No such thing as normal

I was talking with a dear friend last night.  She was telling about life and it's happenings and she said, "What's wrong with my family?  Why can't we just be normal?"

I laughed and said, "There's no such thing as normal and there's no such thing as a perfect family."

Do you know why there's no such thing as a perfect family?  Because families are made up of people.  Selfish, flawed, imperfect people.  All of whom live in a world full of sin and in need of the grace of God every second of every day.

As for normal, who really wants to be normal?  Dictionary.com defines normal as "conforming to the standard or the common type; usual; regular".  Oh ick!!  Who wants to be any of those?  God is creative!!  Every single person completely unique.  What a boring life this would be if we were all "normal" and the same.

Evening at the Playground

Setting sun

Barely breeze

Long shadows

Days like these

Air is fresh

Air is warm

Peace surrounds

Smiles form

Daughters playing

laughing, climbing

Living in His perfect timing

Shout out to all the working Moms

Being a mom is a full time job.  I know, I am one.  And today I am emotionally and physically spent.  And that's with 2 of my kids being in school 6 and a half hours today.

I started thinking of all the Moms who work.  Part-time, full-time, at home, or commuting.  Here's my shout out to you.

YOU ARE THE BOMB!

You work hard at your job and give your best to your company.  You come home and work even harder and give your best to your family.

You're an essential part of the team at work.  They need you.  You are the glue that holds your family together.  They NEED you.

You are a cheerleader and encourager to your co-workers.  You are THE cheerleader and encourager for your family.

You're the manager, the accountant, the disciplinarian, the shoulder to cry on, the counselor, the chef, the housekeeper, the errand runner, and the list could go on.

I just wanted you to know I was thinking about you.  And I think you're pretty amazing.

The Estate Sale

I went to an Estate Sale across the street from my house today.  I live on a street where everyone is separated by acres of land.  Not many acres, but acres nonetheless.  So I do not know the people that live there at all.

My first thought when I walked in, "Holy Crap!"  I mean seriously, stuff everywhere.  It wasn't crap, but it was stuff... a lot of it.  I couldn't believe the wide variety of things they had.  And not just one of something, like three or four of everything.

Old flour sifters, cast iron skillets, cow decor, St. Patrick's Day decor, flare buttons, jewelry, wall art, hunting knives, pocket watches, and so much more.

Why?  Why so much?  Why aren't we satisfied with just one of something?

I looked at the jewelry.  Some of the rings were beautiful!  And I thought about how at one point in time that ring was special and meant a great deal to someone.  And maybe it was given in some fantastic way, and she blushed and gushed and was so excited.  And now it's sitting in a box next to a bunch of Christmas jewelry and clip-on earrings.

All this stuff that somebody spent good money on, and took time to acquire.  And now it's left for strangers to paw through and take home to their already full houses.

I'm not knocking estate sales or garage sales or any type of sales.  I think it's great when we can reuse and re purpose.  But I don't thing that's what usually happens.  I think there's an addiction to more and buying and getting a deal, even if it's on something we don't need.

It made me want to go home and clear out my house.  Get rid of stuff that isn't used.  Stop buying stuff. Use what I have.  It made me think when I die I don't want to have a house full of stuff to become a burden to my kids.

Love your neighbor as yourself

Today I heard a woman say that same-sex marriage will destroy the marriage as a whole.  That it will cause the whole institution to deteriorate.

Why doesn't anyone say anything like this about infidelity?  Most of the marriages I've seen end in divorce have had an affair involved at some point.

You can't point the finger at one thing and say, "THAT is what's causing marriage to go downhill."  I don't know if this lady is a Christian, but it seems like whenever I hear about a group opposing same-sex marriage they are affiliated with Christians.

Christians associate themselves with Jesus and this is what Jesus says, "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye an pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye." -Matthew 7:3-5

I've never heard a testimony of someone coming to Jesus because someone said, "You're doing it wrong!"  But I've heard many testimonies about people being loved just the way they are and deciding, "I want that too!"

If we want to see change in our culture and strengthen marriages we need to take our cue from Jesus:

Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment.  And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the law and prophets hang on these two commandments." -Matthew 22:37-40

Love.