Several things have irritated me today, so I thought on them and decided to speak on them.
First. Why is it that people think that just because children are small, they are stupid? People tend to give children much less credit than they are due. The fact that they may not have the vocabulary to express what they might be thinking or feeling does not preclude their propensity toward such thoughts and feelings. Get a clue.
Second. Children do react to tone of voice, no matter how hard a person tries to veil their particular brand of venom. They do pick up on body language, and they do recognize differences in the way they are treated as compared to other children. (That's a no-brainer!)
Third. I've learned that, in many cases, when people say something is about you, it really is not about you at all. For example, when a person goes around saying that you think you're better than they are when you've had no such thoughts whatsoever, the problem is not about you. For whatever reason, that person feels that you are better than they are. However, that person is not honest enough with him/herself to admit his/her personal insecurities.
Finally. If you approach a person with your latest bright idea and the person you approached is less than impressed, it is not that the person thinks they're better than you. Maybe your idea is just really stupid. If you disagree with their opinion, do not go on to complain to whomever will listen that the person always thinks your ideas are less than stellar. Instead, you should either move on or take your ideas to people who want to hear them and/or agree they are good. I really do not understand the need to constantly seek the approval of someone who thinks you have stupid ideas or make stupid decisions. Without delay, you need to figure out why your self esteem is so low.
That is all.
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Thursday, January 15, 2009
New Beginnings
My husband lost his job today.
I came home after having a horrific day at work. Actually, it could have been a worse work day, but it was not a good one just the same. My husband, being the very practical sort, told me he needed to talk to me and then informed me that he had been "let go" today. Let go. Just two days ago, they were told that one site was being shut down and that every person except one at that site would be losing their jobs. His site thought they were safe for a few months at least.
Instead of getting all panicky, I really felt a tremendous sense of peace. I hugged him and told him that I was sorry it happened to him. Then I said, "God never closes one door without opening another, and you didn't like that job anyway."
Where had that come from?
He had worked for the company for almost 9 years, but he did not like it. It was not his passion by any stretch of the imagination. It was just a job, really. A job that he kept because the insurance benefits were very good. They completely covered so many things that many other plans would not dream of covering. It paid for all of the tests and procedures I underwent to finally have my babies. It paid for my high risk prenatal care and biweekly ultrasounds, my long hospital bedrest stay, and the outrageous NICU bill once the girls were born prematurely. It paid for the $1000 each RSV shots the twins got every month after they came home. It also paid for my oral surgery and for my once-a-year designer sunglasses with the polarized lenses. All at 100%. For that, he stayed and I am grateful.
Still, it was just a job. One that was a tremendous blessing at the time when a tremendous blessing was needed; but it was also a place where he was not truly happy and had become a chore to go to.
You see, I think we get so caught up in the business of day-to-day living that we fail to recognize when God has released us from something (or someone!) and moved our blessing somewhere else. There has to be very little worse than that. Now, my man has got to get with God and find where he is really supposed to be.
Instead of dread about how we're going to pay the bills, I feel as if a weight is lifted for some reason. We may have to eventually move into a smaller house or even a condo. That's okay with me. (Besides, when I mentioned this to our son, Ryan, he simply shrugged his shoulders and informed me that he doesn't really like this house anymore since the break-in). We'll have to really tighten our belts and cut out a lot of extras. Okay. We can do that. Maybe we won't be able to go on the trip I've had my eye on. Whatever.
Maybe now my husband can return to school (a dream that he gladly deferred when I voiced my own desire to return to school several years ago). Maybe this is his turn to finally follow his dreams.
The sky is the limit, really. I know the economy is pretty crappy right now. I realize that he might have to find another "job" in the interim. Maybe I'll pick up a private tutoring gig a couple evenings a week or for a couple of hours on Saturdays. The point is that whatever we need to do, WE will do because we're a team. We rise, we fall, we sink, and we swim TOGETHER. That's just how we roll...
And I wouldn't have it any other way.
I came home after having a horrific day at work. Actually, it could have been a worse work day, but it was not a good one just the same. My husband, being the very practical sort, told me he needed to talk to me and then informed me that he had been "let go" today. Let go. Just two days ago, they were told that one site was being shut down and that every person except one at that site would be losing their jobs. His site thought they were safe for a few months at least.
Instead of getting all panicky, I really felt a tremendous sense of peace. I hugged him and told him that I was sorry it happened to him. Then I said, "God never closes one door without opening another, and you didn't like that job anyway."
Where had that come from?
He had worked for the company for almost 9 years, but he did not like it. It was not his passion by any stretch of the imagination. It was just a job, really. A job that he kept because the insurance benefits were very good. They completely covered so many things that many other plans would not dream of covering. It paid for all of the tests and procedures I underwent to finally have my babies. It paid for my high risk prenatal care and biweekly ultrasounds, my long hospital bedrest stay, and the outrageous NICU bill once the girls were born prematurely. It paid for the $1000 each RSV shots the twins got every month after they came home. It also paid for my oral surgery and for my once-a-year designer sunglasses with the polarized lenses. All at 100%. For that, he stayed and I am grateful.
Still, it was just a job. One that was a tremendous blessing at the time when a tremendous blessing was needed; but it was also a place where he was not truly happy and had become a chore to go to.
You see, I think we get so caught up in the business of day-to-day living that we fail to recognize when God has released us from something (or someone!) and moved our blessing somewhere else. There has to be very little worse than that. Now, my man has got to get with God and find where he is really supposed to be.
Instead of dread about how we're going to pay the bills, I feel as if a weight is lifted for some reason. We may have to eventually move into a smaller house or even a condo. That's okay with me. (Besides, when I mentioned this to our son, Ryan, he simply shrugged his shoulders and informed me that he doesn't really like this house anymore since the break-in). We'll have to really tighten our belts and cut out a lot of extras. Okay. We can do that. Maybe we won't be able to go on the trip I've had my eye on. Whatever.
Maybe now my husband can return to school (a dream that he gladly deferred when I voiced my own desire to return to school several years ago). Maybe this is his turn to finally follow his dreams.
The sky is the limit, really. I know the economy is pretty crappy right now. I realize that he might have to find another "job" in the interim. Maybe I'll pick up a private tutoring gig a couple evenings a week or for a couple of hours on Saturdays. The point is that whatever we need to do, WE will do because we're a team. We rise, we fall, we sink, and we swim TOGETHER. That's just how we roll...
And I wouldn't have it any other way.
Saturday, January 3, 2009
Great Blog Finds
After spending far too much time reading some such nonsense on another blog, I decided to make better use of my time online. I visited a few other sites that were on blog rolls of sites I do visit and found some WONDERFUL sites. I found a great assortment of blogs that run the gamut. There is a really good entertainment/gossip site for times when I'm in that mood, and there were some that REALLY made me sit back and exhale. I look forward to engaging in some very thought-provoking discussions on issues of the day and getting to know a little more about some bloggers who are really doing it up in a big way. I feel like a kid a Christmas. I can't wait to see what's next.
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Food for thought...
I know lots of people who take great pride in the amount of time they spend creating fabulous meals in their kitchens. Those same people are usually the ones who have the Pottery Barn-type furnishings that I never want to bring my toddler twins around.
Don't get me wrong. I do like nice things and a nice, clean house, and my girls do know how to act when they are out and around other people's things. It's just that I am AFRAID to go to those homes. The furniture doesn't look sit-on-able and there is never anything out of place. Personally, I tend to look a little sideways at a person who has small children and an always impeccable house. Either they are tired and about to fall over from running around picking up things every five minutes, or their children are confined to one room in the house. Either scenario is unnatural, in my opinion.
But I digress.
I know how to cook and actually enjoy it on occasion, but most days it really is just something I have to do because food is a necessity of life. As a result, I do not spent oodles of money collecting sets of fancy dinnerware. Take the set in the picture, for example. It is a simple, inexpensive set of dinnerware that we use on a daily basis. If the girls happen to break a dish, no sweat. I didn't pay much for them in the first place... and dishes like the Hoppin' John pictured above taste just as good when served on them. However, I do have an expensive set that is almost NEVER used and is reserved for "special" occasions.
Silly Rabbit. You thought this post was about cooking and dishes, didn't you?
Here is some food for thought.
Why do we reserve things in life for special occasions? Shouldn't every day that we're alive be a special occasion? Is there ever really a time when the golden flatware is appropriate? Why not use the fine china just because it's a Tuesday? As I resolve to spend more time working on ME this year, I think each of us can benefit from taking a moment and finding that one thing in our lives that we have been reserving for special occasions. Is it the good wine? The platinum cuff links? The diamond earrings Grandma gave you on your wedding day? How about something as simple as time? Life is now. If we're not special to ourselves NOW, then when will the right time be? How can we truly say we live life to the fullest when we're not even willing to treat every day like it's special. Live life now, People, because tomorrow may be too late.
Seriously. Live life now. Start today.
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.
-Anonymous
Happy New Year
As we usher in 2009, I want to wish you a year better than any you've ever seen. I wish you prosperity, health, peace of mind, and an increase in all areas that concern you. I pray that you are blessed beyond belief, and that you receive everything for which you have been standing in faith.
Love,
Undrea
Love,
Undrea
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