We have come to the end of the month of thankfulness. Every first of November I grumble. I see the Facebook posts and think, "Here we go again." By the 27th the posts have faded to the background. Fewer people remembering to post, and most that do are stretching to find yet another thing to be thankful for. Isn't it sad? Isn't it sad people can't find 30 legitimate things to be thankful for? What's worse is that we need to have this month of thankfulness to begin with because the other 11 months out of the year we're being so selfish and self involved that we don't even think about being thankful.
Okay, so maybe there are some mass generalizations in there, but it has been on my mind lately. I don't do the month of thankfulness posts for a few reasons. I think the main reason is that I would probably forget. I would get going and miss day 9 then 14. Somewhere around 28 someone would remind me and I'd go, "Oops." Heck, look at this blog. I started with such gusto. Every Friday a new post. Then an additional one Sunday or Monday. Then it turned into just Friday. Now I hope to get a new piece written each week. In my defense of missing blog posts over the last two months, I claim an act of thankfulness. Life seems to be a whirlwind day by day. Work through training and tutoring has increased yet again, though it will die down at Christmas. And my family gave us an amazing Christmas gift, which in turn became a huge stressor in my life. I went through each decision, each action, each fret with the mindset to be thankful. Thankful for paid renovations. What an incredible gift. Honestly, I don't even mind the act of sweeping anymore because I'm sweeping beautiful floors. Sure, every time I tried to do something I forgot I couldn't enter a room, or get to what I wanted, but it was worth it. Two years in a row I have been overwhelmed by people. People I know. People I didn't. People I loved. People I didn't. The last two Novembers and Decembers have not been typical for me. Last year I was raising money to start the first Bugaboo & Ladybug Adventure. People donated and purchased items to help me reach the goals I needed. An entire payment plus some, was made by others. It was the most humbling experience. This year my family's gifts of painting and new floors floored me. It was one week of work that left me with a house that I thought would take another ten years to receive. Again, humbled. It made me think, to truly be thankful, it takes being humble. I've watched a friend post a thankful post each day. She, unlike most, has kept up with it. She has also chosen wonderful things to be thankful for. Some of the things we take for granted every day. I realized long ago that there are two ways to look at life - thankful or not. When we're thankful, we see the continual flow of grace and provision. Without thankful hearts, we are always searching for the next best thing. Nothing is ever good enough. I have had quite a few negative impacts on my life. While younger, I took an ungrateful attitude to it all. I never saw the silver lining. I never looked for the bright side. Somewhere in growing up, my mind saw things differently. I have a reason every day to be ungrateful for something. I have excuses and reasons to be miserable and unhappy. But what good does that do? All that is, is a selfish attitude. When I humble myself, and see the truth behind it all, I see each way God has blessed me. I see the good in people, in situations, in things I have no control over. I'm very thankful for the life I have been given. I'm thankful for the people in it, whether they're here for my growth, or theirs. I'm thankful for the relationships. I'm thankful for my home (even moreso now!) that protects me from storms, and gives warmth in the winter and coolness in the summer. I'm thankful that we can pay our bills, even if our jobs aren't always the most rewarding. People talk about bettering their lives, and there is always room for growth, but maybe sometimes we should just be thankful for the life we have and see what grows from it.
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Oh the words of Belle. "There must be more than this provincial life!" Don't we all feel that way? Every once in a while we start to think, "Gee is this it?" I used to think I knew where I was going and what I was doing. Now, I look back at all the jobs and roles I've had and laugh. I didn't have a clue. But the words of Belle rang through me from childhood. There had to be more. It couldn't just be a coaching position. It couldn't just be a shop. It can't just be a story. No there is more out there for me. How about you?
Those of us that grew up watching Disney's princess movies found that we could be dreamers. Not just normal dreams, but exquisite, fantastical, outrageous dreams. Dreams like we've never known before. A mermaid on dry land. A bookworm falling in love with a prince. A princess standing up for herself so she can fall in love with the man of her dreams once he uses the magic of a genie. We were taught, that we could be whatever we wanted to be. So we became dreamers. Heck, we came up with dream boards to show us all the things we want in our lives. Then we started to grow up. We realized we aren't always good at the things we dreamed about. (Hey, my kids love my singing.) We became aware of the slim chance of fame and fortune. (I have not gotten to meet Coach K, Will Ferrell, or Justin Timberlake.) So we decided to buckle down and join the workforce. We pursued more reasonable dreams. Teachers, coaches, pharmacists, moms, wives, massage therapists, elderly care takers, and other professions were now the goals on the lists. Some of us have worked hard to find the right job that allows us to be fulfilled knowing that what we do matters in any form of life. However, we still have these dreams. We may not dream of flying on a carpet, but we do dream that there is more to the job. As a trainer, there are times I wish for a large gym to own and operate. I dream to have these videos and plans, maybe even a book or two. But then I think about what I'm actually doing. I work one on one with the people who don't want to go to the big gym. I get the people that need the encouragement, not a video or plan. I work with people that need real time modifications so we can be successful. As a writer, I wait for the day that I sit on a chair across from Ellen, maybe a couch with Bugaboo and Ladybug next to me. I long to see my book in a Barnes & Noble outside of South Carolina. That takes more work. If that were to ever happen it would be seasons of selling at the Farmer's Market. Years of reading to children in school libraries. I will have to market myself and my books like I have never before done. Personally, I loved The Little Mermaid. I still do. The songs are amazing. "Wish I could be, part of your world." So good. I hope y'all get it stuck in your head for the rest of the day. Here's the deal with Ariel. She has a dream. She wants to be human. She's tried her hand at this mermaid thing, but it just isn't for her. But she doesn't just stop at the dream. She actually takes steps to accomplish that dream. Granted she chose some poor ways to accomplish that dream, but she did in fact sacrifice for it. I think that's what holds us back. When we were kids we would dream and it was fine. As we got older we realized that in order to pursue those dreams we would have to work and sacrifice. And if we don't have natural talent, skill, and ability, we must work and sacrifice all the more. It's tough. What are we willing to give up, to make the dreams come true. Right now my mind goes to my "little" cousin Jo. She and her husband have made the choice to move to China to work with children. She is a physical therapist and he's a youth pastor (I may be off on this). They gave up their lives. The comfort of their home, the short distance to family, their friends, church, and careers. Their dream? To serve in the name of Christ where He is unknown. To be Jesus to kids that know nothing of Him. They will be his hands and feet as Stephen works as the overseer and Jo will work hands on with the kids that need physical help. The dream to serve meant a huge sacrifice, but they will receive a greater reward. They wanted more from life. I want more from life. Don't you? No, this isn't about our size -though they do relate.
Lately as I drive around the area I can't stand the amount of storage units being built. I recently had a short conversation about it with someone. There is the argument is that with all the people moving into the area people need to a place to store things in transition. Well, yes. That is a great reason. I used a storage unit throughout my college career. In the summer months that I wasn't living on campus, I needed a place to store my things when I would drive 14 hours back home. But there's something to all of this - people are using it to store their beloved items for just a time or season. If it were just a season of holding our items, why are we building so many storage units? How is it that we continue to need more storage units? How is the storage unit business so successful? Well, too many people have too many things. Plain and simple. We have so many things in our possession and we are incapable of releasing our hold on them so we are purchasing spaces to hold our things that we just can't fit into our own living spaces. Does that seem a little excessive to you or just me? It seems that it's just the way of our culture. Our nation went through the Depression and created a generation that learned to never get rid of anything. Waste not, want not. I know that my grandmother lived in a world where you treasured everything, and never got rid of anything. Don't get me wrong, I am not a wasteful person, but there are other options than just hoarding everything away. I love my grandmother. And she has held on to things that I will one day own. She has held on to things that she uses on a daily basis. The woman has more kitchen chairs than I know what to do with! She has also held on to things that have lived in her garage for almost 6 years. 6 years!! Some of you might be thinking, "Who cares? It isn't in your house so what does it matter to you?" Well, it matters to me because she's my grandmother, but also because it runs this country. We have extra, so we hold onto it. We just keep adding and adding. We've done it with our food. What is an actual serving size? Usually half of what is placed in front of you at a restaurant. My house is full of things that aren't being used. We do a yard sale twice a year and stock pile it all until those days only to hope to sell it all and make some extra cash. It all comes back to a heart issue. We have become a nation of greed. We want, want, want. We get. We keep. We want more. When is all this stuff enough? When do we stop and realize that things in our home, extra food on our plate, boxes of goods in a storage unit won't fulfill that longing within us? I walk through my homes and pick up random things that we haven't used, books that go unread, whatever else I can find, and put them all in boxes. If the owner of the item has not realized it is gone within 3 months, it stays in the box until yard sale day, or a give away. That leads me down a tangent, and I apologize in advance. When we try to do something good - like give away toys to kids who don't have - we are told they must be new in box. Really? It just continues the greed. I don't know if the kids would or wouldn't be offended, but seriously? Kids don't have toys. We have too many. We can't give them our excess because it isn't new in box? I understand you don't want to give away junk, but there has to be a better way. This is our country of excess. Millions have nothing. Millions live in poverty, not just next door, but across the sea. We take, and buy, and live a life filled with extras. This isn't what the world needs. I know in my home we will do our best to continue to live with less. I refuse to get an extra holding cell for the things that I don't use anymore. Heck, maybe someone not too picky will want my excess, whether it is new in box or not. |
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May 2023
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