My Word for the Year

Here it is April already and the middle, not the beginning, and I am just now picking my word for the year! I never did resolutions or goals this year either. Instead I just survived.

In March I turned 60! How did that happen? I couldn't be that old. I still have an almost 16 year old at home... I thought as I got older, I would get wiser. And yet the reality is that I continually realize how much more I have to learn. Sometimes that learning comes from someone younger, too.

I have had a rough couple of years. There has been a divorce in our family, another one is likely, and we have lost some incredible people in our lives. I also am dealing with some health issues. Plus we are busy. We are busy with homeschooling, co-op, family, grandchildren, church, politics, ministry, and life. Most of it is good! Some of it is hard. I always have a spinning mind of what to do next.

Consequently I don't always give my full attention to things or people. I get distracted. I multitask continuously. I am always thinking ahead. But it has become a fault. I am never fully in the moment. I didn't even realize it until I hurt my youngest daughter. I was not paying attention. I was not hearing her. I was not responding appropriately to her needs. I wounded her by my inattention.

It was not intentional. But it was just as wrong. And I didn't even know how often I was doing it. Even as I was giving a hug, my mind had moved onward. It wasn't just with her; it was becoming a habit with everyone and everything. While I was patting myself on the back for my multitasking, I was being selfish. I was not embracing the present, the gift of now.

I apologized to my daughters and have intentionally tried to pay attention to what I am doing, who I am with.

So my word for the rest of the year is to FOCUS! Focus on what is happening now, who I am with, what I am doing. I need to focus, to be specific. I need to live in the moment, enjoying God's gifts to me today, this hour, this moment.

So my life lesson came from my teen and young adult daughters. I have told them to remind me lest I forget, Say it: FOCUS! Don't miss out. Focus!

Simplicity Learned on Vacation

Simplicity Learned on Vacation

                I know vacation is different than real life/everyday life, but it made me think about what I really need to do life and enjoy it. I was camping so I had to have all the basics with me. I needed a lot less than I do at home.

To start with, we had food with and the basic utensils to cook with including an electric fry pan, a microwave, and a cookstove and grill. We had plates, cups, bowls, silverware and various cooking utensils. I probably take more utensils than some people do because I like having an apple corer with as well as my favorite bread knife. I have certain items I like that make cooking easier for me.

                We sleep in sleeping bags and have pillows and blankets as each prefers. I have a reading light so I can read as late as I like without having lights left on. We are comfortable. We have heat and air conditioning if we need it.

We all brought books with us as well as a Bible and some magazines. We have 2 computers with and a DVD player. These were for downtimes, before bed, and for the long car rides. We spent a lot of time in the car. When we could, we hiked, visited people, went to museums, and various other activities.

We did bring a fair amount of clothes as we were in a wide temperature range. We left home and it was in the 20’s and we were in temps close to 90 later with everything in between. That also presented the dilemma of multiple shoes! We brought sandals and boots. We needed shoes to hike in, walk in, and dress up a bit. Plus we like variety!

Our camper is not big. It has room for 4 to sleep in and a small bathroom/shower. It does not have a table, but has counter space to cook on or do dishes, etc. It doesn’t have much in it that is decorative; it is mostly functional.

Yet it was enough. We didn’t miss many of our belongings. We were content. We were satisfied. It has made me think about all we surround ourselves with. What of it do we need? Which things are important to us? What would we replace if something happened to it?

I have a very nice home- one filled with things I love. But do I need all those wonderful things? If something happened to me, would they be a burden to those I left them to? I feel I need to take another look at my home and really think about what is important to me. I need to think about downsizing and keeping only what I use or love. This is not a new concept. It is something you can find multiple books about and can find multiple internet sites devoted to. I know because I have read them, but it became personal when I went on this vacation and realized how little I can live with and live well with.

Let’s get real here though. I can’t downsize to a tiny house or live as a minimalist. I have 6 children, 16 grandchildren and many guests. I am involved in ministry and my daughters have various commitments that mean storing things for other groups. I baby sit those grandchildren and have overnight guests. I can’t get rid of everything. But I can simplify. Maybe…

It is a task I will try to work on this spring. My spring cleaning will be more intentional and I will work to see what I can change. I don’t want to leave behind a legacy of too much stuff that my children will be dismayed about. I want to leave behind a legacy that says I loved them, enough to not leave too much stuff.

Review- A Fragile Hope by Cynthia Ruchti

Review- A Fragile Hope by Cynthia Ruchti

A Fragile Hope is a story of a married couple in crisis. While the underlying crisis is within their marriage, it becomes much more in the midst of a medical crisis.  It is also complicated by the fact that the husband is a relationship expert and doesn’t even realize his own relationship is in crisis. He only realizes it when he gets the call that his wife is in the hospital from a car accident after trying to leave him.  As he tries to unravel where she was going, with whom, and why, he is deeply hurt and confused. The answers lie with his wife who cannot tell him anything. He must wrestle with the pain of his confusion and hurt, but more so with himself. How can he not have a good marriage? How could his wife have been leaving him? Aren’t the solutions he provides for everyone else truth for their own marriage, too? He must also face that his wife may not live and how he is going to stand with her through her long hospitalization. What will be his priorities now? He faces some tough questions about himself, his wife and his future. How will he find the answers?

The characters have real hurts, dilemmas, and pain. We feel it with them. We struggle with them through their crisis. It becomes very real to the reader.

While the crisis feels real, and oftentimes heavy, there are lessons learned. Past hurts become obstacles to surviving this crisis, but hope comes in many different unexpected ways. Hope becomes the strength that makes survival possible.  Faith gives hope its root to grow. We are not left in the crisis, but see forgiveness, faith, and hope transcend it to bring real healing on many levels in many ways.

A Fragile Hope is a story that will touch your emotions and heart. You will feel with the characters, but your own life will be challenged and inspired by this story.