Lots of Questions

We are voracious consumers of news in our home. We watch it. We read it. We listen to it. As I have been processing the information and opinions that have been shared over the past few months, even more so now that we are entering election season, I have felt overwhelmed. It appears that we are suffering a national identity crisis. People are angry, confused, selfish, hateful, lost. We have tossed reason aside. Heck, we don't even critically think about things beyond what we see in our Twitter, Instragram, and Facebook feeds. We have forgotten the truths that our founding fathers (and mothers) fought valiantly for. I don't look back to the beginning of our country with rose-colored glasses. They disagreed with one another passionately. Those debates are what led to the creation of a document that protects us all. What sets them apart from us today is that they could value each others differences and come together with what they had in common and what was best for the whole. They were okay to disagree with each other. They spent countless hours creating a unique document that makes us different from the rest of the world protecting each others differences and in doing so, created a commonality among us. Those beliefs cemented in our Constitution and Bill of Rights guaranteed rights and liberties and protections for all of its' citizenry. We need to look back at what we were founded upon.

When did we, as a contemporary collective, get to the place where we cannot respect someone who has different viewpoints than our own? Why are we in the place where we feel like one people group owes another or is better than another or deserves special treatment than another? When did we get to the place where we find identity only in how we are different from each other instead of what we do have in common? Why are we belittling those who have religious beliefs? Why are we saying it is okay to make people say and do and pay for things that they fundamentally disagree with? Why do different people groups claim persecution, yet go out and do that very thing to another people group? How can we be so jaded that we cannot see the pain and suffering of others, including those who are yet to be born? (We can see the value of that same thing in animals, why not humans?) Where does the rage come from where one can justify destroying other people's property and possessions that they have worked hard for? Why aren't we valuing people's efforts, we want people to honor ours? Why do we think we should get something for free at the expense of someone else's hard work? I could ask thousands of questions.

What we do have in common is that we are a part of country that is like no other in the world. Each individual is guaranteed rights under our law. No matter what gender, race, religious belief (or absence of belief), or age, or... we all have value here. We have the opportunity to pursue a life that one cannot have in a majority of the countries of the world. If we have an idea, we may pursue it freely, maximize it, create a living off of it. If we have a particular set of beliefs, we may live them out (so long as we are not infringing upon the rights of others). We have a say in the leadership above us as we vote. (We can get into leadership and government corruption another time.) We can move to wherever we please and we can go where we want to go (and as a woman, I can do that without an escort). We can gather together with like-minded individuals and we can gather with those who do life differently. The point is that we have common freedoms that treat us as equals. Unfortunately, it seems as though we are perceiving those freedoms as divisive, separating us into small groups instead of bringing us together as a nation.

Do we need a change of perspective? Do we need to focus on more than ourself? Do we need to reeducate ourselves on what our country's founding principles are? Do we simply need to sit down with someone different than us, have a cup of coffee, and begin to see their value? Instead of complaining, do we need to do something?
Lots of questions...

No apologies

I have not been writing regularly. I have not posted anything here since the beginning of the year. I could list excuses or reasons or justifications. In order to be kind to myself, I am not going to do that. Instead, I am going to forgive myself and simply try again. It's a new day and I am not going to apologize for living life. So, here's to a new day with a fresh start.

A few days at home

A busy few days…

We went through a major purge in our bedroom and kitchen. Things that have been hiding in cupboards and closets and drawers were brought out, loaded into our car, and delivered to our City Mission. I feel terrible that things that were just sitting here could be a blessing to someone who needs something. It felt good to share…I wish we would have done it sooner.

My son celebrated his 16th birthday. Friends and family were over. Thoughtful and very generous gifts were given. It was a joy just to celebrate him. I could write pages and pages about him…will save that for another time. (This mom gets a tad weepy reflecting on where we are at in our parenting journey. Letting go a little each day is getting more difficult as we see his adulthood knocking at our door.)

Winter weather is here, which translates to plenty of cooking, snow shoveling, reading, and reorganizing. It was a lovely few days and I love the fact that my kitchen feels "brand new" now that it is simplified and organized. I even want to cook more… My guys are grateful for that.

We were scheduled to a gathering about an hour from our home yesterday and I hate to admit that I am grateful of the event being cancelled due to weather. It would have been nice to see extended family, but it was so nice just to be home and tie up loose ends before returning to school the next day. Our family really is a group of homebodies that relish in the idea of a whole weekend at home with no agenda. 

The beauty in all of this? Home

We may not have the grandest, up to date, full of the latest and greatest toys place, but I think our home is a beautiful space. It is a place where we want to be. It is a place that is safe and where we can recharge after being out in the world. It is a beautiful place to celebrate who we are. It is where we feel secure enough that we can get past ourselves so we can serve and share with others… I love the beautiful place that we call home. 


Challenge: Home may not be perfect (ours definitely is not!), but can you look for the beauty that is there right now? It may be obvious, it may be hidden. And if you are struggling to see any beauty, is there something that you can create or bring to it now? Cleaning a small part (a drawer, a cupboard, a room), creating a dish or artwork or music, a loving conversation with a spouse or child or friend… 

Look for some small touch of beauty in your home. As soon as I saw it here, I was overwhelmed with gratitude. It makes the ordinary feel extraordinary. 

I am grateful.

New year, new blog

A little trite to start a new blog on Day 1 of a new year, but that is how this shall begin anyway. My challenge is write consistently throughout 2015. I have been on a journey the past few years of cleaning house (physically and metaphorically), simplifying, prioritizing, and focusing on that which truly matters. While working through the process, writing slowed and then stopped completely. Really, it is rather sad that writing was not a part of the process. I have learned much and looking back now, I would have loved to read and reflect on each step in the metamorphosis into the me I am now.

So, here we are. New year, new blog. Challenge is to write consistently. Goal is to look at each day, hunting for the beautiful moments, events, things, despite how difficult and challenging life can be. 

Here begins a journey of looking for the beautiful in each day...