To Trick or Treat?

With today being halloween, I have resigned myself to the fact that my doorbell will be ringing as princesses and ninja turtles walk up and down the sidewalk seeking out some candy.

I'm ok with that.

I won't be home!

We will be taking our kids out and about to get their own share of the candy available to them. Kianna will be all dressed up as a dalmation and Spencer will be a very cute bunny rabbit. If he was any older he wouldn't be able to get away with wearing this costume, but I love it!

I know that many people, especially Christians have a problem with allowing their kids to be involved in the activities associated with halloween. I, myself, have no problem with allowing my kids to go from door to door, under parental supervision of course, to say the practiced "trick or treat" to the person who answers the knock.

It's been fun being able to look forward to going out tonight with the kids. Kianna can't wait and this will be Spencer's first time actually trick or treating. Of course we have to make the traditional stop at grandma's house so that she can see what her darlings have dressed up as this year but other than that, we'll be out and about knocking on other peoples doors.

For our family, halloween is all about the fun of dressing up and of course going out to get some much wanted candy. What kid wouldn't want that?

I like this song....

Lots of meaning to this one.

Cry Out To Jesus
Artist: Third Day

To everyone who's lost someone they love long before it was their time
You feel like the days you had were not enough when you said goodbye

And to all of the people with burdens and pains keeping you back from your life
You believe that there's nothing and there is no one who can make it right

There is hope for the helpless, rest for the weary
Love for the broken heart
There is grace and forgiveness, mercy and healing
He'll meet you wherever you are
Cry out to Jesus, cry out to Jesus

For the marriage that's struggling just to hang on
They've lost all of their faith in love
And they've done all they can to make it right again
Still, it's not enough

For the ones who can't break the addictions and chains
You try to give up, but you come back again
Just remember that you're not alone in your shame and your suffering

When you're lonely, and it feels like the whole world is falling on you
You just reach out, you just cry out to Jesus, cry out to Jesus

To the widow who suffers from being alone, wiping the tears from her eyes
For the children around the world without a home
Say a prayer tonight

Evolution can be a good thing.....

I've been sitting here for awhile trying to figure out what to write. There has been much that has been happening lately but it's quite difficult to describe.

My ways of thinking and viewing things are being challenged and it's been a mind- bending journey thus far.

It's hard for me to comprehend all that's happening around me. I observe the way those around me live, interact with each other, and use what they are good at to bless and challenge others. Life evolves before my very eyes and I don't mean in the Darwinian sense of the word. People are constantly changing. There is no plateau onto which people are cast.

I make choices all the time. These choices affect who I am as well as display to others what might possibly be buried deep beneath my skin. How I treat others and respond to their needs screams of what's deep down inside of me. Do I really care? or am I just trying to go through the motions because I have more important things on my mind and better things to do?

I know that I have been evolving.

Transparency

I've been learning recently what it means to be authentic with others. It's been a challenging lesson so far.

Why is it that people fear authenticity with others?

There are many reasons as to why people keep from showing their true emotion. The fear of rejection, fears of being vulnerable and hurt, the fear of admitting one is not as put together as others might think. These are all fears which I have.

I've been very good at pretending that I've had things well put together my whole life. Very few people have seen past that and know without a doubt that I am not as put together as I claim I am.



I've learned,rather painfully, what happens to a person who is not truly authentic with others.

I recently learned what it's like to put aside those fears and just allow others to see directly into my heart.


I'm not saying that you should unload all your deepest and darkest secrets to a person you just barely met. For me it was a group of people whom I already knew cared about me. The security and trust was already built. Keeping things bottled up inside allows things to brew and expand so that it's nearly impossible not to explode at one point. Opening up to others doesn't mean that things are better, but now I have the support of close friends who can come alongside me and be there when I need it the most.

Despite the fears I had, none of them were realized. I was accepted, encouraged and shown much love by those whom I opened up to.

It's nice to know that there are those who care so much about me that they won't leave me where I am at.

Does anyone know how....

to make a little girl stop tattling on her little brother?

I've had it!

Any suggestions?

"Hello, is....

C. (insert last name here) there?"

I have a feeling that most people are like me and absolutely detest these kind of phone calls. I have call display and I miss most of them by just the simple fact of ignoring anything that shows up with an 800 number on the phone.

Today I got one such call.

I answered that yes, I was who they were looking for. (I'm too polite to hang up right away...it's one of my downfalls sometimes)

They immediately started off on the expected "you have been pre-approved for this credit card" speil.

I've gotten better at politely cutting them off and stating that I'm not interested in what they are going to say.

"I'm not interested in getting another credit card."

The problem is, some of these telemarketers JUST DON'T GET IT!!!!

"But ma'am, with the interest rate...."

"I said I'm not interested!"

I wound up hanging up on this person today after stating at least 3 times that I wasn't interested.

The last words to leave my mouth were "have a nice day!."

I just get so frustrated that these people keep calling and I say no every time.

They call a few times a month and more if we don't answer the phone. I just see the numbers on my phone.

I know these people are just doing their job, but when can they start to understand that no really does mean no?

It's just like telling a one year old to stop touching what he can't have. They just keep doing it!!!!!

Unexpected Brightness

I had to work today, which was fine by me because it's a chance to get out of the house and do grownup things and talk to actual grownup people.

Part of my job is to answer the phones. I don't mind it at all. Actually, I quite enjoy it.

This afternoon I answered the phone as usual with the automatic greeting departing from my lips. On the other end was a lady who, by the extra noise I could hear in the background, was a passenger in her vehicle as her husband was driving.

In uptight tones from what I could hear, he was relaying his comments through his wife to me. They had a flat tire in need of repair and were wondering if they could come in to get it fixed. So I told them it would be okay to come in.

They arrived shortly after that but by then I had moved onto other things and had quickly forgotten our brief exchange of words.

This couple entered the shop. He headed straight for the order desk and she came and spoke to me. This time with her own words and not those of a frustrated husband.

"Thank you for your patience on the phone."

That's all she said.

I was amazed at how something so small could be a bright spot in my day. Here I was, just doing my job, and someone really appreciated it even though, in my mind anyway, it was something quite small.

What if we were to pass on our appreciation to the unsuspecting in our lives? One never knows when their kind words, even about the most minor of things, might brighten up someone else's day.

Try it.

You may just surprise yourself....and them!

Casting Cares......

Something struck me the other day as I was starting to get stressed out over something that was going on. I am the type of person who takes too much on and I feel that I need to fix everything and if I can't fix it then I end up internalizing it and that's not good for a person, it's not good for me. The verse "Cast all your cares upon Him (God) because He cares for you" started to repeat itself again and again and again in my mind. A simple statement loaded with purpose and meaning.

What does it really mean to cast my cares? What is it that I need to do in order to follow the direction given in that verse? Webster's dictionary states that cast can mean "to throw or fling;to throw off or shed." Better yet, here's what the thesaurus says. "Cast"-abandon, chuck, discard, dispense with, ditch, dump, drop, get rid of, leave behind, reject, scrap, shed, throw out, toss out, and unload." It's clear here that we are to leave, abandon, and unload our cares onto the one who made us. You would think that something stated so simply would be a simple thing to accomplish, but it's not. People, by nature, like to hold onto things whether it be out of fear, pride, uncertainty or a whole bunch of other reasons. I am not immune to this. I am just as human as everyone else. I struggle with the act of discarding, unloading, or tossing my cares onto anyone. I'm the type of person who struggles to let go of things. I like to think that I can handle it and that I can fix it myself. I tend to believe that I need to be the strong one and that I can't display my weaknesses to others for fear of rejection or coming across as a failure. I've been learning, rather painfully, the consquences of holding onto that. It almost seems like it's way too easy to do that, to give everything to Him and then that's the end of it.

This make me wonder what life would be like if I gave in and threw away those cares, let them pass from my mind. What would it be like if I allowed myself to follow that suggestion? I know it would be different. How different? I think I'm scared to see because as painful as things happen to be right now, at least I'm familiar with it. The unknown is a terrifying thing.

"Because He cares for (me)." Who am I that the God of all creation should want to take on my burdens, my pain, my longings and desires? Who am I that He should show me any consideration at all? I am a sinner. I am human. I am weak and full of pride. What would life be like if I truly believed that with all of my being? I can only hope to find out someday. The "Sunday-school" answer would be that yeah, life would be great! However, knowing something in my head and really believing it in my heart are two very different things.

"Cast all your cares upon Him because He cares for you."

Simply stated, powerful design.


Sometimes it's the simplest of things that are the most difficult to acheive.