Skip to main content

Living in italics


Hey, look at me!  Pay attention, see me! 
That’s really what the little word, “italics” is saying.  We use it for emphasis, to highlight an idea, thought or title – like a book’s name.

What would our lives look like if we lived them in an italicized form?  What type of show-stopping headliners would our souls present on the marquee of life’s theater?

For some the story would be a very sad tragedy that brings others to tears, but requires no action – just sobs.  Other sagas would resemble Barnum and Bailey’s Circus or an episode of the Three Stooges.  People would be belly laughing, but that is the extent of the impact.
 i.tal.ics
Contemplate the narrative of ordinary times; living, laughing, caring, being touched by the good, the not so good and the just plain ugly.  This book of being has it all – adventure, romance and tragedy.  What is the difference with this biography?  It includes action and response. 

Advent is a time to watch with great anticipation – emphasis, highlight.  The Christmas Story wasn’t the good, pretty picture we portray.  It was much more like the not so good and maybe even the just plain ugly.  It was ordinary life being lived out – a journey to pay taxes, no reservations at the local B&B (who would have thought it would have been so crowded?) and then on top of everything, a baby being born. 

What an italicized story!  The scenario was real life.  Real life is not always convenient and tidy.  It’s usually somewhat unruly, full of surprising twists and turns and just plain messy.  A wild start was only the beginning for Jesus.  He continued to live in italics.  His book of being has it all, longing for action and response – a life full of emphasis and meaning – italicized!

Living an italicized, ordinary life ~ Missy

If you have been mildly amused, challenged or inspired by what you have read, please pass on my blog to a friend, colleague, family member or even random acquaintance.



Comments

  1. Wow..I am impressed..what an excellent writing..Love Mom

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks. It's such a small word, with great impact!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

urban girl in the country

green in concrete For the last lot-of-years I’ve lived in urban areas.  I’ve become a city girl with hints of a flower child mixed with hipster nuances…translated I like to wear skinny jeans.  This is the total opposite of how I grew up, which was on a farm.  My paternal grandparents grew, raised, caught and hunted for everything they ate – radical organic, free-range stuff.  On my Mom’s side of the fam tree, there were green grocers and orchard growers.  Heck, I was in 4-H raising feeder calves and a small flock of wooly sheep.  Gardens, canning, freezing and preserving everything was the ordinary. I carried on the gardening-preserving, saving the spoils piece, until I found myself in fresh veggie-at-a-farmer’s-market heaven!  The foreign city I found myself in had a temperate climate where fruit and vegetables could be grown year ‘round, and … it was sold at a giant open air market every week.  Yippee!  I no longer needed to ...

In full abandon, straining on tiptoes

A scrap of paper tucked in my journal is full of scribbled notes and words, people’s names – really it would appear to be miscellany.  One phrase is “in full abandon.”  The expression had a reference, but now reading it almost daily, it takes on new significance and worth. a.ban.don:  to leave and never return (Merriam-Webster) The word “abandon” conjures negative thinking; abandoned lot, abandoned project, abandoned people. Places and things are left for trash or individuals that have been discarded and tossed aside.  This definition certainly leaves one feeling rather desolate and, well … abandoned. On the sunny side of the street, abandon is also yielding without restraint, to give up control.  It’s bursting with exuberance. Picture being in full abandon:  there’s a child running down a hillside, arms flailing and legs barely able to keep them upright.  He is on the verge of tumbling head over heels, but somehow if that happen...

road tripping: french glen and steens mountain

we took a stinkin' lot of dirt roads, but i wouldn't have it any other way The drive wasn’t long by west coast standards, a mere few of hours; which meant there was plenty of leisure (interpreted coffee time) before leaving on another road trip escapade.  I can’t begin to tell you how much fun it is to pack a bag, gas up the car and set out to see what can be seen. An interesting thing I’ve discovered on these exploits, is that having lived in Oregon for the majority of my life, I’ve missed “seeing” a lot of things. You know, I think we all get into the habit of going to the same places, which is a good thing, but we forget about the “other” places that are right in our own backyards. Case in point, yesterday afternoon, when my darling man and I went to Tumalo Falls. I’ve been to Skyliner Snow Park, but never gone the few more dirt road miles to see the falls. Holy cow! Is that lame, or what? a sweet little place, no frills, but plenty of yesteryear ...