Wednesday, August 6, 2014

Hodge Podge... It Is Key

I'm joining Hodge Podge Wednesday for the first time today.  Looks like fun.  We shall see! 


 1. What would you say is the key to success?

I'd say that it is different for everyone.  For me?  I'll let you know when I figure that out.

 2. Have you ever been to the Florida Keys? Any desire to visit that part of the US of A?

Yes, I have been to the Keys.  I used to live in Miami, Florida, and the keys are just a hop, skip and a jump from there.

 3. When and where did you last see a real live donkey? Monkey? Turkey?

Donkey?  I don't remember.
Monkey?  The last time I was at the zoo, about 8 months or so ago.
Turkey?  A wild flock in a field, just a few days ago.

Have YOU ever seen a Zonkey?  They are real!  This friendly girl lives in the Searcy, Arkansas area.



 4. An old Portuguese proverb says, 'Beware of the door with too many keys.' What do you think this means? Share an example of how this has proven true or false in your own life.

The more people who have access, the less safe the treasure.  Suffice it to say, it has proven true. 

5. Besides your home, vehicle, and special jewelry, what is something you keep under lock and key?

Our storage/tool shed.

6. When did you last get keyed up about something?

Monday (2 days ago).  I got really excited about a project I am working on and my mind just would not let me relax.

7. Who thinks we need an easy one right about now?  Key lime pie...yes please or no thank you?

Oh, yes!  Love the real stuff!

8. Insert your own random thought here.

My husband and I are watching the television series Lark Rise to Candleford (based on a book by the same name) for the second time.  The character Minnie shows up in the second season as the new maid in the post office, replacing the maid who had served there for decades. 

Minnie is quite young, very inexperienced, and woefully absent-minded.  She does not know how to cook or properly clean, and she day-dreams at the most inopportune times.  She's a bumbling mess with whom everyone in the post office gets very, very frustrated.  At the end of the first episode in which we meet Minnie, she ruins the wedding dress that the postmistress (Dorcas Lane) has kept as a treasured heirloom, hoping beyond hope that she will one day wear it herself. 

Miss Lane calls Minnie to her, furious and crying, to tell her that she is not at all equipped to do the job for which she is hired and that she might just be hopeless.  Minnie would be headed to the workhouse or worse if Miss Lane turned her out. 

But then Miss Lane says to her that she will teach her, and she will never be thrown out to be lost.  The post office would be Minnie's home for as long as she wants it.   Minnie runs from the room, in tears, but with the biggest smile that her face will allow.  She knows she is "worthless" but she now also knows that she is loved.

This whole scene reminds me of the scripture that tells us that God chastens those whom He loves.  Miss Lane freely gave Minnie a home knowing that she, Minnie, had nothing to offer, much as God freely gives us salvation.  How often have I been broken by my own worthlessness, been chastened by God, but having a lightness that only comes from knowing that I am loved deeply enough by the Creator of the universe that He will not leave me in such a state.

It is the BEST feeling in this life!



10 comments:

  1. That was wonderful! So THAT's what that saying means about the door with too many keys. Gheesh...I might have known!

    Larkrise to Candleford helped me through a very dark winter with enough to keep me interested and enough to give me food for thought. I watched again recently and didn't feel the same intensity of emotion, but smiled often. (John thinks it is hokey. It probably is, but I like it.)

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    1. Thank you, Vee! That's what the saying means to me. But my Portuguese is a little rusty ;-)

      I'm so glad someone out there knows the Lark Rise series! Sometimes it gets a little hokey, so John is partially correct. Period dramas... it is my one weakness :-D

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  2. I think you're right about the key/door thing. Someone else said something similar. I tried to watch Lark Rise... but just couldn't get into it. I may give it another go. Have a great rest of the week!

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    1. Have you tried watching the Cranford series? It is fabulous! Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment :-)

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  3. I love Hodge Podge posts!!

    First of all, as I was reading through and I got to the part about "When was the last time you saw...?", I was thinking Joanne may not have seen a donkey, but she's seen a ZONKEY!, and there she is...the zonkey! Glad you included her because that is a unique "key"! I'll bet no one else in this link party has a zonkey! :D

    And on a more serious note...I love your application of the story from Lark Rise to Candleford. We all loved that series when we watched it a couple of years ago. I had forgotten about that particular story, but I remember as you tell it...and what an apt comparison. I think that "broken by my own worthlessness" is a good thing! Good stuff, Joanne!

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    1. That's so funny that you thought of the zonkey, too. I had trouble finding my picture of her but the search was worth it.

      Stewart and I both like Lark Rise but I don't like it as well as Cranford. He has never watched Cranford with me for some reason. Must remedy that! Thank you for your comment, Cheryl. God's stuff is good stuff!

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  4. Very, very (seldom does anyone get two verys from me) good. This is true of number 8 especially.

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    1. I am both honored and humbled to receive a double very from you, Aunt Betty.

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  5. I enjoy Lark Rise to Candleford...you made a lovely analogy. Glad you joined the HP last week. The zonkey is cute : )

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    1. Thank you for visiting, Joyce. I plan to join in again!

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