Musings by Melissa

I am soooo not ready for back to school.  Oh, I know the stuff has been in the stores for months already.  I’ve walked past rows of paper, pencils, lunch boxes, and backpacks.  I’ve seen ads for graphing calculators, ipods, and Sony VAIO.  The back to school clothes, fashions, and haircuts have been plastered all over as well.  Oh, I am so not ready.

Of course, I’ve purchased all the books we need for school this year.  (We homeschool.)  And yes, we have started a bit.  The kids have all done a math lesson or two, just to get the feel of their books.  They know what’s expected of them in most of their subjects.  But still, I’m just not ready.

Although, I will admit, the cooler weather is helping a lot.  When it’s 90 degrees, who can concentrate on schoolwork?  But now that the weather definitely has that autumn feel, I am reminded of all the projects I wanted to get done before the snow flies.  And so, we’re not really doing school today either.  We’re washing bedding, chopping and stacking wood, gathering sticks, cleaning up the garden a bit, and making that list of things we need to get done yet before ol’ man winter comes knocking on our door.

~sigh~

Yes, I guess it is time for fall.  Good bye, summer!  ~sniff, sniff~

There are times when I really miss things about Kenya.  Now, I’ll be the first to admit that I enjoy my running water, and I enjoy my morning shower.  I’ll also be the first to admit that I don’t particularly enjoy hot days, and Kenya has more than their fair share of those!  So, what do I miss about Kenya?!?

I miss the simplicity of it all.  Maybe I missed out on something while I was there, but I didn’t see a to-do list at any of the homes I entered.  The people are not hurried at all.  In America we hurry here and we hurry there on a never-ending quest for … something.  I’m not sure quite what. 

People in Kenya weren’t nearly as stressed out as people in America.  They didn’t worry about making a car payment or about what to do if their vehicle breaks down because they don’t own vehicles. 

They don’t worry about mowing the lawn.  After all, that’s what the goats are for.  Honestly, I think Kenyans would laugh if they saw what we do to our yards. 

They don’t worry about how to loose 10, 20, or 50 pounds because they’re not overweight.  Why?  Because they don’t eat all the junk we do, and for the most part they are much more active that we are.  When they want to go to the store, they have to walk.  Then they carry all their groceries home.  Oh, we have to carry ours from the trunk of our vehicles to the kitchen.  But that’s it.  We have shopping carts to get the groceries from the store to our trunks.  And even hauling them to the kitchen can be done in many trips.

Botox treatment, adult acne treatment, liposuction, etc.  Vanity, vanity…  From my brief experience in Kenya, these things aren’t even worries.  Yet in America, people concern themselves with these things every day.  To the point that many people are on depression medication just because of the stress of it all.

Yes, there is room for improvement when it comes to life in Kenya, but I hope the Kenyan people pick and choose what they are going to adopt from America and what they aren’t.  And I hope their simple lifestyle is one thing they choose to keep.

Last week was a rough week for our family.  We said good-bye to two dear friends from church who have changed their permanant addresses from earth to heaven.  Oh, I have no doubt that we will see them again someday, and I have no doubt that they are joyfully serving their Creator and Savior whom they loved so much while they were here on earth.  But it’s still sad for those of us who are left behind.  Both of these dear saints were 82 years old.  One of them had been married for 62 years and the other for 61 years.  Their lives were a living testimony to the grace of God. 

It’s amazing how quickly death can put things into perspective.  As I have been reflecting back on the lives of these two good friends, the things I remember were conversations, meals together, music, prayers, sharing of concerns.  Thoughts of what they drove, what they wore, how they did their hair, how often they mowed their lawn, or any of the other things that tend to frustrate people today (like what are the diets that work?) didn’t even enter my mind.

And so, what am I to learn from their lives?  Not to become too concerned about the things that don’t matter.  To focus on people.  To share their concerns and burdens.  To pray together more fervently.  May these be lessons that I never forget.

Betty and Bob, you are missed.

~sigh~

If there’s something I have a love-hate relationship with, it’s the newspaper.  I love being informed on what’s going on in the world around me.  But I hate the slanted angle of the way news is reported.  I love getting the coupons in the Sunday edition and seeing what’s on sale in the ads.  But reading about all the political scams is enough to make me want to cancel my subscription.  And then there’s the scams in the education system, the scams in law enforcement, and the apidexin scam.

It often leaves me wondering, “Where is justice?  What has happened to the conscience?  Is it that far gone?  Can it be resuscitated?”

Personally, I believe this nation is going to continue its downward spiral.  The Bible says that times are going to get worse than what they already are, morally speaking.  Although many things have already come about.  People are inventing ways of doing evil.  (If you don’t believe me, read your daily paper a bit more closely.)  Children are rising up against their parents and parents against their children.  (Not all the time, but quite frequently.)  People are calling what is really wrong, right, and what is really right wrong.  (Yup… every day.)  

The only thing that can stop this downward spiral is the Holy Spirit.  We need a revival that comes from the throne of God.  We as a nation need to fall on our knees in broken repentance before the God of this universe.  As a nation we have blatantly disobeyed His commands.  As a nation we have thumbed our noses at God.  And as a nation we need to repent and return to Him.

With God all things are possible.  But until then I don’t need to pollute my mind with some of the filth that is in our local paper.  And so, our subscription has been cancelled.

My love-hate relationship is now a non-relationship.

Ahhhhhh…

As I’m rapidly approaching my 40th birthday, I’m finding that some things aren’t what they used to be.  My mom’s always talking about how her hands look like her mother’s hands used to look.  Well, my hands are looking like I remember my mothers hands looking when she was, uh, about 40! 

It’s funny how things change.  Skin that used to be oily is now dry.  Skin that used to be dry is now drier and tight.  I’m not a vain person, but I sometimes wonder if, since I am approaching the half-way mark, I should spend a little time reading prototype 37c reviews!  But then I think of all the time that I could spend trying to keep myself looking young, and I think “Why bother?”  I mean, what really matters isn’t what color my hair is (not that I’m graying yet!) or how many wrinkles I have.  What matters is my relationship with my Savior and my relationships with those around me.  And I don’t need any cream to improve those!

(Although, Justin does love having his back rubbed with some of my lotion.  That’s always a special time.  I love spending time with my kids.  What a great joy they are to me!  Thank you for them, Lord!)

One thing I really hate is feeling obligated to get someone a gift when I have no desire to get that person a gift.  Oh, it’s not because I’m cheap.  I LOVE surprising people with out-of-the-ordinary things at out-of-the-ordinary times.  I enjoy doing things for people more than I enjoy buying things for people.  For example, sneaking over to someone’s house in the middle of the night with a load of split wood for their fireplace and stacking it neatly for them.  How fun!  Or driving half-way across the state to surprise someone.  Or flying to Florida to surprise someone with dinner!  Baking a loaf of homemade bread, wrapping it up, and leaving it for someone without them knowing who did it.  Those are priceless memories. 

Some people like to stick with funny gifts, like shampoo for hair growth for the bald man on their list.  Or memory pills that are really jelly beans for someone who’s forgetful.  While funny gifts can be funny, they can often be hurtful.  One really needs to know the heart of the recipient before giving a gift like that.

Another option is to go generic.  A tie for a man or flowers for a woman.  That’s okay, but it’s much better if the flowers come at an unexpected time.  (And preferably not a week after Valentine’s Day!)

Too many people spend too much money on gifts.  While expensive things can be nice, most people really want to know that you love them from the heart.  Love can’t be purchased with money or expensive gifts.  Love can only be shown through time and thoughtfulness.

Just something to think about…

A couple months ago our church sent a group of young adults on a mission trip to South America.  After they returned home, they gave a presentation at church about their trip.  One of the things that obviously struck many of them was how happy the people were in Guyana, even though they had next to nothing.  We live in America, the greatest nation on earth, and how many people here are truly happy?  Very few.  We have every convenience known to man, and yet the people who don’t have running water are happier.  What’s up with that?

Personally, I think a lot of it is due to the keeping up with the Jones’ mentality.  “Bigger, better, faster” seems to be our national anthem.  Slowing down to smell the roses?!?  Only if the roses are at the end of the checkout line while we’re buying groceries and the cashier is being too slow.  Maybe then Americans will be forced to slow down enough to grab a quick whiff before running their plastic through the machine.

In our quest to keep up with the Jones’, Americans sacrifice way too much.  Time spent with the family.  Time spent outdoors.  Time spent with friends and loved ones.  We sacrifice our health– mental and physical.  How many people do you know who live in the greatest country on earth and yet have to take anti-depressants just to get through the day?  How many familes spend more time waiting in line at the local drive-thru than they do sitting around their kitchen table? 

We worry about appearances.  And if something’s not right, we dye it, pluck it, inject it, or take a pill for it.  Do people in other countries worry about things like this?  Are they concerned about weight loss pills, botox treatments and hgh supplements?  Or are they grateful to have food to eat and a good roof over their heads? 

I believe we still live in the greatest nation in the world, and yet, I hope we will pause long enough to learn a lesson about true happiness from our neighbors who don’t have a fraction of what we have.

I picked up a book at the library today called 911 Beauty Secrets.  This type of book is something I rarely, if ever, read.  But some of the suggestions caught my attention and I thought it’d be worth a closer look.  So, this afternoon I was browsing through it when “Tips From Pageant Contestants” caught my eye.  The one that stuck out the most was to “apply hemmerrhoid cream to upper legs to shrink them, then wrap them in plastic wrap.”  I can’t imagine slathering my legs in the stuff that people use for hemorrhoid relief and then wrapping them in plastic wrap… all for the sake of vanity or winning a contest.  How fake!  How phony! 

I guess what bothers me the most is that young girls watch these beauty pageants and think all these beauties are the real thing.  Then they feel bad because their thighs aren’t quite as thin as the ones wrapped in hemmorrhoid cream and plastic wrap.  What a sad commentary on our society! 

1 Samuel 16:7b tells us that man looks on the outward appearance, but man looks at the heart.  As the mother of two boys and a girl, I know my work is cut out for me.  To stress to all of them that it’s not the outside that matters, but what’s on the inside that makes a difference.

We have watched more television in the past two weeks than we have in the past two years.  Why?  Because the Olympics have been on.  Who doesn’t love the Olympics?!?  The thrill of victory and the agony of defeat!  Watching the top atheletes in the world compete for gold is always exciting.  Figure skating, the halfpipe, downhill skiing, speed skating …  Names like Lysacek and Plushenko, Apolo Ohno, Shaun White, and Lindsey Vohn will live on in our minds for at least a few weeks.  The numerous crashes.  The death of the Georgian athlete on the luge.  All the beautiful scenes of British Colombia.

What could be finer?

Well, let me tell you… there’ are a number of things that I don’t like about television, but one of them is the advertising.  Oh, television does have it’s share of good ads.  Honestly funny ads that don’t refer to sex or some sort of testosterone cream every thirty seconds.  Ads that don’t degrade women.  Ads that promote healthy values.  It is a sad commentary on our society when these “good” ads are far and few between.

And so, as soon as the Olympics are over, so will our be our television watching.  We don’t need that kind of garbage being paraded into our home on a regular basis.  In fact, most of the Olympics we tape so that we can fast-forward through the commercials later.  (Hey, we can condense a whole night of television into just a couple hours this way!)

I’m not saying everyone must throw away their televisions.  But I am asking that you pay more attention to what you are allowing to be put into your brain.

Ah, bedtime.  That special time of day when kids want to lay in the dark and whisper about the events of the day.  I love that time of day as well.  Sometimes I’ll spend too much time with one kidlet, and another one will fall asleep before I get there, but I thoroughly enjoy tucking my kids into bed.

Each kid has their own bedtime quirk.  One of them loves to have their hair/head rubbed.  One loves to fall asleep with me rubbing their back, especially their shoulder blades and the back of their neck.  And another loves to have their face touched.  They usually don’t clamor for glasses of water, although in the winter, bed buddies are often a pleasant surprise for them.  (Bed buddies are bags made out of polar fleece that are filled with rice.  Kind of like bean bags, but with rice.  We heat them in the microwave until they are warm, and then I love to place them by cold piggies.  Ahhh…)

The other night as I was going through our bedtime ritual.  I saw it.  One of the signs of puberty: the dreaded pimple.  Ugh!  Oh, how it brought back memories.  Yuck!  While the pimple is now gone, as I stroke that precious cheek g’night, I wonder how much longer until I have to research acne treatment gel.  Hopefully not for a long time.  But even as time marches on, this mama will always love to whisper, “G’night … Mama loves you!”