Seize the day...

Early this morning my brother Dan boarded a plane for the first leg of his journey to Argentina, but before he left, he managed to sneak this onto my refrigerator:

Dan acquired this magnet several years ago while living in Colorado.  What's so special about this magnet to me is that for the last several weeks I have been lamenting about this blog's title "Carpe Diem!" ("seize the day" in Latin) to anyone who will listen, and Dan listened.  

Those who know me well know what a struggle it is for me to "seize the day".  Some people rise with the dawn excited about the day and what it will bring.  I am not one of those people.  Dan, on the other hand, is "seize the day" incarnate.  Dan climbs rocks.  He installs windows.  (Thank you!)  He kayaks.  He bakes bread, and pies, and biscotti.  He makes Christmas cookies with my children.  He builds. (In fact, he is flying to Argentina to build as I type!)  He rises early and stays up late.  He's the Proverbs 31 woman that I long to be!  (Sorry, Dan.  You are not womanly at all.  You are very, very manly!)  

I have never climbed a rock.  I'm afraid of the table saw.  I hurt myself with the drill.  (I do kayak!)  I've never made a pie crust or biscotti.  I hate baking Christmas cookies.  (Sorry kids, the truth hurts!)  I rise late and stay up late, and sometimes, I'm cranky and have PMS and look like Don King!  Yet in spite of it all, my brother sees my heart, and without a word, he quietly encouraged me to keep on trying.  Thank you, Dan. I will keep trying, and somehow, I will find a way to seize the day!

More Thrift Store Finds!

Yesterday my wonderful friend, SaDonna, treated me to a manicure, pedicure (my first ever!), and lunch as an early birthday present.  On the way home, we hit a thrift store, and once again, I was not disappointed!

Flirty flowered skirt...$3.99, fabulous tangerine skirt...$3.99, black knit skirt...$1.99 (Perhaps I should call this the year of the skirt!), black leather loafers...$6.99, brown suede slides...$2.99, spending the day with a caring and thoughtful friend...PRICELESS!  Thank you, SaDonna!  You are such a blessing to me!

Thrift Store Finds!

Last week my uncle and I were in town running some errands, and we had some time to kill.  The back of my Yukon was filled with stuff to drop of at Goodwill, and we thought, "Hey, why not go in and see what we can find?"

Funky silver necklace...$.99, comfy pajama pants...$1.99, groovy brown skirt...$3.99, classy leather loafers (with kitten heels!)...$4.99, rummaging around a thrift store with my favorite uncle...PRICELESS!  Thanks for a great day, Wayno!

Authenticity

 AUTHENTIC (adj.) -

• not false or copied; genuine; real (www.dictionary.com) 
• true to one's own personality, spirit, or character (www.merriam-webster.com)

As stated in a previous post, one of my words for 2011 is authenticity. I don't know what I was thinking when I chose that word...so easy to say, so much harder to live...especially when you're going through a trial.

Authenticity Challenge #1:  (This hasn't happened yet, but it will...)

I'm out and about functioning (because that's what I do), and I run into a Facebook "friend" (come on, admit it, we've all got 'em...), and the "conversation" goes something like this:

Friend:  "Well, hello!  How are you?"  (big, cheesy, insincere grin)

Me:   "Fine. Good!  And you?" (bigger, cheesier, more insincere grin)

And just like that, I've lied.  Oh dear, I've lied...  Oh my goodness gracious...I'VE LIED!  I most certainly am NOT fine! (But FB friend doesn't really care...) And circumstances are most definitely NOT good!  (But FB friend obviously has better things to do than listen to my drama...)

So what's a girl to do?  Is there ever a time when etiquette trumps authenticity?

Authenticity Challenge #2:  (This one DID happen!)

A few days ago I was feeling particularly feisty (read: snarky), and I made a snide comment about one of my son's friends, partially in jest, but the truth is "...out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks."  (Matthew 12:34).  My son jumped me about it immediately, and I told him I was only joking, but he wouldn't let me off the hook and went a step further by saying, "You know you're just going to be all nice the next time you see 'em."  To which I replied (in my high and mighty voice), "Well, I'm not going to be rude!"  To which he replied, "Well, then you're just being two-face!"  O-U-C-H!  To make matters worse, one of my other big boys was there for the exchange and burst out laughing, because my other son had just rendered me utterly speechless, which pretty much never happens...  Can you say EPIC FAIL?!

I must confess that my initial reaction toward my "mouthy teenager" was anger, but as the night wore on, I realized that my anger should have been directed at myself, because my son was right, and my attitude toward his friend was ungodly.  I went downstairs with a heavy heart to apologize to my son, but because I'm stubborn and occasionally a little slow on the uptake, my son was already asleep, and as a reward for my stubbornness, I got to feel cruddy for another nineteen hours before my apology was delivered and accepted.  I digress...

So, does etiquette ever trump authenticity?  Should I really unload all of my drama on some poor, unsuspecting Facebook friend in the name of authenticity?  Should I really treat my children's friends according to my current attitude toward them just to be "real"?   I don't think so, but what's a God-fearing girl to do?

I have two thoughts... (Well, actually, I have a LOT of thoughts, but I'll spare you the word salad...)

Regarding scenario #1:

In James 1:2, we are instructed to "Consider it pure joy...whenever you face trials of many kinds".  Because of Christ, I can be joyful even in the midst of trials.  And Psalm 34:8 says, "Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him."  The Lord IS good, and because the Lord is good, I am blessed regardless of my circumstances, when I take refuge in Him.  So when someone asks me how I am, I can honestly say, "Fine. Good!" as long as I am abiding in Christ.

Regarding scenario #2:

How can I treat people who rub me the wrong way kindly without being "two-faced"?  By asking the Lord to change my attitude toward them.  Right is right, regardless of how we feel, and kindness is always right.  Sometimes right feelings don't come until right choices are made.  I can't count the times I've said, "Do the right  thing, and the feelings will follow."  So when a sandpaper person starts rubbin' my last nerve raw, I can honestly choose to be kind while trusting God to change my heart.

So maybe authenticity is worth the effort, and perhaps it's not as impossible as I first thought...but stay tuned, 'cause God's not done with me, and I'm sure there will be a few more tests before the final!

Letting go...

"Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland." (Isaiah 43:18-19 NIV)

I find these verses particularly encouraging as I stand poised on the brink of 2011.  As stated in a previous post, 2010 was a difficult year for my family, and to be honest, I'm glad it's finally over.  2010 wasn't all bad, but there are some angry words and poor choices that I would like to forget.  In Isaiah 43:18, the Lord urges me to do just that, to "FORGET the former things" and not to dwell on the past.  In verse 19, He says "...I am doing a new thing...I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland."  There were times in 2010 when my life felt like a barren wasteland, but in the midst of it all, God was there, and He was faithful, and He has promised to be faithful again.  So before I take one step into 2011, I am resolving to let go of the baggage of 2010 and fix my eyes on the ONE who has new things in store!