Accidentally on Purpose

“I accidentally memorized my piano song this week, Mrs. Griffin.” Imagine this piano instructor’s glee when my student flippantly made that remark! Such commentary is a dead giveaway that a student has been spending ample time at the ivories. Any artist will tell you that the more time he or she spends rehearsing a piece of music, the more it becomes a part of them. This got me to thinking…what kinds of things do I accidentally (on purpose) want to be part of my life in this new year?

Fitness. There. I said it. Out loud. In print, even. I want 2011 to be a year of better fitness for myself. I keep waiting to “feel like it.” So far, nada. The reality is slowly dawning on me that I will have to put one Nike-clad foot in front of the other and groan my way through it until it becomes a habit. I have friends who seem to LOVE exercise. Me? Umm, no. Up until now, if you ever saw me walking briskly, or (heaven forbid) running, you could be fairly sure that someone or something was chasing me with a meat cleaver. But in those rare blips on the radar of time when I have made fitness a priority, I have felt so much better – so much more alive! Here’s to hoping for a new habit to emerge as I spend time on the move.

Fortune. Now hold your horses. This isn’t what you might think. This year, I want to daily rehearse the fortune with which God has blessed me. When I think about the people sprinkled across this planet that would be elated just to have a warm bed to sleep in at night, it dawns on me that I am a wealthy girl. I want to spend my days saying things to God like, “Thank You for waking me this morning. Thank You for instant grits…for a steaming cup of java…for instant access to my favorite music…for friends who “get me”…for delivery pizza when my afternoon is unraveling…for providing squirmy students for me to teach…for a husband who provides for our family – when he feels like it and when he doesn’t…for 3 intricately ornate children that teach me much about myself, my God, and life in general. Thank You for making my life so abundantly wealthy.” You probably have an impressive inventory that you could rehearse this year, too!

Family. We all have a deep desire to be seen, known, and loved. And with family, one definitely has that opportunity! Without even trying, we memorize the cracks and crevices of those with whom we spend the most time. My daughters can walk in the front door and immediately tell when Mom has a headache – their keen senses of smell pick up on the aroma of peppermint oil, a natural therapy that sometimes brings me relief. My Jonathan’s Down Syndrome hinders him from speaking fluently, so these past 17 years have given us ample time to practice an unspoken language that allows me to anticipate his needs before he even tries to verbalize them. My hubby knows my “sighs” and will often ask me what is wrong before I am even aware that I’m stressing about something. It sure is nice when we are memorized by those who love us.

Faith. If you’ve ever read even one of my meandering articles, hopefully you know that my faith is a big deal to me. The biggest of all deals! And since I am a wordsmith, I like to post words about my faith around my house as reminders. Take my family room wall, for example. It says, “GRACE”, then proceeds to list various definitions of that word. I chose that word because I want it to define our family - to be branded in our actions and obvious to everyone we encounter. The bottom line about grace is that I need it! As long as I remember my own need for it, I will be much more ready to give it out. I want to live out Deuteronomy 6:7,8 with my family, telling them God’s truths and shouting His goodness to us! “Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up.” My Mom and Dad graciously did this for me, causing me to accidentally memorize treasured truths about God and His love for me. I want to pay that forward!

Whatever song you’ve been playing over and over on the ipod is becoming part of you, like it or not. This new year, how about you and I toss out some of those tired old tunes and download some beautiful new music together! Before we know it, we will have memorized them…accidentally on purpose!

(as published in SHE! January 2011)

Meditating on the M&M’s

I never met an M&M I didn’t like. Well, except for the other day…

My minivan was parched for clean oil and the indicator light glared at me condescendingly. So there I sat, waiting in the lube joint while my vehicle enjoyed a spa day. The shiny little vending machines caught my eye, calling out to me with their various vibrant primary colors. Peanut M&Ms. Yes! Only twenty-five cents invested, and my fist was bulging with peanutty chocolatey goodness!

I slowly chomped each morsel, sometimes sucking on them until the candy coating melted. Other times, I chomped right down into the layers at once. Sadness ensued as I look down to discover only crumbs of bright-colored candy coating left in my palm. Sadness quickly morphed into horror as I noticed a creepy, crawly MEALWORM among the leftovers. Eeeeeeek! I quickly fought off the urge to re-visit my formerly consumed candy, then tried to still the scrambling thoughts inside my head. Was there more than one worm? Did I eat any worms? Will I die? I thought these things tasted stale! Should I tell the lady at the desk? This is going on my facebook status! Once I regained feeling in my legs, I sheepishly told the receptionist and she promptly placed an “out of order” sign on the machine.

This kind of thing happens to me frequently. No joke. My kids even know it! As I was feverishly recounting this tale to my husband, I wondered aloud, “Who does this happen to? Really, WHO DOES THIS?” Without even looking up from the book she was reading, my nine 9-year-old quipped, “Apparently, you, Mom. Apparently you.”

She’s right. Crazy, awful stuff seems to happen to me! Nobody loves me, everybody hates me, I’m gonna eat some worms. But I have found that there is an upside to almost everything. Well, what in the world could be good about starting my day eating worms? Here were some of my thoughts:

• The day can only get better from here.

• Woo hoo! Extra protein!

• Maybe this will deter my chocolate habit . . . okay, for one day, anyway. Okay, for 10 minutes.

• I can’t wait to tell my SHE! friends about this.

• People all over the world eat worms. Some don’t have a choice. So glad that I do.

Do you ever feel like you started your day out with mealworms hidden among your candy? Boy, don’t I know it! It doesn’t take much to ruin a perfectly good day. A flat tire, a nasty e mail, a late notice on your power bill, a call from your child’s school teacher, a glare from across the cubicle at work. Mealworms.

“Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.” Philippians 4:8 puts it into perspective. Meditate on the M&M’s, not the mealworms! Don’t get so hung up on the mealworm that you miss the chocolatey goodness of the candy. You know, the candy! The giggling of your children in the next room, the blessing of a car that gets you to and from in one piece, a job that pays the bills, your health, the change of seasons, life lived in a free country, a dog or cat that loves you even when you’re a jerk. These are the candy in the palm of life, and while you will certainly encounter a mealworm here and there, you can choose to focus on the good stuff - the candy. Throw those mealworms to the ground, stomp them hard, then move on. Life is too sweet to let a tiny little worm ruin my love for the good stuff!

(as published in SHE! November 2010)