Motherhood with a teenager

I remember a time when I was soooo angry with my teenage son. I was trying to scold him. We were in the kitchen and I was holding a wooden spoon. I was so angry that I hit the wooden spoon on the countertop and broke the spoon. The situation was diffused by the fact that I had to stand on a stool in order to be taller than him.

I don't recall the issue. I do remember the broken wooden spoon and the ridiculousness of standing on the stool in my vain attempt to show that I was still the judge of behavior standards for those who lived in my house. I do recall the outcome. We both laughed and hugged. We both vowed to behave better in the future.

This Pickles cartoon reminds me of that time.

Lauritzen Gardens

Rand and I attended the plant sale at Lauritzen Gardens yesterday. This place is truly an oasis of beauty in the midst of the city. I found it interesting to wander amongst the tables of those organizations that were promoting their particular flower or plant of choice. Here's a list of the organizations:

Nebraska Daylily Society
Shady Choice Hosta Society
Omaha Herb Society
Nebraska Master Naturalist
Omaha Rose Society
Midwest Geranium Club
Great Plains Pond Society
Nebraska Bonzai Society
South Omaha Horticulture Society
City Sprouts (This group attracted lots of attention, but I'm not sure why.)
Greater Omaha Orchid Society
Prairie Plains Resource Institute
The Nature Conservancy
Nebraska Sierra Club
Benson Plant Rescue (for plants in danger???)
Ikebana International Omaha Chapter 60 (There are 59 other chapters? and what's an ikebana anyway?)
Retree Nebraska
Nebraska Statewide Arboretum

Whoever would have believed that there could be groups of people who come together for the sole purpose of talking about geraniums or daylilies or orchids or roses or herbs? These folks are very passionate about these plants. Even tho I don't share their passion, I appreciate those who do. These folks are stewards of the creation of God and help to make things better for the rest of us. Praise be to God for people who have a passion for our environment.

Prayer of Examen

One helpful tool for reflective prayer is the Daily Examen developed by St. Ignatious of Loyola. Here is a simplified version to try during this advent season.

1. Become aware of God's presence.
2. Review the day with gratitude.
3. Pay attention to your emotions.
4. Look toward tomorrow.

During this advent season, may I adopt a rhythm of watchfulness and prayer, attention and reflection.
Come, Lord Jesus, come.

The reason

A story --
A newlywed husband watched his wife fix pot roast for Sunday dinner. Week after week, she would cut off each end of the roast and toss the ends away before she cooked it. Finally, curiosity got the better of him and he asked why she did that.
"Well, that's the way my mama fixed pot roast," she said. "I don't know why she did it, but her pot roasts were the best."
"Maybe we should ask your mama her recipe," he hesitantly suggested.
So, next time the new bride talked to her mama she said, "Mama, what's the reason for throwing away the ends of the pot roast?"
Mama said, "Well, I don't know why you do it. I did it to make the roast fit in my pan."

Reminder: Always find the reason behind the action to see if it makes sense. No blind following, even if the leader is trustworthy.

A good girl doesn't.......

1. Smoke
2. Drink
3. Swear
4. Bleach her hair
5. Ride motorcycles
6. Have a tattoo
7. Skip school
8. Skip church
9. Have a hicky
10. Attend auto races
11. Go to fortune tellers at carnivals
12. Question authority
13. Have a baby before she's married

This was how I defined being a good girl when I was growing up in the 60's. These are some of the things that I could not do if I wanted to be a good girl. Some of these seem silly to me now. Most are things I still wouldn't do, but don't define goodness or badness to me. I wonder how the youth of today would finish the sentence. "A good girl doesn't........."

A prayer for today

"Faithful Spirit of truth, how many times have you left messages on the doorstep of my life and I failed to notice? Increase my awareness of your powerful presence and open each package you bring to me. Amen."

On vacation

I'm taking a vacation from work. This is sabbath for me. It is a time for me to change the pace of moving, change my location, change my thinking so that perhaps I can see things from God's point of view.

This doesn't mean that I'm just sitting around doing nothing, but it means that I'm doing things I don't normally do on days when I go to the office. I'm spending more time reading and listening to the wind in the trees. I'm taking care of little errands that I've postponed for too long. Yesterday, the cats got shaved at the vet. (They look funny now!) Today I made a jello salad for tonight's supper and then I cleaned out a drawer and found old pictures. It gives me time to reflect on events of the past. I usually don't see where God has been at work in my life until I look back at what has been. Tomorrow the heating and a/c service person is coming. Friday the basement guy comes.

None of this is very exciting stuff unless I do it intentionally waiting for God to direct my actions. Did God tell me to make jello with pears in it? Well, no..... God doesn't get involved in the minutiae, but God directs me to love and give to others. If I decide to follow that command by making jello salad for the folks at Wednesday night church, well so be it.

So, I wonder what else God has in mind for me today............