Saturday – Marilyn R. Gardner

Wrapping up the Week

Published on January 12, 2013January 12, 2013 by MarilynLeave a comment

It’s Saturday and I’ve become remarkably good at making homemade lattes. This sitting on the couch on a Saturday morning? It’s a gift. A huge gift.

And as a new addition to Communicating Across Boundaries, Saturday mornings I’ll be providing some links to sites and books that I’m reading. I’d love to hear through the comments what has captured your attention!

On books vs. e-readers: Don’t Burn Your Books – Print is Here to Stay! Evidently sales for e-books are slowing – people just love the feel of curling up and turning the pages of a book. You can read some thoughts from readers on the post Who ‘Kindled’ Your Parents?

On rape and surviving: I was Wounded; My Honor Wasn’t – a brave article from the NY Times.

On Words: Do you ever feel like English is too limited in expressing your emotions? Turns out that it is! Take a look at this Infographic: 21 Emotions For Which There Are No English Words. I found it on Cultural Detective – a wonderful company and website that helps inform on all things cross-cultural.

On Books I’m reading: Open City by Teju Cole. This novel is a poignant look at identity, belonging, feeling other, and more. Set in New York City the protagonist is a young Nigerian doctor who wanders the city. Through his wandering he discovers more about his journey and the reader gets a window into his world. Along with that, Crime and Punishment sits on my bedside table but it’s a slow read.

Finally – On Egypt and God’s love reaching across the Muslim-Christian Chasm: I cannot begin to tell you how this video moved me. It’s long – but if you can, take the time to watch it and please share!

What are you reading? Would love to hear through the comments.

Have a great weekend!

Saturday Solitude

Published on August 11, 2012 by Marilyn14 Comments

I am sitting by the ocean wrapped in beauty.
But for a few early morning scuba divers and some energetic water birds I am alone. I can hear every sound: every wave, every chirp, every wind chime.
It is so beautiful.
The week–troubled, rushed, exhausting, demanding — feels long gone in this Saturday Solitude.
And sitting here in the solitude I am wrapped in the arms of God.
I know that soon this area will become busy with people. Families enjoying the ocean, local residents walking dogs — but right now it’s just me…and Saturday…and solitude.

A Weekend Challenge – Literally or Dramatically?

Published on December 3, 2011December 3, 2011 by Marilyn2 Comments

Some time ago, as we were sitting around the dinner table, one of our kids used the word ‘literally’ in a sentence. My husband looked at her and said “Don’t you mean ‘dramatically’? Why don’t you use the word ‘dramatically’ instead?

And that is your weekend challenge. Every time someone uses the word “literally” around you, ask them to repeat the statement inserting the word “dramatically”.

We know there is an overuse of the word and we are probably all guilty! With this challenge we get a chance to see just how guilty we (and others) are and have some fun. In the middle of the sentence when your teenager says to you “I am literally not going out in public with you again if you do that” calmly look them in the eye and say “I wonder if you could repeat that sentence using the word ‘dramatically’ instead of literally”. They will literally look at you like you have two heads.

I’ve listed some examples to give you a head start:

“I literally fell off my chair laughing!”

“I literally died when I heard that”

“I literally wet my pants laughing!”

“I will literally kill you”

“It was literally the best day of my life”

What have you literally done or not done? What has your child literally done? I am literally going to love getting feedback in the comment section. Write what you heard and then substitute it for dramatically. It will make things so much more fun. Literally.