Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Saturday, June 14, 2008
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
The End
Hello whoever is reading this blog (my guess is not many of you).
I have come to the conclusion that my life is getting way too busy to continue with this blog thing and honestly, I really don't think anyone is going to miss it that much. My life is just too boring to write about on a daily basis. Don't get me wrong--I am not complaining. I love my peaceful and content life, but it doesn't make for very good conversation. Besides, I have so many other things that need my attention right now.
So....I have decided to call it quits. If by chance you do read my blog--thank you, but I'm sure you'll understand. Goodbye.
The End....
I have come to the conclusion that my life is getting way too busy to continue with this blog thing and honestly, I really don't think anyone is going to miss it that much. My life is just too boring to write about on a daily basis. Don't get me wrong--I am not complaining. I love my peaceful and content life, but it doesn't make for very good conversation. Besides, I have so many other things that need my attention right now.
So....I have decided to call it quits. If by chance you do read my blog--thank you, but I'm sure you'll understand. Goodbye.
The End....
Friday, January 25, 2008
Do you feel INVISIBLE???
My good friend Carol sent this to me and really made me think about my job as a mom. After reading it, it made me look at my job, as a mother, in a whole new and beautiful light.
Just recently I was complaining to Derek that I felt like I had nothing to show for my life. That all I do is take care of others: the house, the kids, the animals and I hadn't really taken the time to improve on myself as a person. I was having a pity party that day, for sure!!!
I hope after reading this you will think differently about your job as a mother. Even though, at times, we feel invisible; God sees everything--even the small things that don't seem to matter.
This is for all of my wonderful friends who sacrifice and stay at home with their children and dedicate their lives to a job that they will never see finished.
I'M INVISIBLE
It all began to make sense, the blank stares,the lack of response, the way one of the kids will walk into the room while I'm on the phone and ask to be taken to the store. Inside I'm thinking, 'Can't you see I'm on the phone?' Obviously not; no one can see if I'm on the phone, or cooking, or sweeping the floor, or even standing on my head in the corner, because no one can see me at all. I'm invisible.
The Invisible Mom.
Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more: Can you fix this? Can you tie this? Can you open this? Some days I'm not a pair of hands; I'm not even a human being. I'm a clock to ask, 'What time is it? 'I'm a satellite guide to answer, 'What number is theDisney Channel?' I'm a car to order, 'Right around 5:30, please. 'I was certain that these were the hands that once held books and the eyes that studied history and the mind that graduated summa cum laude - but now they had disappeared into the peanut butter,never to be seen again. She's going, she's going, she's gone!
One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a friend from England. Janice had just gotten back from a fabulous trip, and she was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in. I was sitting there, looking around at the others all put together so well. It was hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself as I looked down at my out-of-style dress; it was the only thing I could find that was clean. My unwashed hair was pulled up in a hair clip and I was afraid I could actually smell peanut butter in it. I was feeling pretty pathetic, when Janice turned to me with a beautifully wrapped package, and said,'I brought you this.' It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe. I wasn't exactly sure why she'd given it to me until I read her inscription: 'To Charlotte, with admiration for the greatness of what you are building when no one sees.
In the days ahead I would read - no, devour - the book. And I would discover what would become for me, four life-changing truths, after which I could pattern my work:
1. No one can say who built the great cathedrals - we have no record of their names.
2. These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never see finished.
3. They made great sacrifices and expected no credit.
4. The passion of their building was fueled by their faith that the eyes of God saw everything.
A legendary story in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, 'Why are you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by the roof? No one will ever see it.' And the workman replied, 'Because God sees.' I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place. It was almost as if I heard God whispering to me, 'I see you, Charlotte. I see the sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does. No act of kindness you've done, no sequin you've sewn on, no cupcake you've baked, is too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a great cathedral, but you can't see right now what it will become.
At times, my invisibility feels like an affliction. But it is not a disease that is erasing my life. It is the cure for the disease of my own self-centeredness. It is the antidote to my strong, stubborn pride. I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder. As one of the people who show up at a job that they will never see finished, to work on something that their name will never be on. The writer of the book went so far as to say that no cathedrals could ever be built in our lifetime, because there are so few people willing to sacrifice to that degree.
When I really think about it, I don't want my son to tell the friend he's bringing home from college for Thanksgiving, 'My mom gets up at 4 in the morning and bakes homemade pies, and then she hand bastes a turkey for three hours and presses all the linens for the table.' That would mean I'd built a shrine or a monument to myself. I just want him to want to come home. And then, if there is anything more to say to his friend, to add, 'You're gonna love it there.'
As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen if we're doing it right. And one day, it is very possible that the world will marvel, not only at what we have built, but at the beauty that has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible women.
If you are feeling a little unappreciated after the Christmas season, maybe this will pick you up! Great Job, MOM
Just recently I was complaining to Derek that I felt like I had nothing to show for my life. That all I do is take care of others: the house, the kids, the animals and I hadn't really taken the time to improve on myself as a person. I was having a pity party that day, for sure!!!
I hope after reading this you will think differently about your job as a mother. Even though, at times, we feel invisible; God sees everything--even the small things that don't seem to matter.
This is for all of my wonderful friends who sacrifice and stay at home with their children and dedicate their lives to a job that they will never see finished.
I'M INVISIBLE
It all began to make sense, the blank stares,the lack of response, the way one of the kids will walk into the room while I'm on the phone and ask to be taken to the store. Inside I'm thinking, 'Can't you see I'm on the phone?' Obviously not; no one can see if I'm on the phone, or cooking, or sweeping the floor, or even standing on my head in the corner, because no one can see me at all. I'm invisible.
The Invisible Mom.
Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more: Can you fix this? Can you tie this? Can you open this? Some days I'm not a pair of hands; I'm not even a human being. I'm a clock to ask, 'What time is it? 'I'm a satellite guide to answer, 'What number is theDisney Channel?' I'm a car to order, 'Right around 5:30, please. 'I was certain that these were the hands that once held books and the eyes that studied history and the mind that graduated summa cum laude - but now they had disappeared into the peanut butter,never to be seen again. She's going, she's going, she's gone!
One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a friend from England. Janice had just gotten back from a fabulous trip, and she was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in. I was sitting there, looking around at the others all put together so well. It was hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself as I looked down at my out-of-style dress; it was the only thing I could find that was clean. My unwashed hair was pulled up in a hair clip and I was afraid I could actually smell peanut butter in it. I was feeling pretty pathetic, when Janice turned to me with a beautifully wrapped package, and said,'I brought you this.' It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe. I wasn't exactly sure why she'd given it to me until I read her inscription: 'To Charlotte, with admiration for the greatness of what you are building when no one sees.
In the days ahead I would read - no, devour - the book. And I would discover what would become for me, four life-changing truths, after which I could pattern my work:
1. No one can say who built the great cathedrals - we have no record of their names.
2. These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never see finished.
3. They made great sacrifices and expected no credit.
4. The passion of their building was fueled by their faith that the eyes of God saw everything.
A legendary story in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, 'Why are you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by the roof? No one will ever see it.' And the workman replied, 'Because God sees.' I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place. It was almost as if I heard God whispering to me, 'I see you, Charlotte. I see the sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does. No act of kindness you've done, no sequin you've sewn on, no cupcake you've baked, is too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a great cathedral, but you can't see right now what it will become.
At times, my invisibility feels like an affliction. But it is not a disease that is erasing my life. It is the cure for the disease of my own self-centeredness. It is the antidote to my strong, stubborn pride. I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder. As one of the people who show up at a job that they will never see finished, to work on something that their name will never be on. The writer of the book went so far as to say that no cathedrals could ever be built in our lifetime, because there are so few people willing to sacrifice to that degree.
When I really think about it, I don't want my son to tell the friend he's bringing home from college for Thanksgiving, 'My mom gets up at 4 in the morning and bakes homemade pies, and then she hand bastes a turkey for three hours and presses all the linens for the table.' That would mean I'd built a shrine or a monument to myself. I just want him to want to come home. And then, if there is anything more to say to his friend, to add, 'You're gonna love it there.'
As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen if we're doing it right. And one day, it is very possible that the world will marvel, not only at what we have built, but at the beauty that has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible women.
If you are feeling a little unappreciated after the Christmas season, maybe this will pick you up! Great Job, MOM
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
I've Been Tagged!!
My long-time friend, Diane, tagged me. What does that mean you say. Well I guess I have to list seven things that are weird or interesting about myself. Shouldn't be too hard, right? I have plenty of weirdness to go around. So here goes...
1. I love to sing, but I don't do it well. I want to take singing lessons and everyone around me wants me to as well.
2. My favorite things right now are my new microfleece sheets (way better than flannel).
3. I love to cook and try new recipes.
4. I am always cold.
5. I have a very soft heart when it comes to the elderly.
6. I hate to exercise, but know that I should.
7. I want to travel the world when my kids are grown.
There you have it. Now I'm supposed to tag someone else, but not a lot of my friends have blogs so I'm going to pass. Feel free to leave a comment regarding your interests or quirks--I'd love to hear them.
1. I love to sing, but I don't do it well. I want to take singing lessons and everyone around me wants me to as well.
2. My favorite things right now are my new microfleece sheets (way better than flannel).
3. I love to cook and try new recipes.
4. I am always cold.
5. I have a very soft heart when it comes to the elderly.
6. I hate to exercise, but know that I should.
7. I want to travel the world when my kids are grown.
There you have it. Now I'm supposed to tag someone else, but not a lot of my friends have blogs so I'm going to pass. Feel free to leave a comment regarding your interests or quirks--I'd love to hear them.
Thursday, November 1, 2007
Natalie's Halloween Party
My attempt at making cupcakes for Natalie's preschool. They were supposed to be bats, but the wings, I made out of sugar cookies, wouldn't stay on. So this is what they ended up looking like.
Natalie as a Princess Witch.
Her friends from Montessori School dressed in their costumes.
Natalie as a Princess Witch.
Her friends from Montessori School dressed in their costumes.
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