When You Are Discouraged…

Photo by that famous photographer Ken White.

I’ve been following a blogger, for the past couple months that I enjoy because she causes me to stop and think. Here is a quote from one of Rachael Held Evans blogs that I found particularly helpful:

“Most of the time, when I am discouraged about the state of Christianity, it’s because I have forgotten the end of the story. […] Living as those who know the end of the story means living with a degree of righteous anger, yes, but also living with unexplainable hope, optimism, and love. So when I get discouraged, I read the Beatitudes—and instead of fretting about the lack of these qualities in others, I focus on the lack of these qualities within me. I am responsible only for following Jesus in my life, whether that brings popularity or obscurity. And I can do this with joy and with peace because I know how the story ends.”

Thankful for The River

• Warm
• Secure
• Welcoming
• Friendly

These are words that come to mind when I think about the place I have been spending my Friday afternoons for the last couple of years. You can read about The River by clicking here. I want to focus on a couple things that stood out today. The River is known for its warmth:

1. Physically – One woman walked in from the cold today and excitedly said, “I KNEW it would be warm in here.” (My Michigan family will not think that 48 is cold.)
2. Emotionally – One woman was sad today remembering her daughter who would have been celebrating her 36th birthday (if she were alive). We sang happy birthday. I don’t cry easily, but I was doing all I could to hold on through the whole song.

I hope you have a place to go that is warm – in both senses of the word. If you do, I hope you will make a place like that for someone else.

Change

This week a friend sent me this 10-minute video clip. I had to share it and will warn you that it may be necessary to have a box of tissues beside you. Simply click on the picture below. I’ll be curious to know if it sticks with you all week. . . and beyond.

 

Make Good Choices

Books and movies have given our family some  standard “lines” that we use on each other. For example, when Jamie Lee Curtis (in the movie, “Freaky Friday”) drops her high school daughter off at school in the mornings, she yells, “MAKE GOOD CHOICES, HONEY!” to the daughter’s utter embarrassment.  I love the “utter embarrassment” part.

Right, kids?

Though I joke about making good choices, it is a pretty serious thing. I see bad choices being made on a daily basis now that I’m back in college full time, and am reminded of my OWN bad choices. And unfortunately, life is not fair. One person can make a bad choice and it’s a little set-back, while someone else can make the same bad choice and it ruins their life.

We make bad choices in many areas, but one area that I see repeatedly with long-lasting effects is relationships.

• Location, location, location. You thought that term was just related to buying a house. Choose honor’s classes whenever you can in high school and college. Hanging out with smart people really does make you smarter.
  

  Our swim coach likes to be able to say that he has the atheletes with the highest GPA. Therefore, three of my kids have always been more worried about what the coach would say about a lower grade.

• Healthy Living. If you want to exercise more or learn to eat right, hang out with healthy people. I have surrounded myself with people who eat right (most of the time) and like physical activity. Therefore, they push me to go for a run or a walk when I’d actually rather sit on the couch and watch a chick flick.
  

  Unicoi Fire Tower, Thanksgiving weekend 2010

• Like-Minded Friends. There are rare occurrences, like the Twilight series, when TRUE opposites can attract, but I think you will have more joy and less stress if you choose friends who are like-minded. You CAN swim upstream, but it will take a lot more work.
• Homeostasis is good. Life does NOT have to look like the movie version, nor does it have to look like a country western song. “Back to ‘normal’ state” is how a guy in my Motivation & Emotion class worded the experience of coming down off a Honeymoon high.
• Enjoy yourself. The older I get, the more I enjoy quiet time on my own.

All together now, "Make good choices."

The Results Are In…

…well, MY results are in. 🙂 I have found out that OUR kitchen is used more than the average cited in the last blog, “women 5.5 hours and men 1.75 hours.”

Tom came in at 3 hours and 25 minutes...but I don't think he wrote his time in every time he swept or washed dishes.

Nathan came in at 1 hour and 15 minutes...bringing the males in the family up to 4 hours and 40 minutes! Go Bier Boys!

I came in at 7 hours and 35 minutes. I tried to capture all of my cooking and cleaning time in the kitchen so mine should be accurate.

I know, I know – the article was “on average,” but I just thought it seemed low. Of course, that’s looking through MY filter. Hey, Thanksgiving might be a great week to figure our time! All of the kids will be home from college. On second thought, nevermind, I think I’ll play a game instead of recording my time.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving. And remember (this is a copy of one of my favorite Mary Englebright drawings):

Secret Location Revealed

I finally remembered to bring my camera when visiting my secret hide-away.

Northeast State's Wayne G. Basler Library - 3rd Floor

Notice the comfy chair - one of many located all along the windows (I should have had one of the librarians take my photo) and the beautiful view. A picture to the right, that I didn't take for some reason, would have shown you airplanes lifting off from the Tri-Cities Airport. (Also known as "TRI" if you'd like to visit.)

And the morning I brought the camera, I was able to catch a gorgeous rainbow.

...and notice there are only two people enjoying the peace and quiet (though there were a couple other groups in the side study rooms, not pictured).

So, now you know my secret. I love libraries. I have favorite libraries everywhere I have lived AND from many places I have visited. Check out a few of the others that I’ve grown to love over the years:

Muskoka Lakes Public Library

Allegan Public Library

Hackley Public Library

Johnson City Public Library

The ONLY thing that ALL of these libraries are missing? …a good cup of coffee. 🙂

I Declare…It’s My Favorite!

Wok and Hibachi, that is. They serve the best Japanese and Chinese food in town…consistently. And I love Janet, the owner. She enjoys talking to her customers. What a concept!

Nathan is on Fall break this week and he spent the night away from home. I called Tom, as I usually do on my drive home from class, and asked him out on a date. There ARE benefits to an empty nest, you know. We met and had the Seafood pot…I’ll say no more. You just need to try it.

The food at the top of my personal food chain is Hot and Sour Soup. Wok and Hibachi serves the best that I’ve ever had…and I have had many. It began as a pregnancy craving with my oldest child 24 years ago and has now moved to the addiction stage.

I’ve decided to schedule the posting of the blog for the time that I used to have my strongest cravings during pregnancy…and Tom would try to find it for me. We lived in Florida at the time so it was a bit easier, but not as good as Janet’s.

When You’re Down and Troubled…

Friends are great, aren’t they? I have made some wonderful friends over the years – many of them live too far away for me to enjoy as often as I would like…

Today, I was shopping at Beaty Shoes here in Johnson City, TN. I had a stressful day at school after a Biology Lab exam gone awry and needed some shopping therapy.

As I was walking down the aisle, two older women were sitting on a bench. One was trying on shoes, the other was observing. The first stood in front of the floor mirror looking at the shoes…her friend said, “Those are hideous from the back!” I burst out laughing. Honestly, I couldn’t control it. They both looked over at me, maybe surprised that I had overheard the comment and I said, “May I borrow your honest friend while I shop?”

Now that I think about it, maybe that was her sister. At least that’s how MY sister and I shop. 🙂 Friends might say it a little sweeter like, “Oh, how about this pair instead.”

Ah . . . Beauty and Relaxation all in One

There are many places I enjoy going to relax. Here…

Muskoka - Canada

…or here…

Cedarville, MI

…or  here…

Pier Marquette, Muskegon, Michigan

Unfortunately, they are far-far away. So when I need to relax (and I don’t feel like hiking on the Appalachian trail; and I don’t feel like sitting in my back yard because then I can remember all the chores I SHOULD be doing instead of sitting out there relaxing), there is a place I have found.

I am a little hesitant to tell you about it. You see, part of the reason it is relaxing is because people have not discovered it. It was built to be enjoyed by many people and the views are spectacular (in every season). Why haven’t people discovered it? Every day, at least 2,000 people walk right past it, and yet on any given day there are never more than 15 or 20 that take advantage of the views or the relaxing atmosphere.

Okay, I thought I was willing to share it. . . but I’ve changed my mind. Not yet.

Garden Update

It has been a sad year for our garden. The production of vegetables has been very poor. I’ve been thinking about a comment my dad made regarding a flower bush that they have. He said, “Year after year we mess with it, feed it fertilizer, give it extra water…and we’ve never had more than one flower on it. This year, we didn’t touch it and it’s FULL of flowers.” So, it’s made me wonder if I’ve messed too much with my garden. My neighbor ’tills up his clay each year and plants his garden and the result is gorgeous plants with an abundance of vegetables, which he kindly shares with us. Good thing, because we set up these “Square Foot Garden” beds and have a pathetic looking (and producing) garden. Next year we are going to ’till the garden area and stick the plants in.

In the meantime, the plants that we didn’t touch this year looked beautiful!

One exception in my garden was the radishes...my first year growing them. Unfortunately, I am the only one in our family that likes radishes.

This bush came from my sister-in-law. Two plants were together in the clump - BONUS! And they seem to like each other. It's a gorgeous bush.

This one came from my sister-in-law in Michigan. It seems to really enjoy Tennessee.

What can I say, the day lillies love our back yard.