Never Ever Dull
With every conversation, I always seem to end with "Never a dull moment"....our lives are rich, complex, and beautiful stories. Join me in laughing about everyday things and appreciating life-bumpy roads and all.
I walked into the school function and did a quick glance-around in hopes to find a mom or family. That way, I wouldn't have to sit alone I really dislike entering an event by myself and having to work my way into the crowd, the sea of families. Pondering through all that, I see a mom who is uncharacteristically without her husband. I plop down beside her. She immediately pipes up: "Amy, I thought of you this week. I was a single mom too!" Her husband had been out of town all week and she had been "on" with all schooling and after schooling activities She had been the chef, the doctor, the tutor, and the cab driver all rolled into one. I wanted to scream from the mountain top: "At least, you have reinforcements coming back into the action!" But.... I smiled and nodded as I listened to her week. It was a challenging week for her but it's my "normal" What is "normal"? I don't know any more ...I think it's just a setting on my washer. Actually, I think "normal" looks so different for all of us. We're all dealing with so many things behind our smiles and nods. I met with a friend who is now a widow, losing his wife to cancer. He shared that he wished that he could help other single parents out. You see, he has opened his life telling the up's and down's of single parenthood through his writing. People hear his plight and respond often with food (he said his freezer was stocked with casseroles for a year!). But my story doesn't get shared openly. For one, I'm under a "gag" order, legally confining me to not confide in anyone what happened. ...For another, it just plain hurts and by telling it, the wounds open again. Yes, there is healing in that...but sometimes, I just don't want to go there....again and again. So I clam up. Smile and nod. Smile and nod. That's my "normal". Yet...everyone has a story. Few share openly. Most just do the smile-nod thing and hope to survive the next hill on life's roller coaster ride. .But the wheels in my head are always spinning..., I think it could be a life changer if we could plop down and look intently at another person's eyes and say something like: "I got an itty bitty glimpse of your world this week. How do you do it? How can I help?" Maybe, just maybe, we can all admire and appreciate each other more. Get each other a bit better. Understand the challenges each individual uniquely faces. And be there more for each other. There's a huge risk involved in asking others "real-life" questions and in being vulnerable enough to respond with more than an Oscar winning performance... But it's worth the risk. Who knows you just might get a freezer casserole dinner if you choose to be real and not to simply "fake it to you make it". " So speak encouraging words to one another. Build up hope so you’ll all be together in this, no one left out, no one left behind. I know you’re already doing this; just keep on doing it." I Thessalonians 5:11 (The Mesage)
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AuthorFun-loving mom to 4 kids and 1 big puppy. Fifth grade teacher of amazing little people who have never ending things to share with me. Love to discuss Jesus, diy projects, and life. Trying to keep it simple: Love Jesus, love people. Archives
December 2021
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