Be the Blessing

At the MOPS conference last weekend I happened by a vendor booth with a huge sign that said, "Be the Blessing." A couple came up with the idea to manufacture t-shirts and jewelry to remind people to help each other and "be the blessing" for those in need. I bought a bracelet from them with the logo written across it, and it has given me much to think about since.

I cooked lunch today using our George Foreman grill, and I watched in awe as the twin grills cooked my chicken from frozen to fantastic in just minutes. And then I thought about the people my sister in law works with in Pittsburgh who have to cook using candles or cigarette lighters.

Our son is celebrating his 3rd birthday today, and the floor of our living room looks like a toy store exploded there. I'm so happy to see him having a great day, but I do think about the children in the video at the conference who are living in third world countries and can literally be supported with just $38 a month. It's amazing that their needs can be met with so little when I know I throw away at least that on frivolous things every month. I wonder who spoils them on their birthdays?

So, I'm looking at my bracelet often now, and with every look I wonder what I could do to bless someone else today. Let's be honest--it's not always obvious! Have you dealt a random act of kindness lately? Has someone done something amazing for you? I want to hear about it today--don't be shy! Your comment could "be the blessing" for somebody else!

I Am Woman, Hear Me...Whimper

I rarely EVER ask for help. That's not a bragging right, it's more a confession. Convincing myself and others that I can do it all is really not good for anyone. Especially me. I am not superwoman. There. I said it.

It's not good for my daughter to see me striving to do all and be all...what kind of precedent am I setting here? I want my kids to know that it's okay to ask for help. Or to accept help when it's offered.

A friend of mine recently offered to take my kids to the park to give me a little break for an hour or so. She had noticed how tired, stressed and generally underwhelmed I have been lately and generously offered her time in order to give me some time for myself. I was extremely reluctant to accept this help. Why? I guess I've fallen under the delusion that I can handle it all, all the time. I'm home with my kids all day and I'm used to doing everything with them in tow.

Everything except taking time for myself. Writing. Reflecting. Relaxing. Praying. Creating. Very little creativity happens for me if my kids are around. I just can't put my thoughts together enough to generate a creative work when I can hear my kids pounding around the house and yelling at each other. Not possible.

So I forced myself to accept my sweet friend's offer (fully intending to reciprocate somehow for her) and I am looking forward to a morning's hour alone. Wow! To be alone in my own home? I don't think that has happened on a weekday in years. I can't decide what to do first: take a quiet shower? A nap? Start working on character and setting for my currently very short work of fiction? Go for a jog? Make a fresh pot of coffee and surf the net? Clean the house? (probably not that one)...but the possibilities are dizzying!

Maybe I'll start with a shower, have a little chat with God, and then go from there...Thank you, God, for friends who help to brush aside the brambles that grow over this little light of mine. Amen.

Share the Magic

A few weeks ago, I signed up for facebook and began reconnecting with some of my high school friends. BTW (by the way), in case you are not on facebook, it is awesome. Not only have I found friends from high school and college who are scattered all over the US, but I also found Vika, who was one of our translators while in Russia.

I was very happy to learn that my friend Dale (from high school) also lives in beautiful, sunny central Florida. We have been talking and decided to get together so our families could meet. My family loves Downtown Disney, so I thought we could meet there. Well, Dale and his friend Travis have both been working for Disney for several years, so they invited us to join them at the MAGIC KINGDOM!!!!

From left to right, we have Travis, Dale, me, Alex and my husband Charlie.

Dale and Travis's invitation is one of the nicest, grandest gifts, and it came at just the right time. I am like most other people. From the outside, I'd like to think that other people think I am happy. I would like for them to think that I have my life under control and that things couldn't be better. Again, like most people, that isn't exactly the truth. We all live with secret pain and suffering because most of us want to keep our pain and suffering a secret. The same is true for me. Even though moving to Florida has been a dream come true for my husband and I, it has come with a large price tag. To accomplish that dream, we had to use many of our financial and emotional resources. We are like the Corinthians that Paul is writing to in 2 Corinthians 4:8. "We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed,...struck down, but not destroyed."

The beauty of Dale and Travis's gift to us is this: it seemed small to them, but gigantic to us. It was so amazing see my son having the time of his life when there was no way I could provide that for him right now. It was also great to see my friend Dale again and to have our families meet.

Your challenge for this week is to share your magic with someone else. It should be something of a small cost to you like Rachel's paper clip. Maybe you could smile to a stranger or hold the door open for a frazzled mother. Our good deeds could start here in central Florida and hit the US and beyond like a Tsunami. I hope you join me, and I really hope Dale and Travis get hit by some great acts of kindness this week to repay them!