Author: Michele Minehart (Page 284 of 311)

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.

day one: mama

September 1, 2009 / Michele Minehart

just call this a two-for day. i felt i needed to start the habit of blogging in terms of gratitude / delight. today i’m quite grateful for my mom.

let me start with saying that, for some strange reason, God has decided to place me in the path of people who have recently lost someone they love at a reasonably early time (meaning, they died a young death). this has happened since i was a teenager when i became friends with a girl from another school. later her dad told me how much our friendship had helped her deal. all i knew was that she was super cool and i was thrilled she’d want to hang out with me.

since SW, i have become good friends with Kristy who lost her mom within months of Kristy & I being introduced. (ironically, both friends’ mothers’ names were deb. i’ve never realized that before.) but anyway, my friendship with kristy has opened my eyes to the blessing i usually take for granted.

today my mom drove 45 min to watch henry for the day. when i arrived home at lunch she had cooked my tomatoes into tomato juice, finished the laundry, fed henry and put him down for a nap. and there weren’t even dishes to show as evidence. normally she offers to cook dinner during his second nap, but today i was done early.

it’s not even the stuff she does for me that makes me indebted. it’s her presence. her desire (and i can tell it’s a deep desire) to play a part, to be there. she wants henry to grow up knowing grandma. she wants me to know i can count on her when i need something. it’s not the stuff she buys for me but the fact that when she’s shopping, she’s thinking of me and my family.

we’re all born with a mom, but not everyone gets to experience a woman who walks alongside for the long haul. for some people, when the tears won’t stop, they’re left with a well meaning husband/boyfriend/best friend who loves you and wants to help but just doesn’t “get it.” and when they don’t know what to do with 8 billion tomatoes or aren’t sure how to hard boil an egg, they have to fess up to a (albeit nice) mother-in-law, rather than shamelessly calling home for directions.

so it delights my heart not just to have an increadible mama, but that she wants and is able to be a part of my life, today.

Author: Michele Minehart (Page 284 of 311)

day three: a common love

day two: a job well done

day one: mama

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