To say I don’t much like New Year’s Eve would be a gross understatement.
I’m not really sure why…
Maybe it’s that I’m so sentimental and have a hard time letting go. And the harder I grasp at those last fleeting moments of the year, the faster they slip away. Like the way a mother grips her toddler’s finger to hold him close, yet eventually she has to release him as she can’t hold on forever.
Maybe it’s the security of knowing. And while the New Year holds loads of promise, it is also unknown territory.
Maybe it’s that “packing for camp” feeling that I got every dang time I left home…homesick even before I left…for a destination I was excited about.
Maybe it’s that I hold the old year in my arms like it is old friend or relative…not wanting it to leave. Because even with all of its faults, it is the good that I always focus on.
I am tonight, as I am every single year, melancholy once again as that darn ball gets ready to drop.
2008 was an interesting year. It held some huge blessings and some monumental disappointments. And with the good and the bad came a multitude of life lessons:
1. Sometimes my very best is total and 100% stink. (This will be a future blog topic all on its own!).
2. I’m too old to care what people think. I never want to be inappropriate or offensive, but with me what you see is what you get, and if you don’t like me it is really OK.
3. Humility is a wonderful lesson to learn. It is an amazing thing to realize that you are as insignificant as a grain of sand, and yet that you have a purpose in this life that no one can carry out but you.
4. A contrarian am I. I always have been and always will be.
5. That crazy God! …He’s still got plenty of tricks up his sleeve on my behalf. (And on your behalf, too!)
6. No matter what I do for others it is never enough. But I don’t mean that in an “I-can’t-ever-do-enough-poor-me” kind of way. I mean it in a “let’s-see-if-I-can-out-do-myself-cause-what-I’ve-already-done-was-a-great-attempt-but-let’s-ramp-it-up” kind of way.
7. Listen to the gut!
8. It is really important that you sink in! Changing churches & becoming part of Grace was the best thing I have done for my personal spiritual growth in a long, long time. (No “thanks” can ever express it, Lisa!) We actually started going in ‘07, but we didn’t “sink in” till ’08, & the sinking in is where it's at!
9. It is more important than ever to make time for the people in your life. But it is also OK to let go of some people, too.
10. I really love having and writing a blog! I have a lot to say…and it is very possible that it is stuff that no one actually wants to hear. But if it helps one person fall into deeper relationship with Christ, or gives one person the opportunity to read quietly at midnight because she is too scared to ask aloud, the purpose has been served.
11. I’ve squelched my creativity for a few years…because I was busy…but I have to realize that the creativity and other talents that I have were specifically given to me for a reason, and I have to use them in order for them to be increased. This is non-negotiable & I have seen proof of this over and over in my life this year. This is true for all of us, so if this resonates with you, take heed.
12. Not only must I use the gifts I have been given, but I am required to use them at the place where I already am if I want them to grow.
13. I seek and appreciate truth more than I ever have before.
14. Slow & steady wins the race and you must build on fertile ground.
15. If you ask for truth, understanding, and wisdom, pursuing God relentlessly, He will reveal it to you. But in His time and through His ways.
In about ten minutes it will be 2009. I will probably feel like crying as that old friend, 2008, slips out the door and it softly closes behind him. Instead of crying, I will try to focus on the gratitude I feel for baseball games, for family gatherings, for my church and my spot on the risers in the choir, for new friends & old, for birthday parties, and for leopard print shoes.
I will focus on gratitude for a God who continually delights and challenges me, who never gives up on me ~ or you ~ and is always waiting on us to want Him by our side. A God who made us to be like Him, knowing that we never can be, but is so very proud of us for trying.
May you be richly blessed in 2009, and may it teach you a multitude of wonderful lessons as it settles in to become your new and dear friend.
Question: What did 2008 teach you?
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Got Joy?
Got joy?
I do!
…Way down deep!
It overpowers everything, every other emotion that I have.
And because of it I have to use a lot of wrinkle crème! I have the potential for lots and lots of laugh lines and crows feet...because I smile constantly!
Do you remember this old Bible School song:
I’ve got the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart.
Where?
Down in my heart to stay.
That’s why I smile all of the time!
Joy is my over-riding emotion… In fact, it overflows and I like it that way. It’s a good place to dwell, and I can’t keep from smiling! Sometimes my face actually hurts from smiling so much! My joy wells up, bubbles over, oozes out.
And I’ve been this way for quite a while, though I just really realized it not too long ago.
I’ve realized that I have joy when I am happy, joy when I am glad, joy when I am excited.
You may be saying, “Big whoop, lady! I don’t get the big deal, aren’t you supposed to be joyful when you are happy?”
Well, you’d be surprised!
I’ve known a lot of people who were happy about a particular circumstance, but deep down they were depressed, or angry, or disillusioned, or had a chip on their shoulder. I’ve known a lot of people who were all kinds of positive emotions, but those emotions were tied to a particular person or event in their life, and when things weren’t going well with the person, or when the event or circumstance came to an end, the bitterness welled up and overflowed.
See, I am also filled with joy, joyfulness, joy overflowing when I am upset, irritated, exhausted, sad, mourning, confused, and just down-right ticked-off.
And because of JOY, even when I feel those negative things, they don’t last long and they don’t run nearly as deep as they would otherwise ~ I’m just sure of it!
From where does my joy come? My joy comes from the Lord. (My take on Psalm 121:1…it actually says “help”, but I really like how it reads with the word joy subbed in!)
I guess I really realized all of this a few months ago after something kind of big didn’t go my way and I was pretty down about it, yet at the same time I felt an overwhelming sense of joy. In that moment it dawned on me: that is what the old Bible School song is about. It’s one of those simple little childhood melodies that we sing without thinking about the true and deeper meaning.
But HOW, you may be wondering, just exactly does one acquire this joy of which I speak?
Three ways, I believe:
1.) Continually praising, even through the crud.
This very well may involve asking God for help, and I am quite sure that it will certainly involve practice. You to have practice becoming your own best spin-doctor. When things are cruddy, convince yourself of any aspect of good, because it is there if you look hard enough. Someone in a seminar once taught me to “change the story”, meaning instead of cussing that horrid driver that just cut you off, you say “oh, that poor man, I hope he gets to the hospital in time…as fast as he is driving, his wife is obviously in labor!”
Well, the more you “change the story”, the more you start to automatically think like that, and the more you practice praising God, the more that will be your natural reaction, your natural way of thinking and praying, thus your natural state of being will become positive and joyful. Try it. For the next 30 days. I triple-dog dare ya! What’s that worst thing that could happen? It may just change your life!
Romans 5: 1-3
"Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance."
2.) Being obedient.
God tells us to be joyful in Him, to delight in Him, to bask in the goodness and glory and hope of Him.
If we are really believing, really studying His word, seeking His truth, and living by faith, our joy can not help but grow. Nothing can compare to the home that awaits us in Heaven!
God commands us:
Psalm 37:4
"Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart."
So if we are following His commands, we are at least making our very best attempt to do just that; delight ourselves in Him.
3.) Accepting His gift.
Jesus was born so that we may know this joy. That’s the only way we can get it, but all of us can have it. All of us. There is plenty to go around. Regardless of past mistakes, previous blunders, mishaps big or small. Regardless of age, race, background, which side of the tracks you grew up on… None of that “stuff” matters. You are forgiven.
All you have to do is take the gift, accept the gift, open your heart to the gift that God has given you in the miracle of this baby, yet king, sent to save the world and to fill it with joy!
From a great old Christmas hymn:
Good Christian men rejoice
With heart and soul and voice
Now ye hear of endless bliss
Joy! Joy! Jesus Christ was born for this
He has opened heaven's door
And man is blessed forevermore
Christ was born for this
Christ was born for this…
Christ was born to save
Christ was born to save
My Christmas wish for you: May you know the true JOY of a deep and abiding relationship with Jesus, down in your heart to stay!
Question: Have you "Got Joy"? If not, what will you do to work on getting it?
I do!
…Way down deep!
It overpowers everything, every other emotion that I have.
And because of it I have to use a lot of wrinkle crème! I have the potential for lots and lots of laugh lines and crows feet...because I smile constantly!
Do you remember this old Bible School song:
I’ve got the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart.
Where?
Down in my heart to stay.
That’s why I smile all of the time!
Joy is my over-riding emotion… In fact, it overflows and I like it that way. It’s a good place to dwell, and I can’t keep from smiling! Sometimes my face actually hurts from smiling so much! My joy wells up, bubbles over, oozes out.
And I’ve been this way for quite a while, though I just really realized it not too long ago.
I’ve realized that I have joy when I am happy, joy when I am glad, joy when I am excited.
You may be saying, “Big whoop, lady! I don’t get the big deal, aren’t you supposed to be joyful when you are happy?”
Well, you’d be surprised!
I’ve known a lot of people who were happy about a particular circumstance, but deep down they were depressed, or angry, or disillusioned, or had a chip on their shoulder. I’ve known a lot of people who were all kinds of positive emotions, but those emotions were tied to a particular person or event in their life, and when things weren’t going well with the person, or when the event or circumstance came to an end, the bitterness welled up and overflowed.
See, I am also filled with joy, joyfulness, joy overflowing when I am upset, irritated, exhausted, sad, mourning, confused, and just down-right ticked-off.
And because of JOY, even when I feel those negative things, they don’t last long and they don’t run nearly as deep as they would otherwise ~ I’m just sure of it!
From where does my joy come? My joy comes from the Lord. (My take on Psalm 121:1…it actually says “help”, but I really like how it reads with the word joy subbed in!)
I guess I really realized all of this a few months ago after something kind of big didn’t go my way and I was pretty down about it, yet at the same time I felt an overwhelming sense of joy. In that moment it dawned on me: that is what the old Bible School song is about. It’s one of those simple little childhood melodies that we sing without thinking about the true and deeper meaning.
But HOW, you may be wondering, just exactly does one acquire this joy of which I speak?
Three ways, I believe:
1.) Continually praising, even through the crud.
This very well may involve asking God for help, and I am quite sure that it will certainly involve practice. You to have practice becoming your own best spin-doctor. When things are cruddy, convince yourself of any aspect of good, because it is there if you look hard enough. Someone in a seminar once taught me to “change the story”, meaning instead of cussing that horrid driver that just cut you off, you say “oh, that poor man, I hope he gets to the hospital in time…as fast as he is driving, his wife is obviously in labor!”
Well, the more you “change the story”, the more you start to automatically think like that, and the more you practice praising God, the more that will be your natural reaction, your natural way of thinking and praying, thus your natural state of being will become positive and joyful. Try it. For the next 30 days. I triple-dog dare ya! What’s that worst thing that could happen? It may just change your life!
Romans 5: 1-3
"Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance."
2.) Being obedient.
God tells us to be joyful in Him, to delight in Him, to bask in the goodness and glory and hope of Him.
If we are really believing, really studying His word, seeking His truth, and living by faith, our joy can not help but grow. Nothing can compare to the home that awaits us in Heaven!
God commands us:
Psalm 37:4
"Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart."
So if we are following His commands, we are at least making our very best attempt to do just that; delight ourselves in Him.
3.) Accepting His gift.
Jesus was born so that we may know this joy. That’s the only way we can get it, but all of us can have it. All of us. There is plenty to go around. Regardless of past mistakes, previous blunders, mishaps big or small. Regardless of age, race, background, which side of the tracks you grew up on… None of that “stuff” matters. You are forgiven.
All you have to do is take the gift, accept the gift, open your heart to the gift that God has given you in the miracle of this baby, yet king, sent to save the world and to fill it with joy!
From a great old Christmas hymn:
Good Christian men rejoice
With heart and soul and voice
Now ye hear of endless bliss
Joy! Joy! Jesus Christ was born for this
He has opened heaven's door
And man is blessed forevermore
Christ was born for this
Christ was born for this…
Christ was born to save
Christ was born to save
My Christmas wish for you: May you know the true JOY of a deep and abiding relationship with Jesus, down in your heart to stay!
Question: Have you "Got Joy"? If not, what will you do to work on getting it?
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Legacy
I have often seen signs that say (or heard people verbally say): “Leave a legacy.”
But here’s the thing…You ARE leaving a legacy whether you mean to be or not.
...at least that's what I think...
From Merriam-Webster:
1leg·a·cy
Pronunciation:
\ˈle-gə-sē\
Function:
noun
Inflected Form(s):
plural leg·a·cies
Etymology:
Middle English legacie office of a legate, bequest, from Anglo-French or Medieval Latin; Anglo-French, office of a legate, from Medieval Latin legatia, from Latin legatus
Date:
15th century
1 : a gift by will especially of money or other personal property : bequest 2 : something transmitted by or received from an ancestor or predecessor or from the past
The term is used so often in referring to leaving something (object or philosophy) good to someone after you die. But I think you are establishing what your legacy will be over the course of your lifetime. It may be one your proud of, and it may be one you’ll regret.
Most people who know me think I am very out-going, but really I am very introverted, the type who likes to be a wallflower and just stand back and do a lot of observing. In my observing I have noticed particular families or groups of people that seem prone to things going wrong, drama, glitch after glitch in life, sickness, sadness, expecting the worst. Why is it that some people seem to have a long family history of “we will persevere”, while others follow the long-taught mantra, “life stinks”?
It has caused me to stop and think: What legacy am I leaving? 7 generations from now what will my descendants be like and what will be said that I passed down through those generations?
My Grandfather Clyde left a legacy of a strong work-ethic, unshakable faith, right priorities (God first, family next, everything else after that), using your talents, service to God and country. I will never forget those lessons he taught me and, because they have shaped who I am, they now live on in my children.
You ARE leaving a legacy…
What will it be?
You are creating that legacy at this very moment…
Is it a legacy of fear and doubt?
A legacy of poverty?
A legacy of depression?
A legacy of complacency?
A legacy of self-loathing?
Of settling for mediocrity?
Of negativity?
Of divisiveness?
Of drama?
Of blame?
Of victimization?
…OR…
Will you leave a legacy of positive thinking?
A legacy of taking action?
A legacy of knowing that God has created you for a specific purpose that only you can fulfill?
A legacy of gratitude?
A legacy of responsibility?
A legacy of self-worth, caring, concern?
A legacy of making a difference?
Of peace, pulling up your boot-straps, making the best of it?
Of inclusion?
Of continual improvement?
Of humor?
Of joy?
Of caring more than is practical?
Of brave, bold, courageous service for the Kingdom instead of playing it safe?
Will you teach your child that he’s not good enough and that dreams aren’t for people like him?
Or will you teach your child (and his children to come) that the dream in his heart was placed there by God and that NO dream is too big?
Will you teach him to honor God by achieving and living out that dream? Are YOU honoring God by achieving and living out the dreams that He has etched upon your heart?
Once the legacy is laid down, it will be woven into generation after generation. What will your legacy say about you 100 years from now?
If it isn’t what you want it to be, it isn’t too late to make the changes you need to make.
You are worthy of a legacy as big and as wonderful as God’s love is for you.
And your children deserve nothing less.
Question: You ARE leaving a legacy. What will it be? Will it honor God?
But here’s the thing…You ARE leaving a legacy whether you mean to be or not.
...at least that's what I think...
From Merriam-Webster:
1leg·a·cy
Pronunciation:
\ˈle-gə-sē\
Function:
noun
Inflected Form(s):
plural leg·a·cies
Etymology:
Middle English legacie office of a legate, bequest, from Anglo-French or Medieval Latin; Anglo-French, office of a legate, from Medieval Latin legatia, from Latin legatus
Date:
15th century
1 : a gift by will especially of money or other personal property : bequest 2 : something transmitted by or received from an ancestor or predecessor or from the past
The term is used so often in referring to leaving something (object or philosophy) good to someone after you die. But I think you are establishing what your legacy will be over the course of your lifetime. It may be one your proud of, and it may be one you’ll regret.
Most people who know me think I am very out-going, but really I am very introverted, the type who likes to be a wallflower and just stand back and do a lot of observing. In my observing I have noticed particular families or groups of people that seem prone to things going wrong, drama, glitch after glitch in life, sickness, sadness, expecting the worst. Why is it that some people seem to have a long family history of “we will persevere”, while others follow the long-taught mantra, “life stinks”?
It has caused me to stop and think: What legacy am I leaving? 7 generations from now what will my descendants be like and what will be said that I passed down through those generations?
My Grandfather Clyde left a legacy of a strong work-ethic, unshakable faith, right priorities (God first, family next, everything else after that), using your talents, service to God and country. I will never forget those lessons he taught me and, because they have shaped who I am, they now live on in my children.
You ARE leaving a legacy…
What will it be?
You are creating that legacy at this very moment…
Is it a legacy of fear and doubt?
A legacy of poverty?
A legacy of depression?
A legacy of complacency?
A legacy of self-loathing?
Of settling for mediocrity?
Of negativity?
Of divisiveness?
Of drama?
Of blame?
Of victimization?
…OR…
Will you leave a legacy of positive thinking?
A legacy of taking action?
A legacy of knowing that God has created you for a specific purpose that only you can fulfill?
A legacy of gratitude?
A legacy of responsibility?
A legacy of self-worth, caring, concern?
A legacy of making a difference?
Of peace, pulling up your boot-straps, making the best of it?
Of inclusion?
Of continual improvement?
Of humor?
Of joy?
Of caring more than is practical?
Of brave, bold, courageous service for the Kingdom instead of playing it safe?
Will you teach your child that he’s not good enough and that dreams aren’t for people like him?
Or will you teach your child (and his children to come) that the dream in his heart was placed there by God and that NO dream is too big?
Will you teach him to honor God by achieving and living out that dream? Are YOU honoring God by achieving and living out the dreams that He has etched upon your heart?
Once the legacy is laid down, it will be woven into generation after generation. What will your legacy say about you 100 years from now?
If it isn’t what you want it to be, it isn’t too late to make the changes you need to make.
You are worthy of a legacy as big and as wonderful as God’s love is for you.
And your children deserve nothing less.
Question: You ARE leaving a legacy. What will it be? Will it honor God?
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
A Tale of 2 Women
You might be familiar with a couple of hip biblical chicks, Mary and Martha. I probably would've been friends with them had I been alive then, though I would like to pause right here and now to thank God for having the good sense to know that the particular era of no hot shower, Ann Taylor Loft, or Kenra 25 (for keeping the angled bob perfectly angled) would not have been an ideal time for me! (I love how He so knows what He is doing!!!)
In case you are not familiar or have forgotten, allow me to refresh (I am paraphrasing here):
Luke 10: 38-42
There were these 2 sisters who lived in Bethany, named Mary and Martha. Jesus was passing through and Martha opened her home to Him and to the disciples. As any good hostess would do, she was prepping the meal, getting out the good dishes, probably stashing those stacks of mail she hadn’t gotten to under the kitchen island… Anyway, she’s in the kitchen scurrying around like a chicken with its head cut off. Meanwhile, Mary was off in the other room listening to Jesus talk. Martha was getting a little hot under the collar as she was going crazy & sis is just sittin’ around, so she tattled on Mary to Jesus, hoping He would lay down the (carpenter’s) hammer. Jesus, being so true-to-form, lovingly redirects her, and reminds her that actually she is the one who needs to re-think the plan here. "Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her."
That one thing is, of course, Him.
Now I am sure we'd be friends, those girls and me...they were strong women who were ahead of their time, and I like that. You know chicks didn't get a lot of "air time" back then, so that's cool. But also, I see so much of myself, have so much in common with them. Mary with the whole “thinker” thing going on (I love nothing more than sitting around thinking…I just rarely make time to do it!), and Martha, always doing…I bet she never sat down either! Surely we would've hit it off while scrubbing dust out of the clothes with a big rock down at the stream. (Oh God, thank you, thank you that I was not alive then!)
I have to believe that both women were spiritually gifted. Among other gifts, Martha obviously had the Spiritual Gift of Hospitality. I’m sure she had a lovely and warm home and always made people feel welcome.
Mary sat at the feet of Jesus in total humility, drinking in His every word. Surely she had the Spiritual Gift of Knowledge.
Allow, if you will, one of my favorite thoughts:
You know how most it is often portrayed that people have an angel sitting on one shoulder and a devil on the other...they whisper words of encouragement/discouragement, good/evil, right/wrong, at the person continually?
Well, I don't have that. (You may have read in an earlier blog post where I said that I have always been a goody-two shoes...maybe I grew up with The Angel of Guilt on one shoulder and my entire extended family on the other...staying on track isn't hard when you keep thinking "would my grandma be proud of me at this moment?")
I was somehow blessed...or cursed, depending on how you look at it...with MARY on one shoulder and MARTHA on the other! They sit upon my shoulders and scream (not whisper) words of get-things-done/take-time, run-run-run/slow-down, do-more/do-less, say-no-to-one-more-thing/you-haven’t-done-enough.
This is a theme that runs continually through my life, but is glaringly evident at this time of year when there is so much to do and such and ambiance to create. Yet all I really want to do is curl up under a blanket on the couch, no lights on but those on the tree, soft carols playing, fire in the fireplace, smells of my Yankee Christmas Eve Candle filling the house, reading a the story of the birth of the baby Jesus in the Bible and pouring over every Christmas letter and picture.
Ahhhhhhhhh….doesn’t that sound wonderful…like heaven on earth?
But here's how the real story goes:
Last week I was (hmmmm...word choice...) a stressed-out basket case trying to get my house all decorated for Christmas before a meeting I was hosting. Along with finishing the decorating, there were some gifts to get ready for the meeting, food to make, and because I’d be busy with that all evening, phone calls and emails I needed to take care of beforehand. Then the doctor’s office called and they did need to see my son after all, ASAP. How was I possibly going to get all of this done?
The list was endless and time was running out!
“The Shoulder Girls” as I like to call them, were perched a-top my collar bones, arguing with each other worse than Paris and Nicole when they had their famous 2-year feud!
My modern-day visual interpretation of the Shoulder Girls:
Mary: I picture her as a simple, sporty-though-refined, straight-forward girl. She sits on my right shoulder. I imagine her with a simple, yet stylish black knee-length shirt dress, in a wrinkle-free fabric, and practical leopard-print flats. She has long black hair pulled back in a chic pony.
Martha: The much fussier of the 2…or as some might surmise, high-maintenance…sits on my left, zebra-print sweater dress from Ann Taylor Loft, long strand of pearls doubled around her neck, black tights, black boots. She feels fabulous in this outfit…I know because I wore this exact combo just this very day! In my mind she has a choppy light brown crop with very well done highlights.
They sit upon me most of the time and banter back and forth. When I finally decide to relax and take it slow, which is rare, Martha is ranting in my ear about all that I should and could be doing.
When I am working through that to-do list and multi-tasking like a maniacal Franklin-Covey devotee, then Mary is chastising me for not living in the moment and stopping to meditate, pray, read, and recharge.
I often feel like I can’t win as these girls present their cases to me and their on-going closing arguments!!!
I really want to be like Mary (laid back and in the moment), but I am wired so much more like Martha (giant type A), thus the constant fighting it out between the Shoulder Girls.
On this particular day of the meeting I mentioned, Mary won…it just all couldn’t get done! I had no choice but to shove the un-hung Christmas ornaments into the corner, light the un-decorated tree, and we all shared a good laugh about my imperfection. I had a great time that night, relishing in the people and the moment!
And I don't want it to be perfect and all Martha-y just so I can look good to other people.
...if you that’s what you think you are missing the point!
I want it to be perfect to show the people in my life that they are worth going the extra mile, that I love them enough to go out of my way, to go overboard.
But I am learning that Jesus just calls me to make time to be with those people, to laugh with them at my lack of perfection, and to tell them that I love them...and they will feel it and know. I don’t have to DO everything. I can actually sit down and listen to Jesus speak to me.
That’s all He wants me to do anyway! The jury is still out on whether or not I can actually pull it off, but I will give it my best shot going forward.
So I guess this Christmas, with all there is to do and give and host and bake and wrap and ...........
I challenge you and I challenge my own self to live out those Martha moments if we simply must, but to just hurry up and get them over with, get them out of the way. Only then can we be what He is really calling us to be, which is Mary, sitting with Him and the others that we love, 100% focused on the moment, listening.
For that choice "is better, and will not be taken away..." (Luke 10:38-42)
Question: Are you more like Mary or Martha? In what way? Do you need to make some changes?
In case you are not familiar or have forgotten, allow me to refresh (I am paraphrasing here):
Luke 10: 38-42
There were these 2 sisters who lived in Bethany, named Mary and Martha. Jesus was passing through and Martha opened her home to Him and to the disciples. As any good hostess would do, she was prepping the meal, getting out the good dishes, probably stashing those stacks of mail she hadn’t gotten to under the kitchen island… Anyway, she’s in the kitchen scurrying around like a chicken with its head cut off. Meanwhile, Mary was off in the other room listening to Jesus talk. Martha was getting a little hot under the collar as she was going crazy & sis is just sittin’ around, so she tattled on Mary to Jesus, hoping He would lay down the (carpenter’s) hammer. Jesus, being so true-to-form, lovingly redirects her, and reminds her that actually she is the one who needs to re-think the plan here. "Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her."
That one thing is, of course, Him.
Now I am sure we'd be friends, those girls and me...they were strong women who were ahead of their time, and I like that. You know chicks didn't get a lot of "air time" back then, so that's cool. But also, I see so much of myself, have so much in common with them. Mary with the whole “thinker” thing going on (I love nothing more than sitting around thinking…I just rarely make time to do it!), and Martha, always doing…I bet she never sat down either! Surely we would've hit it off while scrubbing dust out of the clothes with a big rock down at the stream. (Oh God, thank you, thank you that I was not alive then!)
I have to believe that both women were spiritually gifted. Among other gifts, Martha obviously had the Spiritual Gift of Hospitality. I’m sure she had a lovely and warm home and always made people feel welcome.
Mary sat at the feet of Jesus in total humility, drinking in His every word. Surely she had the Spiritual Gift of Knowledge.
Allow, if you will, one of my favorite thoughts:
You know how most it is often portrayed that people have an angel sitting on one shoulder and a devil on the other...they whisper words of encouragement/discouragement, good/evil, right/wrong, at the person continually?
Well, I don't have that. (You may have read in an earlier blog post where I said that I have always been a goody-two shoes...maybe I grew up with The Angel of Guilt on one shoulder and my entire extended family on the other...staying on track isn't hard when you keep thinking "would my grandma be proud of me at this moment?")
I was somehow blessed...or cursed, depending on how you look at it...with MARY on one shoulder and MARTHA on the other! They sit upon my shoulders and scream (not whisper) words of get-things-done/take-time, run-run-run/slow-down, do-more/do-less, say-no-to-one-more-thing/you-haven’t-done-enough.
This is a theme that runs continually through my life, but is glaringly evident at this time of year when there is so much to do and such and ambiance to create. Yet all I really want to do is curl up under a blanket on the couch, no lights on but those on the tree, soft carols playing, fire in the fireplace, smells of my Yankee Christmas Eve Candle filling the house, reading a the story of the birth of the baby Jesus in the Bible and pouring over every Christmas letter and picture.
Ahhhhhhhhh….doesn’t that sound wonderful…like heaven on earth?
But here's how the real story goes:
Last week I was (hmmmm...word choice...) a stressed-out basket case trying to get my house all decorated for Christmas before a meeting I was hosting. Along with finishing the decorating, there were some gifts to get ready for the meeting, food to make, and because I’d be busy with that all evening, phone calls and emails I needed to take care of beforehand. Then the doctor’s office called and they did need to see my son after all, ASAP. How was I possibly going to get all of this done?
The list was endless and time was running out!
“The Shoulder Girls” as I like to call them, were perched a-top my collar bones, arguing with each other worse than Paris and Nicole when they had their famous 2-year feud!
My modern-day visual interpretation of the Shoulder Girls:
Mary: I picture her as a simple, sporty-though-refined, straight-forward girl. She sits on my right shoulder. I imagine her with a simple, yet stylish black knee-length shirt dress, in a wrinkle-free fabric, and practical leopard-print flats. She has long black hair pulled back in a chic pony.
Martha: The much fussier of the 2…or as some might surmise, high-maintenance…sits on my left, zebra-print sweater dress from Ann Taylor Loft, long strand of pearls doubled around her neck, black tights, black boots. She feels fabulous in this outfit…I know because I wore this exact combo just this very day! In my mind she has a choppy light brown crop with very well done highlights.
They sit upon me most of the time and banter back and forth. When I finally decide to relax and take it slow, which is rare, Martha is ranting in my ear about all that I should and could be doing.
When I am working through that to-do list and multi-tasking like a maniacal Franklin-Covey devotee, then Mary is chastising me for not living in the moment and stopping to meditate, pray, read, and recharge.
I often feel like I can’t win as these girls present their cases to me and their on-going closing arguments!!!
I really want to be like Mary (laid back and in the moment), but I am wired so much more like Martha (giant type A), thus the constant fighting it out between the Shoulder Girls.
On this particular day of the meeting I mentioned, Mary won…it just all couldn’t get done! I had no choice but to shove the un-hung Christmas ornaments into the corner, light the un-decorated tree, and we all shared a good laugh about my imperfection. I had a great time that night, relishing in the people and the moment!
And I don't want it to be perfect and all Martha-y just so I can look good to other people.
...if you that’s what you think you are missing the point!
I want it to be perfect to show the people in my life that they are worth going the extra mile, that I love them enough to go out of my way, to go overboard.
But I am learning that Jesus just calls me to make time to be with those people, to laugh with them at my lack of perfection, and to tell them that I love them...and they will feel it and know. I don’t have to DO everything. I can actually sit down and listen to Jesus speak to me.
That’s all He wants me to do anyway! The jury is still out on whether or not I can actually pull it off, but I will give it my best shot going forward.
So I guess this Christmas, with all there is to do and give and host and bake and wrap and ...........
I challenge you and I challenge my own self to live out those Martha moments if we simply must, but to just hurry up and get them over with, get them out of the way. Only then can we be what He is really calling us to be, which is Mary, sitting with Him and the others that we love, 100% focused on the moment, listening.
For that choice "is better, and will not be taken away..." (Luke 10:38-42)
Question: Are you more like Mary or Martha? In what way? Do you need to make some changes?
Monday, December 1, 2008
To Be The Star That Shone Upon You
What would it have been like to have been there? To be part of the birth of Jesus..the magic...the miracle....
In my wondering of that very question, I wrote this a few years ago...
May the miracle of the birth of the Christ child dwell in your hearts this Christmas and throughout the New Year.
Oh, to be the star that shone upon you,
Or the straw beneath your skin,
The blanket wrapped around you,
Or the manger you were in;
The air that swirled around you
On that ancient, silent night,
To somehow, somewhere be there,
What must it have been like?
Was your every cry like music?
Was your breath like golden thread?
Your pillow like a throne
For Your Majesty’s sweet head?
Or did they even notice
In the silence of the night,
That all had changed forever
As heaven came to life?
Did they realize the magnitude
Of all that your life meant?
The birth, the death, the resurrection,
And finally the ascent;
That all of this was given
That sweet night in Bethlehem,
Because our God so loved the world
That we were given Him.
-A. McCool 11/04
Question: What would it have been like to have been there? Would you have liked to have been part of that night that changed the world forever? Why?
In my wondering of that very question, I wrote this a few years ago...
May the miracle of the birth of the Christ child dwell in your hearts this Christmas and throughout the New Year.
Oh, to be the star that shone upon you,
Or the straw beneath your skin,
The blanket wrapped around you,
Or the manger you were in;
The air that swirled around you
On that ancient, silent night,
To somehow, somewhere be there,
What must it have been like?
Was your every cry like music?
Was your breath like golden thread?
Your pillow like a throne
For Your Majesty’s sweet head?
Or did they even notice
In the silence of the night,
That all had changed forever
As heaven came to life?
Did they realize the magnitude
Of all that your life meant?
The birth, the death, the resurrection,
And finally the ascent;
That all of this was given
That sweet night in Bethlehem,
Because our God so loved the world
That we were given Him.
-A. McCool 11/04
Question: What would it have been like to have been there? Would you have liked to have been part of that night that changed the world forever? Why?
Enough
In my opinion everyone should have a personal mission statement.
You may think I’m crazy, but frankly, I don’t really care! (I quit worrying about whether or not people thought I was crazy long ago!).
I hesitate to print my mission statement here because I think it is highly unique and confidential and only for my immediate family to see at this point…they know all of the thinking behind it. My mission statement has to do with, among other things, my purpose on earth and my passion for quietly easing the pain of others through works and philanthropy.
See, the key word in that last sentence is quietly…I want to be anonymous…don’t want anyone to know…just between me and the “Big G”!
But I bring it up today for a reason.
At church we have just finished a series call “Shake the System”. (Soooo good!) The series has talked about (in real basic terms I recap here) the fact that as Christians it is sometimes easy to become overwhelmed with the enormity of the needs of this world, so we justify our lack of jumping in by thinking we can’t do enough to make a difference. But God calls us to do whatever we can, no matter how “small” and to keep at it, influencing others to join in our cause. Pretty soon that ripple effect takes over and we’re rockin’ the boat, people!
I have long been accused of being a “goody two-shoes”, but I sure do LOVE rockin’ the boat for the Kingdom of God! THAT’S where I like to rebel! (By the way, I quit worrying about being called a Goody two-shoes long ago, too! There are far worse things to be called!)
As I have prayed a favorite prayer of mine over the last several years, the Prayer of Jabez, God has answered it in so many ways that I never would’ve expected! (That God, He’s like that, ya know! ...always keepin’ ya on your toes!) My territory has been enlarged in countless ways. Ways that are subtle & ways that have practically knocked me on my rhinestone-encrusted pockets!
For awhile I thought I could only make the kind of difference that I want to make with the great big stuff. I would like to give huge amounts, enormous amounts, through philanthropic acts, but the resources just aren’t there yet… Almost a year ago my friends Donna and Lisa reminded me that just doing it, doing something is what is important…and their words have sent me on a journey that is unexplainable in human words.
I look for these “encounters” everywhere.
But it is those subtle ways that I mention that are the things that make me go hmmm…. (which reminds me of a great song from the 80’s, but I digress and possibly need Ritalin!). In those subtle opportunities are big chances for service & growth & witnessing & giving & helping all in the name of Jesus…but they are also big chances to miss it altogether! To not even see the need or to think it is too small to matter or to think, “that one is easy…someone else will get it”. Or as they talked about at church, to think “that one seems scary and I want to be safe not brave.”
This is heavily on my mind today because I drove through “moneyland usa” where I live around noon today to get my beloved Burger King Diet Coke (king-sized) for a whopping (Burger King pun intended!) $2.06.
Sidebar: You might be praying for me about this as I am in the “weaning” period right now….A.) What is Diet Coke? I mean, really. That thick brown bubbly liquid can not be good for me! And B.) I decided awhile back that I can be doing something MUCH better with that $761+ a year. That could buy a lot for someone in need and it has really been on my heart!
As I pulled in the shopping area, I saw a man. He was standing on the corner. Freezing. Sign in hand that read “Will work for food”.
You’ve seen the type yourself I’m sure, a million times on busy corners. I always give them some money.
I know all of the arguments…but I always think “what if”.
What if it really were Jesus standing there, hungry, freezing…would I drive on by?
Well, I’d bring Him home with me if it really were….
How would you know?
Thing is, you don’t know…He’s not gonna make it that obvious for you to figure out!
But I could hear my overly-protective-of-his-only-child father in my head, so bringing this particular gentleman home with me today without hubby here was maybe not the best option.
So what do I do? What do I do?
I pulled into the drive-thru and started talking to God. (Always a good option when you don’t know what to do, by the way!)
I said: God, I don’t know this guy’s story, but you do. I have no work that I can offer him, no job for which I can hire him, so I can’t really do anything lasting at this particular moment, but I can’t shake the feeling that I was supposed to see him and do something. I have $2.06…in quarters and pennies, no less…again, not that helpful…so God, not to be bossy here, but ya got about 3 minutes to put a clear thought in my head about what action I am supposed to take.
And he did.
Something simple, appropriate, and that because it was God-driven, felt absolutely right.
“For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink... I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.” Matt 25: 35, 40
I talked briefly to the man as I handed him the hot lunch that I bought for him with the debit card that, thank God (literally) I had on me. As I drove away tears were streaming down my face. I prayed for him and I said to God, “Did I do enough, was that enough?” The clear answer back was, “Yes. You did something. And for him, right now, right here, that was enough.”
I hope this December 1st that maybe if only for a split second, I was the face of Jesus for that man, the face of God incarnate who was born to deliver us all…maybe he now has hope, if only a tiny ray, and maybe that tiny ray is … enough.
Question: What will you do the next time you see “the man on the corner”? Will you ask God to help you know, undoubtedly, that is was enough?
You may think I’m crazy, but frankly, I don’t really care! (I quit worrying about whether or not people thought I was crazy long ago!).
I hesitate to print my mission statement here because I think it is highly unique and confidential and only for my immediate family to see at this point…they know all of the thinking behind it. My mission statement has to do with, among other things, my purpose on earth and my passion for quietly easing the pain of others through works and philanthropy.
See, the key word in that last sentence is quietly…I want to be anonymous…don’t want anyone to know…just between me and the “Big G”!
But I bring it up today for a reason.
At church we have just finished a series call “Shake the System”. (Soooo good!) The series has talked about (in real basic terms I recap here) the fact that as Christians it is sometimes easy to become overwhelmed with the enormity of the needs of this world, so we justify our lack of jumping in by thinking we can’t do enough to make a difference. But God calls us to do whatever we can, no matter how “small” and to keep at it, influencing others to join in our cause. Pretty soon that ripple effect takes over and we’re rockin’ the boat, people!
I have long been accused of being a “goody two-shoes”, but I sure do LOVE rockin’ the boat for the Kingdom of God! THAT’S where I like to rebel! (By the way, I quit worrying about being called a Goody two-shoes long ago, too! There are far worse things to be called!)
As I have prayed a favorite prayer of mine over the last several years, the Prayer of Jabez, God has answered it in so many ways that I never would’ve expected! (That God, He’s like that, ya know! ...always keepin’ ya on your toes!) My territory has been enlarged in countless ways. Ways that are subtle & ways that have practically knocked me on my rhinestone-encrusted pockets!
For awhile I thought I could only make the kind of difference that I want to make with the great big stuff. I would like to give huge amounts, enormous amounts, through philanthropic acts, but the resources just aren’t there yet… Almost a year ago my friends Donna and Lisa reminded me that just doing it, doing something is what is important…and their words have sent me on a journey that is unexplainable in human words.
I look for these “encounters” everywhere.
But it is those subtle ways that I mention that are the things that make me go hmmm…. (which reminds me of a great song from the 80’s, but I digress and possibly need Ritalin!). In those subtle opportunities are big chances for service & growth & witnessing & giving & helping all in the name of Jesus…but they are also big chances to miss it altogether! To not even see the need or to think it is too small to matter or to think, “that one is easy…someone else will get it”. Or as they talked about at church, to think “that one seems scary and I want to be safe not brave.”
This is heavily on my mind today because I drove through “moneyland usa” where I live around noon today to get my beloved Burger King Diet Coke (king-sized) for a whopping (Burger King pun intended!) $2.06.
Sidebar: You might be praying for me about this as I am in the “weaning” period right now….A.) What is Diet Coke? I mean, really. That thick brown bubbly liquid can not be good for me! And B.) I decided awhile back that I can be doing something MUCH better with that $761+ a year. That could buy a lot for someone in need and it has really been on my heart!
As I pulled in the shopping area, I saw a man. He was standing on the corner. Freezing. Sign in hand that read “Will work for food”.
You’ve seen the type yourself I’m sure, a million times on busy corners. I always give them some money.
I know all of the arguments…but I always think “what if”.
What if it really were Jesus standing there, hungry, freezing…would I drive on by?
Well, I’d bring Him home with me if it really were….
How would you know?
Thing is, you don’t know…He’s not gonna make it that obvious for you to figure out!
But I could hear my overly-protective-of-his-only-child father in my head, so bringing this particular gentleman home with me today without hubby here was maybe not the best option.
So what do I do? What do I do?
I pulled into the drive-thru and started talking to God. (Always a good option when you don’t know what to do, by the way!)
I said: God, I don’t know this guy’s story, but you do. I have no work that I can offer him, no job for which I can hire him, so I can’t really do anything lasting at this particular moment, but I can’t shake the feeling that I was supposed to see him and do something. I have $2.06…in quarters and pennies, no less…again, not that helpful…so God, not to be bossy here, but ya got about 3 minutes to put a clear thought in my head about what action I am supposed to take.
And he did.
Something simple, appropriate, and that because it was God-driven, felt absolutely right.
“For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink... I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.” Matt 25: 35, 40
I talked briefly to the man as I handed him the hot lunch that I bought for him with the debit card that, thank God (literally) I had on me. As I drove away tears were streaming down my face. I prayed for him and I said to God, “Did I do enough, was that enough?” The clear answer back was, “Yes. You did something. And for him, right now, right here, that was enough.”
I hope this December 1st that maybe if only for a split second, I was the face of Jesus for that man, the face of God incarnate who was born to deliver us all…maybe he now has hope, if only a tiny ray, and maybe that tiny ray is … enough.
Question: What will you do the next time you see “the man on the corner”? Will you ask God to help you know, undoubtedly, that is was enough?
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Card-Worthy Gratitude
Two minutes ago my husband and I were talking as we kissed our boys goodnight. I was complaining that after what felt like 4 million photos taken earlier this evening, we still might not have the card-worthy shot for which I was hoping.
My son sat up and said, "Mom, you just make everything so complicated!"
I admit it! And I laughed out loud!
Point #1:
Well taken, Will. Thank you for calling a spade a spade, my dear. And yes, momma has never been accused of being low-maintenance!
Point #2:
It is a lot of pressure to find that "right shot" for the Christmas card. To make your card stand out among those received from 200 hundred of the nearest and dearest of every person on your list.
A few days ago I received the Christmas card from my friend of 30-some years. I was cursing her name for one-upping us all, until upon my opening it, I discovered her sheer brilliance! It read something along the lines of Happy Thanksgiving, Merry Christmas, Blessed New Year. ...and to top it all off it was the most beautiful card I had ever seen with breathtaking photos of her 3 sons. Again I say: brilliance!
I called her immediately! I told her of her magnificence and admitted that I would be totally stealing that idea next year. Not only did her card get the time and attention it so deserves by arriving in a lovely state of pre-Thanksgiving solitude, but also she's done! finished! check-marked off on her to-do list!
And so begins the tale of the quest for that one card-worthy shot.
It started our very simply, really. The grandparents would come over for the family celebration of the boys' 11th birthday (side bar: how can I be that old? Admittedly I am 39, but in my head I am 24!), we'd do dinner, cake, and presents, and then just, real quick, grab that photo.
How hard could it be?
After color-coordinating 6 people, plotting out photo-op combinations and placement such that Tony Dungy might want to see my play book, and prepping the people (you will have to change into a red shirt, don't start complaining, etc.), we were good to go.
Then the drama began: after the first shot the boys got up and started to leave, shouting "we got one", we kept making them come back and try again since Gram's eyes were closed, Grandpa was making a face, Will burped, thank God they were digital so we could check after each one and make sure that at least they were good of me, I mean...really, Grandma started callin' the shots (interesting since I like to be the boss), the men started complaining heavily that this was taking too long...not at all understanding the aforementioned point #2...so now I am (loudly) reminding them that since I will be choosing their nursing homes, they might just wanna simmer down now & do what I say!...and finally, the dog was supposed to be in the picture, but in all of the chaos we didn't even notice that she was devouring Max's chocolate chip cookie cake!
When I think about THE picture that we take every year for the card, I am reminded of a recurring theme: Every single year we have had some National Lampoon-type back story...and yet we manage to capture a great moment springing out of it.
The same is true of life: Amid the utter chaos of our lives are those perfect snapshots of love, family, bliss, everything falling into place, even if only for a second...literally!
...And I am grateful that those are the moments that we choose to capture. Choose to remember.
Those moments that are card-worthy.
The men in our family were just "over it" and complaining relentlessly! But as I teased them that these are the moments of which funeral poster boards are made, I meant it. So sorry, my dear Will, if I do make it more complicated than it needs to be, but when we are dead and gone this will be the pictorial history that we leave behind.
And thank God we are able to capture those moments in our hearts and on film. I am so filled with gratitude that those fleeting moments can live forever as pictures...what a blessing!
Question: What is your most cherished photograph? Why?
My son sat up and said, "Mom, you just make everything so complicated!"
I admit it! And I laughed out loud!
Point #1:
Well taken, Will. Thank you for calling a spade a spade, my dear. And yes, momma has never been accused of being low-maintenance!
Point #2:
It is a lot of pressure to find that "right shot" for the Christmas card. To make your card stand out among those received from 200 hundred of the nearest and dearest of every person on your list.
A few days ago I received the Christmas card from my friend of 30-some years. I was cursing her name for one-upping us all, until upon my opening it, I discovered her sheer brilliance! It read something along the lines of Happy Thanksgiving, Merry Christmas, Blessed New Year. ...and to top it all off it was the most beautiful card I had ever seen with breathtaking photos of her 3 sons. Again I say: brilliance!
I called her immediately! I told her of her magnificence and admitted that I would be totally stealing that idea next year. Not only did her card get the time and attention it so deserves by arriving in a lovely state of pre-Thanksgiving solitude, but also she's done! finished! check-marked off on her to-do list!
And so begins the tale of the quest for that one card-worthy shot.
It started our very simply, really. The grandparents would come over for the family celebration of the boys' 11th birthday (side bar: how can I be that old? Admittedly I am 39, but in my head I am 24!), we'd do dinner, cake, and presents, and then just, real quick, grab that photo.
How hard could it be?
After color-coordinating 6 people, plotting out photo-op combinations and placement such that Tony Dungy might want to see my play book, and prepping the people (you will have to change into a red shirt, don't start complaining, etc.), we were good to go.
Then the drama began: after the first shot the boys got up and started to leave, shouting "we got one", we kept making them come back and try again since Gram's eyes were closed, Grandpa was making a face, Will burped, thank God they were digital so we could check after each one and make sure that at least they were good of me, I mean...really, Grandma started callin' the shots (interesting since I like to be the boss), the men started complaining heavily that this was taking too long...not at all understanding the aforementioned point #2...so now I am (loudly) reminding them that since I will be choosing their nursing homes, they might just wanna simmer down now & do what I say!...and finally, the dog was supposed to be in the picture, but in all of the chaos we didn't even notice that she was devouring Max's chocolate chip cookie cake!
When I think about THE picture that we take every year for the card, I am reminded of a recurring theme: Every single year we have had some National Lampoon-type back story...and yet we manage to capture a great moment springing out of it.
The same is true of life: Amid the utter chaos of our lives are those perfect snapshots of love, family, bliss, everything falling into place, even if only for a second...literally!
...And I am grateful that those are the moments that we choose to capture. Choose to remember.
Those moments that are card-worthy.
The men in our family were just "over it" and complaining relentlessly! But as I teased them that these are the moments of which funeral poster boards are made, I meant it. So sorry, my dear Will, if I do make it more complicated than it needs to be, but when we are dead and gone this will be the pictorial history that we leave behind.
And thank God we are able to capture those moments in our hearts and on film. I am so filled with gratitude that those fleeting moments can live forever as pictures...what a blessing!
Question: What is your most cherished photograph? Why?
Friday, November 21, 2008
I Hate My Stomach, but Thank God it's Not My Face!
I've always had issues with my body...er...temple.
I've been taller than my peers since before I can remember, reaching full height and a size 9 shoe (leopard-print of course!) in 5th grade.
Puberty reared it's ugly head long before I thought it should have & before any of my friends were experiencing it.
Braces, acne medicine, and every monthly issue of Seventeen Magazine still weren't enough to make this temple feel like the Crystal Cathedral!
All that aside, I can say that I was a late bloomer and feel much better about myself late-thirties than I did late-twenties.
Hence the moment that I looked down at at my saggy-fleshed, stretch-mark-laden stomach and thought with accepting resolve & a heavy sigh, "Well, I hate my stomach, but THANK GOD it's not my face!"
See, God doesn't care what I look like , as long as I am making the most of what he has given me and I am healthy. And no matter what I (as we all are) am beautiful to him even at my worst. He does want me to love and accept myself, though, and not spend time obsessing about my body and its imperfections. That time and energy spent obsessing should be put to better use for something that expands His Kingdom!
Not that I think he wants us to let it all go & just give up...something tells me He just wants us to take some cotton pickin' action, get it under control, and move ON!
I could have fed a small nation with the money I have spent on diet aids and personal training.
Then I finally heard the call: "Take some cotton pickin' action, get it under control, and go feed that small nation that is waiting on you to better the Kingdom!"
And so what if my stomach isn't my fav.? Everybody has something they don't like...what we are supposed to do is learn to focus on the beautiful parts of our outer and inner selves and then teach the young girls in our lives to do the same...and then go better that Kingdom!
Question: What's your favorite part of your physical appearance? Take a moment to thank God for it.
I've been taller than my peers since before I can remember, reaching full height and a size 9 shoe (leopard-print of course!) in 5th grade.
Puberty reared it's ugly head long before I thought it should have & before any of my friends were experiencing it.
Braces, acne medicine, and every monthly issue of Seventeen Magazine still weren't enough to make this temple feel like the Crystal Cathedral!
All that aside, I can say that I was a late bloomer and feel much better about myself late-thirties than I did late-twenties.
Hence the moment that I looked down at at my saggy-fleshed, stretch-mark-laden stomach and thought with accepting resolve & a heavy sigh, "Well, I hate my stomach, but THANK GOD it's not my face!"
See, God doesn't care what I look like , as long as I am making the most of what he has given me and I am healthy. And no matter what I (as we all are) am beautiful to him even at my worst. He does want me to love and accept myself, though, and not spend time obsessing about my body and its imperfections. That time and energy spent obsessing should be put to better use for something that expands His Kingdom!
Not that I think he wants us to let it all go & just give up...something tells me He just wants us to take some cotton pickin' action, get it under control, and move ON!
I could have fed a small nation with the money I have spent on diet aids and personal training.
Then I finally heard the call: "Take some cotton pickin' action, get it under control, and go feed that small nation that is waiting on you to better the Kingdom!"
And so what if my stomach isn't my fav.? Everybody has something they don't like...what we are supposed to do is learn to focus on the beautiful parts of our outer and inner selves and then teach the young girls in our lives to do the same...and then go better that Kingdom!
Question: What's your favorite part of your physical appearance? Take a moment to thank God for it.
Come, Lord Jesus, Come
Come, Lord Jesus, Come...
Can you hear it in your head?
The praise song I mean?
...great song...but that is not what I am referring to here...
I mean literally...
Yep.
The Rapture.
Been praying for it for a while now.
Open heavens, angels, 7 golden lampstands, thunder, locusts, seals, scrolls, emerald-encircled throne, trumpets, 24 crown-wearing elders...the whole 9 yards! Seriously! (You can read all about it in Thessalonians & Revelation if you are not familiar...)
Why?
A.) I'm exhausted!
I have a lot going on... wakeupgoteachkindergartenfor3hourscomehomeworklikeamaniacfor3morehourspleaseJesus
helpmefindafewminutesforprayerandmeditationwalkdogboyscomehomefromschoolgetsreally
loudstartrunningthemaroundtobasketballspellbowlbaseballdohomeworkcookdinnercleanitup
meetingatchurchmake5deliveriescallsevenpeopleturnonthecomputer20emailsdownloadthat
actuallyalldoneedrespondingtohelpwithhomeworkmassagehusband'sfeetfallinbedgetupdoitall
overagain...
(No breaks between words here to drive home the point that during my day I often do not have time to catch my breath, eat lunch before 3:00 or wee-wee!)
and frankly I don't know what will slow the pace short of just shuttin' the whole operation down.
B.) There is a lot going on in the world today that I can not explain:
God calls me, and all of us, to Shake the System (shake, baby, shake), and I am trying my darnedest as are most of my Christian friends. I know that every bit of what we do honors the God of Justice that we serve and still, no matter how hard we try, there will still be those who suffer. If I think Jesus is making a slow descent (meaning I feel He's on His way), I won't give up and stop fulfilling my purpose...I'll just know that some serious help's comin'.
I don't mean to make light here.
And I know He is not planning "the big entrance" just because I am exhausted....
It's just that I'm not afraid.
I mean, I have plenty of unanswered questions that I have been researching in my Book 'O Truth (Bible)...it's where all the good secrets are, but I am not afraid.
Things always remind me of songs...the lyrics of another great one:
Come to me all who are weary
And find rest for your soul
Come to me all who are burdened
I will lead you home
Lesson already learned years ago:
Whatever it is, it'll be in His time not mine!
I guess in the meantime if I want to find a little rest for my oh-so-weary soul I need to go hunker down with The Good Book.
So Dear God, not that you (of all "people") need my permission, but you can go ahead and come anytime now...I mean I'm ready...though I'm guessing you want to "press in" on all of us a little more firmly first.
And I will do my best to press on. Rev. 2: 3 "You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name and have not grown weary."
Hmmmm....to endure that kind of mental pain and anguish (ya know, the locusts and all) just might take a new pair of animal print shoes...
Rev. 22: 20 "He who testifies to these things says, 'Yes, I am coming soon.' Amen. Come, Lord Jesus."
Question: Are you ready? Are you afraid?
Can you hear it in your head?
The praise song I mean?
...great song...but that is not what I am referring to here...
I mean literally...
Yep.
The Rapture.
Been praying for it for a while now.
Open heavens, angels, 7 golden lampstands, thunder, locusts, seals, scrolls, emerald-encircled throne, trumpets, 24 crown-wearing elders...the whole 9 yards! Seriously! (You can read all about it in Thessalonians & Revelation if you are not familiar...)
Why?
A.) I'm exhausted!
I have a lot going on... wakeupgoteachkindergartenfor3hourscomehomeworklikeamaniacfor3morehourspleaseJesus
helpmefindafewminutesforprayerandmeditationwalkdogboyscomehomefromschoolgetsreally
loudstartrunningthemaroundtobasketballspellbowlbaseballdohomeworkcookdinnercleanitup
meetingatchurchmake5deliveriescallsevenpeopleturnonthecomputer20emailsdownloadthat
actuallyalldoneedrespondingtohelpwithhomeworkmassagehusband'sfeetfallinbedgetupdoitall
overagain...
(No breaks between words here to drive home the point that during my day I often do not have time to catch my breath, eat lunch before 3:00 or wee-wee!)
and frankly I don't know what will slow the pace short of just shuttin' the whole operation down.
B.) There is a lot going on in the world today that I can not explain:
God calls me, and all of us, to Shake the System (shake, baby, shake), and I am trying my darnedest as are most of my Christian friends. I know that every bit of what we do honors the God of Justice that we serve and still, no matter how hard we try, there will still be those who suffer. If I think Jesus is making a slow descent (meaning I feel He's on His way), I won't give up and stop fulfilling my purpose...I'll just know that some serious help's comin'.
I don't mean to make light here.
And I know He is not planning "the big entrance" just because I am exhausted....
It's just that I'm not afraid.
I mean, I have plenty of unanswered questions that I have been researching in my Book 'O Truth (Bible)...it's where all the good secrets are, but I am not afraid.
Things always remind me of songs...the lyrics of another great one:
Come to me all who are weary
And find rest for your soul
Come to me all who are burdened
I will lead you home
Lesson already learned years ago:
Whatever it is, it'll be in His time not mine!
I guess in the meantime if I want to find a little rest for my oh-so-weary soul I need to go hunker down with The Good Book.
So Dear God, not that you (of all "people") need my permission, but you can go ahead and come anytime now...I mean I'm ready...though I'm guessing you want to "press in" on all of us a little more firmly first.
And I will do my best to press on. Rev. 2: 3 "You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name and have not grown weary."
Hmmmm....to endure that kind of mental pain and anguish (ya know, the locusts and all) just might take a new pair of animal print shoes...
Rev. 22: 20 "He who testifies to these things says, 'Yes, I am coming soon.' Amen. Come, Lord Jesus."
Question: Are you ready? Are you afraid?
That God's a Funny Guy!
Do you ever wonder what God is thinking as He watches you?
I do.
In fact, my wondering about that has prompted me to be in continual dialogue with Him throughout the day, throwing out statements, asking Him questions & sharing personal jokes with Him...ya know, just so He and I are (hopefully) both on the same page... and also to clarify in case at any time He is hanging His head, shaking it slowly, thinking, what the heck is she doing...I mean, I know He already knows and all... but just in case...
I do believe that if we want to be in deep personal relationship with Him (which is what He wants us to want), we must engage Him in the same banter that we would share with our dearest loved ones on earth...yet still mixed with a healthy amount of reverence and a slight dose of fear.
I just have to believe that God has a sense of humor since, first of all, He created it and second, how would He put up with us otherwise????
I mean, I ask for things, then when I get them I'm still complaining & wanting more!
A prime example:
I prayed to get pregnant. Let me clarify...asked, pleaded, begged with relentless pursuit.
When God answered that prayer I guess He decided to show me what all that beggin' could get a girl: twins with all the trimmings! Double the weight gain, double the elbows and knees in the bladder... Did I mention the stretch marks? Mercy! Don't you even think I could breast feed at the mall by throwing a blanket over us!!
Now, please don't mistake my thoughts for one second as my making light of it. TRULY the conception, pregnancy, and delivery of my little angels was nothing short of a miracle and I don't take one ounce of that for granted. But I am sure God got a good laugh as He watched me doubt His plans for my life knowing what He had in store for me!
What did I learn from all of that? Well, it was the ultimate lesson in "God is in control" and it's all gonna happen in his time, not mine...
Yes, in this one and oh, so much more of my life, God got the last laugh!
Question: In what ways do you think you make God chuckle as He lovingly gazes down on you?
I do.
In fact, my wondering about that has prompted me to be in continual dialogue with Him throughout the day, throwing out statements, asking Him questions & sharing personal jokes with Him...ya know, just so He and I are (hopefully) both on the same page... and also to clarify in case at any time He is hanging His head, shaking it slowly, thinking, what the heck is she doing...I mean, I know He already knows and all... but just in case...
I do believe that if we want to be in deep personal relationship with Him (which is what He wants us to want), we must engage Him in the same banter that we would share with our dearest loved ones on earth...yet still mixed with a healthy amount of reverence and a slight dose of fear.
I just have to believe that God has a sense of humor since, first of all, He created it and second, how would He put up with us otherwise????
I mean, I ask for things, then when I get them I'm still complaining & wanting more!
A prime example:
I prayed to get pregnant. Let me clarify...asked, pleaded, begged with relentless pursuit.
When God answered that prayer I guess He decided to show me what all that beggin' could get a girl: twins with all the trimmings! Double the weight gain, double the elbows and knees in the bladder... Did I mention the stretch marks? Mercy! Don't you even think I could breast feed at the mall by throwing a blanket over us!!
Now, please don't mistake my thoughts for one second as my making light of it. TRULY the conception, pregnancy, and delivery of my little angels was nothing short of a miracle and I don't take one ounce of that for granted. But I am sure God got a good laugh as He watched me doubt His plans for my life knowing what He had in store for me!
What did I learn from all of that? Well, it was the ultimate lesson in "God is in control" and it's all gonna happen in his time, not mine...
Yes, in this one and oh, so much more of my life, God got the last laugh!
Question: In what ways do you think you make God chuckle as He lovingly gazes down on you?
For the Beauty of the Earth
"For Thyself, best gift divine
To our Race so freely given...
Lord of all, to Thee we raise
This our hymn of grateful praise."
For the Beauty of the Earth is a great old hymn that I have grown up singing. The lyricist wrote it as he reflected on the beauty of nature. For it is true that God has given us such a rich and beautiful pallet to absorb in nature and I feel especially blessed to live in the Midwest where, despite the cold which I don't like, we have to glorious change of seasons.
I probably view nature with the same awe as does a 5-year old boy (since I do have quite a lot of experience with "those guys"). I am mesmerized by the earth's rich and vibrant color, by sunsets, by a clear/still/silent winter night, I am fascinated by snowflakes...each individual one of them. I love leaves, flowers, rocks, butterflies, blades of grass, mud, centipedes, raindrops, worms....coooool....
Really, this is the stuff that I look at and think, "how did God dream that up?"
He must see each sunset and continue to marvel at it...
But do you know what He marvels at even more than the beauty of His earth?
US
I believe that God must think that His own best and most beautiful creation is not the earth, but those of us in it. For He crafted our every cell, every breath, every part of our being and to Him it is good.
WE are the beauty of His earth.
Therefore, it is our job to maintain that beauty. It is our responsibility to preserve His most beautiful creation by honoring Him with our physical, mental and spiritual beauty.
Sometimes we forget what beautiful creations we are! We don't take care of ourselves...we let our minds lapse...we let our spiritual beauty wither...we let our physical beauty take a back seat to everything else...
But God deserves our very best and so do those around us...and we deserve to create the very best versions of ourselves possible. It is our living tribute to God...and He will say, "It is good"!
Question: In what ways are you honoring God by taking care of yourself? Where could you improve?
Following is my favorite quote ever...I think it sums this up perfectly!
Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.We ask ourselves, “Who am I to be brilliant,gorgeous, talented, fabulous?”Actually, who are you not to be?You are a child of God.Your playing small does not serve the world.There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you.We are all meant to shine, as children do.We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone.And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.As we are liberated from our own fear,our presence automatically liberates others.
-Marianne Williamson
-Marianne Williamson
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
What 3 Things?
A: The Bible, my make-up, and leopard-print shoes.
Q: What 3 things would you want with you if you were stranded on a deserted island?
First of all, ...ahh...to be stranded...I can think of nothing lovelier! ...Peace...quiet...no email...no phone...no TV...I repeat...peace...and...q..u..i..e..t...aahhhhh.....
Second, let's just assume that my husband and 2 boys are with me...it would be just too much to bear to think otherwise, so they are obviously on the other side of the island happily catching fish for dinner with their bare hands, of course.
So why, then, those particular 3 things to have with my stranded self?
1. The Bible.
Need I say more? It's the Bible. The B-I-B-L-E. Yes, that's the book for me. (Sorry, I digress as I am reminded of an old-school song!) Just picture it. Sitting in the sand for hours, under a palm tree, tropical breeze blowing, cabana boy bringing me a drink with a little umbrella (oops! There I go again...), with uninterrupted time~ hour upon hour (remember the peace, quiet, no phone, no email thing?)~ to basque in the Word and unlock the secrets of the Kingdom of God? ...time to process them...time to journal about them...and quiet enough to hear Him speak to me through them.
2. My make-up.
I really do not care that this is completely impractical! When I look pulled-together, I feel pulled-together! Having on make-up makes me feel ready for the day, presentable, polished, smarter, and like I care enough about myself to put forth some effort (which is actually the case). ...And of course, my vitamin c with sunscreen is in my make-up bag, so that my family and I are protected from the harsh uva and uvb rays during our "stranded phase" as it will come to be known...I mean, really, only an irresponsible women would let herself become stranded without it... (!!!!)
3. Leopard-print shoes.
This just goes without saying! Maybe a peep-toe, platform, heel is a little much for island life, so possibly I should go for a sassy leopard flat here? (I very well may have an animal print addiction, just so that is "out" right here and now!) My theory is that I can think better in leopard-print shoes (and also zebra) than plain black, flip-flips with sequins, and even strappy snakeskins. They bring out my God-given creativity and sass! I think that if stranded on a deserted island wearing leopard-print shoes, I really could start a fire with 2 sticks, build a grass hut, kill/clean/and cook my own dinner (cause let's face it, even if the men in my family are with me, I am still going to be the one calling the shots people!)...all of that stuff...bare-handed...just as long as I am not bare-footed!
Question: What are your 3 things and why?
Q: What 3 things would you want with you if you were stranded on a deserted island?
First of all, ...ahh...to be stranded...I can think of nothing lovelier! ...Peace...quiet...no email...no phone...no TV...I repeat...peace...and...q..u..i..e..t...aahhhhh.....
Second, let's just assume that my husband and 2 boys are with me...it would be just too much to bear to think otherwise, so they are obviously on the other side of the island happily catching fish for dinner with their bare hands, of course.
So why, then, those particular 3 things to have with my stranded self?
1. The Bible.
Need I say more? It's the Bible. The B-I-B-L-E. Yes, that's the book for me. (Sorry, I digress as I am reminded of an old-school song!) Just picture it. Sitting in the sand for hours, under a palm tree, tropical breeze blowing, cabana boy bringing me a drink with a little umbrella (oops! There I go again...), with uninterrupted time~ hour upon hour (remember the peace, quiet, no phone, no email thing?)~ to basque in the Word and unlock the secrets of the Kingdom of God? ...time to process them...time to journal about them...and quiet enough to hear Him speak to me through them.
2. My make-up.
I really do not care that this is completely impractical! When I look pulled-together, I feel pulled-together! Having on make-up makes me feel ready for the day, presentable, polished, smarter, and like I care enough about myself to put forth some effort (which is actually the case). ...And of course, my vitamin c with sunscreen is in my make-up bag, so that my family and I are protected from the harsh uva and uvb rays during our "stranded phase" as it will come to be known...I mean, really, only an irresponsible women would let herself become stranded without it... (!!!!)
3. Leopard-print shoes.
This just goes without saying! Maybe a peep-toe, platform, heel is a little much for island life, so possibly I should go for a sassy leopard flat here? (I very well may have an animal print addiction, just so that is "out" right here and now!) My theory is that I can think better in leopard-print shoes (and also zebra) than plain black, flip-flips with sequins, and even strappy snakeskins. They bring out my God-given creativity and sass! I think that if stranded on a deserted island wearing leopard-print shoes, I really could start a fire with 2 sticks, build a grass hut, kill/clean/and cook my own dinner (cause let's face it, even if the men in my family are with me, I am still going to be the one calling the shots people!)...all of that stuff...bare-handed...just as long as I am not bare-footed!
Question: What are your 3 things and why?
The Sacrifice of Praise
You have probably heard the phrase "the sacrifice of praise" and you may even know what it means.
But have you really experienced it? I will admit to not getting it for a long time. But I sure do now.
God wants our praise.
He wants our worship.
It is what we are made to do.
He even gifts us to offer our praise and worship in different ways…through our various talents such as vocal or instrumental music, art, loving the unlovable, giving our time, serving through physical labor, etc.
It is so easy to praise Him when things are going well. When things are good. When things are exciting. When you can see God working. (Anyone can praise through the good times.)
However, God calls us to live right, which includes praise and worship, even when it is not easy. When things are not going well. When you feel like crap. When it’s all falling apart. (This shows a maturing faith, a faith that you are serious about.)
THAT is the sacrifice.
It is sacrificial to dig deep and find a way to rejoice in the moment that you feel you are dwelling in the pit of hell. You don’t want to praise, you want to lay in a heap of your own despair and cry and stomp and throw a fit.
Whether in the really big, deep trenches of life or the little daily annoyances, God wants us to find the reasons to praise Him. This kind of sacrifice brings God ultimate joy because he knows the deepest caverns of our hearts and He knows how hard this is for us as humans. That’s why it is called the sacrifice of praise.
In the big stuff…
When I couldn’t get pregnant and "thoroughly disgusted" didn’t even scratch the surface on that subject, it was hard to find something to praise about. But over time I learned to praise God for the experience, to praise Him for the chance to help others who might go through it, to praise Him for helping me learn to rely on Him, to praise Him for the reminder that He is in control (Jer. 29).
And in the small…
He wants our praise for the chaos of life: Thank you God, for a rich, and exciting life…it sure ain’t boring at my house!
He wants our praise for the worries of life: Thank you God, for the opportunity to solve problems in a creative way and to give You the glory…cuz’ I know you are gonna help me figure this out!
He wants us to praise him for the annoyances of life: Thank you God for your protection…surely my running late has helped me avoid some kind of accident or problem.
And He wants our praise in the disappointments of life, too... I had a series of about 4 really big disappointments this past spring. A couple of things that I had worked very hard for that had fallen through, and something where I truly believed God was leading me in a certain direction only to have the door slammed. I was devastated and exhausted, especially with it all happening at once.
But somehow through my earlier "God School" education (this is my version of "home school", but where God is teaching you stuff that you must know in order to proceed on the path He has laid out for you), I knew what I must do: dry the tears if only long enough to thank Him for what I knew He must be doing... even though I had not one clue what it was at the time. (I can actually look back on it six months later and see what "the point" was! I truly praise Him for the learning!)
That, my friends, is faith.
It’s not too late…
No matter how far into the pit of hell you have fallen, I am convinced that finding a way to praise Him through it is the first step in climbing out.
Question: What can you praise Him for today no matter how bad things seem?
But have you really experienced it? I will admit to not getting it for a long time. But I sure do now.
God wants our praise.
He wants our worship.
It is what we are made to do.
He even gifts us to offer our praise and worship in different ways…through our various talents such as vocal or instrumental music, art, loving the unlovable, giving our time, serving through physical labor, etc.
It is so easy to praise Him when things are going well. When things are good. When things are exciting. When you can see God working. (Anyone can praise through the good times.)
However, God calls us to live right, which includes praise and worship, even when it is not easy. When things are not going well. When you feel like crap. When it’s all falling apart. (This shows a maturing faith, a faith that you are serious about.)
THAT is the sacrifice.
It is sacrificial to dig deep and find a way to rejoice in the moment that you feel you are dwelling in the pit of hell. You don’t want to praise, you want to lay in a heap of your own despair and cry and stomp and throw a fit.
Whether in the really big, deep trenches of life or the little daily annoyances, God wants us to find the reasons to praise Him. This kind of sacrifice brings God ultimate joy because he knows the deepest caverns of our hearts and He knows how hard this is for us as humans. That’s why it is called the sacrifice of praise.
In the big stuff…
When I couldn’t get pregnant and "thoroughly disgusted" didn’t even scratch the surface on that subject, it was hard to find something to praise about. But over time I learned to praise God for the experience, to praise Him for the chance to help others who might go through it, to praise Him for helping me learn to rely on Him, to praise Him for the reminder that He is in control (Jer. 29).
And in the small…
He wants our praise for the chaos of life: Thank you God, for a rich, and exciting life…it sure ain’t boring at my house!
He wants our praise for the worries of life: Thank you God, for the opportunity to solve problems in a creative way and to give You the glory…cuz’ I know you are gonna help me figure this out!
He wants us to praise him for the annoyances of life: Thank you God for your protection…surely my running late has helped me avoid some kind of accident or problem.
And He wants our praise in the disappointments of life, too... I had a series of about 4 really big disappointments this past spring. A couple of things that I had worked very hard for that had fallen through, and something where I truly believed God was leading me in a certain direction only to have the door slammed. I was devastated and exhausted, especially with it all happening at once.
But somehow through my earlier "God School" education (this is my version of "home school", but where God is teaching you stuff that you must know in order to proceed on the path He has laid out for you), I knew what I must do: dry the tears if only long enough to thank Him for what I knew He must be doing... even though I had not one clue what it was at the time. (I can actually look back on it six months later and see what "the point" was! I truly praise Him for the learning!)
That, my friends, is faith.
It’s not too late…
No matter how far into the pit of hell you have fallen, I am convinced that finding a way to praise Him through it is the first step in climbing out.
Question: What can you praise Him for today no matter how bad things seem?
Monday, November 17, 2008
My Husband IS the Diamond
The other day I heard a commercial on the radio for a jeweler. They were advertising some special where you could come in and get some great big sparkly diamond for a great price...
or
...you could UPGRADE.
Then they went on to talk about how you may have gotten a tiny little (sounded almost dull and yucky) diamond when you first got married and you could come and trade it in (!) and get a newer, better, bigger, sparklier version.
Of course, they romanticized all of the benefits and reasons for doing that.
I had never really thought about that before.
My diamond isn't very big. And I know that even though my beloved had to save for it, it wasn't really that expensive as far as diamond engagement rings go.
Then this thought popped in my head:
My husband IS the diamond!
Ok, stop rolling your eyes! I am serious!
MY diamond walks in at 5:30 every day. MY diamond puts up with me even when I am not nice. MY diamond does the laundry. MY diamond eats what I cook (even when it stinks!) without complaining, whether it is fish sticks or Fillet Mignon. MY diamond isn't show-y. He is quiet, strong, subtle, loyal, smart, wonderful...a gift from God and truly my soul mate.
So when I got home from that car ride where I heard that commercial, I went into the bathroom and wrote on his mirror with a dry-erase marker, "My husband IS the diamond". Later when I told him the story, I swear he didn't have a dry eye...
Maybe with our men just like our jewelry, some of us have gotten in just too big a hurry to up-grade. (Some of us, however, should have upgraded sooner!!) Maybe we need to consider all that is wonderful about our men...even if they seem a little more like a "diamond in the rough" than a "polished gemstone".
Question: What do you most appreciate about your husband? Tell him!!
or
...you could UPGRADE.
Then they went on to talk about how you may have gotten a tiny little (sounded almost dull and yucky) diamond when you first got married and you could come and trade it in (!) and get a newer, better, bigger, sparklier version.
Of course, they romanticized all of the benefits and reasons for doing that.
I had never really thought about that before.
My diamond isn't very big. And I know that even though my beloved had to save for it, it wasn't really that expensive as far as diamond engagement rings go.
Then this thought popped in my head:
My husband IS the diamond!
Ok, stop rolling your eyes! I am serious!
MY diamond walks in at 5:30 every day. MY diamond puts up with me even when I am not nice. MY diamond does the laundry. MY diamond eats what I cook (even when it stinks!) without complaining, whether it is fish sticks or Fillet Mignon. MY diamond isn't show-y. He is quiet, strong, subtle, loyal, smart, wonderful...a gift from God and truly my soul mate.
So when I got home from that car ride where I heard that commercial, I went into the bathroom and wrote on his mirror with a dry-erase marker, "My husband IS the diamond". Later when I told him the story, I swear he didn't have a dry eye...
Maybe with our men just like our jewelry, some of us have gotten in just too big a hurry to up-grade. (Some of us, however, should have upgraded sooner!!) Maybe we need to consider all that is wonderful about our men...even if they seem a little more like a "diamond in the rough" than a "polished gemstone".
Question: What do you most appreciate about your husband? Tell him!!
Friday, November 14, 2008
Hooks
Hooks.
All I want is hooks.
In every bathroom. Every time.
I really don't think I am asking for that much...really....am I?
So why is it that I continually "eliminate" while staring at the two holes where the hook used to be on the stall door?
...While juggling my purse clinched between chin and chest, right hand holding up my calf-length coat, left hand trying to help thyself shimmey up the tights while somehow preventing my skirt from getting tucked into the back of them.... Oh, crud! Lip gloss falls out of the chin-and-chest-clinched purse and rolls under the stall door and out by the sink...all this while wearing 3-inch leopard-print heels and cussing the name of whom ever has done this to me.
Cause WHERE is the cotton-pickin' hook, for the love of Pete!
Seriously? Where IS the hook? Every hook in America...With every lost sock from the laundry and every pen that was only used once?!?!?!?
Once on a rare occasion when I did find (music swells, spotlight casts) A HOOK, I went straight to Customer Service and thanked them for having a hook. The associate looked at me as though she might be pushing a secret button under the counter to call for back-up. My son said I had just terribly embarrassed him. I was just simply expressing my gratitude for the simple things in life.
And DO I need to seek some good counsel just because I just don't want to place my purse on the floor of a less-than-sterile gas station bathroom? What if I forget that I sat it there and then go home and set it on my kitchen island?
I really don't need tons of stuff in life...
To be in the presence of God.
To wake up next to my beloved husband.
To be loved by my children (even when I embarrass them or make them mad).
To have my dog wag her tail when she sees me.
And to have a @(*#^(*% hook on the back of the bathroom door!
EVERY TIME!!!!!!!!!
Question: What simple thing in life have you been taking for granted?
All I want is hooks.
In every bathroom. Every time.
I really don't think I am asking for that much...really....am I?
So why is it that I continually "eliminate" while staring at the two holes where the hook used to be on the stall door?
...While juggling my purse clinched between chin and chest, right hand holding up my calf-length coat, left hand trying to help thyself shimmey up the tights while somehow preventing my skirt from getting tucked into the back of them.... Oh, crud! Lip gloss falls out of the chin-and-chest-clinched purse and rolls under the stall door and out by the sink...all this while wearing 3-inch leopard-print heels and cussing the name of whom ever has done this to me.
Cause WHERE is the cotton-pickin' hook, for the love of Pete!
Seriously? Where IS the hook? Every hook in America...With every lost sock from the laundry and every pen that was only used once?!?!?!?
Once on a rare occasion when I did find (music swells, spotlight casts) A HOOK, I went straight to Customer Service and thanked them for having a hook. The associate looked at me as though she might be pushing a secret button under the counter to call for back-up. My son said I had just terribly embarrassed him. I was just simply expressing my gratitude for the simple things in life.
And DO I need to seek some good counsel just because I just don't want to place my purse on the floor of a less-than-sterile gas station bathroom? What if I forget that I sat it there and then go home and set it on my kitchen island?
I really don't need tons of stuff in life...
To be in the presence of God.
To wake up next to my beloved husband.
To be loved by my children (even when I embarrass them or make them mad).
To have my dog wag her tail when she sees me.
And to have a @(*#^(*% hook on the back of the bathroom door!
EVERY TIME!!!!!!!!!
Question: What simple thing in life have you been taking for granted?
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