Customer Service

I was on my morning walk the other day, my iPod playing one of Rick Atchley's sermons, enjoying the cool air.

I passed some landscapers cleaning up the empty lots in a new housing development going up. They both had leaf blowers, and were working toward each other from opposite ends of the development.

As I neared them, each stopped what they were doing, turned their blowers to idle, and waited for me to pass.

I thought this was:
1. Respectful; and
2. Unusual.

Seriously, who acts like this anymore? Every day I dodge piles of dog poo the owner neglected to pick up; trash dumped by the side of the road, and cars flying by like there's a fire somewhere.

I respect those landscapers. They work at what society might call one of the "lowly" occupations. They perform manual labor in all kinds of weather. But they showed me great courtesy.

Am I doing the same? Or am I flying by people at full speed, throwing my trash everywhere, and neglecting to scoop up the poo?

Facebook

I haven't blogged in nearly a month. Almost exactly the amount of time I've been on Facebook. Coincidence? Hmmm . . .

Honestly, my daily routine is bordering on the ridiculous - online devotional; personal email; work email; Twitter; Facebook; Craigslist; gtalk. The blog has fallen to the bottom of the pile, unfortunately. And "real" letters? Pshaw!

I haven't completely given in to the electronic media - I do love to hold a real book in my hand (no Kindle for me!) and read a print newspaper. My evening Bible reading is from a book, not a screen. And the quickest way to my heart is a handwritten card.

I kind of miss the less-cluttered times, before computers and cell phones. Handwritten letters and operator-assisted long distance calls are not that far in the past.

But I admit it has been lots of fun reconnecting with people from 6 or 8 moves ago; engaging in a way I thought impossible. It's a blast to see your pictures, hear about your lives, know that you're out there and you're going through real stuff just like me.

Some days it's tempting to lock the doors, board up the windows, and spend all my time in electronic relationships, though.

Once in awhile you just need to talk face to face, look up and feel the sun on your face, pick up the phone or maybe even a pen.

If you read this and we're not already FB friends - you can find me there. Or call me sometime.

Chin

I don't like my chin.






Maybe it's because I had an orthodontist tell me that if my chin were pushed back a little, and if my nose were a bit shorter, I would be attractive (fun words to hear when you're 15) . . . Maybe it's just because.

It's a strong chin, to be sure. Strong chins are good, right? After all, you hear "Take it on the chin" and "Chin up." There's also the fun "not by the hair of my chinny-chin-chin (but enough about menopause!)."


My abhorrence of all things chinny has led to a bit of a family joke. We are in the process of seeing how many ways I can hide it when the cameras come out.

Someday maybe I'll embark on a Joan Rivers-like facial transformation - lose the chin; bob the nose; freeze the face in a surprised expression. Until then, I guess I'll have to keep my chin up.

26 Delicious Years!

March 26, 1983.

I said "I do." He said "I will."

And we have. For better or worse; in sickness and in health; for richer and for poorer . . .

What a treasure the last 26 years have been. I could not have imagined in my wildest dreams how much I could love someone, and be loved in return.

Here are 26 things I love about Steve:

1. He has a great laugh.
2. He is always pleasant, even if you wake him up in the middle of the night.
3. He is smart.
4. He loves to help people - with broken cars, moves, lawn work, etc.
5. He is generous with his money, time, and possessions.
6. He cooks with Alton Brown's recipes.
7. He has rubbed my feet almost every night for the last 26 years.
8. He still opens doors for me.
9. When we're going somewhere in the rain, he always drops me off at the door before he parks.
10. He loves to do projects with the kids - especially Hope's science projects.
11. He can fix anything.
12. He can build anything.
13. He makes me feel beautiful.
14. He write beautiful cards.
15. He sings to me over the phone.
16. He brings me Diet Pepsi at work.
17. He likes to go on long drives as much as I do.
18. He watches American Idol and even figure skating with me.
19. He treats his daughters with the dignity they deserve.
20. He teaches his son how to be a man.
21. He isn't vain.
22. He is kind to everyone, with no regard for status.
23. He is the same every day, rock solid and even.
24. He's smoking hot!
25. He is truly good.
26. He loves God.

Am I the most blessed woman in the world? Or the smartest?

Happy Anniversary, Steve - I can't wait to see what the next season brings.

Saturday

I really love Saturdays.

This hasn't always been true. I was a stay-at-home mom for 19 years. When the weekend arrived, I wanted to do something different, fun, AWAY FROM HOME.

But Steve - having worked a 60- or 80-hour week - needed to rest, catch up on yard work, wash the cars. Then Sundays were filled with church activities, and before I could catch my breath - Monday again!

We are in a completely new season now. I work full-time, Tuesday-Saturday. On Saturdays, I work at 4, we worship together at 5, then I finish my shift until about 10.

So, Saturday mornings have become MY catch-up-on-home-chores time. Today I am doing laundry, paying bills, and making a grocery list. I hauled a post-holiday turkey carcass out of the deep freeze and am filling the house with the smell of delicious soup.

Steve is working out of our home now, so we spend more time together than ever. He even packs my lunch for me most days! And since he is able to engage with Paden like never before, Paden is more stable than he's ever been.

So Saturdays I take Paden to work with me so Steve can have some refreshment - a few hours of quiet to watch basketball, nap, breathe. We all worship together Saturday evenings - a perfect time, especially for a restless teen and a night-owl mom; a period at the end of our scattered, high-speed weeks.

Then SUNDAY comes. And we revel in our Sundays. Lazy mornings reading the paper; snuggle time with the kids; unrushed meals together. It has become our "Sabbath" - that time that I always longed for.

Thank you, Lord, for seasons. For family. For rest.

Starting . . . again

I started walking again yesterday. Nothing monumental, just a slow "drag my out-of-shape body" jaunt with Steve.

I was doing SO well. Worked out faithfully for nearly a whole year; felt amazing!

Then - knee issues; back issues (compensating for the knee issues); illness; and finally, inertia.

How many do-overs do I get? I may be nearing my limit! I want to "get it" in so many areas of my life, to be that person - disciplined in speech and habit, organized, on top of it all.

In Lamentations it says that God's mercies are new every morning. I want some new mercies:

Alarm-clock mercies so I don't hit the snooze button tomorrow.
Shin-splint mercies.
Optimism mercies.
Forget-the-past and Just do it! mercies.

Tomorrow will be day 3 of this latest new beginning. Let's hope this one sticks.

In heaven, reading and taking bubble baths will be fat-burning, metabolism-boosting activities.

What a Week!

Don't faint! I'm blogging again. I'm going to try to keep up. My perfectionism gets in my way. I can't blog unless I have the perfect topic; I can't blog until I have some good pictures to put up; I can't blog unless life settles down so I have something positive to say . . .

Phooey on that!

This week:

Christye got in a car accident - that makes 3 accidents in 6 months for our 2 girls; 3 accidents that were their fault!

We found out that Paden has asthma. Poor guy - 3 new prescriptions for a total of 6 meds for him.

Hope did not get a full-tuition scholarship she tried for at Whitworth University - 3 students out of 100 got it.

A bunch of staff, who are like family, are leaving Living Hope to start a new church - 8 so far; maybe more.

Those are the ugly numbers. I've wrestled with God a lot in the last two years, but especially this week. Yesterday was the worst - I came home sobbing and went straight upstairs, took a sleeping bill and crashed. All night I dreamt about surrender; and the verse in Philippians that I always paraphrase "Worry about nothing; pray about everything" kept swirling through those dreams.

I awoke today determined to surrender it all, to not worry, to be thankful (the other part of that passage that is SO hard - how can I be thankful for financial trouble, car accidents, illnesses?)

So here is the "silver lining" of the week:

Christye's accident resulted in 0 injuries

Hope left 1 voicemail yesterday telling me what an amazing mom I am and how thankful she is for me. Oh, and then she ran a blood drive in which more than 70 units of blood were given.

Paden is so happy that he ran in PE today without being light-headed. And he only puffed 2 times.

Steve came to work today with lunch and took me to a park where we sat at a picnic table in the sun - in February! The sun was out for EXACTLY the time it took us to have our lunch, then the clouds closed back over.

Now I'm home in a quiet house - Steve's at a basketball game; Paden's playing guitar at a friend's house; Hope's serving at a homeless shelter. And amazingly, I feel peace. Go figure.

I'll blog occasionally; I promise. Feedback welcome - topic ideas? good/bad numbers in your life? jokes? complaints? I'll take 'em all!