Category: Everyday Ordinary

Snail Mail

Published on by KateLeave a comment

If you’re anything like me, you love snail mail. I don’t necessarily mean the sending part (sorry Dad, your birthday card is coming, I promise!) I’m not very good at the writing and sending part. Thank you notes are a necessary evil and always require a glass of wine, sometimes two. I am a horrible pen pal and always send “happy belated birthday” cards (again, sorry Dad!)

But, I love to be on the receiving end of snail mail. There is nothing better than walking up to your front door and seeing that package waiting. I wonder who sent it? What could be inside? Excitement grows as you pick it up and give it a little shake, which admit it, you still do even as an adult. You check the return label and your excitement either grows or diminishes, depending on the sender. Is it the new group set for your bike that you have been anxiously waiting for from England (Ben’s current anticipated package)? Is it the dress you found and have been crossing your fingers actually fits since shopping online doesn’t let you try anything on? Or, even better, is it a surprise, something you didn’t order but that some other person has lovingly sent you?

Yes, there’s nothing better than that special note in the mailbox or package by your front steps, especially when it isn’t something you ordered yourself. Someone was thinking about you. They were aware of your presence in their life. Even more incredibly, they cared enough to write you a card, buy you a gift, return something you forgot, etc. and send it to you.

There is something extremely gratifying about receiving mail. Some little corner of our heart is satisfied when we open that letter. In the moments before we actually open the letter (since not all letters or packages contain good news), our day is a little brighter and our feelings of self-worth and importance burn a little stronger. These letters and packages are capable of eliciting extraordinary responses in us, even for a few seconds.

Now here comes the question – why? Why can receiving a letter cause such a response? I have a theory, one you may or may not like or resonate with. I believe that we all, for one reason or another, have a hard time grappling with self-worth. It’s an easy enough thing to doubt, especially given the “standards” our culture impresses upon us.

Are you tall enough? Pretty enough? Strong enough? Make enough money? Have your kids in the right sports or music lessons? Attend the right school? Have the right job? Have the right spouse? The right house?

Are you patient enough? Honorable enough? Charismatic? Outgoing? Social? A good listener? Funny? Confident?

You can add your own “necessities” to the list. These unrealistic notions of perfection leave us feeling successful in some areas and woefully ill-equipped and incapable in others. It’s a problem we all have and that we all allow ourselves to have. When we measure our worth based on the world’s standards, we will always come up short.

Thankfully, I do not have to rely on others and how many letters or packages they send me (or that I send to myself) to prop up my feelings of self-worth. As a person, I am made in the image and likeness of God. God unconditionally and eternally loves me. Unconditionally – it doesn’t matter what I do or don’t do, He loves me. Eternally – it doesn’t matter how much time passes or how long I choose to ignore or defy God and His will, He loves me.

There is a song out right now that speaks to this. It’s called “I Don’t Need My name in Lights” by Francesca Battistelli. Here are some of the lyrics:

You saw my heart
And made
Something out of nothing

I don’t need my name in lights
I’m famous in my Father’s eyes
Make no mistake
He knows my name
I’m not living for applause
I’m already so adored
It’s all His stage
He knows my name

The music video is here for the whole song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jYpBgJHmGmw.

So I guess moral of this little story is that snail mail is fun – embrace it! Maybe even send some snail mail of your own, even if you need a glass of wine or a good TV show to accomplish the task. And finally, know where your self-worth comes from. I can promise you, you won’t find enough in your mailbox to satisfy your heart.

Lessons from The Lion King: Part 1

Published on by Kate1 Comment

John and Rosie love to watch TV. We try to be strategic and careful about how much they watch, because they get so sucked in. They usually get to watch a little bit before bed, especially when Ben is gone. I am able to get Clare down and it gives me some time to release the frustrations of the day so that everyone can go through the bedtime routine in a relaxed and loving manner, rather than uptight, hurry up, why aren’t you sleeping already I’m exhausted mood.

As we have explored different shows for them to watch, we have discovered that John has a sensitive soul. He doesn’t like to be scared or concerned for a character. After we have watched something a few times, he methodically will walk away from the TV during the parts that he knows upset him or make him uncomfortable.

Because of this, we have tried to introduce new shows and movies slowly, giving him time to learn the story and realize that everything turns out alright for the heroes and heroines. One of the ways that we have been doing this, especially for Disney movies, is by listening to the soundtracks and reading the books. Our current project is The Lion King. We have been listening to the soundtrack in the car, essentially on repeat, (the musical soundtrack since that really walks through the whole story) and borrowing the book from the library. Both John and Rosie know the whole story, can tell you what is happening during every song and John is even inserting himself into the scenes (Mommy, Simba and I have to give a mighty roar and chase the hyenas away from Sarabi and Nala). It’s pretty adorable, especially he and Simba’s mighty roar can solve almost any problem any character in any story is having.

Mufasa Needless to say, if I didn’t have the soundtrack memorized before, I do now. I have always loved the scene from the movie when Rafiki (the baboon for those who need a refresher) comes to Simba and helps him remember who he is and gets him to come home. Mufasa, from the cloud, tells Simba to “remember who you are.” In the musical, there is a song during this part. It is a reprise from earlier in the musical when Mufasa takes young Simba and tells him about the great kings of the past and how they look down on us from the starts. The song says “They live in you, they live in me. They’re watching over, everything we see.”

If we take these two ideas, “Remember who you are” and “They live in you” and think about Jesus, we have some powerful stuff to reflect on.

“Remember who you are.” It seems that this statement implies that I’ve forgotten something important about myself. What could it be? I know my name, where we live, what I like to eat and what activities I enjoy. But we all know that this is about something deeper. Something more fundamental.

Who am I? I am a human being. I have a mind that can make decisions, select a lifestyle, choose a career path and discern, to the best of my ability, God’s will.

And still, there is more to remember. I can go even deeper. All the way back to the beginning, when God saw that all was good. When God created the world, the Bible tells us He created all manner of wonderful things. Plants, animals, fish, birds, oceans and mountains – all were created through God’s love. And then we get to when God created man.

“God created mankind in his image;

in the image of God he created them;

male and female* he created them.” (Genesis 1:27)

We are made in the image and likeness of God. I am made in the image of God. Wow – it’s hard to believe. It is so much easier to say that Clare, my sweet baby, is made in the image of God. She is so innocent, so sweet, so pure. The only thing that shines out of her bright eyes is love and complete acceptance. Yes, she is made in the image of God. But me?

If I am made in the image and likeness of God, then that means I am capable of the purity that Clare has. I am capable of the love and acceptance she shows. I am capable of giving someone my complete attention, without judging them or their life choices. I am capable of childlike trust, waiting patiently for God’s timing rather than insisting on my own timeline. I am capable of sacrificing new clothes, a fancy dinner, a new electronic device, and using that money to help those who do not have the necessities of life that I take for granted. I am capable of so much, but it is much easier to do so little.

“Remember who you are.” The more I remember who I am, at the core, the happier I am. This is because I am in touch my Creator’s purpose for my life.

Looking forward to exploring “They Live in You” for Part 2 in a few days

Easter joy and blessings for you all

Honking Horns

Published on by KateLeave a comment

We were heading home from a grocery store. The kids and I had ventured off base on a rather blustery day (we’ve been watching Winnie the Pooh lately) in search of some more fresh fish for our Good Friday dinner. We actually had a great time at the store. John and Rosie did well and didn’t pull one another’s hair too often. Clare giggled and cooed at all the right moments when friendly shoppers stopped us to cluck and her and comment on how I must have my hands full. We played with the scales in the produce department, John and Rosie guessing how much different items would weigh, much to the delight of one store worker stocking onions. We even remembered to find little chocolates to put in the middle of our soon-to-be-made rice krispy treat Easter eggs (I decided decorating hard boiled this year was inviting unnecessary angst and stress this year so we are opting for a more toddler/young child friendly version).

Everything was going well. On our way home, we stopped at a red light and were planning on turning right. The cars across from us had a green left turn so we were obviously waiting before proceeding even though a right on red was perfectly legal. I don’t trust cars turning left to automatically stay in the left lane and sure enough, cars were using both lanes to turn where I wanted to. We were content to wait our turn. No big deal.

Apparently, however, it was a big deal. The car behind us honked. John asked “Oh Mommy, what was that?” I replied that it was a car horn, but I don’t think it was at us since we weren’t doing anything wrong. Then, a few seconds later, a much longer and louder honk occurred and it sounded pretty close by, perhaps even the car right behind us. A few others chimed in as well – there was a line of 3 or 4 cars all waiting to turn right with us.

No – could they be honking at me? I don’t get honked at, truly. I think I’m a pretty good driver. I don’t speed (much) and living on bases for 4 years has taught me to do a complete stop at every stop sign. I don’t run lights, I do my best not to cut people off. I let pedestrians go first and I almost never forget my turn signal.

Well, the light switched to green and I turned right, staying in the right lane. The car behind me swung around into the left lane and sped past. As the car flew by us, the man driving turned and gave me a dirty look – clearly the impatient and impolite honker. I got so mad!

I was doing the right thing. I was following the rules of the road and keeping everyone safe. I was waiting patiently and not causing a risky situation. What hurt even more was that others joined in that first car. All honking at me, the person doing the right thing. It wasn’t right and it certainly wasn’t fair or just. I said a few things I probably shouldn’t under my breath and drove on, part of me wishing I had followed that car into the parking lot he had to get to in such a rush to make him explain himself.

As we drove home, I cooled off. I started to think about how quickly I let my emotions get out of control. I had just finished explaining to John and Rosie that we were starting a very special time in the Church year and how we remembered when Jesus died and rose for us so we could have eternal life with God in heaven. Jesus didn’t do anything wrong. He was a good Jew, a good listener, a wise preacher, and a good friend. What happened to Jesus, starting the night after the Last Supper and through to his terrible death was not just. It was not fair. And yet Jesus did not complain. He did not lash out, he didn’t try to run away. Jesus accepted all of the hurt, the pain, the injustice and through his resurrection, transforms them into love, peace, forgiveness and salvation.

I’m not saying that having someone honk their car horn unfairly in your direction is in anyway comparable to the sacrifice of Jesus, our Lord and Savior. However, it is an opportunity to unite yourself in a small way to that sacrifice that Jesus made for each one of us. Instead of getting frustrated and upset, I should have remained gracious and peaceful. Yes, the man was in the wrong. But that does not make my reaction right.