There are very few things more powerful than words. We communicate with words. Whether they are good words or bad words, they can carry quite a punch.
Words are used to describe the beauty around us and the ugliness too. They are used to describe our feelings and emotions by way of writing in a poem or a song. They are used to bring humor and laughter into our lives.
Words are used to cut each other down. They are used to spew hatred, rumors and lies. Words can be mean, crass, rude, disgusting, vile and vulgar.
Words can also be beautiful and a way to show love. They can lift a person by giving words of encouragement. They can be loving, sweet, kind, generous, nice and good.
Words are spoken, yelled, shouted, whispered, signed, written and sung.
Words are used to start a war. They are also used to bring peace. They are used to teach and give advice. And used to share our opinions and tell why we feel the way we do.
Most important of all, words are used to show love.
How easy is it to communicate without words? Body language is just as important as words when communicating with someone. However, body language can't be heard. Only words can be heard and seen and felt. I know I need to work on how I use my words. Maybe if we all work on how we use our words, this world would be a better place.
Saturday, March 9, 2013
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
To Stay Home or Not To Stay Home, That is the Question
Something I have been thinking about the last few days is the age old question. Are children better off when they have a parent that stays home all day instead of going off to work? Wow, this topic can sure cause a lot of heated arguments and resentment. Let me start by saying, if you have the financial means to stay home, then by all means, go for it! I have a high respect for those parents that can do that! (I say parents because we don't just have stay at home moms anymore. Stay at home dads are the up and coming thing.)
When our kids came into our lives, we decided that I would quit my job and stay home with them. I pulled out my retirement, left the job that I absolutely loved (I stayed intermittent) and was off to do what I had always wanted to do. Stay home and be a wife and mother. I had seen so many people be able to do that somehow. The first couple of months were great. I was able to bond with my kids, clean the house regularly and have dinner on the table every night. I took in a couple of kids to babysit to suppliment the income and worked at my old job that I just left whenever they needed me to. After a couple of months the novelty wore off. I became a bit depressed because we never had money to do anything. I was stuck at home all the time while my husband was gone all the time. I then realized, the one thing I wanted to do more than anything wasn't exactly what was best for me. Although, I had to try to find that out.
When it got close to a year since I quit, I decided to go back to work. My mood picked up and we actually had a little bit of money. I had pulled my retirement so that had to start over. That was kind of sad and stupid. Over 10 years of retirement gone. Hind sight is 20/20. Tom died the next year, so God was getting me prepared to be able to take care of us all. If I was still at home, my kids and I never would have made it.
Staying at home isn't for everyone. Some can't afford it. It is so expensive to live nowadays that it is almost impossible to live on one income. Also mentally it can be challenging. Some people need to have the socialization that a job can provide. I know that was one of the things I missed the most. Being able to talk to adults. I was much happier working. Some parents are single parents and it is absolutely impossible to stay at home. My mom was a single parent so obviously she worked outside the home. I honestly think I was stronger because of that. I learned how to rely on myself at a very young age and I learned how to take care of my sister too. I learned how to cook very early because my mom would call me and tell me to start dinner and talk me through it. We also lived in a small town and she was only about 5 minutes away.
Staying home is awesome too. The kids aren't home alone, they have a parent that is available to volunteer at school functions and field trips, they are there immediately if needed, schedules don't have to be worked around work.
In my opinion, choosing to stay at home or not should be a personal choice. Whatever is best for you AND your family. And no one should be judged for their choice, no matter which choice is made.
When our kids came into our lives, we decided that I would quit my job and stay home with them. I pulled out my retirement, left the job that I absolutely loved (I stayed intermittent) and was off to do what I had always wanted to do. Stay home and be a wife and mother. I had seen so many people be able to do that somehow. The first couple of months were great. I was able to bond with my kids, clean the house regularly and have dinner on the table every night. I took in a couple of kids to babysit to suppliment the income and worked at my old job that I just left whenever they needed me to. After a couple of months the novelty wore off. I became a bit depressed because we never had money to do anything. I was stuck at home all the time while my husband was gone all the time. I then realized, the one thing I wanted to do more than anything wasn't exactly what was best for me. Although, I had to try to find that out.
When it got close to a year since I quit, I decided to go back to work. My mood picked up and we actually had a little bit of money. I had pulled my retirement so that had to start over. That was kind of sad and stupid. Over 10 years of retirement gone. Hind sight is 20/20. Tom died the next year, so God was getting me prepared to be able to take care of us all. If I was still at home, my kids and I never would have made it.
Staying at home isn't for everyone. Some can't afford it. It is so expensive to live nowadays that it is almost impossible to live on one income. Also mentally it can be challenging. Some people need to have the socialization that a job can provide. I know that was one of the things I missed the most. Being able to talk to adults. I was much happier working. Some parents are single parents and it is absolutely impossible to stay at home. My mom was a single parent so obviously she worked outside the home. I honestly think I was stronger because of that. I learned how to rely on myself at a very young age and I learned how to take care of my sister too. I learned how to cook very early because my mom would call me and tell me to start dinner and talk me through it. We also lived in a small town and she was only about 5 minutes away.
Staying home is awesome too. The kids aren't home alone, they have a parent that is available to volunteer at school functions and field trips, they are there immediately if needed, schedules don't have to be worked around work.
In my opinion, choosing to stay at home or not should be a personal choice. Whatever is best for you AND your family. And no one should be judged for their choice, no matter which choice is made.
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
Exhaustion
Why is everyone so dang tired? We all run around like chickens with our heads cut off. Go here and go there and do this and do that. The result is a bunch of caffeine addicted people acting like zombies from lack of sleep. Thankfully I gave up caffeine in 2000, but sometimes it is very tempting to pick it up again.
I know I'm tired from working full time, working trying to get a business going, working at home trying to raise two very spirited kids on my own, working trying to run a household, working on myself, working trying to get my back better so I can do more work by working out. I'm not the only one this boat. It is a fact of life anymore.
The other night I had a really weird dream. I dreamt I was friends with 2 men. I actually saw their faces in this dream. They were both late 40's and were musicians. I think they played the guitar and they performed around town. They were supposed to perform this one time and I was going to go with them. One of them got sick so it had to be cancelled. The other one then asked me out on a date. I said sure. Then he said, :Let's take a nap first." So I sat down by him on the couch in this foyer of some building and we took a nap. Now to take a nap with some guy in a dream I'm having while I'm sleeping...that must be exhaustion!!
Since we live in the desert, we have all kinds of weird creepy crawly bugs. The creepiest is the scorpion. I have never liked them, but since hearing from a friend what it's like to be stung by one, I really don't like them. And yet, we seem to have an issue with them. So every morning I shake out my shoes hoping I don't find anything. This morning I was so tired that I forgot to shake them out. I was wearing socks and I stuck my foot in my shoe. Yep, this one morning I don't shake out my shoe I feel something. Of course I freak out and rip my shoe off. I shake it out and out falls a penny. Boy did I feel silly!
At church on Sunday we talked about how dangerous it can be to sit idle. Now that doesn't mean we need to be frantic in our lives. If we are frantic then we aren't really accomplishing anything. However, I refuse to feel guilty for the times that I do sit down and be idle. They aren't very often and I'm damn tired! Yes, I could probably occupy my mind with better things than what I do. I will admit that. But, I am not going to feel guilty for resting once in a while. I am however, going to work on trying to be more efficient with my time. That is going to be the hard part! For now, I think I will take a nap...yawn.
I know I'm tired from working full time, working trying to get a business going, working at home trying to raise two very spirited kids on my own, working trying to run a household, working on myself, working trying to get my back better so I can do more work by working out. I'm not the only one this boat. It is a fact of life anymore.
The other night I had a really weird dream. I dreamt I was friends with 2 men. I actually saw their faces in this dream. They were both late 40's and were musicians. I think they played the guitar and they performed around town. They were supposed to perform this one time and I was going to go with them. One of them got sick so it had to be cancelled. The other one then asked me out on a date. I said sure. Then he said, :Let's take a nap first." So I sat down by him on the couch in this foyer of some building and we took a nap. Now to take a nap with some guy in a dream I'm having while I'm sleeping...that must be exhaustion!!
Since we live in the desert, we have all kinds of weird creepy crawly bugs. The creepiest is the scorpion. I have never liked them, but since hearing from a friend what it's like to be stung by one, I really don't like them. And yet, we seem to have an issue with them. So every morning I shake out my shoes hoping I don't find anything. This morning I was so tired that I forgot to shake them out. I was wearing socks and I stuck my foot in my shoe. Yep, this one morning I don't shake out my shoe I feel something. Of course I freak out and rip my shoe off. I shake it out and out falls a penny. Boy did I feel silly!
At church on Sunday we talked about how dangerous it can be to sit idle. Now that doesn't mean we need to be frantic in our lives. If we are frantic then we aren't really accomplishing anything. However, I refuse to feel guilty for the times that I do sit down and be idle. They aren't very often and I'm damn tired! Yes, I could probably occupy my mind with better things than what I do. I will admit that. But, I am not going to feel guilty for resting once in a while. I am however, going to work on trying to be more efficient with my time. That is going to be the hard part! For now, I think I will take a nap...yawn.
Saturday, March 2, 2013
Change
My whole life there are two things that I have heard a lot of people say. "I hate change" and "Everything happens for a reason." I have been thinking about both of these statements a lot the last couple of days. Maybe it's because a friend of mine made a really big change in his life. Or maybe it's because I need to make a change. What that change is I don't know yet.
Change is inevitable and we can't avoid it. It happens all around us every day. Sometimes change is small and sometimes it is big. It happens when we graduate, have a relationship, get married, have a baby, divorce, lose someone we love, illness, change jobs, move. Sometimes change is because of choices we make. Sometimes it is because of a choice that someone else makes. Sometimes it is because God is in charge and it is what He knows is best.
There is change that is good and there is change that starts out bad, but turns out good. There is change that is easy and change that is difficult.
Sometimes change is bittersweet. Like a love that could have been great had circumstances been different or the timing was better. Or a friend moving on and up and the friendship forever changing. The memories are amazing and wonderful, but the change is difficult anyway.
Does everything really happen for a reason? I mean, we have free agency. So, aren't some things just the natural result of the choice we made? I know some things do happen for a reason. Sometimes even though we want something to happen more than anything and that thing isn't necessarily bad, it just isn't the right time or place or person. God has a greater plan for us. Waiting to see what that greater plan is, is the hard part. If anyone else is like me, patience is absent. I've witnessed this over and over and over again in my life and in other's lives. So, I am trying very hard to be patient and see what great thing God has planned for me. And I will try to accept change in my life.
Change is inevitable and we can't avoid it. It happens all around us every day. Sometimes change is small and sometimes it is big. It happens when we graduate, have a relationship, get married, have a baby, divorce, lose someone we love, illness, change jobs, move. Sometimes change is because of choices we make. Sometimes it is because of a choice that someone else makes. Sometimes it is because God is in charge and it is what He knows is best.
There is change that is good and there is change that starts out bad, but turns out good. There is change that is easy and change that is difficult.
Sometimes change is bittersweet. Like a love that could have been great had circumstances been different or the timing was better. Or a friend moving on and up and the friendship forever changing. The memories are amazing and wonderful, but the change is difficult anyway.
Does everything really happen for a reason? I mean, we have free agency. So, aren't some things just the natural result of the choice we made? I know some things do happen for a reason. Sometimes even though we want something to happen more than anything and that thing isn't necessarily bad, it just isn't the right time or place or person. God has a greater plan for us. Waiting to see what that greater plan is, is the hard part. If anyone else is like me, patience is absent. I've witnessed this over and over and over again in my life and in other's lives. So, I am trying very hard to be patient and see what great thing God has planned for me. And I will try to accept change in my life.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
