She Loves My Car: The Weekly Hodgepodge



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Come on over to 

From This Side of the Pond 

for the Hodgepodge link-up!

It's that time of year again...time for Lake Superior University to present a list of words (or phrases) they'd like to see banished (for over-use, mis-use, or general uselessness) in 2018. You can read more about the decision making process and word meaning here, but this year's top vote getters are-unpack, tons, dish (as in dish out the latest rumor), pre-owned, onboarding/ offboarding, nothingburger, let that sink in, let me ask you this, impactful, Cofefe, drill down, fake news, hot water heater (hot water doesn't need to be heated), and gig economy.  Which of these words/phrases would you most like to see banished from everyday speech and why? Is there a word not on the list you'd like to add?

First, I know I ask this every time, but I mean it.  Who made these people boss over language?  By the way, this list sounds more about pettiness and politics rather than language or improving one's vocabulary.  Next, some of these terms I've never heard of:  Gig economy? Cofefe?  Nothingburger?  The only time I've heard the words onboarding or offboarding was when I worked in Human Resources (as the explanation states).  I've never heard it in everyday conversation.  Therefore, it being on this list makes it a bit suspect.

And as I stated when we had this question last year:

Third, who cares?  If a word is being used properly what difference does it make?  Why don't we spend time getting rid of some really damaging words--racism, sexism, poverty, cancer, loneliness, depression, you know, stuff like that. 

The best way to deal with the misuse of language is through education, not by eradicating genuine words or prattling over "fake" words.

What's something you need to get rid of in the new year?

More and more fear.  Last year, I did a lot of things afraid.  This year is a call to do that even more.

Where do you feel stuck?

I've spent so many years feeling stuck in nearly every area of life.  Last year felt like something broke loose, so I don't feel so stuck.  I actually have hope and direction for my future.

January is National Soup Month. When did you last have a bowl of soup? Was it made from scratch or from a can? Your favorite canned soup? Your favorite soup to make from scratch on a cold winter's day?

I made a pot of vegetable and ground turkey soup a couple of weeks ago.  I had it for lunch several days in a row.  Campbell's Chicken Noodle Soup is my favorite canned soup.

Tell us one thing you're looking forward to in 2018.

As good as 2017 turned out to be, I can't wait to see what God does with 2018.

Insert your own random thought here.

Something good...

Something not so good...











This week, I had to say goodbye to the Auntiemobile.  The week before Christmas, her transmission gave up the ghost and she wouldn't go anymore.  Today (Wednesday), a car recycling program picked her up.  The good news is, she's not going to sit and rot in a junk yard.  The Denver Goodwill has a program that teaches car repair and detailing to clients.  Once the car is repaired (if it can be repaired), they give it to someone in need.  If it can't be repaired, they will use the good parts of the vehicle to repair other cars.  Either way, she continues to serve.  The instructor is going to have a humdinger of a time with diagnosing and repairing everything that was wrong with the car.  Yep, she had lots of issues, but she still went up and down the road.  When I had a repair done soon after I got to Colorado, the mechanic asked me how in the world I drove 1400 miles in this car.  Y'all know how!

I know it's just a car, but I've had this car for nearly 12 years.  We've gone through house moves, church transitions, job changes, funerals for friends and family, and the aforementioned trek from Alabama to Colorado.  Most importantly, we've done so much ministry together.  From playing gigs with both my home churches' worship teams to delivering baby items to Sav-A-Life, from visiting the lonely in the nursing home to seeing sick friends in the hospital, from teaching Bible Studies to giving my testimony at various Celebrate Recovery gatherings, we've been through it all. 

As I say goodbye, my prayer is that the next Auntiemobile (may she come speedily) will give me even more joy and we get to have even more adventures together.