THE WAY: A Movie Review

By Jane West

It’s not often a movie comes around that you’d recommend to friends. The Way (based on a pilgrimage called The Way of Saint James) is such a wholesome experience, and I want to tell you about it.

The Way is the story of a father’s love for his son, which heals his heart and changes his life. Martin Sheen portrays the father with sensitivity and pathos. On the pilgrimage Way, which he would never have taken on his own initiative, he begins to clearly see the beauty of our world, which puts other things in perspective. Walking this long, difficult pilgrimage over the Pyrenees Mountains, gradually his busy, scheduled life fades, relegated to a lesser place in the importance of life. He meets other pilgrims on the Way, and finishes his route with three of them who trek with him. Totally different from him, they become companions, making an unusual foursome.

The photography is wonderful, with wide, sweeping views of valleys and villages and people who live in Eastern Spain past the western slopes of the mountains.

The powerful, yet simply story draws you in right away, and one scene has a pro-life message, but not blatantly. Because The Way is the story of a man’s pilgrimage to commemorate his adult son’s life, the movie is not one that young children would find interesting.

A wholesome movie. What a refreshing surprise; what a nice gift for the moviegoer. The Way is not highly advertised, and most people have gone because of word of mouth from a friend, as I did.

Click below to see the trailer,

http://theway-themovie.com/

I would like to introduce Jane West, the newest member of our Writers Rest family. Welcome Jane. It’s great to have you.

Jane West is an author and teacher mentor. She has written books, short stories for adults and children, how-to’s, newspaper articles, a manual for her position as Administrative Assistant in Marion County psychologist’s office, and a play which was performed in church. Her poem Tumbleweeds won first prize in the Southern Oregon. Poet’s contest. She  teaches a writing class in Oregon, where she lives, near her children and grandchildren.

Writer Retreats

I am so excited to be planning on the Montana Romance Writer's retreat in a week and a half. These ladies are becoming very close friends who don't even mind when I go off track and write non-fiction on them.

We are cloistering in a mountain cabin with no electricity, phones or any way to be interrupted.

How cool is that?

I can't wait. I did go buy a new back up battery for my laptop. Lol, I have to use Lila, my handy-dandy laptop. Lila was named by my son a few years ago for the lilac brocade bag I carry her around in. And yes, Lila has to be a she :-D I don't think any fellow would like wearing lilac brocade everywhere ;-)

I am looking forward to the intense writing time, the friendships, the brainstorming and getting away from all the normal daily activities.

It's a retreat, yes, but I think it is also a soul rest. So different and so necessary for me. Refreshing and invigorating for my work. My biggest goal for that weekend is to finish my book, Insanity Rules. Okay, that IS my goal, lol. But I'm also looking forward to a few nights of solid sleep. I haven't had many of those in the last several weeks of business travel.

I see myself celebrating finishing the non-fiction book of my heart. I see the goal. And I'm thrilled that I'll be able to share it with other women who can completely understand the heart that has gone into it.

Thanks for letting me share today. Please visit over at God Uses Broken Vessels for my daily blog :-)

Creativity with Coffee

Alrighty then, my latte maker broke last month! This is an emergency of epic proportions...or so I thought.

I love to have a peppermint patty latte once a day. It started a year and a half ago. sigh. I just love them. I feel happy and relaxed. It's part of my routine. I sit down and drink my latte or drive around errands or perk my little heart up with a smile.

sigh...no latte maker. It gets pricey to buy them out, you know.

Today I remembered my Swedish grandmother making coffee on the stove. How hard could it be? Combine that with my assistant's observation that you could make hot, frothy milk with a whisk on the stove.

Duh.

So I pulled out a cookbook that must be 60 years old or more and looked up how to make old-fashioned coffee :-D I inherited that cookbook. Some things are mighty precious and yet have no monetary value.

It didn't look to hard. The recipes were varied and had a demitasse version. Why not? Um, I don't have an old-fashioned stove-top coffee maker. I also don't have cheesecloth to strain out the grounds. But daunted- me? No way.

I love George Bernard Shaw's quote, "You see things and you say "Why?" But I dream things that never were and say,
"Why not?"

LOL, it applies to lattes too. Want to know how?

Peppermint Patty Latte (the old-fashioned way with a minor twist):

3 Tablespoons ground coffee
1/2 Cup water
1 Cup skim milk
1 Tablespoon chocolate syrup (I use Hershey's sugar-free)
1 ounce peppermint syrup (I use Torani's sugar-free)

Put grounds and water in a small heavy sauce pan, stir, cover and heat to boil.
As soon as it does, lift the lid and stir.
Add a couple of drops of cold water to settle the grounds.
Recover and lower the flame to very, very low. (You don't want it to boil away the aroma and flavor in the steam.)
Cook for 5 minutes.
Turn off the heat.

Now comes the fun part.

Take a paper towel and make a well in the center of it while covering a large mug. Pour the coffee into the paper towel slowly. Set pan down for use in a moment. I keep hold of the paper towel in my other hand so it won't fall into the cup and lose the grounds. (I felt like a kid experimenting in the kitchen.)

Lift the paper towel with the grounds inside and let the coffee drain through.

Set grounds aside to toss or use in your garden. Take another paper towel and wipe out the remaining grounds (really, most of them stayed in the pan if you poured slowly) into the garbage or mulch.

Rinse pan and set on stove.

Now pour one cup of skim milk into the pan.
Turn on flame.
Whisk while bringing to just a simmer. You'll love the cappuccino style foam you'll get with a whisk.
Once heated through and foamy, pour into coffee.

Add 1 tablespoon of dark chocolate syrup and 1 ounce of the peppermint syrup.

Whisk.

Drink up:-)

Such a fun, silly way to make a peppermint patty latte! But it worked really well. It'll get me by until the Mukka maker arrives.
I bought a European stove top latte maker online last week. I can't wait to try it too.

If you are on Weight Watchers, this is a 2 point beverage.

And now I'm ever so relaxed while I write this post :-D

George, I'm so glad you dream "Why not?"

Happy Sunday and tell me how you have been creative lately?

Angie
PS Visit me over at God uses broken vessels too

Defining a Writer

Mission Possible Monday
by Carla Gade


How do you define a writer?
The American Heritage Dictionary puts it simply:

writ·er
n. One who writes,
especially as an occupation.

And to be occupied? The above terms clearly states as a vocation, otherwise it is how one chooses to occupy their time, thoughts, and attention. And for a writer, pen in hand.

Like many of you, from a very young age I have been compelled to write. Stories, poems, newsletters, reports, articles, lessons. You name it, I write it! Being a writer is quite naturally who I am. It is not all of who I am, yet all of who I am seems to yearn to be expressed through creativity. Especially writing.

When my Mom moved to her retirement home she handed me a folder. You know the one. The folder mother's everywhere create as a portfolio of such containing samples of school papers, reports, art work, letters, what have you. When I looked through it something funny happened. It occurred to me that I was a writer. I knew I liked to write. Yet now the evidence was there before me. I had a history of writing. I still wrote. And surely I would continue to write. I was a writer.

It still took me some time to consider myself a vocational writer; even though I had already passed that threshold. Something significant eventually took hold. A metamorphosis occurred when I chose to come out of my little cocoon and fly. It was then that I truly became a writer, because I at last believed I was one. Now with a vocational portfolio of my writing material, there is no more denying it. A writer I am.

The other day, I traversed down a beautiful river with a group of 30 on a float trip. There I was, in my inflatable boat, imagination soaring. I couldn't help myself. And oh how tempted I had been to bring along a pen, although I thought better of it to avoid a potential risk of a puncture in my otherwise seaworthy vessel. As I floated along I began plotting. Oh, the inspiration! I also pictured scenes from the book I'm currently reading which mentions that very river. Someone had written about it. I shall too, I thought. It cannot be helped. You know why. Because you, too, are a writer.

Blessings,
Carla


To Consider:

"How do you define a writer?"

When did you first know that you were a writer? How did that realization impact your life?

What experiences have you had that have encouraged you as a writer?

"I lived to write, and wrote to live."
Samuel Rogers (1733-1855)

Set the World on Fire

by Carla Gade

The Britt Nicole lyrics to "Set the World on Fire" always remind me that I have a special purpose to my life. My purpose is to glorify the Lord in whatever I do. It also reminds me that he has given me special talents and abilities with which I can honor him.

My utmost desire is that I would be faithful and honor him with the dreams and goals that I have. That he would take those dreams and indeed "give them wings".

The Lord has used Britt's lyrics to encourage many. Could it be that he might use me and the words he lays on my heart to be a light to others? Lord, may it be! Give him your dreams today.

Blessings,
Carla

To Consider:

"Set The World On Fire"

I wanna set the world on fire
Until it's burning bright for You
It's everything that I desire
Can I be the one You use?

I, I am small but
You, You are big enough
I, I am weak but
You, You are strong enough to
Take my dreams
Come and give them wings
Lord with You
Nothing I can not do
Nothing I cannot do

". . . whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God."
1 Corinthians 10:31b

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."
Philippians 4:13

Re-con Mission

I'm composting right now. Percolating. Tilling. Whatever you want to call it. Sorting through pages (and pages and pages) of notes from four years of keeping this project in the back of my mind. Now it's finally time to write the thing, and I'm overwhelmed by all the threads I'm trying to pull together. Not to mention notebooks.

Do you have any idea how many different notebooks I have to jot down ideas in? A little one for my handbag, one for my backpack, one (or six) by the bed, one under the couch, and a journal in the car. Keep in mind most of these are half-empty, randomly jotted with . . .whatever. The notebook are populated with mental riffraff, all trying to bring down the "Establishment"through sheer disorganization. If these notebooks are any indication of what's going on inside my brain, we're all in trouble. I have to go back through them and drag in for questioning all the rebels that may have info on my current WIP. So far they have tried to confuse me with conflicting plot points, character motivations and bits of scene that have no home. (I'd love to hear your composting stories. What do you all do in the pre-writing stage?)

I'm having fun, though. I'm turning into quite the interrogator.

The surprising thing was, interspersed throughout my recalcitrant ramblings, I found these little gems gathered from people I really need to be listening to. So here it is, the point of my post:

It is not what a man does that determines whether his work is sacred or secular, but why he does it. -A.W. Tozer

What makes one story more "finished"--more "real" and "alive"-- than another is not a matter of adjectives per sentence, it is the accuracy and relevance of whatever description you do use. -Monica Wood (Description)

The stories that astonish us, the characters that live forever in our memories--those are the result of rich imagination, perceptive observation, rigorous interrogation, and careful decision-making. When it comes to storytelling, invention is the mother of astonishment, delight and truth. -Orson Scott Card (Characters & Viewpoint)

When we see a natural style, we are quite amazed and delighted, because we expected to see an author and find a man. -Blaise Pascal

...What (we remember) would turn out itself to be a remembering. The books or the music in which we though the beauty was located will betray us if we trust to them; it was not in them, it only came through them, and what came through them was longing. These things--the beauty, the memory of our own past--are good images of what we really desire; but if they are mistaken for the thing itself, they turn into dumb idols, breaking the hearts of their worshipers. For they are not the thing itself; they are only the scent of a flower we have not found, the echo of a tune we have not heard, news from a country we have never yet visited. -C.S. Lewis (The Weight of Glory)

Feel free to share more wisdom in the comments section. I have plenty of room in my notebooks. :)