Chopped, Project Runway and Fences

This was my view as I sat in Andrew and Taylor's house working on their scrapbook.  You are looking through their Savannah room (aka screened-in back porch) out to their back yard.  Their yard backs up to green space.  As I sat here for a few days and savored the view, I pondered life with a fence or without.

When my mother was living and able she would often come and stay two weeks at a time with us.  She usually came with an agenda for how she wanted to help me.  She would dust all my ceiling fans and base boards or take care of all the laundry for two weeks.  On several occasions she mended everything in my mending pile.  For every visit she would bathe the children and put all manner of baby powder on them.  She even had special towels that she bought, I think they were called bath sheets, so she could get powder on the grandchild and then cover them all up to get them warm.

She set a high bar for visiting motherness and grandmotherness.

Because of my back I will not be able to follow exactly in her footsteps.  Sometimes that makes me sad.

Limitations- I don't like them.

As I sat looking at the beautifulness of A and T's backyard, I realized that the fence next door is really beautiful also.  It limits some of the view but there is protection there too.  I can't see into the backyard next door, there could be a wonderful junglegym or swingset or a tent or a picnic table with a party going on.

What am I going to do with my limitations?   I need to stop banging up against the beautiful fence and stop and see the beauty around me.  I need to take stock of all that I have been given and not complain about what I don't have or can't do.

There is a TV show on the Food Channel called Chopped.  The contestants are given a basket with four, usually unusual, ingredients.  They must cook a meal using their four ingredients in a limited amount of time.  They also have a well stocked pantry at their disposal.  It is interesting to watch the thinking process of the contestants, some get panicked, some know about their ingredients, some know similar ingredients and some when they don't know what to do they make excuses.

The series Project Runway also reminds me of Chopped but with clothes designers.  They are given limitations with their garments and we watch to see what will they be able to produce.

I think we like these shows is because they, to a point, mirror life.  We are all given limitations- health, money, jobs, surroundings, singleness, rough marriage, family that doesn't get along, and the list can go on and on and on.

What are you going to do with your limitations?   We all have them!  Some folks don't think so.  They are quick to tell you about theirs but don't believe you when you say you have them too. The people I enjoy the most don't complain about theirs all the time.  Sometimes we need to share our struggles but just not all the time!

One antidote for our limitations I am realizing more and more is gratitude. When I stop and realize all that I do have then I get my eyes off of what I think I don't have. Kaitlin and I were talking about our limitations and she was struck with the story in Acts 16 about Paul and Silas.  They were in jail, they had unwashed wounds from being beaten, their feet were in stocks, I mean talk about some limitations and yet what were they doing...singing hymns and praying. Wow!  God the creator can use our limitations to bring salvation to others.

 Count your blessings, name them one by one!  I am thankful for so many things

My Salvation
My husband-he is amazing
My children that I birthed and others that are in and have been in our nest
My friends
My back- I am having to be like the designers on Project Runway working with my limitations and what am I going to produce?  Do I want you to say oh yea, Ellen, she had the back problem or Oh Ellen, didn't she embrace life?!?

Here's to embracing life- go make something beautiful today!

Do you feel like Tinkerbell today???

I have been trying to read a chapter in the book of Proverbs every day. Trying is the key word here.

I had the best time reading chapter 21. I was struck with verse 3 To do righteousness and justice is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice.

What does 'doing' righteousness and justice mean???

I asked Carl and he said that it meant doing what is right and loving it when right things are done. Cool.

Later in chapter 21 verse 21 says Whoever pursues righteousness and kindness will find life, righteousness and honor. Ok, so now I not only need to do what is right I need to pursue doing what is right and now let's add kindness in there too! Wow! I liked that.

I so can do this- how soon I forgot Proverbs 16:18 which I commonly refered to to my children as Mr Pride and Mr Fall!

I somewhat pictured myself as a Biblical Tinkerbell flying through life sprinkling rightness and kindness everywhere I go.

And then I left the house...

First stop was the library, they had two books for me to pick up. They must have had two books for all of Little Rock to pick up. I have never seen so many vehicles there. With my back situation I can only walk or stand for about 15 or 20 minutes so I have to have life situations planned out that I can do. There are two handicapped parking places at my library. Both were filled. I drove around abit and one came open. I pulled up just close enough to let the other person out but make my intention known that I wanted that spot. The big ole honking truck that was parked there pulled out and before I could get my foot off the brake and onto the gas a car came out of nowhere and got the spot. I was stunned! And my first thought was to block them in, no maybe key their car----Hellooo, where was the Biblical Tinkerbell??? She was no where to be found.

I parked as close as I could, walked in, didn't look at any other books, checked mine out and then got back to my van. I made it just fine. Next stop, Kroger

I need to add here that Robert is with me and we are headed down to eat lunch with Marisa.

Back to Kroger... Heading for a handicap parking spot that was empty and a BIG SUV comes up the lane the WRONG WAY and turns on a dime and gets the handicap spot. What in the world!?! Robert says "I have never seen anything like that before" I told him I was ready to key their car too! Then I heard the fluttering of the Tinkerbell wings- wow, now I am 2 for 2. We found another spot, went in to Kroger, got our stuff and headed off.

We got to the restaurant to meet Marisa with no parking issues. Over lunch I told Marisa and Robert about my quiet time and what I had learned and then what had happened so far in my day. Robert with great alarm said " Is stuff that this going to happen to you all day? You need to go home!" I just laughed.

We did come home. I, with a greater understanding that we are to be spreading rightness and kindness all around but not in my power but only in His power because when I do it and you don't respond the way I think you should, well, things don't go well.

A beautiful sunrise

This is my beautiful view. One day this week it was especially beautiful. KimT called when she saw it. I didn't answer because I was outside taking pictures. She said that it made her think of the verse in Lamentations 3: 22 and 23...His mercies never come to an end, they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. Indeed.