Hodgepodging 9/5/12

It's been a long time since I participated in one of the random questions memes; after Linda retired from hosting the Random Dozen, I kinda fell out of the routine.

But a while ago I discovered that Joyce over at From This Side of the Pond has been hosting a weekly random questions meme; I've been reading along but haven't plunged in yet.

But, since I've been trying so hard just to keep a toe in the blogging water, so to speak, I decided I'd give it a go this week.  Assigned writing is good discipline...right?  Anyway, you can check out the link-up list here and see who is participating this week....


1. In your opinion what's the most important job in the world? Oh, and parenting is a given so besides parenting, what's the most important job in the world?
Teaching.  Whether you're paid to do it or not; regardless of the subject.  If there were no teaching, no sharing of one's knowledge and experience, we would be doomed to keep learning the same stuff by making the same mistakes over and over again. 

2. Share a favorite or not so favorite memory from a childhood birthday.
The earliest birthday I remember was my 3rd birthday; there was a family party at my Grandmother's.  I wore a little outfit with red shorts and a shirt with sylized fish on it (my birthday is in July).  My sister and I both got dolls; I got a Casper the Friendly Ghost jack-in-the box that scared the beegeebers out of me.  My grandmother made a 'doll cake'...a skirt-shaped cake with a doll stuck in the top.  For a long time I didn't think that was a real memory, until I ran across a photo of me, in a shirt w/stylized fish on it,  making a horrid face at the Casper jack in the box...

3. Peanut butter-crunchy or smooth?
Smooth.  There's something wrong with the concept of crunchy butter.

4. William Butler Yeats is credited as saying, "Happiness is neither virtue nor pleasure nor this thing nor that but simply growth, We are happy when we are growing." Your thoughts?
Hm.  I'm not terribly sure that I agree with the Esteemed Mister Yeats here;  if you think about the times of growth being times of trial and hardship, then I would not necessarily agree that I am happy when I am growing.  Growing hurts quite a bit at times.  Happiness is contentment with godliness; knowing that we can do all things through Him who gives us strength.  Happiness is the quiet after the storm, the realization of the joy  on the other side of the pain that the trial made possible.  Maybe we're happy after we've grown?

5. What's something that makes you cringe?
Currently,  I am cringing when I see/read emails, blog posts, facebook posts, etc that are passed along by folks who are on the same side of the political fence as I am but that do not reflect sound judgment or mercy or even a minimal pursuit of the facts.  There's enough documented stuff to argue the point; passing along rumors, half-truths and outright falsehoods not only adds decibels to the already overloud political harangue, but also robs everyone on 'our' side of the fence of credibility, so that the real arguments go unheard and unanswered. 

6. Name a song that always puts you in a good mood?
About any praise and worship...that has been key in turning around very bleak periods of my life...but, just for fun, and because I think this is what the question is really asking...'Good Vibrations' by the Beach Boys.  ;-)

7. The answer is yes. What's the question?
Would I like to have a week off to stay home and see if I can make order out of chaos?

8. Insert your own random thought here. 
Our annual Women's Conference is this weekend; I need the taking-apart-and-putting-back-together that usually happens at the Women's Conference.  Even though I expect it's going to be somewhat painful at the time...I never enjoy seeing the ugly and dealing with it... but it will bring joy after.  Right?