"Be there"

There are these moments in life when our present situations seem to blur with our futures. I know this because it is exactly what I am experiencing right at this very moment. I spend a good bit of every day planning Chris and I's wedding; if not planning, then talking about it; if not talking about it, then thinking about it; many nights I even have dreams about it! There is a constant tug between "today" and "tomorrow".

I see this in other people's lives, as well. One of my best friends is pregnant and you can just feel the anticipation as she anxiously waits for the birth of her baby. My aunt has battled for years with an illness that has robbed her of precious time with loved ones, and the longing for a time of health and recovery is so evident in her.

On the other end of the spectrum, there are moments when we get caught between the present and the past. We want to go back in time, and if not, we beg that the present would at the least, slow down. There is a young man that Chris works with that just had his first child with his young wife. He was notified at work that his wife laid down for a nap and never woke up. So here he is, with a 3 month old child...alone. How he must beg to have his wife back. My grandpa spent years caring for his mother in a nursing home who had exceeded 100 years of age, probably wondering each and every day if it would be her last.

Scripture is very adamant about the fact that we are to "number our days"(Psalms 90) because,"As for man, his days are like grass, he flourishes like a flower of the field; the wind blows over it and it is gone..."(Psalms 103). Reverend Dr. D. James Kennedy sums up these two passages in just three words..."Be all here". But how do we do it? How do we live in the present when the excitement of the future pulls us forward; or worse, when the hurt of yesterday holds us back?

I have found wisdom on this subject in both Rob Bell and James Dobson. Pastor Rob Bell seems to believe part of the answer lies in throwing more parties and eating more food. Seems strange, right? In a world where we are trying to tighten our wallets and loosen our belt buckles, who can afford to spend money on parties and eat more? But in essence what he is saying is that we need to stop, gather around the table with those that we love, and enjoy eachother. Find out what is going on in eachother's lives, divide the burdens and multiply the joys.

Dr. James Dobson's told his grown son that of all the advice he could give him about life, there was one thing that mattered most, one thing he wanted him to remember above all others...and that was to "be there." When I first heard this, I thought he was talking about being in the present, but I was mistaken. The"there" he is speaking of is heaven. He tells his son that he prays that one day he will be standing on the inside of the gates of heaven and see him walking through. He is advising his son to remember that of all the ins and outs and ups and downs of life, Christ is what matters most. And by putting Christ first, our "present" becomes filled with things and people worthy of our time. Our pain does not go away, but it becomes bearable; the excitement of our future doesn't decrease, but is actually increased by the joys we experience today.

There is a commercial on TV right now for life insurance that basically says that despite the economic state of our country, we can always count on there being weddings, funerals, and new babies. There is a lot of truth in this commercial, but I pray that the insurance you keep throughout your life is the assurance of knowing Jesus Christ.

Tampon dispensers

Sorry boys, this one may not be for you, but I promise it won't be gross!

So about a month ago, I'm enjoying a lesiurely day at the mall when I feel an all too familiar twinge in my stomach. I scurry to the nearest bathroom I can find and open my purse to retrieve my tampon wallet. (Yes ladies, these actually exist, and I highly recommend them.) Empty. Darn! I'm kicking myself for not being more prepared when I look up and there on the wall is a tampon dispenser. Relief!

Now, I've never actually used a tampon dispenser before, but in theory, I've used a coke machine, a gumball machine, and a pez dispenser, so I deduce that this should be a piece of cake. I pull out a quarter, put it in the slot, and turn the handle. Jammed! Now what? I continue to fiddle with the handle for a bit, and by this time a small line has formed for the bathroom. Great...an audience. I glance up at my viewers and wonder why no one has been nice enough to just offer me a tampon. Judging by their ages, I'm doubting the possibility that all of them have hit menopause or ditched their uteruses.

It's then that I realize the problem...the tampon dispenser is mounted right next to the infamous condom dispenser. With me standing in front of the dispensers, there is no way for these women to know if I'm trying to get a tampon or a condom. I feel my face getting hot. How embarrassing! I mean, seriously, does anybody even use those condom dispensers?!

Too flushed and mortified to just turn around and ask somebody for a tampon, I decide to give it another go. I slip a second quarter into the slot, say a little prayer and carefully turn the handle. Victory! Not one, but two tampons are dispensed. I retrieve the tampons and as I walk to the back of the line I hold them out a bit so the peanut gallery can see...ya know, just so there's no confusion.

Moral of the story...Number one: Always keep your tampon wallet stocked.....Number two: Ladies, next time you see a girl fidgeting with the dispenser in the bathroom, put the poor thing out of her misery and just offer her a tampon.

What would you do with YOUR free time?

What would you do with all the free time in the world? I'm sure many of you would LOVE to have just one day off to rest, lounge around, watch TV, maybe read a book, or clean house. And gosh, what you wouldn't give for a whole week off! You could travel. Visit friends and family, shop a little, or maybe do some camping. Sounds great, doesn't it?

Well, let me tell you...I've been out of school since June 19th and have recently become employed by a company called MenuCare, but I don't start work for another couple weeks. If you do the math, that's nearly 4 months of "vacation". In those 4 months I've been to the beach twice, I've moved to Cleveland, OH, rode roller coasters at Cedar Point, gone camping, caught up with family at family reunions, visited old friends, made a few new ones, tailgated at a Browns game, ate cow's ear at Lola's (or was it pig's...either way it was gross) and cheered on the Tribe at an Indians baseball game. When I read over that last sentence, my life sounds kind of interesting; however, on a daily basis things have become somewhat monotonous.

I get up around 7ish--a curse I can bet I got from the Erenrich's--I make some coffee, have a little devotional, do some dishes, maybe scrub the bathroom, go for a run, get some groceries from Dave's Market, stop in to Target to see what's new, then plop down on the couch with some lunch and "Twilight"(my 6th book since June 19th) and awkwardly fall in love with Edward Cullen, the vampire, with every page I read. (please tell me I'm not the only one!) Oh yea, and about this time I just so happen to look over at the clock on the digital cable box...11:45...AM!!!! You have got to be kidding me?!

I sit there and start to plan out my retirement--and by that I mean, I plan to never retire and to never be this bored again--when it hits me...it's not the free time that is so awful. It's the monotony. You all out there working 9-5 desk jobs are bored, too. That's what makes the holidays so great, isn't it? The opportunity to change things up a bit. Have a little time off. Make some conversation with some fresh faces. Admit it, the brown noser in the cubical next to you makes your cousin, the rambler, very interesting.

Anyways, the point I'm trying to make in a very round-about way is that life will always be monotonous, whether you are laying on the couch every day or working your butt off every day. And contrary to what people believe, the grass is not always greener on the other side. Once you get there, the grass dies just the same. So make the most of the life you've been dealt. Each season of your life is there for a purpose. When you are working, work at it with all your heart; and when you are at home playing with your kids in the backyard, play as if you never have to work another day in your life. In doing so, you may just provide a little rain and sunshine for that grass of yours. It certainly may have the potential to die, but I never said you couldn't help it grow!

Blogging?

I'm not sure I know exactly how to blog, and I'm not even sure I know the purpose of a blog. Some days this may just be my place to vent or to organize my thoughts, and other days there may be interesting things going on in my life that I'd love to share with those that I love. Either way, I'm going to give this a shot. Read at your own risk! :)