Gentle Means: January 2010

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Wisdom of Babes

The past two evenings, I took care of a beefsteak of a toddler while his parents and brother went cross-country skiing. We were mutually delighted for my arrival after two weeks of holidays apart and he was chivalrous enough to unbutton my coat and pull it off...all the way off to ensure my continued stay! It was a very sweet welcome followed by a tour of his recently acquired Christmas gifts, one of which was a large dumptruck with buttons that say brm brrm! Who wouldn't love that!

Last night was a slightly different story. I rode home with his mother and him from their first day back to work and early learning center after these last two weeks of uninterrupted family time. After getting out of the car, he ran into my arms, expressing the same delight to see me, and again wanted my coat off! His parents slipped out quickly to get to the trails. After a few moments of getting dinner ready and sitting up to the table, he realized that we were alone and that his beloved DaDa was not present. He wanted me to hold him, take him to the door and see if the truck was indeed gone. He pointed to the refridgerator door at the new family Christmas photo. He pointed to DaDa and looked at me trying to make sure I really understood what he was wanting. He was completely inconsoleable, heart broken and sorrowful. Nothing I could do helped take the place of DaDa. The dumptruck no longer held appeal, my police flashlight was no longer nifty, the myriad of his brother's electronic gadgets lost their magic. There was nothing left but holding him, talking about his DaDa and reassuring him that his DaDa would return soon. He finally fell asleep in my arms, standing at the front window as we watched and waited.

GOD gave me another glimpse of heaven while I held this dear sleeping child. My heart has of late been in anguish for needful things, longings, unmet desires of husband, children, home, garden, kitchen, sense of belonging, genuine self-less love, kindness. But all these things are dumptrucks and flashlights in comparison to GOD's presence. As I saw this little one lean his head on the door crying for his DaDa, I realized that I do not lean my head on heaven's door for GOD as much as I lean on it asking for comfort here and now while I await His return.

This morning, the longings remain and will be a battle throughout my days, but I need to remember the greatness of GOD and put that truth into perspective. Corrie Ten Boom wisely said, "Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known GOD."

Saturday, January 2, 2010

Blue Moon December 31, 2009

This picture is from the KTUU website, but I actually was able to see the moon with my own eyes.

It was breathtaking and stopped me in my tracks for several minutes.

Words to live by

Theodore Roosevelt had these great things to say. They need no introduction or explanation.

Character, in the long run, is the decisive factor in the life of an individual and of nations alike.
Courtesy is as much a mark of a gentleman as courage.
If you could kick the person in the pants responsible for most of your trouble, you wouldn't sit for a month.
I care not what others think of what I do, but I care very much about what I think of what I do! That is character!
It is only through labor and painful effort, by grim energy and resolute courage, that we move on to better things.
Never throughout history has a man who lived a life of ease left a name worth remembering.
People ask the difference between a leader and a boss. The leader leads, and the boss drives.
The best executive is one who has sense enough to pick good people to do what he wants done, and self-restraint enough to keep from meddling with them while they do it.
The boy who is going to make a great man must not make up his mind merely to overcome a thousand obstacles, but to win in spite of a thousand repulses and defeats.
The one thing I want to leave my children is an honorable name.
The only man who never makes a mistake is the man who never does anything.
The things that will destroy America are prosperity-at-any-price, peace-at-any-price, safety-first instead of duty-first, the love of soft living, and the get-rich-quick theory of life.
To educate a man in mind and not in morals is to educate a menace to society.
We need the iron qualities that go with true manhood. We need the positive virtues of resolution, of courage, of indomitable will, of power to do without shrinking the rough work that must always be done.
When you are asked if you can do a job, tell 'em, 'Certainly I can!' Then get busy and find out how to do it.
With self-discipline most anything is possible. Big jobs usually go to the men who prove their ability to outgrow small ones.
Far better is it to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure... than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much, because they live in a gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat.

20/20 Vision

My vision needs to be corrected. I have been wearing this prescription and set of contacts past their appointed time due to budget and insurance complications. Everything I view through these imperfect lenses is skewed to the degree of the incorrection. In contrast, when I have the proper prescription, I am able to filter my surroundings through the correction necessary to make accurate vision.

While listening to one of my favourite hymn CD's this morning and subsequently one of my favourite songs, I realized that there is yet another set of eyes that have imperfect vision, that is the 'eyes of my heart'. Over the past few weeks of stress and changes, I can see that my focus has been on both mine and others' short-comings, frustrations, what the Lord requires of me, duties etc. I do acknowledge GOD and choose to serve His will and purpose, but after listening to the words of Be Thou My Vision, I clearly saw that I was seeing my circumstances and then looking to GOD rather than the other way around. If I want to see things as GOD sees them, then I do need His vision to filter through the rubble of life.
This hymn has always been my prayer. I renew it here today.

Ancient Irish hymn, possibly from the 8th Century, tr. by Mary E. Byrne

1. Be Thou my vision, O Lord of my heart;

Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art.

Thou my best thought, by day or by night,

Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.

2. Be Thou my Wisdom, Thou my true Word;

I ever with Thee, Thou with me, Lord;

Thou my great Father, I thy true son;

Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one.

3. Be Thou my battle-shield, sword for my fight,

Be Thou my dignity, Thou my delight.

Thou my soul's shelter, Thou my high tower.