Paying Attention

In light of my previous post, this is almost comical.

My daughter offered to make dessert - when anyone offers dessert AND wants to make it, I am all for it! I showed her the box which contained all the ingredients and she read the directions; I went off to do the myriad of things on my to-do list. I couldn't wait to eat the lemon bars.

After a short while, she emerged from the kitchen with a package in hand.

"Is this the crust?"

I look up briefly from my work, quickly examined the package and confirmed that it was the crust. Off she went and I went back to what I was doing.

"This doesn't look right!"

Came the next comment from the kitchen. The lemon bars came out of the oven and indeed didn't look quite right. I decided to taste it. Okay it REALLY didn't taste right! Then it occurred to me....

"when you mixed the topping did it smell really lemony?"

"no"

In my inattention I gave her the wrong advice. I assumed the package was the crust - it was not. Our lemon bars were made upside down with backwards instructions. The results were awful!

Fortunately, it was only lemon bars. It made me realize that when my kids ask me a question I need to focus on what they are saying, understand what they are asking, and pay attention to the details so I can give an informed and accurate response.

Following Directions

The directions seemed easy enough "Fragile Handle with Care". Judging by the gouges, tears and dents in the box it was quite obvious someone didn't take the time to read. Judging by the broken pieces inside, it was obvious this was ignored by a number of people. It's too bad they didn't write it in bold red letters......oh wait they did! Such was/and is the saga of my office furniture.

During this incident I was reminded of a poster we used to have hung in our middle school room many years ago from a verse in James "Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says." Directions mean nothing if you don't do it. Our boxes (yes boxes) are a visual reminder that not "doing what it says" can lead to destruction.

40 Years Ago

It was forty years ago this week that man first walked on the moon. It doesn't seem that long ago that I sat and watched this event on TV. Now I don't remember much that happened forty years ago, but I remember this event. It is exciting for me to realize that now, living in Houston, I actually know an astronaut personally. For some reason the idea of space exploration and astronauts fascinated me as a child. I still have the newspaper articles I saved about different trips to the moon. I also remember a regrettable decision I made around that time.

The idea of astronauts intrigued. I discovered that some had been Air Force pilots, so when I got my hands on an Air Force recruiting brochure one day I didn't give it any thought to fill it out. The regret came as soon as I dropped it in the mail. I remember riding my bike back and forth in the path of the mailbox, staring at it, almost hoping it would magically shoot back out knowing my mistake. I finally confessed it to my parents who assured me the Air Force would not recruit a ten year old. It was then I made the other confession - I lied about my age on the application. More angst. Another trip to the mailbox.

I'm not sure when I stopped worrying that the Air Force would force me to my commitment, or arrest me for falsifying a document. But I did. Now it is a fond memory of a more innocent time.

Stories from the Orthodontics Waiting Room

I experience such a unique segment of life in the orthodontist's waiting room. Normally, it is a odd conversations I overhear. This visit brought something totally unexpected.

Upon arriving we heard an odd sound and peculiar looks on the other client's faces. It was then we noticed a woman sleeping. Not just sleeping - laying sprawled on the waiting room couch. Not just sleeping and stretched across the couch, but snoring. Snoring loudly! Even the sound of her cell phone going off didn't rouse her.

I found myself torn between wondering what this poor woman's life must be like that she was so exhausted she would fall asleep in a waiting room (though I knew the waits sometimes seemed like an eternity) and wanting to video her with my phone and post it on youtube.

I then hoped that whoever she was waiting for would be compassionate. The tables turned, I am pretty confident my kids would just walk out and pretend they didn't know me.

The whole experience made me yearn for the days when it was just having someone talk on their cell phone.

Anti-climatic

I have to admit that a secret (until now) ambition of mine is to write and be published. I enjoy writing, though I don't remember enjoying it so much when I was in school. Perhaps it is the receiving of a grade that sucks the fun out of writing at a young age. However, as an adult I have enjoyed writing - thoughts, ideas, journalings, curriculums, talks - I have found great satisfaction in the written word and what I learn about myself and life and as write.

It was well over a year ago, I was invited along with many hundreds of women to submit a brief devotional about mother's and daughters. I sent in two submissions, laboriously editing and re-editing to bring it in within their small word number requirement. It was then I realized I love to elaborate - but this could not be the case. I sent and waited, and waited, and waited and waited to hear. Nothing. This was the agreement, you hear only if you are chosen. The deadline passed. I moved on.

In December, I received a call stating my submission was accepted! The book would come out in March. The submission they chose was not my favorite (why didn't they like that one?), but I was now going to be published and paid - only twenty dollars - but paid none the less!

On receipt of my complimentary copy of the book, I hurriedly looked at the index and found my name! I went to the page number and came face to face what writers throughout the ages experience - editing. My first sentence - tossed. Words changed. The last sentence, not even mine. It was all a little anti-climatic. So much so, it has taken me over a month to even let people know the book existed. I understand the purpose of editing, clarity, continuity etc. It is a humbling experience to know that my labor intensive self-editing was not enough. I felt like I received a letter grade with lots of red marks.

And yet, that is what life is like. We look at ourselves and our achievements and don't see the flaws, errors or improvements we need. Maybe I need to invite more editing into my life.

Hmmmmmmm

Hmmmmmmm blogs are suppose to be (or at least my blog is suppose to be) random thought, ideas and epiphanies that are posted on a semi-regular and frequent basis. I mean who wants to keep checking back at a blog and see that it never changes? So I therefore confess I have broken that cardinal rule and hope to change it.

So here is a my blog about nothing, but to apologize to those who maybe have been checking it only to still see a posting in March! So sorry - I shall try to do better.

FYI - it is gorgeous outside today in Houston mark it on the calendar!

The Mystery Tour

Spring Break is now over for us and appropriately the beautiful sunshine we experienced all week is giving way to clouds and wind. A good day to sit inside and catch up.

During Spring Break our kids participated in a "Mystery Tour" with our church youth group. They signed up, packed and prepared for a trip to ?????? They had no idea where they were going! Friends would ask what are you doing on Spring Break. They would respond "I don't know" because they didn't know. So at 6:30 a.m., last Wednesday, they boarded vans on faith that this "Mystery Tour" would be worth it. They trusted us as we instructed them what to pack and how much money to bring; they began the journey not knowing where they would end up. The destination revelation, after MANY hours of driving, was Disney World!

I couldn't help but realize that this trip was not only a true adventure at the "Happiest Place on Earth", but it was also an exercise in stepping out in faith. They had to trust their youth leader that the destination would be worth it. They had to trust us that we adequately prepared them in what to bring. The only way they could experience the fullness of the mystery was to board the van and commit.

It is in that thought, that I realize that God has laid before us a great "mystery tour" in life. We often don't know where we are headed, but we must trust the one who has prepared the way for us and tells us that it is worth it. We can't experience it, unless we commit. It can be scary, nerve wracking and sometimes the journey feels like it will never end, but when we arrive at the place God desires for us we realize it was worth it all!