I have a good friend who is a really, really good mom. (Well, I have quite a few of those....) Ami and I have gotten close over the past year or so, and our families have become friends too. Jeff and I have a lot of affection for Ami's girls, Ellie and Katie. Ellie is one of Anna's BFF's, and the friend she was baptized with. They have a special bond. Watch out - they are gonna change the world:) Katie will be a 5th grader, and Jeff and I volunteered to be 5th grade Sunday School teachers this year. So we get to have Katie (and some other fantastic kids too - we picked a good year!) in our class.
Katie is amazingly smart. She's precocious and full of energy. She is full of hugs and questions and spunk. She endeared herself to us pretty quickly. But I know that Ami and her husband Rob have had lots of challenges because of Katie's diagnosis. I have witnessed their amazing tenacity. They work tirelessly to do what's best for their daughter. Their love and devotion to their family is obvious to everyone who knows them.
Autism spectrum disorders have affected other friends and acquaintances in my life and in yours. You have probably been touched by their stories too. We don't often know how to ease the burdens of friends, or support them in what they do, but sometimes little ways come up.
For those of you who know Ami (or are touched by her story), her family is raising money for Autism awareness and research through the Autism Speaks walk. I asked Ami if I could post this link but she didn't know what I was going to say:) I hope I didn't embarrass her. Ami, I wanted to honor your wonderful family. Love you! Check it out if you would like to contribute a little something to the cause or send the La Ducs some love.
Go Team Katie! :)
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Monday, September 5, 2011
What a Girl Wants
My daughter just turned 13. In case you missed the news.
She's a great kid. She is relatively level-headed and not much of a drama queen. She is not too grown up.
But she is a teenager now. She wants to walk to the park down the hill with friends. By themselves. She wants to shop in that great big mall all by herself with her friends. She wants a Facebook account. She wants to wear make-up.
The thought of make-up on my daughter used to cause me to feel a little bit sick to my stomach. Too grown-up! She's beautiful the way she is - she does not need make-up! Now she's 13 and I realize that a little mascara is nothing compared to all the creeps in the world who might want to be her friend on Facebook. And all of those frightening nooks and crannies at the mall ... we'll take that eyeshadow in all colors possible, please.
Plus, make-up is fun to girls of a certain age. I have to remember that it used to be for me too. It used to be fun to spend my allowance on a shiny new lipstick. Now I get a q-tip and wrestle every last smudge out of a 10 year old tube of Clinque lip gloss that was the bonus accompanying the foundation I used to wear 10 years ago. I decided to let my daughter experience that same old junior high make-up fun. Besides, at this point, if I say no to make-up, we all know there will be a secret stash in her BFF's locker that she will apply every day before the homeroom bell.
This kid is cautious and moderate. She was chattering to me about the goings on of a recent slumber party where the girls were all doing each other's faces up, and she mentioned that she thought several of her friends wear too much make-up. "It doesn't look good," she confessed, "and when they put it on me, it looked awful."
Today, I arranged for little sister to stay with Dad (imagine not wanting your precocious 6 year old sister who is not good in Target to accompany you on your first cosmetics purchase!) and she and I went to get some new make-up for her. And some junk food for dinner tonight. We girls were having a little party of sorts. She made some nice choices. A pretty palette of shadow for blue eyes, and some mascara of the clear variety. Her friends already purchased her some tinted lip gloss. And she decided that face make-up might clog her pores even more.
After the junk food fest (ohh, bad idea I am so paying for at the moment) and movie, little sis went to bed and she and I pulled out the new make-up and practiced. She looked really nice. Not made-up at all. And then we had a friendly little Just Dance competition. Let's just say ... Can't Touch This! ;) And we talked about all kinds of things that 13 year olds want to talk about.
The decision to bestow my blessing upon the make-up wearing of my eighth grader may come with the kind of judgment I used to get in Meijer when I let my littlest get one of those movie carts. (Grocery store peace was so worth a dollar and some stink eye!) Honestly, I don't think she is learning anything damaging. She knows that I am not of the persuasion that a woman does not walk out of the house with a fully made-up face. She knows that for me, make-up is a sometimes thing. It's for dressing up. Sometimes I put on just a little when I am dressing professionally. I hope I'm sending the message that make-up is not something I or any other female needs to be attractive.
I have mentioned before that in mothering, one constantly reinvents oneself. Or maybe, more accurately, evolves. You learn which battles you want to fight, and that you certainly can't fight them all. You realize that you really can't keep your baby in a bubble. You begin to learn to trust your gut, and your kid who is, amazingly, maturing quite nicely. You learn not to beat yourself up over everything and stop taking yourself so seriously. There is "ideal" and there's "real," and along the way we begin to detect the difference between the two.
I am not a perfect mother. Not even be a great mother. I have a good 13 year old daughter (and a 6 year old one too), though. And tonight was a blast. We weren't eating organic, nutritious, wholesome food. We were rotting out our minds in front of a TV screen. We were indulging in a vain activity that might send the message that girls need to make themselves attractive to others. And we loved every minute of it. Bonding with daughters is so worth selling out and getting some stink eye;)
She's a great kid. She is relatively level-headed and not much of a drama queen. She is not too grown up.
But she is a teenager now. She wants to walk to the park down the hill with friends. By themselves. She wants to shop in that great big mall all by herself with her friends. She wants a Facebook account. She wants to wear make-up.
The thought of make-up on my daughter used to cause me to feel a little bit sick to my stomach. Too grown-up! She's beautiful the way she is - she does not need make-up! Now she's 13 and I realize that a little mascara is nothing compared to all the creeps in the world who might want to be her friend on Facebook. And all of those frightening nooks and crannies at the mall ... we'll take that eyeshadow in all colors possible, please.
Plus, make-up is fun to girls of a certain age. I have to remember that it used to be for me too. It used to be fun to spend my allowance on a shiny new lipstick. Now I get a q-tip and wrestle every last smudge out of a 10 year old tube of Clinque lip gloss that was the bonus accompanying the foundation I used to wear 10 years ago. I decided to let my daughter experience that same old junior high make-up fun. Besides, at this point, if I say no to make-up, we all know there will be a secret stash in her BFF's locker that she will apply every day before the homeroom bell.
This kid is cautious and moderate. She was chattering to me about the goings on of a recent slumber party where the girls were all doing each other's faces up, and she mentioned that she thought several of her friends wear too much make-up. "It doesn't look good," she confessed, "and when they put it on me, it looked awful."
Today, I arranged for little sister to stay with Dad (imagine not wanting your precocious 6 year old sister who is not good in Target to accompany you on your first cosmetics purchase!) and she and I went to get some new make-up for her. And some junk food for dinner tonight. We girls were having a little party of sorts. She made some nice choices. A pretty palette of shadow for blue eyes, and some mascara of the clear variety. Her friends already purchased her some tinted lip gloss. And she decided that face make-up might clog her pores even more.
After the junk food fest (ohh, bad idea I am so paying for at the moment) and movie, little sis went to bed and she and I pulled out the new make-up and practiced. She looked really nice. Not made-up at all. And then we had a friendly little Just Dance competition. Let's just say ... Can't Touch This! ;) And we talked about all kinds of things that 13 year olds want to talk about.
The decision to bestow my blessing upon the make-up wearing of my eighth grader may come with the kind of judgment I used to get in Meijer when I let my littlest get one of those movie carts. (Grocery store peace was so worth a dollar and some stink eye!) Honestly, I don't think she is learning anything damaging. She knows that I am not of the persuasion that a woman does not walk out of the house with a fully made-up face. She knows that for me, make-up is a sometimes thing. It's for dressing up. Sometimes I put on just a little when I am dressing professionally. I hope I'm sending the message that make-up is not something I or any other female needs to be attractive.
I have mentioned before that in mothering, one constantly reinvents oneself. Or maybe, more accurately, evolves. You learn which battles you want to fight, and that you certainly can't fight them all. You realize that you really can't keep your baby in a bubble. You begin to learn to trust your gut, and your kid who is, amazingly, maturing quite nicely. You learn not to beat yourself up over everything and stop taking yourself so seriously. There is "ideal" and there's "real," and along the way we begin to detect the difference between the two.
I am not a perfect mother. Not even be a great mother. I have a good 13 year old daughter (and a 6 year old one too), though. And tonight was a blast. We weren't eating organic, nutritious, wholesome food. We were rotting out our minds in front of a TV screen. We were indulging in a vain activity that might send the message that girls need to make themselves attractive to others. And we loved every minute of it. Bonding with daughters is so worth selling out and getting some stink eye;)
Friday, September 2, 2011
the help
I feel like I need to start with a list of facts. I first read this book a year ago. I have a terrible memory, so I felt like I needed to read it again and I just finished it. I haven't seen the movie yet. And I recently read a couple of articles about the story.
I read the articles before I reread the book. The articles suggested that the story made the white person the crux of the changes. That, not blatantly, but subtly, many movies and books set in the era of civil rights in the south suggest that whites were necessary for the advancement of civil rights.
So I started off with a bit of a bias. Maybe I should have reacted differently to the book the first time I read it? Maybe I was reading from my white perspective and missing the way the story was slanted?
But I changed my mind.
Yes, Skeeter is white. Yes, without her interactions with Elaine Stein in New York, there would not have been a book. Yes, Skeeter starts off with only her own interests in mind. She wants a job in the publishing industry. This seems like an idea a New York publisher likes. She went after it. For herself. Even Minnie bemoans the fact that a white woman is the driving force behind this book.
But that was a different Skeeter than the one that emerged. Aren't we all thankful we've shed our slightly-too-small skins and grown into different and better people? Isn't Aibileen as much the author of the book as Skeeter?
I also started the book thinking, what do I have in common with these women? In our other selections, I've felt that, despite the differences in age, culture, experience, I could quickly connect with something I saw in the female characters. Friendship, motherhood, fear of aging.
At first, I couldn't find that. I didn't grow up in the South. I was neither a maid nor had a maid. The Civil Rights movement has always been a history topic to me. I've never had to call up the kind of courage it took to go against such a strong set of cultural norms.
And then I read: Wasn't that what the point of the book? For women to realize, We are just two people. Not that much separates us. Not nearly as much as I'd thought.
Isn't that the point for not just women, but people? To find our commonality. To step over lines and embrace the image of Christ we find in everyone?
There are so many things in this book we could talk about. I'd love you to all come over and have a cup of coffee while the kids play. We could fill hours, I expect.
One last thing from me, and then I can't wait to hear what you have to say.
Minnie reflects at one point on all the ways that the cause of civil rights is being taken up around her. She knows that she could participate in sit-ins or marches or boycotts. But she purposefully chooses to tell her story as her act of civil rights. Because, she says, what is important to her is how her daughters are going to be treated by white women.
It's so easy for me to look around at the good other people are doing and then feel guilty about not doing those things too. But the truth is, it's a powerful thing to know yourself. To know what is important to you and then do something about that. Guilt separates us from other people because it leads to resentment and jealousy. But to be confident in what we do and what we value, it seems like that frees us to encourage.
What do you want to talk about?
Thursday, September 1, 2011
"If You Want To Say That ..." Changes Everything
Maybe you'd heard, maybe not, but Maya Angelou recently lamented that a new MLK memorial carried only part of one of his quotes, and the clause that was left out made all of the difference. Leaving off "If you want to say that I was a drum major, say that....." changes the meaning of "I was a drum major for justice, etc." Angelou pointed out that it made Dr. King sound arrogant to leave off the beginning of the sentence, and missed the point of the entire sermon that encased it.
If you know Jeff and me, you can probably guess what we did after stumbling across this information. We listened to the sermon. I think I agree with Maya Angelou.
Feminism and Christianity don't only focus on women and people who say they follow Christ, respectively. At the heart of each is not only a yearning to become the best versions of ourselves, and to seek justice and healing and peace for all.
In that spirit, if you have time, I REALLY (note the total emphasis applied) encourage you to listen to Martin Luther King Jr.'s "Drum Major Instinct" sermon. He is an amazing speaker, and this is a powerful message. It never ceases to surprise me how in the strangest ways a Message that I need to hear finds me at the right moment. As was the case with this. It spoke right to me. From 1968 Dr. King ended up right on my street, to use the phrase of a former minister of mine.
The message is timeless as well as timely. Often on Ourselves, Reinvented we have discussed in some way the Drum Major Instinct. The yearning to lead. To not sit down silently, or pass through life unheard. I believe that we all have something we want to share, a mark to leave on the world. We have heard many women speak about things in this space which they are passionate about, how they are seeking justice and peace. We are just as susceptible to all the distortions such as greed, pride, gossip, envy, and so on. And as Dr. King pointed out that Jesus, as usual, showed us a new way to great accomplishment. Serving. Loving. Dr. King brilliantly concluded that this is available to every person, then.
I love that. Every person is capable of great things. Not through money or degrees or connections but by serving others. Seeking justice. Loving one another. It makes me want to hear more MLK sermons, because I feel as if just now the depths of his dream are becoming understandable to me.
We could change everything.
If you know Jeff and me, you can probably guess what we did after stumbling across this information. We listened to the sermon. I think I agree with Maya Angelou.
Feminism and Christianity don't only focus on women and people who say they follow Christ, respectively. At the heart of each is not only a yearning to become the best versions of ourselves, and to seek justice and healing and peace for all.
In that spirit, if you have time, I REALLY (note the total emphasis applied) encourage you to listen to Martin Luther King Jr.'s "Drum Major Instinct" sermon. He is an amazing speaker, and this is a powerful message. It never ceases to surprise me how in the strangest ways a Message that I need to hear finds me at the right moment. As was the case with this. It spoke right to me. From 1968 Dr. King ended up right on my street, to use the phrase of a former minister of mine.
The message is timeless as well as timely. Often on Ourselves, Reinvented we have discussed in some way the Drum Major Instinct. The yearning to lead. To not sit down silently, or pass through life unheard. I believe that we all have something we want to share, a mark to leave on the world. We have heard many women speak about things in this space which they are passionate about, how they are seeking justice and peace. We are just as susceptible to all the distortions such as greed, pride, gossip, envy, and so on. And as Dr. King pointed out that Jesus, as usual, showed us a new way to great accomplishment. Serving. Loving. Dr. King brilliantly concluded that this is available to every person, then.
I love that. Every person is capable of great things. Not through money or degrees or connections but by serving others. Seeking justice. Loving one another. It makes me want to hear more MLK sermons, because I feel as if just now the depths of his dream are becoming understandable to me.
We could change everything.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
One-for-Two
http://tiffanysattempt.blogspot.com/2011/08/unforeseen-benefits.html
This one took a lot out of me. I didn't have 2 posts in me today. A first child turning thirteen takes a lot out of me, I guess.
This one took a lot out of me. I didn't have 2 posts in me today. A first child turning thirteen takes a lot out of me, I guess.
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
A Good Cup of Coffee
So I mentioned fair trade the other day, and as I'm drinking my coffee I am thinking this is one of the biggest changes I have made in my consumption habits. This is a bit of a tightrope to walk, because I don't want to make people feel burdened with something instead of inspired by something. I hope you will take my thoughts on this in stride, and know that I don't judge people for not taking up all of my causes or internalizing all of my convictions. Please take a free pass and don't read today's post if you would like to not analyze your morning cuppa joe.
We drink lots of coffee. Not just me and Jeff, but our nation. It's, like, a staple. One that we, as a big powerful and only recently downgraded country seek big, cheap supplies from the "Third World." When we do that, sometimes small farmers go from being able to provide a simple yet sufficient life for their families to being on the edge of starvation and disaster. A cheaper commodity can mean a slashed income for someone not exactly living in the lap of luxury in the first place. If you want an in-depth look at the coffee system, watch the documentary Black Gold.
The amount of injustices in the world are myriad, and the idea of addressing them all is overwhelming. In an effort to not become completely depressed or crazy, we make choices which battles to engage in. Because coffee is something Ineed enjoy on a daily basis, I should examine my participation in the coffee cycle. Coffee also happens to be one of those things where conscious-clearing alternatives exist. You can buy coffee with the little fair trade logo on bags in your grocery store, for instance. Wegman's store brand carries a couple of fair trade blends, as does Target's. Even Aldi is selling a fair trade blend now! A good brand sold in many stores and at Bruegger's is Green Mountain.
I buy all kinds of brands, but I have 2 favorites I must tell you about. Available online via Amazon, and possibly the best practice company on the planet is Pura Vida.
They are serious about changing business models to benefit ALL people involved and protect the environment. (Oh yeah, other benefits of fair trade coffee are not only that it is usually of superior quality, it is usually organic).
Perhaps the coffee dearest to my heart is Paramount's Rwanda Coffee .
Have you ever seen Hotel Rwanda? This coffee is Michigan State University's effort to make sure something like the 1994 war and genocide never happens again in that country. They work with farmers in Rwanda to make sure they have a market for and are paid well for their coffee. It's just an all around beautiful partnership. And good coffee. You can get it online, or if you are one of the lucky souls who lives in or around East Lansing, MI (insert my sigh of longing), you can purchase it at Goodrich's Shop-Rite or at your local Biggby's. It's what I'm drinking this morning.
Coffee may not be your passion. But there might be something else that is. If you would ever like to share something you've learned with an audience, please contact me and we can talk about an O,R guest writer spot for you. Maybe even over a cup of fair trade coffee:)
We drink lots of coffee. Not just me and Jeff, but our nation. It's, like, a staple. One that we, as a big powerful and only recently downgraded country seek big, cheap supplies from the "Third World." When we do that, sometimes small farmers go from being able to provide a simple yet sufficient life for their families to being on the edge of starvation and disaster. A cheaper commodity can mean a slashed income for someone not exactly living in the lap of luxury in the first place. If you want an in-depth look at the coffee system, watch the documentary Black Gold.
The amount of injustices in the world are myriad, and the idea of addressing them all is overwhelming. In an effort to not become completely depressed or crazy, we make choices which battles to engage in. Because coffee is something I
I buy all kinds of brands, but I have 2 favorites I must tell you about. Available online via Amazon, and possibly the best practice company on the planet is Pura Vida.
They are serious about changing business models to benefit ALL people involved and protect the environment. (Oh yeah, other benefits of fair trade coffee are not only that it is usually of superior quality, it is usually organic).
Perhaps the coffee dearest to my heart is Paramount's Rwanda Coffee .
Have you ever seen Hotel Rwanda? This coffee is Michigan State University's effort to make sure something like the 1994 war and genocide never happens again in that country. They work with farmers in Rwanda to make sure they have a market for and are paid well for their coffee. It's just an all around beautiful partnership. And good coffee. You can get it online, or if you are one of the lucky souls who lives in or around East Lansing, MI (insert my sigh of longing), you can purchase it at Goodrich's Shop-Rite or at your local Biggby's. It's what I'm drinking this morning.
Coffee may not be your passion. But there might be something else that is. If you would ever like to share something you've learned with an audience, please contact me and we can talk about an O,R guest writer spot for you. Maybe even over a cup of fair trade coffee:)
Monday, August 29, 2011
Proud Worrier
It is Monday morning. You're welcome for the reminder.
It is what we call "easing in" week at our house. The school-is-almost-here-so-we-better-practice-going-to-bed-earlier-but-more-importantly-waking-up-earlier week. So up at 6 for me. Or maybe 6:15ish. It was definitely before 6:30.
I didn't get as much done as I hoped. I did get a run in. And an important phone call to my new boss. And an e-mail I needed to send. But up to this point there's been a lot of coffee and some playing with Anna on the Wii. We snagged a new Miss Piggy Mii last night and I just had to see how fabulous she looked doing Kung-Fu. For Feminism's sake. `
I did, in spite of myself, manage to do a little morning meditation, devotion, quiet time, getting ready for the day, or whatever you want to call it. And the message in my Book of Awakenings was amazingly fitting. Today's title is "Live Your Worries Through."
Worry is a palpable feeling in our house this week. My little one did not have such a great last school year, and as this one approaches: worry. I have not worked every day, 5 days a week outside of my house where I have to dress up and be somewhere at a scheduled morning hour for years: worry. My husband's first day with students is this morning and when he got on the computer this morning, his university's entire network was down. And he's a freshman advisor. You're tired of my list already. So am I.
The author pointed out that worry is when we start running a track in our mind of all the bad things we imagine could happen. I am not a pro at a lot of things, but I am a PRO at this. You want to know all the possible things that can go wrong in a situation - come to me. I can rattle off a cool list of 20. So the invitation to live in the moment is one I often find myself longing to respond to and yet find so difficult to actually do.
Living in the moment is the only real safe place, Nepo says, because it is the place we can actually reach out for those who nurture us. This is a nice thought, and feminists would like to remind us that we women have each other to reach out to when we are feeling anxious about our new work demands, or helpless as a mother, or inadequate about the things we long to do. I like that thought too.
After the writing, Nepo always offers a little exercise. This morning, it was to open your hands until you feel the worry leave, then dwell on that feeling. This brought back to me something from The Celebration of Discipline (it's better than it sounds), when the author talked about lifting something up in prayer, physically with your hands, then with your hands, setting it down. Our associate pastor delivered a lovely message yesterday entitled "How do you hear God?" She suggested that God is often speaking and we, for several reasons, don't hear. For me, I think it's because I am so busy worrying and trying to work out the solutions to all the scary "What ifs" I've mentally conjured.
We need each other. We even need to figure out solutions to our problems. But sometimes, we just need to breathe deeply and let it go. But we think it's so important - we can't just let it go. Only Jesus makes this offer to exhausted worriers:
Matthew 11:28 ''Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens and I will give you rest."
So I know it's not Spiritual Wednesday; sometimes you need the Holy Ghost to get you through Monday.
And to reiterate the point: I Peter 5:8 "Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about what happens to you." Though I think the preceding verse, at least in my case, is the key. "So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and in his good time he will honor you."
What does most of my worry stem from? What do I worry about? Isn't pride the eye of many of my worry storms? Do I not hear God because I haven't humbled myself to acknowledge his power (and my powerlessness)? If I wasn't so concerned for my precious hide, or maybe more accurately, my ego, I venture to say I would worry a lot less.
We may all have different things to release. Before I hand over the worry, I need to let go of the pride. I hope you can find a way to get some rest today, even though it's Monday.
It is what we call "easing in" week at our house. The school-is-almost-here-so-we-better-practice-going-to-bed-earlier-but-more-importantly-waking-up-earlier week. So up at 6 for me. Or maybe 6:15ish. It was definitely before 6:30.
I didn't get as much done as I hoped. I did get a run in. And an important phone call to my new boss. And an e-mail I needed to send. But up to this point there's been a lot of coffee and some playing with Anna on the Wii. We snagged a new Miss Piggy Mii last night and I just had to see how fabulous she looked doing Kung-Fu. For Feminism's sake. `
I did, in spite of myself, manage to do a little morning meditation, devotion, quiet time, getting ready for the day, or whatever you want to call it. And the message in my Book of Awakenings was amazingly fitting. Today's title is "Live Your Worries Through."
Worry is a palpable feeling in our house this week. My little one did not have such a great last school year, and as this one approaches: worry. I have not worked every day, 5 days a week outside of my house where I have to dress up and be somewhere at a scheduled morning hour for years: worry. My husband's first day with students is this morning and when he got on the computer this morning, his university's entire network was down. And he's a freshman advisor. You're tired of my list already. So am I.
The author pointed out that worry is when we start running a track in our mind of all the bad things we imagine could happen. I am not a pro at a lot of things, but I am a PRO at this. You want to know all the possible things that can go wrong in a situation - come to me. I can rattle off a cool list of 20. So the invitation to live in the moment is one I often find myself longing to respond to and yet find so difficult to actually do.
Living in the moment is the only real safe place, Nepo says, because it is the place we can actually reach out for those who nurture us. This is a nice thought, and feminists would like to remind us that we women have each other to reach out to when we are feeling anxious about our new work demands, or helpless as a mother, or inadequate about the things we long to do. I like that thought too.
After the writing, Nepo always offers a little exercise. This morning, it was to open your hands until you feel the worry leave, then dwell on that feeling. This brought back to me something from The Celebration of Discipline (it's better than it sounds), when the author talked about lifting something up in prayer, physically with your hands, then with your hands, setting it down. Our associate pastor delivered a lovely message yesterday entitled "How do you hear God?" She suggested that God is often speaking and we, for several reasons, don't hear. For me, I think it's because I am so busy worrying and trying to work out the solutions to all the scary "What ifs" I've mentally conjured.
We need each other. We even need to figure out solutions to our problems. But sometimes, we just need to breathe deeply and let it go. But we think it's so important - we can't just let it go. Only Jesus makes this offer to exhausted worriers:
Matthew 11:28 ''Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens and I will give you rest."
So I know it's not Spiritual Wednesday; sometimes you need the Holy Ghost to get you through Monday.
And to reiterate the point: I Peter 5:8 "Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about what happens to you." Though I think the preceding verse, at least in my case, is the key. "So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and in his good time he will honor you."
What does most of my worry stem from? What do I worry about? Isn't pride the eye of many of my worry storms? Do I not hear God because I haven't humbled myself to acknowledge his power (and my powerlessness)? If I wasn't so concerned for my precious hide, or maybe more accurately, my ego, I venture to say I would worry a lot less.
We may all have different things to release. Before I hand over the worry, I need to let go of the pride. I hope you can find a way to get some rest today, even though it's Monday.
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