Woman Within

   Want to make life rich and productive?  Volunteer.  Sound too simple?  It's not. There are so many ways one can do so, too.  Volunteering comes in so many packages and can involve so many things.  I think, for example, of the time I volunteered my girls and I to reshelf books for our local library.  That was a minimum time, minimum investment (just the cost of gas) event.  I'm not sure you could actually call it volunteering for the girls,as they had no choice in the matter.  Yes, parents, it is not only ok, but good, to volunteer your kids from time to time.     Since, as a homeschool family, we spent a decent amount of time at the library, this wasn't exactly foreign to us. As I recall, there was nothing new to learn, which is ok, but it is nice if it becomes a learning activity, as well.      I also helped at a government run agency during tax season, one year.  For this, I needed to learn some basic things, and take a quiz to show what I had learned.  The job, itse

  Who/what do you think is funny?  My dad used to watch The Three Stooges.  I never understood why.  What I do like, is Christian comedy.  To be specific, my two favorites are John Crist and Tim Hawkins. John pokes fun at the church and Tim pokes fun at homeschoolers.    John is the son of a preacher, so he's seen the church from inside and out, and pulls the mask off for all to see. Tim, a homeschooling father is tuned into, not so much who homeschoolers really are, but who outsiders think they are.     It may not be easy to laugh in times of stress, but that may, in fact, be the best time to laugh because it promotes relaxation, according to activebeat. It also releases endorphins, which are natural pain killers.Norman Cousins, who wrote the book Anatomy of an Illness, claims that through a diet of comedies, he could find relief from a painful spine condition called ankylosing spondylitis.     I guess it is a no brainer to say that it improves your mood.  And that can, in fact

   7,305 days.  That's approximately how many days I have left, if I live to the age my parents did. Of course, that is a big if. No one is guaranteed tomorrow.    Writing my mother's obituary, it seemed peculiar that almost 80 years could be summed up so easily.  I'm sure mine will be no different. The Bible says our life is but a vapor,here today and gone tomorrow.     I am 60.  I remember 40 like it was yesterday.  So, I know how quickly it is going to fly by.  I work for my neighbor and she pays me by the month.  It seems like she is always writing me a check.  The older I get, the quicker it goes.    But, boil it down to days, like the Bible recommends, and it really seems short. What to do?  1) Recognize the brevity. 2)Number your days, based on national averages or the lifespan of your parents, if they have passed on. 3)Apply your heart to wisdom.  When I taught my oldest, kindergarten (homeschool), there was a little ditty, wwwwwisdom is God's wwwwwway. How c

   Have you celebrated today?  "Oh, but I have nothing to celebrate," you might say.  But, you do!  Every day, God loads us with benefits. The question is, "Do we have eyes to see them?"    We celebrated my grandson's sixth birthday, this afternoon.  But before that took place, there was much else to celebrate. I woke this morning, in a bed, in a house, with a husband.  Right there are four things. I had running water, food, clothes, transportation, freedom to attend church, and brothers and sisters in Christ at church.  There are six more.  I was able to walk, see, hear, smell,touch, and taste.  6 more.      Afterwards, we went out for lunch.  We had the money to do so because my husband has a job.  Two more.  We were also able to give gifts, and judging by his reaction, we made good choices.  I had interactions with family and an acquaintance I had made, earlier. Three more.  We made it safely home and I even got some sleep on the way.  Two more.  I came ho

  Whatever our level of education, learning doesn't have to end when we get the diploma or degree.  In fact, even without trying, it is almost impossible not to keep learning.  Take for instance, switching jobs.  Always something new to learn there. But, even more so if one ends up taking an entirely different career path.    Maybe you are one of those people, though, like my husband, who has worked for the same company for over 30 years. Granted, he's moved up the chain and with changes in mechanics and technology, not to mention new problems, whether with managing people or the shop which he oversees, surely, there are still things to learn.    What if you are a woman who has chosen the traditional route and stayed at home, though?  No problem.  There are new things to be learned about a myriad of things - decorating, cooking, cleaning, health, gardening, etc. With the advent of the computer, one can even learn a new language or a musical instrument from the comfort of home

   I was tired and hungry and headed for home after working, when I heard part of a sermon by David Jeremiah on the book of Revelation.  I don't remember a whole awful lot other than the fact that Jews will definitely be persecuted and "Christians are always trying to play pin the tale on the Antichrist"(in other words, name him) and that nobody knows who he is. Hardly seems worthwhile, right?  Wrong.     Let's be honest, how much do we actually recall from a specific Sunday morning sermon (sorry Pastor Doug)? Sometimes, not a whole awful lot.  I do try to remedy that by taking notes.  But, combine that with what you may learn in Sunday School, provided you go, plus, perhaps a Bible study midweek or Sunday evening, the individual daily reading of the Bible, devotionals, and blog posts, and it adds up to quite a bit. So, while I may not have learned a whole lot this evening, if we keep plugging away, it becomes quite a lot.    Herein lies the key.  How many of us may

  I woke up the other morning and the first thing on my mind was a song from the 70s.  I can't tell you how long it had been since I had heard it, so I have no idea how I woke to thinking about it.  But, you know what? It wasn't a bad way to wake.   Music has always been a fairly big part of my life.  I've played in band and orchestra and sang in choirs. I can carry a tune, occasionally sing harmony, and play the flute, but I'm no great musician.    I've taken ballet, sung karaoke with my daughters, and slow danced with my husband.  I've even taught music and movement classes to littles.  But hey, I understand that you may not know how to read music, play an instrument, or dance.  But there are still ways to enjoy music.  Of course you can always play the radio, but I challenge you to take it farther than that.  You can run to music. Clean to music. Do aerobics to music.  If you're really brave, there are places where you can go to square  or line dance, o

   What makes you feel like you have money?  A fat savings account?  The ability to buy something?  I'll never forget the conversation I had with my oldest daughter, Tabitha, when she was only in her twenties. I was comparing my husband's tendency to stash money away, versus my tendency to spend.  I said that I feel like I have money when I can use it for things I want and need, and he feels like he has money when he has a cushion to fall back upon.      Then, she said something that took me aback.  She said that she felt like she had money when she was able to give. Ouch!  While part of me enjoys giving, there is, if I'll be honest, a part of me that doesn't want to.  There is a part of me that gets annoyed at even the requests.       Just now, I wrote out a check to support Prison Fellowship in reaching out to children whose parent is in prison, by providing a summer camp experience.  Why would I want to do that?  Because, I think summer camp can be a very positive