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Hatfield -> RE: Hatfield's little corner of the WWW (10/29/2005 12:53:35 PM)

NaNoWriMo


For my third time, I will be participating in NaNoWriMo, the "National Novel Writing Month" (Nov 1-30). Between now and then I will try to continue to make submissions to my blog here, but during that time I will most likely be posting excerpts from the manuscript in progress. If you, dear reader, care to comment about anything I've posted, you are more than welcome to note me with the PM function here. If what you tell me makes sense or I like it (hey, maybe even BOTH!) I might include it in a later blog post. Ok, maybe I might NOT, but who knows?



Hatfield -> RE: Hatfield's little corner of the WWW (11/8/2005 12:15:45 PM)

Sarah and Michael stared down in wonder at their newborn daughter Michelle. Not even 24 hours old and she had so changed the focus of their lives. And yet, it was obvious that they would never be the same without her. As they watched, Baby Michelle Reese stretched her arms wide and yawned deeply, her little arms flailing and her eyes still tightly shut against the cruel brightness of the outside world.

“I would say she has your eyes Michael,” Sarah said, “but we still haven't seen her eyes to be able to tell.” Michael chuckled.

“That's ok,” he answered. “So long as she looks like you, I don't care who's eyes she has.” Sarah made gagging sounds as she leaned against Michael, but she was smiling.

“One day,” Sarah said looking down at her sleeping child, “you will do something special for this world. I don't know what, but I know you will Miss Michelle Geneva Reese.”

---

The years passed, and like most families, the Reese's had their share of challenges raising a teenaged daughter. But Michelle grew to a striking young woman with the types of looks that make men's eyes wander, but the type of heart and mind that either didn't notice or didn't care. Michelle was intelligent, and used her intelligence to succeed and thrive in fields very few women, even in her day had not broken into. Astrophysics, astronomy. These were not fluff classes to get through college and either party or hunt down a future husband. These were the classes that secluded you for hours in laboratories or libraries at all hours of the night and on weekends when everyone else was out socializing.

While in college, what little socializing Michelle did was with the members of the University's Reserve Officers Training Corps (the ROTC) because her father had been in the Army during Desert Shield, and again during Desert Storm. She had taken ROTC because aside from the familiarity of military protocol from her childhood, she knew that it was the best in-road to her ultimate goal, she wanted to be an Air Force pilot. Either that or what her Dad used to call a “Nay-val Av-ee-ay-TOR” (a Naval aviator). When she expressed this desire, people would ask her, “What's a pretty thing like you want with being with a bunch of pilots and fly-jockeys?” They couldn't seem to get it that she didn't want to just be with the pilots, she wanted to be a pilot. The best of the best.

After four years of college, with heavy emphasis on the sciences and her requesit time with the ROTC, Michelle needed to fulfill her military service requirement. She got into the Air Force. Because of her college degree, she started as a junior grade Lieutenant. Her first assignment was to the Grissom Air Reserve Base in northern Indiana, near the small town of Peru Indiana. “Well,” Michelle said to herself one evening after moving in to her quarters, “its a start.” Lt. Michelle G. Reese had arrived.



Hatfield -> RE: Hatfield's little corner of the WWW (11/20/2005 12:42:20 PM)

While I will be working further on my Nanowrimo story, I've hit a sufficient writers block that I will conceed defeat for this year. At the 2/3rds mark in the month, I have less than 10% of the 50,000 words I'll need.

Sometimes I feel God inspiring me. While I never consider that God would keep me from receiving inspiration (specifically righteous inspriration) I'm certain that there are times that He blocks the path if I'm not considering my writing as I should. So sometimes I have to accept that and abide by His wishes in my life.

Let me be clear; Sometimes I know that life is just life. Things happen without a direct push from God OR from Satan. But I also know that sometimes God will either open or close a door if it leads to something that maybe I need to stay away from.



Hatfield -> RE: Hatfield's little corner of the WWW (12/15/2005 9:49:05 PM)

Well, now is the time of year that most people start writing those letters looking back at their life in the past year... Me? I'll likely do that, but closer to the New Year (everyone does those with their Christmas cards, I send them out at New Years just to be different!)

But for YOU dear reader, my friend here at Crosswalk et al ([;)]) some thoughts as we approach Christmas and the coming year...

One of the things I've learned, not just this year, but in the course of my life is the fact that you can never have too many friends. And thankfully I find myself blessed in that department. Many here are well included in that list, even though I have not met a single one of you face to face.

Darcy and Denny--Sister and Brother in our Lord. You've shown me that even as we get a little older, that doesn't mean that we can't be silly. (ok, I already KNEW that one...but its nice to be reminded on occasion)

Lori, you are accepting of all no matter their flaws. All hail the "Goober Princess!!"

Trishy and Trisha -- sisters in far away lands. Aloha and a big Aussie OY! OY! OY!! to the both of you. (Trish...now the shoe's on the other foot...enjoy your summer!) I've always wondered what Christmas on a beach would be like.

Sister Leah. Your style and elegence in writing inspire my efforts with the pen. Get yourself published and I'll be sure and find a way to get to a book signing. Kae?

Brian, you show that a gruff mountain man's exterior can still house a heart on fire for God!

Humble, and about everyone else I know I've not mentioned. Its not that you've not had an impact on me, but the fact that this note would be the equivelant of 20 pages if I included everyone! Know that our Lord has given you a heart for ministry, and while you may see what we do here with our silliness and serious discussions as more fellowship and entertainment, you have given of yourself for the betterment of others. Keep doing that.

Looking back, I notice that this almost sounds like a goodbye letter. Trust me it isn't. You don't get rid of me THAT easily. Since I cannot offer you a gift in a box this Christmas, please accept my words as a gift far more precious. The gift of friendship wrapped up in some thoughts of how I see you, my friends.

Likely I'll be around, but in the odd event I don't "see" any of you before Christmas, it is my wish that you and yours have the most merry of Christmases and celebrate the birth of our Blessed Lord and Redeemer.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!



Hatfield -> RE: Hatfield's little corner of the WWW (12/27/2005 11:07:30 AM)

While we are still technically in the Christmas Season (12th night is January 5th), for most of the country, Christmas 2005 is now past.

Some of the things I've always noticed around this time. Working in retail, you find the holidays seem to rush by, not because there is so much going on and you're trying to juggle things, but because as soon as ONE holiday is over, the merchandise for the NEXT holiday is out! I arrived at work for my shift yesterday (the 26th) to find they have the Valentines displays up![sm=eek.gif][sm=heart.gif] Having grown up in a family that usually did all it could to focus on the moment in special occasions, working in retail has gone a long way to totally destroying what I used to know as the Christmas spirit.

I just feel like taking a jog down memory lane here a minute. Dear Reader, if you've had similar experiences, drop me a PM note and tell me.

Growing up in Indianapolis Indiana, Christmas was a season that had a nearly magical quality about it. It would all start Thanksgiving day. Not because Santa made his first appearance of the season in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, but because it was the first of the two annual visits of my maternal grandmother and her cousin LaVon.

These two women were as close as siblings, because growing up they were both only children and they were the closest thing either had to siblings. They would come for Thanksgiving dinner and would reappear on Christmas morning (in later years when they could no longer drive, Mom would go to get them, or once I got my driver's license, I was sent off with the admonishment to drive SAFELY with them). I loved both of these women dearly, as Grandma was the only one of my grandparents I ever honestly knew. Both of my grandfathers were gone either before I was born or shortly after, and my paternal grandmother passed away when I was in grade school. So for me, the holidays started when I got to see Grandma and LaVon!

Both women lived well into their nineties respectively, and I was gladdened that my wife Beth had the chance to meet LaVon, and that LaVon was able to attend our wedding.(whole other post about THAT...)

Back to my original subject though...the holidays.

We always had a real tree at Christmas. Mom refused to get an artificial tree because she didn't feel it felt like Christmas without the smell of the pine (or having to vacuum needles afterwards I guess!) Getting a real tree however, she was smart enough that she knew that you shouldn't have those up longer than a couple of weeks. Wanting to keep the tree up for the full "Twelve Days of Christmas" meant that we would typically get our tree somewhere around the 20th. When the tree came in, it was my older brother's responsibility to set the tree up, string the lights and put the angel on top (you put the angel up first for the practical reason that you wouldn't knock the other ornaments off trying to put it up there later!) Then, with Mom supervising to see we didn't BUNCH the ornaments all in one spot, my two sisters and I would decorate the tree. Looking back now, decorating the tree was one of those family bonding type moments...its not quite as much fun for me now. I still love doing it, but it loses something not having four kids and Mom overseeing it all.

As a young boy, Christmas also had a magical feel. Granted, at a young age, it was more about Santa and the presents Christmas morning. But the true meaning of Christmas wasn't left out. We always had a Creche[image]http://www.henslernurseryindiana.com/images/fontanini_creche.jpg[/image] (In fact, ours looked VERY much like this one I found...might have to check the website out that I found this image at!) and we wouldn't put the Baby Jesus into the scene until Christmas Eve. (though I did find it humorous as I got older that we didn't wait until 12th night to put the wise men in there...) Mom made sure that we understood that Christmas was Christ's Mass celebrating his birth.

My one silly memory though from the holidays of my childhood; to explain how Santa "Sees you when you're sleeping, and knows when you're awake..." my older siblings Melissa and Eric would tell my sister Becky and I that Santa had elves spying on us, and that they might be peeking in the windows at us! I fell for this so hard, that for as long as I believed in Santa Claus, there were moments that I would actually SEE elves peeking in the windows! It didn't register on me until much later that the 'elves' I would see in the windows looked exactly like the elf Christmas tree decorations we had, my only reference to what an elf would look like. I would turn my head, and as the corner of a window would come into view, I would see an elf, then it would zip away as if it had been caught and ran away.

One year, after sharing what I was seeing with Melissa and Eric, Eric snuck outside after making himself up to look like a very BIG elf...and peeked into the kitchen window where Melissa had me helping her with the dishes. I knew it was Eric, but it was fun to play along. He came inside and hammed around about telling me that I was being a good boy helping my sister with the chores and that Santa would surely bring me presents Christmas morning. I waved goodbye to him and when he turned to walk out the door I told Melissa that Eric didn't make a good elf, he was too big.

I miss some of the silliness of my childhood holidays. But I will always have the memories. And I will always know the real meaning of the season. The miracle of the sinless birth of my Lord.

Here's looking forward to 2006 with all of you, my friends.

Have a wonderful day Dear Reader.



Hatfield -> RE: Hatfield's little corner of the WWW (1/10/2006 12:45:13 PM)

Note to self: Be sure that you are logged in before getting paranoid that your blog has been closed![sm=smile-l.gif]

Not much going on today. I've just spent the last hour or so re-reading my blog posts up till now. A couple of my posts I'd actually forgotten having written!

Today's another one of those days where I've got so much I'm thinking about, but I've no idea where to start writing.

Martyred Saints I listen to a local Christian station that is part of the Moody Broadcasting Network (WGNR Radio, 97.9FM). This past week, many of the ministries that have programs on the Moody Network were discussing the 50th anniversary of the death of five missionaries who had been sent to Ecuador in 1955-1956. I'm forgetting the names of them all, but I do recall that their pilot was a man named Nick Saint, and was one of the five killed.

Part of what made the story so unique to me was the fact that not only did the families of the martyred missionaries forgive these tribesmen who'd killed their loved ones, two of the wives along with their children returned to the area still wanting to share the Gospel with these people.

Reader's Digest version of the story:

In 1955, a group of missionaries flew to an innaccessable region of Ecuador to set up a missionary presence for the local tribes. These tribes were described as being some of the most fierce of any known to man, having as much as a 60% mortality rate from tribesmen killing other tribesmen. In order to pave the way to approach these people, for several days the missionaries would fly over the tribes homes (which took several days to even FIND) dropping gifts of food and clothing. When they felt that they'd made sufficient overatures, the missionaries landed their plane a few miles down-river and waited to be approached.

Three members of the tribe (forgive me I've forgotten the tribe's name) ventured forth to visit with them, two men and one young woman. The woman was betrothed to a young man in the tribe, but she loved one of the two men that she was with as they went to visit these foreigners who had come. After visiting (the missionaries felt it was a very good visit), the other man of the tribe took a different route home leaving the woman and the man she did love to return to their home together. As I recall the story, on their way back, some of the family of the man who was betrothed to this woman found them walking in the jungle (a very big no-no since this wasn't her betrothed she was with!) and this family was going to kill them both.

The man, speaking quickly to keep the woman from being killed, told them that since they had been visiting with the foreigners, it was the foreigners who had caused them to be found out in the jungle, and so they should all go kill THEM instead! So they returned to the missionary camp and speared them all to death. None of the missionaries even raised a hand against them or tried to fight back.

While the missionaries were away, their families who had traveled with them were in one of the towns of Ecuador. They had met members of the tribe who had moved away from the tribal lands to escape the violent lives of their people, and many had accepted Jesus as their Savior. When news of what had happened came to the families came to them, one of the women of the tribe recognised her family's hand in the killings. She implored the wives and children to return to their homes in the US fearing that they would be killed as well. But the wives stayed, and they asked their friends to take them to the place where their husbands had been killed.

When they arrived, the tribeswoman who had brought them spoke to her people and explained that the men who had been killed intended them no harm and that they had come to bring them news of a man called Jesus. News that would be worth more to them than any gifts that the foreigners could bring. With this, the wives of the missionaries began witnessing to them, with the tribeswoman translating and also offering her own witness as well.

After writing all this, I did a bit of checking. The tribe was the Waodani Indians, and Tyndale Publishing has published a book about the events entitled End of the Spear, which is soon to be released as a feature length film!

I have been impacted by what I've learned about this in that even in the face of possible death, knowing that these people killed their loved ones, the wives of the missionaries went to the Waodani anyway, not only forgiving them but accepting them as if they were their own families. The whole story gives new meaning to the phrase sacrificial love.

Just a bit of rambling I'm sharing today. Have a good day dear reader.



Hatfield -> RE: Hatfield's little corner of the WWW (2/2/2006 10:26:21 AM)

For the past several days, I've been meaning to get something posted in here. I mentioned in an earlier post the subject of "2X4 and Paddles"

In a nutshell, sometimes God uses a 2X4 to get our attention, then he has to give us a swat on the tush with the paddle to get us moving toward what he was getting our attention about!

More on that later, I'm in at work in less than 30 minutes, and I still gotta feed the dog before I leave.

Have a good day Reader...



Hatfield -> RE: Hatfield's little corner of the WWW (2/9/2006 10:12:45 AM)

Hello, my name is Ron...

And I am a computer addict.

Seems like an odd place for me to put this doesn't it? On a computer based "blog" page? For those of you that know me from here, I think its time I start backing off the time I spend online and spend a bit more time with my wife Beth.

People joke about addictive behavior when they're online, but there are times I feel that this could indeed be the case for me. A couple of nights ago, Beth and I had a disagreement about the amount of time I spend on the computer. As any good wife should, Beth was pointing out to me that it was hurting her because the time I spent online was time taken away from sharing with her. The discussion got intense, but I have to admit that she was right.

I'll still be by from time to time. We're not giving up the boxes completely simply because among other reasons, we've set up the majority of our financial activities (paying bills, online banking etc) online and its just too blasted EASY to do that online as compared to with pen and paper! I still plan on writing here, though I think I'll be doing a little less than I have been. Moderators, if I exceed the limit on not posting here, go ahead and do what you need to. That's your job.

Have a good day dear reader!



Hatfield -> RE: Hatfield's little corner of the WWW (2/19/2006 11:39:58 AM)

My wife Beth.

Now here's a subject I could fill entire books about.

Let me start by saying that I have my wife Beth in part to thank for witnessing to me about the importance of a personal relationship with my Lord and Savior Jesus. As I've mentioned in previous blog posts, I grew up in the Episcopal church. While a part of that upbringing did teach me that we serve an AWESOME GOD, and that His son did indeed die on a cross for my sins, not as much emphasis was placed on MY relationship TO Jesus, and how important it was for that relationship to be as real as my relationships with my sisters, my brother, my mom, my dad, my friends ... or my girlfriend Beth, henceforth to be known as my Sweet Wonderful Wife.

We married when I was 25, so Beth got the fun of being with me for my 30th birthday. At that time in our lives, the last week in May (my bday is 5/29) was typically when we would take our vacation time. That May in 1993, we decided to go to Georgia to visit with Beth's best friend who was living just outside of Atlanta. While we were there, our friend showed us many of the sights Atlanta is known for; The Underground, the Coca~Cola Museum (a fun adventure whether you have kids or not!) and the home of the Turner Broadcasting Empire, CNN Center.

One thing I think I mentioned earlier but I'm not positive. When Beth and I met at Ball State University, I was studying Telecommunications -- television production. Having a chance to go to CNN was like a baseball fan getting to go to Cooperstown. When we went to CNN, our friend (stinker that she is![:D]) told us that for some reason they had suspended the tours. Not having expected anything I was like OK, its still cool to just look around. If you've not been to Atlanta to see this place, CNN Center is massive. As I recall, it takes up a couple of city blocks all on its own, and asside from the broadcast facilities, it has a sort of mini-mall on the ground floor.

So we were toodling around just checking things out when our friend created a pretext to get me away from them--I think she asked me to get them something to drink at a nearby snackbar. While I was away, she quickly explained to Beth that she had indeed secured tickets for us to take the CNN tour! After my return, the ladies suggested we go look at some of the stuff that was over near the entrance to the CNN facility proper. Once there, our friend admitted her subterfuge, and we were lead into CNN.

Much of what was on the tour was a look into the workings of the Turner Broadcasting Corporation. But when we got to the Cable News Network itself, we had an interesting surprise in store for us. The 'normal' tour would show the studios from an observation room which looks down from the floor above, that way, you could talk without interrupting the 'live feed'.

The problem for us however, was with the fact that my SWW is in a wheelchair, and the windows of the observation room are about waist high--meaning she wouldn't be able to see anything but the lighting fixtures in the ceiling of the studio. So, we were taken down a different hallway than the rest of the tour group. After a short elevator ride, and clearing our guide's credentials at an unmarked door (along with a reminder to speak in whispers) we were lead INTO the studio itself!

For me, the fun came when our tour guide started telling us of different bits of equipment that we could see in use, but having studied in the field, I knew as much of the equipment as they did, and I think a little more. But I did learn some interesting little bits that I would have never considered. The 'teleprompter' that gives the news person their script...

only prints three
words at a
time on each
line because when
they are reading
they don't want
their eyes to
move too much
as they read.

If you watch CNN on a regular basis, when they're on whoever's at the news desk at CNN Center, where we were standing would have been off to their left, and well out of camera range. The observation room looks down from the floor above and would be up and behind the news desk.

But the thing that made it all the more special for me wasn't that I was there, or that I was seeing ... whoever the person was that was doing the news that day -- their name even escapes me now -- it was that my SWW and her friend put forth the effort to do that for me. It meant a great deal more than just the tour for me.

Have a good day Dear Reader.



Hatfield -> RE: Hatfield's little corner of the WWW (4/4/2006 4:40:51 PM)

Greetings my friends!

Been away for a number of reason's of late, not the least of which are technical difficulties with our pc's at home. Today I am logged on from the local public library, so my thanks to the Library board for a chance to be here today![;)]

Recently, my wife and I took our annual trek up to Michigan, where we spent the weekend at Michindoh Conference Center for their annual Marriage Enrichment Retreat. This is a weekend we look forward to every year, and we were not disappointed with the experience. The speaker was a gentleman who'd spoken previously, Bob Tissot of Bair Lake Bible Camp. Bob is coauthor of Purity and Holiness: A Biblical Perspective on Sexuality and Relationships He has used this book in a multitude of different applications, and while he has made some use with groups such as ours, I feel the writing is primarily directed towards teens and young adults, a group sorely in need of direction in these areas.
[image]http://www.blbc.com/cover-puritybook_small.jpg[/image]
(click the book to go to Bair Lake's website for more info!)

Recently, I have felt lead to use this resource for a Men's ministries group I will soon be leading on an online Christian game I am part of, so any prayers in this would be GREATLY appreciated! The game site has two bible studies, and a Women's ministry ... and on no less than FOUR occasions, I had a number of people tell me they thought I would be the best choice to lead a Men's group. Each time they said this, I would imediately think of the P&H book as a guide. I contacted Bob, and he said he would be thrilled if I used the book for such a group, and encouraged me to proceed. I suggested he might create a character to play ON the game, and maybe help me along if he didn't want to lead the group himself, but Bob said he was doing really good to navigate his email![:D] So, I have been reading through the info in the different sections, deciding which would be the best to tackle in a group that could potentially be teens, preteens, 30-somes, 40-somes...who knows!

I hope to find myself equal to the task, though I am confident that God has his hand upon me in this, as I'm sure He wouldn't allow something to happen that was completely against his will.

Have a good afternoon/day/evening dear Reader!



Hatfield -> RE: Hatfield's little corner of the WWW (5/21/2006 7:39:29 AM)

Some days are good days, some days just ain't so good[8|]

This morning at around 5:30 am, my wife and I were awakened by a fairly heavy thump against the side of the house. Once I got myself up and around, I went outside and discovered that someone had stolen our lawnmower from our backyard. I didn't have a padlock, but I had taken a length of chain and wrapped it around a couple of the wheels and put the end of it underneath to make it at least look like it was locked in place. Apparently, my subterfuge didn't work.

Our dog Rosie is an outside dog, and I had hoped that her proximity to the lawnmower might have proven some additional protection. I did hear her barking, but by the time we heard the thump (which I surmise was the culpret bumping against the house) it was done and gone. Rosie was ok. In fact, I think she was rather put off by the fact I didn't have her breakfast with me. Silly dog[;)].

Ironically enough, this is not the first time this has happened. Last year, someone borrowed our lawnmower without asking and later returned it when we were away at work. If this one comes back, I think I'll be having a padlock ready to go with the chain.

Prayer Request: My wife Beth, after 13 years working with Target Stores, has come to the conclusion that she needs to look elsewhere for employment. But since retail is the only thing she has done for the majority of our marriage, she has no idea where to even start looking! So just some prayer that she have some guidance in this area. (and patience in working with the state's unemployment office...)


Have a good day friends!



Hatfield -> RE: Hatfield's little corner of the WWW (8/8/2006 12:26:30 PM)

Greetings friends!

Hey, I might not post often, but I do try to get in here once in a blue moon.

Not really much going on today, per my last post, my wife Beth has since left her employment with Target (her last day was June 3rd, the day before our 18th wedding anniversary) and as yet has not found another job [sm=popsigh.gif]. She is working with a service agency in town which helps people with disabilities find employment, and one of the things they'll be doing is sending Beth out to different employers to spend a day with them and see if their work would be something that interests Beth (and, if it is and additional training is needed to assist her in getting that training). One of the first places they're looking to set her up with is at a local Christian radio station, WGNR which is part of the Moody Broadcasting Network.

Beth tells me that all the way back to high school she's wanted to get into television or radio. While I do have a degree in television production, I was never able to get into the business. Maybe Beth will be able to accomplish this (I know she CAN) and she will have a chance to finally do something she really wants to do. I think she has a good voice for radio, but I realize that I might be somewhat biased in that! [;)]

So if you have been keeping us in prayer...KEEP AT IT!! I know God will provide, just give us the patience to work with His timetable.

Senator John McCain was on the Tonight Show last night, and he said some things that I agree with about the present situation in the middle east. While it is true that no one (at least no one in their right mind) wants war, now that we are involved in the situation in Iraq there is just no way to really leave it without completing what is needed to be done. It would be like a surgeon beginning an operation, and upon seeing the state of the condition inside the patient saying, "Oh my, that's much worse than I thought it was! I don't think I can do anything about that, so I'm just going to close this up. I'm sure the patient will be fine with time." It just doesn't work that way. We need to finish what we started. Maybe we didn't find any "WOMD", but we are trying to help a country break the yoke that has held them for years and to set up a government that is duly elected and represents all the Iraqi people. If, once that government is running it should decide that it does not wish to ally with the US, that will be its own choosing.

If you haven't guessed from reading this far, I would call my views "Slightly to the left of Rush Limbaugh". While I am very conservative, there are some things that would be considered liberal that I see the value of. I believe any business that cannot survive without concessions from the government (such as tax breaks or special incentives to locate businesses in a given area) should not be in business in the first place. But I also believe that as a Christian society, our government needs to see to the needs of those who cannot take care of themselves. Mind you, there are those out there who's sole desire is to see how they can take advantage of the system and get a free ride, THESE people need to be found and either booted out of the system or be expected to WORK for the benefits they wish to receive.

My wife Beth is disabled. But from the time she was 13 years old she has almost consistantly had one job or another. Her parents raised her to be willing to work for the things that she has, and as such, she only accepts assistance such as Social Security or Medicare and Medicaid because what work she's able to find usually does not include the scope of benefits that would provide for her special needs. If she could find a career that would provide for all these needs privately, she would drop the public assistance and not look back. I tell her daily (even in her present status 'between jobs') how proud I am to be married to her. Honey, I know you read my blog occasionally, now you see that I share my joy with the world.

OK.....I think I've covered enough subjects for one day! Have a good day readers!



Hatfield -> RE: Hatfield's little corner of the WWW (8/13/2006 3:58:24 PM)

Hi friends

Had a few minutes before I have to go into work this afternoon so I thought I'd stop by and spend some time with you.

As I've mentioned, my wife Beth is presently "between positions", but we've got some potential leads that sound interesting.

Fairfield Hotels (part of the Marriott hotels) has an opening for the hotel desk at its local facility. We're confident that Beth would be able to do the work, and would have a potential for advancement.

Also, Gaither Family Resources (owned and run by gospel singers Bill and Gloria Gaither, it includes a very nice bookstore/coffee house as well as the catalog sales office for their products AND Gaither Studios where the Gaithers, the Gaither Vocal band, Sandi Patti and other artists record their music) might have something in their catalog office. The property manager, a lady named Penny spoke with Beth and told her that she was going to think about where they might be able to use Beth. While Beth would be ecstatic to have either job, I think she would practically fly over the moon if she could work for the Gaithers.

There would be a little more drive time getting to the Gaithers, but I honestly feel that if that's what Beth wants to do, I'm willing to put in the miles. But I do admit the fact that the hotel is less than 200 yards from my store and that would be sweet as well. I guess the Lord will provide what is needed either way!

For those that might wonder (ok, even if you don't, I'll tell you ANYWAY!) what I do online when I'm not here on the forums, I participate in an online interactive game called Ark of the Covenant. The webpage gives more information if you're curious. I have three regular characters I play on there, so look for Hatfield(of course), Amahl or Snicklefritz.

The game is what's commonly refered to as a MUD (multiple User Device, or Multiple User Dungeon), and the idea of the type of game grew out of what are called Role Playing Games (or RPG's), the most notorious of which is Advanced Dungeons and Dragons. What makes Ark of the Covenant different however, is that the hosts of the game are Born Again Christians, and the game reflects that attitude. There is no demon/deity worship (which is rampant on other games) and in fact, we have a MINistry team which I am on!

AotC also has very strict policies about language (not tollerated) and such, with the intent of making the game family friendly, a place where parents can let their children come online without fear of what will happen to them there. The game's not perfect. Idgets do still show up from time to time--as the mod's here I'm sure can attest. But we do everything we're able to assure a fun time with challenging quests and puzzles, even an ongoing quotations game and mixup game!

I know this is sounding a little like a commercial, but I really enjoy my time on AotC, and its hard to describe to someone else. If I've piqued your curiosity, click the link I provided and come check it out.



Hatfield -> RE: Hatfield's little corner of the WWW (11/21/2006 12:01:27 PM)

Greetings my friends!

As we approach another Thanksgiving (in the US, the third Thursday in November is observed as Thanksgiving Day. Traditionally, the holiday is to commemorate the first settlers in the American colonies having a feast to give thanks for surviving their first year in the "new world". In the present day, it comes to be a day to gather with family, to give thanks for the blessings that we've had during the year ... and to eat turkey, stuffing, cranberries, and "all the fixin's" until you are in pain from being so full!)

I have much to be thankful for. I have my wife Beth, who has graced my life with her companionship for just over 18 years of marriage. I have my job with Meijer (which is ironically where I will be Thanksgiving Day, being the only retailer to be open that day, we're going to be suprisingly busy--don't these people have Thanksgiving Day dinners to be enjoying?? GO HOME! [;)]), which while not the most glamorous job it keeps the bills paid. I have friends both online and off who keep me in their hearts and prayers as much as I do them -- you know who you are and I love ya! And I have my family. My Mom Elaine; siblings Melissa; Eric, Marley and Forrest; and Becky, Rachael, Kaitlin, Killian and Makenzi; and my inlaws Helen; Alan, Chris, David and Katie; Pat, Haley, Allie, Joey and Nick. (bold=siblings with their kids, italics=inlaws and their kids!)

I'm sure I've a whole lot more to be thankful for, but this is a day off for me and I'm still not fully awake yet! *yawn*

Have a good day Dear Reader!



Hatfield -> RE: Hatfield's little corner of the WWW (2/6/2007 1:42:49 PM)

Tuesday, February 6th 2007.

Greetings to you my dear friends!

OK, I'm not the most regular poster in my blog, but I will start by thanking Crosswalk for not flushing it down the cybernetic equivelant of the commode. I might not speak often, but when I do I feel I am wanting to share something with those whom I consider friends. Even if I never have met any of you face to face. That matters little if at all to me.


Recently I have been having a bit of humility brought to me. As my wife Beth is still unemployed, we've been needing to cinch our belts a little tighter than we ever have in our marriage, with the possible exception of the first two years or so. At the present, I am in the process of seeking some financial assistance to affect some major repairs on our home. While I love owning our own house, and not having to worry about whether this thing or that thing is allowed, there are times it really challenges me when there's something that needs to be done and I can't just call the landlord to have it taken care of.[8|]

Asside from that, with only one income, by necessity, I am learning anew the necessity of keeping a constant eye on our finances, having had more than one week in recent months where my lack of diligence has incurred enough overdraft fees on our checking account that I have pretty much just endorsed my payroll over to the bank and they've taken the lot of it in NSF fees. Now, by that necessity, every dime that goes out, I dilligently am recording in the ledger and as often as not am logging onto the bank's website to assure that my balance concurs with theirs (so far so good).

And man, didn't I use the word "necessity" alot in that last bit??


But there are GOOD things in life! With the assistance of Indiana's Vocational Rehabilitation (a state agency that assists the disabled with finding jobs and/or finding the training to make them more employable), Beth has been set upon a path where she will be receiving some training in using various softwares such as word processors like Microsoft Word, spreadsheets and PowerPoint, with the hope that she will be able to find employment in an office, preferably somewhere here in Anderson. However, government beauracracy being the beast that it is, it is up in the air when she'll be able to actually GO to such training, as they need to get all their forms and paperwork processed and people consulted and what have you (we started this process the last part of August or September ... who knows how long this will take).


Any and all prayers that might be offered on the subjects above would be greatly appreciated!!


Last bit for today:

It has come to my attention that among my regular readers here I am blessed to learn that my Mom has on at least one occasion set eye to my writings. First and foremost Mom, be welcomed. I know it might seem a bit odd to see your youngest offspring speaking in a manner that is likely very different from the way that you know me in person (I am actually somewhat quiet in that "offline" world), but it is indeed me.

If I could ask a minor favor of you Mom? This past Christmas, in your Christmas letter to the family, you mentioned financial issues that I'd mentioned here but had not spoken to you about otherwise. Could I ask you to not do that in the future? While I don't mind sharing what I'm going through with the majority of my online friends here, it is very unlikely that I will be seeing them anytime in the foreseeable future. My siblings however are another matter, and I would greatly prefer keeping such matters to myself. At the very least, contact me by email or phone if there is something you would like to discuss with me, please?

It's not a matter of pride so much as simple privacy. Thanks!



Hatfield -> RE: Hatfield's little corner of the WWW (5/1/2007 11:01:16 AM)

Well, if anyone still has me bookmarked, this will be a surprise I'm sure [;)]. I know I haven't written here much, but at the moment it's mostly because this guy who would have never considered having a blog ... suddenly now finds himself with three of them!![8|]

I had mentioned in an earlier blog post my feelings about those who are serving in the military and are sent to fight in Iraq. Whether you agree with what's going on over there or not, I still feel strongly that you should respect these men and women. They are honoring their commitment to their country and many of them are paying the ultimate price for that commitment.

Two days ago, that concept was given a very real face for me. My supervisor, Rhonda Kirkpatrick, was informed on Friday that her son David was killed in a roadside bombing.

(I had originally included an IMG tag of the picture of David here, as previously the blogs still allowed images, but apparently that has been disabled. The picture is however available in the article sited in the quote.)
quote:

Marion Indiana Chronicle TribuneApril 30, 2007:
Growing up, Pfc. David Austin Kirkpatrick had a love for all things military. The Matthews {Indiana} native collected guns, loved reading books about the Army and could name every kind of military tank and vehicle, his sister Carrie Kirkpatrick said.

"Even when he was little, he'd wear camo all the time," she said.

No one was surprised when he decided to join the Army last year.

His Army career came to an abrupt end, though, when he was killed Friday in Iraq. His sister said the family had been told David, part of the 57th Cavalry out of Fort Stewart, Ga., had been riding in a Humvee when an improvised explosive device detonated.

Now family and friends remember the 20-year-old man who they say loved to be outside, spending his time exploring.

David Kirkpatrick was a 2006 graduate of Eastbrook High School. He wasn't much into school, Carrie Kirkpatrick said, instead preferring to spend his time in the woods.

"He was the kind of kid who would go out into the woods for hours," she said.

One time, he even dug a hole that he and some friends spent the night in.

His friend Troy Mayo said he remembers going out with him.

"I'd climb a tree, and he'd go look around, go adventuring," Mayo said.

He often practiced shooting his grandfather's guns, too, and every now and then would go hunting, Carrie Kirkpatrick said.

It was hard to part him with guns, even the toy ones. Carrie Kirkpatrick said her family had just been looking at an old Easter photo with his four sisters and David dressed nicely. Only then, did they notice he had stuck a squirt gun in the waist of his pants.

.....He also accepted that he would most likely be sent to Iraq, writing to Messner during boot camp that he knew was likely headed there.

He wasn't scared, though. He saw it as a matter of pride, Messner said.

"He wasn't really scared or anything because he would get his combat patch and it would earn him respect," she said.

Carrie Kirkpatrick said she was glad to see the changes in her brother, who became a little bit more affectionate to his family and went from being the annoying brother to a mature man.

"Just wish we had a chance to know the grown-up Dave a little better," she said.



Hatfield -> RE: Hatfield's little corner of the WWW (7/25/2007 5:48:50 PM)

Its me again! Must be a blue moon somewhere huh? [;)]

Some interesting things going on around here. My supervisor Rhonda, whom I mentioned in the post just above this, had recently returned from bereavement leave. In what I consider one of the worst examples of bad timing, less than a week after her return, our company's corporate headquarters made the decision to downsize the management staff of all the stores in the company (we have around 250-300 stores in the Midwest). With this downsizing, Rhonda was laid off. I am thankful that Rhonda's husband has a moderately lucrative job, and as such she didn't really NEED to work, but I know how important her job was to her. Someone should have been made aware of the situation and found an alternative to just sending the store manager into her office and terminating her employment.

Not much else going on around here other than that. Have a blessed day!



Hatfield -> RE: Hatfield's little corner of the WWW (4/22/2008 6:45:18 PM)

I received an email from one of my best friends, Mark.
I know I've told many of you about Mark, he's the one that owns a small independent film company (MagicHouse Productions). Mark recently went to see a movie called "Expelled!" which was produced by Ben Stein (The teacher from "Ferris Bueller's Day Off").
Mark is the type that doesn't just pass around viral emails. If he writes, you know HE is the one sending it. The subject line of his email reads:
Go See "Expelled!"
quote:


No matter what your political views, no matter what your religious
views, you owe it to yourself to see what is happening in science
today--it is scary to see what is happening to freedom of speech, and
that should worry every single one of us. Ben Stein has created an
incredibly powerful documentary called "Expelled," which just opened
Friday. I saw it last night, and let me tell you I was blown away.

Voltaire once said: "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend
to the death your right to say it.

Apparently, that door is closing in America. Please read what this
reviewer thought before AND after seeing the movie:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/uc/20080418/cm_uc_crbbox/op_235852

For those that are religious, it is important that we realize that
science isn't an enemy, and that as scientists answer one question, a
hundred more pop up.

For those that aren't religious, it is important to realize that not
all intelligent design proponents are religious. All that I.D. fans
are asking is to acknowledge what already exists--there appears to be a
fingerprint on anything and everything, and that NOTHING appears to
have happened by chance or accident.

I blind carbon copied the people on this email because my goal wasn't
to start a controversy, but rather to ask that all of us keep an open
mind and approach science as we should. If whatever your belief is
true, it will be borne out BY science.

Please go see "Expelled." This will be my only letter concerning this
topic unless you ask for a response. Thanks for your time and consideration.

I realize that it is likely that someone's already started a thread about this in the boards, but this is just me sharing a friend's email. I value Mark's opinions on such things very strongly. I have yet to see the movie myself, but I would be happy to hear other's opinions on what they think about this film.



Hatfield -> RE: Hatfield's little corner of the WWW (5/29/2008 8:40:12 PM)

A recent lesson in humility

I've mentioned on a couple of the threads I visit regularly ...

My wife and I live in a smaller town (a 'bedroom community' of Indianapolis IN) in a house that while it is wonderful for us it would politely be called 'very modest'. At 1,300 sq ft on a postage stamp yard, it was what we could afford for our first house. But its ours and we love it.

A couple of months ago, when it was still nice and COLD in an Indiana winter, our pastor had approached us and informed us that the church was aware of our difficulties with our house (needs a new roof, needs repairs, needs insulation, etc) and that the church had decided that they were going to help us get our house repaired. I thanked Pastor Walt, because I assumed he meant that he (a former housing contractor with many friends still in the biz) and some of his friends would come by and work on the house, and that would be that. Then, for several months (up until about 3 weeks ago) we didn't hear anything.

Then about two weeks back, in the announcements at the beginning of service, our youth pastor (another contractor [;)]) explains that there's a family in the church with a need, and the church wanted the members to pray about what they could donate towards this family's need. He explained you could donate materials, time, skills and of course, money toward expenses. They then took a special collection (in hardhats I might add) towards this effort. They've entitled it, "Outside the Walls--Raising the roof!" I call it "Extreme Make Over: Faith Church Edition".

My wife and I have been blessed on more than one occasion to participate in projects and ministries with our church that have helped people not just in our congregation, but in our town, and in one case, in several cities in Indiana. This is a very new and frankly bizarre experience to be on the receiving end of this sort of thing.

But I know that our friends are doing this because they love us, and the blessing that this is for us is beyond words in any language. We are truly humbled.

So, if anyone out there finds yourself in Anderson Indiana, look up Faith Church Assembly of God. And if you see a chunky dude with his wife in a wheelchair, come say 'Hi!' and introduce yourself to me and Beth.



Hatfield -> RE: Hatfield's little corner of the WWW (7/1/2008 5:48:21 PM)

I am not one to believe in a 'name it and claim it' sort of mentality. But I am learning right now that no matter how hard you try, you cannot "out give" God! (I know I know, "Well DUH Ron!!")

From things like our house repairs (see the post just above this) to the value of friendships and jobs during a time when many in our town are out of work, I just stand amazed.

When my wife and I were first married, I didn't tithe (we lived check-to-check and didn't have the discipline to set aside 10%, I thought I knew better and that we needed that money for bills!) Note to self: I don't know 'diddly' about what is best for me, only God knows that, and its high time I remember that!

Now that we ARE tithing regularly, while sometimes the belt does get a little TIGHT, we ARE getting things paid ...and I'm even learning to try to keep the checkbook balanced! (Sorry, "budgetting" is still a pipe dream, but I'm working on it!)

I hope things in your life are well dear friends.
-R



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