{These are Blessings Indeed!}

I must say, I've been blessed. Truly, truly blessed. You all have blessed me! God has smiled on me.
And I don't say that in a cliche "ohymgoodness" sort of way....I really mean it.

The fact that I'm even alive today is a miracle.
The fact that I have a supporting circle of loving people is a true, real gift.
That fact that I have a loving family, and a beautiful, safe home to live in is worth celebrating too!

But today, what I'm thinking of the most is the hearts of the those.....my friends and family....who decided that the dream God gave me of going to Romania, and loving on those lovely, needy people was worth sponsoring.
Worth praying for.
Worth believing in me for.

It's amazing to me!
Because, really, even if I told everything I know and feel about Romania, and what God has said so far to me about it....and even if I admitted that I don't know exactly why I'm going or what will come of it.....it doesn't seem matter to you all!

I'm not talking just about monetary giving for my trip here. (No, but in that respect, I've been extremely blessed as well! Everything has been provided for! Many, many thanks...) I'm thinking of the love, the kind words, the prayers that these folks have given me....each was special!

And I think I'm just standing in awe of God right now.
How He works things out and, how he worked this out for me.
I feel so special! and yet so little, and unworthy of this trip, at the same time!
I promise I will try not to worry about my abilities because "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" and I promise to carry myself well in Romania, and serve with all my heart, soul, mind & strength! As would befit someone who has been so, so blessed....

I must thank you, my friends, my family & my church.
Love in Jesus,
~Hannah

Restless

"Green Fall", World's End State Park, Pennsylvania. (c) Hannah Hottenstein.

Silently,
the drops curve down,
trailing quickly,
and the leaves
quiver in their wake
(as the rain restlessly
seeks the ground.)

Cheap Pleasures

Cheap Pleasures, originally uploaded by Diana827.

"That man is the richest whose pleasures are the cheapest."

We've been enjoying 'cheap', but rich pleasures like campfires, dancing, and music lately.... life is so good with God!

Words Unspoken

I tell you everything that is really nothing, and nothing of what is everything, do not be fooled by what I am saying. Please listen carefully and try to hear what I am not saying. {Charles C. Finn}

We speak careful sentences
making waves of thoughts.
Others catch the drift
but rarely drink the draught.

Conversational Jumpers

I noticed something funny today: people who are what I call 'conversation jumpers'.
Do you know the kind?


You'll meet them and  everything ( your names, whatcha-doin', etc.) is hurriedly exchanged in a few quick sentences back & forth. Then, it's onto the strange, funny & amusing dance of conversation!
You'll say something as they watch you eagerly and try to look like they are listening intently (maybe they actually are, I don't know sometimes)... and then as soon as you pause for a just a tiny space of a few seconds....
 they pounce! Jumping into the conversation!  Just like their namesakes.
(Often how quick they take over the talking can take me by surprise.)
Okay, so then they rattle on & on.... dear things.... about this & that  or anything, nothing and everything! Whew!

Next, you may try to add something later on and start to form a sentence (hooray! maybe you'll get in what you have to say!) but just when you think you're safe.....in jumps the Jumper! And they go, "Oh! yes! Yes, yes, I know what you mean. It's like this one time I---"


And back and forth, on it goes. :) Until they tire (which seems to not happen to quick) or you excuse yourself.
Or....you can do what I like to do and just sit/stand there and watch their fast-paced word patterns and trains of thought ramble all over the place. It's kind of fascinating, really!

I don't know, I like to notice the odd little things we humans do & laugh at them.
Now, I don't mean laugh at those people doing it per se, but rather laugh at us, all humans. We are funny! And we do these funny things. :)
All part of the design I guess.
{Right, God?}

[Titled]

I hate titling things. Isn't it hard sometimes? I think it is, but I don't know just why that is.
Maybe it has to do with finality. Once you put a name on something
and slap a label on it...
              or punch in those last words up top...
              or finally think you've found those few, descriptive words that are just right...
...everything seems thrown up into the air! What you thought might be the "just right" mix of words to describe something overall...suddenly just won't cut it. It's not enough!

Just think about it. Think of a favorite book or essay or blog/blog post (of yours or someone else's) and how much you enjoyed reading it. How much it spoke to you, how much it said in that (relatively) small space of page or screen. It was a lot, right?

Now, try to remember the title of it.
Was it one word, a few, or a long phrase?
Examples....
A Far Country
Water for Elephants
"The Open Window"
"Information Overload"
'Cold War'


Very often, the title doesn't quite fit. Maybe the writer just didn't spend much time thinking about it.
However, sometimes whatever those few, special words the author, songwriter, blogger, or filmmaker chose do fit. And fit  absolutely, perfectly. So much so, the title itself becomes a direct part of what people remember about the piece!

Whenever I read any of Andree Seu's columns for WORLD magazine, I usually remember the title distinctly, in addition to the content. (Often, the accompanying neat illustrations are imprinted in my head very well too; but that's a whole another post.)
Titles have a tendency to define and characterize things. Just by mere association, or by the poignancy of the words. It's strange to think about it, but I would even go so far to say that the difference between a well-chosen title and a poor title is what makes or breaks many books, movies, songs, etc.

Hmm, and you know, names are very much like titles too...
Have you ever met someone with such a strange, wild, unusual name that you couldn't get over? Through no fault to them, it may have turned out to be impossible for you to get used to saying and hearing their name! (Much like an unwelcome nicknames are to ourselves.)

On the other hand, a beautiful or grand name inspires admiration sometimes. Which is funny because our given names are bestowed upon us, we don't have much of  a choice in the picking, unless we want to change them later on. Whether you are happy with how your 'title' describes you or not, you're stuck with it pretty much! And you become known by what you are name (or titled). Sometimes that is a very good thing, and sometimes it is not so well for us...

Thankfully, there is something interesting (and very different) about God and how He names us.
While we may have individual names with differing meanings, He calls all of his children very specific names collectively. Names like...

fearfully and wonderfully made  Psalm 139:13-14

His precious Bride Isaiah 54:5

crowns of Creation Hebrews 2:7

loved Sons and daughters 2 Corinthians 6:18

It is amazing, and strangely wonderful! To think that this mighty, loving, just, and powerful God of the whole Universe adores His creations: us. Even though He deserves all the greatest and best titles in the whole world...He takes time to name us, too. Each, by name, and as a whole.
Baffling, amazing and yet totally God's way. :)

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
So, what about you? :)
What are you called? How do you think what you've been named has defined your existence? (Or how has it not?) What would you like to be 'titled' if it came right down to it?

I'm in Love....Yep.

Cybele's Secret

&

Wildwood Dancing

Did you hear? I know there's this little bird...he gets around....or maybe you haven't heard?

Well, in any case, let me be the first to tell you: I just fell in love. It's true!

I fell in love with Juliet Marillier & her books....specifically Wildwood Dancing and Cybele's Secret. I discovered them whilst perusing blogs...and I found this one blog of especially note (for it's prettiness & creativity!)....Fairytales, French Fries and Baby Kisses by name....kept by two sisters, I believe. Lovely blog. :)

And.....and.... way down hidden amongst older posts, I found this post which was more than enough to pique me curiosity. So, I looked them up at my library, found out that we have almost all her books (yay!) and checked out the two books above to start with.

What did I find?

I rediscovered two things through this book........ my love of fairytales (I love love love them!)

and ......my love of Romania. That's right! These are Romanian fairytale stories!

Needless to say, there's not much else to say......I've read each book twice already since Wednesday, and I've got the others on hold at the library......

Thank you, Bethany & Esther. :)

Quiet Days

Quiet days.
Full of this -- and that
or -- this and that things.

Much of nothing,
nothing of much.
Soft and hard,
long and slow.
In and up,
out and down.

Quiet days.
They do so much
when we do so little.

Emotions, Thoughts, Words...

{source}

Poetry is when an emotion has found its thought and the thought has found words.

~ Robert Frost *

Summer 'Kisses'

I miss the warm, bright days of the year
when it seemed like God reached down from the sky
and kissed the earth...
Summer, come soon please!

Yellow Sulpher Butterfly, Hannah Hottenstein. 2009

Sarah's Key: A Book to Read & Remember

Have you ever read a book that left you shaken?
Utterly and completely moved? It is only a very good book, and a very skillful author that can write such a book.

Well this book, Sarah's Key, did that to me. Reading through it was amazing, but painful (because of what the story was about.) But I'm getting ahead of myself.

First, I should explain how I came to own this book in the first place! The simple answer is I got it from a libarian. The kind-hearted little lady that was running the 'Friends of the Library' shop last week was reading it as I came in the shop. (I always check the Friends shop for 'new' old book; I've grown my collection of over 35 antique books just from their selections for sale!) So, I always check the shop and stop in to chat with whoever's there for that day.
  That day, there was a grandmotherly looking figure sitting behind the desk, with a very sweet face. :) She smiles and we exchanged 'hellos' as I came in. Looking around for a second, I found a 1945 leather-bonded atlas for sale for $2. Grabbing that, I said to myself.
I could not find anything else worth spending my few, college-student bucks on so I plopped my atlas down to 'check out'. :) A little boy (maybe 6 years old) and his dad had come in meantime; the dad was checking out the old VHS collections for sale while the boy found a dinosaur book. So sweet. :) The little guy, wearing a matching baseball cap like his dad, was chattering about why he loves dinos to the librarian lady. (Did I ever mention I love seeing kids, being able to live just as they should be--kids? Curious, trusting, smiling. It's a gift, a real gift.) He was clutching the dollar and 75 cents necessary to buy the book in his little hands.

Anyway, the Dad wasn't ready to check out yet so even though the dinosaur lil' guy was ready, he let me graciously go first. So I was getting ready to buy my only book when the cover of the book the lady was reading stuck out to me. 'What's that book like?' I asked. She looked surprised to be asked about it first, then she smiled and said, 'Oh, it's a great book. A really good one! I've been sitting here all afternoon reading it and it's amazing...' Oh? hmmmmm, sound like a good one, thought I. I asked her what it was about.
She told me it was about the wars in Europe, the French occupation, and what happened during and after the Nazis rounded up several thousand French Jews. She said, be warned, it was a tear-jerker.

What's the first thing that goes through our  minds whenever we hear words like "Nazis", "World War I or II", 'the Jews'? What goes through your mind whenever anyone speaks of those things that happened long, long ago? I know what goes through mine.

Images and feelings of deep pain, horror, sadness.
Huge losses of lives, of families, faith,  and innocence.

It's hard to put into words what kind of things so many went through so long ago, especially when you yourself have no idea of just how painful all that must have been.

This book is about a fictional girl named, Sarah Starzynski. Her actual account is fictional only in the sense that she never existed. However her story, and the story of the French Jews men, women and children of Vel' de Hiv' like her was very, very real.

This book is much like another book I read, The Shape of Mercy: A Novel. It's not for the faint of heart.
But it also tells a story that should not be forgotten.
So, if you are up to it, read on and remember.

On Trial {God's Refining Fire For Our Faith}

    I love the "Aha!" moments. Those times when something just clicks and things get 'brighter' inside. :-) That happened to me this morning, while talking with Mom, and I thought the subject was important enough to share.

Have you ever heard those verses from the Bible that talk about trials and temptations?
You know: the "hold fast to the faith", "stand strong", and "whenever you face trials" verses?
Well, James 1:2-18 contains a good many things to be said on the subject of trials and temptations.
And where they come from and how to handle them. (Mom was studying James in her personal time this morning, and then she read James 1 aloud to me.) Here are two special verses that caught my attention, but their very juxtaposition:

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. (vs. 2-3)


When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. (vs. 13&14)

 The first thing I noticed as Mom was reading through it aloud (sometimes hearing a passage brings it out to our ears more than reading silently would) was that trials and temptations are not the same. Not at all. I suppose I 'knew' this, but I did not realize it! But yes, it is true. Think of Job. God was not tempting him, He was trial-ing him, if you will. Job was on trial! Why? For his faith. It's like God was saying, Job, "How much faith do you have in Me? Through how much will you 'stick' to Me?"  Because,

"In this you [should] greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials,so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ..." (1 Peter 1:6&7)

This chapter in James talks about trials and how whenever I face them, I need to remember with joy that they will produce perseverance, because they are testing my faith! To my normal human thinking, this does hardly seem something to be happy or joyful about. :( Trials always puts me in mind of Tevye from Fiddler on the Roof. He has these bad things happen to him over and over again, often right at a time that would have been otherwise joyful! His act of looking to the heavens with a sort of, "Really, God? Was that necessary?" attitude is something we all feel like doing once in a while at least...
And yet. And yet, I am to welcome trials! Why? Why is that, and, how could I?
I can do just that, and rise above the temptations and make it through the trials because I know that:

• Trials from God are refining me & my faith in Him! He is making my faith stronger and stronger; He is refining my trust & hope in Him until it is a beautiful and true as gold!
• Temptations never come from God, always from the Devil and I am tempted only because my flesh wants to be. My spirit is God's and in communion with Him, so temptations can't touch that! But I must resist the temptings, and stay on the narrow path.
• The greatest (i.e. the most faithful) of Christians from history and time were able to be and do what they did because they knew that through the trials and even in the temptations, God was with them. He never ever left them, and  still promises this to us: 

"No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it." (1 Cor. 10:13)

So there you have it. I really learned something today. Something about God (He is so merciful, and thoughtful!) and something about myself (if I trust God, I can overcome!)  :-)

Happy St. Lucias Day, Everyone!
~Hannah

- - - - - - - - - - - - - * Merry Christmas! *

Thinking...

by HEH

:: Thoughts fly and words go on foot. ::

I read a book last month called Thinking in Pictures: My Life With Autism, by Temple Grandin. She talks about her life as an autistic person, bits of her childhood and growth as an adult. But, as intersting as I usually find biographies, what really caught me about this book was when she tried to explain how she thinks. Like the title implies, she thinks in pictures, but also--in video representations. In her head! It was amazing reading and trying (oh trying!) to understand how this could be possible, let alone normal cognitive functions for someone! Amazing. When presented with a concept needed for a project, she 'sees' in her mind 'videos' and 'pictures' of the thing (whatever it is) flooding her head. They seem to be automatically sorted, regulated, and---AND-- serviced and updated by her own mind.

For example, Temple is an animal scientist. She works as a designer/planner/engineer for making cattle equipment. (In fact, she has designed over one-third of ALL the cattle equipment facilities in the U.S.) If she ever needs to design a new, say, cattle washer system, she has live images and videos stored in her mind that she can bring upon need of recall for all the other facilities that she has built like it. Amazing, huh? But there's more! She claims she can even 'turn' the objects over in her mind, just like a high-tech computer animations program. I think that's astonishing and very cool, of course. (Does she close her eyes whe she visualizes these things or keep them open, I wonder?)

However, besides just marveling in Temple's pure genius abilities, I was wondering about how I think. How do I think, as a 'normal person'? How do you think? In 'pictures' like Temple does? Or in...
Well, what are the other ways we think?

Now, I have not done any further research (i.e. reading books, blogs, or articles one the subject) but I have been mulling it over. Research notes will have to be for a later date. Right now, I think I'll just bang out what I've been thinking, plus some dictionary definitions (because they always help.) Be sure to go look at each of the linked pages; each have some very interesting information & definitions to be read.

Definitions of:

   thought   thinking   pictures   visualize

I believe that I think in words. It seems like the easiest way for me to remember concepts or ideas are seeing them in word form, especially on paper. Also, when I hear something, like the word 'combination', for example, the first thing that happens in my head is I can see the letters, spelling themselves out: "c-o-m-b-i-" etc... This is almost always the case (i.e. 99.999% of the time.)

If someone mentions a name of someone I know {Annie} ...
Or is explaining something {"This is how you would do it..."} ...
Or if I hear a Scripture or quote...

I immediately think of how it spells out, in letters, in my mind.
So funny, but it makes perfect sense to me. And my Daddy apparently; he thinks this way as well. :) Now, this is not the way everyone thinks (obviously). Two of my other siblings claim that they think in visual 'pictures' and or videos. When they hear 'obviously', they may think of the face someone makes when they are saying that "Well, OBviously" to someone, or they may see the word on paper or screen as they last (or first) saw it. That doesn't happen to me, but it is fascinating nonetheless.

Others, like Temple Grandin, visualize concepts, ideas and words as live videos in their minds. Which seems like the 'coolest' way to think, doesn't it? :) However, it is for this very reason --thinking in only visuals-- that can make spelling, writing and communicating with words very difficult for those who think that way. So, take your pick. There are several ways of thinking. :) Whatever way you think has it's strengths and yet it still requires that you compensate for the lack you have in not thinking another way.

(For example, I have a hard time remembering or visualizing what people are saying to me verbally--unless I take the time as they are talking to try and convert the conversations into words in my head. Sometimes this occurs naturally and effortlessly for me; other times, well...those other times are the time when I just couldn't/didn't remember what you said! lol Send me an email, it'll last longer.)

Here are a few articles I read on the subject that are informative & quite interesting in and of themselves.
- Cognitive Structures
-Definition of Cognition
"Conceptual knowledge is needed to classify objects and events in the world. Some aspects of conceptual knowledge are innate or emerge very early in development, while others are acquired through learning and inference."

Now, enough ratting on the subject, and down to business:
How do you think?

P.S.~ Blogger is being ridiculous and unfortunately, I have not been able to comment on any of my blog posts or others'. So, if you commented: I read it! Thank you for commmenting. :)