When I was a child, my parents had this hatbox full of random pictures. They were all mixed together - from different decades and different places - and few of them were marked. We used to get them out occasionally and look through them. We would have to ask my mother who this or that person was or where a particular picture was taken or in what year. My mom or dad could identify most, but they often would forget a last name or could only pin down a date to a span of years. We used to tell my mom that she really should go through them and label and organize them in some way. Then when she was no longer around to tell us about the pictures, we would be able to identify and decipher our own history. I used to think to myself, "When I become an adult, I will make sure to label and organize pictures well, so that my kids will have a great way to navigate through their past and mine."
So, to this end, a few years before I had kids, I took up scrapbooking. I loved scrapbooking, because I could write in important details about an event I didn't want to forget or I could add in keepsake items, like a ticket stub. But it took me FOREVER to complete each page. I would ponder on themes and designs for a long time before I even started cutting and pasting. After my themes and designs were decided, I would painstakingly attempt to make everything perfect. And, honestly, I just didn't know where to start. I had so many pictures from my 20+ years and albums of all size, shape, and color, that I felt overwhelmed. When I got pregnant, I had only made one complete scrapbook of our wedding photos and another book that was basically a hodgepodge of recent pictures. I decided my dreams of getting everything scrapbooked may be fulfilled in the months after I had my firstborn. I wouldn't be working full-time and babies sleep during the day a lot, so I would have plenty of time, right? So a few months before I had Elias, I spent my entire Christmas vacation sorting through pictures and getting them in picture boxes, so that when the baby arrived, I would have all my pictures ready to let the scrapbooking fest begin! Well, every mom knows that thinking was a bit naive, to say the least. So, the picture boxes have sat virtually untouched, besides when I throw some new pictures in on top of the ones that were categorized. So now these boxes that once held such organization and scrapbooking potential, are only one step above the hat box that my mother used. To make matters even worse, since I was planning on scrapbooking them, I didn't write on the backs of many of them, because I knew that I would be sticking them on a sheet and labeling them on my beautifully designed pages.
I noticed that I could not fit another picture in the boxes that were in more and more disarray by the month. I brought them out today and attempted to organize them better & to write on the backs of each picture, since they will probably end up in old-fashioned albums with regular picture slots. I found myself often straining to remember a name or trying to deduce by my hairstyle or how old a niece or nephew appeared what year the picture may have been taken. And I think how much of my life has occurred with people who I probably will never see again this side of heaven and how surprised I am that I have forgotten things I never thought I would or drifted away from people who were once my dearest friends. But life goes on and old snapshots get replaced with new ones and life would be very dull and lonely if they didn't. Now that hatbox up on my parents' closet shelf is not just a box of disarray, but a box that reflects a life well spent. Life is a hodgepodge of people and events and even if they are from different decades or different places, somehow it all becomes intermingled into who we are, who we are with, and what we are doing today.
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Gifted Hands
We watched the movie "Gifted Hands" last night and it was one of the best movies I have seen in a long time. It is unfortunate that it didn't make it big at the box office, but it is definitely worth renting and even buying - and we hardly ever buy movies. It is based on the true story of the man who is the head of the pediatric neurology department at Johns Hopkins Hospital and is known as one of the best neurosurgeons in the world. It reminded me what a miracle our bodies and brains are and that they are miraculous because God designed them. It is a message that would have been meaningful to me any time, but especially so right now. Ben Carson, who thought he wanted to be a missionary doctor when he was a child is a missionary in Baltimore, MD, with parents bringing their children to him from all over the world. If you happen to rent the movie, be sure to check out the special features. There is an interview with Ben Carson and Cuba Gooding Jr., who plays him in the movie. It is unfortunate that movies that lack any moral or intellectual value rack up millions of dollars from movie goers, but a movie that celebrates the life of a real hero barely receives notice, even when it has quality acting and production.
So, I give the movie two thumbs up! Heck, I will throw in the rest of my fingers and even some of my toes while I am at it!
So, I give the movie two thumbs up! Heck, I will throw in the rest of my fingers and even some of my toes while I am at it!
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Days like today...
There are days like today where I know that I am completely full of myself and so distracted by unimportant things and so persuaded by my own sense of wisdom or justice, that I have lost my way even when I thought I had never left it. I wish that I didn't have to come to that realization through hard circumstances, not always my own. My heart is heavy and I feel like I have to do something about it. But there is nothing I can do about a situation that even now is bringing tears to my eyes, a pain in my chest and the urge to stifle an angry scream. To think that I was just yesterday complaining about the snow and my kids makes me sick to my stomach. How can I be so selfish? How can I be so foolish? What gives me the right to think that I can achieve protection from hardship when others suffer far worse things than me? How can I talk about myself when others need to be heard? What am I missing out on by spending so much time feeling frustrated with my own downfalls? Who is being neglected when I am focusing my thoughts on self-preservation? I have so much yet to learn and so far yet to go, and I have to have that lesson taught to me on a regular basis. Heaven forbid I ever stop getting that opportunity.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Unnecessary Quotes
As a person who feels I have pretty decent grammar, I am somewhat embarrassed at the amount of quotation marks I use. Someone once sent me a link to the web site below and every time I go to it, I laugh so hard I cry. Hope you all enjoy and have a "good" day! HEE HEE!!
http://www.unnecessaryquotes.com/
I think they need another site for unnecessary apostrophes, which is a personal pet peeve. I see so many signs with them and wonder if it is a random mistake or if people really don't know the appropriate time to use them. But, alas, I don't think they would be nearly as funny.
http://www.unnecessaryquotes.com/
I think they need another site for unnecessary apostrophes, which is a personal pet peeve. I see so many signs with them and wonder if it is a random mistake or if people really don't know the appropriate time to use them. But, alas, I don't think they would be nearly as funny.
Love and forgiveness
I am working on a study of Hebrews right now and I had an epiphany the other day when I was working through chapter 8. The book that I am using has you read the chapter and then has you answer reflection questions about what you read. The questions were as follows: What do you expect from a friend when you ask for forgiveness? What can we expect from God when we confess our sins to him? How can you remind yourself that God has forgiven you and does not hold your sin against you? Why do we sometimes doubt God's forgiveness?...and the questions go on, but in answering this last question is where God opened my eyes to a truth that I have always known, but have never connected in the way I did a few days ago. When I was answering the question about what I expect when I ask forgiveness of a friend, my response was that it depended on the friend from whom I was asking forgiveness. If that person was a person who tended to hold grudges or harbor hurt feelings, then I knew there would be a period of awkwardness and feelings of guilt and frustration. If it was a person who had been hurt many times (maybe even by me) and found it hard to trust people, my mistake may cause a barrier in the relationship that would have to be removed over time to renew the trust. Then when I got to the question about God and what we can expect from him when we ask forgiveness and why it is easy to doubt God's forgiveness, there was the obvious answer. God will forgive us when we ask, because the Bible tells me so and I doubt his forgiveness because I equate my relationship with him with my relationship with others. But then as I sat and thought about it, an even bigger truth sprang into my mind. It was a verse from 1 Corinthians - and it is not verse 5 that says "Love keeps no record of wrongs", though that applies here too. It was verse 6, "[Love] always protects, always trusts, always hopes, and always perseveres." And who is God? God is love. One of the reasons we have trouble showing forgiveness to one another is because, frankly, it is hard to trust someone who has hurt you. But it is against God's character not to trust us. He trusts us, even when we feel like we cannot trust ourselves. He hopes for us, even when we feel like we are hopeless. So when we ask for forgiveness, he doesn't think, "Yeah, yeah, I'll just wait until the next time and I bet you'll do it again." It isn't that God is naive, he just knows us and he trusts us. He knows our hearts and our motivations. Whenever I am not sure if my heart is really wanting to be redeemed from a sin or if I am going through a difficult relational issue or if I am going into a situation where I may be tempted to sin, I concentrate of the last verse of psalm 19, "May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight...". But really the entire chapter is one of those that I find myself returning to again and again.
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
2 Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they display knowledge.
3 There is no speech or language
where their voice is not heard.
4 Their voice goes out into all the earth,
their words to the ends of the world.
In the heavens he has pitched a tent for the sun,
5 which is like a bridegroom coming forth from his pavilion,
like a champion rejoicing to run his course.
6 It rises at one end of the heavens
and makes its circuit to the other;
nothing is hidden from its heat.
7 The law of the LORD is perfect,
reviving the soul.
The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy,
making wise the simple.
8 The precepts of the LORD are right,
giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the LORD are radiant,
giving light to the eyes.
9 The fear of the LORD is pure,
enduring forever.
The ordinances of the LORD are sure
and altogether righteous.
10 They are more precious than gold,
than much pure gold;
they are sweeter than honey,
than honey from the comb.
11 By them is your servant warned;
in keeping them there is great reward.
12 Who can discern his errors?
Forgive my hidden faults.
13 Keep your servant also from willful sins;
may they not rule over me.
Then will I be blameless,
innocent of great transgression.
14 May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
be pleasing in your sight,
O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.
Psalm 19
For the director of music. A psalm of David.
1 The heavens declare the glory of God;the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
2 Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they display knowledge.
3 There is no speech or language
where their voice is not heard.
4 Their voice goes out into all the earth,
their words to the ends of the world.
In the heavens he has pitched a tent for the sun,
5 which is like a bridegroom coming forth from his pavilion,
like a champion rejoicing to run his course.
6 It rises at one end of the heavens
and makes its circuit to the other;
nothing is hidden from its heat.
7 The law of the LORD is perfect,
reviving the soul.
The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy,
making wise the simple.
8 The precepts of the LORD are right,
giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the LORD are radiant,
giving light to the eyes.
9 The fear of the LORD is pure,
enduring forever.
The ordinances of the LORD are sure
and altogether righteous.
10 They are more precious than gold,
than much pure gold;
they are sweeter than honey,
than honey from the comb.
11 By them is your servant warned;
in keeping them there is great reward.
12 Who can discern his errors?
Forgive my hidden faults.
13 Keep your servant also from willful sins;
may they not rule over me.
Then will I be blameless,
innocent of great transgression.
14 May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
be pleasing in your sight,
O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.
Monday, February 15, 2010
Snowed In - The Sequel
Well, it seems that my confinement has begun again. Surprisingly, even after all of the forecasts of snow that have been turning out to be correct, a part of me still lives in denial until the flakes start to fly. The only explanation can be that I have not seen it snow this much for this long since I was a kid. The kids got bored quickly this morning and were separated in their rooms by 9 a.m. for fighting, which is what happens when they get bored. So, I decided that this week would not be one pj-clad, ambiguous hour after another. I got us all dressed and ready for the day and then started my own little schedule - similar to one that we would have, if we actually had somewhere to go or if Elias was in school. They had individual quiet play time in their rooms. Then we painted. Then we had story time. Then I sat down and made Elias write our phone number and address down on a piece of paper and then copy it (This is something we have decided we must teach him. A few hours after we dropped Elias off on Saturday, we realized that the parents of the friend he stayed with didn't have our phone number . He knows most of it, but we decided it was time to get serious and make sure he knows all of it.). Then it was lunch time and then physical activity or, as Elias called it, recess. Recess was originally going to be outside, but when the snow started pouring, we broke out the DDR instead. We haven't had it out for over a year and I forgot how much fun it is! Since the game is pretty difficult, the kids don't do too well score-wise, but they still have fun jumping around trying. Of course, both of them got upset when I kept getting 1st place. Elias even unplugged my controller at one point, so he could win! There would have been more fighting if it would have just between the two of them.
Having a schedule has helped all of us and I am definitely planning on making a schedule again tomorrow, when we will inevitably be snowed in again! I used to do this all the time before Elias went to school and don't know how I have gotten so out of practice with it already.
Having a schedule has helped all of us and I am definitely planning on making a schedule again tomorrow, when we will inevitably be snowed in again! I used to do this all the time before Elias went to school and don't know how I have gotten so out of practice with it already.
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Valentine's Day Weekend
So far, we have had a very eventful weekend. After almost 3 weeks of being home bound, it feels like a breath of fresh air just to be in the car and going...ANYWHERE! I had a Pampered Chef Party and had products to distribute and I was going to give them out at church tomorrow, but I just decided to deliver them today. It gave me a good excuse to be out and it allowed me to mark another thing off my "To Do" list. I feel an urgency to get errands run while I can, because it seems like my confinement may resume at any time.
Josh and I went out for Valentine's Day last night and I bowled in the "Souper Bowl" for the Union Mission this morning. Elias is having his second sleep over at a friend's house tonight. The first one was on the last day of school in June 2009. I was so nervous then to let him be somewhere overnight with people with whom I was only slightly acquainted. Not that I was worried about them, but I was more worried for him - Would they know what he needed? Would he be able to sleep in a strange place? What if he needed help getting dressed?...And on and on. Now, he is so self sufficient and communicates so well, I am definitely not as anxious as I was last year and I am not even really as anxious as I thought I would be now. We had 2 girls (sisters) come over and play with Bella tonight, since Elias was going to be with a friend and Bella felt left out. She had a great time. And now, she is having some one-on-one play time with Daddy, which she doesn't get often, and then it is bed time! The house seems so quiet without Elias here, but I am wondering if we will get a phone call later tonight. Last year, when he stayed with his friend, he wanted to come home around 9:30. He ended up staying after I talked to him on the phone. I remember when I first began staying at friend's houses and the lights went out and it was time to go to sleep, suddenly I realized how foreign the person's house seemed - the sounds, the smells, the feeling like my parents were SO far away. Elias asked me on the way to drop him off if his friend's parents knew how to get to our house, so I know that he was a little concerned.
This will officially be Josh and I's 17th Valentine's day together. It is the 18th, if you count the one that passed 2 weeks before we started officially dating, when we were just "talking". Here are 18 things I love about my husband, in honor of the 18 Valentine's Days we have spent together.
1. He loved me before I really knew how to love myself.
2. He has loved me at every size, shape, and hair style.
3. He never tells me "I told you so" - never - and he participates in my crazy schemes, even against his better judgment.
4. He likes watching chick flicks with me.
5. He doesn't think that dishes, cooking, laundry, or house cleaning is MY job. Just a job that needs to be done by the person who has the time to do it, which just happens to be me a lot of the time, since I am here more. When he's here, he is always my help mate.
6. He plays unselfishly with the kids. He gets into their games of make believe far better than I ever can.
7. He often doesn't give me advice when I talk to him. He often tells me that he knows I am wise enough to know what to do and he knows that the only thing I really need is a listening ear.
8. He is sentimental. He keeps cards, tickets, gifts & trinkets and they really mean a lot to him.
9. He doesn't mind when I call him at work, even if I don't really have any reason other than just to hear his voice or to vent.
10. He gets up at night with the kids, even though he's the one who has to go to work during the day. He has told me ever since the kids were born that I have to get up for work in the morning too, I just don't leave the house to get to my job.
11. He never spends money (at least more than $20) without consulting me first. He never thinks he is "entitled" to getting stuff because he earns the paycheck.
12. He always supports my discipline of the children in front of the kids, even if he doesn't always agree with it.
13. He likes to talk to me, about anything.
14. He always tells me that I am smarter than I give myself credit for and always challenges me to push past my comfort zones. (If it wouldn't have been for him, I would have never gotten a bachelor's degree.)
15. He doesn't think it is a burden to work on our marriage, even when there is nothing particularly wrong with it.
16. He is just as willing to paint Bella' fingernails, as he is to play sports with Elias.
17. He is good to his mom - he always shows her love and respect and always has, even when we were dating as teenagers.
And...(drum roll please)
18. He is the Spiritual head of our family. He not only tells the kids about God and why He is necessary and important in our lives, he serves as a constant example of Christ's love and grace.
Since I so often attach song lyrics to my blog, I decided to include the words to "our song". And, SURPRISE, it is not Sara Groves. I don't think Sara Groves was even singing professionally when Josh and I started dating, since she isn't much older than we are, but if she was, we had never heard of her at that point!
Hold on little girl
Show me what he's done to you
Stand up little girl
A broken heart can't be that bad
When it's through, it's through
Fate will twist the both of you
So come on baby come on over
Let me be the one to show you
I'm the one who wants to be with you
Deep inside I hope you feel it too
Waited on a line of greens and blues
Just to be the next to be with you
Build up your confidence
So you can be on top for once
Wake up who cares about
Little boys that talk too much
I've seen it all go down
Your game of love was all rained out
So come on baby, come on over
Let me be the one to hold you
Chorus
Why be alone when we can be together, baby
You can make my life worthwhile
And I can make you start to smile
When it's through, it's through
Fate will twist the both of you
So come on, baby, come on over
Let me be the one to show you
Josh and I went out for Valentine's Day last night and I bowled in the "Souper Bowl" for the Union Mission this morning. Elias is having his second sleep over at a friend's house tonight. The first one was on the last day of school in June 2009. I was so nervous then to let him be somewhere overnight with people with whom I was only slightly acquainted. Not that I was worried about them, but I was more worried for him - Would they know what he needed? Would he be able to sleep in a strange place? What if he needed help getting dressed?...And on and on. Now, he is so self sufficient and communicates so well, I am definitely not as anxious as I was last year and I am not even really as anxious as I thought I would be now. We had 2 girls (sisters) come over and play with Bella tonight, since Elias was going to be with a friend and Bella felt left out. She had a great time. And now, she is having some one-on-one play time with Daddy, which she doesn't get often, and then it is bed time! The house seems so quiet without Elias here, but I am wondering if we will get a phone call later tonight. Last year, when he stayed with his friend, he wanted to come home around 9:30. He ended up staying after I talked to him on the phone. I remember when I first began staying at friend's houses and the lights went out and it was time to go to sleep, suddenly I realized how foreign the person's house seemed - the sounds, the smells, the feeling like my parents were SO far away. Elias asked me on the way to drop him off if his friend's parents knew how to get to our house, so I know that he was a little concerned.
This will officially be Josh and I's 17th Valentine's day together. It is the 18th, if you count the one that passed 2 weeks before we started officially dating, when we were just "talking". Here are 18 things I love about my husband, in honor of the 18 Valentine's Days we have spent together.
1. He loved me before I really knew how to love myself.
2. He has loved me at every size, shape, and hair style.
3. He never tells me "I told you so" - never - and he participates in my crazy schemes, even against his better judgment.
4. He likes watching chick flicks with me.
5. He doesn't think that dishes, cooking, laundry, or house cleaning is MY job. Just a job that needs to be done by the person who has the time to do it, which just happens to be me a lot of the time, since I am here more. When he's here, he is always my help mate.
6. He plays unselfishly with the kids. He gets into their games of make believe far better than I ever can.
7. He often doesn't give me advice when I talk to him. He often tells me that he knows I am wise enough to know what to do and he knows that the only thing I really need is a listening ear.
8. He is sentimental. He keeps cards, tickets, gifts & trinkets and they really mean a lot to him.
9. He doesn't mind when I call him at work, even if I don't really have any reason other than just to hear his voice or to vent.
10. He gets up at night with the kids, even though he's the one who has to go to work during the day. He has told me ever since the kids were born that I have to get up for work in the morning too, I just don't leave the house to get to my job.
11. He never spends money (at least more than $20) without consulting me first. He never thinks he is "entitled" to getting stuff because he earns the paycheck.
12. He always supports my discipline of the children in front of the kids, even if he doesn't always agree with it.
13. He likes to talk to me, about anything.
14. He always tells me that I am smarter than I give myself credit for and always challenges me to push past my comfort zones. (If it wouldn't have been for him, I would have never gotten a bachelor's degree.)
15. He doesn't think it is a burden to work on our marriage, even when there is nothing particularly wrong with it.
16. He is just as willing to paint Bella' fingernails, as he is to play sports with Elias.
17. He is good to his mom - he always shows her love and respect and always has, even when we were dating as teenagers.
And...(drum roll please)
18. He is the Spiritual head of our family. He not only tells the kids about God and why He is necessary and important in our lives, he serves as a constant example of Christ's love and grace.
Since I so often attach song lyrics to my blog, I decided to include the words to "our song". And, SURPRISE, it is not Sara Groves. I don't think Sara Groves was even singing professionally when Josh and I started dating, since she isn't much older than we are, but if she was, we had never heard of her at that point!
To Be With You by Mr. Big
Hold on little girl
Show me what he's done to you
Stand up little girl
A broken heart can't be that bad
When it's through, it's through
Fate will twist the both of you
So come on baby come on over
Let me be the one to show you
I'm the one who wants to be with you
Deep inside I hope you feel it too
Waited on a line of greens and blues
Just to be the next to be with you
Build up your confidence
So you can be on top for once
Wake up who cares about
Little boys that talk too much
I've seen it all go down
Your game of love was all rained out
So come on baby, come on over
Let me be the one to hold you
Chorus
Why be alone when we can be together, baby
You can make my life worthwhile
And I can make you start to smile
When it's through, it's through
Fate will twist the both of you
So come on, baby, come on over
Let me be the one to show you
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Electronics Addicts Anonymous
Well, I thought it was time to get rid of the scandalous title of my last blog entry ; ) !
Elias is home from school again and I have heard the phrase, "I am telling Mom!" more times than I can count today. I am sure that they will be asking to go outside to play in a little while. It takes me about 20 minutes to get them ready and they want to come back inside after about 15 minutes! But I know that it is good for them to get outside, so I get them ready anyway. Every snow session used to end in tears because Bella's wrists would get wet and cold because her gloves wouldn't stay tucked in her coat. But my clever husband came up with an invention to keep Bella's wrists (and Elias') dry and warm. He took tube socks and cut the tops off of them. He took the tops and then made a small hole for the thumb, to hold them in place. He actually made the first pair for himself when we were going to take the youth snow tubing, but we sort of confiscated them.
My kids are addicted to electronics! I used to be so careful about that when they were small, but the older they get, the more electronics have became a part of every day life. If they aren't watching t.v., they are wanting to play video games, or games on the computer. But when I look at Josh and I's habits, the nut doesn't fall far from the tree. Computers and television are a huge part of our lives as well. It seems like even when I attempt to reduce my own "screen time" it seems to always be a part of my every day life - and really the only television show that I make sure to watch on a weekly basis is "The Biggest Loser". It seems like since Josh has websites or work stuff to work on after the kids go to bed, we stay up until all hours with our faces stuck in the television or the computer - usually both. So, Josh and I have decided this week to be in bed, with lights out, by 11 p.m.- I guess I decided and Josh agreed. This is a huge feat for us. We normally don't even begin to head to bed until midnight, so we don't actually have the lights out until 12:30 or 1 a.m.. I had done this last year for a month and I know that it makes me feel better, but Josh didn't participate then and I feel out of the habit as soon as the month ended. I am also going to schedule more time for electronics to be off at our house - and not just for the kids. So, I guess that means I better sign off now. I think I need to go let my son beat me at a game of Crazy Eights!
Elias is home from school again and I have heard the phrase, "I am telling Mom!" more times than I can count today. I am sure that they will be asking to go outside to play in a little while. It takes me about 20 minutes to get them ready and they want to come back inside after about 15 minutes! But I know that it is good for them to get outside, so I get them ready anyway. Every snow session used to end in tears because Bella's wrists would get wet and cold because her gloves wouldn't stay tucked in her coat. But my clever husband came up with an invention to keep Bella's wrists (and Elias') dry and warm. He took tube socks and cut the tops off of them. He took the tops and then made a small hole for the thumb, to hold them in place. He actually made the first pair for himself when we were going to take the youth snow tubing, but we sort of confiscated them.
My kids are addicted to electronics! I used to be so careful about that when they were small, but the older they get, the more electronics have became a part of every day life. If they aren't watching t.v., they are wanting to play video games, or games on the computer. But when I look at Josh and I's habits, the nut doesn't fall far from the tree. Computers and television are a huge part of our lives as well. It seems like even when I attempt to reduce my own "screen time" it seems to always be a part of my every day life - and really the only television show that I make sure to watch on a weekly basis is "The Biggest Loser". It seems like since Josh has websites or work stuff to work on after the kids go to bed, we stay up until all hours with our faces stuck in the television or the computer - usually both. So, Josh and I have decided this week to be in bed, with lights out, by 11 p.m.- I guess I decided and Josh agreed. This is a huge feat for us. We normally don't even begin to head to bed until midnight, so we don't actually have the lights out until 12:30 or 1 a.m.. I had done this last year for a month and I know that it makes me feel better, but Josh didn't participate then and I feel out of the habit as soon as the month ended. I am also going to schedule more time for electronics to be off at our house - and not just for the kids. So, I guess that means I better sign off now. I think I need to go let my son beat me at a game of Crazy Eights!
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Commentary on "Real Sex"
Isabella is finally showing signs of improvement. She doesn't usually get very sick, but this time, she really got it! I am still fighting a nagging cough and congestion. I will be so glad to be free of this cold altogether. Now we are, as everyone around us, buried in about a foot of snow and there is more on the way. I am already suspecting there will be no school on Monday. I saw on the weather forecast that snow accumulation is expected on Tuesday as well, so I don't expect the kids to get back to school until Wednesday or Thursday at the earliest. The plow has not came even one time to clean off our road, so we couldn't even make it from our driveway to the main road. We are going to pretty stir-crazy by the end of the week! Josh and I have a date night planned on Friday, so at least I can look forward to that. Hopefully, the snow won't make us change our plans.
So, since I have a bulk of time on my hands, I will talk about the book I finished recently. It is called "Real Sex:The Naked Truth About Chastity" by Lauren Winner. Don’t let the title fool you. This is not a Christian Sex Guide. It is more a commentary about the true meaning of chastity and what the church teaches (often poorly) about it. She states that being chaste does not simply mean abstaining from sex before marriage, but putting sex within its proper context, even if you are married. She also talks about how loose sexual morals hurts the church as a whole and how programs, like “True Love Waits” and singles groups may actually not always fulfill the goals they have set out to fulfill. And how sometimes singles feel alienated from the church because they feel treated as a second-class citizen compared to their married counterparts. She also discusses lies that our culture tells us about sex, like marriage is the killer of good sex, and lies that the church tells us about sex, like you will always feel guilty if you have premarital sex. Then she says that a single may fall in love and have sex and not feel particularly guilty about it and feel like it is okay to have sex, since he/she doesn't feel guilty. She concludes that a person has to resolve not to have premarital sex (or sex outside of their marriage), not because of the consequence, but because God commands it of us. It is packed with good information from beginning to end. There are one or two things I'm not sure I completely agree with, but this book has taught me more about the need for appropriate teaching and accountability of sexual behavior in the church than anything I have ever read before. It is honest, intelligently written, but also isn’t resentful to the church. I think it is good for anyone to read, whether they are single, engaged, or have been married for 15 years, like me. I sound like I am writing a blurb for the cover or something, but I really think this book is really useful and I would have never picked it up if someone hadn’t suggested it to me.
So, since I have a bulk of time on my hands, I will talk about the book I finished recently. It is called "Real Sex:The Naked Truth About Chastity" by Lauren Winner. Don’t let the title fool you. This is not a Christian Sex Guide. It is more a commentary about the true meaning of chastity and what the church teaches (often poorly) about it. She states that being chaste does not simply mean abstaining from sex before marriage, but putting sex within its proper context, even if you are married. She also talks about how loose sexual morals hurts the church as a whole and how programs, like “True Love Waits” and singles groups may actually not always fulfill the goals they have set out to fulfill. And how sometimes singles feel alienated from the church because they feel treated as a second-class citizen compared to their married counterparts. She also discusses lies that our culture tells us about sex, like marriage is the killer of good sex, and lies that the church tells us about sex, like you will always feel guilty if you have premarital sex. Then she says that a single may fall in love and have sex and not feel particularly guilty about it and feel like it is okay to have sex, since he/she doesn't feel guilty. She concludes that a person has to resolve not to have premarital sex (or sex outside of their marriage), not because of the consequence, but because God commands it of us. It is packed with good information from beginning to end. There are one or two things I'm not sure I completely agree with, but this book has taught me more about the need for appropriate teaching and accountability of sexual behavior in the church than anything I have ever read before. It is honest, intelligently written, but also isn’t resentful to the church. I think it is good for anyone to read, whether they are single, engaged, or have been married for 15 years, like me. I sound like I am writing a blurb for the cover or something, but I really think this book is really useful and I would have never picked it up if someone hadn’t suggested it to me.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
We'll do what's necessary, because even a miracle needs a hand.
The kids and I have been in the house together way too long. The house feels stale and dirty. I have been sick since Saturday evening, but with the kids being sick for longer than me. It has felt like we have been sick forever. I am so ready to bust out of here and to feel healthy again. I want to throw open the windows and wash the ick away. Too bad the temperatures are still freezing outside. It is so wearing to feel sick and tired. I think of all of those in Haiti who have, at the least, scraps and bruises, and have no home to comfort them in their misery. I have my home and medicine, and I still feel listless and frustrated. To say that I can't even imagine what they are experiencing would be an understatement. I sit and complain about my kids keeping me up at night or fighting during the day, while I have all the comforts that a decent American income can buy. And yet, it is all so fleeting. I never know when it could all be swept away - maybe not by an earthquake, but by a job loss or a death or something that I cannot even anticipate.
I have had a lot of time to think lately, but it still never seems to be enough. Josh and I always seem to have so many big decisions to make and yet we always are working on our limited wisdom, in our limited corner of life. Whenever we are talking and praying about something, I always think about the song from the old "Twas the night before Christmas" movie. I don't know about the theological accuracy, but it makes me feel inspired that God wants to use me to help make miraculous things happen on earth. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kRt1gbUXJg
On another subject, Elias lost his first tooth last night. It was hanging by a thread. We finally convinced him to let Josh finish pulling it out with a little pair of pliers. It popped right out and Elias was so excited. Unfortunately, he wasn't feeling well enough yet to go to school, so he was disappointed that he couldn't show all his classmates. But he has spent the entire morning with his tongue in the hole. It's odd that the same tooth we were so excited to see when it poked its way through his gum, we are now equally excited to see it fall out. It is great to share the excitement with Elias. When the tooth was coming in, the only recognition that Elias had of it was the pain it gave him as it was pushing its way out! Elias asked Josh if he could have a blog a couple weeks ago and last night, Elias asked Josh to post that he lost his tooth on the blog as well. http://eliaslee.blogspot.com/
I finished another book last night, and I definitely feel like it warrants a blog post, but it will have to wait for another time, since my kids are begging me to come play baseball - in the house! Spring is only 6 short weeks away, right?
I have had a lot of time to think lately, but it still never seems to be enough. Josh and I always seem to have so many big decisions to make and yet we always are working on our limited wisdom, in our limited corner of life. Whenever we are talking and praying about something, I always think about the song from the old "Twas the night before Christmas" movie. I don't know about the theological accuracy, but it makes me feel inspired that God wants to use me to help make miraculous things happen on earth. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kRt1gbUXJg
On another subject, Elias lost his first tooth last night. It was hanging by a thread. We finally convinced him to let Josh finish pulling it out with a little pair of pliers. It popped right out and Elias was so excited. Unfortunately, he wasn't feeling well enough yet to go to school, so he was disappointed that he couldn't show all his classmates. But he has spent the entire morning with his tongue in the hole. It's odd that the same tooth we were so excited to see when it poked its way through his gum, we are now equally excited to see it fall out. It is great to share the excitement with Elias. When the tooth was coming in, the only recognition that Elias had of it was the pain it gave him as it was pushing its way out! Elias asked Josh if he could have a blog a couple weeks ago and last night, Elias asked Josh to post that he lost his tooth on the blog as well. http://eliaslee.blogspot.com/
I finished another book last night, and I definitely feel like it warrants a blog post, but it will have to wait for another time, since my kids are begging me to come play baseball - in the house! Spring is only 6 short weeks away, right?
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