Melissa from Chicago wrote, “Happy No Stuff November! So excited about this. And reminded that we live in luxury to be excited about getting rid of stuff. What a sobering thought.” Amen to that, Melissa! What one thing are you getting rid of today? Me? A broken lamp. Why? Because I have enough lamps and … Continue reading
Filed under Family …
Countdown to No Stuff November!
Hey “No Stuffers!” Three days till November! Take the next few days to get ready. Print out the No Stuff November Calendar 2017, gather bags/boxes to collect your ‘stuff’, decide what organization you are going to donate to. Let’s do this!
No Stuff November
Join my family and me for No Stuff November! By the time thanksgiving arrives, we are going to get rid of 630 (or more!) items from our house. How? Each day, each of us will get rid of the number of items according to the day of the month (i.e. on Nov. 11th we each … Continue reading
Parental Power
Wise words on parenting – “I don’t think my family realizes that my reactions to events can change their perception of them. I don’t think they know how much power I have to make a moment good or bad. But I do.” -Heather Lende, “If You Lived Here I’d Know Your Name”
Family isn’t relative.
In a world where so much is relative (situational, contextual and individual), family is more important than ever. Staying connected to my family keeps me grounded. I’m rooted in a story that transcends trends. There is a clear connection to a people and place that in part reminds me of who I am. It’s the … Continue reading
Annoyingly Desirable
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%2046:10&version=TNIV
Most people respond with pity when I tell them I spent my week’s vacation with my in-laws. They assume that it is NOT a vacation. But contrary to caricatures, I enjoy our time together. My husband’s folks are non-intrusive and gracious… except there is one thing that annoys me – my father-in-law’s speed. Everything (I mean everything) he does at his own pace – very, very slowly.
One evening, the entire family was downstairs, dressed and ready to go out for dinner, except for dad. “What’s he doing up there,” my husband quipped, “getting a massage and manicure?” Nope. He was just getting ready to take a shower. Yes… getting ready to take a shower.
Dad’s low gear can drive me nuts. Yet, at the same time I admire him for it. I rush through so much of life, missing much of it. But not dad. Dad lives fully into every moment he has, savoring it. I know he wasn’t always this slow but retirement has granted him the space to breathe. “Everyday’s a holiday!” he says. What a wonderful outlook on life.
A holiday is the observance of a significant day. It is derived from “Holy Day.” So what dad says is true, everyday is a holy-day. Everyday is significant. That annoying trait of his is one I actually desire. I need to slow down and savor it. How do you shift into a lower gear?
Genesis 1:31 Psalm 42:6-8 Psalm 46:10
tiny tattoos 