Month: September 2009 (Page 4 of 5)

another day: holiday

September 7, 2009 / Michele Minehart

i missed a few days. not really my fault, we were sans internet at the michigan lakehouse for a few days. it was the weekend, so i don’t feel that bad. but today i all-out celebrated Labor Day to its fullest meaning: i did no sort of labor. this includes getting dressed.

i am so thankful that we still retain a sprinkling of such holidays in our federal calendar. i love the “holiday season” (thanksgiving through new years) but it requires a different type of labor. granted there’s less attendance to your place of employment, but all the family gatherings, holiday parties, shopping, cards, and all those other things involved require effort.

today was effortless. granted, i still tended to my childcare responsibilities (you can’t shirk EVERYTHING) and did minor foodservice (today was the first H had store-bought baby food. he wasn’t a fan). but i wasn’t about to attempt the grocery on such a beautiful gift of Do Nothing Day.

I recently listened to another podcast on sabbath and rest. it’s a concept i really dig (i’ve posted on this before) not because i’m lazy (though i am) but because it’s true. we run ourselves ragged between work, social engagements and the general maintenence of living (grocery, keeping up on the bills, cooking dinner, remembering when the trash goes out, appointments with the speech therepist…). i don’t just believe, but i know that we were not created for such nonstop goings.

for several years in a row i missed memorial day. this is because i was always down sick with the flu. and not just a minor malfunction, but near to sleeping by the toilet. it became evident that the reason was because i had pushed my limits of busyness and my body just couldn’t handle it.

the podcast i heard quoted another source, saying “if you don’t take a sabbath then your illnesses and sicknesses will become your Sabbath.” ugh. that’s not what i really want – to have to be slowed and stopped by puking simply because i didn’t listen to warning signs. for those of you who never struggle with this (because i’m sure i’m the only one), a few comon symptoms:
1. complaining “i’m tired” even after a full nights’ sleep
2. missing out on something you’d really like to do because you have too much to do before / after the event
3. not remembering important things – like when it’s your sister’s birthday or that you owe the IRS a large sum of money.

so today i fully delighted on this wonderful gift of holiday, the fact that i labor all the live-long year and i don’t have to today. what a treat.

day three: a common love

September 3, 2009 / Michele Minehart

there is nothing better than loving something and having someone to share in that delight. for me, it’s books. there are times that i read parts aloud to jj because i simply love what is happening in whatever i might be reading. he tolerates my commentary, but doesn’t really offer input.

i have found 6 wonderful ladies who indulge my love of all things paper and print. tonight we (geekily) admitted to the love of the smell of a new book. mmm… the ink, the paper… it’s like the sweet scent of a peach pie coming out of the oven to me.

but the point is not the weird fettish. the point is that i am not alone. as we laughed over our repainting of a particular character as the heroine fell in love with him, it lifted my spirits to simply share in something that i love. to talk about how the book affected me, to share my thoughts on the significance of fiction work in the world of non-fiction history – it was wonderful to be heard and for it to matter. to join in a conversation about something that is deeper than ourselves.

for some men, it’s football. for my dad, it’s cornhole. for others it’s sewing or gardening or scrapbooking. but to have a person (or 6!) that you can turn to and say “what an amazing stitch!” or “how did you get your tomatoes so robust?!” and that person actually care about the next portion of the conversation, it is a true gift.

i hope for every person to find at least one person that you can share a common love of something. to enjoy conversation, complete with listening and contribution of opinion, centered around something outside of daily grind. what a great delight.

day two: a job well done

September 2, 2009 / Michele Minehart

henry is now on his way to his own hearing aids! finally! it’s been a long, arduous, red-tape filled process, but his little blue oticons will be ordered in the morning. what a relief. we’ll get to give back the loaners we’ve had for the past 6 months and concentrate on keeping this newer (more expensive set) dry.

my audiologist has put in a lot of hard work trying to get these hearing aids. and not just any run-of-the-mill pieces – she wanted the best for henry and she petitioned and petitioned until she got them.

i’m not sure that there are words with enough power to complement a true job well done. to see someone in his or her element, doing what they were created to do… it can only be described as delicious. and i’m not even talking about all the applause and kuddos that come with it – it’s not about recognition, it’s about fulfillment.

it’s caused me to think a lot lately… i read / heard about the word vocation – the word we use to refer to a person’s field of work – is from a latin root word, (i want to say vocar ?) but it has the same root as “calling” (think “vocalize” or “voice”). unfortunately the church world has somehow began to differentiate between a “calling to ministry” and the call to fulfill a life’s purpose. we may not all feel as if we should be serving a church, but we are all indeed called to a purpose, a vocation. there is work to be done in this world that when you and it collide it makes the most perfect-pitch, clearly sung melody. it just fits.

and because i believe it’s the way the world was created, when a person lives out her vocation, it benefits those around her. the goal is not self-gratification (though it is fullfilling), but rather to play the part in a larger song that is being sung.

i’m so grateful that the woman we chose to help henry onto the road to better hearing is a person that is living out her vocation and making our lives better as well.

Month: September 2009 (Page 4 of 5)

another day: holiday

day three: a common love

day two: a job well done

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