Stuff about Treasure Attic

I love Treasure Attics. Uncle Jim (whose Uncle?) has always been so mystical and magical, dancing around like a pogo-stick with little to do but pick daisies and exhort about whatever comes into his head. As a kid I seriously wished that I had the power to "introduce songs," to punctuate various events in my life--to cheer myself up, mostly. Wouldn't that be so cool? "What's Florence doing?" "Oh, she's watching a song that she introduced to herself because she felt like she wasn't really truly valuing the Little Things today."
Peepers always made me feel good about myself because, although he is very lovable and energetic, he faithfully remains quite stupid about most things. And Bunny Bigword always made me feel good about myself because, although he is smart and perfect, he's a little too stuffy and strange and I could never quite fix him with an age. I'm so glad that people have always been able to pinpoint exactly how old I am (like when everyone at the HCS wished me a happy 20th year on my birthday).
The most sad thing about Treasure Attics that I still don't feel like they quite figured out satisfactorily is how they would always build up to such an exciting pinnacle of daisy-picking, and go through all these wonderful songs and dances, and just when you were totally digging it, uncle Jim would abruptly launch into his "Buh-bye kids!" speech, that was usually so off-topic and so SUDDEN that it really hurled you into a sort of feeling of desperation that you still had not gotten over by the time the "BUrrrrata ta ta~" theme music started playing and the girl started saying "Hey kids! There are more Treasure Attic shows!!" You were sitting there still wishing to see more Uncle Jim, his lovable sheepdog Peepers, and the ever surprising Bunny Bigword. What is the solution to all of this abrupt ending?
Thank you for your time.

Japan is the shiznit

The Official "COME TO JAPAN!" Photo

I am more sorry than I am posting about the PMA celebration (which was zero, so I am more sorry than zero...at least maybe one). Wow. I don't know why I thought that could make sense.
Basically, it was one of the best Family gatherings I've ever been to. Every day was like what I imagine it would feel like going camping in Heaven, and every single person there was someone I would be darn right proud to start a witnessing home with. (Any takers?)
There weren't that many of us who took the PMA from within the comfortable confines of a service home--in fact, I think it was only Nozo and I. But it was definitely an experience all of its own. I'm sure we didin't work any harder or fight any more honorably than everyone else did, since it was pretty much a "reaching the limits and beyond" battle for all of us, but the Lord knew that we needed the extra stretch...or maybe he just wanted to make sure that Nozo and I became super good friends. Smart guy, that Jesus. Amen Nozo?
Back to the photo above, I think all the women there are gorgeous. Just drop-dead gorgeous. If Amaranthine was still doing his Friday posting of beautiful women, this would seriously avalanche and cave the whole place in. Look out people. So honored to be sandwiched in there between June-san, Free, Teresa, River, Meg, Nozo, Vicki, Cherish, Maria, Lena, Claire, and Faith. Japan is the best.
WHOA AM I THE ONLY...Whoa I just realized WHOA I am the only gaijin in that picture!!! WHOooooaaaAH, dude!
[Calming down.]
So my PMA friends, let's not hide our candles under a bushel and let's proclaim the good news of 12 Foundation Stones classes and pledge letters far and wide!
Hoo-ha! (If only that looked as cool and manly as it sounds in my mind.)

Someone hold me

Beautiful people of love and light, I've been doing a little bit of thinking.
Actually, statistically speaking, my brain has been so fried these past few days that the overall acts of hardcore thinking have taken a nosedive and my brain has been sort of petering out in terms of "usage," if you...get...my drift (which is, admittedly, quite drifty).
So the thinking has brought me to a nice little place of green grass and butterflies, otherwise known as, the Somewhere-Over-The-Rainbow of a BRIGHT AND BEAUTIFUL IDEA. (The "scenic" way to say "I had an idea.")
I spent the last FIVE hours (which probably should've been spent doing a whole bunch of other timely work; just you wait, one of my supervisors will see my blog and keep a more slimy eye on me from now on) looking for material for a Bible class. The reason this happened to me is, I was going to do an easy thing and whip out one of those AWESOME ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL and EASY PEASY 12 Foundation Stones classes, but I kept getting this dull sort of thud in the back of my mind that told me there was something else that the Lord wanted me to do with Yumi this time. "She's been having THESE questions and THESE trials, Florence, you can't just be like YAY let's read about the Endtime!!!" Christ said to me, in my inner soul. So off I race to my home library with absolutely no idea what I'm supposed to put together for her or where to start looking. So I find something interesting, which reminds me of something else, and something else, and takes me down a wild goose chase through GNs of all sorts, on to looking for Japanese translations, on to trying to compile stuff and cutting stuff that didn't feel right after it had felt SO right for five whole minutes. Then my Word compilation that had felt so burning and powerful at the time that it was being thrown together, after being reread by me, seemed to totally miss the mark. And did, in fact, totally miss the mark. So it was deleted into the giant desertspace where failed Word compilations go to DIE.
While this little experience gave me a renewed love for the 12 Foundation Stones, as well as every single human being who had a hand in putting it together (Brazillians, Indians, all of you!), it helped me to realize that, even with the massive amounts of blessings that the 12 FS bring, we're still incredibly underhanded as far as tools for the Offensive go. So little is translated, so little is neatly accessible. With all of the disciples that have been won and all of the witnessing that has been going on all around the world in these past decades, you'd think there would be more stuff that people put together. I'm SURE there is more stuff, but...it just...vanishes. It's used once and then...AND THEN WHAT??? SOMEONE TELL ME!!!
Is there any way we could share these goodies? It would save me time!!! It would save YOU time!!! We would be all happy children of David!!!
I googled "aghhhh" and this is the image that I got. I have to say...it portrays the feeling quite well. Go therefore and molest your eyes.

Someone hold me.

Once again I remove myself from the planet earth

Today I had word time with Kenny and Yuji and we read an old GN from the Techi series in part of my quest to rediscover the lost DBs (InfoStore, that bully).
Somewhere within the sections about loving the imperfect people that try to help you, I got lost in an exhortation about how wonderful it is that we, in the Family, are privileged to know how to love imperfect people. To know how to love them, not in spite, but all the more because of their imperfections. To know that I love you, you love me, and we deserve each other's love whilst being absolutely undeserving.
A little while ago Yumi, a General Member of our fine Family, was expostulating to Yuji about the reason why the Family is a lifestyle to be coveted. "You're all so good at loving!" She said. "Everyone in the world wants to be loved and needs to be loved, but is so HETAKUSO. " (New and improved definition of hetakuso: Absolutely and hilariously pathetic at it.)
It's so true! We're like little love lovers. Little worms of love that wiggle in and out of love soil. More than all of this Home Schooling Vocational Training stuff, we should put "Some Serious Love Knowledge, Homies" at the top of our Resumes.
The most beautiful thing about this extra capability of ours is that it's like the spider-web that we spiders crawl on. It's like, "Whoops, little Sylvester-Spider-boy fell a bit, but the spider-web caught him, as always. Praise God for those silken strands!!" It's our means by which we let go of each other, and thereby hold on to each other. It's your extra invisible hand that reaches out and encourages me. It's my invisible foot that holds the door open for you. The under-the-table KGB top-secret that says "Hey, the little of you that's left under all of the rest of that crud and junk is not so bad. Your heart still beats sort of the same as mine does, and that's wild."
Let's not forget that love is our ministry, people. If you can amass your handymen and get them to stop hammering beams for a second, and get your secretaries to stop hammering their keyboards, and your mothers to stop hammering their children, and distracted couples to stop hammering each other (whoa WHOA FLORENCE WHOA), then let's all have a second of hug-time and remember that WE NEED EACH OTHER. I haven't got the motivation, the ability, the self-discipline, to stay in this Family of ours without love from you. I need your support, your inspiration, your encouragement. I love you, hetakuso as my loving is.
I think that's wild.

A thought from the sky

Once again, I am skittish about posting too much about the goings on of my life and my home, since most of it involves other people, and I am mostly just skittish about posting about other people on my blog. It feels almost as strange as talking about someone and not realizing it and having it been caught on camera and shown to that person later. I'm not saying bad things...it just feels weird.
I noticed there are a lot of people who are much less conservative in this area. Perhaps I am strangely unlike everyone else and someone will comment to tell me so.

The Amazing Finger Miracle

Today I thwacked myself with one of our kitchen knives. It came at my finger at full speed, careening through the air like a rocket. When it landed on my precious tender bodypart, I yelped with fear and terror and thought it was the end--all had been lost. No more holding things quite as securely as before (since the finger is an integral link in the chain of holding), no more of those heavenly massages that I am so good at giving, no more being of ANY use. I'd have to train another one of my fingers to cover J H Y U N and M, and overload all the other already over-extended fingers.
When I recoiled to survey the damage, I discovered to my delight that my finger had not in fact been cleavered clean into the past. In fact, there it remained, clinging fervently to my hand as it always has.
The happening of all happenings to punctuate this story, is that, where one would usually lose a limb from such a slice, I have instead gained a bruise. No loss, my friends, GAIN. I am amazed.

A stirring news update

Things are quite busy, my friends. As much as I would love to tuck myself into the pocket of time with a computer and a bucket-full of blog-post ideas, I am riding on the head of the present and poking a toothpick into the eye of the future. If you are sailing somewhere in The Future, beware the crossfire.
And while I am being a faithful plodder for God, my friends are fighting battles, having babies, and starting homes, and I am reminded of what a beautiful thing it is to all plod in the same direction. Hi five!!!
You probably won't be hearing from me within the next couple of days because I will be especially busy, but I appreciate your positive thought-beams (or prayers, depending on how godly you are) and any and all "Good morning!" SMSes (and presents of CHEESE). I really love you.

Loving Feelings

So. What's up?
I had a birthday a little while ago, and even though I was too busy to expostulate in too much detail about it here in this lonely corner of the cyber-universe, it was nothing short of spectacular and love-filled, and it made me VERY happy. It reminded me once again that no where else in the world would anyone receive this much love on their birthday (unless they were rich or otherwise being sucked up to) but in the Family. You're the best!!!

THANK YOU

Steve
Nozo
Marz
Jan
Marie C.
Joshet
Jay and Maria
Mike and Joanie
Mom and Dad
Kana and Mama
Lilly
Sam and Leika
Gabe and Winnie
Isaac and Joanna
Al-pal
Marie Giustini
Jonie
Joyce
Munchie
All the kids in my home
Tomo and Nao
Jewel
Mana
Mitsuru
Yuki
Masa
Hiki
Meg
Haven
Sam W.
Celeste
Ambie
Michael Basham
Sunny
Farrah
Aika

Finally a new profile photo

This photo is called: Hi. I'm Florence. I'm 19. I look like I should be on a prairie somewhere.
Alternate title: The remedy for uneven eyebrows. (What's YOUR evil secret?)