Good morning, fellow Word Nerds! Last week’s WOW (Word of the Week) was thrasonical. Thrasonical, according to Merriam-Webster Online is: of, relating to, resembling, or characteristic of Thraso. Uh-hunh. Okay. Who or what the heck is Thraso???  Thankfully, Merriam-Webster gives us some information regarding Thraso as follows:

Thraso was a blustering old soldier in the comedy Eunuchus, a play written by the great Roman dramatist Terence more than 2,000 years ago. Terence is generally remembered for his realistic characterizations, and in Thraso he created a swaggerer whose vainglorious boastfulness was not soon to be forgotten. Thraso’s reputation as a braggart lives on in “thrasonical,” a word that boasts a history as an English adjective for more than 440 years.

That was your English and History lesson for today. This will improve your next Trivial Pursuit game??? (Does anyone even play Trivial Pursuit anymore?)

This week’s WOW is anabasis. Here are my guesses for anabasis:

anabasis: (ə-ˈna-bə-səs) 1. based on a Frozen heroine 2. basic analogue 3. basal analysis

What are your guesses for anabasis? Submit a comment below this post to let me know! (I have a feeling all you smarties out there are going to know this one!)

Wednesday’s Post: Clarification...

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The mom person says you actually read what I write here. Don’t y’all have bones to chew?

Since you do read what I paw on this funny electrical contraption, today I want to talk about this funny wet stuff that sometimes shows up outside.

Outside is my favorite place in the whole world, usually. I get to bark at those winged invaders who keep stealing the dad’s person’s food. Of course, I question how bright he is for putting it in a container with holes in it! And that food doesn’t look all that great to me.

I also get to chase furry creatures with really long bushy tails who keep hiding in my trees. How dare they live in my trees! They keep stealing all of my pecans! They are there for me to chew up, thank you very much. I don’t remember giving them permission to do that!

Did you feel the earthquake last Thursday? No?

I’m glad you didn’t feel it. Because it was awful. It was a 10.

Thankfully, the earthquake was only intended for me. But, earthquake it was.

I met with my spiritual director last Thursday as part of my training at Heartpaths and it was rather obvious, in that meeting, that I have an arrogance problem. This brings tears to my eyes even as I type for several reasons:

1. I’ve already concluded that arrogance and a lack of humility are a huge problem for me and have been really trying not to behave arrogantly. Obviously, I’m failing miserably at that.
2. I’ve always been overly sensitive to criticism. I so wish I could conquer that when people are simply giving me constructive criticism meant for my own good.
3. I think God designed me with a teacher’s heart. While that is probably a good thing long-term, it can create huge problems when trying to strive for humility. I am constantly teaching “in my head” and sometimes it comes out of my mouth when it is least needed.
4. It’s been suggested that I’m becoming more like my mother. Becoming more like my mother is not exactly a compliment for me. It simply reminds me that I’m failing miserably at conquering my faults.
5. This is transpiring in February–the time when my brother decided to quit cancer treatment and died. He was one of my biggest cheerleaders and seemed to know exactly how to help his little sister. It really ouches to know he’s gone when I need it most.
6. I’ve always had low self-esteem. Not exactly sure why, except that I grew up in a household of really bright people and by being the youngest by a long shot, I always felt left out and that I was a moron for not understanding all the conversations in my household.
7. I’m well aware that my low self-esteem causes me to over-compensate when intimidated (which is pretty much all the time) and my over-compensation for it comes off as arrogance.
8. I know only God can fill my low self-esteem abyss, but I can’t quite comprehend how God is going to do that. I keep hoping he will magically fix me, but He doesn’t.

Good morning, My Fellow Word Nerds! Last week’s WOW (Word of the Week) was bouleversement. Merriam-Webster Online defines it as reversal or disorder. If you ask me, the government either needs bouleversement or is already in bouleversement!

This week’s WOW is thrasonical. Here are my guesses for thrasonical:

thrasonical: (thrā-ˈsä-ni-kəl) 1. the sound of anthrax infiltrating the body 2. the effect of thrashing someone 3. the sound emitted from triad chords

What’s your guess for thrasonical? Post it in a comment below this post!

Wednesday’s Post: What’s the Proper Way to Treat All Teachers?

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It’s difficult for me to contain my enthusiasm for Soul Feast, since it opened up a whole new realm of discovery, study and blessing for my spiritual journey. But, I think restraint is warranted here, since others may have encountered this material before and thus, be less impressed than I.

Written in 1995, author Marjorie J. Thompson proposes that a major spiritual awakening is due for us earthlings any day now. History states that these events occur about every 500 years and the last one took place in the 16th century. Furthermore, there is increasing evidence that the 21st century version is already underway. People are restless and want something more.

Thompson contends that the something more they seek is to be found in practices first initiated by the “desert fathers and mothers.” These folks grew up in the era immediately following the deaths of the Apostles and felt that they were losing something important from the absence of Jesus Himself and these great teachers and writers.

Last weekend my oldest son became engaged. My first thought on this big development? I’m glad I’m here to enjoy this. 

The longer I’m on the planet, the more I’m just happy to be here. I could have been dead at 39, when this son was only in junior high. Instead I’ve watched him graduate high school, graduate college, become financially independent, find the right girl, develop his own set of values (and I’m really impressed with those!) and now become engaged.

I’ve watched his sister graduate high school and college, get married, finish her master’s, succeed in her job, and buy a home. She, too, has a great set of values and her hubby is rapidly becoming my favorite wry comedian (not to mention a successful entrepreneur), as well as more of a son than a son-in-law. 

Good morning, Word Nerds! Hope you all had a wonderful Valentine’s Day weekend!

Last week’s WOW (Word of the Week) was morganatic. The Merriam-Webster Online definition for it is: of, relating to, a marriage between a member of a royal or noble family and a person of inferior rank in which the rank of the inferior partner remains unchanged and the children of the marriage do not succeed to titles or entailed property of the nobility/royalty.  The guesses for this word were great attempts, but unfortunately, not close to this definition.

This week’s WOW is bouleversement. Having studied French for 4 years, my guess is that this word originated in France, but I have no idea what it might mean, so here are my guesses:

Have you been playing outside? I sure have. The weather is like that time of year when the Dad person shaves off my fur so I can be cooler. Usually, at this time of year I need all of my fur, but if this weather keeps up, I’m going to need those buzzing things he uses a lot sooner!

When I go outside, I like to find the small wooden things that have fallen from the winged invaders’ hideout. I like to prop them up in my front paws and chew them into tiny little bits.

Unfortunately, none of the winged invaders have a hideout indoors and so I can’t find the tiny wooden things! It’s a big pain because I have to hop up and down like a possessed kangaroo to get a bone. Bones are kinda like the wooden things, but much bigger and tastier.

The mom person calls them “rawhides,” but there’s nothing uncooked about them and they don’t resemble any animal’s hide from what I can tell.

You read that post title right. I didn’t goof and use the wrong preposition–I meant Rule of Life, the totality of daily, weekly, monthly and yearly spiritual practices that Christians decide to undertake to intentionally develop a closer relationship to God. In Heartpaths one of our first tasks was to develop our own Rule of Life.

Many famous people, including Martin Luther King, Jr. had their own Rule of Life. Based on his example alone, it’s worth consideration! Here is my Rule of Life:

1. Read something spiritual every day. (That can be Bible verses, a chapter from a book on spirituality, an internet posting, or Heartpaths assignments.
2. Pray for 20 minutes every day. (This usually centers around whichever prayer practice we’re studying in Heartpaths right now, but I do so silently.)
3. Journal for 20 minutes every day. (I journal about my experience during prayer as if I’m a reporter.)
4. Juice fast once a week. (No one is more surprised by this than me!)
5. Meet with my spiritual director once a month.

Good morning, Word Nerds! Last week’s Word of the Week (WOW) was rhadamanthine. Merriam-Webster Online says that rhadamanthine is defined as: rigorously strict or just. I doubt that there is anything remotely rhadamanthine about this blog!

This week’s WOW is morganatic. My definition guesses for this word are as follows:

morganatic: (mȯr-gə-ˈna-tik) 1. resembling Morgan 2. having a humorous, but strict commanding officer demeanor during the Korean Conflict in the 50s (Think M*A*S*H*, my middle-aged compadres) 3. anything having to do with my organs

What’s your guess for morganatic? Post a comment here–try not to make it something that another reader already posted. It’s more fun when we all “play,” so take a stab at it!

Wednesday’s Post: Rule of Life…

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