I'm sure hardly anybody reads my blog anymore, but it's 10:44 at night, I can't sleep, and I want to write.
A lot has been going on in my life lately.....and nothing has been going on. Last night I had a mini panic attack from schedule over-load.....and five nights ago I had a pity party for myself because I don't "do anything."
It's one of those bouncing-between-extremes times of life. I seem to have those regularly. Do you? I'm full of contrasts and hundreds of (seemingly) all-consuming desires.
I'm reminded of an incident that happened while I was walking my puppy not too long ago:
We're going along, minding our own business. Reya finds a scent she likes.
Oh look, on the right side of the road - CAT!
Oh look - on the left side of the road; SQUIRREL!
Oh look; walking up the sidewalk to the nearby house - PERSON!
Oh look - coming up behind us: CAR!
WHICH ONE SHOULD I CHASE?!?!?
She spun around in circles, ears cocked, legs tense, muscles bunched in readiness to spring....and chased none of the above. It's called having too many things to chase. :)
That's exactly me in my life right now;
I've launched my own sewing business. (Meant to introduce this with greater fanfare, but oh well.) I spend hours designing, sewing, pouring over photos for ideas, humming to the tune of my sewing machine, dreaming up new ways to fold and play with fabric, matching colors, discussing ideas with like-minded sewing friends. I LOVE the sensory delight that overtakes my brain when I shift into creativity mode.
Oh look; SEW!
Last night, I dissolved in tears because of a tension that has been building in me for weeks; I want to write. And I don't have time to write. I feel like a burning passion inside of me is suffocating, banging on the insides of my ribcage, begging to be noticed and fed, and I keep stuffing it back down and telling it to be quiet. I know God made me to write. It's part of who I am. But I haven't done any serious writing work in a loooong time. It. Hurts. Really. Pain.
Oh look: WRITE!!!!
I just spent about an hour browsing recipes on the web....when I didn't even intend to spend that kind of time doing it. I found a new recipe blog that I love. I lay awake at night planning new recipes. I bounce up and down when I get to spend time in the kitchen. I love my apron. I laugh when a recipe turns out right. When I'm stressed, I itch to be in the kitchen baking. It's my idea of art, de-stressing, having fun, and educational occupation all rolled into one. If I could make a living inventing recipes, I would. I'm going to love that part of being a wife someday. :) :) :)
Oh look; BAKE!!!!!!!
My sewing room is a disaster. It needs organization, and it needs beautifying. I look at pictures of interior design, read books, and lay awake dreaming. I love interior design. I thought about pursuing that as a home business (no pun intended. :) I love to make spaces full of life and love and peace. I want to do that in our home.
Oh look; DECORATE!!!
I love being with my sisters. The younger two are still in school. Every time I walk by them when they are studying, and hear them discussing what they are learning, I want to stop, sit down, join in, contribute to the conversation, share a new book, teach a new fact, glean from their young minds, and just have fun being back in the world of school. :)
Oh look; TEACH!!!!
I feel the urge to not let my brain lie dormant just because "I'm not in formal school." I have pulled out my Spanish books and am doing some serious study. I'm rusty and it's hard going, but I love the feeling of actually studying again. I also want to study nutrition more and perhaps go back and really conquer algebra.
Oh look; STUDY!!!!!
Should I continue? I think you get the idea. I'm like my little dog, spinning in circles. And this doesn't even begin to factor in things like relationships with friends and family, and the way that adds dynamics to one's life.
The one balance point in my life -the one breath of my day when I know what I want, and where I'm happiest - is that time in the morning when I'm reading my Bible. Right now I'm in Acts. I love the boldness of the early church. I'm drawn in by the drama of the story, and fascinated to know that this is real history.
Sometimes I complain, in my head, to God, about being created with so many interests. When all my friends were trying to decide what to do after finishing high school, I was sitting there trying to figure out what NOT to do. It's exhausting to be running in circles. I don't always like it.
But, deep down, I love exactly how God made me. I know He did it on purpose. He wants me to live an abundant life.....
....but it's not really about all those things I get joy out of. Gardening, photography, reading.....none of my hobbies and "passions" really calm me down and make me cry with joy.
It's Him. That's what I was created to do; enjoy HIM. That time during my day when I'm reading about Him, and talking to Him, and enjoying His presence is THE MOST important thing I do all day. THAT is what I was created to do. Sometimes I get confused, and think that all these passions and talents are "what He made me to do." Nope. That's not what I was made to do. Those are side benefits, for His glory and to bless me with fun, but that's NOT what I was "made to do." I was made to enjoy Him.
So I don't need to feel guilty about slowing down. ....I don't need to stress about making sure I'm doing every single thing that "I want" to do. ...Or that I feel I should do, just because I can.
Calm down, Amber. Breathe. Enjoy Him. And that's enough.
O soul, are you weary and troubled?
No light in the darkness you see?
There’s light for a look at the Savior,
And life more abundant and free!
Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.
Through death into life everlasting
He passed, and we follow Him there;
O’er us sin no more hath dominion—
For more than conqu’rors we are!
His Word shall not fail you—He promised;
Believe Him, and all will be well:
Then go to a world that is dying,
His perfect salvation to tell!
It's now 12:44. ......Like I said.....I tend to run in circles and get distracted. :) :) :)
Showing posts with label time. Show all posts
Showing posts with label time. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
Monday, April 9, 2012
Time Management?
Since losing my computer (temporarily, thank the Lord!) to a virus over a week ago, (...or was it two weeks?) I have been limited to using the family machine for all my computer-related activities.
Since I have two blogs, an online business, and lots of email correspondents, it's been challenging to keep up with everything while sharing the computer with everyone else. No longer can I plop down to work on something when I feel like it or if I just have a few minutes. Instead, I must wait until Mom and Dad are not using the computer, and if a sibling already has permission to be on, I must wait for them, as well. Then, when I'm on, I've got to be fast!
Maybe you don't have to worry about sharing your computer, but if you're like most of us, you know you give too much of your day to that Time Trap. You browse a little, jump from one site to another, and before you know it an hour is gone. Five minutes later, once you've gotten busy with something else, you remember what you really should have done while you were on the computer. That email that needs a reply. That website you meant to check. That quote you meant to research. And you spent all your computer time frittering around.
Sound familiar? Please tell me I'm not the only one who has had this problem.
So here's a tip for the day. A good way to make sure you get everything done on the computer in a timely manner is to think ahead of time, "what do I need to do on there?" and write it down.
As in; "old-fashioned-pencil-and-paper-writing-it-down." (Trust me. Sitting in front of the screen, you will never remember everything you meant to do on there. Something about that chair zaps your mind.)
Take that list with you to the computer, and begin by opening up a tab for each task you need to do. (Or windows, for non-Internet-related jobs.) One tab for your email, one tab for your blog, ect. (So many tabs open at the same time would drive my computer-savvy brother insane, but as long as your Internet connection can handle it, it DOES work splendidly to manange your time!)
Then start with the quickest task and do it.
Exit that tab. (Very important. Don't click onto another page, don't hop to another blog. EXIT THE TAB.)
Go to the next tab/task. Do it.
Exit that tab.
And so on and so forth until you've completed every task and are down to one tab. Now you know you've completed everything you need to do on the computer. If you have extra time, you can open up "fun tabs."
This principle of giving myself a "list of tabs" to accomplish at the beginning of my computer time, and working my way through them before moving on to "fun" computer time has really helped me make the most of limited time on the computer.
And, to be quite honest, even time on my personal computer is limited. I don't want to spend all day online. I have other things to do.
Do you find this idea helpful?
Since I have two blogs, an online business, and lots of email correspondents, it's been challenging to keep up with everything while sharing the computer with everyone else. No longer can I plop down to work on something when I feel like it or if I just have a few minutes. Instead, I must wait until Mom and Dad are not using the computer, and if a sibling already has permission to be on, I must wait for them, as well. Then, when I'm on, I've got to be fast!
Maybe you don't have to worry about sharing your computer, but if you're like most of us, you know you give too much of your day to that Time Trap. You browse a little, jump from one site to another, and before you know it an hour is gone. Five minutes later, once you've gotten busy with something else, you remember what you really should have done while you were on the computer. That email that needs a reply. That website you meant to check. That quote you meant to research. And you spent all your computer time frittering around.
Sound familiar? Please tell me I'm not the only one who has had this problem.
So here's a tip for the day. A good way to make sure you get everything done on the computer in a timely manner is to think ahead of time, "what do I need to do on there?" and write it down.
As in; "old-fashioned-pencil-and-paper-writing-it-down." (Trust me. Sitting in front of the screen, you will never remember everything you meant to do on there. Something about that chair zaps your mind.)
Take that list with you to the computer, and begin by opening up a tab for each task you need to do. (Or windows, for non-Internet-related jobs.) One tab for your email, one tab for your blog, ect. (So many tabs open at the same time would drive my computer-savvy brother insane, but as long as your Internet connection can handle it, it DOES work splendidly to manange your time!)
Then start with the quickest task and do it.
Exit that tab. (Very important. Don't click onto another page, don't hop to another blog. EXIT THE TAB.)
Go to the next tab/task. Do it.
Exit that tab.
And so on and so forth until you've completed every task and are down to one tab. Now you know you've completed everything you need to do on the computer. If you have extra time, you can open up "fun tabs."
This principle of giving myself a "list of tabs" to accomplish at the beginning of my computer time, and working my way through them before moving on to "fun" computer time has really helped me make the most of limited time on the computer.
And, to be quite honest, even time on my personal computer is limited. I don't want to spend all day online. I have other things to do.
Do you find this idea helpful?
Friday, March 30, 2012
Just a Thought...
Would you want the world to see the secret details of your heart and life?
What if your friends could investigate certain things about you?
Would you want them seeing your Internet history? Every page?
How 'bout your bookmarked links?
Your texting inbox and outbox?
The songs you have loaded on your MP3 player, or Ipod, or whatever you might use?
A list of all the books you have ever checked out from the library?
A time log of when you went to bed every night so far this year?
A list of everything you've eaten this year?
Would you want them looking at your bank account summary, and a list of all purchases you have made in the last 12 months?
Would you like the world to know every movie you've ever seen? Every book you've ever read?
What about a recording of every phone conversation you've ever had?
It has been in my mind lately that someday every secret thing will be made manifest, and what has been done in secret will be shouted from the housetops. I do have a best friend who knows not only everything I have seen and said, but also ever thought and considered. I'm going to have to face Him someday and give a reason - an account - for every idle word I've spoken, not to mention every moment I haven't redeemed.
To be quite honest, I don't want the world knowing everything in the above list. I've done some stuff I shouldn't have. I don't want people to think I'm a hypocrite; saying one thing and doing another.
But the reality is that it doesn't matter if the world sees it right now or not: I am what I am, in secret, or before others. Jesus knows that real me. He isn't taken in by my outward behavior. And if I would be ashamed for others to know "the real me," then I ought to feel a great deal of shame this very moment, for there is someone who knows "the real me."
That thought is very heavy and saddening. For, you see, I love this Jesus. I want Him to be pleased with me.
But even as my heart sinks, it skips a beat and remembers that Christ died for this very sinner who sits in this chair. He died already knowing that I would commit countless sins. And He has committed Himself to purifying me, and making me like Him. He's not going to give up. He shall complete whatever work He begins. He IS changing me, and He isn't going to get discouraged and give up. I am His, and that precious reality means I am forever His.
And, regal King that He is, He wants everything that is His to be the best. Including me.
So here I am, Lord Jesus. Take me, shape me, and teach me to do Your will. Thank You that You are honest with Me, and show me exactly who I am. And thank You for loving me in spite of all that, and removing the guilt for all of that.
I've never known anyone like You!
What if your friends could investigate certain things about you?
Would you want them seeing your Internet history? Every page?
How 'bout your bookmarked links?
Your texting inbox and outbox?
The songs you have loaded on your MP3 player, or Ipod, or whatever you might use?
A list of all the books you have ever checked out from the library?
A time log of when you went to bed every night so far this year?
A list of everything you've eaten this year?
Would you want them looking at your bank account summary, and a list of all purchases you have made in the last 12 months?
Would you like the world to know every movie you've ever seen? Every book you've ever read?
What about a recording of every phone conversation you've ever had?
It has been in my mind lately that someday every secret thing will be made manifest, and what has been done in secret will be shouted from the housetops. I do have a best friend who knows not only everything I have seen and said, but also ever thought and considered. I'm going to have to face Him someday and give a reason - an account - for every idle word I've spoken, not to mention every moment I haven't redeemed.
To be quite honest, I don't want the world knowing everything in the above list. I've done some stuff I shouldn't have. I don't want people to think I'm a hypocrite; saying one thing and doing another.
But the reality is that it doesn't matter if the world sees it right now or not: I am what I am, in secret, or before others. Jesus knows that real me. He isn't taken in by my outward behavior. And if I would be ashamed for others to know "the real me," then I ought to feel a great deal of shame this very moment, for there is someone who knows "the real me."
That thought is very heavy and saddening. For, you see, I love this Jesus. I want Him to be pleased with me.
But even as my heart sinks, it skips a beat and remembers that Christ died for this very sinner who sits in this chair. He died already knowing that I would commit countless sins. And He has committed Himself to purifying me, and making me like Him. He's not going to give up. He shall complete whatever work He begins. He IS changing me, and He isn't going to get discouraged and give up. I am His, and that precious reality means I am forever His.
And, regal King that He is, He wants everything that is His to be the best. Including me.
So here I am, Lord Jesus. Take me, shape me, and teach me to do Your will. Thank You that You are honest with Me, and show me exactly who I am. And thank You for loving me in spite of all that, and removing the guilt for all of that.
I've never known anyone like You!
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Three strikes....
...and I'm out.
Double points for almost bonking my head against a wall while leaning back on my bed five minutes ago.
Triple points for scratching myself with my own nails twice inside of ten minutes.
Accidentally, of course.
I also get points for giving into worry and fretting, for running away from problems instead of dealing with them, and for blaming other people when circumstances make me unhappy. Lots and lots of points.
And in this game, like golf (though I've never played the game and have no interest in it), we're trying for the lower end of the score card.
So, if I make mix my metaphors, I've struck out. So0000 glad it's bedtime! Kinda.
(Which, incidentally, means I should be in bed, not here, especially since I have to get up at 5:00 am [which is my own fault] but who's paying attention to little details like that? I could use another point.)
Don't you just love run-on parenthetical remarks?
I admit it; I am NOT writing this blog post because I have any remarkable bit of wisdom or advice to share, or a funny story, or a heart-warming tale. I'm clattering away at the keyboard because I need to release a bit of frustration and grief, and you poor readers are always so sweet, to hear me out.
I had "one of those days" today. From start to finish, things went wrong, I didn't have enough time to do what I wanted. The computer was slow, I woke up late, I didn't have ingredients, I double-booked my schedule...you know how it goes.
But that wasn't what was so hard. We all have days like that. Sometimes they just give us a day to laugh at ourselves, and everything is okay. Other times we learn through struggles, and we're okay.
I didn't feel okay.
All day long, a fluttering panic-y feeling was growing in my heart. Worry. Fretting. Anxious. I couldn't stop thinking about issues as small as, "WhatEVER am I going to find to wear tomorrow when my closet is empty and I don't have time to do laundry today?" or as big as, "How in the WORLD am I going to pay for everything I have to pay for next month?"
I was a failure. I knew it. I was miserable. My life wasn't going anywhere. I was on a treadmill and couldn't get off. I could feel my emotions getting the better of me, and that was what bothered me. Difficulties are a part of life, and it's just part of being an adult to expect them, but when I succumb to them instead of facing them, that.....that is horrible.
Sometimes the problems are not truly world-threatening issues - like "what am I going to wear?" Other times they are truly problems; like, "what are my customers going to think of me if I can't bake their order because I don't have the ingredients?!?!"
But my response is real in either case. If I fall into tears and frustration and worry because of clothes, it's just as much of a pit as if it were something more important. And I'm not supposed to live in pits. I'm a child of the King.
And I knew that. I kept telling myself that. "Snap out of it, Amber - you're silly to mope like this with all Christ has done for you!" But I didn't want to snap out of it. I was miserable and wanted to mope. ...Sorta.
The only verse that kept going through my mind was, "for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you."
Okay, Lord. This is Your will. And that is Your will. And that too? Okay, that too. All this stuff is happening to me because You let it. And it's going to be okay. All right. Okay. If You say so.
I held onto that idea like a lifeline, for that is what it was.
I lived long enough to know that if I hold on long enough, all the sudden my eyes adjust and I can see the Son again. He is there all along, but I just have to be patient. It seemed a long wait today.
So I sat down to vent while I was waiting.
You know what's funny? As I wrote my list of "point achievements," I started noticing what I couldn't write down. Strange, huh?
I wrote down "Rotten Attitude," then thought "well, I was tired and sad, and sighed a lot, but I wasn't exactly rotten. God gave me grace to have several kind moments toward others, actually, now that I think about it." Backspace that.
I typed out "Being Lazy," and remembered the hour I wanted to spend doing something - anything - mindless on my computer, but instead forced myself to be glued to a chair working on measuring garments for my website. And I remembered the photos of those same garments I wanted to put off doing, and didn't. And I cleaned the living room. And printed out flyers for my bakery business. And wrote a blog post on my other blog. And made breakfast. And practiced my fiddle.
I may not have accomplished everything I wanted to today, but I know in my heart I wasn't lazy. That started a warm flutter in my chest.
Maybe today wasn't a waste. Maybe God answered my prayer of this morning - that He would use this day for His purposes. And tomorrow isn't going to be so bad - even if I have to get up at 5:00. God is in control. This is a beautiful life. The weather is gorgeous. My bedroom window is open. The crickets are chirping, and cool air is flowing through the screen. No cats fighting beneath it tonight, unlike last night. :)
God has whispered to my heart. Circumstances haven't changed. I don't have an extra hour in my day tomorrow, and I'm certainly no richer, but I'm okay. In fact...I feel a smile coming on. My first smile in several hours.
I did. I smiled. And what's this? Tears? I managed not to really cry today. But now I am. I'm happy. It feels so good to smile. It feels so good to let go and know that He is God. The big things, and the little things, are in His hands.
I think I'll sleep well tonight.
Double points for almost bonking my head against a wall while leaning back on my bed five minutes ago.
Triple points for scratching myself with my own nails twice inside of ten minutes.
Accidentally, of course.
I also get points for giving into worry and fretting, for running away from problems instead of dealing with them, and for blaming other people when circumstances make me unhappy. Lots and lots of points.
And in this game, like golf (though I've never played the game and have no interest in it), we're trying for the lower end of the score card.
So, if I make mix my metaphors, I've struck out. So0000 glad it's bedtime! Kinda.
(Which, incidentally, means I should be in bed, not here, especially since I have to get up at 5:00 am [which is my own fault] but who's paying attention to little details like that? I could use another point.)
Don't you just love run-on parenthetical remarks?
I admit it; I am NOT writing this blog post because I have any remarkable bit of wisdom or advice to share, or a funny story, or a heart-warming tale. I'm clattering away at the keyboard because I need to release a bit of frustration and grief, and you poor readers are always so sweet, to hear me out.
I had "one of those days" today. From start to finish, things went wrong, I didn't have enough time to do what I wanted. The computer was slow, I woke up late, I didn't have ingredients, I double-booked my schedule...you know how it goes.
But that wasn't what was so hard. We all have days like that. Sometimes they just give us a day to laugh at ourselves, and everything is okay. Other times we learn through struggles, and we're okay.
I didn't feel okay.
All day long, a fluttering panic-y feeling was growing in my heart. Worry. Fretting. Anxious. I couldn't stop thinking about issues as small as, "WhatEVER am I going to find to wear tomorrow when my closet is empty and I don't have time to do laundry today?" or as big as, "How in the WORLD am I going to pay for everything I have to pay for next month?"
I was a failure. I knew it. I was miserable. My life wasn't going anywhere. I was on a treadmill and couldn't get off. I could feel my emotions getting the better of me, and that was what bothered me. Difficulties are a part of life, and it's just part of being an adult to expect them, but when I succumb to them instead of facing them, that.....that is horrible.
Sometimes the problems are not truly world-threatening issues - like "what am I going to wear?" Other times they are truly problems; like, "what are my customers going to think of me if I can't bake their order because I don't have the ingredients?!?!"
But my response is real in either case. If I fall into tears and frustration and worry because of clothes, it's just as much of a pit as if it were something more important. And I'm not supposed to live in pits. I'm a child of the King.
And I knew that. I kept telling myself that. "Snap out of it, Amber - you're silly to mope like this with all Christ has done for you!" But I didn't want to snap out of it. I was miserable and wanted to mope. ...Sorta.
The only verse that kept going through my mind was, "for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you."
Okay, Lord. This is Your will. And that is Your will. And that too? Okay, that too. All this stuff is happening to me because You let it. And it's going to be okay. All right. Okay. If You say so.
I held onto that idea like a lifeline, for that is what it was.
I lived long enough to know that if I hold on long enough, all the sudden my eyes adjust and I can see the Son again. He is there all along, but I just have to be patient. It seemed a long wait today.
So I sat down to vent while I was waiting.
You know what's funny? As I wrote my list of "point achievements," I started noticing what I couldn't write down. Strange, huh?
I wrote down "Rotten Attitude," then thought "well, I was tired and sad, and sighed a lot, but I wasn't exactly rotten. God gave me grace to have several kind moments toward others, actually, now that I think about it." Backspace that.
I typed out "Being Lazy," and remembered the hour I wanted to spend doing something - anything - mindless on my computer, but instead forced myself to be glued to a chair working on measuring garments for my website. And I remembered the photos of those same garments I wanted to put off doing, and didn't. And I cleaned the living room. And printed out flyers for my bakery business. And wrote a blog post on my other blog. And made breakfast. And practiced my fiddle.
I may not have accomplished everything I wanted to today, but I know in my heart I wasn't lazy. That started a warm flutter in my chest.
Maybe today wasn't a waste. Maybe God answered my prayer of this morning - that He would use this day for His purposes. And tomorrow isn't going to be so bad - even if I have to get up at 5:00. God is in control. This is a beautiful life. The weather is gorgeous. My bedroom window is open. The crickets are chirping, and cool air is flowing through the screen. No cats fighting beneath it tonight, unlike last night. :)
God has whispered to my heart. Circumstances haven't changed. I don't have an extra hour in my day tomorrow, and I'm certainly no richer, but I'm okay. In fact...I feel a smile coming on. My first smile in several hours.
I did. I smiled. And what's this? Tears? I managed not to really cry today. But now I am. I'm happy. It feels so good to smile. It feels so good to let go and know that He is God. The big things, and the little things, are in His hands.
I think I'll sleep well tonight.
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
My "Secondly" Blog Post
I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas! I can't tell you how mine went, because I'm writing this post ahead of time, so I won't have to worry about it the week after Christmas. But I'm sure it was splendid.
If you've been reading my recent blog posts, you know the title for this one came from a post where I started a list of things I was going to talk about, and never made it past "firstly."
My "secondly" thing happened to be about New Years, so I decided to wait until after Christmas to write about it. After all, I'm the one who complains when stores start putting up Christmas decorations before Thanksgiving.
New Years resolutions are the topic of many newspapers, magazines, and blogs this time of year. We all like the feeling of a fresh new start, a chance to change for the better, and begin anew. Never mind that most people forget about their resolutions by the time February is winding down.
Are you like that?
Do you consider your word something to be given seriously, and kept faithfully - even if you've only given your word to yourself? What does a commitment mean, if it's not kept?
Well, it's easy to scold, but I admit it can be hard to stick with something. That's why I think of these things in terms of "goals," not resolutions (for the most part). To have a goal is motivating. To make a promise to yourself or to God and not keep it is much more serious. So I had goals.
I flopped on one item myself, last year. I wanted to study Spanish five days a week. I made it through February, then started getting pretty sketchy.
But I made it with other items. By the end of this month, I will have read Proverbs through once every month for this year (that was a resolution). And I published a book I had been working on since I was 16. That was a goal.
I had a few other goals, but I try to keep it basic. For the most part, I keep things pretty realistic. This isn't a time to dream of what I'd do if I suddenly had 3 extra hours in my day, unlimited funds, and the brain of a genius. This is a time to figure out what God is calling me to pursue this year, and what I can reasonably accomplish if I work hard. Now is the time to figure that out, before the heat of battle makes me tired, nervous, or discouraged. When that time comes, I'll have my goals staring me in the face saying, "You figured this out before hand; you counted the cost. You can do this! You know you can, with God's help! It's not impossible!"
I like to have categories in which to divide my goals; intellectual, spiritual, and physical. Reading through the Bible in one year would be a spiritual and intellectual goal. Working out three times a week would be a physical goal.
These are all examples of positive goals. Not positive in the sense of "good" (though they are good!), but positive in the sense that they require you to take action to fulfill them. They are offensive rather than defensive.
To stretch yourself a little bit this year, I encourage you to try some negative goals in all three areas. You don't just want to add good things to your life; you want to remove those things which are harmful.
So what needs to go? Maybe your goal is to de-clutter your life and get rid of all those items that you really don't need. Maybe you want to stop a bad habit. Is there a certain sin you need to work on and pray against until it is thoroughly conquered? Maybe you want to get rid of certain harmful foods in your diet. Maybe you want to stop being a procrastinator.
So get yourself a blank piece of paper (Or Word Document, if you're on the computer more than you're off). At the top of the page, write "Goals for 2012", and below that make three columns.
Now stop and think. And pray. Envision the past year, and look forward into this one. What do you see that you want to stop? Where do you see God's hand of blessing? What needs to continue?
In the first column, list (let's keep it simple) five things you want to change/stop. Opposite them, in the middle column, write what you want to replace them with. If you're not a morning person, and want to change that, your goal sheet might look like this; "Stop sleeping until 9:00am" "Wake up at 7:00 every weekday morning." In the third column, write the steps that will make it happen; "Set alarm 15 minutes earlier, every third day, until I am getting up at 7:00 regularly."
Put the paper somewhere you'll see it often. Inside the front cover of your Bible? On the wall in your bedroom? At your desk?
I find that goals need to be a mixture of positive and negative to be the most motivating, because our human nature wants to be both offensive and defensive, depending on our mood.
New Year Resolutions aren't a "must." For years I didn't do them. I thought they were only for people who wanted to lose weight. But now I love challenging myself so much that I do month goals as well.
In the Bible, there were many times the nation of Israel took the time to read through God's law and dedicate themselves anew to following it. That ought to be a part of any New Year's goal-setting plan. Of course, the reason Israel did it many times is because they kept failing. And I'll fail, too. But that doesn't need to stop me from trying again. The struggle itself helps you gain strength.
What are some of your goals for the New Year? Are you remembering to consider all areas - Spiritual, Intellectual, and Physical? What do you think of positive and negative goal setting?
If you've been reading my recent blog posts, you know the title for this one came from a post where I started a list of things I was going to talk about, and never made it past "firstly."
My "secondly" thing happened to be about New Years, so I decided to wait until after Christmas to write about it. After all, I'm the one who complains when stores start putting up Christmas decorations before Thanksgiving.
New Years resolutions are the topic of many newspapers, magazines, and blogs this time of year. We all like the feeling of a fresh new start, a chance to change for the better, and begin anew. Never mind that most people forget about their resolutions by the time February is winding down.
Are you like that?
Do you consider your word something to be given seriously, and kept faithfully - even if you've only given your word to yourself? What does a commitment mean, if it's not kept?
Well, it's easy to scold, but I admit it can be hard to stick with something. That's why I think of these things in terms of "goals," not resolutions (for the most part). To have a goal is motivating. To make a promise to yourself or to God and not keep it is much more serious. So I had goals.
I flopped on one item myself, last year. I wanted to study Spanish five days a week. I made it through February, then started getting pretty sketchy.
But I made it with other items. By the end of this month, I will have read Proverbs through once every month for this year (that was a resolution). And I published a book I had been working on since I was 16. That was a goal.
I had a few other goals, but I try to keep it basic. For the most part, I keep things pretty realistic. This isn't a time to dream of what I'd do if I suddenly had 3 extra hours in my day, unlimited funds, and the brain of a genius. This is a time to figure out what God is calling me to pursue this year, and what I can reasonably accomplish if I work hard. Now is the time to figure that out, before the heat of battle makes me tired, nervous, or discouraged. When that time comes, I'll have my goals staring me in the face saying, "You figured this out before hand; you counted the cost. You can do this! You know you can, with God's help! It's not impossible!"
I like to have categories in which to divide my goals; intellectual, spiritual, and physical. Reading through the Bible in one year would be a spiritual and intellectual goal. Working out three times a week would be a physical goal.
These are all examples of positive goals. Not positive in the sense of "good" (though they are good!), but positive in the sense that they require you to take action to fulfill them. They are offensive rather than defensive.
To stretch yourself a little bit this year, I encourage you to try some negative goals in all three areas. You don't just want to add good things to your life; you want to remove those things which are harmful.
So what needs to go? Maybe your goal is to de-clutter your life and get rid of all those items that you really don't need. Maybe you want to stop a bad habit. Is there a certain sin you need to work on and pray against until it is thoroughly conquered? Maybe you want to get rid of certain harmful foods in your diet. Maybe you want to stop being a procrastinator.
So get yourself a blank piece of paper (Or Word Document, if you're on the computer more than you're off). At the top of the page, write "Goals for 2012", and below that make three columns.
Now stop and think. And pray. Envision the past year, and look forward into this one. What do you see that you want to stop? Where do you see God's hand of blessing? What needs to continue?
In the first column, list (let's keep it simple) five things you want to change/stop. Opposite them, in the middle column, write what you want to replace them with. If you're not a morning person, and want to change that, your goal sheet might look like this; "Stop sleeping until 9:00am" "Wake up at 7:00 every weekday morning." In the third column, write the steps that will make it happen; "Set alarm 15 minutes earlier, every third day, until I am getting up at 7:00 regularly."
Put the paper somewhere you'll see it often. Inside the front cover of your Bible? On the wall in your bedroom? At your desk?
I find that goals need to be a mixture of positive and negative to be the most motivating, because our human nature wants to be both offensive and defensive, depending on our mood.
New Year Resolutions aren't a "must." For years I didn't do them. I thought they were only for people who wanted to lose weight. But now I love challenging myself so much that I do month goals as well.
In the Bible, there were many times the nation of Israel took the time to read through God's law and dedicate themselves anew to following it. That ought to be a part of any New Year's goal-setting plan. Of course, the reason Israel did it many times is because they kept failing. And I'll fail, too. But that doesn't need to stop me from trying again. The struggle itself helps you gain strength.
What are some of your goals for the New Year? Are you remembering to consider all areas - Spiritual, Intellectual, and Physical? What do you think of positive and negative goal setting?
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Weeds next door
This morning I dressed in my oldest, messiest clothes, plunked my wide-brimmed hat on my head, and went out into the garden at about 8:45. It had been long enough since I'd been out there. It was time to let the plants know I hadn't forgotten them.
My mission: weeding. Rain has been pouring down nearly every night for over a week, and the weeds have really taken off. Some - many - were as high as mid-calf. Not in the beds, of course, but in the paths between beds. There the soil is harder, and the weeds less-noticed... until they get out of control, like they were this morning.
I wore through one finger of my left-hand glove, muddied my clothes up to my knees, ground dirt into my arms until I looked like I had a sudden tan, and landed hard on my rear more than once when a stubborn weed gave way suddenly.
I pulled them up by the roots; the small young sprouts, the slender, easily-removed shoots of grass, the four-leaved weeds that have a red tint, the spinach-like weeds with the stubborn root system, the wild violet leaves that have no flowers, and the short maple saplings, slender like grass. I pulled dandelions, too, but most of the time the root stayed in the ground. Those things are strong.
I worked until 11:00, so I had lots of time to think. I asked myself, why am I pulling weeds from the path? What does it matter? I reminded myself that weeds that went to seed near the beds would surely end up broadcasting seeds into the beds, causing dozens of miniature versions of themselves to spring up among our precious crops.
That's a lot like life, I thought. Who would want bad seeds nearby? If a bar opened next door, you would want to close it down. But what about more subtil influences? What are things that I don't count as "in" my life, but are near enough to influence me? Am I taking active control of my climate?
Someday I hope to be a parent. Then I'll really have my job cut out for me, making sure the influences surrounding our home are wholesome and godly.
When I was finished in the garden, I had a pile of weeds that looked like a small green haystack - roughly 2.5' in diameter, and 2' high.
And I had a lot of thinking stored away in my head.
My mission: weeding. Rain has been pouring down nearly every night for over a week, and the weeds have really taken off. Some - many - were as high as mid-calf. Not in the beds, of course, but in the paths between beds. There the soil is harder, and the weeds less-noticed... until they get out of control, like they were this morning.
I wore through one finger of my left-hand glove, muddied my clothes up to my knees, ground dirt into my arms until I looked like I had a sudden tan, and landed hard on my rear more than once when a stubborn weed gave way suddenly.
I pulled them up by the roots; the small young sprouts, the slender, easily-removed shoots of grass, the four-leaved weeds that have a red tint, the spinach-like weeds with the stubborn root system, the wild violet leaves that have no flowers, and the short maple saplings, slender like grass. I pulled dandelions, too, but most of the time the root stayed in the ground. Those things are strong.
I worked until 11:00, so I had lots of time to think. I asked myself, why am I pulling weeds from the path? What does it matter? I reminded myself that weeds that went to seed near the beds would surely end up broadcasting seeds into the beds, causing dozens of miniature versions of themselves to spring up among our precious crops.
That's a lot like life, I thought. Who would want bad seeds nearby? If a bar opened next door, you would want to close it down. But what about more subtil influences? What are things that I don't count as "in" my life, but are near enough to influence me? Am I taking active control of my climate?
Someday I hope to be a parent. Then I'll really have my job cut out for me, making sure the influences surrounding our home are wholesome and godly.
When I was finished in the garden, I had a pile of weeds that looked like a small green haystack - roughly 2.5' in diameter, and 2' high.
And I had a lot of thinking stored away in my head.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Starting a Web-based Business, Part 2
Welcome back!
In this series, we've been discussing how to start earning income from home through a website-based industry. (If you missed part 1, go here.) In other words, in the kind of business we've been talking about, there's more to your business than just the computer screen; you're selling a product or service.
Last time we covered how important it is to count the cost before getting involved in an entrepreneurial venture. You don't want to put your hand to the plow and then quit when the going gets tough. You've got to be in it for the long haul, and be committed to hard work.
You also must realize that even if your business is based around something you love to do (sewing, for example), you will probably have to do things in that business that you hate. I love shopping for our Simply Modest business, for example, but I hate loading inventory on the site.
Guess what? I have to do it anyway; because I'm not only the boss, but also the employee. There's no passing the buck.
So be prepared to be challenged and stretched. It's quite the adventure! Reward yourself every so often. Sometimes I hold myself back from something I want, until I finish uploading "such and such" amount of inventory - then I treat myself.
Today I want to talk about the traits you will need to develop in yourself as you become a business owner. You may be good at some of these things already - in fact, it's highly likely that you've got at least one covered, judging from the fact that you want to start a business, and these are business skills.But few people start out having all these bases covered. I know I didn't. And I still don't. It's a learning process. But little by little, I'm growing.
#1: Organized
You've got. to. be. organized. Absolutely. You can run a business slip-shod (ask me - I did it the second year of our website!) but you will end up bouncing checks (I didn't quite do that one, but came close!), re-selling products that have already been sold to someone else, and forgetting to ship out orders.
If you aren't the naturally organized type, consider a business partner who is great at those things, or just whip yourself into shape. Ask yourself "could I make myself stay organized if I worked for an organization where my job depended upon my organization skills?"
Yes? Good, because you do.
If you want to be more organized, but aren't sure how to be, take the time to learn. The word "organization" is often thrown around as if everybody knows how to do it. That's not true; you have to learn. If you don't know what you're doing, you'll have your workspace neat and clean, but spend many precious minutes finding everything, because the space doesn't work.
#2 - A Good Accountant
Let's face it; a business means dealing with money. Can you balance a checkbook? Will you balance a checkbook? Do you know how to figure costs and profits? Can you keep track of everything?
No? Work on it. Get somebody who's good at it to teach you.
#3 - Skilled
This kinda goes without saying, but you must be good at what you do. This has to be something you can do in your sleep. That doesn't mean you have to be the best, just that you have to be good.
Aim for high quality, and be proud of your work. You're building a brand, and you want your name to be associated with high standards. Practice, practice, practice, and be confident in your ability to turn out good results every time, before you start marketing your skill or product. No customer wants to be a guinea pig.
#4 - Somewhat web-savy
Relax - you don't have to know html to run a website. Not now-a-days. But you do need basic computer skills. If you can blog, you can manage a website.
I'm sure that if you are looking into starting a web business, you want to know all sorts of information on which web hosts are the best, how much websites cost, what to look for in hosting, etc., so I'll probably deal with that in my next post. It's an important topic, so stay tune!
In this series, we've been discussing how to start earning income from home through a website-based industry. (If you missed part 1, go here.) In other words, in the kind of business we've been talking about, there's more to your business than just the computer screen; you're selling a product or service.
Last time we covered how important it is to count the cost before getting involved in an entrepreneurial venture. You don't want to put your hand to the plow and then quit when the going gets tough. You've got to be in it for the long haul, and be committed to hard work.
You also must realize that even if your business is based around something you love to do (sewing, for example), you will probably have to do things in that business that you hate. I love shopping for our Simply Modest business, for example, but I hate loading inventory on the site.
Guess what? I have to do it anyway; because I'm not only the boss, but also the employee. There's no passing the buck.
So be prepared to be challenged and stretched. It's quite the adventure! Reward yourself every so often. Sometimes I hold myself back from something I want, until I finish uploading "such and such" amount of inventory - then I treat myself.
Today I want to talk about the traits you will need to develop in yourself as you become a business owner. You may be good at some of these things already - in fact, it's highly likely that you've got at least one covered, judging from the fact that you want to start a business, and these are business skills.But few people start out having all these bases covered. I know I didn't. And I still don't. It's a learning process. But little by little, I'm growing.
#1: Organized
You've got. to. be. organized. Absolutely. You can run a business slip-shod (ask me - I did it the second year of our website!) but you will end up bouncing checks (I didn't quite do that one, but came close!), re-selling products that have already been sold to someone else, and forgetting to ship out orders.
If you aren't the naturally organized type, consider a business partner who is great at those things, or just whip yourself into shape. Ask yourself "could I make myself stay organized if I worked for an organization where my job depended upon my organization skills?"
Yes? Good, because you do.
If you want to be more organized, but aren't sure how to be, take the time to learn. The word "organization" is often thrown around as if everybody knows how to do it. That's not true; you have to learn. If you don't know what you're doing, you'll have your workspace neat and clean, but spend many precious minutes finding everything, because the space doesn't work.
#2 - A Good Accountant
Let's face it; a business means dealing with money. Can you balance a checkbook? Will you balance a checkbook? Do you know how to figure costs and profits? Can you keep track of everything?
No? Work on it. Get somebody who's good at it to teach you.
#3 - Skilled
This kinda goes without saying, but you must be good at what you do. This has to be something you can do in your sleep. That doesn't mean you have to be the best, just that you have to be good.
Aim for high quality, and be proud of your work. You're building a brand, and you want your name to be associated with high standards. Practice, practice, practice, and be confident in your ability to turn out good results every time, before you start marketing your skill or product. No customer wants to be a guinea pig.
#4 - Somewhat web-savy
Relax - you don't have to know html to run a website. Not now-a-days. But you do need basic computer skills. If you can blog, you can manage a website.
I'm sure that if you are looking into starting a web business, you want to know all sorts of information on which web hosts are the best, how much websites cost, what to look for in hosting, etc., so I'll probably deal with that in my next post. It's an important topic, so stay tune!
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Valentine Dinner
I promise I'll be back soon.
I'm coordinating a couple's dinner, "in honor of love and marriage," at our church this week, on Friday. All the young people will be serving a sit-down, fancy, homemade (well, almost all of it) dinner to the married folks at our church.
We're expecting 36-40 people.
Decorating
Shopping
For forty people!!!!
Baking:
~ 6 dozen rolls
~ Cheesecakes
~ Frosting for a cake
~ Appetizers
Music
Menus
Organizing volunteers
So much to do.
I love it, and I'm totally thrilled to be able to praise and honor the godly husbands and wives in our congregation.
But don't expect me to be around for awhile longer. Normal blogging schedule will resume when I recover. :)
Have a splendid week!
I'm coordinating a couple's dinner, "in honor of love and marriage," at our church this week, on Friday. All the young people will be serving a sit-down, fancy, homemade (well, almost all of it) dinner to the married folks at our church.
We're expecting 36-40 people.
Decorating
Shopping
For forty people!!!!
Baking:
~ 6 dozen rolls
~ Cheesecakes
~ Frosting for a cake
~ Appetizers
Music
Menus
Organizing volunteers
So much to do.
I love it, and I'm totally thrilled to be able to praise and honor the godly husbands and wives in our congregation.
But don't expect me to be around for awhile longer. Normal blogging schedule will resume when I recover. :)
Have a splendid week!
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Worth It.
I gave today away.
It's a Saturday. So much potential. So many projects to accomplish.
But I gave it away.
I gave it away. With a smiling heart, and a gleeful laugh.
Because, you see, I was giving it to my younger sisters.
We spent today cleaning their bedroom. It took us nine hours, from start to finish. They had so much stuff in there, piled up, from all those moments when their young hands just didn't know where to put it, and their young hearts were overwhelmed by all the organization needed. A room can be semi-clean, (ahem), but not really clean, you know? Organized.
We took half the stuff out, piled in great heaps in the living room. We swept...and swept...and swept. We rearranged the furniture. We threw away SO much trash...and things no longer needed. We took EVERYTHING out of the closet and organized it.
Now it is beautiful. Peaceful. Feminine. Minimal clutter. Minimal stuff. Everything has a place. My youngest sister, who hates to clean, laughed, and said, "Now I'm almost looking forward to it being messy again, because I know where everything goes!"
And she does. She stuck with me all day - both of them did, actually. Their own hands helped with every project. They know where all their things are. And they can repeat the process of putting them away. I'm so proud of them!
It was a long day. I got tired. I got tired of saying, "let's keep going!"
But I didn't get tired of them. I didn't tire of praising them. I didn't tire of their arms being thrown around my neck, their lips planting a kiss on my cheek, and their voices saying, "thank you so much for helping us!"
I love a clean room. I love happy sisters. I love seeing dog-tired sisters, who have earned the right to be proud of their labor. I love a job well-done.
I gave today away.
And it was totally worth it.
It's a Saturday. So much potential. So many projects to accomplish.
But I gave it away.
I gave it away. With a smiling heart, and a gleeful laugh.
Because, you see, I was giving it to my younger sisters.
We spent today cleaning their bedroom. It took us nine hours, from start to finish. They had so much stuff in there, piled up, from all those moments when their young hands just didn't know where to put it, and their young hearts were overwhelmed by all the organization needed. A room can be semi-clean, (ahem), but not really clean, you know? Organized.
We took half the stuff out, piled in great heaps in the living room. We swept...and swept...and swept. We rearranged the furniture. We threw away SO much trash...and things no longer needed. We took EVERYTHING out of the closet and organized it.
Now it is beautiful. Peaceful. Feminine. Minimal clutter. Minimal stuff. Everything has a place. My youngest sister, who hates to clean, laughed, and said, "Now I'm almost looking forward to it being messy again, because I know where everything goes!"
And she does. She stuck with me all day - both of them did, actually. Their own hands helped with every project. They know where all their things are. And they can repeat the process of putting them away. I'm so proud of them!
It was a long day. I got tired. I got tired of saying, "let's keep going!"
But I didn't get tired of them. I didn't tire of praising them. I didn't tire of their arms being thrown around my neck, their lips planting a kiss on my cheek, and their voices saying, "thank you so much for helping us!"
I love a clean room. I love happy sisters. I love seeing dog-tired sisters, who have earned the right to be proud of their labor. I love a job well-done.
I gave today away.
And it was totally worth it.
Friday, January 7, 2011
Slam the Door?
You know, at times I get really frustrated with some of the side effects of being a stay-at-home daughter.
Making my work and influence sphere center around my home and family was my own choice, and it certainly a choice that I don't regret (although phrasing it that way makes it sound like a one time decision, rather than an ongoing commitment), but that doesn't mean I love every minute of it.
There are times when I shake my head and say "Amber, why do you choose to live this way? Don't you get tired of planning your schedule around your family's schedule? Don't you wish you were more independent? Don't you want to prove to the world that you are a mature, capable adult?"
I have to squeeze my eyes shut and remind myself that the most mature, capable people I know - my parents - also submit themselves and their schedules to what is best for the family as a whole. They can't run around doing whatever they want. They don't live on their own, and yet no one questions their maturity and "independence."
But there are times when I get frustrated anyway. Take this afternoon, for example. Or yesterday afternoon. I've just sat down to work on my computer, a work load staring back at me from the screen. Website maintenance, business correspondents, language studies, and O how I wish for time to work on my newest book that I'm writing! And free time to research hobbies online would be wonderful.
Yet how many times must I get up and answer my bedroom door? No, sister dear, I cannot cut your rabbit's nails right now. Yes, Mom, I can help you edit my sibling's school work. Yes, Daddy, I can come tell you what it exactly that I wanted you to help me with the other day. Yes, Mom, if the phone call is for me, I'll take it. Yes, Mom, I'll watch whatever is on the stove while you run an errand. Yes, brother, I have your project all ready for you - here it is. Yes, other brother, I can cut your hair sometime this evening. No, Dad, I don't want to go the the garden store with you, though I absolutely LOVE doing that. Yes, Mom, I'll help you find that book. Yes, yes, yes...
Sometimes I get so TIRED of saying YES! I want to slam my bedroom door, lock it, pound on it a couple of times and yell, "What do you guys think I am? Do you think I exist in this home to do nothing but help you with all your problems? I've got a few projects and problems of my own, guys!"
This is a moment of terrible honesty. Because, truly, I don't like confessing that that is what I ache to do and say. I'd rather say that I am constantly cheerful and always willing to help out. But I'm not. And even if I'm helping out, I'm not always doing it cheerfully. Sometimes I'm secretly yelling at the person I'm "helping."
My projects are important to me. I like to have time to work on them. And as an adult, I do have stuff that is necessary for me to accomplish. I have to take time to make a budget every month. I have to maintain our online thrift store's website. I have to reply to certain emails. And so on and so forth. When I don't have the time to work on these things, I get a sort of panic rising in my chest, starting at my stomach, and getting tight toward my throat.
But do I really want to be on my own, free to pursue only my own projects and passions, never disturbed or encountering conflicting schedules? Do I really want to still live in this house, but operate completely independent of its other occupants, only interacting with them at mealtimes and on holidays? Do I really want that?
Let's see...I'd get a whole lot of work done. Maybe even finish writing my book. I wouldn't be so tempted to lose my temper so often. It'd be less stressful.
But what would I have to give up to get that?
~ Family. Real, true family, that interacts with me constantly and knows me ever-so-well.
~ Strength of character. How else would I ever learn patience and kindness, if my limits were never tested? It's easy to be sweet and helpful when there's no one to demand those things at a moment when you feel anything but sweet and helpful.
~ Help. It's only fair to admit it; these people who constantly ask for my help also are constantly giving me help. If they weren't here, who would do all the things they do?
Am I willing to give up these things - family, character building, and help - in exchange for solitude and peace?
Not hardly.
Because there's a forth blessing involved; the knowledge that I'm right where God wants me to be. I'm convinced that He put me in this family to serve, and to further this home. Sure, He's given me personal projects, but that doesn't cancel out my other job; that of daughter, and sister. I know He can give me the strength to do both. ...And if I start running out of fuel, then I should start asking myself if all those "personal projects" are things God wants me to be doing, or things I thought up on my own.
That's all I have to say for now. I just needed to sit here and remind myself why I should not get up and slam the bedroom door. Because I really do want to be cheerful and helpful. For Christ's sake. Because He is the one I am serving.
P. S. For those of you who read my New Year's Eve post, I ought to mention that I have postponed that series I mentioned; I still plan to publish it, but probably not until February. Stay tuned!
Making my work and influence sphere center around my home and family was my own choice, and it certainly a choice that I don't regret (although phrasing it that way makes it sound like a one time decision, rather than an ongoing commitment), but that doesn't mean I love every minute of it.
There are times when I shake my head and say "Amber, why do you choose to live this way? Don't you get tired of planning your schedule around your family's schedule? Don't you wish you were more independent? Don't you want to prove to the world that you are a mature, capable adult?"
I have to squeeze my eyes shut and remind myself that the most mature, capable people I know - my parents - also submit themselves and their schedules to what is best for the family as a whole. They can't run around doing whatever they want. They don't live on their own, and yet no one questions their maturity and "independence."
But there are times when I get frustrated anyway. Take this afternoon, for example. Or yesterday afternoon. I've just sat down to work on my computer, a work load staring back at me from the screen. Website maintenance, business correspondents, language studies, and O how I wish for time to work on my newest book that I'm writing! And free time to research hobbies online would be wonderful.
Yet how many times must I get up and answer my bedroom door? No, sister dear, I cannot cut your rabbit's nails right now. Yes, Mom, I can help you edit my sibling's school work. Yes, Daddy, I can come tell you what it exactly that I wanted you to help me with the other day. Yes, Mom, if the phone call is for me, I'll take it. Yes, Mom, I'll watch whatever is on the stove while you run an errand. Yes, brother, I have your project all ready for you - here it is. Yes, other brother, I can cut your hair sometime this evening. No, Dad, I don't want to go the the garden store with you, though I absolutely LOVE doing that. Yes, Mom, I'll help you find that book. Yes, yes, yes...
Sometimes I get so TIRED of saying YES! I want to slam my bedroom door, lock it, pound on it a couple of times and yell, "What do you guys think I am? Do you think I exist in this home to do nothing but help you with all your problems? I've got a few projects and problems of my own, guys!"
This is a moment of terrible honesty. Because, truly, I don't like confessing that that is what I ache to do and say. I'd rather say that I am constantly cheerful and always willing to help out. But I'm not. And even if I'm helping out, I'm not always doing it cheerfully. Sometimes I'm secretly yelling at the person I'm "helping."
My projects are important to me. I like to have time to work on them. And as an adult, I do have stuff that is necessary for me to accomplish. I have to take time to make a budget every month. I have to maintain our online thrift store's website. I have to reply to certain emails. And so on and so forth. When I don't have the time to work on these things, I get a sort of panic rising in my chest, starting at my stomach, and getting tight toward my throat.
But do I really want to be on my own, free to pursue only my own projects and passions, never disturbed or encountering conflicting schedules? Do I really want to still live in this house, but operate completely independent of its other occupants, only interacting with them at mealtimes and on holidays? Do I really want that?
Let's see...I'd get a whole lot of work done. Maybe even finish writing my book. I wouldn't be so tempted to lose my temper so often. It'd be less stressful.
But what would I have to give up to get that?
~ Family. Real, true family, that interacts with me constantly and knows me ever-so-well.
~ Strength of character. How else would I ever learn patience and kindness, if my limits were never tested? It's easy to be sweet and helpful when there's no one to demand those things at a moment when you feel anything but sweet and helpful.
~ Help. It's only fair to admit it; these people who constantly ask for my help also are constantly giving me help. If they weren't here, who would do all the things they do?
Am I willing to give up these things - family, character building, and help - in exchange for solitude and peace?
Not hardly.
Because there's a forth blessing involved; the knowledge that I'm right where God wants me to be. I'm convinced that He put me in this family to serve, and to further this home. Sure, He's given me personal projects, but that doesn't cancel out my other job; that of daughter, and sister. I know He can give me the strength to do both. ...And if I start running out of fuel, then I should start asking myself if all those "personal projects" are things God wants me to be doing, or things I thought up on my own.
That's all I have to say for now. I just needed to sit here and remind myself why I should not get up and slam the bedroom door. Because I really do want to be cheerful and helpful. For Christ's sake. Because He is the one I am serving.
P. S. For those of you who read my New Year's Eve post, I ought to mention that I have postponed that series I mentioned; I still plan to publish it, but probably not until February. Stay tuned!
Friday, December 31, 2010
Happy New Year!
Hello, dear friends!
I thought about coming into Webland last week, to wish you a merry Christmas, but I didn't think many of you would be visiting my little corner of the web when there were so many other fun things to do...
...so I didn't. But merry Christmas, anyway! I hope you had a lovely one. I had one so lovely that it almost felt too perfect. I savored every minute.
I have shown up to with you a happy New Year, however. Aren't you proud of me? I also must tell you that I have a new blog series in the works that I plan to launch in January - three of the posts are already written. The reason I'm mentioning this is two-fold; one, to encourage you to stick around and not put me on that list of "blogs-to-never-bother-checking-'cause-they-never-update," and, two, because if I tell you about it, I'll have to publish the posts, and I need the motivation to publish. I'm feeling shy about the topic.
F0r those of you who have blogs, do you ever feel nervous about broaching certain topics, or writing certain posts? Are there some that are so intimidating, you've never written them, though you've composed them in your head?
But I'm getting away from my point. This is New Year's Eve. Almost New Year's Day. What are you doing tonight? Are you staying up until midnight? I usually don't...and I wasn't planning on it tonight...but it looks like I might end up doing it just because I haven't caught up on all my computer work yet.
Let me encourage you to take a moment and look back on this past year, before looking forward at 2011. Take some time to discuss the last twelve months with God, and ask Him what He thinks of how you spent them. Thank Him for His blessings. Remember the lessons He taught you. Rejoice in His goodness.
Here are some questions to get your memory kicked into full gear:
~ What was the most challenging month for you this year?
~ Did you make any new friends?
~ Read any new books?
~ What did you write?
~ Did you start a new hobby/work?
~ What new skills did you learn?
~ Where did you travel?
~ Did you have an opportunity to do something you had always wanted to do?
~ Did you conquer any special sins or temptations this year?
~ How much Scripture did you read this year?
~ How many people did you witness to?
~ What were the darkest hours that God brought you through? How did they challenge you, and mature you?
~ How has your family changed this year?
~ Did you smile enough this year? Laugh enough? Work enough?
~ What did you do to bring beauty into your home?
~ What season did you like best this year?
~ Did you try any new foods this year?
~ Has your prayer life grown this year?
Those are just a few random questions to help you get started thinking. It's always good to look back and see where you've been; it helps you get your heart set correctly on where you should go. Besides, it's fun!
Do you have goals for this new year? Would you mind sharing some?
I thought about coming into Webland last week, to wish you a merry Christmas, but I didn't think many of you would be visiting my little corner of the web when there were so many other fun things to do...
...so I didn't. But merry Christmas, anyway! I hope you had a lovely one. I had one so lovely that it almost felt too perfect. I savored every minute.
I have shown up to with you a happy New Year, however. Aren't you proud of me? I also must tell you that I have a new blog series in the works that I plan to launch in January - three of the posts are already written. The reason I'm mentioning this is two-fold; one, to encourage you to stick around and not put me on that list of "blogs-to-never-bother-checking-'cause-they-never-update," and, two, because if I tell you about it, I'll have to publish the posts, and I need the motivation to publish. I'm feeling shy about the topic.
F0r those of you who have blogs, do you ever feel nervous about broaching certain topics, or writing certain posts? Are there some that are so intimidating, you've never written them, though you've composed them in your head?
But I'm getting away from my point. This is New Year's Eve. Almost New Year's Day. What are you doing tonight? Are you staying up until midnight? I usually don't...and I wasn't planning on it tonight...but it looks like I might end up doing it just because I haven't caught up on all my computer work yet.
Let me encourage you to take a moment and look back on this past year, before looking forward at 2011. Take some time to discuss the last twelve months with God, and ask Him what He thinks of how you spent them. Thank Him for His blessings. Remember the lessons He taught you. Rejoice in His goodness.
Here are some questions to get your memory kicked into full gear:
~ What was the most challenging month for you this year?
~ Did you make any new friends?
~ Read any new books?
~ What did you write?
~ Did you start a new hobby/work?
~ What new skills did you learn?
~ Where did you travel?
~ Did you have an opportunity to do something you had always wanted to do?
~ Did you conquer any special sins or temptations this year?
~ How much Scripture did you read this year?
~ How many people did you witness to?
~ What were the darkest hours that God brought you through? How did they challenge you, and mature you?
~ How has your family changed this year?
~ Did you smile enough this year? Laugh enough? Work enough?
~ What did you do to bring beauty into your home?
~ What season did you like best this year?
~ Did you try any new foods this year?
~ Has your prayer life grown this year?
Those are just a few random questions to help you get started thinking. It's always good to look back and see where you've been; it helps you get your heart set correctly on where you should go. Besides, it's fun!
Do you have goals for this new year? Would you mind sharing some?
Saturday, October 30, 2010
A Quiet Home
I was thinking today of how much I like the quietness of our home. At the time, I was sitting at my sewing machine, the needle humming away, and although all 6 of my family members (minus my married sister) were there in the house, a stranger would never have known it.
Now, we're not always that quiet. No, indeed! But there is generally an air of quiet in the house that is surprising enough to cause several friends of ours to comment on it.
A quiet home is not necessarily a home where nothing happens. Ours is a very active household; my sewing students come and go, my Dad and brother are departing and returning from their workplace, and Mom or I are frequently running errands. (Our driveway ought to have a revolving door thingy, so we don't have to play rush hour with the cars.)
My younger siblings are studying, going in and out the back door to the great outdoors (often trying to sneak rabbits or chickens inside), playing games (NOT board games) in the basement, using B.B. or air-soft guns in the house (yes, really), raising sawdust and wood chips in the work area as they create a new project...
Mom and I are often tinkering in the kitchen, using noisy appliances, or banging pots and pans. All five of my siblings and I play more than one instrument, and rare is the hour when at least one of us is not practicing, or playing musical CDs.
Like every household, we operate. We move. We talk. We bang stuff around. But still, we have lots of quiet. I want to list a few things I think contribute to a quiet house, but first: why desire a quiet house?
I think the blessing of a quiet home is something we all understand. It's peaceful, and soothing to tired nerves. It's conductive to study, to keeping your mind focused on the task at hand, and creating a welcoming environment. When the household is constantly full of screams and shouting, chatter and loud laughter, little legs running to and fro, objects hitting the floor, etc., it affects your mind, don't you think? It's a lot easier to pray, too, when you can hear yourself think.
So how to have a quiet home? Well, I think it's all based on habits. And, of course, quiet is all relative to the season of life you're in. "Quiet" sounds mighty different when you have 3 toddlers in the house than when you have five young adults in the house. :)
Some habits that have helped us:
~ Cultivate "Quiet" Hobbies
No, I'm not suggesting we all take up embroidery and painting, and never touch a hammer or guitar. But we spend a lot of time doing quiet activities in our house; reading, writing, computer, sewing (in my case), ...And many chores are relatively quiet; sweeping, cleaning the toilet, organizing clutter, dusting, etc. But you can't be quiet forever, and that leads me to my next point:
~ Schedule Your Noise
We have certain hours of the day that are set aside for school. Even though I'm not in school any more, I know my younger siblings are supposed to be studying during those hours. So, I don't practice my fiddle. And I don't play a CD while I'm washing dishes. And I don't carry on long, energetic, enthusiastic conversations with Mom while I'm in the room where they're working. I save my talking for later.
Quiet times are a major practice in developing this habit. When Mom was expecting my younger siblings, all the siblings who were already here had lots of practice with learning to be quiet, because she would frequently need to take naps throughout the day. While she was lying down, she'd turn off the lights in the house (so long as the day was sunny), to remind us to be quiet, and we learned to talk in low voices, play or work quietly, not to start tickling each other, and not to play with dice on hardwood floors.
This is the biggest "tip" I can offer on this subject. It's proven to be very valuable for us. Schedule times for just "quiet." The habits will carry over into other times of day.
~ Do loud stuff outside
Let's face it - we were made to make noise! Especially when you've got young folks around, noise is a great thing! It releases mental energy, or something. :) So go outside, and laugh, and be loud. Just do it at a decent time, so the neighbors won't mind. :)
*(As a side note, I want to mention that I've noticed something about my siblings; they play fairly quietly, even when outdoors. Ever watched "screamers" play? They shriek at everything, setting the dog two houses down to wailing. The whole neighborhood knows when they're out. But for some reason, my little sisters never caught that habit - which is nice! I'm afraid I'm more of a shrieker than they are; just play tag with me sometime!)
~ Cultivate Quiet Voices and Bodies
Some people just don't know they're making noise. It's worth trying to cultivate the discipline of self control in the area of your volume level. I remember trying to help my brother understand the difference between just whispering, and truly being quiet. Whispering doesn't help if you're tromping down the hallway at 5:30 in the morning! But the gentle reminders paid off - he's now pretty quiet when he wants to be. :) Now if we could just get a certain sibling to shut the bathroom door without rattling the doorknob so loudly at 11:30pm. :)
And, when the inevitable sounds happen....
~ Contain the Noise
Ours is not a large house, and it's easy to hear what's going on in other rooms. Sometimes that's fine, but other times, you just don't want to hear that piano lesson played one more time. Shutting doors, plugging in earphones, and turning down the volume helps to keep tempers more cheerful. And, when "sharing noise" can't be helped, well...you learn to either enjoy or ignore! :)
~ One Room, One Floor
As a general rule, only one person in a room talks at a time. Even when you're not sharing in a particular conversation, you respect that person's right to the floor. In general, we don't usually have more than one conversation going on in a room at the same time. If somebody wants to start another discourse, they move to another location. (Example: two little people want to play together, they move to a bedroom. A phone call for you; you move to another room to talk.) The major exception for this is when we have guests; then, nearly all the rooms in our house are filled with happy chatter, from multiple mouths - and we love it! Other exceptions would be at the dinner table (yes, I know, it's not "proper") or when we're playing games. When competition is going on, everybody is talking. :)
I think I've talked enough for now. I just wanted to share a few thoughts with you. Really, though, in the realm of "quietness," the most valuable thing you can cultivate is a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great worth. Why don't you share some habits that have helped you form that kind of quietness in your life?
Now, we're not always that quiet. No, indeed! But there is generally an air of quiet in the house that is surprising enough to cause several friends of ours to comment on it.
A quiet home is not necessarily a home where nothing happens. Ours is a very active household; my sewing students come and go, my Dad and brother are departing and returning from their workplace, and Mom or I are frequently running errands. (Our driveway ought to have a revolving door thingy, so we don't have to play rush hour with the cars.)
My younger siblings are studying, going in and out the back door to the great outdoors (often trying to sneak rabbits or chickens inside), playing games (NOT board games) in the basement, using B.B. or air-soft guns in the house (yes, really), raising sawdust and wood chips in the work area as they create a new project...
Mom and I are often tinkering in the kitchen, using noisy appliances, or banging pots and pans. All five of my siblings and I play more than one instrument, and rare is the hour when at least one of us is not practicing, or playing musical CDs.
Like every household, we operate. We move. We talk. We bang stuff around. But still, we have lots of quiet. I want to list a few things I think contribute to a quiet house, but first: why desire a quiet house?
I think the blessing of a quiet home is something we all understand. It's peaceful, and soothing to tired nerves. It's conductive to study, to keeping your mind focused on the task at hand, and creating a welcoming environment. When the household is constantly full of screams and shouting, chatter and loud laughter, little legs running to and fro, objects hitting the floor, etc., it affects your mind, don't you think? It's a lot easier to pray, too, when you can hear yourself think.
So how to have a quiet home? Well, I think it's all based on habits. And, of course, quiet is all relative to the season of life you're in. "Quiet" sounds mighty different when you have 3 toddlers in the house than when you have five young adults in the house. :)
Some habits that have helped us:
~ Cultivate "Quiet" Hobbies
No, I'm not suggesting we all take up embroidery and painting, and never touch a hammer or guitar. But we spend a lot of time doing quiet activities in our house; reading, writing, computer, sewing (in my case), ...And many chores are relatively quiet; sweeping, cleaning the toilet, organizing clutter, dusting, etc. But you can't be quiet forever, and that leads me to my next point:
~ Schedule Your Noise
We have certain hours of the day that are set aside for school. Even though I'm not in school any more, I know my younger siblings are supposed to be studying during those hours. So, I don't practice my fiddle. And I don't play a CD while I'm washing dishes. And I don't carry on long, energetic, enthusiastic conversations with Mom while I'm in the room where they're working. I save my talking for later.
Quiet times are a major practice in developing this habit. When Mom was expecting my younger siblings, all the siblings who were already here had lots of practice with learning to be quiet, because she would frequently need to take naps throughout the day. While she was lying down, she'd turn off the lights in the house (so long as the day was sunny), to remind us to be quiet, and we learned to talk in low voices, play or work quietly, not to start tickling each other, and not to play with dice on hardwood floors.
This is the biggest "tip" I can offer on this subject. It's proven to be very valuable for us. Schedule times for just "quiet." The habits will carry over into other times of day.
~ Do loud stuff outside
Let's face it - we were made to make noise! Especially when you've got young folks around, noise is a great thing! It releases mental energy, or something. :) So go outside, and laugh, and be loud. Just do it at a decent time, so the neighbors won't mind. :)
*(As a side note, I want to mention that I've noticed something about my siblings; they play fairly quietly, even when outdoors. Ever watched "screamers" play? They shriek at everything, setting the dog two houses down to wailing. The whole neighborhood knows when they're out. But for some reason, my little sisters never caught that habit - which is nice! I'm afraid I'm more of a shrieker than they are; just play tag with me sometime!)
~ Cultivate Quiet Voices and Bodies
Some people just don't know they're making noise. It's worth trying to cultivate the discipline of self control in the area of your volume level. I remember trying to help my brother understand the difference between just whispering, and truly being quiet. Whispering doesn't help if you're tromping down the hallway at 5:30 in the morning! But the gentle reminders paid off - he's now pretty quiet when he wants to be. :) Now if we could just get a certain sibling to shut the bathroom door without rattling the doorknob so loudly at 11:30pm. :)
And, when the inevitable sounds happen....
~ Contain the Noise
Ours is not a large house, and it's easy to hear what's going on in other rooms. Sometimes that's fine, but other times, you just don't want to hear that piano lesson played one more time. Shutting doors, plugging in earphones, and turning down the volume helps to keep tempers more cheerful. And, when "sharing noise" can't be helped, well...you learn to either enjoy or ignore! :)
~ One Room, One Floor
As a general rule, only one person in a room talks at a time. Even when you're not sharing in a particular conversation, you respect that person's right to the floor. In general, we don't usually have more than one conversation going on in a room at the same time. If somebody wants to start another discourse, they move to another location. (Example: two little people want to play together, they move to a bedroom. A phone call for you; you move to another room to talk.) The major exception for this is when we have guests; then, nearly all the rooms in our house are filled with happy chatter, from multiple mouths - and we love it! Other exceptions would be at the dinner table (yes, I know, it's not "proper") or when we're playing games. When competition is going on, everybody is talking. :)
I think I've talked enough for now. I just wanted to share a few thoughts with you. Really, though, in the realm of "quietness," the most valuable thing you can cultivate is a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great worth. Why don't you share some habits that have helped you form that kind of quietness in your life?
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Sleep
I had a lot of trouble sleeping last week. I think my trouble was too much on my mind (...in other words, s-t-r-e-s-s).
I was complaining a bit about being tired on Sunday afternoon, and - randomly - I turned to Dad and asked "Do you have any advice for getting a good night's sleep, since you never seem to have trouble with that?" (He sleeps solid for 3-4 hours or so, and then is ready to go!)
I wasn't expected a very profound answer, and I certainly wasn't expecting to hear anything about how my day affects my night.
"Put your whole heart into whatever you do during the day; work hard, and you'll fall asleep easily at night."
My first impulse was to say, "but I do!" ....But, taking a lesson from past instances, I paused to reflect a moment before claiming innocence.
Was I really putting my whole heart into my day? Was I working hard during the day? Physical work, as well as mental work? Was my stress the result of a body too lazy? Was there such a thing as working too hard to have time to worry?
Ugh - don't you hate it when you can't quite honestly say you've been perfect?
Of course, the first verse that popped into my head was that Proverbs about "the sleep of a laboring man is sweet, whether he eat little or much, but the abundance of the rich will not suffer him to sleep."
Do I have too much abundance?
All these thoughts crowded my head that night. And I knew I have room for improvement.
As the radio commercials say;
..."Something to think about."
I was complaining a bit about being tired on Sunday afternoon, and - randomly - I turned to Dad and asked "Do you have any advice for getting a good night's sleep, since you never seem to have trouble with that?" (He sleeps solid for 3-4 hours or so, and then is ready to go!)
I wasn't expected a very profound answer, and I certainly wasn't expecting to hear anything about how my day affects my night.
"Put your whole heart into whatever you do during the day; work hard, and you'll fall asleep easily at night."
My first impulse was to say, "but I do!" ....But, taking a lesson from past instances, I paused to reflect a moment before claiming innocence.
Was I really putting my whole heart into my day? Was I working hard during the day? Physical work, as well as mental work? Was my stress the result of a body too lazy? Was there such a thing as working too hard to have time to worry?
Ugh - don't you hate it when you can't quite honestly say you've been perfect?
Of course, the first verse that popped into my head was that Proverbs about "the sleep of a laboring man is sweet, whether he eat little or much, but the abundance of the rich will not suffer him to sleep."
Do I have too much abundance?
All these thoughts crowded my head that night. And I knew I have room for improvement.
As the radio commercials say;
..."Something to think about."
Monday, August 31, 2009
Life and ....Fall?????
I can't start my mornings in a rush. It just doesn't work well.
I want to slowly wake up, ...snuggle somewhere and read for 30 minutes or so, ...select and put on what I'm wearing for the day, ...enjoy a leisurely breakfast, ...talk around the table for awhile and plan the day, ...finish making myself presentable...
...And finally hit the day "full force," as my older sister says.
This doesn't mean I am not a morning person. I love the morning! If you want me to be rearing to go, and ready to "hit the day" at 7:00, no problem.
I'll just wake up at 5:30.
I must have those extra hours at the start of my day if I want to "feel right" the rest of the day. Don't you love those quiet morning hours, of slow thinking and warm feelings?
Don't you love the crispness that comes in the morning air? The glow of a new sun?
Today our morning started cloudy and dreary. No one could quite wake up all the way - not even after breakfast. If it hadn't been for my "early" rising time (that's relative), I would never have gotten much done this morning, because it would have taken me until noon to wake up.
Sometime around noon, the sun came out.
Not just "out," but gloriously out, full of cheerfulness. The sky is blue, with fluffy clouds. The air....
...the air is cool.
Cool!
When did fall get here?
I practiced my fiddle for an hour out on our back porch today. Dampness hung around my legs, along with buzzing mosquitoes. Around my face, soft wind puffed at strands of hair and cooled my skin.
I wasn't hot. ...But it was more than that. The air smelled different. Do you know that smell? It's the smell of dying leaves. It's the smell of cool, damp earth.
When did Autumn arrive?
The calendar doesn't even say "September" yet.
I'm torn inside. I'm sick and tired of my summer wardrobe. I'm eager for pumpkins, scarecrows, piles of leaves, fall apple festivals, bonfires, fall breezes, and cardigans and hoodies.
But I dread the death fall brings. I smell the leaves on the ground and can feel my lungs quivering with recognition - that smell that I hate because of what it does to my body. I look at the garden, beginning to die and turn brown, and want to cry. I look backward, realize "wasn't Christmas just last month?" and want to dig in my heels and find the brake pedal.
Life.
Why do I bother to analyze? Time will go on, no matter how I feel about it. I can't rush it or hurry it. But....somehow....half the enjoyment is in the thinking, ...the analyzing. It's like savoring a cup of warm apple cider. I'll drink it, one way or the other, but savoring it makes everything so much better.
I want to slowly wake up, ...snuggle somewhere and read for 30 minutes or so, ...select and put on what I'm wearing for the day, ...enjoy a leisurely breakfast, ...talk around the table for awhile and plan the day, ...finish making myself presentable...
...And finally hit the day "full force," as my older sister says.
This doesn't mean I am not a morning person. I love the morning! If you want me to be rearing to go, and ready to "hit the day" at 7:00, no problem.
I'll just wake up at 5:30.
I must have those extra hours at the start of my day if I want to "feel right" the rest of the day. Don't you love those quiet morning hours, of slow thinking and warm feelings?
Don't you love the crispness that comes in the morning air? The glow of a new sun?
Today our morning started cloudy and dreary. No one could quite wake up all the way - not even after breakfast. If it hadn't been for my "early" rising time (that's relative), I would never have gotten much done this morning, because it would have taken me until noon to wake up.
Sometime around noon, the sun came out.
Not just "out," but gloriously out, full of cheerfulness. The sky is blue, with fluffy clouds. The air....
...the air is cool.
Cool!
When did fall get here?
I practiced my fiddle for an hour out on our back porch today. Dampness hung around my legs, along with buzzing mosquitoes. Around my face, soft wind puffed at strands of hair and cooled my skin.
I wasn't hot. ...But it was more than that. The air smelled different. Do you know that smell? It's the smell of dying leaves. It's the smell of cool, damp earth.
When did Autumn arrive?
The calendar doesn't even say "September" yet.
I'm torn inside. I'm sick and tired of my summer wardrobe. I'm eager for pumpkins, scarecrows, piles of leaves, fall apple festivals, bonfires, fall breezes, and cardigans and hoodies.
But I dread the death fall brings. I smell the leaves on the ground and can feel my lungs quivering with recognition - that smell that I hate because of what it does to my body. I look at the garden, beginning to die and turn brown, and want to cry. I look backward, realize "wasn't Christmas just last month?" and want to dig in my heels and find the brake pedal.
Life.
Why do I bother to analyze? Time will go on, no matter how I feel about it. I can't rush it or hurry it. But....somehow....half the enjoyment is in the thinking, ...the analyzing. It's like savoring a cup of warm apple cider. I'll drink it, one way or the other, but savoring it makes everything so much better.
Friday, February 20, 2009
In which I talk about a lot of different things before I finally get down to the point
For those of you who were feeling jealous that I'm already talking about gardening in February:
It snowed here on Wednesday.
Really hard.
For about 20 minutes.
*grin*
Actually, it's been....well, like winter here lately. (Surprise!) I did do some garden work yesterday without a coat on, but this morning the temperature was below 20 degrees again.
Ahhh, yesterday....
...Yesterday was lovely. You know those perfect days you dream about? I had one yesterday.
It all started when I actually woke up early enough to pray, read, and study my Bible for over an hour. I aim for that every day, but lately I've been hitting the snooze so many times that I might as well have not set my alarm.
So I had a lovely devotion time. I was wrapped in my red bathrobe, cozily snuggled on the couch with my Bible, my journal, and the concordance spread out beside me. The house was quiet with dark corners, and I had time to pull myself together for the day. That quiet hour helps so much. I don't know why I hit my snooze button.
Breakfast was beautiful. Like out of a magazine. Blueberry Baked French toast, with whipped cream on top. A tall glass of orange juice. A cup of hot tea, sipped from my delicate blue and white teacup (gift from Heather last Christmas). I wanted so much to take a picture. It was all so perfectly arranged; from the blue and white teacup and shiny silverware, to the vibrant colors of the food. I enjoyed every bite and sip.
I started the day dressed to my shoes, with hair fixed pretty but practical, and clothes that made me feel "nice," but ready for work. Nothing like feeling prepared to give one energy!
I had made out a "To Do" list the night before, and I felt so ready to cross things off. First I tidied my bedroom. I dusted my precious bookshelf and the photo frames on top of it. So nice to have things clean! The glass in my picture frames now shines.
I paused to spend some time with my little sister. I combed Lezley's hair for her, listened to her practice piano, and just enjoyed being with her.
Then I spent the rest of the morning in the kitchen having fun. I made up a batch of bread dough, in preparation for supper, and then had the delight of creating a new recipe. This time it was for coleslaw. I'd been craving that for a long time. I'd never made it before, so I just put whatever smelled good into the bowl, tasted, and added some more. I love that kind of freedom! It makes me feel so rich.
After lunch, (yummy coleslaw!) I spent some quiet time in my room doing computer work. I've volunteered to help a homeschooling-family-run business that's based here in our town, and I had some research to do in relation to that. I felt like quite the secretary.
Then I livened up and cleaned the bathroom from top to bottom; toilet, tub, sink, floor. Sparkle!
Then I could no longer resist the call of the garden. Dad was already out there working, and I just had to join him. We spent an hour out there digging. We're preparing the soil for when our transplants are big enough and the weather is warm enough. The soil is so rich and black this year! The green manure crops that have been growing all winter are now ready to be turned under. What hard work that is! But so satisfying, too.
I turned under the soil of my little herb bed, then moved to a larger one; 16'x4'.
Put the spade's blade on the earth; stomp on it! Lean onto the handle; lift it! Turn the spadeful over; smell the richness of the dirt! Repeat 20 times. Pause. Put a hand over your heart and feel the powerful thumping. Lift your face and see two hawks flying between you and the vast blue expanse above. Notice the lazy clouds drifting by. Watch Dad shoveling near by. Take deep breaths of crisp air. Bend over the spade again. See God's hand everywhere.
The hours spent in the garden are the loveliest of my day. I take great satisfaction in them.
But I came inside at 4:00 to get some sewing done. I was feeling very inspired. I have 2 projects going already, and I had just had ideas for 4 more! I searched my stash and found cloth for my new projects, fingered it longingly, and turned to work diligently on my current project; a white dress for spring. The design is my own, and it was giving me a lot of trouble. I gathered up all the wit and skill I have to throw at it, and rejoiced in the effort.
At 5:00 I went back to the kitchen to make supper. I love it when Mom lets me take over a meal on short notice. I made what we call perogies; golden brown bread filled with sauce, sausage, and cheese. I made them look like little tarts this time, baked in muffin tins. We had peas, too, and of course that got us starting talking around the supper table about the time - fast approaching - when we will be eating our own peas.
Garden-planning on paper after supper with Dad....Family Bible Time in the book of John...chit chat in the living room...a warm shower...soft pajamas...cozy bed...turning through the pages of Psalms for one last thing to think on as I go to sleep...being blessed by Psalm 65...reading it again...and again...flipping off the lamp...a dark bedroom...whispers with a sister...drifting off to sleep. The perfect end to a perfect day.
Oh well. Enough about yesterday. Let me get to the point of this post. (You thought I was just giving a history-in-the-life-of-Amber-lesson, didn't you?) :)
For those of you who live in the cooler regions of this planet, and aren't able to get out in your dirt yet. :( Poor you! ) Here is something you can do; plan crop rotations!
Planting the same crop in the same place year after year can be very harmful to your plants. Diseases will build up, pests will always know where to look for their snack, and the plants will miss out on the benefits they could have had from things that are left behind in the soil when other plants grow there. Any old farmer will tell you that you need to switch your crops around; crop rotation. Here are some tips I found in "The New Organic Grower" by Eliot Coleman: (if my explanations seem redundant and annoying, please forgive me. I'm talking to myself.)
Crop Rotation
~ Legumes are generally beneficial preceding crops (They will help whatever you plant in that soil next year.)
~ Onion, lettuce, and squash are generally beneficial preceding crops.
~ Potatoes yield best after corn. (Plant them where you had corn last year.)
~ For potatoes; peas, oats, and barely as preceding crops increase scab. (DON'T plant potatoes where you had peas, oats, or barely last year.)
~ Corns and beans are generally not greatly influenced in any bad way by the preceding crop. (Plant them wherever the "dangerous" crops were last year.)
~ Liming and manuring help, but do not totally overcome the negative effects of the preceding crops.
~ Carrots, beets, and cabbage are generally detrimental to subsequent crops. (These are the "dangerous" crops.)
~ Sweet corn is one of the most beneficial preceding crops for potato.
~ Tomatoes and potatoes are close cousins and should not follow one another. (Don't plant tomatoes where you had potatoes last year, or visa-versa.)
~ Beans are a good choice to follow root crops, such as carrots and beets, because the are apparently unaffected by them. (Plant beans where you had "dangerous" crops last year.)
~ Squash is a good predecessor for root crops. (Plant squash where you plan to put "dangerous" crops next year.)
~ Growing potatoes one year, then squash the next, us even more beneficial for a planting of root crops planted the third year .
What! Planning three years ahead? Sure! That's what a gardening notebook is for! If you aren't able to get your fingers in the dirt (or clay) yet, why not sit down and at least plan where you'll put everything when the weather warms up enough? It's quite challenging, but loads of fun! It will probably increase your crops, too.
It snowed here on Wednesday.
Really hard.
For about 20 minutes.
*grin*
Actually, it's been....well, like winter here lately. (Surprise!) I did do some garden work yesterday without a coat on, but this morning the temperature was below 20 degrees again.
Ahhh, yesterday....
...Yesterday was lovely. You know those perfect days you dream about? I had one yesterday.
It all started when I actually woke up early enough to pray, read, and study my Bible for over an hour. I aim for that every day, but lately I've been hitting the snooze so many times that I might as well have not set my alarm.
So I had a lovely devotion time. I was wrapped in my red bathrobe, cozily snuggled on the couch with my Bible, my journal, and the concordance spread out beside me. The house was quiet with dark corners, and I had time to pull myself together for the day. That quiet hour helps so much. I don't know why I hit my snooze button.
Breakfast was beautiful. Like out of a magazine. Blueberry Baked French toast, with whipped cream on top. A tall glass of orange juice. A cup of hot tea, sipped from my delicate blue and white teacup (gift from Heather last Christmas). I wanted so much to take a picture. It was all so perfectly arranged; from the blue and white teacup and shiny silverware, to the vibrant colors of the food. I enjoyed every bite and sip.
I started the day dressed to my shoes, with hair fixed pretty but practical, and clothes that made me feel "nice," but ready for work. Nothing like feeling prepared to give one energy!
I had made out a "To Do" list the night before, and I felt so ready to cross things off. First I tidied my bedroom. I dusted my precious bookshelf and the photo frames on top of it. So nice to have things clean! The glass in my picture frames now shines.
I paused to spend some time with my little sister. I combed Lezley's hair for her, listened to her practice piano, and just enjoyed being with her.
Then I spent the rest of the morning in the kitchen having fun. I made up a batch of bread dough, in preparation for supper, and then had the delight of creating a new recipe. This time it was for coleslaw. I'd been craving that for a long time. I'd never made it before, so I just put whatever smelled good into the bowl, tasted, and added some more. I love that kind of freedom! It makes me feel so rich.
After lunch, (yummy coleslaw!) I spent some quiet time in my room doing computer work. I've volunteered to help a homeschooling-family-run business that's based here in our town, and I had some research to do in relation to that. I felt like quite the secretary.
Then I livened up and cleaned the bathroom from top to bottom; toilet, tub, sink, floor. Sparkle!
Then I could no longer resist the call of the garden. Dad was already out there working, and I just had to join him. We spent an hour out there digging. We're preparing the soil for when our transplants are big enough and the weather is warm enough. The soil is so rich and black this year! The green manure crops that have been growing all winter are now ready to be turned under. What hard work that is! But so satisfying, too.
I turned under the soil of my little herb bed, then moved to a larger one; 16'x4'.
Put the spade's blade on the earth; stomp on it! Lean onto the handle; lift it! Turn the spadeful over; smell the richness of the dirt! Repeat 20 times. Pause. Put a hand over your heart and feel the powerful thumping. Lift your face and see two hawks flying between you and the vast blue expanse above. Notice the lazy clouds drifting by. Watch Dad shoveling near by. Take deep breaths of crisp air. Bend over the spade again. See God's hand everywhere.
The hours spent in the garden are the loveliest of my day. I take great satisfaction in them.
But I came inside at 4:00 to get some sewing done. I was feeling very inspired. I have 2 projects going already, and I had just had ideas for 4 more! I searched my stash and found cloth for my new projects, fingered it longingly, and turned to work diligently on my current project; a white dress for spring. The design is my own, and it was giving me a lot of trouble. I gathered up all the wit and skill I have to throw at it, and rejoiced in the effort.
At 5:00 I went back to the kitchen to make supper. I love it when Mom lets me take over a meal on short notice. I made what we call perogies; golden brown bread filled with sauce, sausage, and cheese. I made them look like little tarts this time, baked in muffin tins. We had peas, too, and of course that got us starting talking around the supper table about the time - fast approaching - when we will be eating our own peas.
Garden-planning on paper after supper with Dad....Family Bible Time in the book of John...chit chat in the living room...a warm shower...soft pajamas...cozy bed...turning through the pages of Psalms for one last thing to think on as I go to sleep...being blessed by Psalm 65...reading it again...and again...flipping off the lamp...a dark bedroom...whispers with a sister...drifting off to sleep. The perfect end to a perfect day.
Oh well. Enough about yesterday. Let me get to the point of this post. (You thought I was just giving a history-in-the-life-of-Amber-lesson, didn't you?) :)
For those of you who live in the cooler regions of this planet, and aren't able to get out in your dirt yet. :( Poor you! ) Here is something you can do; plan crop rotations!
Planting the same crop in the same place year after year can be very harmful to your plants. Diseases will build up, pests will always know where to look for their snack, and the plants will miss out on the benefits they could have had from things that are left behind in the soil when other plants grow there. Any old farmer will tell you that you need to switch your crops around; crop rotation. Here are some tips I found in "The New Organic Grower" by Eliot Coleman: (if my explanations seem redundant and annoying, please forgive me. I'm talking to myself.)
Crop Rotation
~ Legumes are generally beneficial preceding crops (They will help whatever you plant in that soil next year.)
~ Onion, lettuce, and squash are generally beneficial preceding crops.
~ Potatoes yield best after corn. (Plant them where you had corn last year.)
~ For potatoes; peas, oats, and barely as preceding crops increase scab. (DON'T plant potatoes where you had peas, oats, or barely last year.)
~ Corns and beans are generally not greatly influenced in any bad way by the preceding crop. (Plant them wherever the "dangerous" crops were last year.)
~ Liming and manuring help, but do not totally overcome the negative effects of the preceding crops.
~ Carrots, beets, and cabbage are generally detrimental to subsequent crops. (These are the "dangerous" crops.)
~ Sweet corn is one of the most beneficial preceding crops for potato.
~ Tomatoes and potatoes are close cousins and should not follow one another. (Don't plant tomatoes where you had potatoes last year, or visa-versa.)
~ Beans are a good choice to follow root crops, such as carrots and beets, because the are apparently unaffected by them. (Plant beans where you had "dangerous" crops last year.)
~ Squash is a good predecessor for root crops. (Plant squash where you plan to put "dangerous" crops next year.)
~ Growing potatoes one year, then squash the next, us even more beneficial for a planting of root crops planted the third year .
What! Planning three years ahead? Sure! That's what a gardening notebook is for! If you aren't able to get your fingers in the dirt (or clay) yet, why not sit down and at least plan where you'll put everything when the weather warms up enough? It's quite challenging, but loads of fun! It will probably increase your crops, too.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Books and Friends
Books are wonderful things. There are no replacements for them; not movies, not radio, not oral speaking. Books are in a class by themselves.
Why do you think God chose a BOOK to be the only item in the world that is both physical and spiritual? The Bible alone has that special distinction. ...And the Bible is a book. To me, that means all books are something special, because between their covers there just might lie something that tastes faintly - or strongly - of God's own book.
But if you think about it, books are really people. I mean, you can't separate a book from all the circumstances surrounding its creation, the way it sounds, the way it reads, and say "I love it."
If you love a book, you've fallen in love with something about it; the story plot, the perfect grammar, the glass-clear instructions, the gorgeous illustrations, the word pictures painted in your mind, the humor that keeps you laughing, the suspense the kept you turning the pages, the tragic parts that made you cry... It is the way a book is put together - worded - that makes you love it.
That explains why you can love a splendidly-told story and hate a dry history book, or adore a well-written biography and detest a jibbery novel. Some speak to you politely, elegantly, kindly, and others are full of themselves.
What makes one book differ from another? What is this "voice" that each book has?
If you are sold on a book, what is it you have bought?
It is the author you have bought. It is the author's voice you hear. It is the author's personality that makes a dry subject fascinating, and a potentially good story ridiculous.
It is the author you have fallen in love with.
This is why books are people. You don't read a book; you read a heart.
And that is why when we love the Bible we find ourselves falling in love with God. The author and His work are inseparable. Books are truly friends, and we should be as careful with them as with other friendships.
Read a lot, yes. Meet people - all kinds of people. But for your heart-to-heart friends, chose jewels. Choose people who love what you love, and who love you. And chose books whose authors love what you love. Chose friends - and books - who will lift you up, not drag you down. Chose books - and friends - who will teach you, and who are going or have gone to places you want to go.
...Hmmm...when I started writing this post, I only meant to say a few words about books to introduce you to a new "friend;" a very dear book I have only half finished but am already in love with. The author is a dear lady, and her topic is the missionary life of her father, James O. Fraser. I wanted to quote some passages to you, so you could be blessed as I was. I have ten pages I want to type out and share in their entirety!
But, alas, time is precious, and I don't believe I have enough of it at the moment to complete the post I've started. I shall have to save it for a future day, and simply leave you with this thought:
When was the last time you made a new "friend"? Before I started this book I've mentioned, it had been awhile since I sat down with no other purpose but to read. Reading blogs and researching topics on the web isn't the same as a good book. ...But I'm so glad I slapped myself awake and decided to do myself some good by finding a likely-looking book to open. It's also been a long time since I was so blessed.
Try it.
Why do you think God chose a BOOK to be the only item in the world that is both physical and spiritual? The Bible alone has that special distinction. ...And the Bible is a book. To me, that means all books are something special, because between their covers there just might lie something that tastes faintly - or strongly - of God's own book.
But if you think about it, books are really people. I mean, you can't separate a book from all the circumstances surrounding its creation, the way it sounds, the way it reads, and say "I love it."
If you love a book, you've fallen in love with something about it; the story plot, the perfect grammar, the glass-clear instructions, the gorgeous illustrations, the word pictures painted in your mind, the humor that keeps you laughing, the suspense the kept you turning the pages, the tragic parts that made you cry... It is the way a book is put together - worded - that makes you love it.
That explains why you can love a splendidly-told story and hate a dry history book, or adore a well-written biography and detest a jibbery novel. Some speak to you politely, elegantly, kindly, and others are full of themselves.
What makes one book differ from another? What is this "voice" that each book has?
If you are sold on a book, what is it you have bought?
It is the author you have bought. It is the author's voice you hear. It is the author's personality that makes a dry subject fascinating, and a potentially good story ridiculous.
It is the author you have fallen in love with.
This is why books are people. You don't read a book; you read a heart.
And that is why when we love the Bible we find ourselves falling in love with God. The author and His work are inseparable. Books are truly friends, and we should be as careful with them as with other friendships.
Read a lot, yes. Meet people - all kinds of people. But for your heart-to-heart friends, chose jewels. Choose people who love what you love, and who love you. And chose books whose authors love what you love. Chose friends - and books - who will lift you up, not drag you down. Chose books - and friends - who will teach you, and who are going or have gone to places you want to go.
...Hmmm...when I started writing this post, I only meant to say a few words about books to introduce you to a new "friend;" a very dear book I have only half finished but am already in love with. The author is a dear lady, and her topic is the missionary life of her father, James O. Fraser. I wanted to quote some passages to you, so you could be blessed as I was. I have ten pages I want to type out and share in their entirety!
But, alas, time is precious, and I don't believe I have enough of it at the moment to complete the post I've started. I shall have to save it for a future day, and simply leave you with this thought:
When was the last time you made a new "friend"? Before I started this book I've mentioned, it had been awhile since I sat down with no other purpose but to read. Reading blogs and researching topics on the web isn't the same as a good book. ...But I'm so glad I slapped myself awake and decided to do myself some good by finding a likely-looking book to open. It's also been a long time since I was so blessed.
Try it.
Friday, January 16, 2009
A Handmaiden of the Lord, Post #8
Today I am pleased to introduce my first guest blogger, and someone whom I love very much; my mother. I asked her to write the final post this week on self-control, and she kindly obliged. I can't wait to read her post myself!
Amber has asked me to add to her blog this week about time control. I am not a pro in this area but I have learned a few things in my life so far that I can share for those interested.
I believe the biggest issue at hand is understanding that time is temporary and is God-given. The Bible tells us that our life is but a vapor that appeareth for a little while and then vanisheth away (James). We are also told to ask God to help us number our days (Ps. 90). So we are accountable to every day He allows us to live and serve Him.
Yesterday I was down all day with a migraine headache and total exhaustion. My husband told me to rest all day. I easily obeyed and today I can function again. There are times we just need to take for refreshment, whether in our physical, mental, spiritual being, or whatever seems to be putting us to the limit.
If we are too busy to spend a good time with our Lord in prayer and His Word we are too busy. I still remember a lesson I learned in my late teens from an older woman in my life who said we should spend at least the same amount of time, if not more, on our inner beauty in the morning as we do on our outer beauty. Wow! If we count the minutes between opening our eyes and being adorned for the day and then count our minutes with God, how do we fare? I guess my greatest word here would be to keep our minds on Him during our day.
Then we can make to-do lists. I really enjoy writing down things and crossing off things as they get done! It's a great feeling to see the list disappear.
A simple thing I do is set a timer for things I want to get done quickly. I also set the timer upstairs for laundry buzzers in the basement I might not pay attention to otherwise.
I like to think of 2-3 things I can do at the same time if possible. I heard once of a lady who brushes her toilet bowl while she brushes her teeth. I personally cannot quite stomach that one, but I can sprinkle cleaner in the tub while I clean the sink. I always put laundry in before doing morning dishes. I can write letters or notes while my children are doing writing or reading lessons. I can make time to help my husband in the garden or play catch with my son. Like Amber has shared, self control is asking God's help to make sure our bodies know they are under our direction, not the other way around.
Having time for people is more important to God's kingdom than having to wrestle with daily clutter and dirt. If we can manage a good rule of cleaning day by day we will be pleasantly surprised at the extra time we can take for those we love or those who need to be loved. We are in a spiritual battle and it definitely hits our clocks too. It's okay to let some things slide if eternity is in view. I know my house has had less attention when I had babies and toddlers. Now I see much fruit from it all - even though I often thought I was failing to "get it all done." God understands and will bless the heart that seeks Him.
Priorities in every area of our life should be laid at the feet of the Master and then be done diligently as unto Him and not unto men. Time is a precious gift and we are all given the same daily amount, but not the same number of days. May the Lord help us all to waste it less and strive to please Him more.
Thanks, Mom, for taking the time to write this, and for helping me in my daily life to see how I can improve my time management. Ladies, would you believe I used to let the laundry machine sit empty while I did dishes? I still do, sometimes. :)
Housework isn't the only place I need to learn to balance, but it's a good place to learn the concept of time management. If I can clean a tub and sink at the same time, I ought to be able to cook supper and wash dishes at the same time, or check my email and study Spanish at the same time. :)
Speaking of time, I have some sewing that is calling my name, so I'd better go for now. May you all have a blessed - and profitable - day!
A Handmaiden of the Lord...
...has control in the area of her time.
...has control in the area of her time.
Amber has asked me to add to her blog this week about time control. I am not a pro in this area but I have learned a few things in my life so far that I can share for those interested.
I believe the biggest issue at hand is understanding that time is temporary and is God-given. The Bible tells us that our life is but a vapor that appeareth for a little while and then vanisheth away (James). We are also told to ask God to help us number our days (Ps. 90). So we are accountable to every day He allows us to live and serve Him.
Yesterday I was down all day with a migraine headache and total exhaustion. My husband told me to rest all day. I easily obeyed and today I can function again. There are times we just need to take for refreshment, whether in our physical, mental, spiritual being, or whatever seems to be putting us to the limit.
If we are too busy to spend a good time with our Lord in prayer and His Word we are too busy. I still remember a lesson I learned in my late teens from an older woman in my life who said we should spend at least the same amount of time, if not more, on our inner beauty in the morning as we do on our outer beauty. Wow! If we count the minutes between opening our eyes and being adorned for the day and then count our minutes with God, how do we fare? I guess my greatest word here would be to keep our minds on Him during our day.
Then we can make to-do lists. I really enjoy writing down things and crossing off things as they get done! It's a great feeling to see the list disappear.
A simple thing I do is set a timer for things I want to get done quickly. I also set the timer upstairs for laundry buzzers in the basement I might not pay attention to otherwise.
I like to think of 2-3 things I can do at the same time if possible. I heard once of a lady who brushes her toilet bowl while she brushes her teeth. I personally cannot quite stomach that one, but I can sprinkle cleaner in the tub while I clean the sink. I always put laundry in before doing morning dishes. I can write letters or notes while my children are doing writing or reading lessons. I can make time to help my husband in the garden or play catch with my son. Like Amber has shared, self control is asking God's help to make sure our bodies know they are under our direction, not the other way around.
Having time for people is more important to God's kingdom than having to wrestle with daily clutter and dirt. If we can manage a good rule of cleaning day by day we will be pleasantly surprised at the extra time we can take for those we love or those who need to be loved. We are in a spiritual battle and it definitely hits our clocks too. It's okay to let some things slide if eternity is in view. I know my house has had less attention when I had babies and toddlers. Now I see much fruit from it all - even though I often thought I was failing to "get it all done." God understands and will bless the heart that seeks Him.
Priorities in every area of our life should be laid at the feet of the Master and then be done diligently as unto Him and not unto men. Time is a precious gift and we are all given the same daily amount, but not the same number of days. May the Lord help us all to waste it less and strive to please Him more.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Thanks, Mom, for taking the time to write this, and for helping me in my daily life to see how I can improve my time management. Ladies, would you believe I used to let the laundry machine sit empty while I did dishes? I still do, sometimes. :)
Housework isn't the only place I need to learn to balance, but it's a good place to learn the concept of time management. If I can clean a tub and sink at the same time, I ought to be able to cook supper and wash dishes at the same time, or check my email and study Spanish at the same time. :)
Speaking of time, I have some sewing that is calling my name, so I'd better go for now. May you all have a blessed - and profitable - day!
Monday, January 5, 2009
Bread
The first Monday of the New Year.
Gone is vacation time, gone is staying up late, gone is sleeping in a little, gone is a break from teaching lessons, gone is eating sweets, gone is being generally laid-back and - I'm afraid - a little lazy.
Here is scheduled time again. Here is schoolwork for younger siblings. Here are sewing students returning. Here are sister's piano students returning. Here are more chores. Here is a cleaner house. Here is a more organized bedroom. Here is more time set aside for writing, reading, blogging, studying, music practice. Here is wonderful life!
I enjoyed the holidays, but I'm thankful that life can return to "normal" again. ...But not quite normal. This didn't intentionally happen around New Years, and I didn't plan to make "New Year resolutions," but I feel in myself a desire to follow God more closely from now on. I feel a longing to truly redeem the time. I feel sick of fruitless endeavors and frivolous entertainment. I feel a longing to work, and work hard. I feel a longing to delight myself in the Lord, and see Him grant the desires of my heart. I feel a desire to truly abide in Him, revel in Him, bask in Him.
I found something interesting in my Bible reading a few weeks ago. It's always been there in the Bible, but somehow I missed it.
John 6
33 For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.
34 Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread.
35 And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. ...
47 ...Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.
48 I am that bread of life.
49 Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead.
50 This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die.
51 I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.
52 The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat?
53 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.
54 Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.
55 For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.
56 He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.
57 As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me.
58 This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever.
59 These things said he in the synagogue, as he taught in Capernaum.
60 Many therefore of his disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is an hard saying; who can hear it?
61 When Jesus knew in himself that his disciples murmured at it, he said unto them, Doth this offend you?
62 What and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before?
63 It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.
My first reaction to these words was just like the Jews; "yuck!" It really doesn't sound all that appealing for Jesus' flesh to be considered bread.
But then I started to really wonder what it is for Jesus to be the Bread of Life. I hadn't thought about it before; I'd always heard folks say it, and thought "oh, that sounds nice. Jesus is the Bread of Life."
So what? What is it to be the Bread of Life?
What is bread?
Bread is yummy, filling, life-giving, tender, delicious stuff. Back in Bible days it was a mainstay of the diet. If you didn't have bread, you pretty much were too poor to have anything. You might not be able to afford meat, but you lived on bread. Not just basic wheat bread, either; barley, wheat, oats, millet, ...I'm not an expert on what grains were available in the middle east, but I know the people there enjoyed more variety in their bread than most of us do today. Ezekiel made bread with wheat, and barley, and beans, and lentiles, and millet, and fitches. I've heard that he could get all his needed nutrients from that bread alone.
Then I pictured my family around the table when the meal includes homemade bread. We rave over it. We slather butter on warm slices. We debate who gets the last slice. We sink our teeth into the spongy centers of our rolls. We love bread.
Bread doesn't just sustain life; it lends pleasure to life as well.
Physical bread contributes to physical life. We take it into ourselves and it fills us with delight. It satisfies our taste buds. It gives us energy. We can't wait to eat it. It keeps us alive.
The analogy filled my mind in a split second. As I pondered what physical bread means to our physical bodies, I instantly "got it." Jesus is such a master at making us understand spiritual things by using physical illustrations.
Spiritual bread! Jesus is to be in us. He is to fill us with delight. He is to satisfy us. He is to give us spiritual energy. We are to long after Him. He keeps our spirits alive and refreshed.
Then I thought of water. Jesus is the living water. Water! Spiritual water! Ah, suddenly everything was making sense.
The Bread of Life.
What a wonderful concept. Deeper than my mind can grasp... yet just knowing the edge of the beginning of knowledge gives me the shivers.
Can't you just smell the aroma?
In light of those thoughts, I'll think I list some of the goals that have come to my mind; ways I want to learn to redeem the time, be filled with this Bread, and follow my God. (No particular order):
~ I plan to practice my music more this year
~ I'd like to get up early enough to have at least an hour with God every morning before the day starts in earnest. I've been starting to sleep in more often, but I want to quit that!
~ I'd like to read more uplifting books.
~ I want to complete reading through the Bible before my birthday in May.
~ I want to go to bed at the time I actually have written down!
~ I want to become more patient and loving; particularly in my relationship to a certain sibling.
~ I want my tongue to be guarded more closely.
~ I want to smile more.
Gone is vacation time, gone is staying up late, gone is sleeping in a little, gone is a break from teaching lessons, gone is eating sweets, gone is being generally laid-back and - I'm afraid - a little lazy.
Here is scheduled time again. Here is schoolwork for younger siblings. Here are sewing students returning. Here are sister's piano students returning. Here are more chores. Here is a cleaner house. Here is a more organized bedroom. Here is more time set aside for writing, reading, blogging, studying, music practice. Here is wonderful life!
I enjoyed the holidays, but I'm thankful that life can return to "normal" again. ...But not quite normal. This didn't intentionally happen around New Years, and I didn't plan to make "New Year resolutions," but I feel in myself a desire to follow God more closely from now on. I feel a longing to truly redeem the time. I feel sick of fruitless endeavors and frivolous entertainment. I feel a longing to work, and work hard. I feel a longing to delight myself in the Lord, and see Him grant the desires of my heart. I feel a desire to truly abide in Him, revel in Him, bask in Him.
I found something interesting in my Bible reading a few weeks ago. It's always been there in the Bible, but somehow I missed it.
John 6
33 For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.
34 Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread.
35 And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. ...
47 ...Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.
48 I am that bread of life.
49 Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead.
50 This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die.
51 I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.
52 The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat?
53 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.
54 Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.
55 For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.
56 He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.
57 As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me.
58 This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever.
59 These things said he in the synagogue, as he taught in Capernaum.
60 Many therefore of his disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is an hard saying; who can hear it?
61 When Jesus knew in himself that his disciples murmured at it, he said unto them, Doth this offend you?
62 What and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before?
63 It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.
My first reaction to these words was just like the Jews; "yuck!" It really doesn't sound all that appealing for Jesus' flesh to be considered bread.
But then I started to really wonder what it is for Jesus to be the Bread of Life. I hadn't thought about it before; I'd always heard folks say it, and thought "oh, that sounds nice. Jesus is the Bread of Life."So what? What is it to be the Bread of Life?
What is bread?
Bread is yummy, filling, life-giving, tender, delicious stuff. Back in Bible days it was a mainstay of the diet. If you didn't have bread, you pretty much were too poor to have anything. You might not be able to afford meat, but you lived on bread. Not just basic wheat bread, either; barley, wheat, oats, millet, ...I'm not an expert on what grains were available in the middle east, but I know the people there enjoyed more variety in their bread than most of us do today. Ezekiel made bread with wheat, and barley, and beans, and lentiles, and millet, and fitches. I've heard that he could get all his needed nutrients from that bread alone.Then I pictured my family around the table when the meal includes homemade bread. We rave over it. We slather butter on warm slices. We debate who gets the last slice. We sink our teeth into the spongy centers of our rolls. We love bread.
Bread doesn't just sustain life; it lends pleasure to life as well.
Physical bread contributes to physical life. We take it into ourselves and it fills us with delight. It satisfies our taste buds. It gives us energy. We can't wait to eat it. It keeps us alive.
The analogy filled my mind in a split second. As I pondered what physical bread means to our physical bodies, I instantly "got it." Jesus is such a master at making us understand spiritual things by using physical illustrations.
Spiritual bread! Jesus is to be in us. He is to fill us with delight. He is to satisfy us. He is to give us spiritual energy. We are to long after Him. He keeps our spirits alive and refreshed.
Then I thought of water. Jesus is the living water. Water! Spiritual water! Ah, suddenly everything was making sense.
The Bread of Life.
What a wonderful concept. Deeper than my mind can grasp... yet just knowing the edge of the beginning of knowledge gives me the shivers.
Can't you just smell the aroma?
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
In light of those thoughts, I'll think I list some of the goals that have come to my mind; ways I want to learn to redeem the time, be filled with this Bread, and follow my God. (No particular order):
~ I plan to practice my music more this year
~ I'd like to get up early enough to have at least an hour with God every morning before the day starts in earnest. I've been starting to sleep in more often, but I want to quit that!
~ I'd like to read more uplifting books.
~ I want to complete reading through the Bible before my birthday in May.
~ I want to go to bed at the time I actually have written down!
~ I want to become more patient and loving; particularly in my relationship to a certain sibling.
~ I want my tongue to be guarded more closely.
~ I want to smile more.
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
So tommorow is 2009
Sounds strange, doesn't it? I've hardly become accustomed to writing 2008. This year has flown by...in some ways. In other ways, it's been long. But mostly it's been fast.
Christmas at our home was lovely. I know I haven't written here since Christmas Eve; and it was on purpose. I certainly have been thinking about y'all...but I just wanted to spend a week pretending that my world - instead of covering the world wide web - consisted of just my family, my church, and our little city. It's nice to be alone at times. It's nice to have fewer pressures.
But, like I said, I've been thinking about y'all; hoping you've had good Christmases, wondering if you are taking computer breaks, like me, and remembering things I wanted to say when I got back on here.
I have several dozen pictures I want to share with you; mostly from Christmas week. I'd like to share some of the gifts I made for others, since they qualify as "fruit of my hands." I'd also like to tell you about the gifts some other folks in my family made.
...One gift in particular sticks in my mind, since it's being completed as I write. Curtis and I - well, actually, just I - decided that our adventures with Mom's wooden gift this summer were not enough. We needed to make Dad a wood gift for Christmas.
Curtis is so patient with me.
I wanted to build Dad a greenhouse.
Did I mention that I thought of this about 2 and a half weeks before Christmas? For those of you who don't work with wood, two and a half busy weeks are not nearly enough time to complete a project like a greenhouse.
Or save up for it.
So we bought what we could afford, and put together what we could. Of course we had to work outside, and of course this was the rainiest December in the history of my life. Come Christmas morning, we told Dad about it, and he went out into the backyard where we had hidden it, to take a look.
Now, after buying what supplies we still needed, we plan to complete the greenhouse this week. (We hope.) I've just come inside from spending a little time helping Curtis out there in the wind. Poor guy. The wind has been biting cold, and I'm guessing somewhere around 20-30 miles/hour. But Curt is doggedly working away. I've handed him nails, held boards in place, and fetched supplies, but he's done most of the work. What a brother.
Dad has been taking pictures of us now and then, when he comes to look at how we're getting on, and I hope to post some of those pictures, too.
Well, time got away from me, and I never finished this post this morning. Now it's evening, and we've just come home from midweek prayer meeting.
What a lot I have to update on! I wish I had time to talk about what's going on in my mind about the old year, the new year, the future years....and what God has taught me, is teaching me, and will teach me.
Time is a strange thing. It can drag and fly. It is intangible, yet it holds things. You can never get it back....and never get an advance on it.
...And it is getting away from me again now. Ah, well, I shall hope for more posting time this coming week. Until then, Happy New Year's to y'all!
Christmas at our home was lovely. I know I haven't written here since Christmas Eve; and it was on purpose. I certainly have been thinking about y'all...but I just wanted to spend a week pretending that my world - instead of covering the world wide web - consisted of just my family, my church, and our little city. It's nice to be alone at times. It's nice to have fewer pressures.
But, like I said, I've been thinking about y'all; hoping you've had good Christmases, wondering if you are taking computer breaks, like me, and remembering things I wanted to say when I got back on here.
I have several dozen pictures I want to share with you; mostly from Christmas week. I'd like to share some of the gifts I made for others, since they qualify as "fruit of my hands." I'd also like to tell you about the gifts some other folks in my family made.
...One gift in particular sticks in my mind, since it's being completed as I write. Curtis and I - well, actually, just I - decided that our adventures with Mom's wooden gift this summer were not enough. We needed to make Dad a wood gift for Christmas.
Curtis is so patient with me.
I wanted to build Dad a greenhouse.
Did I mention that I thought of this about 2 and a half weeks before Christmas? For those of you who don't work with wood, two and a half busy weeks are not nearly enough time to complete a project like a greenhouse.
Or save up for it.
So we bought what we could afford, and put together what we could. Of course we had to work outside, and of course this was the rainiest December in the history of my life. Come Christmas morning, we told Dad about it, and he went out into the backyard where we had hidden it, to take a look.
Now, after buying what supplies we still needed, we plan to complete the greenhouse this week. (We hope.) I've just come inside from spending a little time helping Curtis out there in the wind. Poor guy. The wind has been biting cold, and I'm guessing somewhere around 20-30 miles/hour. But Curt is doggedly working away. I've handed him nails, held boards in place, and fetched supplies, but he's done most of the work. What a brother.
Dad has been taking pictures of us now and then, when he comes to look at how we're getting on, and I hope to post some of those pictures, too.
~ ~ ~ ~
Well, time got away from me, and I never finished this post this morning. Now it's evening, and we've just come home from midweek prayer meeting.
What a lot I have to update on! I wish I had time to talk about what's going on in my mind about the old year, the new year, the future years....and what God has taught me, is teaching me, and will teach me.
Time is a strange thing. It can drag and fly. It is intangible, yet it holds things. You can never get it back....and never get an advance on it.
...And it is getting away from me again now. Ah, well, I shall hope for more posting time this coming week. Until then, Happy New Year's to y'all!
Monday, December 1, 2008
It's December!!!!
Whoa!
December.
Gasp.
Where did this year go?
I know, I know - everyone says that! ...But I really feel that way! Where did the time go?
December.
Christmas time!!
Our family usually takes a break between Thanksgiving and Christmas; we don't decorate for Christmas right after Thanksgiving. Maybe it's a small effort to make the month of December seem longer. :) But this year, I'm eager for Christmas time. I'm throwing myself into planning gifts, planning baking sprees, smelling cinnamon, reading the gospels, looking for snow, locking myself away in my sewing area to work on secrets...
...And I'm also reminiscing a little. This morning, I've been looking over pictures from this year...
I'm glad this one is a memory only!
Touring in Ashville this summer (Heather on the LEFT, me on the RIGHT)
Note: I had this posted for days as "Heather on the RIGHT, and me on the LEFT." How come y'all who know me in person let me get away with that? :) :) :)
On my birthday in May, with Lezley, my youngest sister
Our menfolk working hard on the kitchen ceiling this summer
The garden!!
On a picnic with Dad in ...August, I think
Memories. :):)
Oh yes - by the way, my sister Heather has taken to writing fairy tales. :) Not really. They're actually quite real. But with a princess and a castle in the story, that makes it a fairy tale, right?
My favorite part is about the liquid feast and the castle workroom - full of carpenters and blacksmiths - that only certain royal guest are allowed to view.
Have I confused you yet? I hope I've gotten you curious enough to visit Heather and read the story. I told her she needs to consider writing children books. Do you agree with me? :)
In any case, the story will let you know what Heather's been up to lately!
December.
Gasp.
Where did this year go?
I know, I know - everyone says that! ...But I really feel that way! Where did the time go?
December.
Christmas time!!
Our family usually takes a break between Thanksgiving and Christmas; we don't decorate for Christmas right after Thanksgiving. Maybe it's a small effort to make the month of December seem longer. :) But this year, I'm eager for Christmas time. I'm throwing myself into planning gifts, planning baking sprees, smelling cinnamon, reading the gospels, looking for snow, locking myself away in my sewing area to work on secrets...
...And I'm also reminiscing a little. This morning, I've been looking over pictures from this year...
I'm glad this one is a memory only!
Touring in Ashville this summer (Heather on the LEFT, me on the RIGHT)Note: I had this posted for days as "Heather on the RIGHT, and me on the LEFT." How come y'all who know me in person let me get away with that? :) :) :)
On my birthday in May, with Lezley, my youngest sister
Our menfolk working hard on the kitchen ceiling this summer
The garden!!
On a picnic with Dad in ...August, I thinkMemories. :):)
Oh yes - by the way, my sister Heather has taken to writing fairy tales. :) Not really. They're actually quite real. But with a princess and a castle in the story, that makes it a fairy tale, right?
My favorite part is about the liquid feast and the castle workroom - full of carpenters and blacksmiths - that only certain royal guest are allowed to view.
Have I confused you yet? I hope I've gotten you curious enough to visit Heather and read the story. I told her she needs to consider writing children books. Do you agree with me? :)
In any case, the story will let you know what Heather's been up to lately!
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