Jubilee's Jottings

       This is a blog post. It talks about how I am going back to my job in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania after spending six days with my family. It mentions how I feel a little sad to leave, but I also look forward to my job. The blog post shares how I got a good amount of writing done on those days off, currently working on an article on fountain pens. It shows how I am having a hard time deciding how to finish my article, because I don’t know what else to write or research. The post mentions how I am planning on getting a fountain pen in the near future, but it does not mention the price category I am thinking of spending on the pen. Knowing the author of the blog post, the amount will not be too much. The blog post also mentions what I ate for lunch: a bowl of stir-fried jalapeno peppers, onions, and eggplant. The blog post raves about how good it tasted and how the jalapeno peppers were more spicy to the nose than the throat. This is a blog post, but this is me: ...

I got declutter fever. If things are messy, it means two things: the amount of stuff is too much and the organizational system is incorrect. I found all of this is true every time.  My room was a bit messy. I had gotten sick, but the stuff just kind of got out of hand. I think I only got rid of ten items, but it cleared up the space I needed in my functional organizing system. I had a couple food items taking up a lot of space in my tiny pantry area. I had not eaten them in three months, which is a sure sign I am not going to eat it in the next three months. I put the non-perishables out for other staff if they wanted it and threw out other perishable food I wouldn’t eat. This gave me the space I needed for the food I currently want to eat.  I took out my trash and recycling. I got rid of a few clothing items I don’t like wearing. And, like the little thing it was, I recycled a couple containers, like yogurt containers, which freed up space. It really was only a handful ...

Not this kind of yeast... photo copyright 2022 Jubilee Young      Bread dough is satisfying, but sourdough turns bread making into a hobby. It takes a little TLC,  but those who stick to it find it rewarding. A couple weeks ago I started a sourdough starter. I have done sourdough before, but it was mostly when I was strictly gluten free, and the bread I made was good, but sour. Later, after I wasn’t gluten free I made it again, and I only liked it with spicy pepper jack cheese. Now, a couple years later, I am trying again.  It all began again after I listened to an audio book where sourdough was turned into a whole story plot. The fiction story was created around this strange sourdough starter that made unusually good bread. The author had obviously read a lot about sourdough and probably even started a starter before writing the book. I learned a couple things about sourdough I didn’t know before.  First, the mixture is equal parts of flour and water w...

“Oh God, I do not understand Your plan;  Why You created me the way I am This fleshly clay becomes a heavy yoke; I groan and stagger – almost to despair. I search and seek for paths to follow, but There is no trodden way for me to find. Life’s normal way is treacherous and strange; The winding road is long and steep and dark.” “I know the plans that I have made for you; My plans are for My glory and your good. Remember, child – I have fashioned you Just wait, this struggle will not be in vain. Be still and listen. Wait to hear My voice For I am guiding, ask Me for more faith. I go before you: follow in My steps. This road, My way, is narrow, straight and rough But it is not too much for you to bear.” “Lord I believe, but help my unbelief; Help me to trust, forgive my fainting heart. Oh hold my weary, trem'bling hands in Yours I do not want to falter or to fall. Withhold me from my self-destructive plans Keep me from my own presumptuousness. Forgive me when I fail and doubt Your gra...

  I went to a writer’s conference, because I am a writer, and a speaker said something I really identified with. She said that when a writer isn’t writing, then the rest of their life is probably out of order. So. Very. True. I have several writing things I need to do. Each week I need to write an article for my newspaper. This takes 5 to 8 hours of time, depending on the topic. I have a bi-monthly magazine that is supposed to go out at the beginning of every other month, and as I am the sole proprietor of the publication, any delays on my part are distinctly felt or seen. I also write blog posts for this blog, which is proof that I am on top of things. I only made two blog posts in the month of February: one at the beginning of the month, and another at the end. What was going on in the middle? My spaceship had gotten knocked out of orbit. My little down-pat routine was interrupted, and it took me around six weeks to recover. When deadlines encroach on my breat...

       I know a little bit of sign-language, and I expand my vocabulary by watching video tutorials of how to sign worship songs. I have learned four songs that way so far, and I think I learned 30 or more new words from them. The context of a song is what keeps the words cemented in my memory.      The latest song I learned was “What a Beautiful Name.” Before learning how to sign the song, I did not even know how to sing it. Now I can both sing and sign it. Just yesterday I had an opportunity to use a word from the song: wonderful.      I work nearly every day with a person who is deaf. My desire to communicate led me to continue learning ASL, and it has opened a path of mutual appreciation between us. Last night I got the person’s attention and signed, “You are a wonderful worker.” The person clapped and actually beamed.      Perhaps in spoken English, I wouldn’t have chosen the word “wonderful,” using a mo...

  God created time. Like all created things, it has a purpose. Time is a tool for the measurement of life. It shows us what we value, but also slyly runs away under neglect. Time shows us the beauty of life. Without time and seasons (both of which are intertwined), how could we enjoy the beauty of autumn or the rainy season. Time matures plants; it can also mature people. Time is a tool used to build trust and relationships. What will you do with the tool given you? What have you done with it? Will the tool of time teach you lessons? Will it weave memories as it passes? Give time a chance to work, weave, and paint by recognizing its value and working with it while you have it. Let this tool teach you the finest lessons of life, and pass those lessons on to others. Reflect on the lessons time has taught you, and warn unwary feet. Embrace its beauty—the beauty of time, but also spend time without counting time. Spend time with God, others, and nature in unhindered ti...