New tricks.
We all have to learn new things, no matter what age we are. At the moment I am learning a new software system at the bookshop where I work one day a week. Having just read a great book on memory (Remember by Lisa Genova) I have found that I was already applying the recommendations in the book to help me remember - pay attention, rehearse, make notes. These are the things I used many years ago when I was studying for exams, and I found them to be the best way for me to learn. If I make notes, I generally don't need to refer to them much afterwards, because the act of writing the notes helps to consolidate the info in my memory.
Of course, I still make mistakes, but I have enough info from watching the videos, making the notes, and practicing, that I can usually work out where I went wrong. I knew I had become proficient at knitting when I was able to see and correct my own mistakes.
Have you been learning anything new lately?
Patience follows understanding.
Have you ever noticed that, when you understand someone's situation, you are better able to be patient with them? Understanding someone's struggles, where they're coming from, what they've endured in the past, helps us to give them some slack. Empathy kicks in allowing us to judge less and care more.
So, it's been a while. I had a project with a short deadline. And you know what? The housework that I didn't do while I was meeting the deadline was still there when I was done. Maybe we need to look at our priorities and work out what can be put off without harm.
People don't always think through their argument.
When someone found out my good friend went to church, they responded, "I don't believe in what I can't see." I fully understand that not everyone will share my faith, but please think through your argument. The response above is a knee-jerk put-down. It's designed to make people of faith feel small and stupid.
By all means tell me that you don't share my faith - it's your prerogative - but don't tell me you only believe in what you see. For instance, you can't see electricity, air, X-rays, gravity, love, or any number of other things that people are happy to use/interact with/live as if they're real every day. As my husband says, you believe you have a brain even though you haven't seen it.
Some days are just tiring.
It's not that anything particular happened. It's not like I did a lot of physical work. My body is just tired some days. So I take a rest when I can.
And that's okay.
Don't wait - tell them now.
How often do we watch films and see someone saying something meaningful with their last breath, something they have been keeping to themselves for so long? Why did they wait?! If it's worth saying, say it now.
In our house whenever someone is leaving the house, we meet at the door, hug, kiss, and tell them that we love them, because who knows if they're coming home? You may think that's a morbid thought, but there's no misunderstanding in our house - we all know we are loved! And it means that, if something awful happens, we know that our last interaction with them was good.
So say it now. Don't wait.
Embrace your season.
Whether you're in spring, summer, autumn, or winter.
Whether it's a hard season or an easy one for you right now.
Each season has its own lessons.
It may be a steep learning curve that leaves you breathless.
It may be a case of learning how to rest - and that isn't always easy.
Whatever season you are in, embrace it, learn from it, grow in grace.
This swirl of black that was going to be in the background layers really spoke to me, so I've left this page as is. I see a figure that seems to be bowing down, but in prayer and worship, or under a burden? They are two very different situations.
When we look at someone's life, we may not be seeing what we think we see. One attitude may mirror another and we can read it wrongly, so don't assume.
Oh, and I bought new boots. Half price. Bargain!
The trick is to be content and patient in the waiting.
When you plant a seed you don't expect to harvest a crop the next day. So why do we expect to get good at something immediately, or to recover from an injury without convalescence? Waiting is hard, but if we push or pull against it, it doesn't help. Being content, being patient in the waiting helps us to learn as much as we can, to equip ourselves, and to be as ready as we can be. It helps us to extract as much as we can from the experience.
