“The RoseBouquet”

(a character in Ruthe’s Secret Roses)
You’ve met her granddaughters, Cathy and Muriel O’Brien in a previous Closeup, and I don’t want to spoil the surprises in the novel if you have not read the story yet, but I think I can dare to tell you a bit about her past, what brings her to who she is when Ruthe meets her. These details were not all part of the plot, so some got trimmed out.

Kate O’Brien grew up in England in her childhood, and later moved to Ireland, which was her parents’ birth place. They were entrepreneurs who tried to make a sale of whatever they could, just to keep body and soul together. In other words, sometimes they raided garbage dumps, looked for things they could fix or paint up and sell as antiques.

Kate was assigned the job of gilding old clocks and other knick knacks, or damaged art projects, because she had such a steady hand with a fine brush.

She also had a steady flowing tongue and had a lively wit. That was what helped her win the heart of a handsome landowner, and got her into a fine castle. She disowned her family, believing they would be an impediment to her rise in society.

It turned out that her husband’s family fell on great financial difficulty, and so she urged her husband Ian O’Brien the I, to sell the household goods for tickets to Canada. He was not used to hard labour, so at the beginning she had to support them with her old refurbishing skills.

Fortunately, Kate seldom forgot anything once she learned it, and while they had been in the castle back in Ireland, she’d learned quite a bit more about true antiques and their values. Ian was embarrassed, but she was able to restore their fortune, and get him a fine job as a banker. Of course, he learned to ask her advice on business agreements at home.

They had one son, Ian, who became a lawyer about the time his father died.

When he married Pearl without consulting his very controlling mother, it threw Kate and Pearl into bitter cross-purposes. They quarrelled over just about anything and everything. Ian usually gave up being the peacemaker and withdrew into the quiet ivory tower of his mind.

He felt he had done his duty to his mother when he had their home built next to hers, and that he was there whenever his mother screamed of a crisis.

Kate on the other hand, wished with all her might to provoke him to action She was ashamed to have a son so unlike herself, and was confounded that her attacks on Pearl could not rouse him. Kate feared that if he and Pearl ever came to ruin as she and her husband had in Ireland, he would not be as resourceful as she had been.

Ian and Pearl’s four children, as they grew older, gave her a wide berth too, and so Kate, completely out of ideas, took to her bed and decided to be an ugly old witch.

But she choose a bedroom on the second floor of her huge, greystone house, that had a window overlooking her son’s property. That way she could spy on their comings and goings.

To see what happened when Kate met Ruthe, you need to read the novel! Read more about it first here Or, jump straight to the order page.

Or, Read sample chapters of my first novel online, starting at the index

Order the e-book to download and read on your computer; Order page
You can order the softcover paperback from Booklocker.com

I want to write more articles to promote my sites and products, but how do I make this an integral part of my life? Good intentions won’t get the work done. Come follow me as I make a plan and discipline myself to follow it until it comes as naturally as my bathroom routine.

First, I’ll make a list of the topics on which I would like to write articles. I’ll use the themes of the websites I work on as triggers. (I’m using abbreviations for the site’s names);
AVHH - articles on unique herbs and how to use them
BE - small business ideas, how to build a web business
RSR - inspirational on friendships, intimacy with God, makeovers, witnessing, and writing tips
AGI - genealogy and family stories, profiles of ancestors
GA - how to give wisely, profiles of worthy missions
manna - publication challenges in third world locations
RTM - Ugandan needs
PMC - challenges to do business in Tanzania
WTM - tract evangelism,
MMLC - log furniture ideas

Whoa, that list is getting so long I might scare myself away! That will do for now.

You will want to take note to not overwhelm yourself at first. Start with a short list. But while you are waiting for inspiration to come, keep making more lists. Where shall we look for the raw resource material to write our articles? Will some take extra research?

I have a handy book on herbs, but I’ll have to do some online research to make sure I don’t gloss over a business idea without checking for other things to include. The inspirational articles I can usually do out of my memory bank and my past, but I need to sit quietly and mull on some of these topics before an idea for an article gels. The profiles of ancestors and worthy missions will take some research too. So would the rest. But then I wouldn’t have to write an article a day on each.

Which brings me to another list part of planning this. How frequently do I need to write an article and how much time should I allow? Also, there is the matter of filing them and posting them - like where?

Okay, in my case, I think I can clear one hour for three mornings a week, but I will have to be flexible as that time may be taken over by some things that have priority. In fact, I have a couple of small jobs that need to be finished first, and then, if I get new clients I may have to sacrifice that time to deal with those jobs. But if I keep in the back of my mind that as soon as those hours clear up they belong to article writing, then I have a basis for a start. Later I may give up some other activities to make more room.

To make sure we don’t stress ourselves out with this, it might be wise to commit only to writing one article a week. If it needs research, I’ll do that on the Monday morning, and write in on the Thursday morning, and polish and post it on Friday. If it seems to really need more work I’ll set it aside, file it in a certain place, and come back to it whenever I run into writer’s block in another week.

Now, what about a plan for the actually writing of an article?

There are a number of articles and books with formulas to make this painless and productive. Each of us needs to experiment a bit first to see what works best for us. Some recommend making a list of 3-5 or 7 solutions to a problem, and describing each in a paragraph or two. Presto, there you have a short article of 300-500 words. Slant the article so the style is personable and talks directly to the reader. In an inspirational article you can tell a touching story, and if you get the reader to sigh with empathy, or smile at the humour in it, you’ve done well. All other articles need to share some practical help or advice. They don’t have to be complicated. The simpler they are the easier the reader can walk away and remember that advice and try it.

One more thing. Work very hard on the little biographical paragraph about yourself as the author that you are allowed to attach at the end of each article. The article directory sites insist that those who come to pick up your article to use on their site or in their ezine, MUST include that final blurb about you and what you do, or your website. That blurb is your gratis advertising, so use it wisely. If that article refers to and recommends a certain product you are selling on your site, be sure to include a url, or web address to the page where you sell it on your website. Then watch your STATs to see how many people come to that page after you have posted your article.

Write a bio something like this;

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ruth Marlene Friesen, makes friends everywhere, just like her alter ego,
the heroine of her novel, Ruthe’s Secret Roses. Discover the secrets of
intentional friendship that transforms lives at http://Ruthes-SecretRoses.com.
Find more of Ruth’s articles on writing and publishing here;
http://Ruthes-SecretRosees.com/A/WPub/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Last week the weather was so fine, I got eager to start my garden, and spent some time digging it up with a spade, about a 20-30 minute spell after lunch and again after supper. I was about half done. Then Thursday we began to hear about a big doozer of a snow storm to hit this area on Sunday. Friday evening the wind picked up and when I looked out of the window at midnight, behold, the ground was covered with white, and it still looked quite stormy.

Saturday dawned bright and sunny and everything turned to slush. Now the forecasters were saying that this big storm had by-passed us on the west, and was moving northward. We would just have rain on Sunday.

That was true, although there were icy patches in the morning. I had to scrape ice off the car for half an hour before starting out for church. I also had trouble with the padlock on my back gate being iced up. I managed to wiggle the key in and open it.

I thought now we’d go back to spring. Ha! Yesterday the winds were back, and the padlock was more trouble as I left to drive off for some errands and the office. When I came out of my office at 6 pm - Whoa! There was a full-blown snow storm in effect! My driver’s side car door was frozen shut and the once wiper iced up. But when I got to my gate, the padlock just would NOT open. I huffed and puffed on it, and got my key into it, but it would not turn. Finally when my fingers had had it, I drove around to the front and parked on the street in front of my house, praying of course, that no one will skid into it. That’s the main reason I’d taken to parking in the backyard; there’s been several such skidding accidents at this corner.

We are not having the quantities of snow first promised for Sunday, and the sun is supposed to come out tomorrow and things will warm up, but I tell you, today is a great day to have a home business, and no real need to go out anywhere!

[I was on a long phone conversation last night, and we were discussing things like discretion, pride and humility. So this morning I’m thinking of this poem I wrote in 1996. It’s in my Heart 2 Heart chapbook I hope it speaks a truth to you].

Timidity and Humility

Timidity is a fox
dressed as humility.
It sneaks around in a mask
that appears solemn and reserved.
Timidity wants to be mistaken
for true humility -
and often gets away with it.

Humility is a barefoot child
absorbed in helping others.
It is in awe of God
and those around it
but unafraid.
Its unself-centeredness
makes it the opposite of proud.

Tear the mask off that fox,
Timidity!
Why that creature,
often self-absorbed in a fearful way,
is truly Pride in the core!
In a while Humility is picked up
and held high in the arms of his adored Lord.
***

(c) 1996 Ruth Marlene Friesen

[To commemorate my seven years of ezine publishing, I thought I’d bring forward the very first article I wrote in my premier issue of JournalDigest. I doubt there are many left who remember it. If you do, let me know, okay?]

Most of us don’t presume to speak for God, but it wouldn’t hurt to consider His viewpoints. Keeping in mind what He has said about His own thoughts and attitudes will go a long way into discerning what He thinks about us and our actions.

Money is like gravel to God. It’s common material stuff, but humans have assigned value for trade. What God really cares about is people!

In my pondering and reading on this matter I’ve made a short list of five priorities God has for us. He will see to them before He makes us rich. Or, God will use any riches we have already to accomplish His goals.

1. God hates pride and self-conceit. He allows us to come to an end of ourselves and become yes - even financially helpless, so that we will repent and turn to Him to humbly ask for His help. Then we must learn to trust and obey His words. It is with the gentle, gracious and self-giving people God really accomplishes great deeds.

2. Character-building means a lot to God. A lot of traits can only be learned by in hard times. Do you want to be patient, grateful, forgiving, and spiritually enduring, alert and discerning or wise? Guess what - they’re learned from opposite experiences! Like not having the money you need to carry out dreams right away.

3. On the other hand, we may be off on a wrong track, and God MAY be deliberately blocking all our efforts until we come to our senses and turn around. (I can vouch for this one too!)

4. From Bible stories, like Joseph, the 11th son of Jacob, we learn that God allows us to go down in hard times to train us for future leadership positions. Now, just thinking about this I could go off to write several other articles to develop this idea in more depth.

5. Lastly, it COULD be the fault of someone else, practically and spiritually-speaking that you are poor. Oh-oh, this might be a can of worms!

But think and reason carefully about it. What people have had power and influence over you? Might it be someone you haven’t even noticed or thought about? (Now, let’s not get angry and vengeful). Could it be you (or your parents or grandparents) offended someone years ago, and that one person is still influencing others against you?-

How would God want you to clear THAT mess up?

What if we became cooperative with God on all five points? If we, like King Solomon, asked for wisdom to do our duties well in our area of influence, I believe God would bless us with riches and honors just as Solomon experienced.

How Solomon changed after he became rich is another study altogether!

(A Division of Bouquet of Enterprises)

Solo web Business Incubation/Training

You are invited to take a four-month intensive training course in my Azaleas office. I insist on a small class of only four students at a time so that you can get detailed individual attention and training. The hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, with the first course term going from May to the end of August, 2008. (All going well the next term will start in September).

You Will Learn…
Your mornings will consist of lessons in basic virtual office assistant skills and some practical assignments working for some of my non-profit, or mission and ministry clients.

Your afternoons will be focused on helping you brainstorm, plan and start your web business in an incubator setting, with over-the-shoulder guidance and encouragement. By the end of the four month term, your business is quite likely to already be bringing you an income. (Assuming you don’t go off on too many tangents and don’t complete on schedule).

I have finished some sites with only one evening a week to spend on it, and been done in three months, so if you are working at it five half days a week, it should be thriving in four months!

You will learn all the basic skills necessary to run your web business from your computer at home. However, if you discover you cannot manage some aspects, you will learn to make use of others who are quite capable as virtual assistants. In fact, if you are willing, you can easily take on clients for your own Virtual Office Assistant business on the side.

Unique Training!
No one else is offering quite this kind of training. It is very unique! You can take some university or community college courses to help you learn all about computers, or all about running a business downtown. But who will train you to run your complete business from your computer at home? Never mind helping you set it up so that once it is established you only need to give an hour or two a day to keep up with the email contacts from visitors to your site, or handling sales and recording transactions - so that you have time for your family - or, starting another business on a different topic.

Ready to apply? APPLICATION FORM

Specific Online Skills
You will learn to use these for your own business, or offer to do them as a Virtual Assistant to other business owners.;

* in depth research online - finding exactly what you need to know

* brainstorming and planning your own web business and web site. (SBI or d-i-y, or both)

* setting up the site domain registration and hosting service

* creating web page templates

* creating graphics and web content for a site

* proof-reading and editing web content, business documents and articless/books

* promoting a site with listing submissions, link exchanges, press releases and articles

* setting up contact and subscribe forms

* setting up and editing, publishing blogs and ezines

* how to track your STATs and change methods when necessary

* setting up bookkeeping and online banking

* creating office stationery, business cards, and filing systems

* using email ethically to do business with the public and website visitors

* how to compile and create books and e-books

* the steps to self-publishing and promoting books for sale through a website

* research and discern the difference between a worthy online business and a scam

* installing Open Source operating systems and software on a computer

* some basic computer repairs and trouble-shooting

Whether you have an idea for a business, or just hope to find a paying job, this course is likely to be a turning point in your life. If you would like to learn ALL aspects of running your own business and to do it the most frugal and cost-effective ways, you’ll get that from this course.

In 1999 I went online, determined to learn how to publish my book. I could not afford training, so I disciplined myself to sit in front of the computer 6 to 8 then to 10 and 12 hours a day, seeking out information and learning by doing and trying things out. I’ve inherited a strong resourceful streak from my Dad, and can usually find or make a way, even when everyone else thinks there is none.

My ideal student would be someone who is also eager to learn, and willing to follow instructions, and able to read and think well in English. If words flow easily for you and you are able to express yourself plainly and tactfully, you will find this work very fulfilling. If you are an idealist with alturistic desires to help others we will hit it off very well. I’d love to see maturity and strong Christian ethics in my students, but can be flexible and accepting. (Rude students who try to dominate and hijack the class will not be tolerated.

Ready to apply? APPLICATION FORM

Review of Basic Facts on this Course:

What?
A four-month course with an internship, incubator aspect for a web business of your own

Who?
Taught by Ruth Marlene Friesen - to just four students in a class.

Where?
401 33rd Street West Ste 210, Saskatoon, SK. S7L 0V5

When?
May 1, to August 29, 2008 for first term. (2nd Term to start September 2 - December 24).

How much?
Just $5 per hour. Or $2,730 + taxes for the full-term, based on number of days in this period. or $700 + taxes payable monthly. (An SBI site with SiteSell is optional but recommended. We’ll watch for specials).

How to apply?
Click APPLICATION FORM to begin the interview process.

Notes: Because this is local to Saskatoon, if you live outside of this city you should contact me for an application form and interview before you make plans to move to Saskatoon.

Lord, do show me a crocus, please,
We desperately need a sign of spring.
Five months the snow’s been to our knees;
The land is rested, now let it sing.

Send showers of blessing to refresh,
I need a spiritual sign of spring.
My hopes and confidence are in a mess,
Bruised, in hurt tears to You I cling.

You’ve said season shall follow season,
So where’s a sign of Your promised spring?
I know You always have a good reason,
Perfect timing too, when YOU do anything.

I suppose as long as I can believe that,
My faith in You is my sure sign of spring.
You and a friend gave me a comforting pat;
Soon, like a bell, my life will clearly ring.

(c)1996 - Ruth Marlene Friesen

[Note: this is one poem out of my chapbook, Heart 2 Heart, which was originally published as a limited gift edition. If you check out http://Ruthes-SecretRoses.com/R/Heart2Heart.shtml you can see how you might get a copy of it today].

(a page from a devotional book in progress)

Ecclesiastes 2:26 To the man who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness, but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth to hand over to the one who pleases God. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.

Wow! I’ve marked this before, but haven’t thought of it lately.

Is this true now though in my life? I do hope I please God, and I like to think He is granting me wisdom, knowledge and much happiness! The monies I’ve received in the last year or so are not really from sinners, but from Christians who wanted to help.

But still, if God wants to turn sinners’ money over to me too, … I’m open to any of His gifts, aren’t you? Can you picture this; you live a life that pleases God, so He gives you wisdom, knowledge and happiness, and He has sinners raise funds or wealth, which they turn over to you?

Once a former neighbour who remembered me from my childhood met me in a public place, and seemed to know all about me. He was watching my life. He insisted he wanted nothing to do with church, but he held out $20 to me and said he wanted me to have it as long as I would spend it on myself and not give it to my church.

About three months ago I heard a young woman raising support for full-time missionary work share how a couple, not believers, had come to her and said, “We’ve been watching your life and we want to help you out. Here’s money to help you buy a house for you and your daughters.” It was a check for $250,000, and she was able to find a house for that price!

PRAYER: How shall I understand this, Lord? The first part I grasp, for You do give wisdom, knowledge and happiness when our lives are obedient and pleasing to You. Do You really give the sinners the task of gathering wealth for those that please You? If so, that is tremendous! Thank You for being so creative in supplying our every need, and the resources to do Your work in Your name. Amen.

The resurrection of Jesus Christ on that first Easter morning was such a WOW! event that people sometimes have a hard time comprehending what it means. However, there are illustrations in nature and history - that act as simple symbols to help us get it.

Let’s do this as a series of quiz questions, or riddles to see if you can spot these allegories of Christ rising to new eternal life after three days in the grave.

Some of these should not be analyzed too deeply, for there is only a surface comparison. The point is that this concept was not a new idea to God. It was pre-meditated!

1. What ovid object is perfectly sealed, without doorway or seams, until the right day, when a new life bursts forth, perhaps like Jesus burst out of the sealed tomb?

2. What shining orb disappears into darkness for a time, then breaks out again with great joy and gladness at its appointed times to give life and energy and food to all who receive it? (Hint: in the Psalms it’s compared to a bridegroom coming out of his tent to get married, but don’t let that lead you astray).

3. There is a colony of small creatures, whose leader is larger and more gifted than the rest. This head gets richer foods than the others, but it procreates new colony members too. There is a point where this leader lays down its life for the whole colony. What is it?

4. Jewish people have an annual holiday supper, where right on the table some bread is hidden in a fabric pocket. Toward the end of the meal this bread is ‘found’ and broken and distributed to all. What is that meal called?

5. Jesus Himself told His followers that a certain man from their history, who spent three days in the belly of a huge fish, was a foreshadowing of what would come to pass for Him. After his sub-marine ride, this man thundered, “Repent!” in the streets of a pagan city. 100% repented. Who was he?

6. Followers of Jesus, who want to be identified with Him publicly, announce this by a special rite they go through. Jesus did it Himself. It represents their spiritual death and new life in Christ, which can happen privately; this rite is merely the public illustration and only takes seconds to complete. What is it?

[Answers are way-wa-y down at the bottom of this page: Rssurrection-quiz]

When you visit or drop in on a friend, what do you think about their housekeeping? Do you notice the differences? I do.

Rarely do we have friends whose style of home-making is the same as our own. Because of the friendship though, we overlook these things.

When I was a teen my Mom insisted that I do the weekly cleaning on Saturday. That habit is still with me. Unless something special comes up, I tend to leave my housecleaning chores until Saturday. The rest of the week I just live there. I can’t say I love cleaning, but I’ve learned to discipline myself, set some sequence of steps, and when I think I have more time I get distracted by settling down to thoroughly organize one desk or cupboard, or whatever. I guess I prefer the sorting and organizing stage best once I get into it.

My home always seems cozier and more inviting at the end of a Saturday cleaning binge. I wish friends would drop in about then!

The homes of some friends look like works of art. Everything neatly in place, and placed just so-o, with no more than one or two attractive objects on any furniture surface. No sign of a project in process or any mess whatsoever. I enjoy looking at such a place, but feel a bit out of place. This makes me a very careful, polite guest.

Then there are other homes which go the other extreme. Risky piles of stuff stacked up everywhere and every which way I look. Naturally, I try not to embarrass my friend by commenting on all this, although I’m sure I have trouble hiding my thoughts.

I don’t know about you, but the craziest yen rises in me to come in there and do a major clean up. The other morning I caught myself visualizing how to do this while I was in the bathtub.

Let’s see… we should dedicate a week to it, and the friend and I ought to work at it together. I would bring a stack of boxes… no, better still those plastic bins - colour-coded even! I’d also snap out some packages of coloured garbage bags.

I’d say, “Here. We’re going to look at every item and you decide; is it garbage? Then it goes into these black bags. Is it something you’d like to sell at a garage sale or give away? Then into these clear bags. Is it something to keep for an heirloom or treasure? Then it goes into one of these bins, and you label it. Only what you actually use on a regular basis gets a place in a bin in the closet, or a home-spot in your house where you can see and find it easily.”

We’d also have cleaning rags and buckets and cleaning products and as we’d get to the surface underneath we’d wash the surfaces, and also vacuum or wash floors.

Oh yes, and we’d start at the far back room, maybe the bathroom, and work our way around, room by room, until we end up at the front door. Once we’ve cleaned a room we don’t stash any of the filled bags or bins there. They have to keep moving behind us towards the door.

Having been through this kind of cleaning last year in Dad’s house, I know that you have to allow extra time. Like a whole half day to a room, or maybe two days on a large one.

There’s just one problem with such a daydream. Such friends have daily living habits that will put their home in exactly the same state in a short time. Who am I kidding?

Do I really want to invest that kind of time in someone else’s home?

I thought I had my fill of it last year, but… what should I charge if I were to land a job doing this for an estate where someone has died, and there is no family to do the clean up? (The woman at Dad’s trust company said I had saved his estate a lot of money by doing it so she wouldn’t have to - hmm - how much?)

[Okay, Ruth. Come back to reality. You’ve still got a lot of work like that to do down in your basement. It must be time to start if you’re in a mood like this!]

Yessir! As soon as I get caught up on some small jobs for others, I will tackle that basement! Every Saturday this spring and summer until it looks wonderful!