Right In My Own Backyard

     When our second daughter Cheryl moved into her own apartment, it was time to create another guest room for the many friends who pass through our home. I challenged myself to keep redecoration expenses to less than fifty dollars through creative sleuthing.

     For weeks, at yard sales, thrift shops and friends’ junk closets I poked and prodded, tape measure in hand, looking for just the right decorative furnishings. Little by little I assembled the pillows, bedcover, lamp, pictures, desk and chair.

     Then came the weekend I needed to make the room available for my oldest daughter Heather visiting from LA. I was eager to complete the project but a particularly fine watercolor seascape needed just the right frame. I had been searching for some time and was beginning to feel pressured, maybe even anxious, over that frame. Nothing I saw seemed to fit the bill – at any price.

     At some point my mind began to roam imaginatively through friends’ homes, stores I’d visited…any place I could think of for clues.

     Finally, in desperation I asked myself, “What do I have right here in my own house that might work?” That’s when it hit me! An old picture in what was once Heather’s bedroom, a plain, faded print, one seldom noticed, had just the right frame! Passing over the picture, I had forgotten the ‘perfect” frame that held it. I’d been running all over town for the solution when the answer was right here in my own backyard.

     Are you ‘running to and fro’ looking for answers? Have you been struggling to achieve a goal or fulfill a dream from long ago? Is there a project that remains unfinished? What needs ‘reframing?’

     How often does God whisper to us as He did that dry, dusty desert day to Moses, “What do you have in your hand?”

     Maybe the answers are not so far away. What has God given you? For Christ and His Kingdom, use it today.

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A Man and His Dog

     I don’t particularly enjoy my morning exercise. But at my age I’m not going to stay heart-healthy without it. So several times a week I pass a gentleman jogger about my age and his yellow lab pup coming up the long hill toward our house while my black lab and I are heading down. Though my Cooper is four he acts like he’s still a six-month old pup. Way too much energy and enthusiasm. Not enough discipline. Jane and I have wondered on more than one occasion whether he’s too rambunctious for us...but he was a Christmas present to me from our kids and well, you know…how can we get rid of him?
     I guess Cooper finally decided he wanted to play with the other pup because he suddenly lunged out toward the yellow lab and barked at him. Mr. Up-hill-jogger went ballistic. The yellow lab wagged his tail. Embarrassed and a little angry I tried to get control of Cooper. It was over in seconds.

That was about a year ago. The jogger and his dog have passed me many times and I don’t think he has looked at me, smiled or returned my hellos. Well, honestly, I haven’t said, “hello” very often either.

     I have figured out however, that a rather attractive younger looking woman who sometimes jogs with said dog is his wife. She’s very friendly. Yesterday Jane and I met the husband and wife with their dog in the park. She smiled and said hello to both of us. He didn’t appear to notice. I said to Jane, “How in the world does such a friendly lady wind up with such a curmudgeon?”

    This morning I saw the two of them. It was dark when I passed them in the park. The Mrs. and I greeted one another. The dogs sniffed and wagged their tails. We passed and the thought occurred to me again – how does she put up with him?

     About a half hour later with the sun peeking over the mountain tops and a light fog drifting off the waters of the Puget Sound, guess who I met coming up the hill? Yep, the ol’ Curmudgeon and his dog. Not his wife. We were about twenty feet apart when he stopped, looked at me and said, “I’ve been meaning to apologize for my outburst against you some time ago…”

Ouch!

Lord, have mercy.

How do you put up with me?

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Say NO!

     One day President Lyndon Johnson called the Galbraith house wanting to talk to the great economist. “He is taking a little shut-eye and has left strict orders not to be disturbed,” said the housekeeper.
     Johnson replied, “Well, I am the President.  Wake him up!”  The response:  “I’m sorry, Mr. President, but I work for Mr. Galbraith, not for you.”  Click.
     If only it were that easy for the rest of us.  Saying no can be awkward, guilt-inducing, nerve-wracking, embarrassing, and even risky to friendship and career. People often err in one direction or another, prioritizing either the relationship by saying yes when they long to say no or their own power by brusquely saying no and alienating the person they are dealing with.  Then there is the ever-popular route of avoidance – saying nothing at all and gaining neither what you want nor goodwill.
     Although we may intuitively understand how to effectively say no, we often don’t because of other concerns swirling in our head.  To say yes to the right things you have to say no to a lot of other things.  Actually, delivering a respectful, decisive no can paradoxically strengthen your relationship with the person on the receiving end.  Just consider what happened when Galbraith woke from his nap and returned Johnson’s call   “Who is that woman?” the President asked, inquiring about the housekeeper who had dared tell him no.  “I want her working for me.”
     Is this an issue for you? Do you have that uneasy sense that your life really belongs to everyone else?  How do you handle it when people want you to buy something you don’t want or when they ask you to do something you don’t want to do? Who is responsible for getting that back in balance?  Consider hiring a coach to work with you.
     Give me a call 425-275-7371

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Before This Fleeting Season

Lord, Before This Fleeting Season...

Lord, before this fleeting season is upon us,

Let me remember to walk slowly.

Lord, bless my heart with love and with quiet.

Give me a leaning to hear carols.

Grace our family with contentment, and the peace

that comes only from you.

Lord, help us to do less this busy season; go less;

Stay closer to home; kneel more.

May our hearts be your heart.

May we simply, peacefully, celebrate you Lord, Lord.

M.Jindra/L.Larsen

    Wouldn’t you know it . . . “This Fleeting Season” is already upon us! I’ll admit that lately I’ve had more difficulty than usual—finding myself defenseless in the fog of living at speed, distracted by unimportant urgencies, dallying where diligence was required.

    Advent. And I wonder if I have the time or energy to celebrate His coming?

    This weekend I took time to look at several areas of my life. On a scale of 1—10, I wondered, how am I doing managing my time, my rest, my health, my relationships...my time alone with God?

     I asked myself, what changes can I make this Advent season to welcome him in to my life, into my community.

          OK, now it’s your turn: Even if you have all your Christmas shopping done—ok, maybe that’s a stretch—but what does your life look like this fleeting season:

· In Reflection & Re-Creation

· In Rest

· In Relationships

    What three things could you do in the next three weeks to make this a different advent season?

1.

2.

3. 

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