indifference

My husband's in seminary (grad school for pastors) and in a few months, he is going to begin his ministry, which means that WE are going to begin ministry. This is concerning to some people who know me, because I have a very well-documented case of an under-developed empathy muscle. And apparently you have to have empathy for people when your husband is a minister. Standard-issue Christianity suggests that we are to love everyone; pragmatic Christianity takes a more narrow approach, meaning that Pastors And Their Families are supposed to love and care for everyone.

Usually I'm not too concerned about failing to live up to the expectations that I will be gracious, always ready with the right encouragement and the right attitude. I do the best I can, and that's the best I can do, right? Fine.

I need to be in the habit of caring for people, even if they have clearly not cared for me. Jesus 101, right there. And I fail.  On an embarrassingly consistent basis.  I am indifferent.  And I don't know how to change.

a little tuesday bulletproof-positive-attitude

One of my favorite bloggers is Kal Barteski, of LoveLife fame. She's a Canadian, and she has found a way to take -45 degree weather in stride while she's many-months pregnant and tooling around with a 1-year-old. What's not to adore?

She's an artist/designer, on top of being an overall inspiration. And today she shared something with us that I thought was too awesome to pass up.

You probably won't regret checking it out, here.

I find it particularly meaningful as I spend my days working at Virginia's capitol.

Blanket's done! What's next?

Ladies and gentlemen, I am proud to present to you my new pride and joy, that afghan!!

It's done.  I love it.  Soft, squishy, warm without being too heavy.  There's nothing more to say.

(If you've read the last entry, you know I was debating whether to charge on through and finish it, which I expected to take forever, or to keep dawdling on it and do smaller projects in the meantime.  After much consideration, I decided to just go for it and finish.  And THEN I did some measurements, and realized I was   a l m o s t d o n e   with it, so of course the choice was obvious.)

Here are the specifics:  Knit Picks Mix&Mingle kit in the Emerald Isles colorway; pattern is Knit Picks Colorful Waves Throw.  Neither the kit nor the throw seem to be available anymore.

to President Obama

Dear President Obama,

You weren't my candidate.  I'm not particularly pleased that you got elected, because we don't see eye-to-eye on much, seeing as I'm more or less a libertarian and you're more or less a socialist.  But you're my President now, and it's my civic duty as a Christian and as an American - as your constituent - to voice my opinions and instructions to you.  

So, I'll leave you with the infamous words of my college drumline instructor...

DON'T SUCK.

We both love this country.  I just hope you are more right about how to run it than I am.

Sincerely,

bashtree

Manic Monday #151

From the Manic Monday site:  

What do you do to make yourself feel better when you are sick?

Live in PJs.  And eat cereal.  And watch bad movies.

What is the most amazing weather you've ever seen?

Winter 1998 - Austria.  It was so cold, and there was snow everywhere, and mist in the valleys.  It was crisp and sparkly and I will never forget it.

Do you listen to music or talk radio in the car?

Music.  I'm ok with talk radio if it's on, but I won't seek it out.  

oh yeah...the white elephant game...

You know those white elephant games that some groups of fun-loving people like to play?  Where everyone brings a gag gift, and you go around the room taking turns either picking from the pile of gifts or stealing from someone who's already opened one?  

Last month, Pap911 had a big white elephant game as a holiday fundraiser.  I was fortunate enough to get to play.  And I wanted, from the get-go, this pillow that was blue with a brown/white papillon embroidered on the front.  It goes well with the furniture, the dog reminds me of Eli, and I figured that someone would pick it before me, which would mean that I could steal it.  Bonus!  because I love stealing.

Someone did pick it before me, which means that I ended up stealing it, and I blamed Eli for making me do it.  This led to some humorous photo-edited banter, the pinnacle (in my opinion) of which, I thought I would share with you:

Brian informs me that this is NOT FUNNY, but I think it is, even a month later.

Note:  I took the photo but didn't edit it to add the pillow and the words.

limited word supply

Do you complain too much? I do. It's too easy to see the negative things and let them crowd out the good ones. 

This morning, out of nowhere, I was reminded of a personal essay I once read. It was written by a mother with a husband and some kids. I don't remember the story, just that due to some ailment or event, the woman had temporarily lost her ability to speak. The only way she could communicate with her family was by writing.

Sometimes I think it might be good for me if I could only communicate after some deliberation. It really makes a difference when you see your words in writing, before being able to deliver them.

If I had to look at each harsh word I said about my fellow drivers, or each criticism I offered my husband, or each complaint I had about something at work, before showing it to anybody, I probably would end up NOT showing it. Self-censoring at its best! I might be motivated to offer more grace, more kindness and encouragement, or just not say anything.

The woman in the essay had this same experience. Each time she wanted to snap at her husband or kids, she had to do it on paper. Having the chance to cool off and think through her responses instead of reacting rashly, in the heat of the reaction, led her to be more aware of her tongue and make different choices. When she regained her voice, she remembered the lessons she learned.

If you had to write down everything you wanted to say, what patterns do you think would jump out at you? How do you think your communication would change - if at all?