We all suck, at times

None of us are perfect, by any means. I know there are those out there that think they have it all together, never make mistakes, miss appointments, or forget important dates. They just haven't caught up with the 'true me'.

I just finished reading a great article called 'Things that Happen Because I Suck' over at Prisca's Voice. Go read it; it will certainly make you think and perhaps align your life with hers. I know I read 'myself' in many of the things in which she thought she sucked.

I used to be a perfect housekeeper, moreso when my children were small. But, over the years, I have learned there is more to life than a perfectly clean house. I keep a fairly neat house, but by no means is it perfect.I make my bed when I want to, and that's not every day. Some of my closets are like hers, jammed to the max! We have taken time out to clean out our closets, given box after box away, and they seem to just keep getting trashed over and over. I'm guilty of keeping things that I think we will need: doesn't every one? Surely I'll 'be able to get in that suit one day again' - mentality of those unable to get rid of 'things'.

I'm guilty of procrastination big time! My motto should be 'don't put off until tomorrow what you can do today'. But that's too hard; I do what I feel like doing and leave the rest until tomorrow, whenever that comes. If everyone was honest, I am sure they would admit to sometimes procrastinating! Truth?

I cannot say you will find dust bunnies or anything else under my furniture. It's not because I run the vacuum cleaner all the time. But my husband does and he does it often. Now, if you run your finger across my furniture periodically, you may find dust. Gosh, dust seems to settle here all the time.

A week before Christmas, my husband and I took on the job of 'cleaning house'. Almost did us in, but we were determined to have a clean house for Christmas when everyone gathered here. And, on top of that, we knew my Mother would be coming here to recuperate from surgery for a broken hip. Didn't want to have to do much cleaning while she was here. It has really been a life saver for me. It has been so easy to keep a clean house.

But, guess what!! That Christmas tree that was coming down the day after Christmas - it is still up in my living room. The table that goes in front of my picture window is still sitting in my foyer. Well, nobody comes to my front door; if they did, they'd be strangers. So, until I have time (should be doing it now!) to get down all the boxes and get busy for hours, the tree will sit where it is for awhile.

Now, if all this makes me suck, sure I do. I just like to think we all have periods of being lazy. That doesn't make us bad, just humans. And human I am!! After all, Life is not a bowl of cherries. :)

Technorati Tags: Humans, Procrastination

Innocence of the Young

I have a picture of my great granddaughter as my desktop on my laptop. She is so precious. She has things she doesn't like, and is adamant about it. If she doesn't want you to mess with her, you will certainly know it.

But, at her age, they are so innocent. They look to adults to keep them safe, to feed them, and help them with whatever needs they have. They learn from those who are older. We all set standards and rules for the young. If we show them in our own actions what is acceptable and what isn't, then they will more than likely pick up on those actions. Too may parents do things or say things in front of the young that isn't appropriate. Then, when they try to emulate those things, the child is punished. We need to be careful what we say and do in front of the young.

Teenagers are also very easily influenced by their peers. I believe we need to monitor our children's friends to make sure their actions are in line with how we are raising our children. When children spend lots of time with other children,they tend to pick up on things they do or say. And, if there are negative things in their actions, our children will most likely pick up those things. It's easier to keep our children safe and away from those who will tend to influence our children negatively than it is to try and undo what has been done.

Technorati Tags: Children, Teenagers, Innocence

Living in the "Dash"

We attended the funeral of my husband's niece's husband today. It was a very sad occasion. This man was a great man, a Christian, wonderful husband, father, and grandfather. You never saw him unless you saw that sweet smile and you also got a hug. He had them for everyone who was around.

The preacher that preached his funeral had been his pastor only 5 months. But, he had known him for 35 years. So you could say he actually 'knew' him! And, he gave an analogy of life. He said, when you go to the cemetery, you see two numbers on a tombstone - the date of birth and the date of death. There is a dash between the numbers. Therefore, we, who are living, are in the Dash.

The Dash represents the life we show others. Whatever we do during this dash will affect what happens in that last phase. If we know the Lord personally when we die, then we will have eternal life with the Lord. A good life will not get us to heaven. It takes a personal relationship with God. If one leaves this DASH without knowing the Lord, one is lost forever.

We know today that this nephew is gone on to face his maker. And, it was so wonderful to see even a sweet smile on his face in death! It warms your heart to know the life he lived is reflected in his face! I told his wife last night at the viewing that we can tell what he's doing. She said, 'yes, he's living what we have always studied about' - and he's seeing those who had gone on before.

So, live the best life in your Dash - get to know the Lord personally. You will never regret it!

Technorati Tags: Dash, Lord, Life, Death

Through His Eyes

As we grow older, our eyes seem to need more attention. One day, we are fine, reading the smallest of print. Then, all of a sudden, we realize that our eyes aren’t seeing as good as they used to. We find ourselves holding the book closer, maybe squinting to see the words clearly. Then, one day, we realize we probably need glasses, but hesitate to go have our eyes checked.

I had worn only reading glasses for years. Although my daughter had worked for an ophthalmologist for many years, I only got them checked one time in all her years there. She changed jobs over 3 years ago and I finally made it a priority to have my eyes checked again. I ended up getting progressive lens, glasses I can use for all my needs, reading up close or at a distance, and, yes, even on this laptop! I am so pleased. I had them checked again this year and my eyes are still the same as they were then. But I will continue to check on them because I don’t want to be without my ‘eyes’!

Our eyes view others every day. We ‘see’ a thing in people that perhaps helps us may our assessment of those people, whether good or bad. As Christians, we sometimes look at someone without realizing that what we see may not be what God sees. As humans, we have a habit of looking for the first time and make a judgment of that person that may or may not be totally correct. The Bible tells us to first remove the beam from our own eyes before trying to remove the mote from someone else’s eye. I think God want us to love the people, regardless of what we may think about them. Love goes farther than a harsh judgment with a person. If the person is not a Christian, perhaps they will see the love of God in us and want what we have. And, even if that person is a Christian, yet not living a really Godly life,perhaps we will have a chance to help them get closer to God by seeing God at work in our own life.

Technorati Tags: God, Eyes, Love, Christian