Wednesday, October 29, 2008

I'm Curious

Sometimes I feel guilty that I am not using my college degree. Then again, sometimes I am relieved that I decided not to pursue my original plan of grad school. I do use my years of violin training when I play at church, but on a daily basis my (expensive) degree (Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance) is not utilized.

I don't think I am alone in this, though - so I'm curious...are you actively using your degree or training? If so, in what way? If not, do you think you will at some point?

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Frazzled No More


I've been feeling frazzled lately...scattered and stressed. My life used to be pretty slow and boring, but this is the season of homeschool co-op and Mom's Group, which both meet weekly. Then there's our regular homeschool day on top of that. I'm also scheduled to teach some classes at The Neighborhood Knit Shop. It's still not a terribly fast-paced life compared to some of you, I'm sure - but lately it has started to feel hectic.

Yesterday, though, I realized one reason why. I forgot to put the October daily pages in my beloved Franklin Covey planner.

Instead, I have been operating off the October monthly pages, which is fine for scheduled events - but I use the daily pages for my to-do list each day and without those pages in my planner, I have been trying to remember everything! Sadly, my memory ain't what she used to be.

So yesterday I took action and put the remaining daily pages in the October section of my planner, as well as all of the November pages. It was such a relief to be able to make my to-do list and check things off! Now I feel like I'm on track again.

I'm curious, though...what helps you stay on track with your schedule? Planner? Online calendar? Post-it notes?

Friday, October 17, 2008

This one stopped me cold

Recently I pulled out a book I've had for a few years, but never actually read: Ruthless Trust by Brennan Manning. I love his writing, but it is not light reading. And he uses a lot of big words sometimes. And you have to think. However, it is always worth plowing through all of that because Manning can just whomp you over the head with truth sometimes.

That happened to me two nights ago. I read the following excerpt and I'm still pondering it now:

"It is of immense importance to understand that every word spoken and written about God is delivered in the language of analogy. In any divine analogy, there is a similarity between the human words used about God and the reality of God himself; there is also, however, a radical dissimilarity. What is affirmed in one breath must be denied in the next. For example, we liken the divine love to human love. The similarity induces us to think that we are getting a grip on God's love. And yet, though human love is the best image we have, it is utterly inadequate to express the love of the Infinite. Not because human love is too sugary and sentimental or because it is too passionate and emotional, but because it can never fully compare with that source whence it came - the passion-emotion love of the Totally Other.

The more we let go of our concepts and images, which always limit God, the bigger God grows and the more we approach the mystery of his indefinability. When we overlook the dissimilarity, we begin to speak with obnoxious familiarity about the Holy, make ludicrous comments such as 'I could never imagine God doing such a thing,' calmly predict Armageddon, glibly proclaim infallible discernment of the will of God, and trivialize God, trimming the claws of the Lion of Judah."

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Blog Action Day: Poverty

Did you know that today is Blog Action Day? The focus this year is on poverty.

A few years ago, when my family's financial situation was at its worst, I thought things were bad. BAD. Scary words like foreclosure and bankruptcy swirled around in my mind, threatening to undo me. I prayed. And I prayed. And I prayed. Do you know what I realized?

As bad as things were, I was still rich. For that day, at least, I had a proper house. We had two vehicles. I had heat and air conditioning. Clean water. Plenty of clothes. Food. Yes, things were difficult and stressful, but I realized that I really have no idea what bad means for the rest of the world.

I'm sure you have seen images and read statistics, but while we in the US are being inundated with the word "CHANGE!" right now, please think about making some changes of your own, if you haven't already. There are many wonderful organizations that are working non-stop to fight poverty around the world. I am including this video from Compassion that explains why they do what they do.

Click here for more information on sponsoring a child through Compassion.

Monday, October 13, 2008

Wishing

Money is tight for most of us these days, right? What with the increased price of groceries and it costing about $4,273 to fill up your car with gas and all. I know my family is feeling the pinch in a big way. Greg has been working ridiculous hours on a job in Murfreesboro since this summer - something that's not even related to his new business...and by "ridiculous hours" I mean that I've lost count of the times that he's left the house around 8 AM and returned around 10 AM the next day, only to take a nap and go back out there the same day. The job is nearly done, or so he says, but we are still waiting on the paycheck. Until then, things are beyond tight.

But if I had an extra $20 to spend just on myself today, I would snap this ring (in a sz 8) up in a heartbeat!!
What about you? If you had $20 to spend on something for yourself right now, what would it be?

Thursday, October 09, 2008

Enjoy

Given the current election hubbub and general interest in politics and government, I think it is fitting to share this gem from my all-time favorite TV show. Enjoy!

Wednesday, October 08, 2008

I've Been Doing Stuff






See?

Monday, October 06, 2008

Timely Words

In his book Bread for the Journey, the late Henri Nouwen said this:

"To be grateful for the good things that happen in our lives is easy, but to be grateful for all of our lives - the good as well as the bad, the moments of joy as well as the moments of sorrow, the successes as well as the failures, the rewards as well as the rejections - that requires hard spiritual work. Still, we are only grateful people when we can say thank you to all that has brought us to the present moment. As long as we keep dividing our lives between events and people we would like to remember and those we would rather forget, we cannot claim the fullness of our beings as a gift of God to be grateful for. Let's not be afraid to look at everything that has brought us to where we are now and trust that we will soon see it in the guiding hand of a loving God."

Thanks Mr. Nouwen - I needed that reminder.