Race Journal Online by Carol Einarsson

"I believe anybody who tells you he is unbiased is a liar. Being human gives you bias, and you can't avoid that. The best you can ever hope to be is fair."
-David Poole

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07/30/1993 - 01/11/2010

Whispers from Heaven

Whispers from Heaven: Looking for Something? By Carol Einarsson \| 01/01/2010

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Whispers from Heaven: Three Seconds of Grace By Carol Einarsson \| 09/26/2009

One night a couple of years ago, I was getting off work. It was about 1:00am, and after putting everything away at my desk, I grabbed my purse and stood up with keys in hand. With one last glance, I noticed I’d left my notebook out. How did I miss that? I had to stop and put my purse down again and put the notebook away in my drawer. I remember being aggravated by this stupid little inconvenience because I was ready to go. It took three seconds, but at that time of night, even a three-second delay was an annoyance. I regathered my stuff and was out the door headed home. Approaching the first intersection, I was happy to see the light was green. I’d be home in no time. But then my peace was shattered. I was maybe 150 feet from the intersection, and a speeding car with headlights off blasted through the intersection from my left, running a red light at about 60mph. It literally took my breath away. It was so close. I was so close. Read more...
Comments: 7	Last Activity: 09/28/09

Whispers from Heaven: A Lesson Learned in the Shade By Carol Einarsson \| 06/13/2009

An excerpt: This awning that I had been stressing about was apparently not up to code. How it became "out" of code, I don't know, presuming it was ever "in" code at the time it was built. Evidently the difference was between a 2x4 and a 2x6. Thankfully they didn't slap me with a $200,000 fine for those two inches or kick me out of my house for 12 weekends, so I consider myself quite fortunate. Read more...
Comments: 2	Last Activity: 06/14/09

Whispers from Heaven: Hidden Meanings By Carol Einarsson \| 04/04/2009

The other day I wrote an article to preview the race at Texas, and I noted that the race would begin at 1:16pm. I emphasized the start time in bold because it was such a strange start time, I thought. Not 1:00 or 1:15 or 1:30. 1:16pm. Odd. There were ideas among the readers as to what that meant. Some thought it might be based on this being the 16th race at Texas. But one reader had initially thought it was some kind of hidden meaning that I was trying to convey. Maybe a hunch that driver #16, Greg Biffle, would win or maybe some other hidden message, because he'd been trained to look for things like that in my columns. I sensed he was almost disappointed that there was nothing to find between the lines. Knowing that God often uses these same tactics when reminding me of life lessons, though, I wondered what I'd find if I looked up Scripture for 1:16. Yes, it might seem like just an arbitrary number, the start time of a NASCAR race, but into my head jumped the book of John. Not any other book, not any of the other Gospels, but John. What might be found in God's word in the book of John, chapter 1, verse 16? Read more...
Comments: 6	Last Activity: 04/05/09

Whispers from Heaven: Free Ball By Carol Einarsson \| 07/20/2008

You probably don't know this about me, but I play billiards online. Pretty much every day. I play via the Nintendo Wi-Fi network with Clubhouse Games, and it's a game similar to 9-ball that I play. To understand what I've learned about life lately, you have to know some of the basics of 9-ball. Read more...
Comments: 1	Last Activity: 04/07/09

Whispers from Heaven: Banned for Being Autistic By Carol Einarsson \| 06/06/2008

Several months ago when FOX SupPORTS announced their joining with Autism Speaks to raise money for research and awareness, I remember feeling proud to be a viewer of a network that has stepped out to help an organization that is near and dear to so many. There are well-known cases of autism in the NASCAR world, from Hermie Sadler's daughter to Jamie McMurray's niece. But there are many other NASCAR (and non-NASCAR)families quietly affected by this condition that medicine so far has no answer for. I have to confess that when I used to see the puzzle pieces, and I'd hear about Elliott's niece, I'd feel a certain amount of sympathy, but that's where it ended. It wasn't until a friend of mine confided that his son had been diagnosed that I really felt the impact of this on families and parents. It was that conversation that moved me to get involved. It might be a small thing that I can do, but I contacted Autism Speaks and signed a contract giving me permission to use their logo on my website. Read more...
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Whispers from Heaven: The Sky Is Falling!!! By Carol Einarsson \| 03/31/2008

I'm sure you've heard the one about the dyslexic agnostic insomniac who stayed up all night wondering if there was a dog, right? For some reason, that joke always comes to mind when I realize parallels between my dog's behavior and my own lack of faith. Currently it's 4:42am and I'm awake. I shouldn't be awake, but I am. And so is the dingo. Why? Because it's late March. I went to bed at a respectable 12:30, but was awakened by the strange sounds of Duke trying to break into the litter box area behind the bathroom door and under the baby-gate that is there to prevent his indulgence in kitty-box crunchies. You're probably wondering where I'm going with this, but let me explain... Duke loves me. He loves me in a little bit of a psychotic way, though. When I come home he is beside himself even if my time away consists of running out to my car to get something and returning in through the front door. When I am away, he will curl up with my pillow just to breathe the scent of me. If I've been gone more than an hour, when I return home, he will attempt to sit on my lap -- all 100 pounds of him. When I walk from room to room, he follows. He adores me. In fact, and here we go with our parallel -- he worships me. Read more...
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Whispers from Heaven: Thanks, Sweetie! By Carol Einarsson \| 03/08/2008

I have occasion to spend quite a bit of time on the phone, and if there is one thing that has always put me on edge, it's those women that call me "Sweetheart" or "Honey", as a term of endearment. I don't know why it grates on my nerves, but grate it does. And when you have one woman that calls you Sweetie, she is not likely to be the kind to use that only once in a conversation. I've pondered ways to prevent this from happening, occasionally interjecting politely that my name is Carol. It's all to no avail, however, because to anyone that is comfortable enough to call a stranger Sweetie, a subtle correction like that will be as effective as trying to use a toothpick to rotisserie a turkey. Sometimes I'm so annoyed by this practice which I consider to be an emotional intrusion that I even pray that God will give me words to gently correct those that verbally hug me against my will this way. And in a loving parental way, God sometimes says no. Today I learned why. Read more...
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Whispers from Heaven: Just Another Rainy Day By Carol Einarsson \| 10/06/2007

The storms in Kansas on Sunday were well-documented thanks to the race coverage (or rain coverage as the case may be) on TV. What you might have missed, however, was the fantastic storm that blew through Kansas City on Tuesday afternoon. It stretched across many hundreds of miles from southwest to northeast, and to drive home from Kansas to Omaha there was just no way to avoid it. The extra night we spent in glorious comfort on our sleep number beds was to cost us the inconvenience of having to drive home through a severe storm. To fully appreciate this storm, you need two things: a scuba mask and a jar of Vaseline. Take the Vaseline, at least half the jar, and generously smear it all around the mask. Then put it on and run quickly around your living room without breaking a toe. (You can sit in your car for the full effect, but please don't drive. Friends don't let friends drive with Vaseline masks.) The sky didn't look tornadic, so we were pretty sure that it was only bringing rain with some gaps of impressive wind. The fear was that with such limited visibility and so much water on the road, should I need to stop quickly, I would risk losing control. I slowed as much as I could, but even still the conditions were frightening. Oddly enough, there were still cars flying by me like I was an old lady doing 30mph on The Autobahn. Read more...
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Whispers from Heaven: Conrad By Carol Einarsson \| 09/22/2007

I'm not sure when it began, but somewhere along the way we realized that all of our pets had their own theme song. I think Conrad was the first one to have her own. I would often sing to her, "Conrad Kitty, she's so pretty, Conrad is the pretty kitty cat..." I think she liked it. Long before she had her own theme song, though, she came into my life as a temporary pet. A friend was moving and was trying to skirt the rules of his new apartment complex. They allowed cats, but only in the "pet section" of the complex. Not wanting to give up the floor-plan he had his heart set on, he figured he'd find a temporary place for Conrad to live until he got settled. And that's how Conrad adopted me. You might have noticed that I refer to Conrad as "she". Yes, she really is a girl, even though she has a boy's name. My friend had taken it on good authority from the woman that he got the kitten from that it was a boy cat, and he named the kitten thusly. It wasn't until the first vet check-up that anyone tipped the cat over to see for sure, and much to my friend's dismay, he looked a little silly for not knowing the difference. Read more...
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