Asked & Answered with Sis Steele

For our second installment of Asked & Answered we’re talking to Sis Steele. Enjoy!

G&S:  I always like to start off easy. My first go to question is what are some of your nicknames?

SS:     Weezie, Juju, Sister Steele.

G&S:  We call our daughter Weezie sometimes (ala “The Jeffersons”) because her middle name is Louise. Until very recently she thought it was because of her childhood asthma. And speaking of family, who are your immediate family members?

SS:     A husband, a son and daughter-in-law with three grandkidlets, a daughter and her fiancé. Wedding bells ring in December. 

G&S:  Ah, wedding bells… Where do you currently call home?

SS:     The part of North Carolina called the Research Triangle. Home of Carolina, Duke, and North Carolina State. I went to two of those schools so automatically hate the other.

G&S:  Do you have paraphernalia for each? And, if so, which do you wear when they’re playing each other?

SS:     I didn’t wear either until my daughter got me a NC State shirt. It’s dangerous to be a Duke fan around here. And when they are playing each other, I always root for State since it was my undergrad school.

G&S:  I know you’ve also lived elsewhere. Can you tell us where?

SS:     DC and Maryland. 

G&S:  What takes up most of your time?

SS:     Grandchildren, wedding planning, reading, and writing. Not necessarily in that order. 

G&S:  It seems like you’re always writing. What projects do you have going on at the moment?

SS:     I am just now getting back into writing work after my surgery. I am helping a former colleague and classmate edit his devotional book. I’m working on a downsizing book for folks my age. And I am thinking about going back into WWII now that I’ve had a break.

G&S:  Please let me know when I can pre-order the downsizing book. I’m pretty sure I’m going to need it in the next few years. But enough about me. What are you reading right now?

SS:     Just finished “Breaking Wild”, a great novel of wilderness survival with two women, a ranger, and a hunter. Now reading “The Black Calhouns” by Gail Lumet Buckley, Lena Horne’s daughter, about her family history.

G&S:  What are some of your all time favorite books?

SS:     “Morning Glory” by LaVeryle Spencer, “The Great Epidemic” about the 1918 flu pandemic, anything by Henri Nouwen, “Warmth of Other Suns”… um I’m pretty eclectic. 

G&S:  How about a few of your favorite TV shows? And Netflix counts.

SS:     Supergirl, Finding Your Roots, Walking Dead, Hawaii Life… um, eclectic again.

G&S:  Speaking of TV, which is your TV food of choice? Sweet or salty?

SS:     I actually put sea salt on vanilla frozen custard.

G&S:  Oh, yum! I may have to try that. What is your favorite holiday?

SS:     Lent. Seriously, the whole season leading up to Easter. 

G&S:  Explain to us why Lent is your favorite?

SS:     Lent makes me think about my relationship with God over an extended period WITHOUT the culture clash of secular Christmas stuff. And the payoff is Easter and my Risen Lord. I can’t stand Palm Sunday because it highlights how people cheered Jesus and then quickly abandoned Him.

G&S:  And along those same lines, what is your favorite scripture and why?

SS:     I’ve gone through phases of Matthew 6:33-34, Jeremiah 29:11, but Micah is resonating these days. “Do justice, love mercy and walk humbly with your God.”

G&S:  Last, but not least, why do you write for Grace & Such?

SS:     I meditate when I write. Writing helps me focus on what God wants me to learn and know. Hopefully sharing what I learn helps others.

G&S:  Thanks so much for taking the time to answer my questions, Sis. Unsurprisingly, you’re answers were great.

Don’t forget to ask any questions you might have for Sis in the comments below.