The Alphabet Meme ~ J

When Naomi, http://sitteninthehills64.blogspot.com , tapped me to do the alphabet meme, she gave me a choice of the letter A or the letter J. Since my name begins with J, I looked in the dictionary to see what words I might use. To my amazement, there were more than I thought possible. The letter J has figured heavily in my life. Had you asked me out of the blue, I would have been hard pressed to name words beginning with J that had meaning for me, but here are a few:

Judith: my name, a book of the Old Testament Apocrypha that tells the story of Judith, slayer of Holofernes, the general of Nebuchadnezzar. Also a book in the Douay Bible. A cousin of mine who could not pronounce Judith, called me "Judas" when we were small. I didn't realize the significance of that at the time, and now, I don't know whether I should be amused or aggravated by it......LOL . Books which list the meaning of names say that Judith means Blessed. I am. I have been blessed by so many people in so many different ways in my life. Perhaps I am aptly named after all.

Joy: the Hebrew meaning of my daughter's name. We didn't know that until after we named her. I had worked for a doctor whose wife had that name and when I was pregnant with my third child, he said I should name her that if it was a girl. The more I thought about it, the more I liked it. After the baby came and we sent out birth announcements, one Jewish friend wrote back that the name we had chosen meant Joy in Hebrew. This child is the most aptly named of any in existence. She has never been anything but a joy to us.

Just: the first word in the title of my blog. It is a quality I always hope to lay claim to -- justice -- the principle of rectitude and just dealing of men with each other, is the way my dictionary describes it. There is one usage of this word which bugs me, and that is when people call on the phone and say "It's just me". If you don't think any better of yourself than that - don't call me at all. And if you do it because you want to appear humble - don't. I'm not buying it!

Jazz: the music form to which I automatically listen when given a choice. To me, jazz is like modern or impressionistic art. When I am listening to jazz, I ofter see colors and patterns, sort of the way that the Disney movie "Fantasia" illustrates the music in the film. If you haven't seen Fantasia, watch it and see how they show the rhythms inherent in the music. It is fascinating to me.

Jade: this tough, compact green gemstone has always drawn me with its subtle colors, both dark and light. Jade has been used for centuries for jewelry and statuary. Before mr. kenju gave me a diamond ring (on our 17th anniversary) I work a circlet of jade on my left hand along side my wedding ring.

James: the name of someone very close to my heart. He was born in January and went to school under Jesuit priests, and we are both dedicated to Jesus. I also have a grandson named James.

Jigsaw: I have loved jigsaw puzzles since I was a child, and I once completed one that had 2500 pieces and covered almost my whole dining room table. Trouble was, it took so long to solve it that my table was covered with the pieces over both Thanksgiving and Christmas. In the future, I need a place to do puzzles that will not lay long-term claim to the table where we eat during family gatherings! I have one waiting in the wings, so to speak, an aerial photograph of the government buildings and monuments in Washington, DC. I look forward to starting that one, and if I am lucky enough to finish it, I will post a pic here.

Jet: something I absolutely love to board and fly off into the wild blue yonder. My first flight was at age 18 (I think), when I "ran away from home". I went to NYC, and gawked at the skyscrapers, stood on the top of the Empire State building and cried for my momma, spent so much money on taxi fare that I was afraid to buy anything to eat for 2 days. I was rescued on the 3rd day and sent home in ignominious fashion. Since that time, I have been fortunate to have flown to many different places. If money were no object, you could always find me on a plane to somewhere new and exciting.

Jacobean: a style of decoration prevailing in England in the early 17th century. I used to do a lot of crewel embroidery, in patterns called the Jacobean style. I had to quit when eye strain demanded it, but I have always been drawn to the patterns of stylized flowers and foliages known as Jacobean.

Jack O' Lantern: My birthday falls on October 30th, which in my home town, was always "trick or treat" night. Hence, jack o' lanterns and other Halloween decor always figured heavily in my birthday celebrations. Quite often, a large papier mache one would be the place I gathered my treats and stored them for the short time they lasted.

I won't tap anyone else to do the meme, but if you do one, please let me know!