Barbara Curtis's Blog, page 198
July 25, 2011
Carol Guscott: Faces of Hope
There are many facets to her story, but this one on forgiveness can speak to anyone who hangs on to hatred and bitterness:
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I looked up from the accounting books and felt a sense of dread. The young man with the deep voice had come into the store several days earlier and, when I refused to buy the low-quality lumber he'd offered, threatened me.
I hadn't taken him seriously, but now he was walking toward my desk, glaring.
Eyes darting side-to-side, he moved
in long, stealthy steps like a tiger stalking its prey. In his right
hand he gripped a long, shiny knife. Panic-stricken, I choked on each
breath.
Somehow, I had to get away.
As I bolted for the door, his accomplice came up behind me and blocked my exit. The first man held the cold metal of the knife against my throat and snarled, "You dirty
*#@*!"
My heart pounded as I silently screamed, I must get away from them! Instead, I froze. Helpless.
In that instant, I expected death. I prayed for God to intervene. I prayed for a customer to come in.
My assailants forced me into a
recliner. They tied my hands behind my back, and then stuffed a filthy
cloth into my mouth. I gagged; the cloth reeked. I wanted to shout at
them, "Why are you doing this to me? What have I done to you?" But fear
and the gag kept me silent.
The first man took a jar from his black backpack and forced my head back. My chest tightened in terror. What was he doing?
"No! No!" I screamed through the dirty rag in my mouth. "Leave me alone!"
Read more at LifeNotes
Carol's book has been published - from the emotionally wrenching story of her brutal attack and the terrifying time of blindness afterwards when she had to fend for herself to the years of hope when so many people reached out to support her as she came to America for surgery which might enable her to see again. Taken in by the Hollywood set for a while, she was blessed with many luxuries as she endured and recuperated from surgeries. But this period was followed by a more desperate lifestyle, living in a dangerous neighborhood, alone and blind and poor.
Reading about Carol's life is an emotional roller coaster, but because of her consistent dependence on God, it is an example to all of us who've had far fewer challenges and many more complaints.
Here is just one inspirational passage:
In the stillness of my blindness, I pictured all the things I had ever seen, things I'd once taken for granted and wished I had stopped longer to enjoy. At night my dreams kept all the lovely images alive and fresh.
People blind since birth have never seen faces, colors, animals, or the beauty of creation. I counted myself fortunate to have had some of these experiences. There were others better off than I, but many were worse.
I focused on gratitude. I thanked God for the life He had given me. I praised Him for the blessings of inner strength and vision.
Face of Hope is available from Tate Publishing:
Face of Hope
The Carol Guscott Story
by Carol Guscott
'This book is proof of the power of faith to strengthen us.'
�Della Reese Lett, actress/singer
'Face Of Hope, is a true winner...you will win in your journey of life as you discover God's great, amazing grace!'
�Ken Wales, filmmaker/producer
'When Carol came to this country in search of healing, she embarked on a
journey not only to repair the physical devastation that had been done
to her, but more importantly, to share the healing power of her
indomitable spirit. Face of Hope documents that journey and allows us to
stand in amazement, to recognize the capacity for resilience in each of
us, and to be healed.'
�Mim Eichler Rivas, author
On one seemingly ordinary day, Carol Guscott, a young Jamaican woman,
was brutally attacked by two men. Left blind and disfigured, she became
determined to travel to the United States to find healing and
restoration. After various surgeries and setbacks, she found inspiration
in the kindness of strangers. This is her story.
Face of Hope: The Carol Guscott Story chronicles the true tale of
survival and intense hope of one resolute woman, who never gave up,
never lost faith, and though disfigured and blind, never lost sight.
This is a story about the power of hope, faith, forgiveness, and
motivation.
Carol is also available for speaking engagements - find her on Facebook.
Giveaways!
Posted four giveaways Saturday and have a bunch more this morning. All will end Friday, so scoot over to my giveaway page - and don't forget to check back later today for at least a half dozen more!
July 24, 2011
Family Quotations
I also write weekly for my church bulletin. This is my 102nd column, published today (I just grabbed the vintage picture to set the tone). A truly eclectic mix:
Speaking of Families. . . .
A round-up of quotations - from the silly to sublime
Rejoice with your family in the beautiful land of life! ~Albert Einstein
Families are like fudge - mostly sweet with a few nuts. ~Author Unknown
The family. We were a strange little band of characters trudging through life sharing diseases and toothpaste, coveting one another's desserts, hiding shampoo, borrowing money, locking each other out of our rooms, inflicting pain and kissing to heal it in the same instant, loving, laughing, defending, and trying to figure out the common thread that bound us all together. ~Erma Bombeck
You don't choose your family. They are God's gift to you, as you are to them. ~Desmond Tutu
There is no doubt that it is around the family and the home that all the greatest virtues, the most dominating virtues of human society, are created, strengthened and maintained. ~ Winston Churchill
A happy family is but an earlier heaven. ~ George Bernard Shaw
Every father should remember that one day his son will follow his example instead of his advice. ~Author Unknown
It's funny that those things your kids did that got on your nerves seem so cute when your grandchildren do them. ~Author Unknown
A father is someone who carries pictures in his wallet where his money used to be. ~Author Unknown
Children in a family are like flowers in a bouquet: there's always one determined to face in an opposite direction from the way the arranger desires. ~Author Unknown
We never know the love of our parents for us till we have become parents. ~Henry Ward Beecher
The family you come from isn't as important as the family you're going to have. ~Ring Lardner
A family with an old person has a living treasure of gold. ~Chinese proverb
He that raises a large family does, indeed, while he lives to observe them, stand a broader mark for sorrow; but then he stands a broader mark for pleasure too. ~Benjamin Franklin
To maintain a joyful family requires much from both the parents and the children. Each member of the family has to become, in a special way, the servant of the others. ~Pope John Paul II
Sister is probably the most competitive relationship within the family, but once the sisters are grown, it becomes the strongest relationship. ~Margaret Mead
The family is the test of freedom; because the family is the only thing that the free man makes for himself and by himself. ~Gilbert K. Chesterton
A man ought to live so that everybody knows he is a Christian... and most of all, his family ought to know. ~Dwight L. Moody
Happiness is having a large, loving, caring, close-knit family - in another city. ~George Burns
Govern a family as you would cook a small fish - very gently. ~Chinese Proverb
In every conceivable manner, the family is link to our past, bridge to our future. ~Alex Haley
Families are the compass that guide us. They are the inspiration to reach great heights, and our comfort when we occasionally falter. ~Brad Henry
A man travels the world over in search of what he needs, and returns home to find it. ~George Moore
Family is not an important thing, it's everything. ~Michael J. Fox
My latest PalinTracker at Pajamas Media
PalinTracker: After Email Release, Still Undefeated
But still no announcement.
July 22, 2011 - 12:00 am - by Barbara Curtis
Considering it encompassed the release of 25,000 Palin emails, it's
definitely been a more quiet month -- except for the media's obsession
with how Bristol lost her virginity and all that portends for the
country.
June 8
The Los Angeles Times hits a journalistic low with "Margaret Thatcher refuses to meet with Sarah Palin," a
story based on a quote from "an unnamed ally": "Lady Thatcher will not
be seeing Sarah Palin. That would be belittling for Margaret. Sarah
Palin is nuts."The Washington Post: "Palin, Bachmann 2012 feud starts early." Yes, they are pushing a catfight narrative. Why can't progressive media be professional about two concurrent presidential candidates who happen to be women?
The Los Angeles Times hits a journalistic low with "Margaret Thatcher refuses to meet with Sarah Palin," a
story based on a quote from "an unnamed ally": "Lady Thatcher will not
be seeing Sarah Palin. That would be belittling for Margaret. Sarah
Palin is nuts."The Washington Post: "Palin, Bachmann 2012 feud starts early." Yes, they are pushing a catfight narrative. Why can't progressive media be professional about two concurrent presidential candidates who happen to be women?
Palin recaps her One Nation Bus Tour: "One of the best weeks of my life."
Surprise! "Palin leads GOP pack."
June 9
The gotcha! journalism continues apace. Anticipating the release of 24,000 emails from Palin's Alaska governorship, the Washington Post begs readers for help seeking smear-worthy material. They dub this new practice a "crowdsourcing call-out." The New York Times quickly follows suit.
Big Journalism: Palin So "Irrelevant," Media Begs For Help In Sifting Through Her Emails.
Palin continues to receive media chastisement for her second
reference to Obama's "Winning the Future" campaign slogan. At Facebook,
she posts: "Another 'WTF' Obama Foreign Policy Moment." A new emphasis
on political decorum from the same bunch -- from Anderson Cooper to President Obama -- who label conservatives "teabaggers."June 10
Sarah Palin emails released to throng of waiting reporters:
About 30 journalists, along with three TV camera crews,
had been crammed into a small space in a state administrative building
in Juneau on Friday, waiting for the release of boxes filled with 25,000
printed emails stemming from Palin's tenure as governor.Nearby, the boxes were stacked up and waiting for representatives of
approximately 20 news organizations to grab them and take them from the
building in a scene that promised to be fairly chaotic. Each
organization was to be given six boxes"It could be fun," said the Los Angeles Times' Ken Schwencke, who was
part of the scrum waiting to rush the room where the boxes were
stacked.Not as much fun as anticipated, judging from the profound silence following: no scandals, no potential nooses -- well, except that annoying Christianity.
UK Telegraph: American Way: Sarah Palin email frenzy backfires on her media antagonists
Read more at Pajamas Media
Loudoun Republican convention yesterday
Actually, the way the vote went down - the popular vote going for our guy and the weighted vote going for the career politician who's been running the show/switching parties in Loudoun for too long - only confirmed why I want to turn my attention to more positive things for a while. The political world can get along without my help for a while.
Still, the morning was fun - great to see so many people we knew.
The best part of the day was taking pictures of our #7, #8 and #9 - Sophia, Jonny and Maddy, who graciously went with us and did their part too.
They earned their burritos at Moe's!
Jonny needs surgery, but not serious
I decided a long time ago not to worry about things until we know for sure, so I was not worried about the lump on the back of Jonny's head. Dr. Groeber - best pediatrician in the county in my book - had palpated it and determined that it seemed to be a mass of rubbery tissue which moved when pushed. Since it was outside the skull, it was probably not dangerous.But because he is complaining of pain - and Jonny has the highest pain tolerance of anyone I know - she did send him in for an MRI.
Dr. Groeber called yesterday (Saturday!) with the results. She said it appears to be a lipoma, a benign cyst which many people have and which usually don't require removal. However, since Jonny's does bother him, she is sending us to a surgeon to discuss what to do next.
Jonny has been through surgery before - many before he was two, seven sets of ear tubes, tonsils and adenoids, and just a few years ago corrective foot surgery. So he is a trouper. And what with all the surgeries I've seen Tripp and the kids through, it just isn't the same as it is for a mom facing her first.
Still, please pray that all is as simple as it seems and that it goes smoothly.
Add this to my summer plans - which included dentist check-ups and eye-check-ups for the whole crew, plus beginning orthodontics for Daniel, who will be the eleventh Curtis in braces.
Ay-yi-yi! We're doing our best to grow the economy.
July 23, 2011
So long politics, for now
For a few weeks, there've been some changes percolating here at MommyLife. You may have already noticed a shift from politics to the many other topics that drive this blog.
I began MommyLife on January 15, 2005 with the purpose of
enlightening, equipping and empowering moms.
In the past few years this has included an abundance of political
discussion, as I was responding to the need of families to be informed on
issues affecting our daily lives.
Today I'm confident there are many other sites doing that job as
well as - or better than - I. Which
frees me up to focus on the things that matter most - how we can bring up kids
and live our own lives with more confidence and joy. All things pro-family and pro-life.
Still staying
true to my original tagline - which has never changed:
Montessori megamom serves up a smorgasbord of
parenting, cultural, political, and spiritual wisdom.
Because she can.
To everything there is a season. I've had seasons where I felt called to be deeply involved in political activism as well as seasons where I've been released to simply be a wife and a mom and a teacher. I cannot explain this, except to say that over the years I've learned how important it is to listen to the still small voice and to stand ready to switch on a dime. I hope my readers know how important this is and how much God will honor it when they do.
Right now, my immediate goals are to transition my family to our next home (August 1), send Maddy off to freshman year at Catholic University, send Sophia off to a successful senior year at Liberty University, research and work hard to increase Jonny's employability, support Tripp in his new job, begin volunteering at Loudoun's Food Bank, and keep up with my youngest three kids' educational needs.
On the professional level, I'd like to bring a proposal to a few publishers to find a home for my next book, continue writing for my church bulletin and The Catholic Herald as well as online outlets. I hope to find a Loudoun or Washington DC newspaper anchor column.
In the meantime, I will be writing daily at MommyLife, with content driven by my readers, whose emails continue to inspire, inform and transform me. I will be covering a multitude of subjects including, but not limited to: Montessori, preschool, home school, child-rearing, movie reviews, books, adoption, special education, and cultural news affecting the family.
Over the years, I have formed close relationships with many of you who call me Momma C. I continue to be here for you.Maddy singing at Magnolia's tonight! Y'all come!
This is short notice, but Maddy will be singing tonight at Magnolia's - with her incomparable accompanist Caleb Nei - from 10pm to 1:00 am.
If you can make it, you are in for a splendid musical feast as they will be singing/playing everything from Janis Joplin to Ella Fitzgerald to Ingrid Michaelsen.
I feel like a lucky woman indeed, as Tripp and I are on our way to see Matt in Run Rabbit Run's production of All for the Union! - final show tomorrow - and then topping off our evening with music by Maddy.
It sure doesn't get any better than this. So glad I had so many children!
Custom G.I. Joes by Andrew
My 15-year-old grandson Andrew grandson has become quite the entrepreneur, turning a hobby into a business - all on his own.
He buys lots of G. I. Joes, takes them apart and then makes custom action figures with different parts and paint. Then he lists them on EBay, where there is a thriving market for Custom G. I. Joes/Action Figures. Some of these people become famous in their circles and make a lot of money. Andrew is just starting out.
It was a world I didn't know anything about. I was really curious about how Andrew got involved, so I asked him to write about it:
My Toys
Since as long as I can remember, I have always liked action figures. Whenever I could get the chance, I would pick out the "cool looking" ones and buy them. My mother once asked me what made the "cool" ones look cool. My answer: "I don't know...they just...look cool." To this day I have tons (not literally) of figures, ranging from Transformers to Stikfas. My brother Jeff and I would spend hours each week concocting stories using the figures I bought. And these stories that we made were not your average kid's "Good guy vs. Bad guy" stories; these stories had action, plot twists, comedy, awesome verbal sound effects, and yes, violence. Characters dying were a natural occurrence. Also, we could take established characters, rename them, and give them whatever attributes we chose. We knew these characters so much better the way we depicted them, that I now recognize the figures' names as the ones we gave them, and have forgotten their original names.
I have also always enjoyed personalizing or customizing things. So when I was searching the web one day for Stikfas figures, I saw a creation that boggled my mind...Someone had taken a figure, used paint, clay, plastic parts, and a lot of artistic skill to make a figure that looked totally different (and waaay cooler). I was mesmerized. I really wanted to make a custom figure then. The problem was: I didn't know how. For a couple years I just looked at other artists' work and drooled. I found out that people from everywhere had customized hundreds of different action figure lines. Then I stumbled upon the work of a guy named John Mallamas, whose customizing name is "Jin Saotome." He makes customs of all types with extreme precision and skill. On his website (jinsaotomesdangeroustoys.com), he had some great tutorials and tips that convinced me that I could become a customizer too. Now, don't be fooled. Although he makes it look easy, it isn't. It isn't cheap either. To get into the hobby, I had to make an investment buying: Paints, Dremel rotary power tool, misc. tools, and lots of action figures. Also, I had to decide what type of action figure to choose. At first I wanted to do Transformers, since I like robotic-looking figures, but they can be pretty expensive, they have limited part removal and exchange options, and they would be harder to paint, do to their size. Instead, I chose to work with GI Joes, for several reasons. First, they have excellent poseability. Second, I could buy them for relatively cheap on eBay auctions. Third, they are small, and therefore require less painting. In addition, people are much more likely to purchase custom GI Joes, because they cost less than custom Transformers.
One thing about this hobby that makes it better than most others is the fact that it actually brings in revenue. Instead of just pouring money into a hobby for fun, I actually make a small profit on each figure I sell. However, I don't do this hobby for the money (although it is really nice), I do it because I find pleasure in taking random parts from multiple figures and creating something that looks "cool." This is my, although unusual, "journey" of sorts to becoming a customizer.
Note: Most people cannot make a career out of this, so...don't get the wrong idea.
Here is , very impressive with the detailed listing:
Description-"I hope this is the right amount...for your sake."-Even though the Cobra have huge, monstrous battle machines to wage war with, sometimes they just need someone dead... Enter: STRYPE. While most assassins use weapons with silencing suppressors, one will notice Strype does not. He has no need to hide from security, as he is extremely proficient with his knife. If an enemy is out of reach, it only takes him one shot from his 1911 to take the enemy out.
Above is a quote from Strype, addressing Cobra Commander about his pay...
Here up for auction is a completely original, fully poseable, hand painted, custom, 3-4 inch GI Joe. I paint all my figures with Testors quality hobby acrylic paints.
Strype was made from:
RoC Neo Viper (Torso, Arms)
PoC Skydive (Legs)
RoC Red Fang Ninja (Head, Goggles)
RoC Cobra Commander (Coat)Auction includes-
-One custom 3-4 inch figure
-1911 Pistol
- Long Knife
- Removable Goggles
So I'm sharing because some of you may have boys who are interested in this specialty hobby/collecting niche.
Also because I'm proud of Andrew's entrepreneurial spirit - way to go, Andrew!
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