Mouth of Third South

That crazy thermometer took a huge plunge overnight and didn't get over 45 degrees today - after being in the 70s and 80s for several days. As Care Bear said the other day, "That's Colorado for you!" I am feeling a bit better tonight - have been fighting this crazy cold (or perhaps sinus infection) for a week now. I was supposed to sing in church with DC and his sister tomorrow, but it is a duet, due to lack of voice on my part. I will accompany them on the piano instead.

I'm reading Debbie Macomber's Blossom Street series and enjoying it very much. In between knitting books, I had to read one that is due Monday and someone has put a hold on it, so I can't renew. I read most of it today. I saw an article about it in People Magazine recently. It is called Living Through This by Debra Gwartney. It's an amazing story of two young teens who got into the street life and eventually hopped on a freight train, disappearing from their mother's life, one for 3 months and one for a year. It's a gripping story of the mother's journey to knowledge of her part in the story, and of love and reconciliation. I highly recommend it.

Friday, as you know, is library day - we first go to baby story time, which as I mentioned before is an hour of chaos full of fun. It's pretty hard to do all the finger plays and song motions with two babies, but they're both getting into it and soon will be able to do them on their own. I thought I'd share a bit of the action with you. They LOVE the music.

One of the twins is framed by the easel.

The moms (and grandmoms) get a real workout, trying to keep the little ones from being stepped on by the toddlers. I don't really need to go to the gym on Friday morning.




Now to the title of today's post. Linda, one of my good blogging friends, is such a beautiful writer. I keep telling her she should try to get a devotional book published with just the posts she has written. They bless me and inspire me and challenge me. The other day she wrote a wonderful piece on the subject of wisdom. She was transparent about her struggle with her tongue and talking. This is a verse that all of us who have this issue in our lives to memorize:

"Even fools are thought wise when they keep silent; with their mouths shut they seem intelligent."
Proverbs 17:28

Oh, my goodness, she couldn't have hit a subject closer to home for me. I can't remember when I became a jabberwocky. I keep meaning to ask my mom if she can put her finger on when I became so verbose. I can say with some certainty that I never was in trouble at school for talking when I should be listening to the teacher. I don't remember being a huge conversationalist in junior high or early high school.

But I definitely must have had a breakthrough there somewhere between 10th grade, when I went to a huge school in the Twin Cities in Minnesota, and when I graduated from high school in a small school in Nebraska. Here is my senior picture and what the yearbook staff decided to put beside my picture for posterity.






I think they got it backwards, though. It should say, "Speaking generally, she's generally speaking." I am always editing - I should have been on the staff!

The reputation followed me to college, where I was known as the "Mouth of Third South," the moniker given to me by my RA on the floor where I lived. I fear that not much has changed and I struggle with the same issues that Linda so beautifully addressed in that post last week. Thank you, Linda.

This will be a very busy week. My mom's 80th birthday is Friday. Many family members are coming to celebrate, and we'll have a big party at church on Sunday afternoon. My sis and I have a lot to do this week. I'll share more as the week goes by.

Have a wonderful Sunday!