Are You Being Remodeled?

"Imagine youself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on: you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently, He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make sense. What on earth is He up to? the explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of--throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were going to be made into decent little cottage: but He is building a palace." -C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity, p. 174.

Don't we sometimes just want to be a decent little cottage! I do, it really hurts--those trials, the pain and suffering. When I pray I even say, "Thank you Lord. I am happy and healthy, I don't want to really be rebuilt, I don't think I'm up to it...everything is just fine." But, wham-mo...the battering ram swings around and knocks me flat. At times I even wonder how I am able to get back up; but, somehow I do. Somehow He knows I will--that I will plug forward again, building a new wing where I didn't think it was possible, adding that extra floor when I didn't know I needed one, running up a new tall tower of strength, filling my new courtyard with joy. So...don't you ever wonder WHEN the palace will be finished AND what it will look like? I do...I think He must know a whole lot more than me!

Cool Savings

Tired of trying to find the right coupon, have stacks of newspaper coupons cluttering the house, pick and choose without the mess. Customize your coupon clipping with my featured money saving site called Cool Savings. Print them off the internet or simply have them emailed to you. As you register, the site takes you through a few screens asking if you want free "this or that." Say "NO" to all of these. If you say "yes," all your information will be submitted to the specified advertiser and you could be inundated with email. Once you are registered, simply keyboard in your zipcode and "wall-ah," pages of coupons ready to print. You can print all of them, just the ones you want, OR have them emailed to you. Coupon categories include: Grocery, Health & Beauty, Clothing, Automotive, Entertainment, Pet, Travel, Home & Garden, Education, Computer & Electronics, and Personal Finance (sample screenshot above--grocery coupon page).

Rite of Passage...are they ready?

Remember when moving out of the house was a "rite of passage?" We stepped, actually lept, out into the world where we worked whatever job we could find. We found a crummy apartment stuffed with roommates just so we could afford the rent. We drove a beater car, lived off macaroni & cheese (Top Ramen & bean burritos my brother reminds me), and didn't mind if our clothes were worn and their was no cable or TV for that matter. Who cared? We were managing it, shabby standards or not, all by ourselves. We had our freedom and it was worth it!

I recently read an article about a property management investor who discoverd their was a huge market in really nice college-age real estate. Young people leaving home felt entitled to not just "any old apartment," but a place complete with pool, indoor gym, social court, and plasma tv on the wall. So he went to work and he built the apartments--thousands of them. We, as parents, came and rented them for our kids--thousands of them. We wanted it "better for them." We wanted them to have "what we never had." And it wasn't just about the college apartment, but other entitlements: the latest techie device, the car at 16, the prettiest prom dress, designer clothing, and the list goes on. But at what cost? Didn't we deprive our children of building valuable character traits? Of problem solving skills? Of the "happiness" and "self-esteem" one can gain from making a "go of it" on their own? Did we forget that it is by failure, pain, and frustration we grow intellectually, emotionally, and spiritually? Now here we are in an economic recession and we need to be asking oursleves if we have taught our children how to be resourceful. With our children facing bigger expenses than we ever faced, resourcefulness and self-reliance is key.

Here are a few ideas for teaching your children to be self-reliant and resourceful:

• Teach them everyday skills--that means household tasks from laundary to budgeting.

An example: we shared the cooking in our household. Each person had one night of the week to plan, grocery shop, and cook the meal; yes, dad was included in the schedule.

• Don't solve your children's problems for them--teach them to sort through the options, see the consequences of each and then live with THEIR choice. Don't take the problem from them!!!
• Make sure they have a job--a job teaches them to work for someone else, and to budget their time and money. They may even find out they don't want to flip burgers for the rest of their life--You mean education is important?!
• Be an example of resourcefulness & resilence; AND be excited about it!
• Learn something new--if your children see that life-long learning is important, they too will keep learning new skills.

Thoughts of a 22 Year Old Male

Do you ever wonder what thoughts go through the minds of your children? I have and now thanks to Facebook, I can view a few of those. It seems every week, my son puts a thought out there for all to see. I call them David-isms. Here are a few choice ones--some profound and worthy of inclusion within our journey:

• Life is too short to wake up in the morning with regrets. So love the people who treat you right, forget about the ones who don't and believe that everything happens for a reason. Live with no excuses and love with not regrets.
• If you get a chance, take it. If it changes your life, let it.
• Put your hand on a hot stove for a minute, and it seems like an hour. Sit with a pretty girl for an hour, and it seems like a minute. That's relativity.
• Some people say life is short. Is there really anything longer that you are going to do while you are here?
• The glass is neither half-full nor half-empty: it's twice as big as it needs to be.
• Advice is what we ask for when we already know the answer but wish we didn't.
• Ever wonder if illiterate people get the full effect of alphabet soup?
• I was told today that I should date more, get a girlfriend, get married and that I should listen to the motab instead of devil music. To which I responded "No I don't think so." No matter what I say, it draws controversy. It's sort of like the abortion issue.
• You are only young once, but you can be immature forever.
• Sometimes people put up walls, not to keep others out, but to see who cares enough to break them down.
• Jesus is coming...Look busy!
• God determines who walks into your life....it's up to you to decide who walks away, who you let stay, and who you refuse to let go.
• I don't drink, I don't smoke, I don't do drugs. I play video games, which I think is a far superior addiction to any of those other ones.
• Have you ever noticed that anyone going slower than you is an idiot, but anyone going faster than you is a maniac?
• Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm.
• If you want to be loved by somebody who isn't already in your family, it doesn't hurt to be beautiful.
• "I'm just a love machine and I won't work for anyone but you"....what a great song!
• David wishes that life was simple.
• You can never get enough of what you don't need, because what you don't need won't satisfy you.
• When you go into court you are putting yourself in the hands of 12 people that weren't smart enough to get out of jury duty.
• Have you ever imagined a world with no hypothetical situations?
  

Which is it...The End or The Journey?

Let's talk book reading! Let's say it's the last book in the Twilight series (it seems to be the "in" book right now). You have been anticipating the last novel for some time. You can't wait to see how it all ends! As you begin to read, the novel becomes more and more exciting! You read so fast...so fast and furious. Skimming to the end, where you slow down and drink in every glorious word. The problem is that in getting to the end so fast, you forgot to relish and enjoy the novel along the way. I know...we've all done it--been there!

Let's liken this to a Mormon perspective on life. We know the beginning--where we came from and what it was like and we also know how it's all going to end. So...perhaps the message is, we just enjoy the journey along the way. God's in charge, our job is to live each day to the fullest.

Side Note: Speaking of Twilight...what if you had actually read the end first, just so you could really enjoy the read. (Credit to Michelle. Thanks for the great share)

Three "E's" & Sara

As I was finishing up my grad degree in Instructional Design & Technology in 2007, I was lamenting to Sara, one of my fellow students sitting next to me. My lament went something like this: "Woe is me, I am almost 50, my life is half over, I'm too old to do anything much, my kids are gone, no grandkids...what do I with myself....blah, blah, blah." She quickly reprimanded me saying, "What are you talking about! You have the three "E's"-- you're Engergetic, an Empty-Nester, and Educated. Get out there and kick-butt! Look at all the women who started businesses and made an impact in their 50's & 60's! The door is wide open with nothing to hold you back. You can have a great future!" To my astonishment, it was just what I needed...what a smart young pup she was. My "woe is me" mentallity started to change. She was right! I started to ask myself questions. Questions like, "where do my talents lie?" "What haven't I done in my life that I would like to do?" "Can I really do something I have never thought of?" "What opportunities are before me now?" Within a month of my conversation with Sara, I began working in Television--something I had never done, but always thought would be awesome to do. I was given a fantastic opportunity by a wonderful man to Executive Produce a women's show and often times host. It only lasted 6 months, but it was a great ride--full of up's and down's, steep learning curves, true successes, and fabulous people. I truly believe that we are given opportunities to prepare us for other experiences down the road. I look back through my life and have seen evidence of that fact. What's next? I'm hanging on for the ride....AND I will always thank God for putting Sara along my path!

Percolating Ideas & Centurions

Percolating in my head for the last few months has been an idea...I have asked myself this question, "I am an empty nester who has spent most of my married life doing the mom thing. How can I NOW use my talents and gifts--share my passions to enrich not only my life but help make someone's a little better?"

Being an empty nester is one thing, but not having any grandchildren (yet) or a passionate focus is frustrating! In fact, many of my friends seem to be in the same situation. We have been devoted & passionate mothers all of our lives and now what? Where do we focus our passion? It's so quiet..There is service or adding to the community; which we do--but there has to be something out there...something that is the perfect fit.

Yesterday I listened to a show which talked about centurions all over the world. There were five keys they all had in common to living a long healthy good & full life.

1. A purpose--something they were passionate about--something they were excited to do each day.
2. A 24 hour religious focus once a week, in which they turned their problems over to God.
3. Work with their hands (many of them dirtied up their hands in the God given soil we have right in our backyards or created something useful).
4. A decent diet--lentils, vegetables, fruits--things we find inherent in the land.
5. Mild exercise-walking, working hard in the yard, taking a bike ride.

How are you doing with 1-5? It seems many of us can handle 2-4; but #1 is still percolating...at least for me & many of my friends.