Lesson Learned from Mothering

Just a Mom

As a mother, grandmother, and teacher, it has been an amazing experience to help nurture others and to be a significant influence in their lives.  I've also been thinking of how much I have learned through this service. 

• Patience - growth and change take time - a lifetime
• Faith - act knowing and focused on potentiel
• Love - put your whole soul into helping others
• Acceptance - that real love often means saying, "No"
• Trust - in others' underlying goodness
• Work - relationships and developing talents takes time and effort
• Forgiveness - look inward before judging another
• Appreciation - value effort and intent, not just the product
• Compassion - see with the heart

I'm Thankful for my Health Problems

Yes, that's what I said, I really am grateful for my health problems.That doesn't mean that I'm crazy, or that I really don't have any serious problems with my health. Actually, I have several spinal injuries, insulin resistance,  problems with my adrenal glands, and major allergies and chemical sensitivities. 

How can I say that I'm thankful for all these problems? Well, it's not that I enjoy suffering, and I certainly don't enjoy all the limitations, but I can appreciate the opportunities having poor health has given me.

This year has been like a replacing a burned out bulb

This morning we replaced a burnt out lightbulb in our fan light. It was amazing! Actually, changing a lightbulb really isn't that amazing, but it was pretty astounding how it ended up changing the whole room. 

We have lived here for four years thinking that the lights in our family room were a dull yellow-brown. It had always seemed so dingy in the room, even though, we had added two other light fixtures.  

What we discovered when we put a new bulb into the fixture was that the glass shade really was white! Immediately, I had my husband replace the other bulbs. It changed the whole atmosphere in the room. We hadn't realized until the bulb went out that all we needed to do was put brighter bulbs in the fixtures. What a difference it makes!

Several times this evening, I've gone out to our family room just to stand there and admire the light.  It seems that many times it isn't until we are stopped from going along our normal way, that we discover that changes need to be made in our lives. 

For me, this last year has been challenging, but it certainly hasn't been a wasted year. It has made me stop and think about what I've been doing, and not doing. This year has given me an opportunity to change out my dim, yellow-brown bulbs for bright clean light. It has helped me develop a closer relationship with God and my family. It has given me a chance to change my life for the better. I don't think I'll ever view a burnt out bulb the same, or look back on this year without feeling grateful for the opportunity I've had to change.

Seeing good in a challenging experience

If you look closely at this photo, you will see that my husband's ear is bandaged. He has skin cancer and had to have part of his ear removed. When he came home from his surgery, I reacted to the medication they put on his incision and ended up living the next week in our garage and trailer. 

Though this was a challenging situation for us, it was also a good time. One of the special moments you see in this photo of my husband and little granddaughter as we spent a morning together. We were also able to enjoy having meals together out on our patio. It was so pleasant to sit together enjoying a soft warm evening as I listened to my husband read a fun story, instead of being inside like we usually are in the evenings. Now that I had to maintain a "social distance" from my husband, I came to appreciate far more how little things like a hug added to my life. 

Good Things I've Experienced During the Pandemic

Yes, I have really seen many good things during this time when we are experiencing a pandemic. For one thing, I've loved all the concern that younger people have shown to us "old folks". Neighbors have offered to get food from the grocery store for us and run errands. People have stepped way back after they knock on our door. Their concern has really touched me. Since the grocery stores have made a special early time for the "seniors" to shop, we haven't needed their help, yet, but it is good to know they are watching out for us, and that the stores are also trying to protect us.

Also, I've seen wealthy executives giving financial support to the many small businesses which are in danger of going under. Homes have not been foreclosed, and families have not been evicted. It seems like a kinder world. In some ways it reminds me of how people are at Christmastime, but without the bustling.

That's another good thing I've seen -- people are not rushing around!

Is this Pandemic a wake up call?

Right now so many of us are struggling with being restricted to our homes. As a person who feels that the experiences in life are opportunities to learn and grow, I've been wondering what could be learned from this pandemic. 

For a world that felt pretty confident in our abilities to handle anything, it has been humbling to see how quickly the whole world could be brought to its knees by a tiny virus. Many of us have come to realize how much we not only need others to help us, but how much we need a greater power, we need God's power,  to help us survive. 

We have been given an opportunity to take a look at our lives. Are we spending our time, energies, and money on what matters most to us? How does it feel to spend more time with your family? Are you enjoying not rushing around so much, not feeling so pressured? What do you want to change in your life? Answer your wake up call. Take your chance for a new start. 

The Fragileness of Life

(This video is about a mother who confronts life's fragileness, and the comfort a young man* gives her. )

Today, my husband dropped his large, heavy ladder on his head. Well, not exactly on his head. It just grazed his forehead and left a cut a couple of inches long, but if it had hit him more solidly, he would not still be with us. 

As I sit here watching my husband sawing branches off our pine tree as he stands on a tall ladder, recent memories come to my mind. Last Saturday, I found out that my son was assaulted by a man while he and his family were at our local mall. It turned out that the man was an armed fleeing murderer. The man ended up in jail, and my son with a titanium plate in his cheek bone.