Archives for October 2007

Have Some Fun

Over at relevantblog, Mary started a blog-tag (a 10-20-30 virus so to speak) by asking: Quick: What were you doing ten, twenty, thirty years ago?

My answers:
10 years ago: One daughter was a junior in high school and the other was in 8th grade. I had been part-time freelance writing almost 2 years but was still a stay-at-home mom so I could be available to my family. I found myself having to put pretty much everything on hold while helping care for my mother-in-law who was having serious health problems. I spent a great deal of my time in hospitals that year.

20 years ago: Gosh, my girls were just 7 and 4, and I was a full-time mom and homemaker. My writing at that point consisted pretty much of only a yearly original Christmas poem that I put in all my Christmas cards. When I wasn’t busy with my girls, I was involved in activities and ministries at my church.

30 years ago: Now I’m dating myself because I was an adult even at this point — though a young enough one that I didn’t feel totally like one yet :) I had just finished college at Pittsburg State University in Pittsburg, KS, with a BSED (major in English) and was a first-year junior high school teacher. I was a relatively new newlywed — less than 2 years — the before kids era.

So … here’s what Mary says for instructions …
“It’s an experiment to see how many degrees we can separate (kind of like Kevin Bacon, only it’s relevantblog). Even if you’re not tagged, don’t be crabby, just take up the baton and run with it. Here’s what I ask: Have folks post their 10-20-30s, and then link back to the Mother Ship (http://www.relevantblog.blogspot.com/) saying where you heard about this experiment and sharing where you blog. This isn’t to build my empire, it’s to find out how far we can expand the blogosphere. After all this talk about blog tours, it got me thinking. How many people can one blog potentially reach?”

Mary tagged people and told anyone to play. I think I’m going to say that if you’ve read this far you’re also tagged … let me know that you played by leaving comments, please. Let’s see how far this can go!! (This is just for fun — I’ll get back to more of my regular-type posts tomorrow!)

Unexpected Detours

It never ceases to amaze me how Don and I end up taking unexpected “detours” during our travels. Even on our simplest journeys, we invariably find ourselves on a wrong road at some point. I won’t name the driver, but it’s not usually me if that helps you narrow it down :) I better not criticize too heavily, though, because you know who relies on me to provide directions. Some people have an uncanny sense of direction while others have no sense of direction at all. Don just happens to fall into the latter category.

This past weekend we made a trip over to visit Kristin and Shawn. They are just a 2 1/2 hour drive from us, but we still managed to have a foul-up on our way there. In our defense, I could point out that this is only the 4th time we’ve made the trip since they got married, but that sounds pretty pathetic. To be honest, we simply missed our exit off the interstate — even though it is plainly marked with a huge sign. How, you might ask, could we make such an error? Well, I made the mistake of looking at a magazine instead of watching Don like a hawk, and he made the mistake of chatting with me. A few miles down the road and some “good griefs” later, we righted the wrong and continued on our way. Chalk that one up to “distraction” (aka not paying attention).

Now on the way home, it was a different story. Hold on — I didn’t say better, just different. That pesky interstate. This time Don jumped the gun. Instead of waiting for the sign that marked the interstate, he saw a sign that mentioned the city next to the interstate and off he veered. And me? What was I doing? I just watched it happen. I would like to blame it on post-nap stupor, but I had been awake for several minutes at that point. I did, however, realize the mistake as soon as it was made. After a few more “good griefs” and a quick turn-around, Don spotted the interstate sign and made a beeline for it. Chalk that one up to “confusion” (aka brain fog).

As you can see, a variety of things can factor in to our unexpected detours. Like the ones just described, some can be blamed on being distracted and not reading the signs while others can be blamed on reading the signs but making a choice that turns out to be wrong. Of course, there are also the times we see the signs too late and drive right past the roads we should have taken. Let me just point out that these are never pleasant experiences.

Our weekend adventures of watching (or not watching) road signs made me think of how we travel through life. God has placed many signs along the way to point us to the roads we should travel, but many times we are too distracted to pay attention to His directions. Sometimes we are just going too fast and don’t see His signs until it’s too late. Other times, for whatever reason, we simply choose to make a wrong turn. These mistakes lead to unpleasant experiences, too.

God wants the best for us. Let’s be wise and pay attention to His signs and directions. They can be found all around us, but a couple of good places to start looking are in the Bible and in the wise counsel of those who have, at some point, traveled the road before us. Take a moment to reread this week’s Words To Live By and then “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” (Proverbs 3:5-6 KJV)

A Taste of Fall

We’ve been out of town this weekend so instead of writing something new, I thought I would share a poem that I wrote some years back. I hope it will whet your appetite for the the coming weeks of autumn. Try to make time to go for your own walk out in the great outdoors this fall — and don’t forget to commune with the great Creator of it all while you’re out there. You will surely be refreshed.

Autumn Inspiration

A walk through the woods
On a clear autumn day
Renews my spirit
As I walk and pray.

The countryside is brightened
By the sun’s gentle rays,
And the leaves are at their autumn best
For a few more glorious days.

I drink in the beauty surrounding me
And thank our Father in heaven above
For the endless miracles in nature
That He’s created with power and love.

The God of this magnificent world
Is surely able to meet my needs,
As even now I head back home
Refreshed and walking where He leads.

“O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!” Psalm 8:1 NIV

The Bigger Blessing

I made a drop-in visit on an elderly friend the other day, and I’m not sure who got the bigger blessing. Her eyes lit up when she saw me step into her apartment at the assisted living facility where she now lives, and my step was lighter as I walked back to my car after about 45 minutes of lively talk, smiles, and a couple of hugs. I guess we’ll call it a toss-up. We both enjoyed the time together.

Mrs. K. lived across the street from us for over 25 years. She kept a careful eye on all the neighborhood happenings, and this, of course, included seeing our girls grow up all too quickly. She happily watched them graduate from strollers, to trikes, to bikes, to cars. After they left home for college, she always asked about them and loved keeping up on their news. When her husband passed away unexpectedly several years ago at home, Don and I were able to go over and offer a little support and assure her of our presence just across the street. We were thankful we could be a neighbor to her then.

I believe Mrs. K. is now 91 years old. Her mind is as sharp as ever, but her body has not been quite as cooperative. Moving to assisted living a couple of years ago gave her out-of-state family peace of mind and has given her the help she needs when she needs it.

When I drop in to see her (which is not as often as I should!), she still asks about the girls, and I catch her up on neighborhood news. She doesn’t dwell on her physical ailments but instead engages me in interesting conversation. The hug that she gave me as I left the other day felt more precious than ever. She thanked me for coming and admitted that sometimes she can feel forgotten. I’m so glad I followed that inner nudge and took the time to visit her.

When I think of how blessed I feel after dropping in on her, I wonder why I don’t do it more. But you know how it is. Too many things to do and not enough time to do them. Sound familiar? You think maybe some of our things should wait? We need to learn to carve out time for what’s important, don’t we? Do you know someone who might feel forgotten? Take time to let them know that you remember — and then try to figure out who got the bigger blessing.

“I long to see you so that…you and I may be mutually encouraged…” Romans 1:11-12