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Author Topic: Belle's 5000th post
Belle
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I was really unsure what to do for this milestone. After deliberating and talking it over with some jatraqueros via AIM, I decided to do something different.

Some of you may have read my "day in the life" vignettes before, and I thank you for the positive reaction they have received. Because of the encouragement of hatrack, I've actually submitted something to a paying magazing market, and I'm working on several more pieces that will go out soon.

For this post, I decided to let you see how those begin. Every few days, I sit down and open a file in Word and just type whatever comes to my mind, usually just a few sentences about a happening or something I just thought about. Some of those become essays, some of them become poetry (which I'm terrible at!) and some of them go no further. Today, I'm going to give you a glimpse into the mind of Belle. I'm going to show you the five most recent rambling pieces I wrote down. So here goes:

  • Children need validation. Almost as much as they do food, or air to breathe. When my two year old daughter kept pointing to the cat and saying “kitty cat” over and over unrelenting, I realized she wasn’t just practicing her vocabulary skills. She didn’t need me to tell her it was a kitty, she knew perfectly well it was. What she wanted was to say “Listen to me, acknowledge me, hear me. I know this word – tell me that you recognize my knowledge. Validate me – I’m a person.” And so, despite the inane repetitiveness, I smile and nod and say “yep, it’s a kitty cat” and watch her eyes sparkle.
  • My husband is helping me do some research for a book project I want to tackle in 2003. The book will revolve around an archaeologist researching Biblical sites, so we have been immersing ourselves in Exodus. Last night he called me from the fire station to say that he was amazed at all the detail he was reading about, things he never remembered. His comment struck me – “I don’t remember Charlton Heston doing all this in the movie.” He meant it to be funny, but there is too much sad truth there. Too many people who get their news from Letterman or Leno and their history from Hollywood.
  • My sister-in-law called me on the 23rd to ask me what I was bringing to our Christmas Eve celebration at my parent’s house. I told her I was making a chocolate cream rolled cake. She told me I couldn’t – that it was impossible to roll up a cake without it breaking apart. I told her it wasn’t impossible – hadn’t she seen them in bakeries? Her response was “But those are bakery people – people like you and me can’t do it.” I proved her wrong. I enjoyed that very much.
  • My middle daughter has decided she is allergic to spaghetti. She swears that if she eats it she will die. Strangely – she will eat spaghetti noodles if they are sprinkled with parmesan cheese. And she will eat all the ingredients of spaghetti sauce if served another way. She loves ketchup. But, she’s allergic to spaghetti. Weird how that works.
  • My new favorite song is by Michael Card, a Christian writer, songwriter and singer. No, I don’t know if he’s any relation to Uncle Orson or not. It’s called “The Sunrise of Your Smile” and he wrote it to his children. I just love the lyrics:

    Reject the worldly lie that says
    That life lies always up ahead
    Let power go before control
    Becomes a crust around your soul

    Escape the hunger to possess
    And soul-diminishing success
    This world is full of narrow lives
    I pray by grace your smile survives

    For I would wander weary miles
    Would welcome ridicule, my child
    To simply see the sunrise of your smile

    To see the light behind your eyes
    The happy thoughts that make you fly
    Yes I would wander weary miles
    I would wander weary miles
    To simply see the sunrise of your smile

    Now close your eyes so you can see
    Your own unfinished memories
    Now open them, for time is brief
    And you’ll be blessed beyond belief

    Now glance above you at the sky
    There’s beauty there to blind the eye
    I ask all this and wait a while
    To see the dawning of your smile

    For I would wander weary miles
    Would welcome ridicule, my child
    To simply see the sunrise of your smile

    To see the light behind your eyes
    The happy thoughts that make you fly
    Yes I would wander weary miles
    I would wander weary miles
    To simply see the sunrise of your smile


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Maethoriell
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Proving relatives are a lot of fun. I'm guessing everyone ate it all. Hope to see you around some more and read some more of the lines. They're quite interesting!
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Vána
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*hugs Belle*

Thanks so much for sharing those with us! I'm glad your cake turned out so well.

And I like that song - very pretty. I haven't heard it, but I liked reading the lines. When I have children (in a couple years - no hurry!), I'll probably be asking for whatever help and insight you can give me! You certainly have a lot of experience.


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Baldar
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Welcome aboard Belle, so will we do the 10,000 post about this time next year?

You sound like a great parent.


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mackillian
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Hee.
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ClaudiaTherese
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Beautiful, Belle.

And you get more and more beautiful every year you are here.


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Bob_Scopatz
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Good luck with the paying magazine gig! Hope it works out. Let me know, I'll subscribe.


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Vampyr18
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<<<thumbs up>>>


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Kama
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::needs to read more of Belle's writing::


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twinky
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Ophelia
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ginette
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Wow..

That sounds SO good to me, a husband helping with research!


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Icarus
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Thank you for sharing yourself. When I saw the thread title, I thought, "How is she going to make this one special?" because everything you post is special--you always share your spirit and knowledge and wisdom and experience unselfishly. But having never read any of your famous vignettes, reading these "vignettes-lite" was a neat experience. You have great insight...please keep sharing!


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enjeeo
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Thanks Belle, not only for sharing a little (more) of yourself and your life, but also for giving out a good idea for getting ideas. I am always complaining to friends that I can write, but never seem to have any ideas (I write just fine when someone else gives me the idea), but doing something like that regularly might help to generate useful ideas.

Happy 5000th! And good luck with the mags!


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Fael
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5000 Belle, I haven't been watching. Congrats. Thanks for the vignetts. You know I always enjoy reading your works.

Her cake was good by the way!!


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Toretha
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Happy 5000! I really enjoyed reading those-and your first one about children needing validation is so true...*sighs* And it's a lot nicer way of putting it than my mothers "children just want you to keep your attention focused on them" thanks
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Patrick
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Belle -- That was fun to read... Here's to 5,000 more posts.....
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Olivet
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*Salutes (and thereby validates ) Belle*

Love you , hon.


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jehovoid
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So the next time somebody becomes embroiled in a heated political discussion, just give him what he really needs and say, "Yes, that's a kitty cat."
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Dragon
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5000! Wow Belle, here's to many more and thanks for being (and sharing) yourself; you're a big part of Hatrack and it wouldn't be the same without you.
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mackillian
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jeho, *snort*
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Adi Gallia
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Wow!
and Wow again. That was wonderfull Belle. I just got here, and am so glad that your out there. Keep posting, and don't be surprised if someone wants to publish a colection of your work one of these days.

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jeniwren
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Belle, that was wonderful. I really want to read your book already, and don't know any more than what you just described.

I especially like what you've said about children needing validation....my son says the same things over and over and over again, usually about a video game or pokemon, and it about makes me crazy. Now I have a better way of thinking about it. Thank you.


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JaneX
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*hugs Belle*

Happy 5000th. I wonder if I'll ever reach 5000...

~Jane~


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mackillian
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Not unless you start posting like you talk.
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JaneX
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*whap*
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mackillian
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O_..................o MY EYE!
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Tammy
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*pouts*

Belle..I've made myself start writing in a journal. I love it and hate it.

I picked a lovely book with Maya Angelou quotes in it to inspire me. I love my treasures that I've collected. My children's poems, art and pictures. I initially dread writing my thoughts. If they sounded as pretty as your thoughts then maybe I wouldn't mind so much. Later, as I read thru them, I realize the honesty and truth that I've captured.

I've resolved to never erase what I'm writing and feeling at the moment. So educational to this know it all person that I've become. I momentarily realize that I really don't know anything, and that I'm learning something everyday!

I've always liked reading your words!


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Ethics Gradient
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Merry Xmas and congrats on 5000 posts, Belle!
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