Tag Archives: Gossip

For a Good Marriage, Avoid the Story Telling

Your mother-in-law made a nasty comment and your husband didn’t step in to say something. Or, he forgot to fix the garage door again. You are just so annoyed. So when your best friend calls, you are ready to vent. But when venting turns into story telling, you may be harming your marriage. Here is why. We all tend to do it. You start out complaining about one thing, and before you know it, the story has evolved with details about every single way that your spouse needs to step up and change. Soon a long list of faults emerges … Continue reading →

Gossip and Loyalty in Marriage

Two things recently started me thinking about gossip and loyalty in marriage. One was in the book ‘Take Joy’ by Jane Yolen where she talked of certain ’emotional core truths.’ She went on to mention some core truths about herself. One of these was ‘being loyal’ to those she loved. The other sign recently that tickled my fancy was this. ‘I never repeat gossip, so listen carefully the first time.’ But what has gossip got to do with marriage? Sadly, I thought it related closely to not being loyal to our spouse. Listening to guys talk at times, I hear … Continue reading →

A Day All to Yourself?

Have you ever said, ‘I just want one day to myself?’ I thought that’s what I was going to have on Friday. Then Thursday night I found out our choir had a concert on Friday at one of the local nursing homes. ‘Oh no, I thought.’ After a crazy week including along with the usual housework and writing project, two other concerts, shopping, and a book launch I was organizing for GROW- UNDER THE SOUTHERN CROSS – an anthology edited by Anne Hamilton and Lyn Hurry and containing a number of Christian writers that included me, the last thing I … Continue reading →

Tristi’s Favorite Musicals

I grew up watching musicals. I love Doris Day, Gene Kelly, Fred Astaire – in fact, there are very few movie stars from Hollywood’s golden era that I don’t like. There’s just nothing like a man and woman gazing into each other’s eyes and then breaking into song. Some of my all-time favorite musicals are, in no particular order: “Oklahoma!” Who could forget Shirley Jones in her first role as shy and idealistic Laurie, caught up in her feelings for that rascally cowboy, Curly? “Show Boat” took on a tough topic – that of race discrimination – and brought us … Continue reading →

What Separates Friends?

When we think of what can separate friends, we might think of time and distance, or busyness or family. But listen to what the bible says can separate friends. Gossip! ‘A perverse man stirs up dissension and a gossip separates close friends,’ Proverbs 16:8. Or this one, ‘He who covers over an offence promotes love but whoever repeats the matter separates close friends,’ Proverbs 17:9. Gossip to our friends about another person, or about our friends to a third party, is a betrayal of trust. Proverbs 11:13 tells us ‘A gossip betrays a confidence but a trustworthy man (or woman) … Continue reading →

Romance on the High Seas (1948)

“Romance on the High Seas” was Doris Day’s first film appearance. She stars as Georgia Garrett, a nightclub singer who has always dreamed of world travel. One day, luck finds her in the form of Mrs. Elvira Kent. Mrs. Kent (Janis Paige) has always suspected her husband of being a cheater, but she can’t prove anything. She decides to make him think she’s gone on a long trip, planning to catch him in the act when he thinks she’s not looking. She asks Georgia to go on the trip in her place, mailing her husband letters from time to time … Continue reading →

Till the Clouds Roll By (1946)

Everyone who was everyone in Hollywood (with the exception of David Niven) made an appearance in “Till the Clouds Roll By,” a look into the life of noted composer, Jerome Kern. Frank Sinatra, Dinah Shore, June Allyson, and Judy Garland are just a few of the names that grace this show’s playbill. Jerome Kern (Robert Walker) was a young song writer with a dream – he wanted to look out over the city, behold people he’d never met, and know that they were singing his songs. His first go-round didn’t go over so well, and he was encouraged to seek … Continue reading →

Tristi’s Favorite Gene Kelly Movies

One of the definite perks of being a movie reviewer is that I get to sit here and sigh, and then tell you why I’m doing it. Gene Kelly . . . sigh. Gene has done scads of fabulous films – I don’t think I’ve ever seen him deliver a bad performance. I’d like to share four of my favorite Gene Kelly films with you right now and tell you why they’ve made this top ten list. 1. Of course, the first on my list would be “Singin’ in the Rain.” Who doesn’t just adore this movie? Gene stars as … Continue reading →

Xanadu (1980)

I’m so confused. If anyone can explain to me what the gods on Mount Olympus care about roller rinks, I’d be so grateful. In the cult favorite “Xanadu,” we meet Sonny Malone, an artist who works taking album covers and painting them extra large for advertisement purposes. He wants to create something more out of his life but doesn’t know how to break out of the rut he’s in. While out wandering around one day, trying to figure out his life, a beautiful woman roller skates up to him, kisses him, then skates off. When he’s given the assignment to … Continue reading →

I’ll See You in My Dreams (1951)

Doris Day and Danny Thomas star in “I’ll See You in My Dreams,” the dramatized true story of lyricist Gus Kahn, who penned such classics as “It Had to Be You,” “Too-too-Tootsie, Goodbye,” “My Buddy,” and “I’ll See You in My Dreams.” I was glad to see this film—I’ve heard these songs my whole life and never knew who wrote them. Gus is the son of poor German immigrants and he wants a better life for himself. He’s written several song lyrics and poems and hopes to sell them to a sheet music company, but when he takes his work … Continue reading →