My Girls

Katie - D.Katie
You take care of me.  You call me and ask what I need.  After 6 maybe 7 years it is still sweetly amazing to have a girl in my life who looks out for me.  You are a friend I share books with and tears with.  I love your loyalty. 
Shanna
You are my sweet strength.   I don't know how you can be so kind and so strong at the same time.  You are an ever present comfort to me.  You are beautiful both on the inside and the outside.  You amaze me with your gentleness. 
Katie - J.Katie
I am so proud of the love and dedication you show as a wife and mother. You put the needs of others above your own.   You are openly friendly to all of us and accepting of me.  You are so naturally friendly and  make it easy to be with you. 
Mallory
You are my joy.  You live up to your name in truth.  You complete our circle and have given us exactly what we were missing.  You are beautiful, intelligent and talented.  But mostly you are loving,  You have an infectious smile.  I am so grateful to have you.
Thank you all for filling the voids in my life that I didn't even know were there.
I love you all.
d

Mr. Magoriums Wonder Emporium

     The first time I watched this 2007 movie I completely missed it's wisdom and grace.  I mistakenly thought it was a children's movie.  This story speaks to adults, older adults, lonely, lost and confused adults.  It is a story about how to live life. It addresses how to care deeply and say good bye.  I love this movie.  Watch it again through the tired and even jaded eyes of an adult.  Here is what you will find.
     "Every one has potential."  There are a few rare and wonderful people who don't see us for what we are but look at us and see us for what we can become.  Living near one of these extraordinary creatures is like taking a breath when you come up from the deep.  You can relax around them and stop apologizing.  You can begin again, try on a new you.  You can even fail in front of them because they will help to pick you up and remind you of all the potential within.  Some people we are better with because they already know this about us.  What a  gift.
     "Anything can happen."  Before  bills and sickness, sadness and betrayal we once realized this.  We have forgotten.  There is no set script for your life.  Once you start down a path there is nothing that says you must stay with that course.  You can turn around,  you can explore a side option, you can go "off road."  Anything can happen.  Try something new, let the people in your life surprise you.  Come to the realization that you don't have all the answers, you don't know what is best for others or maybe even for yourself.  Smile at strangers, take a walk, talk to God.  See what happens. 
     "Life is an occasion, rise to it."  Life isn't just something to endure.  It is an occasion that calls us to put our best foot forward. Rising to an occasion is an act of bravery.  It takes tremendous courage to stand up and access the best parts of ourselves.  Do you really have what it takes to engage in your own life?  Have you been holding back, not really trying to live your best to keep up the illusion that you could do something spectacular if you wanted to?   It can be a painful thing to try and fail,  to miss by a mile or maybe worse, by an inch.  But the rising may be more important than the getting. It is in the rising that we see what we are really made of and in doing so we make ourselves better.  This isn't saying live an above average life.  It is saying live your life in an above average way.  Be extraordinary in the ordinary things. 
      And finally, wisdom for the end of life.  "I am not asking you to be happy that I must go.  I'm only asking that you turn the page, continue reading and let the next story begin.  If anyone ever asks what became of me,  you relate my life and all it's wonder.  And end it with a simple and modest he died."    Would that I  could live my life and finish my life simply and modestly.  Never to overstate my importance and never to understate yours.  

What if?

The what if’s  wandering of a worry wart.

 

I’m a big believer is being prepared.  I may even be living on the edge of neurotic list making  and  uncontrollable organizing. True I can get a lot accomplished and I have been known to derive great joy from marking “it” off of my list.  Whatever “it“ is will not be nearly as important at the act of marking a line through it.  Sometimes, on a particularly difficult day, I would add an already completed task to the list just for the pleasure of marking that line through it.   When facing difficulty I cope by organizing my world and attempting control of it.  This can be useful.  From the smallest details to the big decisions all will get put on the to-do list.  Nothing is left to memory or chance.  I am in control--Except when I’m not.   I will go down the worst case scenario path, follow it to the end and think of how I will be able to live with that--Except when I can’t.  With the problems and fears of life approaching I choose to live my life in a glass half full world--Except when I don’t.

Some days I loose the list, I’m too overwhelmed to organize and too tired to lift a glass, even a half full one.  I begin to worry and to wander,  to wander aimlessly through life, usually away from God.  To wander is to move about without definite destination or purpose.  It takes you nowhere but gets you tired, lost and frightened.  That fear can be paralyzing.  I am not in control, I can’t begin to anticipate and prepare for all possible scenarios so I worry and I “what if.”   I have now wandered far away from where God wants me.  This is a dark and lonely forest of overwhelming possibilities.  It is most frightening at night.  The faux life I have wandered through during the day has served as a distraction.  But at night, when it is quiet and dark the worry wart takes over.

This is the time for prayer.  Recognize when fear is taking control.  Identify the moment you are falling down that rabbit hole of what-ifs and try to pull yourself out of it. Too often,  we try to strategize for what might happen, but there are too many variables to always be prepared.  This can be wasted energy. Instead,  learn to control  thoughts and not allow yourself to go down the “worry path.” As you lay in bed and your brain begins to wander, try to pull your focus back to the positive.  Name 10 things for which you are grateful and thank God for each of them. This exercise is a wonderful way to get to sleep and feel better about life during a time of great uncertainty.

I must accept that my knowledge is limited. Then trust in God for help to make the best decision when life throws me a curve ball.  I do not have control over many events in my life. I do not control the people around me.  I cannot control the cards I am dealt, just how I will play the hand. And I will play it with prayer.

The theft of self sufficiency

Today I believe most American’s would say the number one issue is the economy. Even though terrorism continues at the same pace since 2001, the economy still pervades most of our thinking.  What if there was a grander economy than our own?  What if there were higher laws of commerce that applied to our everyday to and fro?  What if God had an economy that He utilizes?

There is and He does.

It is very clear how He works and how he wants us to exchange with him and with others.  Here is how it works: It starts with this – “Freely you have been given, freely give.”  First, it is important to know that he is the giver, the provider and the source.  Second, he asks us to hold what he has given us loosely in our hands.  Third, he wants us to give to others the blessings he has given us.
In essence we are distributors of the blessing process.  The God economy is meant to flow through our hands into others hands and vice versa.  Jesus explained it to his disciples when he gave them instructions on how God’s economy works.(Matthew 10)  He told them to go into a village two by two and say to people that God is near, heal, cure and help.  Give to people freely as you have received freely.  Now, here is specifically how it works.  He told them not to take any clothing, food, money or extra shoes.  He simply told them to look for someone to bless. When they gave this blessing to someone and they returned the favor, stay with them and receive whatever they had to give in return.  God’s economy is built on us freely giving and freely receiving.  God gives to us through the very people we bless.  His economy flows through the fingers and wallets of those we bless.
Did you notice what Jesus told his disciples?  Don’t bring anything.  No food, no money, no extra stuff.  Why?  Can you imagine Peter bringing a donkey with supplies into a village? Peter gets hungry and decides to pull of on a side street for a bite of fish sandwich that was probably average at best.  By being self-sufficient Peter would miss the feast he would have received through his blessing of healing, curing, helping.  Instead he would have only gotten what he brought.  Anytime we settle for what we bring, we miss out on the best that God gives. You also can eat your own meal alone or you can go out in fellowship and enjoy a feast with God’s people.
God’s economy is built on the premise of trust.  All he asks us to do is trust him with our means.  He asks us not to settle for what we can make with our own hands, but trust that he will provide our needs through the  people we bless.  The key was to find someone to receive our blessing.  He also states to shake the dust off our feet with those that don’t accept us.  Move on from those who do not accept his blessing, he will take care of them.
This is not suggesting we don’t have a job or not to make money.  God’s economy works at work.  When you give freely of your best you receive God’s payment through the company in which you work.  Be a blessing to your work place and to the people around you.  God is asking us to trust the way he has set things up.  When we trust His system it works.  When we take means into our own hands we get what we deserve -- our own means.  God’s economy is always reliable and stronger than mine.  In God we Trust $.

One more simple treat...

I still like simple.  There are just too many things demanding my time and attention right now. I am finding ways to cut back, simplify, slow down (not really) and prioritize.  Of course the holidays cause a ridiculous amount of added stress and pressure to an already over stuffed life.  Refusing to participate crossed my mind.  No tree, no lights, no gift wrapping, no big dinner, just peace and quiet on earth. Then I realized my family would either disown me or medicate me.  And of course  the guilt  starts talking,  "If I were the woman/wife/mom I should be I would have the house decorated, the eggnog warming and the music playing ready for holiday visitors."   Hopefully I am landing somewhere in the middle.  Yes to the tree and the lights, easy on the gift buying, a little bit of sewing, a lot of  Christmas music and of course some candy making.  Here is my quick and easy solution to Chocolate Toffee.  And it is good!

Chocolate Toffee:
Line a cookie sheet with foil and spray heavy with PAM.
Bring to boil 1/2 cup butter (one stick) and 1/2 cup packed brown sugar.
 stir and boil for 2 minutes.  Pour over the crackers.

Place in 350' oven for 3 1/2 minutes until brown and bubbly. 

Take out and sprinkle with chocolate chips, (put back in the oven for just a minute to soften the chips.)
Smooth out the chocolate, sprinkle with chopped pecans, push them down into the chocolate. 

Let cool completely and break into pieces.  The whole thing taks about 10 minutes, plus the cooling time of course.

 You can use white chocolate and pepermint peices on top for that holiday look.  Great for cookie exchange or office party.  I don't even need to go to the store because I usually I have this stuff sitting in the kitchen.

  No fuss, no stress.  Simple :-)

I like simple.

I like simple I find I like a simple less complicated life. Here is a great simple little treat that tastes like you made homemade holiday candy.
You will need:                                         
1 bag pretzels, waffle shape
1 bag Rolos
1 small bag pecan halved
You will:
Place pretzels on a cooking sheet, place a Rolo on top of each. Heat in an oven for 3-4 minutes, push a pecan down onto each, cool on refrigerator.

The more simple your life the less you have to worry over. Truly, the fewer gadgets the less there is to break and need repair. the fewer activities the less chance of running late, feeling frazzled or pressured. The less money the less the less demand for more.
Simple has a way of showing clarity and encouraging focus. Focus on the little things, the free things. Focus on people instead of things. Jesus said to seek first . . . and all these things will be a added. The necessary things will be with in our grasp if our arms aren't too full of other stuff.
So enjoy some holiday candy. You can crumble peppermints on top or drizzle with white chocolate for a really festive look. I just serve them like this. 'Cause you know me. I like simple,

Color of Humility

My supervisor shared an article from Character First with me and it was just too good not to pass on. Here is my version of it.

When you buy a box of crayons all the colors are crisp and clean with pointed ends and neat wrappers.  After just a short time if you open the box you will find crayons that fit into  three categories.  The first consists of a handful of pristine crayons that have rarely been used; the tips are still sharp and the wrappers appear new.  The second group, the largest of the three, no longer appear new.  The tips are slightly rounded and wrappers slightly scuffed.  The final group contains the smallest number of crayons.  These are the workhorses, the crayons you go to time and again.  The wrappers are gone, the tips are nonexistent, and many are broken in half. 

Our character qualities are like the crayons.  Each is important, but some are used more than others.  Of all of these qualities, humility is among the most important because it provides a backdrop for so many others.  If arrogance destroys relationships, humility is the bridge that restores them.  Humility is found in the acknowledgement that our lives are intertwined with others.  It includes the recognition that others have made investments in our lives that we cannot fully repay.  Humility allows us to see the people who have come before us and upon whose efforts we are now standing  The result of the is not simply gratefulness, it is the realization that our quality of life is linked to the quality of our relationships.  When we understand the value of others we will more fully invest in others because we recognize such an investment is always worth the cost.  

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or empty conceit, but in humility regard others as more important than yourselves, do not merely look out for your own personal interest, but also for the interests of others.  

Philippians 2: 3-4