Saturday, June 25, 2011

Can I put this day in a jar and open it again... soon?

Saturday.
Sunshine!


71 degrees.
Almost no humidity.


Thankful today for a beautiful day...
There is absolutely NO schedule
 - no firm plans - 
- no long to-do list - 
- nothing squashing my face - 
and everything to be thankful for.  

Hubby is home.  
Cat is healthy and following me everywhere as 
I wander freely through my house, 
simply accomplishing things without pressure.

A gentle breeze flows into our open windows 
and filters through the open blinds.
Birds are singing, sheets are hanging out on a clothesline drying, 
and simple pleasures are being enjoyed.

This is the day the LORD has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it! 

Sunday, June 12, 2011

So thankful for my Daddy's genes...

As I look ahead to next Sunday being Father's Day, I admit that I miss my Dad even though it wasn't the easiest life with him.  He was rough around the edges, but he left a legacy of himself within me and I'm thankful for him.  He was unique (as each of us is) and the genes he passed along gave me some of his uniqueness.

From my Dad I inherited an innate ability to wake up at any given time without setting an alarm.  There is something he had that I inherited which is not unlike an internal button of an internal alarm clock.  When do I need to wake up at?  Done. No problem.  My eyes open at that time the next morning.

He also gave me mechanical aptitude: an ability to fix objects and figure out what's wrong with non-working things in my realm.  He was a car mechanic in the old days, when parts were parts and a well-oiled machine was simply that.  He could gerry-rig anything to get it back together and working, and my hands have a similar sense of finagling pieces together to make them functional.  Not like my Dad, but enough so I can say “thank you” for his legacy.

And more... Persistence.  Stubbornness. An intrinsically, internally, intentional passion to get things done and completed with quality and excellence, knowing that the completion will hold my name as a signature of the project. Starting and not finishing a job makes me intensely frustrated – just like my Dad.  I will literally go without anything and everything until I can say, "It is finished" and give up my proverbial ghost – then move on to the next, and the next, and the next project.  Life.  A series of new projects! 

My Dad blessed me with the animal personality of a beaver/lion.  He had a humongous work ethic.  So did my Mom.  Because of them, the genetic pool that fills my inner being can never be a calm lake, but churns relentlessly like a white-water rafting river.  Task-focused.  Details.  Checklists. To-do's beckon for my hands and, like a magnet with a refrigerator, I'm on them.  The lion within doesn't just sniff, but bites down hard on work with passionate glee, chewing it over and over until it’s ready to be swallowed.  Need something done?  Want something done?  I'm here for you, and I'm on it with a big smile on my face. If my Dad were alive I would hear him growl, "Git 'r done!!" but my heartbeat is already there. Thanks Dad!  Your genes fit me well!

And I have my Daddy's eyes.  BLUE.  I have a picture of the two of us, taken when I was 12 and there is no mistake - the eyes are matching sets.  Intense blue.  Freaky blue, as one of my daughter's friends told her.  They came from my Dad, and I am his daughter: his only daughter.  The only girl to wear his genes: my Daddy's well-worn genes.

Genes can be both a blessing and a curse.  The beaver/lion within me can roar, bite, and be a bit scary at times - both to me and to others.  Stubborn persistence, untempered by love, can mow other, less focused people, down into the ground – and hurt.  Non-morning people, such as my loving husband, aren’t so fond of early morning internal clock followers (Proverbs 27:14).  So the internal nature that I inherited from my Mom; the sensitivity, service, and a passion for God, provides a bit of balance within me, and for THAT I am incredibly thankful.  Thanks Mom, and a happy belated Mom’s Day to you as I remember you with love after saying goodbye to you so many years ago.  Gone – not forgotten. J

Happy Father’s Day, everyone!  If you are fortunate enough to have your Dad with you, thank him for his legacy within you.  Then hug your Mom, because she’s the one who carried and birthed his child…

You.
J


Sunday, June 5, 2011

Last year I hit a deer with my Jeep.  First time ever – hopefully last.

It was one of those absolutely awful moments that literally smacked out of nowhere.  I was driving along a country road towards home around 10 o’clock on a warm early summer night when, out of nowhere there were… running deer - right THERE!  BOOMP!  I had exactly NO time to do anything about hitting one of them except… HITTING IT.  One moment serenity, the next... in a split second...
Stunned deer in headlights!

Many thoughts have run through my mind following this encounter with the inappropriately running deer.  How quickly life happens.  How quickly I could’ve died…
     had I been driving a small car,
           if it were a bigger deer,
                    if it would’ve been thrown through my window on impact, or…

But I didn’t.  I’m still here with things to do.  Yuh HUH!  *fist bump* 

So I put myself in the deer’s place.  Running… on a warm summer evening… running,
     running,
          running
                until the moment splits and…

*YIKES!*

Stunned deer in headlights!

Immediately the deer has 3 choices:
> become road kill
> bolt and get out of the way
> jump onto the moving vehicle and hang on for the wild ride.

And I think to myself…
How many times does “life” hit in a moment?  How many times are we simply living our days and…
     running,
          running,
                running
                         until the moment splits and…

*YIKES!*


Choice needed!
> Freeze?  Become road kill.
> Bolt – FAST – and get out of the way?
          Or……
> Jump and grab.  Grab that thing of life and grab it tight.  White-knuckle it and HANG ON – eyes wide open – adrenaline rushing – feet flying – for the wild ride.

There are times you know - immediately – in an instant – that the last choice is THE one and…
          when you jump,
it may take your breath away for the short term but, 
          when the car of life slows down just a bit…

You’ll probably look back and *sigh* be so glad you took the jump and...
          GRABBED for it…

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Last month was a blur of activity, and one of the many things I chose to throw into the epic adventure was to make the shift from my trusty text/talk little Rumor to...

an Epic "Smart"phone.

Well, it's been almost a month now, and I'm still working through the consequences of adopting yet another techno-child.  Yes, I love my laptop, my Walkman, and all kinds of techno-time saving tools that enhance, enrich, and just plan ol' make my life better.  This phone... this "smart"phone... is seriously testing my stupidity and my sanity.

Android.  You have to download apps for... pretty much everything.  The phone is very limited without apps.  Once you find the great apps, it's a blast using them until you start tripping over them because they interfere with each other.  I have two apps for messaging - one combining the best features of each would be AWESOME.  I haven't found that one yet - and so it goes for GPS, music, and a lot of other things.

Let's just say it's still a bit too much of a good thing for me.  It's like sugar overload - too many candy bars rolled into one wrapper - too many toys on Christmas morning.  Plus the battery life to use all those toys is... well... let's just say all the toys can really suck the battery life.  Soooo... like a good mother, one needs to pack a bag when traveling with this little techno-child: car charger, wall charger, serial port charger.  In multiples.  In a variety of locations for emergencies.  A techno-diaper bag of sorts.

*sigh*  If I wasn't having so much fun being onlineably accessible anywhere, I'd look back and wish for the simplicity of what I left behind. Android - it's takes some getting used to, but the adventure is worth the speed bumps...