Category Archives: humor

You’ve Got This

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My dear Humoristian hooligans –

Fill your hearts up with kindness and courage. Be alert. Be aware. Be vigilant. We are entering challenging times, but you have everything you need to face them. You have an armor of love, a shield of humor, and a community of fellow Humoristians who care as you do about the world. You are not alone out there. The world needs you – it needs your hearts and humor and kindness. Go out there and bring laughter to those living in a desert of gloom and doom. Bring hope to those desperate for a kind word. Find the beauty. Live in love. You’ve got this. Amen.

Karen

everything-you-need

Work in Progress

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There were a couple things that came across my Facebook page this morning that really inspired me, and helped me deal with our current situation in the US of A. The first one was a clip of an interview Jon Stewart had on CBS (“I don’t believe we’re a fundamentally different country today than we were two weeks ago… The same country that elected Donald Trump elected Barack Obama….  America is not natural – natural is tribal – we’re fighting against thousands of years of human behavior and history to create something… that’s what’s exceptional about America and that’s what’s… this ain’t easy. It’s an incredible thing.”); the second was a story about what Pres. Obama told his daughters after the election (“You don’t get into a fetal position about it. You don’t start worrying about apocalypse. You say, O.K., where are the places where I can push to keep it moving forward.”).

The United States of America is a work in progress, ain’t it? And I love that. We can only go forward. In Science and Health Mary Baker Eddy says: “In Christian Science there is never a retrograde step, never a return to positions outgrown.” I believe that’s true for my country, too.
work-in-progress

The Sleeping Giant Awakens

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Lulled by stupefying illusions, the world is asleep in the cradle of infancy, dreaming away the hours.
– Mary Baker Eddy

sleeping-giant-rises

 

 

“We are living in ridiculous times.”

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I have been reluctant to share this – because I don’t want it to come across as trivializing our current circumstances or anything – but… this morning I was sort of going through my despondent mantra of the week: “We are living in dangerous times. We are living in challenging times. We are living in precarious times…” and this came into my thought: WE ARE LIVING IN RIDICULOUS TIMES. And it just… it lifted something from me, you know? It gave me a moment where I could laugh in the face of the mean-ness and hate trying to intimidate us all – and I could say, “I ain’t ascared of you!” And I really needed that.ridiculous-times

 

Love the Hell out of the Cranky, Crabby, and Crusty

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My dear Humoristian hooligans –
The next week may test our mettle. But we shall continue in the Humoristian way. We shall (cue in the music here – something rousing – maybe the theme song from Chariots of Fire) continue in our mission to spread laughter across our planet 24-7; we shall love the hell out of the cranky, crabby, and crusty; we shall bring mirthful merriment to the morose and melancholy; and hope and courage to the fearful and discouraged. We will love as the sun shines – without discrimination or agenda. And we will find the joy and beauty in each and every day. Go out there and make ’em laugh! Amen.
Karen

What are YOU looking at?

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And on this note, I shall bid you all good night… :)clara-kitty-and-her-tail

My Olympic Moment

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Today I had my own Olympic moment AND I learned a key to winning: Don’t tell your competition that there IS a competition.

Scott and I rode our bikes into Edison for a snack and then back home. He led the entire way – until we came to the home stretch – the last 400 yards. Then I got it into my noggin that this was my Olympic moment – I started pedaling really fast and zoomed past Scott for the driveway. He just had time to say, “Hey!” before I surged ahead and got to the “finish line.” Yeah. It was pretty epic, as you can imagine. Thunderous applause and a standing ovation and flags waving and stuff. Well… you know… in my mind. But still… I am overcome with emotion here. Wiping the tears from my face and expecting the TV crew to appear on my doorstep at any moment. I probably should vacuum and dust. I have a paper plate that I think might make a nice medal.

Olympic flag

There were two stories that came out of the 2016 Olympics that really touched me: The first one was the story of the South African athlete, Wayde van Niekerk, who went to the Olympics to represent his nation, his mother (a gifted black athlete who hadn’t been allowed to compete outside South Africa  because of the apartheid in that country at that time), and his 74 year-old white coach, Anna Botha, who he said treated him as her own child; The second story that really touched me was the story of the two women (one from the U.S.A. and one from New Zealand) who stopped to encourage each other to keep going in the 5000 meter race after they both fell. Now, for me, those two stories are what the Olympics are all about, my friends – not proving you’re “better” than everyone else, not winning personal glory and accolades and praise – but working together, working for each other, competing for something or someone other than your own ego.

The Olympic athletes inspired me – not just the ones who won the medals – but every athlete who gave her or his best, who showed heart, who displayed kindness and courage.

SAMSUNG CAMERA PICTURES

Eagle in Flight (photo by Karen Molenaar Terrell)

…they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
– Isaiah 40: 31

(The image of the Olympic flag can be found at this URL:
http://www.pe04.com/olympic/trivia/flag_t.php)

Finally – A One Star Review!

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Yes, my friends, it’s true! After years of boring old four star and five star reviews I have finally earned my first one star review! It took me 11 years, but I have at last entered the dangerous, high-octane world of REAL authors – a world of controversy, intellectual debate, and take-no-prisoners searing critiques.

Of course, I always thought the one star review would be for one of my Madcap Christian Scientist books – I never would have guessed that Finding the Rainbows: Lessons from Dad and Mom would be the recipient. Frankly, I never guessed anyone except my family and friends, and maybe other people with aging parents, would even be interested in READING that book. (And, actually, I’m pretty sure the person who gave me the one-star review DIDN’T read the book – there’s no “verified purchase” with the review and I think this might be someone I kicked out of a Facebook group for telling my friends to eff off – but beggars can’t be choosers and I’ll take the one-star however I can get it.)

The reviewer was really detailed and blistering in her/his offering. I mean. Well… okay… maybe not so much detailed. Or blistering. Alright, alright… it consisted of two words: “Total snoozefest.” As an author this was really helpful to me. I’m wondering now if I should have maybe added more car chases and fiery explosions and scintillating romances and stuff. I’ll have to keep that in mind for my next book.

Anyway. I just had to share. An author doesn’t often get this opportunity to brag. 🙂

book covers 2016

 

Profound Thought

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Profound Thought

Smile Experiment

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“And Love is reflected in love…”
– Mary Baker Eddy

I’ve been wanting to share this experience, but I haven’t been sure how to go about it without looking like I am full of myself or something. So maybe I should start this post in this way: I am nothing special to look at –  I am a stubby middle-aged woman, generally seen in schleppy clothes and walking shoes when I’m out running errands. I might have been called “pretty” when I was younger – but these days I look more like Cinderella’s fairy godmother than Cinderella. And I’m cool with that.

So a few months ago, on my lunch break at work, I put on my old walking shoes and ambled down into town in quest of something to eat. I don’t remember now what I was thinking about as I was walking, but it must have been something happy because I, apparently, had a smile on my face. A young man, approaching from the other direction, said he’d seen the smile on my face from a block away. He said  he’d felt himself pulled to me so he could wish me a good day and let me know that my smile had put him in a good mood.

Isn’t that neat? 🙂

I thought of that experience again last week when I was grocery-shopping at the local supermarket. I was in a funk when I began my shopping. I no longer recall what had put me in this funk, but I remember feeling really tired and cranky. Coincidentally, everyone else I encountered seemed to be feeling less than jolly, too. As I rounded an aisle I saw a woman whose face looked particularly drawn and tired. My heart went out to her and I found myself summoning a smile for her. As soon as she saw my smile, she returned a dazzling one back to me. I could see the lines on her face literally lifting in front of my eyes. I felt the lines on my own face lifting, too.

I still had the smile on my face when a man turned his cart into my aisle and glanced my direction. And now HIS face turned up into a friendly grin. I decided to keep the smile on my face as I continued with my shopping – sort of conducting an informal experiment. And, sure enough, just as I had predicted would happen, every single person I encountered whilst wearing my smile, smiled back at me in a friendly, cheerful way. It was like magic.

I think people WANT to be nice to each other, you know. I think they’re looking for an opportunity to smile at other people and be kind to them – even stubby, middle-aged ladies.

But I should probably do a lot more smile experimentation to make sure my hypothesis is correct, right? 🙂

“Happiness is spiritual, born of Truth and Love. It is unselfish; therefore it cannot exist alone, but requires all mankind to share it.”
– Mary Baker Eddy

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Groucho Karen