The Mountain Meadows Massacre of 1857 and the Trials of John D. Lee: An Accountby Douglas O. Linder (2006)
Called "the darkest deed of the nineteenth century," the brutal 1857 murder of 120 men, women, and children at a place in southern Utah called Mountain Meadows remains one of the most controversial events in the history of the American West. Although only one man, John D. Lee, ever faced prosecution (for what was the largest mass killing of civilians in the United States until Timothy McVeigh's Ryder truck blew up near a federal office building in Oklahoma City in 1995), many other Mormons ordered, planned, or participated in the massacre of wagon loads of Arkansas emigrants as they headed through southwestern Utah on their way to California. Special controversy surrounds the role in the 1857 events of one man, Brigham Young, the fiery prophet of the Church of Latter-day Saints who led his embattled people to the "promised land" in the valley of the Great Salt Lake. What exactly Brigham Young knew, and when he knew it, are questions that historians still debate.The tragedy in Mountain Meadows on September 11--a date that would later come to stand for another senseless loss of life--can only be understood in the context of the colorful history of the most important American-grown religion, Mormonism. Today, Mormonism has gone mainstream and Mormons seem to be just one more strand among many in the nation's religious fabric. Mormonism, however, as it existed in the mid-nineteenth century, was an altogether different matter. Brigham Young's provocative communalist religion endorsed polygamy, supported a theocracy, and advocated the violent doctrine of "blood atonement"--the killing of persons committing certain sins as the only way of saving their otherwise damned souls. It is not surprising that practicioners of such a religion might grow suspicious of persons outside of their religious community, nor should it be surprising that non-Mormons living in, or traveling through, the very Mormon territory of Utah might feel like "strangers in a strange land."In July 1847, seventeen years after Joseph Smith and a group of five other men founded the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in New York and three years after an Illinois lynch mob killed Smith, Brigham Young and his band of followers entered Salt Lake valley. When a territorial government was formed in Utah in 1850, Young, the second head of the Church of Latter-day Saints, became the territory's first governor. The principle of "separation of church and state" carried little weight in the new territory. The laws of the territory reflected the views of Young. In a speech before Congress, federal judge and outspoken Mormon critic John Cradlebaugh said, "The mind of one man permeates the whole mass of the people, and subjects to its unrelenting tyranny the souls and bodies of all. It reigns supreme in Church and State, in morals, and even in the minutest domestic and social arrangements. Brigham's house is at once tabernacle, capital, and harem; and Brigham himself is king, priest, lawgiver, and chief polygamist."
Rising Tensions
Tensions between federal officials and Mormons in the new territory escalated over time. Historian Will Bagley, author of Blood of the Prophets: Brigham Young and the Massacre at Mountain Meadows, wrote that "the struggle often resembled comic opera more than a political battle." According to Bagley, "As both sides talked past each other, hostile rhetoric fanned the Mormons resentment of government. From their standpoint, they had patiently endured two decades of bitter persecution with great forbearance, but their patience with their long list of enemies had worn thin." As early as 1851, Governor Young said in a speech, "Any President of the United States who lifts his finger against these people shall die an untimely death and go to hell!" When drought and grasshopper infestations produced desperate economic conditions in Utah (or Deseret, as the Mormons called the territory), Brigham Young concluded that the problem stemmed from a loss of righteousness among his people. In early 1856, Young launched the Reformation, a campaign to arouse religious consciousness. Mormon leadership urged spiritual repentance and rebaptisms. All those unwilling to make the necessary religious sacrifices were invited to leave Utah. The most troubling aspect of the Reformation was its obsession with the doctrine of blood atonement. Young asked his followers to kill Mormons who committed unpardonable sins: "If our neighbor...wishes salvation, and it is necessary to spill his blood upon the ground in order that he be saved, spill it." While Young aimed his fiery words about blood atonement at Mormons who committed serious sins, his speeches undoubtedly contributed to a growing culture of violence. The Reformation might have had a spiritual goal, but it fueled a fanaticism that led to the tragedy at Mountain Meadows.In 1857, conflict between the Mormon leadership and Utah and the federal government reached the boiling point. Worried that a federal army might be sent to the territory, the Mormon-dominated Utah legislature enacted legislation in January reactivating the territorial militia, called the Nauvoo Legion. Federal officials in Utah complained of harassment and destruction of records by Mormon citizens. On April 15, 1857, a federal judge, the territorial surveyor and the U. S. marshal (all the federal officials in Utah except one Indian agent) fled the state, convinced that they were about to be killed. President James Buchanan responding by ordering an army to Utah to quell what he called a "rebellion." Buchanan's order alarmed Utah's Mormon population, who saw it as nothing less than a threat to the existence of their religion. Past persecution experienced by Mormons in the Midwest made the danger seem especially real. Church officials referred to Federal officials and the U. S. army as "enemies," and Utahans readied for what many saw as a life-or-death struggle for their faith. Young embarked on an effort to rally Indian support for the Mormon cause--support that he saw as potentially critical in the battle to come.Meanwhile, several extended families left Arkansas by wagon train on what they planned to be their long emigration to southern California. Unfortunately for the groups of families (which came to be called "the Fancher party"), a revered Mormon apostle, Parley Pratt, was murdered in western Arkansas within two weeks of their departure. News of the Pratt murder, committed by a non-Mormon angered over Pratt's taking of his wife, soon reached Utah, and greatly inflamed local hostility toward non-Mormons. When further word reached Salt Lake in July 1857 that the army was headed its way, Utah became a place hungry for retribution.On September 1, 1857, Brigham Young met in Salt Lake City with southern Indian chiefs. According to an entry in the diary of Dimick Huntington, Young's brother-in-law who was present at the meeting, Young encouraged the Indians to seize "all the cattle" of emigrants that traveled on the "south route" (through southern Utah) to California. (The journal entry actually says Young "gave" the Paiute chiefs the emigrant's cattle.) The meeting increased the likelihood of a violent encounter between Indians and emigrants, something Young apparently saw as a useful shot across the federal government's bow. In fact, Young had been working on such a plan even before his September 1 meeting, having sent apostle George A. Smith south with instructions to let the Indians know that Young considered emigration through Utah a threat to the well-being of both Mormon and Indian residents of the territory.The same day that Young talked with Paiute leaders, the Fancher Party, consisting of about 140 Arkansans, camped about seventy miles north of Mountain Meadows. On the Fancher party's way through Utah, rumors spread that some of its members participated in the killing of Parley Pratt and the lynching of Joseph Smith in Illinois. John D. Lee, a Mormon living in southern Utah, believed the stories to be true: "This lot of people had men amongst them that were supposed to have held kill the prophets in the Carthage jail." (Later, in attempts to rationalize the slaughter, Utahans would accuse the Fancher party of committing all sorts of manufactured sins and depredations: "tormenting women," swearing, insulting the Mormon Church, brandishing pistols, and even poisoning cattle. There is virtually no evidence to support any of these charges. Undoubtedly, the Fancher party understood it was not welcome in the territory and simply wanted to get out as fast as possible.)On September 4, Cedar City was gripped in the white heat of fanaticism as the Fancher train rolled into the southwestern Utah town. The wagon train's imminent arrival had prompted Isaac Haight, second in command of the Iron Brigade (the Nauvoo Legion's force in southern Utah) and President of the Cedar City Stake of Zion (the highest Mormon ecclesiastical official in southern Utah), to call a meeting to discuss the course of action to be taken against the emigrants. According to Lee's later account of the meeting, Haight said it was "the will of all in authority" to arm Paiute and incite them to "kill part or all" of the party. Haight sent Indian interpreter Nelphi Johnson off on a mission to "stir up" the Indians so that they might "give the emigrants a good hush." Haight shed no tears for the party's fate, telling Lee, "There will not be one drop of innocent blood shed, if every one in the damned pack are killed, for they are the worse lot of outlaws and ruffians that I ever saw in my life." Sunday, September 6 was a day for dramatic speech making at Mormon services around Utah. In Salt Lake City, Brigham Young took the occasion to declare that the Almighty recognized Utah as a free and independent people, no longer bound by the laws of the United States. In Cedar City, meanwhile, Isaac Haight told those gathered at the morning service that "I am prepared to fee to the Gentiles the same bread they fed to us. God being my helper, I will give the last ounce of strength and if need be my last drop of blood in defense of Zion." That Sunday evening, the Fancher party crossed over the rim of the Great Basin and encamped at a place called Mountain Meadows.The next morning's calm at the meadows was interrupted by gunfire. A child who survived the attack wrote later, "Our party was just sitting down to a breakfast of quail and cottontail rabbits when a shot rang out from a nearby gully, and one of the children toppled over, hit by a bullet." The shots came from forty to fifty Indians and Mormons disguised as Indians. The well-armed emigrants returned fire. Soon the gun battle turned into a siege. Meanwhile, in Cedar City, Isaac Haight, responding to pressure from Mormons lacking enthusiasm for the attack on the emigrants, sends a courier on a 600-mile trip (that will take six days, round trip, to inform Brigham Young of the situation at Mountain Meadows and asking his guidance about what to do next. Over the next three days, Mormon reinforcements, totally about 100 men, continued to arrive at the battle scene. Men on horseback carried messages back to Haight, and his immediate superior in the Nauvoo Legion and head of southern Utah forces, William Dame. Dame reportedly reiterated his determination to not less the emigrants pass: "My orders are that all the emigrants [except the youngest children] must be done away with." On September 10, the messenger send to Salt Lake City arrived and handed Haight's letter to Young. Young, according to published Mormon reports, sent the messenger back to Haight with a note telling him to let the Indians "do as they please," but--as for Mormon participation in the siege--if the emigrants will leave Utah, "let them go in peace." The message will be too late.
The Massacre
By September 11, Legion officers had devised a plan for ending the stand-off. Most of the Paiutes had left after growing weary of the siege and could play no role in the bloody conclusion. The plan was devious, but effective. Major John Higbee, in command of the forces at Mountain Meadows, persuaded John Lee and William Bateman to act as decoys to draw them out from the protection of their wagons. Lee and Bateman, carrying a white flag, marched across the field to the emigrants camp. The desperate emigrants agreed to the terms promised by Lee: They would give up their arms, wagons, and cattle, in return for promise that they would not be harmed as they embarked on a 35-mile hike back to Cedar City. Samuel McMurdy, a member of the Nauvoo Legion, took the reigns of one of the wagons into which were loaded some of the youngest children. A woman and a few seriously injured emigrant men were loaded into a second wagon. John Lee positioned himself between the two wagons as they pulled out. Following the two wagons, the women and the older children of the Fancher party walked behind. After the wagons had moved on, Higbee ordered the emigrant men to begin walking in single file. An armed Mormon "guard" escorted each emigrant man.When the escorted men had fallen a quarter mile or so behind the women and children, who had just crested a small hill, Higbee yelled, "Halt! Do your duty!" Each of the Mormon men shot and killed the emigrant at his side. Meanwhile, on the other side of the hill, Nelphi Johnson shouted the order to begin the slaughter of the women and older children. Men rushed at the defenseless emigrants from both sides, and the killing went on amidst "hideous, demon-like yells." Nancy Huff, four years old at the time of the massacre, later remembered the horror: "I saw my mother shot in the forehead and fall dead. The women and children screamed and clung together. Some of the young women begged the assassins after they run out on us not to kill them, but they had no mercy on them, clubbing their guns and beating out their brains." It was over in just a few minutes. 120 members of the Fancher party were dead. The youngest children, seventeen or eighteen in all, were gathered up, to later be placed in Mormon homes. None of the survivors was over seven years old.The next day, Colonel Dame and Lt. Colonel Haight visited the site of the massacre with John Lee and Philip Klingensmith. Lee, in his confession, described the field on that day: "The bodies of men, women and children had been stripped entirely naked, making the scene one of the most loathsome and ghastly that can be imagined." Dame appeared shocked by what he found. "I did not think there were so many of them [women and children], or I would not have had anything to do with, Dame reportedly said. Haight, angered by Dame's remark, expressed concern that Dame might try to blame him for an action that Dame had ordered. The men agreed on one thing, however: Mormon participation in the massacre had to be kept secret. Within twenty-fours hours, Haight had another reason for concern. Brigham Young's reply to his inquiry arrived in Cedar City. "Too late, too late," Haight said as he read Young's letter and began to cry.Brigham Young declared martial law on September 15. In his proclamation (of dubious legality), Young prohibited "all armed forces...from entering this territory" and ordered the Nauvoo Legion to prepare for an expected invasion by federal forces. The proclamation also prohibited any person from passing through the territory without a permit from "the proper officer."Shortly after his proclamation, Young learned of the tragic events at Mountain Meadows, first from Indian chiefs and then from John Lee, who traveled to Salt Lake City to provide a detailed account of the massacre. According to Lee, Young at first expressed dismay about the Mormon participation in the massacre. He seemed especially concerned that news of the massacre would damage the national reputation of the Latter-day Saints The next day, however, Young said he was at peace with what happened. According to Lee, Young said, "I asked the Lord if it was all right for the deed to be done, to take away the vision of the deed from my mind, and the Lord did so, and I feel first rate. It is all right. The only fear I have is from traitors."
Response to the Massacre
The first published reports of the massacre begin appearing in California newspapers in October. One came from John Aiken, who with mail carrier John Hunt, passed by Mountain Meadows in late September with a pass signed by William Dame. Aiken wrote, "I saw about twenty wolves feasting upon the carcasses of the murdered. Mr. Hunt shot at a wolf, and they ran a few yards and halted. I noticed that the women and children were more generally eaten by the wild beasts than were the men." The Los Angeles Star called it the "foulest massacre ever perpetrated," and added that responsibility for the attack "will not be known until the Government makes a full investigation of the affair." The San Francisco Bulletin was far less restrained, calling for "a crusade against Utah which will crush out this beast of heresy forever." Public outrage grew. Americans from California to Washington, D. C. begin calling for military action against those responsible for the crime.Aware of the sensitivity of the events at Mountain Meadows, Mormon officials from Young on down worked to shift the blame for the massacre either to Indians or the emigrants themselves. By November, John Lee completed a fictionalized account of the massacre, attributing all the killing to Indians, and sent the report on to Young. Young, as Superintendent of Indians in addition to his other titles, prepared a report blaming the massacre on the mistreatment of Indians by non-Mormons, and sent it on to the Indian Commissioner. "Capt. Fancher & Co. fell victim to the Indians' wrath near Mountain Meadows," Young wrote. "Lamentable as the case truly is, it is only the natural consequences of that fatal policy which treats Indians like wolves, or other ferocious beasts."None of the Mormon-drafted reports, however, prevented Congress from debating the massacre. On March 18, 1858, Congress ordered an official inquiry into the cause of the tragedy of September 11. The next month, one fourth of the United States army reached Fort Bridger, in present-day Wyoming. Rather than fight the Nauvoo Legion forces guarding the canyons leading to Salt Lake, General Albert Alston decided to overwinter at the Fort. President Buchanan expressed his determination to put down the "rebellion" in Utah, with force if necessary: "Humanity itself requires that we should put it down in a manner that it shall be the last."In this dark moment of Mormon history, Brigham Young had the good fortune in April 1858 of being replaced as Governor of Utah by Alfred Cumming, a gullible man who believed Young's promise to get to the bottom of the Mountain Meadows matter, and who established, as his principal goal, preserving peace in the Utah territory. Governor Cumming planned a trip south to Mountain Meadows almost as soon as he took office to investigate "that damned atrocity," as he put it. Young, in a visit to Cumming's office, succeeded in convincing the governor of his genuine desire to identify the perpetrators. Cummings decided to put "the whole matter" in Young's hands, trusting him "to put the finger upon the miscreants." He also recognized, as he later told Young, "I can do nothing here without your influence." Pushing to open again free emigration on the south route, Cummings took pleasure in announcing on May 11, "the Road is now open." Over time, Cummings became convinced that the threats to the territory's peace of an aggressive inquiry into the Mountain Meadows massacre, in his mind, outweighed the benefits. He also lacked the will to challenge Young and was, in the words of one observer, "mere putty" in the Mormon leader's hands.In the latter half of 1858, the federal government began to reassert some measure of federal control in the Utah territory. On June 26, federal troops marched through Salt Lake City, on their way to a fort forty miles from the city under the terms of a deal brokered with Young. (The deal included a pardon for those acts considered part of "the rebellion.") In November, U. S. District Judge John Cradlebaugh arrived in Utah and, unlike the governor, saw no reason not to aggressively pursue justice for the victims of the Mountain Meadows massacre. After several months of investigation, Judge Cradlebaugh issued arrest warrants for John Lee, Isaac Haight, and John Higbee for the murders. Angered by his discovery that the massacre was committed "by order of council," the judge wrote a letter to President Buchanan seeking his commitment to secure convictions for the guilty. Cradlebaugh's efforts, however, were frustrated when the federal case is essentially dropped after the U. S. marshal declared his unwillingness to execute arrest warrants without federal troops to protect him from local citizens--and that help was not provided. By 1860, with the Union ready to split apart, interest in prosecuting the Mountain Meadows case waned. Governor Cumming saw little reason to press for prosecution, especially in a territory where the law put jury selection entirely in the hands of Mormon officials. "God Almighty couldn't convict the butchers unless Brigham Young was willing," Cumming said.
The Trials of John D. Lee
Renewed interest in the Mountain Meadows case developed in the early 1870s, thanks largely to a series of stories in the Utah Reporter by Charles W. Wandell, writing under the pen name "Argus," that challenged Brigham Young's response to the massacre. Wandell's articles produced the first confession in the case when, on April 10, 1871, Philip Klingensmith, a former LDS bishop who subsequently left the Church, appeared in a Nevada court and swore out an account of the massacre, including a detailed description of his own role in the crime. Still, however, Mormon control of the Utah justice system stymied any prosecution in Utah.The key to a possible successful prosecution finally came in 1874. Congress passed the Poland Act, which redefined the jurisdiction of the courts in Utah. The law restricted the authority of Mormon-controlled probate courts and opened all Utah juries to non-Mormons. Within months of passage of the Poland Act, arrest warrants for nine men: Lee, Higbee, Haight, Dame, Klingensmith, Stewart, Wilden, and Jukes. Federal authorities arrested John Lee, long considered Mormon officials' most likely candidate for scapegoat for the massacre, after finding him hiding in a chicken coop near Panguitch, Utah, on November 7, 1874. Shortly thereafter, Dame was also arrested.
The First Trial
The trial of John D. Lee opened on July 23, 1875 before U. S. District Judge Jacob Boreman in Beaver, Utah. Talk of possible mob action against witnesses filled the crowded streets of Beaver. Marshal Maxwell sought to preserve order by threatening potential instigators: "We will hang any god damned Bishop to a telegraph pole and turn their houses over their heads." The crowd, the bailiff reported to Judge Boreman, got the message that the government meant business.U. S. attorneys William C. Carey and Robert Baskin managed the prosecution, while four attorneys--bankrolled by Brigham Young--comprised Lee's defense team. Marshal Maxwell sought to preserve order by threatening potential instigators: "We will hang any god damned Bishop to a telegraph pole and turn their houses over their heads." Throughout the trial, conflicts arose among Lee's lawyers, with two members of the defense team (including Wells Spicer who, six years later as a magistrate in Tombstone, ruled--after a several week hearing--that the Earp brothers and Doc Holliday should face a criminal trial for the famous "shoot-out at the O.K. Corral") determined to provide Lee with his strongest possible defense even if it meant implicating higher Mormon officials, while two other members of the team seemed equally focused on protecting those same higher officials. The jury, gathered in the improvised courtroom on the second floor of the Beaver City Cooperative, consisted of eight Mormons, one former Mormon, and three non-Mormons.After Carey opened the case for the prosecution with a compelling description of the massacre, a parade of witnesses took the stand to describe various aspects of a concerted plan by Mormon officials to make life for emigrants traveling through Utah in 1857 as difficult as possible. Several witnesses testified that they had received orders not to sell grain or provisions to the Fancher party. One witness said he was hit over the head by fence paling because he sold onions to one member of the party who was a friend of his from years back. Another witness testified Church officials excommunicated him after he traded one emigrant cheese for a bed quilt. Still other witnesses recalled the fiery sermons of George A. Smith and other Church leaders, all warning of the threats posed by emigration through the state, in that 1857 summer of high passions and fanaticism.The prosecution's star witness was Philip Klingensmith, the former bishop of Cedar City and the apostate Mormon whose affidavit given in a Nevada courtroom had first renewed hopes of achieving long-delayed justice in the Mountain Meadows case. The heavyset Klingensmith began his account slowly, but his emotions showed as the events he described moved toward their tragic climax. He recounted how the Mormon men responded to the militia call by traveling to the emigrant's camp by wagon and horseback. He told of the men watching in formation as John Lee conducted his "negotiations" with the emigrants. Finally, he described the killing. From his vantage point, he could see only the shooting of the men; Lee was over the crest of the hill with the wagons and the women and children. About fifty of the emigrant men, Klingensmith testified, died with the first volleys from their "guards." A few started to run away, but none got very far. Lee appeared downcast as the prosecution's chief witness told his story of death. Klingensmith said Lee and the other men acted on orders from Higbee, which had come from Isaac Haight, and--in turn, he thought--from Dame. The former bishop testified that a few weeks after the massacre he was among a group of Mormons that met with Brigham Young. Young, he said, discussed how the emigrant's property should be divided and counseled them against discussing the massacre: "What you know about this affair do not tell to anybody; do not even talk about it among yourselves."
For the defense, Wells Spicer presented Lee as a reluctant participant. He said the emigrant's own bad behavior was largely responsible for the massacre, and that Lee had cried and "tried to protect the emigrants" when their killing had first been proposed by Haight and Higbee. Lee only did what he did, Spicer said, after having John Higbee aim a loaded rifle at his head. According to the defense attorney's version of events, hundreds of Indians at Mountain Meadows forced the few dozen white men into helping in the killing: "if they didn't, the Indians would kill them and sweep off their homes, and families and settlements." In the trial's oddest turn of events, Spicer came back after a courtroom recess to withdraw all his remarks concerning Lee's having acted under orders. Spicer's 180-degree turn, according to a report of the trial, "left the gentlemen of the jury in a hapless state of mystification." Clearly, some people were not at all happy that Spicer had adopted a strategy of pointing fingers at higher officials.The defense never presented a cohesive story of the massacre itself. Instead, it presented witnesses that testified that members of the Fancher party had done things to earn the enmity of local Indians. One witness claimed to have seen members of the wagon train leave bags of poison by a spring at Corn Creek. The defense witness testified that Indians told him that members of their tribe had died after drinking poisoned water from the spring. On cross-examination, however, the defense's poison story fell apart. In his summation, defense attorney Jabez Sutherland said the massacre was all the doing of the righteously angered Paiutes: "[The Indians] were implacable in their wrath, and even threatened the Mormons for their efforts to pacify them."The prosecution, in Brigham's Young's Utah with a jury that included eight Mormons, never expected a guilty verdict--and they didn't get one. The jury hung, with the eight Mormons and the one former Mormon voting to acquit Lee, and the three non-Mormons voting to convict. A newspaper in Idaho presented a typically cynical view of the trial's outcome: "It would be as unreasonable to expect a jury of highwaymen to convict a stage robber as it would be to get Mormons to find one of their own peculiar faith guilty of a crime."
The Second Trial
What a difference a trial makes: the second trial of John D. Lee bore almost no resemblance to the first. Mormon witnesses against Lee suddenly materialized in the second trial, many with enhanced memories that put Lee in the middle of the killing. The prosecutors, in a rejection of the strategy in the first case which placed shared blame well up the Mormon command chain, suddenly seemed only too willing to present Lee as the driving force behind the massacre. What happened?What happened, apparently, is that a deal--or at least an understanding--was reached. In April 1876 Sumner Howard replaced William Carey as the U. S. Attorney for Utah. Under pressure from Washington and the public to convict someone for the massacre, Howard pondered how a unanimous jury verdict could ever be achieved in the case without Brigham Young giving the prosecution his blessing. It couldn't, he concluded. An agreement with Young had to be struck. Howard and Young met in Salt Lake. Young was anxious to put the Mountain Meadows matter behind and accepted that someone had to be sacrificed. The excommunicated Lee was the obvious candidate. The terms of the agreement between Howard and Young were never disclosed, but former U. S. attorney Robert Baskin outlined his speculation as to the key understandings. Baskin believed that Howard agreed to impanel an all-Mormon jury, place Brigham Young's 1875 affidavit in evidence, present testimony that would tend to exonerate higher Mormon officials, and--after trying Lee--promised to prosecute no one else for what happened at Mountain Meadows. In return, Young would help round up witnesses who would incriminate Lee and see to it that the jury returned a conviction. (Not everyone is willing, however, to accept Baskin's speculation as truth. Howard denied that a deal had been struck in a letter he sent to Attorney General Taft. Howard instead suggested that Lee's attorney manufactured the deal theory in a last-ditch attempt to gain sympathy for his client. Critics of the deal theory also note that the government made some efforts--although rather half-hearted--to pursue other massacre perpetrators until 1888, when the case was finally dropped.)The second trial began on September 14, 1876, soon after the prosecution dropped all charges against William Dame. Jury selection went quickly, as a report sent to Brigham Young noted: "Howard made no effort to get Gentiles on the Jury--In fact the word Mormon was scarcely mentioned in court all day." The surprising turn of events--the Church aiding the prosecution--left Lee's defense attorney, William Bishop, angry and confused. Before the trial began, Bishop assumed that the Mormon leadership would protect his client. Writing a few months after trial, Bishop's anger poured out: "I claim that Brigham Young is the real criminal, and that John D. Lee was an instrument in his hands. That Brigham Young used John Lee, as the assassin uses the dagger to strike down his unsuspecting victim; as as the assassin throws away the dagger, to avoid the bloody blade leading to his detection, so brigham Young used John Lee to do his horrid work; and when the discovery becomes unavoidable, he hurls Lee from him...and casts him far out into the whirlpool of destruction."From its opening statement on, the prosecution made clear that its goal was to convict John Lee, not try the entire Mormon hierarchy. The prosecution case made Lee to appear even more guilty than he was. Lee incited the Indians to attack the wagon train. Through deception, Lee lured other Mormons into the battle. Lee hatched the plan that led to the massacre. Lee himself killed a number of emigrants, then helped divide the plunder. Out of the Utah woodwork came a whole host of loyal Mormons ready to testify as to Lee's bad deeds. Samuel Knight testified that he watched Lee club a woman to death. Samuel McMurdy said he saw Lee shoot a woman, as well as two or three of the wounded emigrants. Jacob Hamblin told the court he witnessed Lee throw down a girl "and cut her throat." Nelphi Johnson testified that Lee and Klingensmith seemed to be "engineering the whole thing."Lee could do little against the onslaught but complain. Pacing his cell floor during a break in the trial, Lee bitterly complained that witnesses were charging him with "awful deeds...that they did with their own wicked hands." Everyone could see the game plan: the buck stops with Lee. The memories of witnesses memories suddenly faded when asked to name other Mormons present at the battle see. No one could remember who else might have participated in the killing.Resigned to his fate, Lee asked his attorneys to present no defense after the prosecution closed its case. With little evidence from which to draw, William Bishop in his summation could only note the obvious: "The Mormon Church had resolved to sacrifice Lee, discarding him as of no further use." On September 20, 1876, at 3:30 in the afternoon in Beaver, the all-Mormon jury returned its verdict. John Lee was guilty of murder in the first degree.
The Execution
When asked by Judge Boreman if he wished to say anything prior to sentencing, Lee remained silent. Boreman sentenced Lee to be executed in three weeks. Lee told the judge, "I prefer to be shot."Appeals delayed Lee's scheduled execution over five months. Lee used much of the time to write his autobiography. On a March afternoon in 1877 in Beaver, Utah, U. S. Marshal William Nelson led John Lee to a closed carriage that would take him south over the emigrant trail to Mountain Meadows. On March 23, Lee, dressed in a red flannel shirt, enjoyed breakfast and a cup of coffee near the site of the 1857 massacre. A minister walked the condemned man to his own coffin. Lee sat down on the coffin while the Marshal read his death warrant. When the reading ended, he rose to address the federal officers, firing squad, and seventy or so spectators. "I feel as calm as the summer morn," Lee told the gathering, "and I have done nothing intentionally wrong. My conscience is clear before God and man....Not a particle of mercy have I asked of the court, the world, or officials to spare my life. I do not fear death, I shall never go to a worse place that I am now in...I am a true believer int he gospel of Jesus Christ. I do not believe everything that is now being taught and practiced by Brigham Young. I do not care who hears it. It is my last word--it is so. I believe he is leading the people astray, downward to destruction. But I believe in the gospel that was taught in its purity by Joseph Smith...I have been sacrificed in a cowardly, dastardly manner....Having said this, I feel resigned. I ask the Lord, my God, if my labors are done, to receive my spirit."Lee shook hands with those around them and resumed his seat on his coffin. He shouted to the firing squad, hidden in three wagons forming a semi-circle around him: "Center my heart, boys! Don't mangle my body!" When the shots came, he fell back without a cry.
Epilogue
Five months after Lee's execution Brigham Young died. The cause of death was uncertain, but appendicitis was suspected. William Bishop, Lee's attorney in his second trial, sent the manuscript Lee had completed in prison to a publishing company in St. Louis. In 1877, Mormonism Unveiled or the Life and Confession of John D. Lee became an immediate bestseller. The book provided an important history of early Mormonism as well as offering Lee's somewhat self-serving account of the events leading to the Mountain Meadows massacre. As historian Will Bagley noted, Lee "reconstructed his chronology to distance himself from the initial attack" and provided blistering attacks on the men who testified against him. Lee's list of murderers, aside from those who admitted killing emigrants, included only his enemies.In 1998, Gordon B. Hinckley, President of the Church of Latter-day Saints, visited Mountain Meadows. He found himself embarrassed at the dilapidated condition of monument at the site and committed the Church to building a proper memorial. "We owe [the dead] respect," Hinckley declared, "that land is sacred ground." On September 11, 1999, a new monument was dedicated at Mountain Meadows. President Hinckley, in the afternoon sunshine, told the assembled crowd: "[The past] cannot be recalled. It cannot be changed. It is time to leave the entire matter in the hands of God."
The best source for more information about the Mountain Meadows Massacre and the subsequent investigations and trials is: Blood of the Prophets: Brigham Young and the Mountain Meadows Massacre by Will Bagley (Univ. of Oklahoma Press 2002).
ChronologyMountain Meadows Monument (circa 1900)
April 6, 1830
A group of six men including Joseph Smith organize "The Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-day Saints" (later often called the Mormon Church) in Fayette, New York
July 1847
Leading a band of Mormons fleeing persecution in the East, Brigham Young (successor to the martyred Joseph Smith) arrives in the valley of the Great Salt Lake (in present day Utah) and declares it the permanent home of his people.
1850
A territorial government is established in Utah, with Brigham Young its first governor.
1856
Brigham Young announces the Reformation, a plan to arouse religious consciousness among Mormons that also had the effect of encouraging fanaticism and suspicion of outsiders.
January 14, 1857
The Utah legislature reorganizes the territorial militia by reactivating what was called the Nauvoo Legion. Daniel Wells is named commander-in-chief of the Legion.
Spring 1857
Reports of harassment of federal officials and destruction of court records by Mormons convince President Buchanan to send an army to Utah to quell the "rebellion." (A federal judge, a territorial surveyor, and the U.S. marshal--all the federal officials in Utah except for one Indian agent--fled the territory on April 15, convinced that they were about to be killed.)
April and May 1857
Several extended families leave Arkansas on what is planned to be a long emigration via wagon train to California. The route for the Fancher party, consisting of about 140 men, women, and children, will eventually take them through Utah. In May, Parley Pratt, one of the original apostles of the LDS Church, is murdered in western Arkansas by an aggrieved husband whose wife Pratt had taken.
June 1857
News of Parley Pratt's killing reaches Utah in late June and inflames Mormon hostility against non-Mormons.
July 1857
Word reaches Mormon officials in Utah that a federal army is on its way to the Territory to quiet what federal officials call "a rebellion."
September 1, 1857
As the Fancher party camps 70 miles north of Mountain Meadows, Brigham Young meets in Salt Lake City with southern Indian chiefs to devise a strategy to stop overland emigration through southern Utah. In the meeting, according to an entry in the diary of Dimick Huntington, Young's brother-in-law, Young encouraged the Indians to seize "all the cattle" on the "south route" to California.
September 4, 1857
The Fancher party arrives in Cedar City, Utah. About this time, Isaac Haight, second in command of the Nauvoo Legion's southern brigade, tells John Lee that he planned to arm the Paiute Indians and "send them after the emigrants." Two chiefs meet with Haight and John Higbee and receive orders to kill the Fancher party members and take their property as spoil.
September 5, 1857
John Lee heads south and camps with his Paiute war party. Men ordered by Haight and Higbee to participate in the action against the emigrants are told to report to a place in the hills near the ranch of Jacob Hamblin. The Fancher party heads south toward Mountain Meadows.
September 6, 1857
Brigham Young, in a sermon, declares that the Almighty recognizes Mormon Utah as a free and independent people, no longer bound by the laws of the United States.
September 7, 1857
The Fancher party, encamped near Mountain Meadows, wakes to gunfire coming from about 40 to 50 (some accounts give a much higher number) Indians and Mormons disguised as Indians. The well-armed Fancher party puts up strong resistance and the battle turns into a siege. Haight, responding to pressure from some Mormons, sends a courier to Brigham Young (a 600-mile round trip that would take at least four days) informing him of the situation at Mountain Meadows and asking him what to do next.
September 8-10, 1857
Mormon reinforcements, totally about 100 men, arrive at Mountain Meadows and join the fight. Haight and Colonel William Dame, the head of southern Utah's militia, are kept informed of developments. A meeting is held at Dame's house at which he says, "My orders are that the emigrants [except the youngest children] must be done away with." On September 10, militia commanders ring the town bell in Cedar City, calling out trusted members of the Nauvoo Legion. The same day, the messenger carrying news to Salt Lake gives Haight's letter to Brigham Young. Young, according to published Mormon reports, sends a message back to let the Indians "do as they please," but--as for Mormon participation in the siege--if they will leave Utah, "let them go in peace."
September 11, 1857
Mormon leaders devise a plan to end the stand-off. Carrying a white flag, Mormons meet with members of the Fancher party and pledge the emigrants safe passage back to Cedar City as a way of getting them to give up their arms. The Fancher party is divided into two wagons, carrying the wounded and the youngest children ("the innocent blood"), with the older children and women marching behind, followed by the men, marching in single file. The men are led off to a place near the side of the road where Higbee orders a group of Mormons guards to begin the killing: "Do your duty!" A quarter of a mile away, John Lee leads the wagons until they reach a point where Nelphi Johnson orders the slaughter of the women and older children. Men rush at the party from both sides, and the killing continues amidst "hideous, demon-like yells." It is over in just a few minutes. 120 members of the Fancher party are dead. The youngest children, those under about age seven, are taken away.
September 12, 1857
Col. Dame and Lt. Col. Haight visit the massacre site with John Lee. Dame seemed appalled at what he saw and said, "I did not think there were so many of them [women and children], or I would not have had anything to do with it." Dame's comment angered Haight, who expressed concern that Dame might try to throw the blame on him for an action that he ordered. (Lee's account) The men pledge to keep Mormon participation in the massacre secret.
September 13, 1857
The messenger sent to ask of Brigham Young what to do with the emigrants at Mountain Meadows returns to Cedar City and presents a letter from Young to Isaac Haight. "Too late, too late," Haight says as he reads the letter and begins to cry.
September 15, 1857
Brigham Young issues a proclamation (of questionable legality) declaring martial law in the Utah Territory. The proclamation prohibits "all armed forces...from entering this Territory," orders the Nauvoo Legion to prepare for an invasion, and prohibits any person from passing through the Territory without a permit from "the proper officer."
September 16 or 17, 1857
Brigham Young hears his first reports concerning Mormon participation in the massacre at Mountain Meadows.
September 20, 1857
John Lee leaves for Salt Lake, where he will provide Young with a detailed account of the massacre. According to Lee, Young first expresses dismay and concern that the massacre will damage the LDS reputation. The next day, however, Young tells Lee, "I asked the Lord if it was all right for the deed to be done, to take away the vision of the deed from my mind, and the Lord did so, and I feel first rate. It is all right. The only fear I have is from traitors."
September 27, 1857
Garland Hurt, the federal Indian agent for the Territory, hears reports that he will be assassinated by Mormons who fear that he knows too much about the massacre and, with the help of Utes, flees to safety.
October 1857
Federal forces, under General Albert Johnston, sent to suppress the Utah rebellion decide to overwinter at Fort Bridger, rather than fight the men of the Nauvoo Legion guarding the canyons leading to Salt Lake. Meanwhile, the first published reports of the massacre begin to appear in the press. The reports place much of the blame on Mormon fanatics, and many people call for military action against those responsible. The San Francisco Bulletin, for example, calls for "a crusade against Utah which will crush out this beast of heresy forever."
November 20, 1857
Lee writes a fictionalized report of the massacre, attributing all the killing to the Indians, and sends it do Young.
January 6, 1858
Brigham Young submits a report to the Indian Commissioner laying the blame for the massacre on mistreatment of Indians by non-Mormons.
February 25, 1858
Thomas Kane, sent to Utah by President Buchanan to attempt to work out a peaceful solution to the Utah problem, arrives in Salt Lake City.
March 18, 1858
Congress debates the massacre at Mountain Meadows. It orders an inquiry.
April 1858
Alfred Cumming, the newly appointed governor of Utah sent from Washington, arrives in Salt Lake to assume office. Cumming announces that he will head south to begin an investigation of the massacre. Young assures Cumming that he is also determined to get to the truth of the matter, and Cumming seems to believe him.
May 11, 1858
Gov. Cumming declares the California trail open and says emigrants can once again "pass through Utah territory without hindrance or molestation."
June 26, 1858
Federal troops (one-fourth of the United States Army) march through Salt Lake City toward their headquarters at Camp Floyd, forty miles away. They do so after Young, recognizing the overwhelming size of the federal force, accepted federal terms--including a pardon for acts of rebellion.
August 6, 1858
George A. Smith, one of the twelve apostles in the LDS Church, begins drafting an apostolic report on the massacre. The report blames the emigrants for inciting Indians. It also places John Lee at the scene, thus identifying him as the best possible Mormon scapegoat for the crime. (Historian Juanita Brooks believes to be the person ultimately responsible for the massacre, having told Dame to issue the order that all the emigrants be killed.)
November 1858
U. S. District Judge John Cradlebaugh arrives in Utah and begins to take an immediate interest in prosecuting those responsible for the massacre. Prosecution will be frustrated by a Utah law that places jury selection in the hands of Mormon officials.
March 1859
Indian Superintendent Jacob Forney travels through southern Utah, rounding up children orphaned by the massacre. He eventually retrieves 17 children.
April 1859
Judge Cradlebaugh issues arrest warrants for John D. Lee, Isaac Haight, and John Higbee. The men, all accused in connection with the Mountain Meadows murders, flee.
May 5-6, 1859
The army and Judge Cradlebaugh inspect the massacre scene. Skulls, bones, masses of women's hair, and bits of clothing still litter the scene. Remains of the victims are buried by troops. Cradlebaugh follows up his visit with a letter to President Buchanan outlining his conclusion that the murders were committed "by order of council."
May 12, 1859
An arrest warrant is issued for Brigham Young. He appears voluntarily before Judge Joseph Smith (in a Mormon probate court) to give a statement about the massacre, in which he accused of being an accessory after the fact. The case is apparently dismissed for lack of evidence.
June 3, 1859
The federal case against 38 Mormons for the massacre is essentially dropped when the U. S. Marshal declares his unwillingness to make arrests without federal troops to protect him from local citizens, and that help is not provided.
August 13, 1859
A report from the scene of the massacre, accompanied by a grisly cover sketch, appears in Harper's Weekly.
December 12, 1859
Indian Superintendent Forney arrives in Washington, D.C. with the two oldest surviving boys from the massacre. Forney hopes the boys will be allowed to testify before Congress.
1860
With the Union ready to split apart, interest in prosecuting the Mountain Meadows massacre begins to wane. In Utah, Governor Cumming is unwilling to press prosecution, which he sees as futile: "God Almighty couldn't convict the butchers unless Brigham Young was willing."
1861
With the onset of the Civil War, federal troops leave Utah.
1862
Abraham Lincoln appoints non-Mormons to fill all federal offices in Utah and signs a law outlawing polygamy, although the law is largely ignored in Utah.
March 1864
John D. Lee, a man with a domineering personality who repeatedly boasted of his role in the massacre, is relieved of his position as elder of the Harmony, Utah branch of the LDS.
1868
Gov. J. Wilson Schaffer, appointed by President Grant, abolishes the Nauvoo Legion. The Mormon political condition generally begins to deteriorate.
1870-71
Charles W. Wandell, under the pen name "Argus," writes a series of stories in the Utah Reporter challenging Brigham Young's response to the Mountain Meadows massacre. Wandell's articles eventually produce the first confession by a massacre participant. About this time, Young meets with Lee, Haight, Dame, and others involved in the massacre. Historians suggest that Young singles out Lee to take the blame, confident in the belief that Lee will do as he is told at any trial. Lee is excommunicated.
April 10, 1871
Philip Klingensmith, a former LDS bishop who subsequently left the Church, appears in a Nevada court and swears out an account of the massacre, including his own role in it.
1874
Congress passes the Poland Act, which redefines the jurisdiction of courts in Utah. The law restricted the authority of Mormon-controlled probate courts and opened Utah juries to non-Mormons. The Poland Act finally makes prosecution for the murders at Mountain Meadows a real possibility.
October 1874
Arrests warrants are issued for Lee, Higbee, Haight, Stewart, Wilden, Adair, Klingensmith, Jukes, and Dame.
November 7, 1874
John Lee, a fugitive for fifteen years, is captured in a chicken coop near Panguitch, Utah. Soon thereafter, federal authorities arrest William Dame.
July 23, 1875
The trial of John Lee opens in the courtroom of Judge Jacob Boreman. Payment for Lee's defense is arranged by Brigham Young. The prosecution's star witness is Philip Klingensmith.
August 5, 1875
The trial of John Lee ends in a hung jury, with the nine Mormon jurors voting to acquit and the three non-Mormon jurors voting to convict. The trial, however, severely tarnishes the reputation of the LDS Church in the eyes of most Americans.
September 1, 1875
George A. Smith dies.
Summer 1876
Prosecutor Sumner Howard, the new U. S. attorney for Utah, makes a deal with Brigham Young. Young agrees to find witnesses to convict John Lee in return for his affidavit being placed in evidence (largely exonerating him) and charges are dropped against William Dame and other Mormon officials.
September 14, 1876
The second trial of John Lee opens in Beaver, Utah. Numerous Mormons testify against Lee, but the testimony does not implicate other Mormons. Lee asks that no witnesses testify in his behalf.
September 20, 1876
After only a few hours of deliberation, an all-Mormon jury convicts John Lee.
Winter 1876-77
While his appeals play out, John Lee writes his autobiography and confession, which he gives to his attorney, William Bishop, and which is later published under the title, Mormonism Unveiled.
March 23, 1877
John Lee is executed by firing squad while sitting on his coffin in Mountain Meadows.
August 29, 1877
Brigham Young dies, possibly of appendicitis.
August 3. 1999
A back hoe's claw exposes the skeletal remains of men, women, and children massacred in 1857.
September 11, 1999
Gordon B. Hinckley, President of the LDS Church, dedicates a new monument to the victims of the 1857 massacre. He says, "[The past] cannot be changed. It is time to leave the entire matter to God."
Mountain Meadows Massacre Trial Homepage
Monday, December 25, 2006
The silver crash of 1893
The effects of repealing the "Sherman Silver Purchase Act" in 1893 left deep scars in the economy of Colorado for many years to come.
Silver was King in Colorado in the 1880's. Men where making fortunes in mining, railroading and banking industries. Over-extended investments and sometimes sheer extravagance ruled the day.
To shed some light on what led to Colorado's severe Depression in the 1890's the currency system of the United States must be examined.
The US, since the days of George Washington, had based it's system on "bimetallism"...use of both gold and silver in legal coinage.
The Gold Rush to California in 1849 resulted in such large quantities of gold found that the value of gold became less. Previous to this, gold was 16 times more valuable (16x more silver in a silver dollar than gold in a gold dollar).
People began melting down silver dollars and using the silver for other purpose, such as jewelry. In 1873 Congress terminated the making of silver coins and placed the country on a "gold standard".
The great silver strikes of the 80's in the San Juan mountains and in places like Leadville made silver prices fall even further, but the mining of silver continued to be a profitable venture.
In 1890, President Benjamin Harrison agreed to purchase $4.5 million ounces of silver a month. The "Sherman Silver Purchase Act" was passed by Congress and the price of silver shot up from .84 cents to $1.50 an ounce, but it's market value would drop from this high.
This created fear among eastern republican business men and foreign investors that the gold dollar would be replaced by a less valuable silver dollar. Stores and banks began to go out of business and gold became a commodity to be hoarded.
The pay for mine workers continued to decrease and the hours of work became longer. The unrest of miners resulted in strikes that impacted the economy of the state as well as the mining industry.
1893 spelled the end of an era of silver by the repeal of the "Sherman Silver Act". Almost immediately mines and smelters began to shut down in Colorado. Silver prices dropped from .83 cents to .62 cents an ounce in one 4 day period. Banks closed their doors and real estate values plummeted.
The repel of the silver act was felt around the country but not as severely as it was in Colorado. Colorado was producing almost 60% of the nations silver. Thousands of out-of-work miners flooded into Denver swelling its ranks of the unemployed.
Denver was in an economic crisis, and could not continue taking care of the jobless. Railroad offered reduced, and in some cases free, fares out of Denver. Denver's population in 1890 dropped from 106,000 to 90,000 in 1895.
State expenses were soaring with hard winters, agricultural distress in the grasslands and the over expansion of industry.
One bright spot in the economy was the large gold strike in 1891 at Cripple Creek, later called the "world's greatest gold camp".
The passage of the Gold Standard Act in 1900 resulted in a further price drop of silver and the few remaining silver camps in Colorado were given a death blow.
So ended an era, and one that the state would be long in recovering from. But recover it did to become one of the most prosperous states in the union.
...in case you are interested, here are the current gold and silver prices
Silver was King in Colorado in the 1880's. Men where making fortunes in mining, railroading and banking industries. Over-extended investments and sometimes sheer extravagance ruled the day.
To shed some light on what led to Colorado's severe Depression in the 1890's the currency system of the United States must be examined.
The US, since the days of George Washington, had based it's system on "bimetallism"...use of both gold and silver in legal coinage.
The Gold Rush to California in 1849 resulted in such large quantities of gold found that the value of gold became less. Previous to this, gold was 16 times more valuable (16x more silver in a silver dollar than gold in a gold dollar).
People began melting down silver dollars and using the silver for other purpose, such as jewelry. In 1873 Congress terminated the making of silver coins and placed the country on a "gold standard".
The great silver strikes of the 80's in the San Juan mountains and in places like Leadville made silver prices fall even further, but the mining of silver continued to be a profitable venture.
In 1890, President Benjamin Harrison agreed to purchase $4.5 million ounces of silver a month. The "Sherman Silver Purchase Act" was passed by Congress and the price of silver shot up from .84 cents to $1.50 an ounce, but it's market value would drop from this high.
This created fear among eastern republican business men and foreign investors that the gold dollar would be replaced by a less valuable silver dollar. Stores and banks began to go out of business and gold became a commodity to be hoarded.
The pay for mine workers continued to decrease and the hours of work became longer. The unrest of miners resulted in strikes that impacted the economy of the state as well as the mining industry.
1893 spelled the end of an era of silver by the repeal of the "Sherman Silver Act". Almost immediately mines and smelters began to shut down in Colorado. Silver prices dropped from .83 cents to .62 cents an ounce in one 4 day period. Banks closed their doors and real estate values plummeted.
The repel of the silver act was felt around the country but not as severely as it was in Colorado. Colorado was producing almost 60% of the nations silver. Thousands of out-of-work miners flooded into Denver swelling its ranks of the unemployed.
Denver was in an economic crisis, and could not continue taking care of the jobless. Railroad offered reduced, and in some cases free, fares out of Denver. Denver's population in 1890 dropped from 106,000 to 90,000 in 1895.
State expenses were soaring with hard winters, agricultural distress in the grasslands and the over expansion of industry.
One bright spot in the economy was the large gold strike in 1891 at Cripple Creek, later called the "world's greatest gold camp".
The passage of the Gold Standard Act in 1900 resulted in a further price drop of silver and the few remaining silver camps in Colorado were given a death blow.
So ended an era, and one that the state would be long in recovering from. But recover it did to become one of the most prosperous states in the union.
...in case you are interested, here are the current gold and silver prices
How to tell if he is interested
How to Date : Does He/She Like Me?
One of the most difficult parts of any relationship is getting it started. You worry about making the right impression, and about being turned down when you finally start getting serious.
Are they Nice in Public?
Anybody can flirt in private. But how does this person treat you in public? Sure, they might be shy. But they should be NICE. If your partner makes jokes about you, or meanly ignores you, that's not good. If someone likes you, they would care about your feelings - *especially* in public.
Ask Questions with Complex Answers
A person who likes you will enjoy talking to you. But some people are shy and not sure how to hold a conversation. Consider it your mission to help them learn! Instead of asking questions that have yes/no answers, ask questions that require a better answer. There are tons of suggestions on this site, thinks like 'if you could have any pet, what would it be? Why?'
Do They Remember your Information?
We all remember things that are important to us. So tell your person about your family, your friends, your favorite bands and TV shows. Then a few days later, bring up one of these things and see if they remember. If they do - that's a sure sign they were paying attention and like you!Note that some people have awful memories naturally and can't help forgetting. So don't test them on the name of your gerbil you had 8 years ago. Go with something a bit easier.
Does He / She Like Me?
Many people are naturally insecure and doubt that they are liked even when it's pretty obvious. If she says hi to you all the time and enjoys talking to you, she likes you. People don't deliberately spend time talking to someone they dislike :) If he waits for you after school to talk to you, he likes you. People often wonder, "does he like me ENOUGH" or "does she like me THAT way?" You have to take a step back and stop thinking in ultimate terms. Accept that he LIKES you. He talks to you, he likes you. She waits for you, she likes you. Relationships always start with friendships. If you're talking, you're friends. If you talk, you are liked. Build on that, build your friendship. Build the time you spend with each other. The more you talk together, the more you spend time together, the closer you'll get.
Does he / she love me?
Love is different to every person, and every person shows it differently. Some people "love" a cute bird on a branch or a cute puppy in a window. Other people only feel ready to say they "love" someone that they are ready to propose to - everyone else is just "seriously like". Some people are clingy and slobbery, while others are quiet and laid back. The easiest way to know if someone loves you is to sit down and talk with the person, and really find out how they feel. Maybe what they call "like" is really what you call "love" and it's just a matter of what you name it.Most people would say love is when the person is ready to make a commitment to you and to have you be an important part of his or her life.
Don’t see your girlfriend everyday
If you’re with a chick and you love her, you want to see her everyday, right? Well sometimes it’s not a good idea. Sometimes if you see her everyday she will get bored of you and lose interest.This also depends on how your chick is. If she’s out going, these apply. If she’s more of a traditional girl that loves her boyfriend then he needs to be there for her for any little thing, then it doesn’t. You usually can tell if she’s traditional by noticing if she’s innocent acting.
Every Person is Different
Every person is different. Some flirt only with people they like. Some flirt with everybody. Some are shy and don't talk a lot with people they like. Others talk their fool heads off. Some twirl their hair because they're bored. Others twirl their hair to flirt.So the answer is there is no secret code. Every person is unique. You need to get to know this person, to know what THEY do when they're happy, when they're sad, when they're interested, when they're bored. The more time you spend with your person, the more you'll understand his or her INDIVIDUAL reactions. Also, the more time you spend with your person, the more you can be sure this person obviously likes you, because the person is choosing to spend time with you and not elsewhere!
How do I tell him I like him?
You don’t want to just walk up to him and say that you like him, because that puts him in a really awkward position, and now he has to say something, even if he’s shy too. You want to *show* him that you like him, by spending time with him, complimenting him, saying he looks nice, wanting to go to a movie with him or out to get something to eat or whatever. Find out what he likes to do and offer to do it with him. He’ll realize that you *do* like him because you’re proving it to him, and he’ll appreciate that much much more than you just saying you do! Have you ever spent time with him before? Start now!
Humor can win her heart
if u need the little extra to get the girl to like u humor is the best way. every1 loves 2 laugh, so if u kno how to make her smile, she's urs. But dont try to hard, if ur clearly not a funny person dont try it, find something else ur good at and use that to help her like u. If that fails accept defeat and move on, it was obviously never meant to be.
Is she really interested?
This is probably one of the oldest questions in the world :) That´s why there are so many love-o-meters and horoscopes out there, to try to figure it out.Really, you have to sit down and be open and honest with your partner. Talk about what you both feel about the relationship. A lot of it depends on how long you´ve been together. If it’s only been a few weeks or months your partner may still be sorting out how he/she feels. After a year or two, though, it should be pretty clear if this is what you both want or not.It all comes down to openness and honesty, and communicating well. Choose a quiet time that you both feel comfortable and able to talk for a while. Be a good listener.
Making Her Like Me
A lot of people ask, "How do I make her (or him) like me?" The answer is, you can´t. You can never make someone else like you, and really, if someone is only with you because they´re forced to, that´s not a relationship that will last. If someone's tricked into being with you, they'll bolt as soon as they can, and you'll be left alone. It's not worth it.If someone *wants* to be with you, it´s because you´re fun to be with. People like to be happy, to have fun, to feel good about themselves. Find out what your loved one enjoys, and learn more about it. Offer to do the things he or she likes doing. Go to a movie. Go walking on the beach. Listen to music.You´ll find that if you have fun together, and your time together is always enjoyable, that the rest will happen naturally.
Talking Together = They Like You
People do NOT talk with people they hate. They don't usually talk with people that they care nothing about! So the only option left is that if you talk to this person, and they talk back to you, that they like you, at least a little! If your question is if they like you ENOUGH, that is quite different. It is up to you to keep working on the connection, to slide them along that scale of like, to get closer to them. Talking is one sure way to get them liking you more and more!
The only way to know for sure is to ask!
Don't just blurt out the question, though. Flirt with them and no one else for a while. (Not just a few hours, a few days or even weeks.) This will make them think that you're interested in them. Once you feel comfortable, go somewhere quiet with them, and talk how you are feeling about them. Be open minded, and don't put your whole self worth into what they say. It may feel awkward around them for a bit if they don't feel the same way, but just act like nothing ever happened. They will probably do the same.
Watch for Signs of Boredom
If someone likes you, they will enjoy being with you. So if the person you're with shows signs of being bored, that's a warning sign. Be sure you don't confuse sleepiness with boredom! Lots of people get too little sleep and end up sleepy when they're in public. Maybe make a joke about the person being sleepy, and see how they respond, if they start having their attention drift.
Why is she interested?
Some of you nice guys out there may be wondering "Why is she interested?". For the most part this applies to the guys out there who are really good listeners but not so good in the relationship/romance department. If she talks to you mostly about her problems—relationship issues, congrats you are actually just a friend she just hasn’t realized it. Yes there could something more. One test would be to hang out and not talk about yourself or your past; but keep her entertained. This will test her to see if she is curious about you.
One of the most difficult parts of any relationship is getting it started. You worry about making the right impression, and about being turned down when you finally start getting serious.
Are they Nice in Public?
Anybody can flirt in private. But how does this person treat you in public? Sure, they might be shy. But they should be NICE. If your partner makes jokes about you, or meanly ignores you, that's not good. If someone likes you, they would care about your feelings - *especially* in public.
Ask Questions with Complex Answers
A person who likes you will enjoy talking to you. But some people are shy and not sure how to hold a conversation. Consider it your mission to help them learn! Instead of asking questions that have yes/no answers, ask questions that require a better answer. There are tons of suggestions on this site, thinks like 'if you could have any pet, what would it be? Why?'
Do They Remember your Information?
We all remember things that are important to us. So tell your person about your family, your friends, your favorite bands and TV shows. Then a few days later, bring up one of these things and see if they remember. If they do - that's a sure sign they were paying attention and like you!Note that some people have awful memories naturally and can't help forgetting. So don't test them on the name of your gerbil you had 8 years ago. Go with something a bit easier.
Does He / She Like Me?
Many people are naturally insecure and doubt that they are liked even when it's pretty obvious. If she says hi to you all the time and enjoys talking to you, she likes you. People don't deliberately spend time talking to someone they dislike :) If he waits for you after school to talk to you, he likes you. People often wonder, "does he like me ENOUGH" or "does she like me THAT way?" You have to take a step back and stop thinking in ultimate terms. Accept that he LIKES you. He talks to you, he likes you. She waits for you, she likes you. Relationships always start with friendships. If you're talking, you're friends. If you talk, you are liked. Build on that, build your friendship. Build the time you spend with each other. The more you talk together, the more you spend time together, the closer you'll get.
Does he / she love me?
Love is different to every person, and every person shows it differently. Some people "love" a cute bird on a branch or a cute puppy in a window. Other people only feel ready to say they "love" someone that they are ready to propose to - everyone else is just "seriously like". Some people are clingy and slobbery, while others are quiet and laid back. The easiest way to know if someone loves you is to sit down and talk with the person, and really find out how they feel. Maybe what they call "like" is really what you call "love" and it's just a matter of what you name it.Most people would say love is when the person is ready to make a commitment to you and to have you be an important part of his or her life.
Don’t see your girlfriend everyday
If you’re with a chick and you love her, you want to see her everyday, right? Well sometimes it’s not a good idea. Sometimes if you see her everyday she will get bored of you and lose interest.This also depends on how your chick is. If she’s out going, these apply. If she’s more of a traditional girl that loves her boyfriend then he needs to be there for her for any little thing, then it doesn’t. You usually can tell if she’s traditional by noticing if she’s innocent acting.
Every Person is Different
Every person is different. Some flirt only with people they like. Some flirt with everybody. Some are shy and don't talk a lot with people they like. Others talk their fool heads off. Some twirl their hair because they're bored. Others twirl their hair to flirt.So the answer is there is no secret code. Every person is unique. You need to get to know this person, to know what THEY do when they're happy, when they're sad, when they're interested, when they're bored. The more time you spend with your person, the more you'll understand his or her INDIVIDUAL reactions. Also, the more time you spend with your person, the more you can be sure this person obviously likes you, because the person is choosing to spend time with you and not elsewhere!
How do I tell him I like him?
You don’t want to just walk up to him and say that you like him, because that puts him in a really awkward position, and now he has to say something, even if he’s shy too. You want to *show* him that you like him, by spending time with him, complimenting him, saying he looks nice, wanting to go to a movie with him or out to get something to eat or whatever. Find out what he likes to do and offer to do it with him. He’ll realize that you *do* like him because you’re proving it to him, and he’ll appreciate that much much more than you just saying you do! Have you ever spent time with him before? Start now!
Humor can win her heart
if u need the little extra to get the girl to like u humor is the best way. every1 loves 2 laugh, so if u kno how to make her smile, she's urs. But dont try to hard, if ur clearly not a funny person dont try it, find something else ur good at and use that to help her like u. If that fails accept defeat and move on, it was obviously never meant to be.
Is she really interested?
This is probably one of the oldest questions in the world :) That´s why there are so many love-o-meters and horoscopes out there, to try to figure it out.Really, you have to sit down and be open and honest with your partner. Talk about what you both feel about the relationship. A lot of it depends on how long you´ve been together. If it’s only been a few weeks or months your partner may still be sorting out how he/she feels. After a year or two, though, it should be pretty clear if this is what you both want or not.It all comes down to openness and honesty, and communicating well. Choose a quiet time that you both feel comfortable and able to talk for a while. Be a good listener.
Making Her Like Me
A lot of people ask, "How do I make her (or him) like me?" The answer is, you can´t. You can never make someone else like you, and really, if someone is only with you because they´re forced to, that´s not a relationship that will last. If someone's tricked into being with you, they'll bolt as soon as they can, and you'll be left alone. It's not worth it.If someone *wants* to be with you, it´s because you´re fun to be with. People like to be happy, to have fun, to feel good about themselves. Find out what your loved one enjoys, and learn more about it. Offer to do the things he or she likes doing. Go to a movie. Go walking on the beach. Listen to music.You´ll find that if you have fun together, and your time together is always enjoyable, that the rest will happen naturally.
Talking Together = They Like You
People do NOT talk with people they hate. They don't usually talk with people that they care nothing about! So the only option left is that if you talk to this person, and they talk back to you, that they like you, at least a little! If your question is if they like you ENOUGH, that is quite different. It is up to you to keep working on the connection, to slide them along that scale of like, to get closer to them. Talking is one sure way to get them liking you more and more!
The only way to know for sure is to ask!
Don't just blurt out the question, though. Flirt with them and no one else for a while. (Not just a few hours, a few days or even weeks.) This will make them think that you're interested in them. Once you feel comfortable, go somewhere quiet with them, and talk how you are feeling about them. Be open minded, and don't put your whole self worth into what they say. It may feel awkward around them for a bit if they don't feel the same way, but just act like nothing ever happened. They will probably do the same.
Watch for Signs of Boredom
If someone likes you, they will enjoy being with you. So if the person you're with shows signs of being bored, that's a warning sign. Be sure you don't confuse sleepiness with boredom! Lots of people get too little sleep and end up sleepy when they're in public. Maybe make a joke about the person being sleepy, and see how they respond, if they start having their attention drift.
Why is she interested?
Some of you nice guys out there may be wondering "Why is she interested?". For the most part this applies to the guys out there who are really good listeners but not so good in the relationship/romance department. If she talks to you mostly about her problems—relationship issues, congrats you are actually just a friend she just hasn’t realized it. Yes there could something more. One test would be to hang out and not talk about yourself or your past; but keep her entertained. This will test her to see if she is curious about you.
A drunk Tom Berenger?
Take Care
Posted by Tv Hot Spot Host at 5:04 PM
Without a Trace. I'm so much more into it than L&O now. I had known Anthony LaPaglia was on the show, but other than that, I didn't watch. WAT follows Cold Case, another of my favorite crime drama shows, on Sunday nights, and once I stayed up late and watched it. I'm hooked now. A friend of ours who has worked with Poppy Montgomery, the hot, sassy blonde FBI agent (above), said, "She is one crazy bitch. The craziest actor I've ever worked with, besides a drunk Tom Berenger." I love her even more for that!
Posted by Tv Hot Spot Host at 5:04 PM
Without a Trace. I'm so much more into it than L&O now. I had known Anthony LaPaglia was on the show, but other than that, I didn't watch. WAT follows Cold Case, another of my favorite crime drama shows, on Sunday nights, and once I stayed up late and watched it. I'm hooked now. A friend of ours who has worked with Poppy Montgomery, the hot, sassy blonde FBI agent (above), said, "She is one crazy bitch. The craziest actor I've ever worked with, besides a drunk Tom Berenger." I love her even more for that!
What toy does Tom Berenger want for Christmas?
What would Tom Berenger use as a kid?
Sniper BB GunYeah. . .that's what your kid needs! One pump, one shot, one kill. Swift, silent, annoying.
posted by McDick @ 11:38 AM 1 comments
Sniper BB GunYeah. . .that's what your kid needs! One pump, one shot, one kill. Swift, silent, annoying.
posted by McDick @ 11:38 AM 1 comments
Tuesday, December 19, 2006
to do miscellaneous
insert your favorite movies at
http://www.imdb.com/mymovies/list?pending&add=0385400
My new email address is: phowarth@comcast.net Jan Howarth, Editor, Berenger Newsletter
Bearshare:
Survival guide
End times
A distant thunder
A thief in the night
Image of the beast
The prodigal planet
Adrian Rogers
Tim Lahaye
David Jeremiah
John MacArthur
Newsong The Christmas Shoes
The Fourth Wise Man
Christmas Child
Max Lucado
Firedog
Seven Alone
Phillip Yancy
Google:
Control freaks
Strongholds
Approval addiction
Count Pavel Stroganov, 19th century Russian nobleman
Check out new search engine Blinkx
www.christmaslettertips.com has a letter generator
Use blog for backup
www.shawneevalley.org
AD web
See what Babes are saying
http://www.tv.com/nightmares-&-dreamscapes-from-the-stories-of-stephen-king/the-road-virus-heads-north/episode/587071/summary.html A nice long video for those of you, like me, who missed it.Catherine
Start address: South Shore, KY 41175
End address: Flagler Beach, FL
Distance: 812 mi (about 16 hours 21 mins)
Start address: South Shore, KY 41175
End address: Fort Myers, FL
Distance: 1,102 mi (about 20 hours 52 mins)
http://www.imdb.com/mymovies/list?pending&add=0385400
My new email address is: phowarth@comcast.net Jan Howarth, Editor, Berenger Newsletter
Bearshare:
Survival guide
End times
A distant thunder
A thief in the night
Image of the beast
The prodigal planet
Adrian Rogers
Tim Lahaye
David Jeremiah
John MacArthur
Newsong The Christmas Shoes
The Fourth Wise Man
Christmas Child
Max Lucado
Firedog
Seven Alone
Phillip Yancy
Google:
Control freaks
Strongholds
Approval addiction
Count Pavel Stroganov, 19th century Russian nobleman
Check out new search engine Blinkx
www.christmaslettertips.com has a letter generator
Use blog for backup
www.shawneevalley.org
AD web
See what Babes are saying
http://www.tv.com/nightmares-&-dreamscapes-from-the-stories-of-stephen-king/the-road-virus-heads-north/episode/587071/summary.html A nice long video for those of you, like me, who missed it.Catherine
Start address: South Shore, KY 41175
End address: Flagler Beach, FL
Distance: 812 mi (about 16 hours 21 mins)
Start address: South Shore, KY 41175
End address: Fort Myers, FL
Distance: 1,102 mi (about 20 hours 52 mins)
Story idea - The Christmas Chaperone
If you listen to people’s hurts, you get their attention.
Inaction can be as morally wrong as doing evil.
Only one thing will heal a broken heart. What is it?
Happiness depends upon circumstances. Contentment depends upon . . . what?
Happiness is a feeling, but joy is an attitude.
Secrets better left buried may be blurted out in moments of intimacy.
It takes a major catastrophe to bring about a drastic character personality change, not just a stop-feeling-sorry-for-yourself speech.
Given the Western macho aura, the more difficult, the more love is hindered, the more grand the love is!
Talk doesn’t . . . cook rice. (What else doesn’t talk do?)
. . . clean house . . . do the laundry . . . fix supper
powerful emotions, emotionally moved
a strong emotional impact
struggled with feelings
manufactured feelings
At Christmastime, we generate feelings we feel ought to be there
Create a feeling
Nostalgia
Sentimental
Powerful and pleasant memories
Barn (stable) smells of leather of saddles and buggies, manure and hay, the sound of animals (horses snorting, hooves pawing, striking wooden planks or straw-covered hard packed dirt)
Having to be born in a stable demonstrated poverty and humiliation. It is absurd and nonsense for God to be born in a stable. Disgraced, lying helpless in a feeding trough.
He came from heaven and gave up glory.
Examine in minute detail: the rough and binding swaddling clothes (binding strips holding baby’s arms and legs straight so they cannot move)
Sight dim, low visibility, dark with only a lantern for light
No fireplace or place to get warm except from the heat of the animals’ bodies
Look a little closer
Linger a moment
Stop to picture the scenes: the sights, the sounds, the smells
Outside, people milled everywhere, people long gone returned to their hometown for the census. Shouts of recognition and friendship. Slaps on the back.
Imagine the dark night sky, bright with thousands of stars and the shepherds in the field suddenly and miraculously lit up with the presence of angels, hundreds or thousands of otherworldly beings, praising God.
Now, a fresh start with a new wife and child, Joseph thought. I cannot give Him earthly treasures of gold and silver or a life in the lap of luxury, but I can provide for Him and meet His needs, protect Him, and keep Him safe, and profess my love for Him. My new son.
I have discovered that many religious arguments are caused by a difference in the definition of “church” words – words or phrases, like a slang all their own, used in religious rhetoric. Once even simple, common terms are defined and the definition is mutually agreed upon, differences of opinion often disappear.
If we could only turn back the hands of time . . .
The dichotomy that is December: death and life, rich and poor, the haves and the have-nots, crowded streets and lonely nights, enjoyment and exhaustion, generosity and greediness, being built up only to be let down.
I am not in need of a man to save me. I am strong and I am beautiful from the inside out.
I give you this day. What do you want to do?
More than just a coincidence
He winked at me!
Western man and woman passionately court as their older and romantically cynical friends chaperone. A Christmas miracle of love occurs involving all four.
The world is cynical.
Actions are louder than words.
A key requirement for obedience is trust.
Rebellion comes from a lack of faith – in God, government or one’s spouse.
When you don’t know what to do, do nothing. Even doing nothing is doing something.
Men are expected to figure out life on their own.
Prayer is a priceless point of contact with God.
A man is reluctant to ask for the support he wants and needs.
What do you suppose Jesus would want for His birthday?
A whirlwind of hurry
Singing carolers
Church bells chiming
A flurry of snow
Cinnamon smells
A miraculous birth
Jingling sleigh bells
Lavishly bestow presents
The threat of a scandalous relationship
Everyone needs a miracle
God put a miracle inside every one of us.
A most marvelous gift
The pulsing beat of a human heart
Hopeless is helpless
A precocious six year old
If you can’t alter your circumstances, then control your reaction.
Friendly beasts (born on Christmas – once a year you can talk to the animals)
No sorrow is so great that God’s healing light cannot penetrate even the darkest places of the human heart.
Happy holiday memories? Hah!
Heartbreak
Have you ever felt that no matter how hard you try, it is never enough?
Tongue tied
Bitterness had made her hard
Intimacy issues
Pride
Unbelief
Insecurity
Guilt
Despair
Anger
Bitterness
Unforgiveness
Confusion
A polished appearance can hide a tarnished self-image.
“I am tired of being held captive to a thousand ‘what-if’s’.”
You must choose to forgive.
Honest, humility, grace, submission, obedience.
A rejected lover is confused, overwhelmed and fearful to ever reach out again.
Church is full of hypocrites . . . boring . . . greedy.
Your attitude makes all the difference in your life. A positive outlook can revolutionize your ability to overcome and grow from common challenges such as discouragement, change, problems, fear and failures.
What you believe about yourself today can determine who you become tomorrow.
We crave community and meaning in our lives.
Everybody’s normal until you get to know them.
True enduring love must be cultivated with care.
Why is love so often unattainable?
Inaction can be as morally wrong as doing evil.
Only one thing will heal a broken heart. What is it?
Happiness depends upon circumstances. Contentment depends upon . . . what?
Happiness is a feeling, but joy is an attitude.
Secrets better left buried may be blurted out in moments of intimacy.
It takes a major catastrophe to bring about a drastic character personality change, not just a stop-feeling-sorry-for-yourself speech.
Given the Western macho aura, the more difficult, the more love is hindered, the more grand the love is!
Talk doesn’t . . . cook rice. (What else doesn’t talk do?)
. . . clean house . . . do the laundry . . . fix supper
powerful emotions, emotionally moved
a strong emotional impact
struggled with feelings
manufactured feelings
At Christmastime, we generate feelings we feel ought to be there
Create a feeling
Nostalgia
Sentimental
Powerful and pleasant memories
Barn (stable) smells of leather of saddles and buggies, manure and hay, the sound of animals (horses snorting, hooves pawing, striking wooden planks or straw-covered hard packed dirt)
Having to be born in a stable demonstrated poverty and humiliation. It is absurd and nonsense for God to be born in a stable. Disgraced, lying helpless in a feeding trough.
He came from heaven and gave up glory.
Examine in minute detail: the rough and binding swaddling clothes (binding strips holding baby’s arms and legs straight so they cannot move)
Sight dim, low visibility, dark with only a lantern for light
No fireplace or place to get warm except from the heat of the animals’ bodies
Look a little closer
Linger a moment
Stop to picture the scenes: the sights, the sounds, the smells
Outside, people milled everywhere, people long gone returned to their hometown for the census. Shouts of recognition and friendship. Slaps on the back.
Imagine the dark night sky, bright with thousands of stars and the shepherds in the field suddenly and miraculously lit up with the presence of angels, hundreds or thousands of otherworldly beings, praising God.
Now, a fresh start with a new wife and child, Joseph thought. I cannot give Him earthly treasures of gold and silver or a life in the lap of luxury, but I can provide for Him and meet His needs, protect Him, and keep Him safe, and profess my love for Him. My new son.
I have discovered that many religious arguments are caused by a difference in the definition of “church” words – words or phrases, like a slang all their own, used in religious rhetoric. Once even simple, common terms are defined and the definition is mutually agreed upon, differences of opinion often disappear.
If we could only turn back the hands of time . . .
The dichotomy that is December: death and life, rich and poor, the haves and the have-nots, crowded streets and lonely nights, enjoyment and exhaustion, generosity and greediness, being built up only to be let down.
I am not in need of a man to save me. I am strong and I am beautiful from the inside out.
I give you this day. What do you want to do?
More than just a coincidence
He winked at me!
Western man and woman passionately court as their older and romantically cynical friends chaperone. A Christmas miracle of love occurs involving all four.
The world is cynical.
Actions are louder than words.
A key requirement for obedience is trust.
Rebellion comes from a lack of faith – in God, government or one’s spouse.
When you don’t know what to do, do nothing. Even doing nothing is doing something.
Men are expected to figure out life on their own.
Prayer is a priceless point of contact with God.
A man is reluctant to ask for the support he wants and needs.
What do you suppose Jesus would want for His birthday?
A whirlwind of hurry
Singing carolers
Church bells chiming
A flurry of snow
Cinnamon smells
A miraculous birth
Jingling sleigh bells
Lavishly bestow presents
The threat of a scandalous relationship
Everyone needs a miracle
God put a miracle inside every one of us.
A most marvelous gift
The pulsing beat of a human heart
Hopeless is helpless
A precocious six year old
If you can’t alter your circumstances, then control your reaction.
Friendly beasts (born on Christmas – once a year you can talk to the animals)
No sorrow is so great that God’s healing light cannot penetrate even the darkest places of the human heart.
Happy holiday memories? Hah!
Heartbreak
Have you ever felt that no matter how hard you try, it is never enough?
Tongue tied
Bitterness had made her hard
Intimacy issues
Pride
Unbelief
Insecurity
Guilt
Despair
Anger
Bitterness
Unforgiveness
Confusion
A polished appearance can hide a tarnished self-image.
“I am tired of being held captive to a thousand ‘what-if’s’.”
You must choose to forgive.
Honest, humility, grace, submission, obedience.
A rejected lover is confused, overwhelmed and fearful to ever reach out again.
Church is full of hypocrites . . . boring . . . greedy.
Your attitude makes all the difference in your life. A positive outlook can revolutionize your ability to overcome and grow from common challenges such as discouragement, change, problems, fear and failures.
What you believe about yourself today can determine who you become tomorrow.
We crave community and meaning in our lives.
Everybody’s normal until you get to know them.
True enduring love must be cultivated with care.
Why is love so often unattainable?
Words for the Seasons
Words for Spring
Promise
New life
Resurrection
Infant
New growth
Delicate
Fresh
Pink and green
Ham
Warm
Dogwood tree
Rabbit or bunny
Words for Summer
Enjoyment
Youthfulness
Salty sweat
Watermelon
Sleek water
Hot and musky
Red and green
Picnics
Fried chicken
Hot
Weeping willow
Water sports
Sun bathing
baseball
Words for Winter
Death
Old age
Snow ice cream
Snowball barrage
Crisp
Bluish white
Cold
Pine
Bear
Snow sports
Ice skating
skiing
Words for Fall
Fulfillment
Harvest
Maturity
Falling leaves
Wet and musty
Red and gold
Pumpkin
Turkey
Cooler temperatures
Oak tree
Squirrels
hunting
Hoedown
Horse-drawn wagon
Court day
Courtin’ days
Church bazaar, fall or autumn bazaar
Folkstories
Laughter
Ghost stories or tales
Skeleton’s lair
Creepy
Haunted woods
Tall takes
Hayride
Halloween
All hallows’ eve
Haunted trail or mine
Spook (s) (y) (ed)
Ghost walk
Pennyrile or pennyroyal
Autumn
Harvest
Fantasy forest or woods
Horrors
Pig roast
Pumpkin patch
Murder mystery
Masquerade ball
Apples
Solace
Hankering
Dollmaker
Carved wooden chain
Heritage days
Trick or treat
Howl o ween
Aging gracefully
Host
Dungeon
Haunted
Goblins
Friendly and forgiving
Promise
New life
Resurrection
Infant
New growth
Delicate
Fresh
Pink and green
Ham
Warm
Dogwood tree
Rabbit or bunny
Words for Summer
Enjoyment
Youthfulness
Salty sweat
Watermelon
Sleek water
Hot and musky
Red and green
Picnics
Fried chicken
Hot
Weeping willow
Water sports
Sun bathing
baseball
Words for Winter
Death
Old age
Snow ice cream
Snowball barrage
Crisp
Bluish white
Cold
Pine
Bear
Snow sports
Ice skating
skiing
Words for Fall
Fulfillment
Harvest
Maturity
Falling leaves
Wet and musty
Red and gold
Pumpkin
Turkey
Cooler temperatures
Oak tree
Squirrels
hunting
Hoedown
Horse-drawn wagon
Court day
Courtin’ days
Church bazaar, fall or autumn bazaar
Folkstories
Laughter
Ghost stories or tales
Skeleton’s lair
Creepy
Haunted woods
Tall takes
Hayride
Halloween
All hallows’ eve
Haunted trail or mine
Spook (s) (y) (ed)
Ghost walk
Pennyrile or pennyroyal
Autumn
Harvest
Fantasy forest or woods
Horrors
Pig roast
Pumpkin patch
Murder mystery
Masquerade ball
Apples
Solace
Hankering
Dollmaker
Carved wooden chain
Heritage days
Trick or treat
Howl o ween
Aging gracefully
Host
Dungeon
Haunted
Goblins
Friendly and forgiving
story idea - TREASURES
Protag in search of a treasure, keeps meeting people with the attributes listed below only to discover they were the treasures he was seeking.
Treasures: purity, courage, humility, sincerety, devotion, integrity, selflessness, resiliency, generosity
Treasures: purity, courage, humility, sincerety, devotion, integrity, selflessness, resiliency, generosity
story titles
The Last Resort
Milestones and Millstones
Shattered Dreams
Ransomed Heart
Shattered Vision
Drawing Near
An Unlikely Angel
The Hidden Smile
Milestones and Millstones
Shattered Dreams
Ransomed Heart
Shattered Vision
Drawing Near
An Unlikely Angel
The Hidden Smile
Story Ideas
Subtlety is lost on a man. They do not understand subtle hints. Be direct and get him in the mood, and above all, be honest. A man may seem impervious to what you want but most men can remember what you don’t want. Ask him what he’s thinking about getting you so you have a chance to kill really bad ideas.
Gossip
A tale of derring do (daring do?)
Building an empire is a dirty job but somebody has to do it.
When we leave this world, will our life resemble the imprinted impression of a hand or foot in sand or in cement?
“hold my sign” comedy routine
fads
saving lives can be terribly inconvenient.
One man’s anger feeds another’s.
The six stages of manhood and male development are beloved son, cowboy, warrior, lover, king, and sage.
He fell short as often as he stood tall
There is a universal longing for a “plot” in all of life.
Dare to be the man God created you to be – passionate, adventurous and free.
Actively pursue your dreams.
Dare to walk the road less traveled.
When you were a little girl, did you dream of being swept away into a great adventure? Rescued by a dashing hero? Or perhaps rescuing him?
Gabriel’s Message – bedridden after a fall, a curmudgeon “old” woman recalls her youthful forbidden romance and learns to see Christmas in a different light.
You spend a third of your life in bed.
Perhaps reminiscing while trapped somewhere? Snowbound in home? Vehicle? Cell phone? Gas? Fell down basement stairs?
What do you suppose God would want for Christmas?
In 1908, Gerhard Lang printed the first Advent calendar. His mother had helped him count the days using cookies.
A web of betrayal
A Judas kiss
Sherlock Holmes – “Sheerluck”
A painful secret
Charity begins at home. That means love, not just giving.
That’s not simply good stewardship but a loving attitude, unconditional.
Bedroom intimacies
5 love languages: words of affirmation, quality time, gifts, acts of service, physical touching.
Enhance the emotional climate of a long-standing marriage relationship
What secrets does your man keep? How does he feel about work, commitment, control, failure, sex, intimacy and communication? What are his private needs, motivations, frustrations?
Today’s media bombards men with sexual images and temptations, so it’s no wonder that “sexual addiction” is on the rise and every man’s battle.
Prayer, humility, self-control, sacrifice, submission, solitude, silence, hope
Sacred Romance – a prayer changed everything
Impeccable timing
Intense moments
Intimate moments
Same kind of different as me
The unvarnished truth may be hard to believe.
anxious for nothing
Has doing good just about done you in?
Each of us is born with an inconsolable longing. Some try to fill this empty space inside with pleasure, worldly accomplishments or material goods. The only lasting fulfillment of our desire is God.
Tell about money you wish you hadn’t spent.
Tell about a relationship you should have avoided.
Tell about a job you’d like to forget.
Guilt, anger, greed and jealousy are chronic problems that can cause you to miss out on the best in life.
Reason and emotion affect your will.
Habits and personal discipline play an important part in successful living.
We’ve all been hurt by someone who matters to us. You need to uncover your grievance story, eliminate unresolved anger and forgive – for good.
Gossip
A tale of derring do (daring do?)
Building an empire is a dirty job but somebody has to do it.
When we leave this world, will our life resemble the imprinted impression of a hand or foot in sand or in cement?
“hold my sign” comedy routine
fads
saving lives can be terribly inconvenient.
One man’s anger feeds another’s.
The six stages of manhood and male development are beloved son, cowboy, warrior, lover, king, and sage.
He fell short as often as he stood tall
There is a universal longing for a “plot” in all of life.
Dare to be the man God created you to be – passionate, adventurous and free.
Actively pursue your dreams.
Dare to walk the road less traveled.
When you were a little girl, did you dream of being swept away into a great adventure? Rescued by a dashing hero? Or perhaps rescuing him?
Gabriel’s Message – bedridden after a fall, a curmudgeon “old” woman recalls her youthful forbidden romance and learns to see Christmas in a different light.
You spend a third of your life in bed.
Perhaps reminiscing while trapped somewhere? Snowbound in home? Vehicle? Cell phone? Gas? Fell down basement stairs?
What do you suppose God would want for Christmas?
In 1908, Gerhard Lang printed the first Advent calendar. His mother had helped him count the days using cookies.
A web of betrayal
A Judas kiss
Sherlock Holmes – “Sheerluck”
A painful secret
Charity begins at home. That means love, not just giving.
That’s not simply good stewardship but a loving attitude, unconditional.
Bedroom intimacies
5 love languages: words of affirmation, quality time, gifts, acts of service, physical touching.
Enhance the emotional climate of a long-standing marriage relationship
What secrets does your man keep? How does he feel about work, commitment, control, failure, sex, intimacy and communication? What are his private needs, motivations, frustrations?
Today’s media bombards men with sexual images and temptations, so it’s no wonder that “sexual addiction” is on the rise and every man’s battle.
Prayer, humility, self-control, sacrifice, submission, solitude, silence, hope
Sacred Romance – a prayer changed everything
Impeccable timing
Intense moments
Intimate moments
Same kind of different as me
The unvarnished truth may be hard to believe.
anxious for nothing
Has doing good just about done you in?
Each of us is born with an inconsolable longing. Some try to fill this empty space inside with pleasure, worldly accomplishments or material goods. The only lasting fulfillment of our desire is God.
Tell about money you wish you hadn’t spent.
Tell about a relationship you should have avoided.
Tell about a job you’d like to forget.
Guilt, anger, greed and jealousy are chronic problems that can cause you to miss out on the best in life.
Reason and emotion affect your will.
Habits and personal discipline play an important part in successful living.
We’ve all been hurt by someone who matters to us. You need to uncover your grievance story, eliminate unresolved anger and forgive – for good.
Timeline
The greatest inventions disappear from view because they become an integral part of the environment. Because we adapt to our environment, the greatest inventions end up inventing us.
On June 27, 1844, Joseph Smith, the founder and leader of the Mormon religion, is murdered along with his brother Hyrum when an anti-Mormon mob breaks into a jail where they are being held in Carthage, IL.
Brunswick Corp. began life in 1845 as one of America’s first manufacturers of high-quality tables for playing pocket billiards, then an entertainment enjoyed exclusively by the upper class.
On June 30, 1859, Jean-Francois Gravelet, a Frenchman known as “The Great Blondin,” becomes the first dare-devil to walk across Niagara Falls on a tightrope. He later did tightrope walks across the falls blindfolded, with his manager on his back, sitting down midway to cook an omelet, and pushing a wheelbarrow across while dressed as an ape.
On July 2, 1881, just months into his administration, President James Garfield is shot and mortally wounded by a disgruntled office-seeker as he walks through a railroad waiting room in Washington, DC. Garfield died 80 days later of blood poisoning.
Alphonse Bertillon (1853-1914) was the French inventor of the complicated system of measurement then used for identification of criminals and is often also credited with the invention of fingerprinting. NOT SO! Sir Francis Galton, the English physiologist, anthropologist, and psychologist, invented – or discovered – modern fingerprinting techniques about 1880. Bertillon, as a matter of fact, did not think much of fingerprinting as a positive means of identification; after Galton’s discovery, he adopted it only reluctantly, and even limited it to certain classes of individuals, notably women and children.
The 985-foot Eiffel Tower was built in 1889 for the International Exposition. It symbolizes Paris. Made almost entirely of open-lattice wrought iron and erected in only two years with a small labor force, the tower – Paris’ tallest structure – demonstrated advances in construction techniques but some initially criticized it as unaesthetic. When the Eiffel tower was built, sixteen 800-ton hydraulic jacks were used to position its base. Once it was in place, the jacks were removed as the solid masonry foundation was established. And this was in 1889.
On June 27, 1844, Joseph Smith, the founder and leader of the Mormon religion, is murdered along with his brother Hyrum when an anti-Mormon mob breaks into a jail where they are being held in Carthage, IL.
Brunswick Corp. began life in 1845 as one of America’s first manufacturers of high-quality tables for playing pocket billiards, then an entertainment enjoyed exclusively by the upper class.
On June 30, 1859, Jean-Francois Gravelet, a Frenchman known as “The Great Blondin,” becomes the first dare-devil to walk across Niagara Falls on a tightrope. He later did tightrope walks across the falls blindfolded, with his manager on his back, sitting down midway to cook an omelet, and pushing a wheelbarrow across while dressed as an ape.
On July 2, 1881, just months into his administration, President James Garfield is shot and mortally wounded by a disgruntled office-seeker as he walks through a railroad waiting room in Washington, DC. Garfield died 80 days later of blood poisoning.
Alphonse Bertillon (1853-1914) was the French inventor of the complicated system of measurement then used for identification of criminals and is often also credited with the invention of fingerprinting. NOT SO! Sir Francis Galton, the English physiologist, anthropologist, and psychologist, invented – or discovered – modern fingerprinting techniques about 1880. Bertillon, as a matter of fact, did not think much of fingerprinting as a positive means of identification; after Galton’s discovery, he adopted it only reluctantly, and even limited it to certain classes of individuals, notably women and children.
The 985-foot Eiffel Tower was built in 1889 for the International Exposition. It symbolizes Paris. Made almost entirely of open-lattice wrought iron and erected in only two years with a small labor force, the tower – Paris’ tallest structure – demonstrated advances in construction techniques but some initially criticized it as unaesthetic. When the Eiffel tower was built, sixteen 800-ton hydraulic jacks were used to position its base. Once it was in place, the jacks were removed as the solid masonry foundation was established. And this was in 1889.
story idea
Castle History > The Ghost
On the 25th September 1570 it was recorded that the Lady Marion Carruthers "did willfully take her own life by leaping from the lookout tower of Comlongon Castle" where she was being held captive and did "break her head and bones". Subsequently it was noticed that no grass would grow on the spot where she fell and an apparition of a young lady was often seen in and around the castle usually crying.
The events which lead up to her death began when her father, Sir Simon Carruthers, Baron of Mouswald Castle some four miles away from here, was persuaded to leave his estate to his two daughters Marion and Janet since he had no son. The powerful Douglas family of Drumlanrig had designs on the estate and Sir James Douglas obtained consent to marry Marion and thus get her part of it. However another local Baron, Lord Maxwell of nearby Caerlaverock Castle, took and occupied Mouswald Castle hoping to thwart the Douglas claim. They however contested his right to occupy the Castle stating that they had prior rights by way of a marriage contract.
The case was settled by Privy Council in 1563 when Marion was ordered into the wardenship of Borthwick Castle and told not to try to return home until the marriage was settled. However she did escape and sought sanctuary in Comlongon Castle, owned by her uncle, Sir William Murray, and shortly after gave over half of her dowry to him, hoping this would persuade James Douglas not to enforce the marriage contract. However he was not to be dissuaded and instead sued through the courts for his 'just inheritance' i.e. Marion's estate, and he won the case. Marion was ordered to surrender herself to James.
Possibly distressed to the point of madness after such a long battle to avoid marriage she threw herself from the battlements or so it was said. However, long after her death rumours began which suggested that some of Douglas's men gained access to her chamber and tossed her from the battlements. Thus James Douglas was able to obtain her half of the Mouswald Estate without having to marry her.
Because suicide was suspected at the time poor Marion was not given a proper Christian burial and so it is believed that she haunts the castle forever looking for a proper resting place.
Castle History > Castle Life
The practice of kidnapping individuals and demanding ransom, 'the black meal' (blackmail) was a widespread activity in the Border region, generating a vast amount of wealth for the families individually engaged in such activity.
Most strongholds in the region employed groups of mercenaries known as reivers (or Raiders). These highly motivated soldiers would organise bloody Border raids to loot and kidnap, indeed to be visited by such a raiding party coined the phrase, to be bereaved. Once an individual was taken, he was dragged back to the castle, shackled and lowered through the hatch to the pit below and sealed (the shackles can still be seen on the wall of the guard room today).
This left the unfortunate soul trapped in a foul smelling, soundproof, pitch black dungeon, confined until a ransom was agreed to be paid. Starved if necessary, the prisoner was eventually dragged from the pit and placed in the next room, the pledge chamber. The exact terms of the pledge, or ransom, was carefully negotiated and written in the form of a contract, witnessed and signed. From then on the treatment greatly improved, achieving the status of an honoured guest under arrest, evidenced by the en-suite facilities provided (the Garderobe).
Ransoms at this time were usually paid in the form of sheep or cattle, resulting in certain families amassing considerable fortunes and creating some of the most powerful and influential families in the borders. Once the ransom arrived at the castle, the prisoner was released to return home to his family.
Continuing up the main staircase gains access to the upper floors, above the Great Hall is a large open plan room, a solar, where the lairds family would sleep in a dormitory style room, hence the need for curtains around four poster beds. This room in the 16th century was subdivided into segregated sleeping arrangements. Above the solar chamber was the servants quarters known as the "windy hall", presumably this level was unglazed. The staircase then terminates at the battlements which run completely around the castle, encompassing parapets, murder holes, garrets, watch towers and guard house. It is believed that the barracks could contain up to 20 mercenaries. This level has been greatly altered over the centuries, originally being constructed from wood.
It is clear that preconceptions about life in a castle often cloud perceptions. Far from the bare draughty structures imagined, these buildings were warm pleasant, often luxurious places. When one remembers the owners of such castles were by modern day standards multi-millionaires, it is quite conceivable every comfort available at the time would be utilised to increase living standards, and as such, for those within the castle the surroundings would have been most pleasant.
On the 25th September 1570 it was recorded that the Lady Marion Carruthers "did willfully take her own life by leaping from the lookout tower of Comlongon Castle" where she was being held captive and did "break her head and bones". Subsequently it was noticed that no grass would grow on the spot where she fell and an apparition of a young lady was often seen in and around the castle usually crying.
The events which lead up to her death began when her father, Sir Simon Carruthers, Baron of Mouswald Castle some four miles away from here, was persuaded to leave his estate to his two daughters Marion and Janet since he had no son. The powerful Douglas family of Drumlanrig had designs on the estate and Sir James Douglas obtained consent to marry Marion and thus get her part of it. However another local Baron, Lord Maxwell of nearby Caerlaverock Castle, took and occupied Mouswald Castle hoping to thwart the Douglas claim. They however contested his right to occupy the Castle stating that they had prior rights by way of a marriage contract.
The case was settled by Privy Council in 1563 when Marion was ordered into the wardenship of Borthwick Castle and told not to try to return home until the marriage was settled. However she did escape and sought sanctuary in Comlongon Castle, owned by her uncle, Sir William Murray, and shortly after gave over half of her dowry to him, hoping this would persuade James Douglas not to enforce the marriage contract. However he was not to be dissuaded and instead sued through the courts for his 'just inheritance' i.e. Marion's estate, and he won the case. Marion was ordered to surrender herself to James.
Possibly distressed to the point of madness after such a long battle to avoid marriage she threw herself from the battlements or so it was said. However, long after her death rumours began which suggested that some of Douglas's men gained access to her chamber and tossed her from the battlements. Thus James Douglas was able to obtain her half of the Mouswald Estate without having to marry her.
Because suicide was suspected at the time poor Marion was not given a proper Christian burial and so it is believed that she haunts the castle forever looking for a proper resting place.
Castle History > Castle Life
The practice of kidnapping individuals and demanding ransom, 'the black meal' (blackmail) was a widespread activity in the Border region, generating a vast amount of wealth for the families individually engaged in such activity.
Most strongholds in the region employed groups of mercenaries known as reivers (or Raiders). These highly motivated soldiers would organise bloody Border raids to loot and kidnap, indeed to be visited by such a raiding party coined the phrase, to be bereaved. Once an individual was taken, he was dragged back to the castle, shackled and lowered through the hatch to the pit below and sealed (the shackles can still be seen on the wall of the guard room today).
This left the unfortunate soul trapped in a foul smelling, soundproof, pitch black dungeon, confined until a ransom was agreed to be paid. Starved if necessary, the prisoner was eventually dragged from the pit and placed in the next room, the pledge chamber. The exact terms of the pledge, or ransom, was carefully negotiated and written in the form of a contract, witnessed and signed. From then on the treatment greatly improved, achieving the status of an honoured guest under arrest, evidenced by the en-suite facilities provided (the Garderobe).
Ransoms at this time were usually paid in the form of sheep or cattle, resulting in certain families amassing considerable fortunes and creating some of the most powerful and influential families in the borders. Once the ransom arrived at the castle, the prisoner was released to return home to his family.
Continuing up the main staircase gains access to the upper floors, above the Great Hall is a large open plan room, a solar, where the lairds family would sleep in a dormitory style room, hence the need for curtains around four poster beds. This room in the 16th century was subdivided into segregated sleeping arrangements. Above the solar chamber was the servants quarters known as the "windy hall", presumably this level was unglazed. The staircase then terminates at the battlements which run completely around the castle, encompassing parapets, murder holes, garrets, watch towers and guard house. It is believed that the barracks could contain up to 20 mercenaries. This level has been greatly altered over the centuries, originally being constructed from wood.
It is clear that preconceptions about life in a castle often cloud perceptions. Far from the bare draughty structures imagined, these buildings were warm pleasant, often luxurious places. When one remembers the owners of such castles were by modern day standards multi-millionaires, it is quite conceivable every comfort available at the time would be utilised to increase living standards, and as such, for those within the castle the surroundings would have been most pleasant.
story idea
Simon Phillips
Married
Affair
Desires
seduction
Lusty passion
Breaks it off (too serious)
7 years later
he is complex and sophisticated, and sometimes emboldened.
He has an innate sense of personal style.
dark path
near-miss car wreck
headlights blinded
hanging on a tree
fainted
compassion
hand holding
pine away
divorced
nightmares
traumatic stress syndrome
shadows, shadowing, shadowy
dimly lit room
under the shadows
his ruin, ruination
delivered up to death
go down to the grave
the river
torrential downpour
troubles
strange house at night
clock ticking
creaks and groans
wood walls and ceiling, siding popping, roof
strangers mourning a shroud
foul reddish brown water (blood)
stars and moon cloud covered and dark
darkened room
terrible destruction
horribly afraid
tremble
graves
fear for your life
desolate
lament
wail
cast down
nether parts of the earth and the pit
terror
bear your shame
weapons
the land of the living
iniquities
you shall be broken and ashamed
wicked, evil
blood required at judgment
a warning from your wicked ways
the hand of God fell upon me
great abominations
provoked to jealousy
ill-fated love
betrayal
his demise
weeping
loathsome
detestable sexual practices done in the dark
violence
provike to anger and fury
shall neither spare nor have pity
loud crying
slaughter of the guilty
weapon of slaughter
smitten
slay and destroy
full of blood
perverseness
God will recompense
Married
Affair
Desires
seduction
Lusty passion
Breaks it off (too serious)
7 years later
he is complex and sophisticated, and sometimes emboldened.
He has an innate sense of personal style.
dark path
near-miss car wreck
headlights blinded
hanging on a tree
fainted
compassion
hand holding
pine away
divorced
nightmares
traumatic stress syndrome
shadows, shadowing, shadowy
dimly lit room
under the shadows
his ruin, ruination
delivered up to death
go down to the grave
the river
torrential downpour
troubles
strange house at night
clock ticking
creaks and groans
wood walls and ceiling, siding popping, roof
strangers mourning a shroud
foul reddish brown water (blood)
stars and moon cloud covered and dark
darkened room
terrible destruction
horribly afraid
tremble
graves
fear for your life
desolate
lament
wail
cast down
nether parts of the earth and the pit
terror
bear your shame
weapons
the land of the living
iniquities
you shall be broken and ashamed
wicked, evil
blood required at judgment
a warning from your wicked ways
the hand of God fell upon me
great abominations
provoked to jealousy
ill-fated love
betrayal
his demise
weeping
loathsome
detestable sexual practices done in the dark
violence
provike to anger and fury
shall neither spare nor have pity
loud crying
slaughter of the guilty
weapon of slaughter
smitten
slay and destroy
full of blood
perverseness
God will recompense
Grace and Bliss
True grace is shocking and scandalous. It shakes our conventions with its insistence on reaching out to sinners with mercy and hope. It forgives the unfaithful spouse, the racist, the child abuser. It loves today’s AIDS patient as much as the tax collector of Jesus’ day. Only grace can bring hope and transformation to a jaded world that understands cruelty and unforgiveness but knows nothing about mercy.
Jenkins Lloyd Jones said, “Anyone who imagines that bliss is normal is going to waste a lot of time running around shouting that he’s been robbed. The fact is that most putts don’t drop, most beef is tough, most children grow up to be just people, most successful marriages require a high degree of mutual toleration, most jobs are most often dull than otherwise. Life is like an old time rail journey . . . . delays, sidetracks, smoke, dust, cinders, and jolts, interspersed only occasionally by beautiful vistas, and thrilling bursts of speed. The trick is to thank the Lord for letting you have the ride.”
Since Eve ate the apple first does that mean from now on she’s in charge of cooking?
Do your material possessions own you? Spend your time caring for them? Have you made idols of your earthly treasures? Are you so attached to your belongings (your “stuff”) that you will not accept the offer of true riches – your treasure is where your heart is – heavenly wealth?
Peace that is rooted in good situations or relationships is not really peace at all. It is a brittle kind of harmony between yourself and the world. It crumbles easily when situations or relationships turn bad.
Jenkins Lloyd Jones said, “Anyone who imagines that bliss is normal is going to waste a lot of time running around shouting that he’s been robbed. The fact is that most putts don’t drop, most beef is tough, most children grow up to be just people, most successful marriages require a high degree of mutual toleration, most jobs are most often dull than otherwise. Life is like an old time rail journey . . . . delays, sidetracks, smoke, dust, cinders, and jolts, interspersed only occasionally by beautiful vistas, and thrilling bursts of speed. The trick is to thank the Lord for letting you have the ride.”
Since Eve ate the apple first does that mean from now on she’s in charge of cooking?
Do your material possessions own you? Spend your time caring for them? Have you made idols of your earthly treasures? Are you so attached to your belongings (your “stuff”) that you will not accept the offer of true riches – your treasure is where your heart is – heavenly wealth?
Peace that is rooted in good situations or relationships is not really peace at all. It is a brittle kind of harmony between yourself and the world. It crumbles easily when situations or relationships turn bad.
Time dragging? Slower rotation lengthens days.
Researchers who studied ancient Chinese chronicles of solar eclipses found that a day is now seven hundredths of a second longer than it was nearly 4,000 years ago because the Earth is spinning more slowly. The length of a day “just keeps getting longer and longer,” said Kevin Pang, who conducted the study as an astronomer at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
Just as a spinning ice skater slows down by extending her arms, Earth’s rotation on its axis slows as tidal interactions make the moon orbit Earth more quickly and become more distant from it, he said Wednesday. “Four billion years ago, the moon was only one-third as far away as it is now, and the day was only eight hours long at the time,” said Pang, whose study will be published soon in the British journal Vistas in Astronomy. A day was seven hundredths of a second shorter in 1876 B.C.
(Note: this article was probably from prior to 1995.)
Just as a spinning ice skater slows down by extending her arms, Earth’s rotation on its axis slows as tidal interactions make the moon orbit Earth more quickly and become more distant from it, he said Wednesday. “Four billion years ago, the moon was only one-third as far away as it is now, and the day was only eight hours long at the time,” said Pang, whose study will be published soon in the British journal Vistas in Astronomy. A day was seven hundredths of a second shorter in 1876 B.C.
(Note: this article was probably from prior to 1995.)
Writing Techniques
Secrets better left buried may be blurted out in moments of intimacy. The full revelation of a secret in “male” film usually begins or proclaims the restoration of order. The patient agrees to treatment. The innocent are exonerated and the guilty are punished. The necessity of confession, the means through which we gladly submit to power, is wholeheartedly endorsed.
It takes a major catastrophe to bring about a drastic character personality change, not just a stop-feeling-sorry-for-yourself speech.
If you use a Foreword you probably should use an Afterword.
Sacred cows make great hamburger.
A brutal, murderous man will never be transformed into a gentle lover. You must write realizing the reality of male hostility towards women. Patriarchy detests and fears matriarchy.
The need of women to find meaning and pleasure in activities not wholly male-centered such as work or artistic creation is generally scoffed at.
The classic male film narrative has maximum action and minimum, always pertinent, dialogue, speeding its way to the restoration of order. The climax functions to resolve difficulties.
In soap operas, there is always time for a person to consider a remark’s ramifications, time to speak and listen lavishly. Actions and climaxes are of secondary importance. The mini-climaxes introduce difficulties and complicate character’s lives.
Soap themes include blackmail, major surgery, dying, kidnappings, going mad, extramarital affairs, losing their memory, or unwanted pregnancies.
If you’re ever at a loss for how to get two people together in your story, remember that it takes a wedding or a funeral to reunite scattered families. Also, catastrophes provide convenient occasions for people to come together, confront one another, and explore intense emotions. Immobilization, for example hospitals and waiting rooms, force people to take time to talk to others and to listen.
Given the Western macho aura, the more difficult, the more love is hindered, the more grand the love is! Create characters people can identify and sympathize with.
It takes a major catastrophe to bring about a drastic character personality change, not just a stop-feeling-sorry-for-yourself speech.
If you use a Foreword you probably should use an Afterword.
Sacred cows make great hamburger.
A brutal, murderous man will never be transformed into a gentle lover. You must write realizing the reality of male hostility towards women. Patriarchy detests and fears matriarchy.
The need of women to find meaning and pleasure in activities not wholly male-centered such as work or artistic creation is generally scoffed at.
The classic male film narrative has maximum action and minimum, always pertinent, dialogue, speeding its way to the restoration of order. The climax functions to resolve difficulties.
In soap operas, there is always time for a person to consider a remark’s ramifications, time to speak and listen lavishly. Actions and climaxes are of secondary importance. The mini-climaxes introduce difficulties and complicate character’s lives.
Soap themes include blackmail, major surgery, dying, kidnappings, going mad, extramarital affairs, losing their memory, or unwanted pregnancies.
If you’re ever at a loss for how to get two people together in your story, remember that it takes a wedding or a funeral to reunite scattered families. Also, catastrophes provide convenient occasions for people to come together, confront one another, and explore intense emotions. Immobilization, for example hospitals and waiting rooms, force people to take time to talk to others and to listen.
Given the Western macho aura, the more difficult, the more love is hindered, the more grand the love is! Create characters people can identify and sympathize with.
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