Shopping Girl

Anyone who knows me will attest to my lack of shopping skills.  In fact, I would go so far as to say I am shopping-challenged. I am fairly good at shopping for decorative items, but when it comes to clothes..... not so good.  For one thing, I have these long legs and arms (we call them "Shaw arms" in our family - thanks to Daddy) that are hard to fit.  Either the pants look like they should be capris, or the sleeves appear to be a slightly-too-long three-quarter length.  And let's not even talk about the three-way mirrors with harsh lighting.  That's enough to send me into a clinical depression for days.  (Although, I have said that I should make a weekly trip to the fitting room to remind myself to eat light and healthy.) 

If I am going to shop, I have to give myself a pep talk, and plan in advance.  I have to be in the mood.  Last night, I decided today was the day to shop for a work suit or two.  Okay.  I can do it (I thought to myself).  I was still psyched this morning (a SIGN for sure), and even after a couple of unplanned delays I was still in the mood.  (SIGN.)  First store - found a black suit on sale (typically, the ONLY way I will buy something) - they had LONG sizes (score!) and a fabulous price.  That definitely kept me in the mood.  Second store - good ol' Macy's - no LONG pants but - - - can you believe it?  The Ann Klein suit fit great AND the pants were long enough (not on sale , but you must agree with me that it was a SIGN).  I am now the proud owner of two suits - one black, one blue.  So, I was on a roll.  If I have new suits, I must have new shoes.  Hello - what good shopping girl would ever consider otherwise?  (Did I just call myself a shopping girl?) 

There you have it.  Success at the mall.  I am definitely a shopping girl today.

Thankfulness

It's been quite a while since I have posted anything. Truthfully, I just couldn't think of anything amazing or profound to say. Not even anything remotely entertaining.  But, here I am and I thought I would take a minute to share some thoughts......... 


I am thankful for a lot of things.  Of course, I am thankful for all the big stuff - a gracious God, loving husband, great kids and an income.  But I was thinking about all of the other things that we tend to take for granted in our insulated, American world.  I compiled a list of the things I often don't think twice about until I compare my life with that of someone less blessed than me.

1. Running Water.  I don't even have to think about where it comes from, it's just there (and clean) whenever I want it.
2. Add to #1 - Hot Water.  When I was visiting Tegucigalpa, Honduras, many years ago, the city conserved water by turning the supply OFF during a good portion of the day.  That meant saving buckets of water the night before, and "showering" with a small container of cold water.  It worked just fine - got nice and clean, including washing my hair. Amazing how adaptable we can be, eh?
3. Flush Toilets. 'Nuf said.
4. Air conditioning.  We live in an area that hits the low 100s. 
5. Garbage Trucks.  Just think about what our corner of the world would look like without this service.
6. Shoes.  Not a closet full.  Just shoes to have on my feet.  Oh, and....
7. Socks. To keep the shoes comfy.
8. The produce department.

My list could go on and on, but you get my point. 


When I make a conscious effort to be thankful in all things, I know it's a big part of fulfilling the Lord's desire for my life.  Psalm 100:4-5: "Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise.  Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.  For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting, and His truth endures to all generations."

Rest and Re-Boot

I have been pondering the need for REST lately. I'm not talking about a nice midday nap, or even a good solid eight hours of refreshing sleep. I'm not necessarily talking about getting a massage, or going on an island vacation (although those things are part of the bigger topic of Taking Good Care of Oneself). I'm talking about our need (okay - my need) for a time of re-booting our mental self. Everything in our existence is run by our brain (think about it! It's true). So, it stands to reason that our brains need a mental break every now and then. And, allowing our brain a bit of down time from the usual hustle and bustle of brain overload allows us to get our spirit lined up properly. (For a great study on the mind, soul and spirit, click on over to Craig's blog at http://www.craigebrown.blogspot.com/ and read his post about this topic.)

So, how do we give our brains a bit of time off? To each of us, it looks different. Maybe that island vacation is just what you would order up. We are actually planning one for later this year. Here's what I need right now, though, and plan to do in the very near future:

• Time away from my very brain-draining job.
• Time to re-set my Start Button. What does that mean? Well, I guess it starts with re-thinking my daily routine.
• Clean out some closets. And maybe the garage. (I know - you are thinking are you nuts? Well, for me, no. For you, maybe yes.) Having things out of order (translated - Too Much Stuff in Too Little Space) is a huge brain drain for me. Maybe that wouldn't be an issue for you.
• Having quiet time to listen to God's very still, quiet voice.
• Solitude, but also Quality Time with My Husband. He will still be slaving away while I'm taking my break. But here's something I LOVE: being home all day and excitedly anticipating his arrival home! My usual state is exhaustion at the end of the work day, and we say a quick hello; kiss; pack lunches for the next day; throw in a load of laundry; iron tomorrow's work clothes; do some other stuff and then call it a night. I know, I know, that's the story for lots of working folks. But it does get tiring.
• Dream (the awake kind)
• Beathe fresh air (not the stale, 11th floor, recirculated stuff)
• Okay - maybe a massage. Or at least a pedicure.

In keeping with the gardening theme of my last post, even soil needs a rest - or at least a good amendment every year - to be able to continue to produce healthy vegetables. We can buy new topsoil to work into nutrient-depleted soil. But in times past, people couldn't drive down to the store to pick up bags of new topsoil. They had to let the soil rest, allowing it to replenish naturally. In the Bible, God made provision for this rest. In Leviticus 25, God tells Moses to instruct the children of Israel to (basically) allow their soil to rest every seven years. Now, of course there is a deeper spiritual meaning to this particular time of rest, but you get my drift. And, we all know God rested on the seventh day, after He had spent six days creating EVERYTHING.

So - my topsoil needs replenishing. But amending it with more stuff won't do the trick. I need the time of rest that will allow the soil of my mind, heart, soul and spirit to quietly, slowly replenish. I need more than just hitting the Refresh button. I need to Reboot. So I don't get an entire year off like the children of Israel (sigh). But, a nice two or three weeks wouldn't be bad.

Watering our spirit

One of my favorite places to spend time is in my vegetable garden. I tried something new this year - square foot gardening - and planted many more veggies than ever before. My wonderful husband, Craig, laid a nice layer of pea gravel around the raised garden beds and it looks so nice that sometimes I just walk out to take a look, even when there's no "gardening" to do.

Every morning before work, I trek out to the garden to water the plants (watering in the morning is the recommended thing to do). The lettuce is a good gauge of how dry the soil is. If it's droopy, that means it's time for a good soaking for everything in the garden. When the lettuce is looking wilted, the other plants in the garden may look just fine - you'd never know that their soil is dry. But in reality, their roots are begging for a drink, and they are dependent on the water to bear good vegetables.

So it is with us. I was thinking about this in relationship to my time with the Lord. When I am in a "dry spell" and haven't spent time in the Word (or in fellowship with Him), I may look just fine on the outside. But my spirit is lettuce - all wilty and in need of a good, long drink of God's Word and time with Him. And without the water of His Word, how am I to bear good fruit? I want to be overflowing with Him - drenched in His goodness.

John 7:37-38 - On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water."

Welcome to my blog!

Well, today I took the plunge and decided to create this blog! Stay tuned for more... in the meantime, thanks for visiting.