I'm tired right now for some reason. I don't feel that I did that much this week. Or maybe I did and I don't realize it. I try to write in my blog everyday. Why? I don't know. Often, there is an inner compulsion. I just have something to say, and so I say it. I'm also using some of my blog entries as articles. Hopefully, I can make some money as a freelance writer. I'll have to see.
Today, I'm not going to focus so much on phrasing everything absolutely correctly or making the best argument that I can possibly make. My mind needs a rest. But I would like to learn to write when I'm tired, which is why I'm practicing that right now. I want to get to the point where I can work throughout the day, come home, and still find the energy to write.
I've been watching some good 7th Heaven episodes the last couple of days. They're on the Hallmark Channel. I think I'm in the second season. On one episode, Reverend Eric Camden's dad, Colonel John Camden (played by Peter Graves), flew to the Camdens' house in California all the way from New York just to help out. He treated it as a mission. Usually, his relationship with his son's family is rather strained, but it warmed up to him a lot more in this episode, even as he warmed up to it. I liked Colonel Camden from the first episode that he was on. He came across as gruff, but there was a friendly side to him as well. He called Nixon a great man for bombing Cambodia, which was helping the Viet Cong. But he also told Lucy (Eric's middle daughter) that he likes his wife because she's brainy. So he's an avid Nixonite who likes independent-minded women. Interesting person!
The one on after that was about the church treasurer, who took $2,500 from the church fund to help his autistic son. This character has been on before. He always came across as strictly a dollars-and-cents sort of guy. At the beginning of this episode, he was trying to convince Reverend Camden to drop the Wednesday night service, since it didn't draw a lot of people and cost money. Eric didn't want to drop it because there was something special about it. The few people who came had a sort of bond. At the end of the episode, after the treasurer shared with Eric that he was trying to support a son with autism, the treasurer himself started to attend the Wednesday night service. Why's this touch me? I don't know. Something appeals to me about a small close-knit community that comes together to be spiritually fed, and someone getting to the point where he participates in the magic of all that.
I was slightly disappointed with this episode, however. Throughout this season, there's been a teacher who has helped Mary (the oldest daughter) recover from her injury so that she can play basketball again. He helped train Olympic champions. The problem is that he's somewhat hard on Matt (the oldest son) in English class. But he always struck me as tough but fair. He tries to get students to try their best. Well, at the end of the episode, he was acting inappropriately toward Mary. That's sad. It seemed so out of character.
The one on today had a good scene. Annie (the pastor's wife) was going to a clothing shop to return her daughter's damaged sweater, but the owner wouldn't accept it because Annie didn't have a receipt. Annie then gave an impassioned speech that asked where customer service went. And the owner in turn gave an equally impassioned speech about how there are a lot of shoplifters and people who "return" things they didn't actually buy. As a result, her insurance goes up. Well, the owner's customers left in fear after hearing her speech, and Annie felt bad. She offered to buy the owner a cup of coffee, and the owner accepted. The two got to understand one another a lot better.
There was another good one a few days ago. Simon (the youngest son) noticed that a old woman whom Eric and he were visiting had a tattooed number on her arm. At home, Eric told Simon about the Holocaust. The old woman was very reluctant to share her horrible experiences, except with other Holocaust survivors who could understand her better. Well, Simon is looking for a project for his history class, and a kid in his class says that the gas camps did not exist. So Simon's teacher encourages him to give a presentation on the Holocaust. In one of the scenes, the old woman is watching the news and is saddened by all the violence and the hatred that she sees. She agrees to tell Simon's class about her experiences in Auschwitz. The kids' parents are in the class for parents' day. Her story moves everyone, even the Holocaust-denying father of that one kid. Why did this episode move me? The old woman preferred to keep to herself and people who understood her, but she felt that she had to do something about the hate that was in her world. And so she told her story. And I was amazed that the story of a meek old lady could soften the heart of even a Holocaust revisionist. But, then again, how could it not?
So I'll print this post, but I don't feel like rereading or editing it. I'll see you tomorrow!