Working with Words

I subscribe to A.Word.A.Day and make note cards of the ones I want to remember. Today's word is parisology (pa-ri-SOL-uh-jee) = "The use of equivocal or ambiguous language."

The nice things about AWAD are the helpful pronunciation keys and the fact that the words are generally new to me. Yahoo's daily words from Petersons.com are never new. And, just in case my daughter is reading this, I freely admit that I got the idea for posting the word from her recent blog entries. I've been subscribing to AWAD for months, but had no idea she also subscribed. What's that they say about great minds?

While typing my daily journal entry this morning, I noticed how I like to make my paragraphs end neatly, without orphans trailing over to the next line. It's a habit that I've picked up from writing courses in which the instructors noted such unpleasing aspects of the physical appearance of paragraphs. I don’t know that it’s a particularly helpful habit since it is rare to have control over the final publication of one’s work. Retaining control over appearance of the printed word is part of the reason I enjoy editing newsletters. I also enjoy crafting the general layout, working with graphic design and colors, as well as deciding content. Fitting things together is a challenge that can be more or less enjoyable (depending on my mood, the amount of material, and the pressure of an approaching deadline).

The astute reader will notice that I used the word "crafting" in the above paragraph, and--with Gimli--I want to assure you "that was intentional." I use "craft" instead of "create" to acknowledge that "creating" is something only God can do. When I dimly reflect His creativity in my work, I am only a craftman. He alone is the Creator.