Being Blessed and Being Lucky are Two Different Things

Yesterday, during a meeting with some co-workers, the conversation turned to the idea of being blessed.  An  awareness of my blessings and God's presence in my daily routine is the basis for this blog and a big part of my everyday life.  That being said, I know several people who are going through a very difficult personal time right now.  I wondered if they would describe themselves as blessed?

When things are going well it's easy to embrace the idea that we are all blessed, even when life is bad.  But how does that translate in times of true personal despair?  I hope, under more challenging circumstances, I could still embrace my blessings. 

Today I spoke with a woman whose husband was recently diagnosed with stage four cancer.  In a moment, her life changed forever.  I was calling to tell her a group of women from our church wanted to provide meals for her family.  She was overwhelmed by our simple response to her needs.  She felt blessed. 

That's faith.  Living life from a place of grace allows us to trust God's active presence in our lives - in good times and in bad.  Being lucky and being blessed are indeed two different things. 

Luck runs out.  I'll take blessed.

Get Your Green On

Happy Birthday, Earth Day! 

Today marks the 40th anniversary of Earth Day and according to my six year old you must wear green today. Apparently she's taken the idea of being green literally. As we headed off to work and school this morning I realized we are one green beer away from looking like a band of leprechauns. When you think about it, Earth day and St. Patrick's day are kind of similar. Just as everyone is Irish on St. Patty's Day, we're collectively green today.

I live in the shadows of the very green. This year, Earth Day happens to fall on garbage day in my neighborhood - the day of the week when I feel most inadequate in my quest to keep up with the Joneses, or in our case, the Green's. My neighbor is a passionate environmentalist. She manages to throw away very little trash each week and I'm always paranoid she's peering over at our driveway, taking inventory of just how much we've accumulated. Her weekly audit may be a little off. Frankly, I'm fudging the numbers. I am not above sitting on filled trash bags so they are more compact and thus allowing for more bags per can. "See," I say to myself as I drag my overstuffed cans to the curb, "we're green, too. Just a lighter shade."

Then there's my brother-in-law, the LEED certified green engineer who's building a sustainable home for his family in Florida complete with self-composting toilets. I can't imagine there's enough air freshener in the world (not that I would ever spray chemicals into the air to mask an odor) to make that seem like a good idea.

Face it, the frog was right. It's not always easy being green and sometimes it's downright intimidating. While I might never make it to the ranks of a full-blown environmentalist, each day I take small steps to ensure that I am being a good steward of creation. I don't turn on the lights in the house when the sunshine is streaming in. I don't use the television for background noise. I ended my addiction to paper towel cold turkey a few years ago and now only use rags which I wash in cold water. I shop the local farmer's market during the growing season. I make every attempt to separate my garbage into what's recyclable and what's not. I'm passionate about preserving our Great Lakes.  I mostly pack reusable containers in our school lunches and I teach my children that the world is a marvelous place deserving of our love and attention.

It's Earth Day and for the next 24-hours everyone is green. Let's pledge to do what we can to take care of the planet. Even if you're not ecologically advanced you can mark the occasion. I plan to celebrate Earth by enjoying her company. Open a window and let the brisk spring air fill your home, take a walk, notice the beautiful blue of the sky, say a prayer for the Earth and all that inhabit her, and if you can't plant a tree, at least take a few minutes to sit under one.

It's Earth Day. Now go get your green on.

Heaven and the heaven of heavens belong to the LORD your God, the earth with all that is in it. Deuteronomy 10:14

Woven Together

"What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone, but what is woven into the lives of others." --Pericles

I spent Saturday facilitating a retreat and exploring common threads with a group of women from Mount Pleasant Lutheran Church in Racine.  It was a full day of basket weaving (which is not unlike going through a ropes course) and reflecting on how we are woven together and for what purpose. 

I learned a few things about myself during our time together.  First of all, I'm not much of a basket weaver.  In fact, I'm all thumbs.  Guess what?  It doesn't matter.  The bigger lesson I learned is that it's not about the basket.  Our retreat helped me to realize that while baskets aren't my bag, I am a weaver nonetheless.  I'm the common thread that connects many of the people in my life. 

We don't live in parallel.  We criss cross and connect with people we know, and many we don't, through our relationships and interactions.  How we live matters. 

We all stand at the center of an intricate web that radiates from us and encircles the people we know and love.  How we live our lives is important to the people connected to and by us.  We can be the strand of kindness, generosity, faithfulness, joy and understanding that runs through our families, friendships and communities.

Take some time to assess the tapestry that is your life.  Are there ties that need to be cut?  Are you hanging on by a thread?  Are you mindful of how and what you are weaving? Are you creating something lasting and beautiful? 

Our lives are woven together. 

What pattern are you weaving?

My Guy

"There's something about the outside of a horse that's good for the inside of a man."
-- Sir Winston Churchill

Four years ago today I became the mother of a son.  When he was born we were already the parents of two young daughters.  I'd always dreamed of a large family so while many people assumed we were, "trying for a boy," we were actually just thrilled about a baby.  Frankly, I was so engrossed in caring for our girls it never really occured to me that the baby might really be a boy.

During a routine ultrasound, the doctor told us we'd need to replace some of our pink with blue.  Our oldest daughter looked at me with big, serious eyes and asked, "Mom, do you know anything about having a boy?"   The honest answer was no, but I reassured her that before she was born I hadn't known a whole lot about having a girl, either, and that seemed to be working out fine. 

Four years later, I appreciate her logical question even more.  Having a little boy in the house does change the family dynamic.  Calvin has an energy and a physicality that is completely different from our three girls.  He's always on the move and fancies himself a real cowboy.  He rides around the house on a stick horse, is a whiz with a lasoo, and seems to live by the motto, "Why walk when you can gallop?"  And really, why?

I often thank God for diversifying our little family with a son.  Calvin has been such a blessing.  He takes me out of my comfort zone and stretches me as both a mother and a person.  Before Calvin came into my life I had never looked at the world through a man's eyes but now, as his mom, I do.

I pray for a world that is equally safe and gentle for my son and my daughters.  I find myself comparing the social expectations for young men with my sweet boy who is funny, thoughtful, imaginitive, affectionate, honest and joyful.  I hope he never gives up his authentic self to more easily meet the expectation of others and I pray that I can teach him that the qualities he so naturally exudes as a small child will serve him well his whole life through.

After he was born, some breathing difficulties landed us in the neo-natal intensive care unit.  Our extended time in the hospital gave me a chance to spend quiet time with him before we went home to the rest of the family.  I remember sitting in the hospital, holding his tiny hand in mine, and thinking, "You're hand is so small and fragile, and mine is so big and strong."  I couldn't help but wonder if some day, many years in the future, we might find ourselves in another quiet hopsital room.  Perhaps he will hold my small, fragile hand in his big strong hands and know what I have known and cherished since the situation was reversed, that nurturing and caring for the people you love is more than time well spent, it's life's great honor. 

"There's something about the spirit of a son that's good for the heart of a mother."

-- Me.

Road Trip

"Laughter is an instant vacation."
 - Milton Berle

It's spring break and guess who isn't going anywhere again this year?  Yep, me. 

The big problem with spring break is that it falls right during the heart of tax season and my husband, the CPA, is not even coming up for air right now never mind taking a vacation.  So...here I am in picturesque Racine, Wisconsin enjoying a week at home, essentially alone, with my four kiddos. 

Actually, it's been a pretty good week.  Lots of playing outside, reading books, coloring, and going to the park.  Not too shabby.

Today I went to work for a few hours and coersed (pretty easily) one of my co-workers into taking a road trip with me.  I'm working on a program and needed some supplies and her second opinion.  Off we went.

I should have known it would be a productive trip (add sarcasm) when we started driving out of the parking lot and realized that we didn't have directions or an address.  After a quick call to the office we were back in business - until the boss called to say he'd found my wallet in the bathroom.  Not to be deterred, we forged ahead with the understanding that Carol would be in charge of the day's finances. 

About thirty minutes in and clearly lost, we stopped for another quick call to the office navigator, filled my tank with gas on Carol's dime, and we were off and running.  We finally reached what turned out to be a dirty and dismal destination, made some executive descisions and purchases, and stopped for a bite to eat. 

As is usually the case when I'm with Carol, I spent most the day laughing.  Her good sense of humor and easy way are a real blessing to me.  I came home reminded that sometimes a little break from the daily grind is all we really need.  So, I can honestly say that I am not envious of your trips to Florida, the Dominican Republic, California or Arizona (you know who you are).  I went to Oak Creek for spring break... so take that!

Spring is here... with her promise of something beautiful

The seemingly dead branch I've been nurturing in my sunroom window for the past few weeks has started to bud.  It's a lilac, one of my springtime favorites, so I've been willing to brush off my husband's skeptical, "Why do we have a big stick in the window?" with a knowing, "You'll see." 

I'm always slightly amazed, and relieved, when spring makes her gentle return.  An unrelenting Wisconsin winter can really freeze the life out things - but, not quite.  Spring reminds us of that when she warmly wafts back with her promise of something softer, something beautiful.

The dead branch in my window wasn't dead at all.  It was just waiting for the right time to wake up again.  It was patiently waiting for the darkness to give way to a longer day; to bask in the attentive care of the sun. 

In spring, God proves his great timing.  After forty days of darkness, we, too, are eager to bask in the attentive care of the Son. 

This week especially, we know that we are not alone - even when life is cold and gray.  Jesus shares our winter in a way that is incredibly real and personal. And, like us, he has known spring. 

At Eastertime, his winter is over.  And so is ours. 

It's been a long, dark season. An unrelenting world can really freeze the life out of things - but, not quite.
Moreso than spring, Jesus reminds us of that when he lovingly comes back with his promise of something softer, something beautiful!

An Egg-cellent Day!

This April Fool's Day was particularily mischievous at our house. The kids were up at the crack of dawn rolling out all of the pranks they've been cooking up for days. It started before 6:00 am with screams of, "Calvin's throwing up! Calvin's throwing up! Come quick!" and continued with spoons in my husband's dress shoes, a ketchup bloody nose, and an announcement that the classroom lizzard had died the day before. Funny stuff. When it became clear that we would be getting a steady diet of pranks I adopted an enthusiastic, "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em" attitude. I sent the girls to school with empty lunch boxes and hid in the principal's office when they came in to call home to report my error. Then I took them home for a picnic complete with a plastic snake on the patio chair.  I served fried egg sandwiches (pound cake, whipping cream and nectarines) and what could have been an annoying day turned into something special. I'm not going to suggest you make lemonade out of lemons or anything like that. But I will say, "This is your life and your day. Live it with a joyful heart!"

"So I commend the enjoyment of life, because nothing is better for a person under the sun than to eat and drink and be glad. Then joy will accompany you in your work all the days of the life God has given you." Ecclesiastes 8:15