I am organizing a women’s retreat at Bethany Beach for the weekend of July 18-20. It will be held at the Christian Church Conference Center, where I am the manager.

And we're two blocks from the beach!

With a longing for the wonderful retreats I attended in St. Louis, called Sarah’s Circle, I’ve designed this retreat to be a time of physical relaxation, emotional rejuvenation, and spiritual renewal.

Very little will be planned. Aside from meals and a few optional activities, nothing will be scheduled. You aren’t required to do anything you don’t want to do.

But I have found that just being in the presence of caring women who desire the same thing—time for self-care—can be uplifting and affirming in and of itself. You are welcome and encouraged to bring games, music, musical instruments, worship items, etc. to share. This retreat will be what we make it.

Contact me for more info and registration form.

Rev. Arlene Franks, Manager, Christian Church Conference Center
Website: www.cccadisciples.org/bethanybeach
Email: confcenterbb@verizon.net
Phone: 302 539-7034; or toll free at 866-539-7034

The Handwriting is on the Wall

Here's an interesting article about the handwriting of the three major presidential candidates.

I don't think any one system/process/school of thought can reveal everything about a person. I think, instead, we can learn a lot about ourselves and each other in myriad ways.

Riding the Storm Out

I experienced a nor-easter last week that was unlike any storm I've ever been through. I'm accustomed to thunderstorms that go through the night, and I've experienced tornado weather, where we keep watch for an afternoon as the cluds blow and twist. But, where I come from, storms are supposed to hit then blow over.

But this storm started on a Sunday afternoon and didn't let up at all until Tuesday morning. It never stopped to take a breath! I stayed inside watching it wreak havoc. The only times I went outside were to take pictures from my front porch and to run next door to my office to get some things that I could work on in the house.

It wasn't anything compared to Myanmar, but fierce enough to do some damage to roofs, signs, trees, and even boats. Here is a photo of a wrecked ship that came to shore at Bethany Beach.

According to the local paper: "The Coast Guard rescued two people by helicopter Monday [May 12] when the research boat they were on broke apart and took on water about 14 miles off the coast of Rehoboth Beach, Del. One crewman was pronounced dead Monday after reaching the hospital. The abandoned vessel later beached itself on the shore in Bethany Beach, off Parkwood Street."

Now, why they were out there during such a big storm, I have no idea! They were doing research for a wind farm one of the towns here wants to develop off the shore somewhere. I'm obviously fuzzy on the details of that.

When I went to the beach that Tuesday to take pictures of the waves. I could see the boat from way down shore. I took a shot with a telephoto lense from maybe a block or two away, then I cropped it to get in even closer. So it might be a little grainy. They had the boardwalk roped off so you couldn't get closer. They also had the beach roped off.

Here's what the waves looked like that day:

You might not be able to tell from these pictures, but the waves were so big and ferocious there was almost no beach left. One girl was in the water on a boogie board. More than one local took a look at her out there and grumbled about how stupid that was. There were a lot of people in town and on the boardwalk. A lot of gawkers--like me--looking at the boat.

Well, so much for my first nor'easter...I'm sure there will be more to come. Never a dull moment here at the beach.

Take care,

Arlene

Magnetic Poetry

I was organizing my computer files when I came across this piece of 'magnetic poetry' that I wrote several years ago. I found a childhood photo to offer a visual reference of what I may have looked like as that child in the poem....

Shall I remember me
as a tiny loving girl
who played in wet river soil
and danced dripping from the music
under our cozy full-moon night
plump with rhythm after a rain storm?

Tag, you're it!

A Delaware blogger named Mike 'tagged' me for a 'blog-memes,' which I had never heard of.

The challenge is to write a four-word memoir. Actually, it started out as a six-word memoir and he got his down to five, so he asked those of us he tagged, "Who can do it in four?"

Well, I can do it in three!

"I'm a believer."

So there.

Thanks for the tag, Mike. And for introducing me to other Delawarian bloggers.

I'm supposed to link back to the person who tagged me, and then tag five others. I'm tagging my Midwestern blogger friends for the original challenge of a memoir of six words or less.

Pastor Beetle
Abject Conjecture
Riding the Bi-Polar Express
Salt for the Spirit
Mah Two Cents

Have fun! And don't forget to tag me back...

Blessings,
Arlene

The Feminist in Her Youth

People have often asked me how long I've been a feminist. I probably slid out of the womb that way. I've always fought for justice as I understood it. But I can remember identifying with the women's movement at a young age.

In fifth grade, I had an arguement with one of my teachers about the significance of the Bobby Riggs vs. Billie Jean King tennis match. He said Bobby was old and past his prime, that it didn't mean anything. I said that wasn't the point. Riggs had said any man could beat any woman at any time under any circumstances. Billie Jean had proven him wrong.

Of course, I found out later that Riggs was a showman and most of his bravado was for the cameras. Riggs and King were actually friends. Ironically, I met one of Bobby Riggs' sons when I went to seminary at Eden in St. Louis. He's a professor there.

But I digress. The photo above is evidence that I was pushing the cause for women's equality early on in my life. It was the mid-70s, and we'd had a typical Indiana snow fall. My sister Carolyn and I decided to build a snow woman complete with breasts and a curly hairdo, instead of the usual snowman.

That's me on the left with my 'woman-power' fist in the air. I'm guessing I'm about 12 there. It was a mighty blow for womankind everywhaere! Well, at least snowwomen everywhere.

Blessings,
Arlene

Cinquain

I've tried my hand (and mind) at another 'formula poem.' Just a break from the Haiku. It's called a 'cinquain,' and it gives a little more wiggle room than the Haiku. Here's the stucture of the modern 5-line cinquain:

line 1 - one word (noun) name of the subject
line 2 - two words (adjectives) describing the subject
line 3 - three words (verbs) describing an action related to the subject
line 4 - four words describing a feeling about the subject or a complete sentence
line 5 - one word referring back to the subject of the poem

Here are my first attempts:

Music
Energizing, uplifting.
Dance, float, fly.
Frees my mind of the daily.
Melody.

Sand
Squishy and soft.
Dig your feet in.
Ten minute adventure.
The beach.

Water.
White-capped, blue.
Swim, splash, spray.
In awe of it’s vastness.
The ocean.

Reality TV
Pervasive, invasive.
Crawl, bawl, brawl.
Energy spent wastefully.
TV cruelty.

Politics.

Strategic and cunning.

Speak beautifully, debate brutally, deny mightily.

Tired shoulders, weary head.

Public service?

Icons of culture
Bedazzling but broken
Inspiring, motivating, yet faltering
Even they succumb to human frailty.
Our Heroes

Election campaigning
Contentious, dubious
Shouting, strutting, pointing
Can you tell I hate it?
Bi-partisan

Blessings,
Arlene