our train trip to Rome the next day.  We had a lovely time visiting the many shops and the open-air town market.  We stayed around the apartment most of the rest of the day, visiting the furniture shop down stairs, packing our suitcases and resting.  After work, Marcia took us to Mestre, which is located on the mainland across the Lagoon from Venice to show us the many sights of that interesting city.

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According to legends, Mestre was founded by Mesthles, a companion of the mythical hero Antenor, a fugitive from Troy who founded Padua. The true origins of the city are uncertain, although it is known that a Roman fortress that existed there was destroyed by Attila the Hun sometime in the 5th century, and rebuilt later around the 10th century.  In 1152, a papal bull by Pope Eugene III recognized the Bishop of Treviso as lord of Mestre, citing the existence of the church of St. Lawrence.

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The city had many lovely stores and shops, but since we were expected to meet  Marcia’s friend Erkia for dinner, we restricted our site-seeing visit the Clock Tower in Piazza Ferretto, and the 17th century Cathedral of St. Lawrence.

3  In a country that is widely known for its vast number of breathtaking and awe-inspiring cathedrals, this is one of the most beautiful in northern Italy.

After all that walking around Mestre, we were ready for some good Italian food, and Marcia took us to the Da Roberta’s Ristorante, which was one of her favorites.  She was right, the food was outstanding, and our last visit with Marcia and Erkia was memorable.

The next morning, after breakfast, Marcia and Erika took us to the train station and it was “arrivederci” to our truly grand friends for a wonderful guided tour to some of northern Italy’s most beautiful cities.  It was hard to believe our visit to Italy was almost over.  Our 1st class train trip to Rome took us 5 hours.  Lunch on the train was nothing special, but a new and different experience.  We had stops at Padua, Bologna and Florence before arriving at the Italian capital.

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After leaving Florence, our route took us through some of the most beautiful countryside with castles, ancient arched bridges and through at least 30 tunnels (the longest being 23km). 5 Here again, the train trip gave us time to study up on the location of our lodgings and some of the points of interest we planned to visit in Rome.

At the train station information booth, it was suggested that we NOT take the inexpensive 30-minute bus ride to the Vatican area, as the buses were always very crowded and a favorite haunt of the local pickpockets.  So, we took a 10-minute “life changing” taxi ride through the city to the doorstep of the German-Italian convent where we had reservations7

The accommodations at the Suore Missionarie Pallottine convent were very clean, sparse and quiet.  After a brief rest, we headed out to see some of the sights within walking distance.   It was UP a steep hill and DOWN a steep street from the convent to get to the main avenue where we enjoyed some window shopping, and roast chicken at the Pinelli Pizzaria-Toyola Calda.  By the time we made it back to the convent, we were ready for a shower and some sack time.

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—–To Be Continued—–

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Our Trip to Italy-Part 1

6 Mar

A Slice of Life

 Bill Lites

Bill

 It was the Winter of 1999, and our friend Marsha was in the middle of an 18-month TDY assignment with Disney in Porte Marghera, Italy as part of the group supporting constructionof their second Disney cruise ship, the “Wonder.”  Marsha was a longtime writing friend of DiVoran’s who had worked for Disney on their first Disney cruise ship, the “Magic” and was very familiar with the surrounding Italian area.

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She asked DiVoran and I if we would like to come visit her, as she had plenty of room for the both of us, in the rented apartment she was living in at the time.  She also mentioned that she could take some time off, if we came, and escort us around central Italy to see some of the many interesting and historical sites that area of the country had to offer.  Since I had accrued enough Sky miles with Delta Air Lines to get free round-trip flights for both of us, we thought, “This could be an opportunity of a lifetime!”  It didn’t take much arm-twisting to get us to agree to go, and we started making reservations.  The next thing we knew, were on our way.2

 Our first stop was in Milan.  After a one-hour bus ride from the airport to the Metro station, we took a 30-minute underground train ride to the town center, where we had lunch at the Autogrill.  Once we found our small quaint Hotel Speronari, we had a nap and our first laugh of the trip.  DiVoran spotted the “In case of fire” instructions on the back of our hotel room door; it read “Remain in a quiet and calm mood, walk on your fours, and protect your nose and mouth with a damp handkerchief.” What a hoot!  But then, how silly that would sound if I tried to say that in Italian?  After a cup of tea, we were ready to venture out to see some of the sights of the city.

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Our hotel was just one block off the city square, which was surrounded with elegant shops, filled with beautiful jewelry, furs, and luxurious fabrics.  Every third woman was wearing some type of fur coat.  We had never seen so many fur coats in our lives.  The Duomo (cathedral) in Milan’s, city square was a must see, and we were properly impressed.  It is the third largest Duomo  in Europe and took 500 years to build.  It is beautifully decorated inside with 52 Sequoia columns, each 150 feet tall, and as many as 2000 carved statues gracing the outside.

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A Japanese couple, who had just been married, were in the process of having their pictures taken in the Piazza Duomo among all the pigeons and tourists.  What a sight that was.  After that, we got directions on how to get to the Castello Sforzesco, which was built in the 15th century and houses Michelangelo’s unfinished Rondanini Pieta.

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 Back in the city square, we strolled the streets looking at the many fresh fruit and vegetable stands.  Then we came across a candy store where their fruits looked so real we couldn’t believe it, and sure enough, they weren’t, they were Marzipan.  What a surprise!  Of course, DiVoran had to have some, and boy were they good.  They were so unusual that we brought some home and kept them in our freezer for years.

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    —–To be Continued—–

 

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The Way

25 Feb

My Take

DiVoran Lites

jungle divoranThe Way

I know, somehow, there is a way

To follow Jesus every day

It’s not in rules or man-made laws

It’s not in loyalty to cause

It’s not in toil to prove myself

It’s not in sitting on the shelf

The Truth

What is it then, this fruit of love?

How can I touch the one above?

The Life

He’s not up there, far away,

But here inside me every day,

To open inner eyes that see

The Life that lives and reigns in me.

Galatians 5 and 6

 

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We love Florida Springs

20 Feb

A Slice of Life
Bill Lites

BillAfter we moved to Titusville for my job in the mid 1965, some close friends introduced us to the wonderful life of camping at the many natural springs located down the center of the Florida peninsula. This became one of our favorite adventures; selecting and exploring a new spring as often as we could. In fact, one year, instead of taking my regular two-week vacation all at one time, I would take a vacation day Monday or Friday, and we would make it a three day camping trip to a Florida spring we hadn’t been to before.

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Our first camping trip with our friends was to Alexander Springs where we discovered that millions of gallons of beautiful clear cool spring water gushing out of the ground from an underground aquifer every day. What a wonderful place to rest and relax while staying cool on a hot Florida summer day.

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That overnight stay was made in a two-man pup tent, you know, the ones with no floor and only a tie string to keep the door flap closed. Well, it didn’t take long to find out the mosquitoe netting we put over our sleeping bags wouldn’t do the trick.

3

As I remember, our next outing was to Rock Springs, near Apopka, Florida. At the time it was a day park, but floating or walking down the spring run was great fun as we searched for shark’s teeth (of all things) on the bottom. On one occasion, one of DiVoran’s contact lenses popped out of her eye into the clear water of the run. Luckily, the contact lense was light green and I could see it being carried down the run before me as I grabbed for it. Finally after chasing it for nearly 100 yards, I caught it. We would take a watermelon with us and let the water cool it until we were ready to eat it.

4

Another of our favorite Florida springs was Juniper Springs located in the Ocala National Forest. It was famous for its 7-mile canoe run, and what a beautiful experience that was. By this time we had upgraded from tents to a small tent camper, which made overnight camping much more enjoyable, keeping us up off the ground.

5

Then there was Blue Springs near Deland, Florida where the Manatees migrate in the Winter. Because the water temperature is a constant 72 degrees, surprisingly, the spring water is sometimes much warmer, during the Winter season, than the river water they usually inhabit.

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Further north, just North of Gainesville, Florida is Ichetucknee Springs State Park I believe it was there, as we canoed down that crystalline spring, that we thought about pulling over to the bank for lunch. As the canoe glided toward an overhanging tree branch, I saw a snake sunning itself on that very branch we would pass under, and started back paddling like a motor boat. We didn’t bother it, and thank goodness, it didn’t fall in the boat or bother us.

7

—–To Be Continued—–

 

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Pass the Potatoes

18 Feb

.My Take

DiVoran Lites

jungle divoran

When I wrote my first novel, Sacred Spring, I studied every aspect of writing, publishing and marketing. Some of it stuck and some of it didn’t, but still I tried to follow all the rules. These included learning to write so well, that like cream, you would rise to the top. You had to join a writing group, so I started one, you had to write, write, write. I have a closet full of journals to show for that and I’m glad of it. You had to learn copy-editing, and I attended a class for years with the best copy-editor around. You went to writers’ conferences, and after multiple submissions on your own, you folded and got an agent. Been there, done all that.

I received heartfelt encouragement from everyone who read my work. One person compared it with Bach’s, “Two-Part Invention.” If I hadn’t had a favorable reception, would I have stopped writing? No, I was born to write. I know that now, just as I was born to cook. I gave up trying to publish, for a while, though.

Then one day I had the blessing of running into a young woman whom I’d known all her life, Rebekah Lyn. Her, dear mother, Onisha Ellis, had told me that Rebekah, a professional writer, had always wanted to write a novel. I was ready to write a new one too, so we joined forces, meeting for over a year reading and writing and discussing every aspect of publishing and with Onisha, we began to learn how to market what we’d written, as well.

Meantime, I was reading, The Right to Write, by Julia Cameron. She highly recommended self-publishing, hereafter to be called indie (for independent) publishing.

Before, whenever I’d heard about self-publishing I’d heard that you needed to be a speaker and sell your book to your audiences or pay the huge price to for self-publication then end up with a “garage full” of books you couldn’t sell. It was called, vanity publishing. I didn’t want to be vain, I just wanted to write and like a cook preparing a meal, I wanted my efforts consumed by someone who would appreciate them.

Come to find out Julia Cameron isn’t the only person who recommends indie publishing. So does Tama Kieves, a wondrous fireball of a personal coach who has just published her second book, Inspired and Unstoppable. She indied her first one but with this one although she started out doing it herself it was soon picked up by the one right person to publish it the traditional way. Apparently many books, which are now famous and even considered classics, were originally indie published.

Meanwhile Onisha was doing her, and our homework on publication and marketing. She discovered that we could publish free with Amazon and we set out for one of the most exciting adventures of our lives so far.

Rebekah Lyn and Onisha did a lot of the work of publishing Rebekah’s first book themselves. I think it was hard, but they seemed to enjoy most of the learning process. By the time I was ready to go, all I had to do was sit down at the table with them and say, pass the potatoes.

First they suggested I email my manuscript to a professional editor, Beth Lynne of BZ Hercules, who was is an excellent editor and a kind and patient person who charges a reasonable price. Then I sent my hand painted cover to Laura LaRoche  of LLPIX who prepared it for publication. She also helps authors who don’t paint their own covers.

Sacred Spring is now for sale on Amaon for Kindle and in print. Many people like it very much, and I’m so glad. If you read it and like it, please write a nice review for me on Amazon. I’m almost ready to publish the second novel in my Florida Springs trilogy and Rebekah is working on her fourth one. It’s a new and better day for readers and for writers, that’s for sure!

 

Next Big Thing

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MY BIG BROTHER – Part 2

17 Feb

SUNDAY MEMORIES
Judy Wills

Judy

 

There’s a lot I don’t remember about growing up in New Mexico. I remember my best girlfriend (down the street….through the neighbors yard….down the alley to her back yard) and some of the good times we had. She now lives just an hour-and-a-half away from me, and we see each other occasionally. She tells me that she probably wouldn’t be a believer today if it weren’t for my parents picking her up every Sunday morning to take her to church with us. I have no memory of her in our car. I remember her at the church and at the functions we did together. But not picking her up. Very selective brain I have, don’t I?

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I do remember that Bill and I used to fight like the proverbial cats and dogs. Nearly drove our mother to distraction sometimes. I’m sure he didn’t care to have his bratty little sister trying to tag along very often.

Of course, all that changed when he grew into the age that – all of a sudden, GIRLS were a VERY interesting phenomenon to him! He would ask me what I knew or had heard about that particular girl. And what about this particular girl – what do I know or have heard about her. I really don’t remember many of his “girlfriends” until DiVoran came along. But that’s another story unto itself.

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I have a couple of pictures that still make me chuckle every time I see them. We were both a couple of cut-ups in our day, and these pictures prove it. Weren’t we cute? I came upon these pictures many years ago, and had them blown up and sent them to Bill as a Christmas present one year. I think I heard him laughing all the way from Florida to Virginia!

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4

I have a couple of pictures taken at Bill’s 10th birthday party – and once again, I wormed my way into the festivities. Looks like none of the boys were paying any attention to me. But then, what 10-year-old boy pays attention to a 6-year-old girl? Some of these boys were neighborhood friends, some were school friends, and some were church friends. And Bill still keeps in touch with some of them. Those life-time friendships are treasured.

56

 

 

 

I still adore my big brother.

Philippians 4:4-8

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I was a 12 Year Old Businessman-Part 1

23 Jan

A Slice of Life

 Bill Lites

 

I was born in Dallas, Texas in 1938.  I lived in the big “D” with my parents until 1945, when we moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico.

bsby boy

The trip from Dallas to Albuquerque was on an American Airlines DC-3, and I was hooked on aviation at age seven.  As it happened, there were two large U.S. Air Force bases left over from WWII in Albuquerque.  So, it was no wonder that one of my main lifelong interests, was airplanes.

plane

That interest was carried from small wood models, thru the years, to large gas-powered u-controlled flying models.

remote plane

I started cutting the grass at our house and the neighbor’s, during the summers, around the age of 10.  My parents helped by taking me to jobs outside our neighborhood.

old mower

By the time I was 12, I had saved enough money to by a Sears self-propelled gas powered mower.  During the next few years, I put so many miles on that mower, that I had to rebuild the mower engine more than once.

gasmower

 

My grass cutting business thrived so well that, by the time I was 14, I was able to obtain my unrestricted driver’s license and buy my first motorcycle.

At that time, New Mexico allowed a person to qualify for a driver’s license at age 14 because so many of the farmer’s children needed to drive to support their family farm needs.

I kept cutting grass until I was 16, when I got a part-time job in the local Furr’s supermarket.  I started out unloading trucks and mopping floors – then to bag boy and stocking shelves –and finally working my way up to cashier.

bag boy

stocker

This allowed me to be able to sell my first motorcycle and buy a new 1954 Harley Davidson 165cc motorcycle for more reliable transportation to work and school.

165cc

When I was 17, I bought a used 1940 Chevrolet coupe to customize, and ended up rebuilding the engine and repainting it.  I met DiVoran’s brother, David, at Furr’s supermarket, where I was still working, and she told me later that he was awed by a guy my age who owned a car and a motorcycle.  She said she decided right then and there she wanted to meet that boy.

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In 1955 I traded in my 165 cc motorcycle in on a new 1955 Harley Davidson Sportster.  This motorcycle would end up serving me faithfully for years to come.

sportster

 

At 18, while I was still in my senior year of high school, I joined the local NROTC and began my short career with the U.S. Navy.  I met DiVoran that year in typing class, and by the time we graduated, we were engaged.

young beloved

 

Senior picture

Not long after that, I shipped out on my first U.S. Navy shipboard cruise.  That 10-month cruise first took me to the many ports around the Mediterranean, back to the U.S. and then to stops on both sides of South America and at Panama, and finally to Bremerton, Washing ton.  We wrote to each other every day while I was gone, and just knew we were meant to spend the rest of our lives together by the time I was transferred to my next duty assignment.

 

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DiVoran and I were married when we were 19, and lived in San Diego during the 6-month stateside assignment to my next ship.   When I shipped out on my 8-month cruise to Hawaii, Japan and Hong Kong, DiVoran returned to Albuquerque to live with her parents and attend Beauty school.

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After I was released from active duty with the Navy at age 20, DiVoran and I moved to Los Angeles for me to attend Northrop University.  I started my engineering career in the aerospace field while still in college, first with Douglas Aircraft Company and then with North American Aviation.  We ended up staying in Los Angeles eight years because after my first two years in college, I went to work full-time while continuing my college classes at night, and I couldn’t always get the classes I needed.

salon

At first, DiVoran worked full-time as a beautician to help with our living expenses.  Then after our children were born, she stopped working to be a stayed-at-home mom.

baby girl

bsby boy

As soon as I graduating from college in 1965, we moved to Titusville, FL with North American Aviation, on the Apollo Manned Space Program.

Colossians 3:23

                                    —-To Be Continued—-

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Hope

14 Jan

My Take

DiVoran Lites

DiVoran Lites

When I walked past Jim’s house, yesterday, he was standing in the driveway with his beautiful collie, Maggie, and his son’s pit bull, Ace.

When asked how he was, Jim replied, “Now that I have given up all hope, I feel fine.” He was joking, but the statement had meaning, too.

Jim (somewhere in the 45 to 50 age range) and Maggie are living at the poverty level because, Jim, a tile man, stopped getting contracts after the last national money crash.

He hoped to continue looking after his mother and eking out her social security check for both of them, and Maggie. He was doing a good, loving, job, too, but somehow, someone deemed Jim’s care inadequate, so his old mother was taken to another town and placed in a nursing home, and of course, the check went with her.

Jim’s house is going up for sale this month for back mortgage payments. Someone else got his mother’s house. His plans are dashed and his hope is gone. He gets odd jobs, no job too hard, and sometimes neighbors hire him to remodel their bathrooms. He thinks about trying to get to Texas to find work, but again—he has no money, and no transportation and he’d have to leave Maggie with his elderly aunt, who helps him the best she can.

As we stood in Jim’s front yard, he began to tell me the fascinating history of pit-bulls, then he, Maggie, and Ace gave me a delightful show: football runs, keep away, tug-of-war, and leaping. It was a Sea-World worthy demonstration in my opinion and brought tears to my eyes. He said Ace looks scary, but Maggie is the mean one. Maggie is mean?!?! It wasn’t her that loved footballs so much she ate five of them. (That’s why they have a plush toy now. It doesn’t taste as good as footballs.)

But yes, Maggie is the matriarch and when necessary she takes command. Ace shoved Maggie down once and it made her so mad she bared her teeth and snarled. He was so contrite; he lowered his head and followed her into the house with his tail between his legs.

But now, I was wondering, how could Jim be so carefree as to entertain a passing neighbor and enjoy his dogs so much when hope was gone?

It’s all about hope, actually. You see Jim has apparently decided to give up on his own plans and trust God’s.

That reminds me of something our pastor’s wife said Sunday: When something we hoped for doesn’t turn out as we planned, we can become heartsick, but if it’s God’s plan it works out for Him and for us. Doors close and doors open. Maybe it was God’s plan for Jim to look after his mother for a while and then it was His plan for things to change for both of them. God does surprisingly serendipitous things when we trust Him. I’ll be interested to hear what happens next to Jim and Maggie.

Proverbs 13:12, Romans 8:28, I Thessalonians 5:18

 

dog 1dog 2

 

 

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Calendar Choices

7 Jan

My Take

DiVoran Lites

DiVoran Lites

The calendars in the bookstores are on sale now, but we bought ours before Christmas. It may not have been the smartest shopping choice, but one year we waited for the sale and the ones we wanted were all gone.

We bought the Audubon Engagement Calendar with a nature photograph every week. We also got, Live, Love, Dream which has helpful quotation and has pages small enough to glue into my journal every day. I’m crazy about journals and about helpful quotations.

Audubon calendar buyers get a free page a day calendar for 2013, and I chose a Bible version. Sometimes my friends like a Bible verse on Face Book. Besides, as helpful as the helpful quotations may be they can’t deliver the dimension scriptures can.

A long time ago our pastor suggested we try writing out Bible verses as if God was talking directly to us. Almost any verse will bring the Holy Spirit up close and personal. Sometimes I keep on writing in my journal after I finish with the verse. I’m surprised when I go back and read it again, Hey that sounds like God and not like me. It’s so cool!

Here’s a sample:

My Dear Child, I love you. You are unique and special to me. Here is something I deeply desire for you to have: May Christ, through your faith, actually dwell—settle down, abide, make His permanent home—in your heart. May you be rooted deep in love and founded securely on love. Ephesians 3:17 (Amplified Bible)

The Message uses the phrase: “the extravagant dimensions of Christ’s love.” What does your version say? Try it, you’ll like it.

calendars

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