Tuesday, October 7, 2008

UPDATED - Perspective and Some Blog Business

This is a post I've been putting off for some time now. Not because I'm not just the proudest thing to be tagged by friends and showered with bloggy awards, but I think it's mainly because forwarding tags and awards requires more thought than I've had in me lately...(and because I've had a terrible time thinking of random things about me!!)

Anyway, I will get to my blog business a little further into the post, but first I wanted to share with you a little excerpt from my devotion this morning. This soooo soooo much related to me and I thought you might enjoy it too.

It's so easy to trundle down the path of the insignificant. Dressing and redressing, piling each outfit in a heap on the closet floor, throwing a tantrum because the hubby wasn't home for dinner on time, battling with your teenager over the length of his hair, or with your little one over a bath when a sticky, happy child would rather go to bed dirty. In some moments, these issues might matter, but in the long run...how much?

When the writer of Proverbs writes "Better a dry crust with peace and quiet than a house full of feasting with strife" (Prov 17:1). I believe he is speaking to busy moms (among others) who focus on the insignificant instead of the eternal.

The next time you find yourself spinning..ask yourself one question. Will this matter in 5 years? If so, focus your energy on completing what's before you with grace and efficiency. If not, I say forget it!!

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Ok, now let's get down to business....blog business, that is.

* I have been trying to "follow" as many blogs as I can, and I would so much appreciate it if you would "follow" mine too!! It brings me much joy to see your cute little faces on my homepage. If you haven't started this yet, it is so easy and works like the google reader, but with faces! (see all my faces on the right sidebar)

* I am fulfilling my noble duty of blogging about a really cool giveaway so I can get extra entries!!! So, you could just let me get my entries and go on about your merry way OR you could go visit and enter too! Heidi is giving away a custom made bulletin board.

* And finally, I was recently tagged by Kim, April, and Naomi to list 6 random things about me. So, here goes. (And this is very random) 1. I am the world's worst at directions. I can't get anywhere without calling my husband or my mother a million times. I was driving recently in our capital city and went to pick Pete up from work. I asked him how to get out of where we were. He said "turn right", and guess what? I turned left. Hows that for getting around!

2. When I was pregnant with Big Dan I gained 40 pounds and craved green apple candy constantly.

3. The biggest fight Pete and I have ever had was over a recliner. My uncle was having back trouble and my mom had called to see if my uncle could borrow our chair because it had massage and heat and was very comfy. I said sure, and asked Pete to help me take it over. He had just come in from mowing the grass and wanted to get a shower first. I said NO!! It can't wait. We have to go NOW! Pete shrugged and went on to the shower. While he was in, I lugged that big chair out to the trunk of my little bitty car and left huffing and puffing with a recliner hanging out of my trunk. When I got home later, I thought we were headed for divorce. I look back on that one and die laughing.

4. I sleep on my side most of the time and cannot sleep unless my ear is covered. Weird, huh?

5. I don't really like hot dogs, but I will eat it roasted on an open fire. It has to be black though!!

6. I have never read a book from cover to cover (at least voluntarily). I try, really I do, but I am convinced it's NEVER GONNA HAPPEN!!

UPDATE: (okay, so maybe I shouldn't have said "never". Let me clarify this a little because some of you are going loco on me because I don't read...lol. I guess it would be safe to say that I did somehow manage to read library books in elementary...maybe even "Nancy Drew". I probably even liked it!! And I know for a fact I was forced to read Madame Bovary in French class, but I'm talking about now...my choice...reading for pleasure kind of thing, or self help. I just can't seem to ever make it from the beginning to the end. It just doesn't happen for me. Ok, is that better?)

Because I have some awards to pass on soon, I am not going to "officially" tag anyone for this tonight, but feel free to tag yourself!! Let me know if you do. I would love to read about your randomness.

10 comments:

Melissa Stover said...

what a tragedy that you've never read a whole book cover to cover. complete tragedy. are you sure? not even nancy drew?

April said...

I love the devotional excerpt you shared! Boy, can I relate to it, so very well. As you stated, I think that's true of most moms. It's sometimes so easy to get caught up in the here and now, the utter craziness of everyday life, that we can't see past the tip of our noses.

I have been working on slowing down, not in a physical sense, but more in an emotional and spiritual way. I'm trying hard to focus on those things that REALLY matter and toss aside those things that don't. Oh, believe me...I have days when that's much easier said than done...but, I'm getting there one step at a time. :)

I enjoyed reading all the neat facts about you! Would you believe that one of the biggest fights Chris and I ever had (when we were newly married) was over a bathroom scale? Yep, you heard me! I dare not reveal the details as it might make for a great post later on. Like you, though, we often look back on it and laugh. We've come a LONG way!!

Anonymous said...

Mind if I quote you on my bathroom mirror? I love the quote "Focus your energy on completing what's before you with grace and efficiency." I need that stuck up in front of my face!

I've had some bloggy business to do too, but I have spent so much time at the 'puter lately, especially with this Bible Study. Not complaining, just wishing I didn't have to sleep.. I'd get SO much done...

My Sister is like you with directions. I find it SO funny. Once she was taking Mum to the airport (!!!) and got stuck on the big round-about that she should have turned right at. So she goes round and round and round it I don't know how many times, then ends up exiting in the direction from which she came!!! I pay out on her big-time, revenge for all the stick I cop about my cooking, so it kind of evens us out!!!

I'm so curious as to HOW you could NOT finish a book. Are you saying "Never"????????

Hope you're having a wonderful wonderful day. I'm off to the Post Office tomorrow... Look out for a parcel next week...

Scrapper Mom said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Empty Nest Full Life said...

You are so right about perspective. I offered that to someone just yesterday. Many times these little things make us miserable and don't accomplish anything in the long run. I am with you on the directions thing. I have no sense of direction. If my husband says head north, I say is that left or right, and then like you sometimes I still mess up. Have a great day. Jackie

hsmomma said...

Thank you for sharing that! I was just telling my husband last night that I SOOOOO want to get to the point where I can let the "little things" go!

Were you ever able to follow my blog?

Nicole said...

I have been a horrrible blogging friend lately, thanks for not giving up on me. It was fun to learn more about you, and I loved your little bit of perspective, it's so easy to get weighed down with all the little things in life and forget about what is really important.

Heidi Zawisza said...

Thanks for the shout out! Yes, you just got the extra entries!! Yay!
Oh, and the thing about the books cover to cover.....NEVER???? REALLY?? WOW!

Unknown said...

I hear you on the book comment! I put the book down, then I pick it up again, then I put it down...sometimes I get to the end...sometimes not!

Deb said...

I can't believe you've never read a book from cover to cover. I use to be that way... I'd get frustrated and skip to the end to find out what happens. Must be the ADD in me. Now I am a total reader. Try reading the Twilight series... you'll be totally hooked. Everyone I've told about it is addicted now.