God's Amazing Friendship Glue!

Some of my dearest friends are women I never would have guessed I could have a heart connection with. But God has a wonderful way of bringing friends into my life, and He has done it again recently.

I am from Oregon. Natasha is from Ukraine. I am not yet a mother. She has two beautiful daughters (I was privileged to be with her this past Sunday when she gave birth to her youngest). Our backgrounds and upbringings are totally dissimilar. But God, in His wisdom and plan, applied His friendship glue to our hearts, and she has come to be a very dear friend -- more like a sister.

Natasha commented recently that she never thought she could have such a close friendship with an American, because of the cultural differences (she's only been in the States for three years). I replied that we may have different cultures, but we have the same Spirit. Come to think of it, I guess He is the glue that connects our hearts!

Here's a picture of Natasha and me:















I am so thankful for ALL of my dear friends around the country (and even overseas) that God has chosen, in His infinite wisdom, to "stick my heart to." They are treasures, and I am a rich woman, indeed!

Nephew Number Three!

Congratulations to Andrew's brother, Serge, and his wife Olga, on the arrival of their son James Ryan, born September 18!

Welcome to the world, baby James!



















Here he is with his Aunt Sarah and Uncle Andrew:

Onomatopoeia

Main Entry: on·o·mato·poe·ia
Pronunciation: "ä-nuh-"mä-tuh-'pE-uh"
Function: noun
Etymology: Late Latin, from Greek onomatopoiia

1 : the naming of a thing or action by a vocal imitation of the sound associated with it (as buzz, hiss)

2 : the use of words whose sound suggests the sense
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I love onomatopoeic words -- they add zest to a language! When writing, especially writing for children, you want to use lots of these types of words. I've listed some of my favorites below...leave me a comment with some of yours!

These are words that beg to be said aloud, with feeling -- go ahead, give it a try (you might want to wait until you're alone, otherwise you might get some funny looks)!

CRUNCH

SWOOSH

ZIP

TINGLE

SMASH

BONK

SNAP, CRACKLE, POP :-)

BUZZ

BEEP

HUSH

Thanks for indulging the ramblings of a language lover!

Optical Illusion

Stare at the yellow circle.

Cool, huh? :-)