Thanks for checking back in with my blog. I have had lots going on. February has been a crazy month and I'm still adjusting eleven days into March. I was just introduced to a blog by Heather and her post today was a great reminder to me about the power of my words. Just "letting off steam" or complaining can have a ripple effect on those around me.
God bless each of you as you live for Him today.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Making a Difference?
I had to spend the morning at the Health Department turning in paperwork - paperwork that actually only took about two minutes, but since the waiting room is crowded and loud, I spent about an hour there. I'd like to think I made the best of the language barriers, loud kids, tired mom, crazy lady, and sad-looking woman. Please let me explain!
Of course after signing in (to assure my place in line!!!) I had to find a place to wait. I spotted an empty seat at the back of the room with an empty seat next to it and then a Hispanic mother with two cute kids. So, that seemed like the perfect spot for me. I was hoping to review some memorizing that I am doing. I gave a friendly smile and sat down. I immediately realized that studying wouldn't be so easy with the four loud siblings in front of me. Their mom looked like she was at her wit's end. So, I smiled at the kids and tried to study. The memorizing wasn't making into my brain through the noise, so I asked one of the girls her age. Five - since I have a 4 year-old I used that to start talking to her - anything to give the mom a little break. Then I realized the girl's sister was two - I also have a two-year-old. That reminded me that I had a few pictures in my purse of when my girls had dressed up as princesses and pirates and just having fun, so with the four loud kiddos crowded around me we all looked at the pictures. That was a lot of fun, actually. Well, as kids like to ask questions, these outspoken children were interested in the Hispanic family next to me, but everytime the five-year-old girl asked the mom or child a question they just looked at her with a blank face, so I figured that they must not understand. Let me mention that I have taken Spanish in high school and college and had some real practice during a mission trip, but I don't actually SPEAK Spanish. I decided to give it a try, though! I translated the questions about how old the children are and if she has more children. Then I went out on a limb and told her that her baby boy has a pretty smile. I was really proud of myself when she even spoke back to me telling me that he likes watching all the other children. The key part was that I even understood her, yeah! Oh, and the other kids that it was neat that I could speak Spanish. Well, I was feeling pretty great about then, but there was still the lady across the aisle from me who kept talking to herself or, I was afraid, talking to the girl two seats away from her. That poor girl looked like she had nothing to be happy about. I was really sad that the lady would talk so meanly to the girl. The lady's comments were so random. I figured maybe she's just crazy. Well, they called my name, so off I went. Oh, it's not that easy. I still had to wait to receive some other papers, of course! So, my seat was taken and I decided to stand against the wall by the sad-looking girl. A new angle on the crazy lady would be nice, too. Ha ha ha - crazy lady is wearing an ear phone thing (obviously I've never had one). She must have been talking on the non-existent phone and not to the sad girl! So, I decided to sit down next to the sad girl and just be friendly. The room got quiet (I think my loud friends from earlier finally settled down!). So, I said, it sure got quiet in here. (Just testing the waters for friendliness.) Sad girl brightened up and was really nice. We talked for just a minute when I finally got my papers and could go.
Making the best of crowded waiting areas and even people who look tired, crazy, sad, or just neutral are probably just waiting to be friendly if each of us show ourselves to be friendly.
Of course after signing in (to assure my place in line!!!) I had to find a place to wait. I spotted an empty seat at the back of the room with an empty seat next to it and then a Hispanic mother with two cute kids. So, that seemed like the perfect spot for me. I was hoping to review some memorizing that I am doing. I gave a friendly smile and sat down. I immediately realized that studying wouldn't be so easy with the four loud siblings in front of me. Their mom looked like she was at her wit's end. So, I smiled at the kids and tried to study. The memorizing wasn't making into my brain through the noise, so I asked one of the girls her age. Five - since I have a 4 year-old I used that to start talking to her - anything to give the mom a little break. Then I realized the girl's sister was two - I also have a two-year-old. That reminded me that I had a few pictures in my purse of when my girls had dressed up as princesses and pirates and just having fun, so with the four loud kiddos crowded around me we all looked at the pictures. That was a lot of fun, actually. Well, as kids like to ask questions, these outspoken children were interested in the Hispanic family next to me, but everytime the five-year-old girl asked the mom or child a question they just looked at her with a blank face, so I figured that they must not understand. Let me mention that I have taken Spanish in high school and college and had some real practice during a mission trip, but I don't actually SPEAK Spanish. I decided to give it a try, though! I translated the questions about how old the children are and if she has more children. Then I went out on a limb and told her that her baby boy has a pretty smile. I was really proud of myself when she even spoke back to me telling me that he likes watching all the other children. The key part was that I even understood her, yeah! Oh, and the other kids that it was neat that I could speak Spanish. Well, I was feeling pretty great about then, but there was still the lady across the aisle from me who kept talking to herself or, I was afraid, talking to the girl two seats away from her. That poor girl looked like she had nothing to be happy about. I was really sad that the lady would talk so meanly to the girl. The lady's comments were so random. I figured maybe she's just crazy. Well, they called my name, so off I went. Oh, it's not that easy. I still had to wait to receive some other papers, of course! So, my seat was taken and I decided to stand against the wall by the sad-looking girl. A new angle on the crazy lady would be nice, too. Ha ha ha - crazy lady is wearing an ear phone thing (obviously I've never had one). She must have been talking on the non-existent phone and not to the sad girl! So, I decided to sit down next to the sad girl and just be friendly. The room got quiet (I think my loud friends from earlier finally settled down!). So, I said, it sure got quiet in here. (Just testing the waters for friendliness.) Sad girl brightened up and was really nice. We talked for just a minute when I finally got my papers and could go.
Making the best of crowded waiting areas and even people who look tired, crazy, sad, or just neutral are probably just waiting to be friendly if each of us show ourselves to be friendly.
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Christmas 2008
The Reason For the Season
Jesus Christ was Born
A Photo from Christmas Past (Two Years Ago)
My cuties were so excited they woke up around 6 am.
Well, I was already awake anyway!
Our Country Kitchen
Two excited girls who had to wait for Daddy to get up!
Monday, September 22, 2008
Cheerleader Part I
I am blessed to have my own, personal cheerleader. She is my mom. She tells me that I am a good writer and a good housekeeper. A good wife and mother. A good cook and gardener. She taught me to meet my obligations, pay my bills, keep my promises, be on time, and not to be the center of attention. She has many friends, but doesn't understand why so many people like her. She thinks she is boring. She has lots of friends because she cares about them and listens to them instead of talking about herself all the time. She genuinely finds a conversation about others more interesting than talking about herself. She is on my team no matter what - that doesn't mean she would always make the same decision. She knows how to love without smothering. She is my mom and she is also a daughter, sister, aunt, niece, cousin, grandmother and friend to many. She would rather blend in, but I want to give her a moment in the spotlight. I love you, Mom. Thank you for being my most faithful reader.
Keep it Clover!
A Crown and A Cow
I recently watched a few minutes of a reality show about children's beauty pageants. Since I am not part of the pageant world, most of the girls on stage were a blurr of hair and make-up. It was the off-stage conversations that I found interesting. There were a variety of viewpoints from the mothers, but I was intruiged by the girls' input. When asked what they would buy with the prize money, one seven-year-old was emphatic about getting her own cell phone. The other response that struck me was a little girl (the eventual winner) who said she wanted to buy a cow. What a difference in value systems.That reminds me of our outing last Friday. I helped a friend by driving some highschoolers to a nearby college Planetarium show. It was very interesting, but with two children, I wasn't sure if we would make it through the show. Our only disturbance came when my Puddleduck fell off of the bench seat and flat onto the concrete floor. No major injuries to report! The real fun came later when we visited a local feed store. Who would have thought? This was a store in a large garage next to a farm home. Judy is one of the nicest people I have met in a long time. They have three horses, more than ten goats, a cute dog, and some free-range chickens. The Princess and Puddleduck held five-day-old chicks! Oh, and the swing set was as great as Disney World. I hope to go back often. As the pageant princess who wanted a cow, I think it is important to appreciate the small things in life. Family and friends, of course, but also the beauty of nature. As I harvest my chestnuts, I love the beautiful rich brown color of the nuts. It makes all that bending a but easier!
Keep it Clover!
Friday, September 12, 2008
Oh, Nuts!
Okay, so I'm not the best at thinking of witty titles, but I have been harvesting lots of chestnuts and some not-yet-ripe walnuts and pecans. "Harvesting" sounds so much more interesting than just saying that I've been wandering around in the yard with a bucket and a pair of tongs!
If you aren't familiar with chestnuts they have an outer spiky, sharp layer that will often still be attached when the nuts fall from the tree. I never planned on having nut trees, but we were blessed with them when we purchased our home several months ago. As for the pecans and walnuts, I am hoping that they will ripen while I keep them safe from harm (squirrels a.k.a. The Enemy).
My princess is planting some Magnolia seeds. As I wandered in the yard staring at the dirt in search of nuts, I began to notice small red pieces of candy. I thought maybe some neighborhood kids had dropped some cinnamon candy in our yard, but they were so spread out that I became a little concerned and confused. I was relieved when I continued my online research and found a picture of magnolia seeds. Guess it wasn't candy after all!
My princess is planting some Magnolia seeds. As I wandered in the yard staring at the dirt in search of nuts, I began to notice small red pieces of candy. I thought maybe some neighborhood kids had dropped some cinnamon candy in our yard, but they were so spread out that I became a little concerned and confused. I was relieved when I continued my online research and found a picture of magnolia seeds. Guess it wasn't candy after all!So, my apologies to all my neighbors who are driving by as I am harvesting, if you know what I mean.
Keep it Clover!
Thursday, September 11, 2008
9-11-01
My first class of the morning was at 9 am. I was glad for the extra hour to get ready before heading out during my Junior year of college. I spent the morning exercising, studying, and dressing without any thought of contact with the outside world. I actually made it to class a little early. The first one in the room, in fact. A few moments later, Zack came in. I didn't know him well, but at the time he was dating a friend of mine. He had spent the last hour at the campus snack shop watching the news channel's live account of two airplanes flying into a couple of buildings. That was all he said with a chuckle. . . as if it was a staged scene from a movie. "Ummm, wouldn't people have died if a plane flew into a huge building?" I asked. He just said, "Oh, yeah, I guess so." Now, Zack wasn't a terrible person, but he wasn't thinking either. I wonder how many twenty-somethings neglected to realize how that moment would change millions of lives. Well, after class ended we headed to a chapel hour at our Christian university. There the seriousness of this day was realized. Our classes were cancelled and prayer hours were set up for groups to gather. I don't know anyone in New York or Washington so I headed out to meet my friend Tabitha for lunch. We met in her room, but when I arrived she was have a deep phone conversation. . . She doesn't usually ignore plans she has made so I was concerned and confused - then I saw her tears. She ended her phone call somewhat reluctantly and shared her story with me. . .
Tabitha's father is a pastor in New Jersey and was scheduled for a meeting of national pastors at the Pentagon THAT MORNING. Noone had heard from her father for hours before a plane was known to have crashed into and through the Pentagon. Tabitha had been talking to her mother and of course her father would have reassured his wife of his safety had he knowingly survived such a catastrophe. As Tabitha and her family wonder about the safety of this pillar of their home, he sits in a meeting in a building some miles from the Pentagon where his meeting had been relocated at the last minute. To my knowledge, there was no outside contact during the meeting which lasted for many hours. My heart was aching for my friend. I had no idea what to say or do and had not experienced a loss of anyone very near to me. Late evening the good news arrived that Tabitha's father was safe and had not been in an attacked building. Praise God from whom all blessing flow!
Another memory from that day which is very clear in my mind is my roommate Jasmine's reaction to the attack. Jasmine had lived in Alaska her entire life and has great pride in her home state. Because of the physical distance from the continental U.S., I was shocked at how deeply she felt the wound of the attack on our country and the lives lost although none were her friends or relatives. I have great respect for her love for this land that we each should appreciate more. I found that my focus was on moving forward and keeping life "normal" in order to minimize the "deer in the headlights" syndrome I was seeing around me, but I may have been a bit calloused compared to my compassionate roommate.
I remember asking my mother and others about when they heard of JFK's shooting, but I never thought my lifetime would bring another tragedy of a magnitude where every one remembers their circumstances.
God Bless America (although we may not deserve it)
Tabitha's father is a pastor in New Jersey and was scheduled for a meeting of national pastors at the Pentagon THAT MORNING. Noone had heard from her father for hours before a plane was known to have crashed into and through the Pentagon. Tabitha had been talking to her mother and of course her father would have reassured his wife of his safety had he knowingly survived such a catastrophe. As Tabitha and her family wonder about the safety of this pillar of their home, he sits in a meeting in a building some miles from the Pentagon where his meeting had been relocated at the last minute. To my knowledge, there was no outside contact during the meeting which lasted for many hours. My heart was aching for my friend. I had no idea what to say or do and had not experienced a loss of anyone very near to me. Late evening the good news arrived that Tabitha's father was safe and had not been in an attacked building. Praise God from whom all blessing flow!
Another memory from that day which is very clear in my mind is my roommate Jasmine's reaction to the attack. Jasmine had lived in Alaska her entire life and has great pride in her home state. Because of the physical distance from the continental U.S., I was shocked at how deeply she felt the wound of the attack on our country and the lives lost although none were her friends or relatives. I have great respect for her love for this land that we each should appreciate more. I found that my focus was on moving forward and keeping life "normal" in order to minimize the "deer in the headlights" syndrome I was seeing around me, but I may have been a bit calloused compared to my compassionate roommate.
I remember asking my mother and others about when they heard of JFK's shooting, but I never thought my lifetime would bring another tragedy of a magnitude where every one remembers their circumstances.
God Bless America (although we may not deserve it)
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