tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1440315720513561046Tue, 02 Dec 2008 23:50:04 +0000A gentle nudge, an outrageous observation, a loving whisper, an angry complaint... let's have a cafecito and talk about it!http://www.barbyward.com/wordsculpt@gmail.com (BZ Ward)Blogger64125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1440315720513561046.post-2704878843094661655Fri, 21 Nov 2008 06:24:00 +00002008-11-21T01:59:06.643-05:00In the last two days I have heard a whole lot about being thankful. First-time Turkey At a meeting last night, the guest speaker shared, among other things, about the plight of the Cuban people and how thankful we in CR ought to be for our abundance. Then today my mother and I hung out with her friends. This very cool group of ladies has been meeting together for over ten years, once a week, tohttp://www.barbyward.com/2008/11/first-time-turkey.htmlwordsculpt@gmail.com (BZ Ward)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1440315720513561046.post-4479085529468045236Sat, 15 Nov 2008 03:07:00 +00002008-11-14T22:31:02.639-05:00 Oreyo (Poodle Which Looks Like a Sheepdog) was taking us for an evening walk to the neighborhood ice cream place and java joint. We were not far from the house, enjoying the perfect weather in the twilight, when Peter reminded us that the shuttle launch was counting down in those very seconds. At the park by our home, we could see two people silhouetted in the dusk, standing and staring north. http://www.barbyward.com/2008/11/dont-miss-it.htmlwordsculpt@gmail.com (BZ Ward)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1440315720513561046.post-958635519879821966Mon, 03 Nov 2008 00:15:00 +00002008-11-02T19:54:35.236-05:00womenemotionssmall groupscelebrate A bit like tropical weather... We laugh together. We cry together. Often at the same time! This group of women (and quite a few who couldn't join us that day) is love in action. We have been together as a small group for over two years. The group morphs, as new ones join and others have to step out for a while due to life circumstances. Our backgrounds are diverse. It is quite a journey, and ithttp://www.barbyward.com/2008/11/strong-women-who-rock.htmlwordsculpt@gmail.com (BZ Ward)5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1440315720513561046.post-2191399383861617977Fri, 31 Oct 2008 14:12:00 +00002008-10-31T16:22:35.803-04:00ObamafollowersMcCainhubrisleadershipJesus ChristLeadership is everything. I have never posted anything political on this blog, because in fact our family is highly, intensely interested in politics. We constantly have discussions - mostly from the point of view of leadership, not ideology - especially during the national campaigns. Peter is from South Africa, I from Central America, our girls are in college, we are fierce about social justice,http://www.barbyward.com/2008/10/obama-kicks-reporters-off-campaign.htmlwordsculpt@gmail.com (BZ Ward)5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1440315720513561046.post-6656320132116946411Tue, 28 Oct 2008 02:20:00 +00002008-10-27T23:43:26.443-04:00thoughtspurposedestiny“Still in Japan.” Growing up, when I would ask about something that happened before I was born, my mother would say, “Oh, that happened while you were still in Japan.” We have carried on the nonsensical tradition – our kids know that some family history happened while they were “still in Japan.” Truth is, I don’t know where they came from before they got to us! I don’t know where you or I came http://www.barbyward.com/2008/10/still-in-japan.htmlwordsculpt@gmail.com (BZ Ward)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1440315720513561046.post-5817891367634975297Sun, 26 Oct 2008 17:20:00 +00002008-10-26T13:47:16.081-04:00BenFaithcelebratefamilyInvitation Received: MOM! Read this! Urgeant! Go to Ben's room at 4:00 pm on your birthday. Schedule for the party Ben, Faith and their two friends gave me: Jump and throw Birtday Sumbraro Birthday Song gifts and cards Birthday poem Faith's Birthday Poem Roses are red, violets are blue, my mom, doesnt make me, cry, boo hoo. http://www.barbyward.com/2008/10/cool-sweet-invitation.htmlwordsculpt@gmail.com (BZ Ward)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1440315720513561046.post-2307422494197325880Tue, 21 Oct 2008 14:17:00 +00002008-10-21T10:25:13.947-04:00I felt an urge to post this, and that usually means it's for someone out there... could it be you? I wrote it a year ago. I am sitting in a Starbucks thinking about growing things. Four years ago, when we moved into our house, there was a huge 60 foot (at least) Tree. It was a hub of zoological life in our back yard. A virtual Grand Central Station of flora and fauna. Squirrels, birds, foot http://www.barbyward.com/2008/10/new-things.htmlwordsculpt@gmail.com (BZ Ward)4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1440315720513561046.post-3593609915667029939Fri, 17 Oct 2008 13:49:00 +00002008-10-17T10:01:19.778-04:00fruitperspectiveprocrastinationvoicesuccessgracemoving onleadershipThis post is about your voice. And your seasons. I am going through a season change... are you? Time to get more involved in some things, and less in others. Can you relate? Thinking through priorities and proportions. This is especially challenging because I am, at heart, an activist. Everyday I pray that my children will learn to hear God's voice... and learn to love that voice, to trust it,http://www.barbyward.com/2008/10/your-voice.htmlwordsculpt@gmail.com (BZ Ward)5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1440315720513561046.post-2512608886109067126Fri, 17 Oct 2008 02:02:00 +00002008-10-17T07:54:00.127-04:00attractionwordssuccessphilosophy Or is it a $ecret? This sign on a grassy street corner at a busy intersection in a non-descript part of town arrested my attention. It's incongruous! The "Secret" is all about success attracting success, isn't it? So why would a practitioner of this philosophy have to use a cheap cheesy sign to attract - wait, attract what? Buyers? Hmm. Could that be how the money rolls in? I'm just asking... http://www.barbyward.com/2008/10/its-secret-stupid.htmlwordsculpt@gmail.com (BZ Ward)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1440315720513561046.post-6951710055517134171Mon, 13 Oct 2008 14:07:00 +00002008-10-14T08:38:32.343-04:00womenpolitical correctnessbooksmale-female relationshipsleadershipSo, as you look at yesterday's blog... what emotions do you feel? In your opinion, was anything I said true? And what of the video? I know most people don't have time to watch the video all the way, but you can watch one or two minutes and get the point - it is an old school training video (about 40+ years old), supposedly enlightened for the time. The HR guy in the end comforts the foreman by http://www.barbyward.com/2008/10/you-what-are-your-non-pc-thoughts-on.htmlwordsculpt@gmail.com (BZ Ward)12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1440315720513561046.post-8544135586585005401Sun, 12 Oct 2008 16:18:00 +00002008-10-12T13:10:27.656-04:00womenheartemotionscharacterwomanfeelingsheadmale-female relationshipsleadershipWomen are so emotion driven, aren't they? Generally tossed around by circumstances, especially because they tend to feel for others? Aren't men less complicated? Come on, don't some of you secretly feel like the foreman in the video below? And gals, don't we once in a while think maybe it would be easier to work with men, to avoid the cattiness? HR Manager: "What's wrong with her?" Foreman: "http://www.barbyward.com/2008/10/trouble-with-women.htmlwordsculpt@gmail.com (BZ Ward)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1440315720513561046.post-1380452695993063332Thu, 09 Oct 2008 18:10:00 +00002008-10-12T13:12:01.346-04:00forgivenesspastbitternessFaithdiscouragementmoving onmale-female relationshipsfutureanger There comes a point in your life when you realize: Who matters, Who never did, Who won't anymore... And who always will. So, don't worry about people from your past, there's a reason why they didn't make it to your future. http://www.barbyward.com/2008/10/not-original-but-wise.htmlwordsculpt@gmail.com (BZ Ward)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1440315720513561046.post-1066039678498552140Tue, 07 Oct 2008 17:17:00 +00002008-10-12T13:13:54.907-04:00fruitperspectivesupportprocrastinationintuitionnudgepapayaleadershipresponsibilitySo Saturday morning I'm staring aimlessly (I find aimless staring to be therapeutic) at my backyard. Suddenly I focus on one of the two papaya trees. It has the most beautiful, plentiful fruit. It is leaning, looking like this tree on the left. I get this nudge, this feeling (okay, maybe it was glaringly obvious) - "mental note: prop it up, TODAY." "Yes," I reply to myself. "I'll do it now." http://www.barbyward.com/2008/10/so-saturday-morning-im-staring.htmlwordsculpt@gmail.com (BZ Ward)3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1440315720513561046.post-3945366898336348058Tue, 07 Oct 2008 01:41:00 +00002008-10-06T21:59:12.820-04:00fruitsupportpapayaactions Hmm. What should I learn from this? http://www.barbyward.com/2008/10/coulda-shoulda-woulda-in-my-backyard.htmlwordsculpt@gmail.com (BZ Ward)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1440315720513561046.post-2890483653571822038Wed, 01 Oct 2008 01:43:00 +00002008-10-12T13:16:52.481-04:00forgivenessperspectivefeelingslossmourningFaithsingle parentingbooksfearbitternessgracesoulchildrenfutureangerIt is now a season of finishing the several books I’ve been reading for the past couple of months. First to the finish line is A Grace Disguised: How the Soul Grows Through Loss. It is uplifting and heart-strengthening, though not a quick read. I have been almost done with it for weeks… Timely. All about loss. Not stock market loss. Not prestige or status loss. Catastrophic loss – loss of a http://www.barbyward.com/2008/09/facing-loss-and-growing.htmlwordsculpt@gmail.com (BZ Ward)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1440315720513561046.post-855869667361846019Sat, 13 Sep 2008 04:52:00 +00002008-10-12T13:18:03.173-04:00journalismneighborsCosta RicawordsdadbooksmudfuturewritingUnderstand, on the back roads we were all neighbors. Familiarity was the default setting. Those you passed along the road, whether you gave them a ride or not, always shouted a friendly, ‘dios! (dee-yos – a version of “adios,” meaning “hi!”). And that brings me to the “why” – why were we trekking around in our muddy Rover? To get their story. My dad is a photojournalist. To capture their voiceshttp://www.barbyward.com/2008/09/why-of-what-mud-p6.htmlwordsculpt@gmail.com (BZ Ward)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1440315720513561046.post-8344674780902090753Thu, 11 Sep 2008 04:13:00 +00002008-09-11T00:15:45.107-04:00thoughtscharactereyeshabitswordsactions Watch your thoughts; they become words.Watch your words; they become actions. Watch your actions; they become habits.Watch your habits; they become character.Watch your character; it becomes your destiny. (I receive this in an email from a friend today). http://www.barbyward.com/2008/09/watch.htmlwordsculpt@gmail.com (BZ Ward)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1440315720513561046.post-5423446539530846813Wed, 10 Sep 2008 11:55:00 +00002008-10-20T08:15:06.304-04:00neighborsstrangersCosta Ricamachetedadmudmake roomThose bumps, jolts and swerves were mood music. I trusted that my dad knew where he was taking us, and how he would get us there… I enjoyed the passing scenery, the people that waved to us… I wondered about the lives of whomever might live in the colorful homes, with the fading paint and beautiful veraneras (bougainvilleas) swaying at us over rusted barbed wired fences… And the not-knowingness http://www.barbyward.com/2008/09/make-room-mud-p5.htmlwordsculpt@gmail.com (BZ Ward)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1440315720513561046.post-6102055611564486181Tue, 09 Sep 2008 11:55:00 +00002008-09-09T08:02:45.277-04:00BenperspectivepovFaithhurricaneHappened this morning 7:25 Out the Door: The three of us huddled under a huge umbrella, bowed against the fierce wind and sheets of rain, shuffling to the car. Faith: “We’re a three chambered heart!” Minutes Later, Driving to School: Mom: “That was a feeder band from hurricane Ike.” Faith: “It was a minion, from Count Ike!” Ben: “Yeah, you know Mike and Ike? Ike was the unpaid intern! He got http://www.barbyward.com/2008/09/count-ike-childs-view.htmlwordsculpt@gmail.com (BZ Ward)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1440315720513561046.post-3998720730215490115Mon, 08 Sep 2008 19:41:00 +00002008-09-08T21:32:15.635-04:00fruitheartbitternessself-loathingdiscouragementfearpapayaanger I love love LOVE to grow things! So... my friend Michele gave me some papaya seedlings, and voila! That's one of our two papaya trees. Problem is, fruit wasps love to plant their eggs deep inside the flesh, when the fruit is still small. Maggots grow unseen in the belly of the fruit, and you don't discover them until you slice them open to eat the fruit... IF you inspect the fruit, you can see http://www.barbyward.com/2008/09/heart-maggots.htmlwordsculpt@gmail.com (BZ Ward)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1440315720513561046.post-7035856204624022403Sun, 07 Sep 2008 02:30:00 +00002008-10-20T08:15:46.436-04:00Costa RicaLand RoverdadheadweirdmudMy head suffered a few knocks as we navigated the back roads. When deep muddy ruts dry, they become major speed bumps. My dad often chose not to slow down much. It was a challenge to quickly and skillfully zig-zag across the dirt, looking for the track which offered least resistance. We kids were usually in the very back, in one of the two-seaters that faced each other. We would brace ourselves http://www.barbyward.com/2008/09/head-vs-ceiling.htmlwordsculpt@gmail.com (BZ Ward)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1440315720513561046.post-6233482584616017146Thu, 04 Sep 2008 22:59:00 +00002008-09-08T21:38:01.863-04:00persecutionIndiaviolenceorphanageschildrenThere is horrific violence being perpetrated against Christians in the state of Orissa, in India. This link may leave you gasping: http://indianchristians.in/news/content/view/2325/45/ Please forward this post to others who care and need to know by clicking on the envelope below!http://www.barbyward.com/2008/09/violence-against-christians-in-india_04.htmlwordsculpt@gmail.com (BZ Ward)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1440315720513561046.post-8380276683672012461Wed, 03 Sep 2008 12:11:00 +00002008-10-20T08:16:15.028-04:00teamworkCosta RicaLand RoverdadmudstuckHave you ever planted yourself ankle deep in mud, behind a jeep which is most seriously stuck, and been told to Push! whilst the driver revs the engine and wills the car loose? Talk about raining sludge! Even more stimulating was when we were in convoy, and more than one vehicle got stuck! The drivers would confer, like generals planning an assault. Those predicaments required teamwork. http://www.barbyward.com/2008/09/stuck-in-it.htmlwordsculpt@gmail.com (BZ Ward)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1440315720513561046.post-2160896812905787117Tue, 02 Sep 2008 17:57:00 +00002008-10-20T08:16:46.916-04:00feelingsCosta RicamudWhat are your feelings about mud?!http://www.barbyward.com/2008/09/and-you.htmlwordsculpt@gmail.com (BZ Ward)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1440315720513561046.post-9138072779951893462Tue, 02 Sep 2008 17:25:00 +00002008-09-10T07:56:27.994-04:00Costa RicaLand Roverdadmud I like mud. A lot. Don’t ask me why. Maybe because I grew up bouncing around in the back of an old-school Land Rover (the real kind)… way back when. My dad took us to every nook and cranny, every small outpost of Costa Rica, navigating foot-deep ruts made by other intrepid vehicles, or forging our own channels through the soggy, sticky stretches of muck. http://www.barbyward.com/2008/09/september-homage-to-mud-month.htmlwordsculpt@gmail.com (BZ Ward)0