Hey everyone.  I wrote a new poem for a challenge on this Christian poets website I belong to:  http://versical.ning.com.  It’s pretty fun.  Just a little community of Christian poets.  I’m trying to shake things up on there by instigating topics for poetic challenges.  This month, the theme is “Autumn/Fall”, and the participants could use any style/format, the only rule is that it has to be a new work.  Here’s my offer, it’s an acrostic:

Start of Autumn
September 22nd, 2008

Sometimes change comes suddenly and sometimes it

Takes its time to come through.

As leaves turn from their green hew to

Reds, yellows, and browns,

Trees resound the coming change of the year.

Oft filled with as many sweet aromas as Spring,

Fall has a subtle beauty to it.

And we praise the Maker and Artist, Who

Understands our need of change, even

Though we may not wish it at times.

Unworthy are we of the gift He gives us,

Mystery, nature, and a season of respite.

Now we welcome Him with open arms.

 – Sarah Cricket ><> –

After months of putting off the seemingly painful process, I mailed out my request for an absentee ballot.  I’m excited to see how the whole “absentee” thing works, since it’s my first time ever doing it.  I felt so patriotic walking to the post office holding my paper, telling them I needed a registered envelope for my very important document, so that I could vote for either McCain-san or Obama-san.  The whole thing was kind of surreal.  The process was not nearly as painful as I thought, and I almost missed the recommended time-line for submitting it.  I’m safe by about a week, so things should go well.

Sorry for not posting anything a little more exciting…it’s been a dull week and alas, I have weekly email updates, a handwritten journal, this blog, a blog on Revelife, AND Facebook.  Things might get lost in the shuffle.  I apologize, I will try to do better.  Consider myself chastised.

Hey, I wanted to ask for prayers for two ladies.  One is a student of mine, named Chiyoko.  She missed class this morning because she had to go to the hospital with her mother who was having some heart problems.  I don’t know what happened, so be in prayer for the whole thing, and I should be able to update everyone soon enough.

Also, a sister at our church, Reiko-san, was bitten by one of her dogs.  It bit hard enough that while it missed any major arteries and veins, the muscle was hanging off the leg.  They can’t fully close the wound either, because of the bacteria from the dog’s mouth, so they have it loosely stitched until the antibiotics take effect and then they’ll close.  Just writing this makes me queazy and unable to stand.  I’m such a wimp.  Also, they’re not putting the dog to sleep…one they don’t think it will bite again (which is highly doubtful) but also, it was given to Reiko-san’s family by another woman in our church who suffers from depression.  She just recently had a breakthrough and rather than risk her relapsing, no one’s mentioning that it was that dog that bit her or putting it to sleep.  Strange situation, just pray for the whole thing.

Also, I’m double-blogging.  Oh, be quiet…it’s not like just about everyone has had two blogs.  It’s on Revelife. 

http://revelife.com/xapatotheworld

This current blog is mostly for my own daily accounts and a few “very few” spiritual epiphanes.  The other one at Revelife is almost exclusively my spiritual epiphanes.  I will often recommend the entries to all of you who read on here, but feel free to subscribe to that one as well if you want.  I hope it doesn’t get too duplicitous. 

Later! – Sarah ><>