Last week I walked out to the parking lot of one of my favorite local grocery stores with several bags in my cart. It was mid-afternoon and I was anxious to get home. The list of items I needed to buy for the week were now complete.
I found my car and popped the trunk with the automatic button on my key fob. It was only a few minutes before I had everything loaded inside. I turned to return the cart and a man approached me. He looked at me with tired eyes, his clothes disheveled, his face needing a good shave.
I was hesitant,certain he was going to ask me for money.
He didn't. "Excuse me...I hate having to ask strangers, but I don't know what else to do." he stopped, probably noting my wary expression.”I was wondering...could you spare any food? My children are at home and they haven’t eaten anything all day. We have nothing in the house to feed them. We’re out of food stamps and I can't get any more until 6 am tomorrow morning. Could you give us anything...for my kids? I don’t want them to go to bed hungry.”
His question surprised me. I quickly ran through a mental list of what I had purchased. Nothing came to mind immediately. Then something did.
"What about some apples? I just bought some." It wasn't a lot but I couldn't remember anything else I purchased that didn't need other ingredients and preparation first.
He nodded slightly, looking hopeful. "Apples?" He stared at me. "Sure."
I re-opened the trunk and began to rifle through the bags for the crisp fruit. I had planned to make a pie. In the second bag I looked in, I found a large package of frozen burritos. I had forgotten those. They would be more substantial. I pulled them out, feeling the thick plastic cool my fingers instantly. I turned to face him again and held them up.
"Would this help?" I asked.
His eyes quickly scanned what I held, seeming unsure as to what it was. There now was a woman standing near him, her eyes also on the package in my hand. I assumed she was his wife. She looked similarly; tired, unkempt and discouraged. She nodded, smiling slightly. Something glimmered in her face. Hope? I handed the food to her. They both thanked me profusely.
"Good luck." I added as they moved away. I re-closed the trunk, seeing its contents now in a different light. I had so much. My family wouldn't miss the burritos.
One seed can start a garden.
One smile can lift a spirit.
One candle can light a room.
One conversation can start a friendship.
One person can make all the difference... (Author unknown)
November 17, 2008
November 8, 2008
Laughter lightens life
I went to the library with my seven-year-old daughter yesterday after school was out and checked out a book called "How to Remodel Your Man". I started reading it last night while my husband and boys were watching the latest Indiana Jones movie in the same room. I couldn't stop laughing. They weren't too impressed and kept adjusting the volume louder on the TV.
I haven't laughed that hard for a long time--it was wonderful. The worries and issues that had been weighing on my mind were pushed to the background. I felt re-newed, energized, and just plain happy. My concerns hadn't changed even the smallest fraction, however just by having a good laugh and time to relax I was gaining new insight on how to face them. How easy it is to forget to enjoy some of the simple pleasures in life. I was glad to be reminded, laughter lightens life!
Here is an excerpt from the book; enjoy!
Preparing a meal with a man's help:
Woman Tasks:
Plan the meal. Purchase the food. Set the table. Wash the vegetables. Slice and chop the vegetables and put them in the salad bowl.Peel the potatoes. Boil the potatoes. Slice th potatoes and saute them in butter. Whip butter, milk, and flour into a white sauce. Place potatoes in pan, layered with white sauce and cheese. Sprinkle breadcrumbs and garlic powder on top of the potatoes. Bake the scalloped potatoes. Time the potatoes so as to be ready when the steaks are.
Man Task:
Grill the steaks.
After the meal ask the man to help with the dishes, and he'll be indignant. "What?"
he'll demand. "But I cooked dinner!"
To a man housework is something he helps with, not something he usually does. Furthermore, he usually feels that the most assistance he can provide is in the area of supervision, rather than in an area a woman might find actually helpful, like work. Men see the household as a corporation-they are the CEOs with command authority and executive perks, and women are the executive perks. Men feel most productive when they are standing around watching a woman work and providing observations with the delightful statement, "You know what you should do..."
Tip:
Woman:(trying to rearrange the refrigerator so the leftovers will be good for something besides compost) This doesn't fit.
Man: You know what you should do...
Woman:(interrupting) No, why don't you show me?
Man: Well, um...
Try this a few times and the man will learn to keep his mouth shut. Also keep in mind that housework doesn't sound very masculine to him. Subtly change your
vocabulary, identifying the tasks you want him to undertake as trash disposal engineering or managing his spouse. Also play to his masculine nature with statements like this:
"Would you mind vacuuming the house? I think the sweeper is about to explode!"
"I'm terrified of the laundry, would you fold it?"
"Could you do the dishes? I think the garbage disposal is really a ravenous creature named Gork from the planet Quork!" (If you use this one, make sure the silverware are put away first.)
Don't worry if these statements make you sound, well, completely deranged. Most men will fall for them anyway. Helping women in distress is what men do; it makes us hold in our stomachs and stand with our capes flapping in the breeze.
(How to Remodel a Man, by W. Bruce Cameron, pgs. 20-21)
I haven't laughed that hard for a long time--it was wonderful. The worries and issues that had been weighing on my mind were pushed to the background. I felt re-newed, energized, and just plain happy. My concerns hadn't changed even the smallest fraction, however just by having a good laugh and time to relax I was gaining new insight on how to face them. How easy it is to forget to enjoy some of the simple pleasures in life. I was glad to be reminded, laughter lightens life!
Here is an excerpt from the book; enjoy!
Preparing a meal with a man's help:
Woman Tasks:
Plan the meal. Purchase the food. Set the table. Wash the vegetables. Slice and chop the vegetables and put them in the salad bowl.Peel the potatoes. Boil the potatoes. Slice th potatoes and saute them in butter. Whip butter, milk, and flour into a white sauce. Place potatoes in pan, layered with white sauce and cheese. Sprinkle breadcrumbs and garlic powder on top of the potatoes. Bake the scalloped potatoes. Time the potatoes so as to be ready when the steaks are.
Man Task:
Grill the steaks.
After the meal ask the man to help with the dishes, and he'll be indignant. "What?"
he'll demand. "But I cooked dinner!"
To a man housework is something he helps with, not something he usually does. Furthermore, he usually feels that the most assistance he can provide is in the area of supervision, rather than in an area a woman might find actually helpful, like work. Men see the household as a corporation-they are the CEOs with command authority and executive perks, and women are the executive perks. Men feel most productive when they are standing around watching a woman work and providing observations with the delightful statement, "You know what you should do..."
Tip:
Woman:(trying to rearrange the refrigerator so the leftovers will be good for something besides compost) This doesn't fit.
Man: You know what you should do...
Woman:(interrupting) No, why don't you show me?
Man: Well, um...
Try this a few times and the man will learn to keep his mouth shut. Also keep in mind that housework doesn't sound very masculine to him. Subtly change your
vocabulary, identifying the tasks you want him to undertake as trash disposal engineering or managing his spouse. Also play to his masculine nature with statements like this:
"Would you mind vacuuming the house? I think the sweeper is about to explode!"
"I'm terrified of the laundry, would you fold it?"
"Could you do the dishes? I think the garbage disposal is really a ravenous creature named Gork from the planet Quork!" (If you use this one, make sure the silverware are put away first.)
Don't worry if these statements make you sound, well, completely deranged. Most men will fall for them anyway. Helping women in distress is what men do; it makes us hold in our stomachs and stand with our capes flapping in the breeze.
(How to Remodel a Man, by W. Bruce Cameron, pgs. 20-21)
November 5, 2008
Look a little closer
Life.
It can be difficult.
It can be wondrous.
Today the snow is falling, its whiteness a stark contrast to the red and gold leaves on the tree outside my window. I don't always welcome change, and the darkness of winter, its cold wetness and unpredictable weather can leave me feeling vulnerable and unsettled. Fall is my favorite season, the colors vibrant, the air crisp, the bounty of harvest. To me it always is too fleeting, especially in Alaska, the place of my childhood.
Winter can also be magical. Everything blanketed in a thick coating of sparkling crystals of ice, their brightness almost to vivid to see. Laughing children throwing snowballs bundled snuggly from head to toe, sipping hot chocolate by the fire, feeling cozy and warm surrounded by family and friends. The celebration of the birth of He who loves us all.
If we look close enough, good can be found anywhere.
A traveler nearing a great city asked a woman seated by the
wayside. "What are the people like in the city?"
"A terrible lot," the traveler responded. "Mean, untrustworthy,
detestable in all respects."
"Ah," said the woman, "you will find then the same in the city
ahead."
Scarcely was the first traveler gone when another stopped and
also inquired about the people in the city before him. Again
the old woman asked about the people in the place the traveler
had left.
"They were fine people; honest, industrious, and generous to a
fault. I was sorry to leave," declared the second traveler.
Responded the wise woman:"So you will find them in the city
ahead."
-author unknown-
It can be difficult.
It can be wondrous.
Today the snow is falling, its whiteness a stark contrast to the red and gold leaves on the tree outside my window. I don't always welcome change, and the darkness of winter, its cold wetness and unpredictable weather can leave me feeling vulnerable and unsettled. Fall is my favorite season, the colors vibrant, the air crisp, the bounty of harvest. To me it always is too fleeting, especially in Alaska, the place of my childhood.
Winter can also be magical. Everything blanketed in a thick coating of sparkling crystals of ice, their brightness almost to vivid to see. Laughing children throwing snowballs bundled snuggly from head to toe, sipping hot chocolate by the fire, feeling cozy and warm surrounded by family and friends. The celebration of the birth of He who loves us all.
If we look close enough, good can be found anywhere.
A traveler nearing a great city asked a woman seated by the
wayside. "What are the people like in the city?"
"A terrible lot," the traveler responded. "Mean, untrustworthy,
detestable in all respects."
"Ah," said the woman, "you will find then the same in the city
ahead."
Scarcely was the first traveler gone when another stopped and
also inquired about the people in the city before him. Again
the old woman asked about the people in the place the traveler
had left.
"They were fine people; honest, industrious, and generous to a
fault. I was sorry to leave," declared the second traveler.
Responded the wise woman:"So you will find them in the city
ahead."
-author unknown-
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