Feeling Seussalicious

Posted on 03/02/2012 by saramarieallen

I loved Dr. Seuss books as a child, as a babysitter, as a teacher, and now as a parent. So to celebrate his birthday today, I have written my own Seuss-style homage.

Snoogleboos

by Sara Marie Allen

There once were two Snoogleboos,
Snoogle One and Snoogle Two.
Snoogle One said to Two,
“I’m in love with you!
Marry me,
And together we’ll be!”
Snoogle Two said to One,
“My thinking is done—
I say ‘yes’ and I’ll follow
Wherever you go!”
So soon they were married,
O’er the threshold he carried
Mrs. Snoogleboo,
Snoogle Number Two.

Mr. Snoogle decided to travel, one day.
Mrs. Snoogle said, “By your side I will stay!
Oh, dear Mr. Snoogleboo, wherever you go
I’m coming along, too, don’t you know?”

So over the mountains, and down through the valley,
From Callamazoo to the brink of Sadalley,
From up high to down low,
Driving fast, walking slow,
They traveled wherever they wanted to go.

They traveled in sunshine; they traveled in snowstorms.
They traveled in rain, in windstorms and sandstorms,
In Winter and Spring, from Summer to Fall,
Those Snoogleboos two, they traveled it all.
From the Alps to the desert, from river to sea,
And what came along? Snoogleboo Three!

The new parents said, “We’d better not roam.
Our new Snoogleboo needs a place to call home.”

The Snoogleboo family arrived at their town,
And the three Snoogleboos soon settled down.
Then followed more Snoogles, Four through Eight,
Snoogles Nine through Twenty—to number Ninety-Eight!
The Snoogleboo house was full, up to the top.
Mr. Snoogle said, “These new Snoogles must stop!
I’m tired of this house; my feet are all antsy.
I just want to travel wherever I fancy.”
Mrs. Snoogleboo said, “I know what we should do!
Let’s travel the world with our Snoogleboo crew!”

So 98 Snoogleboos left their home
To travel together—forever to roam!

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Adoption Song

Posted on 02/27/2012 by saramarieallen

I sat down to write a song very close to my heart: adoption. It was a daunting task. First of all, I am an adoptive mom with three adopted children. I also have the utmost respect for the strength and love of birthmothers. I decided to write a song from the three different perspectives of the adoption triad: the birthmother, the child, and the adoptive parents. I wrote, sang, played, and produced this recording (with my oldest daughter joining me on the last chorus)… (And let me add that I have much to learn about recording and production.)

Adoption Song (click here) by Sara Marie Allen

last chorus:

Would you like to walk a road that you hadn’t planned on taking?
Smile, even though your heart is breaking?
Be brave even when your knees are shaking?
What are you gonna do?
Love, from a well that never dries?
Have peace, never really knowing why?
And joy at the amazing sight,
The first time you see them.

One thought, to all my Christian friends and anti-abortion advocates: if we are standing up for Life at its conception, then we need to open our hearts and maybe our homes to those children that live, to be willing to stand in the gap, outside our own comfort, and let our hospitality and love for these kids be louder than our words. What can we do to make a difference?

If you want more information about adoption, I would be happy answer your questions. In my state alone, there are 106 cases, many of them sibling groups, of foster children WAITING for a forever family. http://www.adoptuskids.org/states/va/index.aspx

Another nationwide resource for adoption is The Heart Gallery, which has beautiful photos of children and teens available for adoption. http://www.heartgalleryofamerica.org/

Here is a statistical exerpt from their site:

There are nearly 500,000 children in foster care in the United States.
Over 250,000 will never return home.
Over 123,000 need adoptive homes right now.
More than 29,000 aged out of foster care in 2008, at age 18 without anyone, to live on their own, unprepared and unsupported.

We adopted two of our children through Bethany Christian Services. Visit www.bethany.org for more information.

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Treasure in the Day

Posted on 02/06/2012 by saramarieallen

I watched the first season of American Idol, and most of the seasons after it. I love it, like most of America. On our last Disney trip, I even competed on the Hollywood Studios stage. I had a personal foray into the ACTUAL American Idol, too–but not as a contestant, bent on dominating the stage or winning Randy, Simon, and Paula’s approval. Several years ago, American Idol held a song writing competition for their winner to sing. I went to work, using my own quickly-growing children as my sentimental muses for this quasi sappy song. But I didn’t win the songwriter competition, and I entered two years in a row. Oh, well… So, for your Musical Monday listening pleasure, here’s my losing American Idol song: Treasure in the Day.

Treasure in the Day
   by Sara M. Allen

(verse 1)
With you here by my side—if only for a moment in time—
Don’t want to let you go—never be the same way again.
Close to you, oh…
(chorus)
Let me take a picture of this moment in my life—
Cause it will never pass this way again.
Savoring these feelings deep inside my soul;
Memories will keep it all alive—
Treasure in the day.
(verse 2)
You know how hard I’ve tried for all I want in my life.
Today we celebrate all the dreams realized.
All we yearn for…
 (bridge)
Treasure in each smile,
Treasure in the tears,
Treasure in the journey,
Treasure in the years—

 

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It’s All Downhill From Here…

Posted on 02/02/2012 by saramarieallen

The other night, I was pretty horrified to find TWO GRAY HAIRS on my head. My mom has very little gray, and my dad doesn’t really have hair. I was so shocked I had to write a poem about it. I like to laugh at myself (see previous posts).

Two Gray Hairs
By Sara Marie Allen

Two gray hairs upon my head,
The final sign my youth is dead.
First, it was the extra pounds,
Then forehead wrinkles when I frown,
My joints have pain,
My eyes, they strain,
The past gets jumbled in my brain.
The outlook on my future’s grim;
This is not a fight I’ll win…
For now, I pluck out all the gray,
Pretending I’m still young today.

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Song Post

Posted on 01/31/2012 by saramarieallen

I thought I’d share a song instead of a poem, story, or devotional. It’s one of my favorites that my husband and I have written; its simplicity and truth resonates deeply in my soul. I remember as a child, I would pick dandelions, buttercups, or violets that grew weedishly in our lawn for my mom, and she would look at them like I had brought her a treasure. And many times, I went berry picking, only to eat more than I brought home. As I thought about these things, I realized that God loves us like that, too. He loves us anyway.

You Love Me Anyway (to listen, click here)

You Love Me Anyway  c 2005, Sara and Shawn Allen

Clutching daisies in my dirty fist–it’s all I bring to You/ The roses weren’t ready, the lily’s gone by/ I didn’t grow them myself,/ I just picked them on the way/ Clutching daisies in my dirty fist/ And nothing much to say// All I bring You is broken and ill-gotten/ And I bring You this little bit of dirt/ And I give You all I treasure for today/ Clutching daisies in my dirty fist/ You love me anyway// Half bucket full of berries swinging at my waist/ My red-stained mouth gives me away/ I picked what You asked for, but then ate them on the way/ Half bucket full of berries/ And nothing much to say// All I bring You is eaten or left over/ And I bring You these stains of my shame/ And I give You only part of what You asked me for today/ Half bucket full of berries/ You love me anyway

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Have a laugh at yourself

Posted on 01/23/2012 by saramarieallen

I have been editing my book the last few weeks with my writing buddy, Julie. We both read it to see where I should take out things, or add detail to make a scene spring to life. But the craziest thing about editing a document as large as a book is the mistakes I made. I’m not talking about grammar, but in my word choices. Here’s a great example: I used the word “don” 3 times in the first chapter– “don” as in “to put on”. My heroine “donned” her shoes; the hero “donned” his police uniform. Shakespeare’s characters might’ve “donned” a cap before leaving the castle, but most people don’t talk that way anymore. When my friend pointed out the fact that I was using the archaic word, I could have gotten defensive. I could’ve argued that “don” was used properly as defined in Webster’s dictionary. But you know what I did? I laughed. At myself. And I keep on laughing every time she finds something like that in my book. Because it’s funny when you put your ego aside and look at things truthfully.

This gets me right to my point: when someone points out a fault or confronts us with a mistake, are we going to go postal, defending ourselves, or will we chuckle and change, knowing that the person has our best interest at heart? In a world that is so ME centered, it’s hard to put ego or vanity aside. It’s hard to make a mistake with the world watching. But if we give ourselves permission to be human, to make mistakes and say sorry or fix it–we can look back and maybe have a good laugh at ourselves.

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A Different Christmas Point of View

Posted on 12/07/2011 by saramarieallen

Every Christmas I ask God for a unique perspective on the Christmas story I hadn’t seen before. I have been blessed many times by Him with infusions of insight and creativity–and I wanted to share with you one of the products of these prayers. It is really a dramatic soliloquy, to be performed by a female actress. May you find it a meaningful meditation and a different point of view on the Christmas story.

The Shepherd’s Wife

My husband??  He’s gone now, has been for many years.  My husband came from a long line of shepherds.  Sure, it was kind of a rough life for him.  Long hours, terrible weather, wolves, lions, disease . . . Come what may, he was a shepherd.  It was a significant job, really.  He was responsible for the sheep sacrificed at the temple.  They had to be perfect, without blemishes, and male, one year old—to atone our sins and to please our God!

One night especially stands out in my memory.  He and several other of the shepherds were watching their sheep, when, (it was hard for even me to believe, and I loved the man), when thousands of angels appeared out of the night sky and sang to them about peace on earth and of a child in a manger who was to be our savior, our messiah.  A child!

So he went, and worshiped, and came home dazed and more excited than I had ever seen him.  It really did take me quite a while to believe his story—that is, until I went to see him myself.  What a child!  When I neared this small infant, I felt something holy and peaceful.  And those eyes.  As I held him and he looked up at me, I knew that God was with him and in him.  It’s hard to describe those feelings. . .

It wasn’t until many years after my husband died that I saw those eyes again.  I had heard of his many miracles, and knew that He truly was the Messiah.  In accordance with Jewish tradition, I made the short pilgrimage from Bethlehem to Jerusalem for the Passover.  It was then that I saw him—only not as I had imagined in my wildest dreams!  Only the morning after Passover, and he was condemned to die.  My heart cried out to God, but I thought this was your Messiah!  And then I saw him on the cross, with his mother, Mary, and a few friends gathered around.

In the darkness that enveloped us all, I had a vision.  He, this baby my shepherd husband had been beckoned by angels to come and see, was the true Lamb, the true atonement for our sins—without blemish or imperfection—without sin.  And here he was being sacrificed before my very eyes on a cross—not in the temple, like a Jewish lamb, but out in the open for the whole world to see.

It has been five years since that awful day.  And the most amazing thing about the whole story?  He lives!  The perfect lamb lives!  I have seen him with my own eyes, raised from the dead, watched him go up to heaven and heard him say he was coming back.

Well, I guess my point here is that Christmas is not about the shepherds, like my husband, it’s about the LAMB.

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Recipe for a Humble Life

Posted on 11/24/2011 by saramarieallen

I was looking through my recipe box today, and I found a long-forgotten, much beloved recipe I’d like to share with you as we approach this holiday season. I wrote this recipe when I was 18, just having left home and all I knew behind. I felt a little lonely, just as many do during the holidays, but the Lord showed me this and it changed everything. My loneliness was gone, replaced by love and purpose.

Not everyone cares as much about my life as I do.

Not everyone cares about the things that I do.

Not everyone wants to know what I’m thinking.

Not everyone wants my answer to their problem.

Not everyone values my opinion.

Not everyone cares about what I want.

Not everyone is concerned about my agenda.

Not everyone loves me like I do.

BUT…

Jesus cares more about my life than I do.

Jesus cares about the things that I do.

Jesus knows what I’m thinking.

Jesus is the answer to my problem.

Jesus knows my opinion.

Jesus cares about what I want.

Jesus is concerned about my agenda.

Jesus loves me more than I can imagine.

This frees me to be like Jesus—I should…

Care as much about others’ lives as He does.

Care about the things that they do.

Want to know what they’re thinking.

Value their answer to a problem.

Value their opinion.

Care about what they want.

Be concerned about their agenda.

Love them like Christ does.

May you be blessed by these principles and know this Love!

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Book Review: BLACKWELL

Posted on 11/22/2011 by saramarieallen

I had the great privilege of reading an early draft edition of Blackwell: the Encounter Begins, by Michael E. Gunter. The end product is absolutely AWESOME! Michael’s book actually inspired me to write my novel. So, for those of you still in the dark about this book, here’s my official review with an interview from the author:

Blackwell: the Encounter Begins is a compelling read from start to finish! Wyoming transplants Rick and Jane find their lives turned upside down by the arrival of two special visitors to planet Earth. Humor, suspense, friendship, and the “human” experience flourish inside of Blackwell. The characters spring to life, from down-to-earth Rick to other-worldly Aldi; the well-constructed plot propels the story forward, page after page. The depth of thought packed into this novel is worth every bit of the journey. For example, Rick is forced to explore deep questions we all face in life, such as, how does one respond to a new truth that seems to contradict everything? When another, more menacing visitor threatens everyone at the Ranch, Rick is forced to decide exactly what he believes.

Whether you’re a die-hard Sci-Fi fan, or you’re new to the genre, “Blackwell” will entertain, and perhaps leave you with a new truth of your own.

Q: Where—or when—did you get the idea for Blackwell?

BLACKWELL is based on a short story I wrote in 2001 called, “They Came, They Saw, They Stayed for Dinner.” I have always been fascinated by the idea of life beyond our own planet, so when I started writing it just seemed natural for me to write about an alien encounter the way I imagine it would really happen. I had also read an essay by C. S. Lewis entitled, “Religion and Rocketry” in which Lewis speculated about how humans might react to just such an encounter. In his essay, he also speculated that there might be intelligent civilizations in the universe that are as yet untouched by sin. That idea really impressed me, so you get a hint of that in the Klyvians of BLACKWELL.

Q: There are some great characters in this book. Which one is your favorite?

My favorite character is Aldi. He was part of the original short story and actually showed up as a minor character in a few other projects. So Aldi has been with me for over ten years now. I know him pretty well. Some authors write characters who are a lot like themselves. Aldi is the character I aspire to be. His commitment to the mission, his love for his wife, and his friendship with Rick are all beyond question. When I started writing my alien characters into existence, I thought they should each have a physical characteristic that sort of became their identity; something that would give the reader a peek into their nature. With Elsa-Eska, it is her eyes. With Aldi, it’s his smile. At first, his grin seems a bit goofy only because it is so rare to see someone who is sincerely happy. But as Rick gets to know Aldi, he realizes that the smile is genuine and simply a natural part of who Aldi is. I have known a few humans with smiles like that, but not many. I should also say that I have an odd affection for Ed Tyler. He is a lot of fun to write, but more than that, he represents those quirky people we all know who seem to exist on the fringe of normal society, but every once in awhile they do something truly important that makes all the difference. Ed is that sort of guy.

Q: Is there a moment in your life, such as Rick meeting the aliens, when your own truth has been challenged?

Yes, a few. The biggest moment, I suppose, was when I realized I was becoming a Christian. I had been wrestling with the claims of Jesus and the implications of Him being Lord for about a year. One Saturday morning, I was laying in bed thinking about it when I envisioned a bridge, kind of like the one in Indian Jones and the Temple of Doom. I was on one side and Jesus was on the other. I knew that the only way I could truly know Jesus as Savior was to also follow Him as Lord; and following meant I had to cross that bridge which symbolized the abandonment of my old life and the acceptance of another – my truth for His Truth, if you will. I knew that I could not stay where I was, but I also knew that if I crossed that bridge, there would be no turning back. I think I stood there a long time weighing my choice. Then I held my breath and took the first step, and then another until I crossed. That was the day I learned that I didn’t have all the answers. For a nineteen year old, that’s a big lesson. I’m still learning that lesson, by the way, but these days the bridges are easier to cross.

 Q: Is there a sequel in the works? Can you give us a hint?

Yes. I am about one third of the way through the sequel. It is set in the year 2016, and centers upon the daughter of Aldi and Elsa-Eska, now age fifteen. Remember, Sara is Klyvian by nature, but she has lived her entire life among humans; her father being the only exception. In BLACKWELL, the overarching theme is belief. In the sequel, identity is the theme. Will Sara embrace her Klyvian nature or decide to live as a human? I don’t want to give too much away, but you will also get to learn more about the mission of Ka-Rel and where Elsa-Eska has been all these years. And there will be a lot more humorous and intriguing situations as other humans encounter Aldi and Sara.

Special thanks to the author, Michael Gunter, for his interview! Here’s some helpful links for Michael’s book:

http://www.amazon.com/Blackwell-Encounter-Begins-Michael-Gunter/dp/0983752222/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1321967319&sr=8-1

http://klyvian.com/

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Veteran’s Day

Posted on 11/11/2011 by saramarieallen

I am very thankful for those who lay aside their dreams, families, careers, and even their lives as they serve our country in the military. Thank you! Thank you!

For Memorial Day this year, I meditated on the too short life of a young man I have never met: Army PFC Ross A. McGinnis, a 19 year old gunner who threw himself onto a grenade that been thrown into his vehicle, saving 4 other soldiers in 2006. I remembered that story in the news, and how it touched my heart: #1, that he so readily gave his life to save others, and #2, as a parent, my heart went out to the parents of this young man. I was thinking about how, though completely lost in their sadness, they must be proud of him–that when that moment came, he did what was right. It was a sad and sobering thought: that if I teach my children how to live “right”, it may cost them their life.

Deep emotion spawns poetic spark, so this past Memorial Day, I wrote him a poem…

 

Raised Him Right

dedicated to Ross McGinnis

by Sara Marie Allen

We taught him to do good, when he was just a boy,

And to be generous, as he learned to share his toy.

We taught him to be kind, and to look out for another,

To love every body, like they were a brother.

He knew that we were proud of him, when he chose to serve,

God and Country in the War, to give without reserve.

So when a grenade flew into the armored truck that day,

He threw himself upon it–all those inside he saved.

Without any hesitation, he chose to give his life–

Though we miss him–oh, so much–we know we raised him right.

 

For more information on Ross, you can visit this website: http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/ramcginnis.htm

 

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