:. my joy and crown .:

:. pleasant places .:

I have to say, one of my pet peeves is negative people. You know the kind: always complaining, never happy about anything, always seeing the bad side of things. I realize that sometimes life hands us desperate situations, and the silver lining can seem elusive or non-existent. I'm not talking about times such as those.
I'm talking about people who are really in a very good place in life, yet always find the nit to pick. Always see that dang half-empty glass.
Oh, you say, have some compassion. You just need to walk a mile in their shoes.
That's a good idea.
Because then I'd be a mile away and I'd have their shoes.
(Cha-bum)

But seriously, in my mind, it boils down to plain old ingratitude. You can't find ONE good thing in your life to thank God for? Really? There is NOTHING you can set your mind on that doesn't involve complaining?

Here's a passage that moves my soul:

"Lord, you have assigned me my portion and my cup;

you have made my lot secure.

The boundary lines have fallen for me

in pleasant places;

surely I have a delightful inheritance."

Psalm 16:5-6

Here's my current list of "pleasant places":

• healthy, loving, close-knit family
• cozy roof overhead
• opportunities to use my gifts for the Kingdom
• spare-time pursuits that are gratifying
• children who are following God
• grandchildren who are a delight and a joy
• the promise of spring in mere weeks
• morning coffee
• books
• friends
• high-speed internet
• new spring shoes
• family pictures!
• faith

I don't think most of us have to look very far to find the pleasant gifts that God has given.

What are yours?

:. which spy am I? .:

As you can probably guess from recent posts, I'm currently reading through the Old Testament. Nothing like a few chapters of Deuteronomy and a hot cup of joe to jump-start the day!
So without further ado, here is my most recent rumination:

I'm sure the story is familiar to you. The nation of Israel was poised to enter Canaan. At God's command, Moses sent 12 men on ahead to explore the land: what are the people like? are they few or many? what kind of towns do they live in? how is the soil? etc etc.
I picture God sitting on high, giddy with excitement as His children for the first time set eyes on the wonderful gift He is about to give them. After all, the whole exodus has been building to this very moment.

The spies spent 40 days in the land flowing with milk and honey. They were astounded by the richness and fertility of the land.
They were also in awe of the inhabitants.

When they returned and reported to Moses, 10 of the 12 men advised against trying to enter the land. They said, "We can't attack those people; they are stronger than we are."
Only two of the 12 thought it was a go. Joshua and Caleb said, "If the Lord is pleased with us, He will lead us into that land."

Let me simplify:
10 of 12 said, "We can't".
Only two said, "He will".

And to make matters worse, the ten nay-sayers spread their negativity among all the people. Ten men caused the entire nation of Israel to weep, lament, and refuse to follow God's leading. The end result? They were doomed to wander in the desert one year for every day the spies had spent in Canaan. And that entire generation would not be allowed to set foot in the Promised Land. 40 years of wandering, and banned from receiving what God had promised. All because 10 men said, "We can't".

Am I someone who only sees obstacles? Have I been guilty of saying something can't be done? Has my lack of faith prevented someone else from receiving a blessing from God?
Or do I know that with God, everything is possible? Do I believe that what He has promised, He is well able to do . . . regardless of the odds?

Oh, and just for the record, at the end of the 40 years of wandering, Joshua and Caleb were allowed to enter the Promised Land.
God keeps perfect score.

:. grumbling .:

When reading the account of the exodus of Israel out of Egypt and into the Promised Land, it's hard not to notice all the complaining. Sure, they were afraid, and thirsty, and hungry, but they were being led by the God who had just shown His might by parting the waters of the Red Sea. He had just delivered His people from their oppressors miraculously and completely.
This Almighty God provided water out of rocks, and bread from heaven, for goodness' sake!

And yet they grumbled.

And as they grumbled, they actually longed for the ‘good old days’:
“If only we had died in Egypt! There we ate all the food we wanted.”
“We were better off in Egypt!”
Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to this terrible place?”
“Wouldn’t it be better for us to go back to Egypt?”

The sad part is, back in Egypt, they were slaves.

I'm not ragging on the Israelites. Quite the contrary. We do the very same thing.
How many times have I said, "If only . . ."?
How many times have we panicked when we have a need, rather than trusting the God who has brought us so far?

How many times do we prefer some sort of slavery to our present circumstances?

Let's learn to enjoy the manna we have, rather than long for the fish we left behind.

:. hand over your heart! .:

As has been reported elsewhere, something BIG is happening Friday:
Mr. Gavin has been chosen to lead the entire downtown school in the Pledge of Allegiance! His mellifluous voice will be carried live over the intercom. Not bad for a 4-year old!
I imagine next he will want to run for student council . . .

" . . . with liderty and justice for ALL!"

We're proud of you, Mr. G!!

:. la mia famiglia, i miei amici .:

What were you doing on this date in 1976? Here's what I was up to: I know!

And to commemorate the day, my very thoughtful children planned a lovely brunch in our honor. Hosted by the very capable Kathryn Saldanha (along with Christopher), we enjoyed a pleasant morning in Ames full of laughter, conversation and a delicious repast.

Joshua and Emily Hulling were also in attendance, along with Masters Gavin and Liam, and of course, baby-on-the-way.

(he/she goes everywhere mommy goes.)

The table was decorated with care (including tulips! how lovely!),

and the menu was exquisite:

ham, cheese and potato breakfast casserole

cinnamon rolls

fruit with granola and a strawberry glaze

fruit smoothies

juice

coffee

The festivities also included an anniversary song by Kate, accompanied by Chris on guitar. Liam provided the dance moves. The morning also featured a stirring trumpet solo.

(or possibly a cornet solo; the jury is still out.)

Altogether a perfect morning.

Thank you, kids, for truly being 'a gift of the Lord'.

We love you.

Oh, and happy anniversary, benny!!

:. musings on a 63° day .:

Some thoughts as I walked on this perfect February day:

• it felt marvelous to be outdoors, breathing fresh air after this long winter.
• my legs haven't taken that many strides total for approximately 4 months.
• the minute I left my house I felt like I could walk for miles.
• about a mile away from home, I realized I was wrong.
• when strolling through puddles, it's best not to wear athletic shoes with those little breathing holes in them. [note to self: buy boots.]
• I miss little katinka, my walkies partner (but I'm glad she found a new, permanent partner).
• I passed the house where the husband recently committed suicide. I always wanted to stop and tell the lady of the house how much I admire her front garden. Now that would seem so irrelevant. I wish I had done it before her Great Sorrow happened.
• I also passed the female half of Team Tatu, out walking her Great Dane. The dog is giant, the woman is tiny. A pleasant combination.
• I found a house I want to buy, just around the corner from me. So beautiful! But, it wasn't for sale, and besides, who buys a house around the corner from their current dwelling?
• I figure my very-brisk walk only burned off about 5 of the 100's of Ritz crackers I've consumed in the past few months.
• my Indian medicine man has done a fantastic job of getting my endocrine system back in line. I realized I'm feeling pretty good! Thanks, Dr. Anuj!
• it is a crime that anyone should have to stay indoors on a day such as this. A crime.

:. vad som är fel med mig?!* .:

Contretemps:

I was walking out of Dahls this morning, basking in what, in February, passes for 'spring'. Mmmm, delicious sunshine. . . no need to bundle up too seriously. Everyone around me seemed to be enjoying the weather as much as I.
I even heard someone whistling! Faintly at first, but it got louder. Such a happy, delightful sound! I snuck a few surreptitious peeks at the old lady behind me, but she wasn't the happy whistler. (whistler's mother, perhaps? har har.)
Yeah, about then I realized the whistling was emanating from my purse. It was my new phone, with the dorky, delightful, ridiculous ring I had assigned to both of my girls. Of course by the time I answered, it was too late.

Wow. Good thing it wasn't an emergency.


*vad som är fel med mig?! - Swedish for 'what is wrong with me?!'
(yes, I've discovered google translator. I am set for life.)

:. older and wiser .:

I recently enjoyed coffee and conversation with a very dear, very long-time friend. It was one of those cold winter afternoons, and we cozied up to the fireplace at our favorite neighborhood coffee shop.
First of all, what a wonderful invention, the coffee shop! Thank you, Juan Valdez, or Joe Starbuck, or whomever had the idea. And what a blessing to have a friend worthy of the name with whom to share an afternoon! She and I have been through a lot of life together: babies, teen-agers, good times, bad times, illness, funerals, weddings . . . everything that makes up life.

Naturally we reminisced quite a bit, and as we chatted, we got to talking about the fact that with age comes wisdom (or it should, anyway). And if not wisdom, at the very least a certain stoicism that allows you to relax and not worry so much about the minutiae of life. The more times you've 'been around the block', the more you realize that things work out, that God is faithful, that worry never changes anything anyway, etc and etc. That knowledge allows you to not sweat the small stuff, or the big stuff either for that matter.

Mary Shelley wrote of "those sorrows which are sent to wean us from the earth." What a lovely and apt description of the trials of this life! This earth is not our home, and we were never meant to feel entirely comfortable here. We were created for eternity, and meant for something much more substantial than this passing world.

Thank goodness.

Just imagine if this life was so perfect, so good, so HAPPY and fulfilling ALWAYS. That sounds idyllic, but if that were the case, you would never want to leave it. And that simply isn't an option. The tears that accumulate over years really do help wean us from our satisfaction with this imperfect place that is only ours for a time.

Don't get me wrong. I LOVE life! I love my family and friends; I love the beauty of this world, and learning, and stretching, and discovering.

But I also am thrilled that there's more beyond what this world offers. And the older you get, the more you understand and welcome that. You neither fear nor dread the future with all its unknowns. You don't invent trouble, worrying about those ubiquitous "what-ifs" that rarely, if ever, come to pass. Instead, you view life through a prism of peace . . . especially as a child of the Living God.

Yes, you are aware that no one is immune from trouble and tears. But you don't waste precious moments worried that trials will come; rather you just wait to meet them head-on when they do arrive. It's a rather nice way to live.

I know this at 50; imagine the wisdom I will have at 70!

:. the not-so-fiery furnace .:

My house is usually chilly in the winter; it's old and drafty, and we keep our very inefficient furnace set pretty low. Come over to visit, and you're definitely going to want to bundle up and sit in front of the fire.
I like it chilly; it's quite comfortable. Yesterday, however, I was just plain COLD all afternoon. Even with the fireplace on, it. was. cold. And when Benny came home from work, he noticed it, too. Cut to the chase: our furnace had quit at some point during the day.
Oh.
Of course it was 'after hours' by the time we discovered it. But what do you do in the dead of winter? So Benny put in a call to a heating/cooling company, and was told by the answering service that a technician would call us back shortly. Half an hour later, still no call.
Then we remembered seeing an ad on TV for a company that stays open late . . . sure enough, a real technician answered our call.

Here's where it gets cool!
The guy actually told Benny to go down to the furnace, remove a certain cover, and look for a certain switch. Sure enough, one flick of the switch, and our furnace cranked into gear!
He asked if we still wanted him to come out, but of course we said no.
HIS SERVICE CALL WOULD HAVE COST US $180.
And yet he was willing, over the phone, to trouble-shoot our furnace. What company DOES that?! Granted, it was almost 7pm and the poor guy probably just wanted to get home to his wife and kids. He probably didn't want to miss 24.
But still! He passed up the chance to make one hundred and eighty dollars.
I thought that was VERY cool of him.

The company? Golden Rule. Their motto? "We obey the rules to live by."
And just in case you need reminding, the "golden rule" originated with Jesus:
"Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."

So, if you're ever in need of plumbing/heating/cooling services, please call GOLDEN RULE.
They will get my business every time.

Oh, and the first place we called? Yeah, they finally called back, long after we no longer needed them.