A Good Person...

At church on Sunday, our Deacon talked a lot about what it takes to be a good person.  In doing so, he also talked about the 10 Commandments.  The commandments, as we know, are the foundation, the basis for our behavior as Christians...as people.  Deacon John went on to ask, "If one 'just' follows the commandments, is that enough to be a 'good person'?  Is simply not doing bad things the same as doing good?" 

He asked us to think about what we have done for others.  I, of course, immediately had Janet Jackson's "What Have You Done For Me Lately" song going through my head with the lyrics changed to "What Have I Done For You Lately?"  (Singing Janet Jackson during mass, sacrilegious?  Maybe.  But no more so than quoting the movie, Airplane during the Passion readings during Lent.  You know, when Jesus tells his Disciples that they will betray him and they say "Surely, not I."?  You mean you don't picture Jesus saying, "Of course you will, but stop calling me Shirley"?!)

Anyway, it really got me thinking about how easy it is to be busy with our own lives and forget about the lives of others.  I know that I for one have been really busy being busy lately.  I usually like to think of myself as the kind of person who puts others first, but I don't know if I've done the best job of that lately.  I have not stopped to ask myself, "What have I done for you lately?"  And for that, I am truly sorry.

Deacon John also went on to tell a story about a raspberry bush.  How there was an old woman whose neighbor had a raspberry bush in his yard.  She had very sentimental memories attached to that plant.  When new neighbors moved in and cut it down, she was crushed.  When she asked the new neighbors about it, they apologized saying they just thought they were weeds.  Deacon John then gave other scenarios about things we think of as "weeds" actually being "raspberries": 

• getting stuck in line behind the woman with a hundred coupons...weed; a mother struggling to make ends meet and doing what she needs to do to get food for her family...raspberry
• being mentally, physically, and emotionally exhausted...weed; having a good job and happy, well-rounded kids...raspberry
• the bully at school who was cruel and hurtful to your child...weed; the opportunity to forgive and to teach your child forgiveness...raspberry

He continued giving more examples, but those were the three that stuck with me.  (And yes, of course, every time he said "raspberry", I couldn't stop thinking of the movie, Spaceballs.  But clearly things like that don't keep me from paying attention.)

So, let's hear it for Janet Jackson and Spaceballs!  Let's ask, "What have I done for you lately?"  Let's focus on the raspberries in life.  And let's all try to get a little closer to that "good person" status.

Good Grief...

 



I hear ya', Charlie Brown.  I have said those 2 words so many times the last month or so.  Here's a little run-down of some of the things that have been causing me grief:

Coughing
I have been coughing for 9 weeks, now.  It all started at one of Mason's football practices before school started.  It was really windy, and dust was blowing.  I started sneezing, sneezing, sneezing.  And then I started coughing, coughing, coughing.  And I haven't really stopped coughing since.  After about a month, Kevin convinced me to go to the doctor (it's really pretty sweet how he worries about me).  After explaining the situation, my doctor said that it was probably allergies.  So, she prescribed some steroid pills and an allergy prevention nasal spray.  After I finished those and the cough was still there, I called the doctor again.  She had me come back in, and this time she prescribed an inhaler and told me to start taking Allegra every day.  I did all of that for about 2 weeks, but the cough stuck around.  So after 8 weeks, 2 doctor visits, and 4 allergy treatments I called the doctor again.  This time, though, she didn't make me come back in.  She has determined that it probably isn't allergies, because if it was, something would have worked by now.  So now I'm on a prescription for silent acid reflux.  Sounds crazy, but we'll see.  If it works, great.  If it doesn't, I'll go to a lung specialist. 

Good Grief.


Rangers
The kids and I got tickets to the final Friday night Rangers home game.  They each got to invite a friend to come with us and sleep over.  We were all super excited about the fireworks after the game...they're always super awesome.  So, the kids made a poster to hold up, we picked up their friends, and we headed on our way.  Due to an accident on our route (and due to me missing my exit and having to back track) it took almost 2 hours to get to the ballpark.  When finally get to the parking lot that we usually park in, it is full.  So I turn around again.  And right as I'm about to enter another parking lot, Mason's friend throws up all over himself in the car.  So I keep driving and go to a gas station.  I get him in the bathroom to clean himself up and change his clothes.  I buy some Spray 'n' Wash and try to clean up the car.  We get back in the car and go back to Denton to bring Mason's friend back to his house.  So that was a well spent $100 and 3 hours. 

Good Grief.


My Hair
It has been about 7-8 months since I've had my hair cut.  It had just gotten too long.  It was far too thick and took far too long for me to mess with fixing it.  But I didn't want to wear my hair up every day at school either, so fix it I would.  I knew I needed to get it cut, but with Kevin gone, I just didn't have time (or opportunity away from the kids) to do it.  So I bought a new shampoo in the hopes that it would tide me over until I found a way to get to the salon.  And the last couple of weeks, I was still fixing my hair (even though it took forever).  But it would just hang there.  It just always looked greasy and flat.  I figured that it was because it was just so long and so neglected.  Well when my parents came to visit last weekend, I finally took the chance to have them watch the kids while I got it cut.  I loved it.  I cut off 4-5 inches, it bounced, and just looked and felt great!  Well when the time came this week for me to wash and style it myself, it just wasn't the same.  I know it never is, but this time it was different.  Despite my efforts, it just hung there heavy and lifeless...so back to the pony-tail it was this weekend.  Well yesterday Kevin shouted at me from the shower, "Do we not have any shampoo?!"  I said, "Uh, yeah!  I just bought some a couple of weeks ago."  To which he replied, "Well, I just see 2 bottles of conditioner."  So I check and sure enough, the "shampoo" that I bought and had been using for the last 2 weeks was actually conditioner.  Yep, I have been double conditioning and not shampooing this whole time.  I guess that explains the greasy, lifeless hair.

Good Grief.


While I could go on and on (football and softball games/practices overlapping, needing a new tire, doing 38 parent-teacher conferences, having the garbage disposal clog, losing a fight with the weed-eater, etc.) I'll spare you the details.  That's just life, isn't it?  Sometimes you're Lucy, but sometimes you're Charlie Brown.  Here's to a few less of those "football being pulled out from under you" moments.