Blessings All Around

I just spent the last twenty minutes reading feel good stories of people who "paid it forward." I read stories of people who paid for other people's groceries, medications, rentals, Christmas gifts and more. It seems the idea of "paying it forward" has caught on with many. It makes me happy to see something positive deemed newsworthy. I could spend hours listening to accounts of this sort. In almost every story I read, it was the person who gave retelling the tale, and commenting on how the reception of the gift had intensely touched them. As I read further I couldn't help, but think of Jesus' teaching "it is more blessed to give than receive." Acts 20:35.  Both giver and receiver are blessed, one is just "more blessed." It's obvious why the person receiving a gift is blessed. They got something, so that makes sense. The person who gave just lost something so you'd think the opposite would be true. Nope! Giving does a work more wonderful that receiving will ever do. We all should take and make time to experience something so profound.

I'm Back!

So I've been quiet recently. Lucky you. I'd like to give you a reason for the quiet but I don't have one. I could blame it on being busy, but seriously aren't we all? We did go on vacation, but that's not it either. I've had a lot swirling around in my head lately. I lacked the motivation, and it seemed the ability, to write anything worth sharing.  I think life is just that way sometimes. You get caught up in you. That's kinda where I've been, "Meland." I tend to vacation there from time to time, but it's no place that I would want to live. I'm grateful for the moments in life that redirects your focus. That's been happening to me in the past few weeks, changes in focus. I've been drawn to things I once ignored, and I'm even being drawn away from a few things. The real blessing is that there is growth and progress in me. I'm still alive, and I'm grateful for all the moments in my life, for the really loud ones, but also quiet ones. Just thought I should let you know though, that the quiet is about to end :) 

   The Yard

The summer is moving by rather quickly for me. I've been caught up in the activities that come along with warmer temperatures and time off. Anyhow I've been meaning to share a few pictures of what's been happening in and around my yard. Prepared to be photo bombed.. First the stuff that I love the most, the stuff you can eat!

These are a few shots from spring.....

OK, the next few are not my yard, but we are talking about outdoors so I had to throw these in the mix. These are shots from one of our trips to the strawberry patch. We try to go a few times every year. The kids enjoy it.

she'd kill me if she knew I shared this :)

Don't know what it is, but the patch always puts my kids to sleep

This little sad bowl of strawberries actually came from our yard. Better luck next year I hope...


 

Gin and Coconut Water

Now in America...

No straw necessary

I've been planting, planting, planting. I want my kids to experience a yard like the one I was raised in. When I was a kid just out my front door were pomegranate, papaya, guava, grape fruit, lime trees, and even a mango orchard. Believe me when I tell you that's the short list. If I recalled all the fruit planted in our yard we'd be here a while. And I'm not even speaking of the ones native to the island, just the ones most of the world would recognize. Which brings me to the point of this post: Today I came across something that we islanders enjoy, but most seem oblivious to, coconut water. Many people know the benefits of coconut oil, and some like coconut flavored food items, but we islanders know that there is so much more to this nut. We actually drink the liquid inside a green coconut. In fact the old folks say that it's very healthy, and my grandma would often have us drink it as some sort of tonic.  Don't worry she didn't have to twist our arms to get us to drink it at all. The stuff is good. We were allowed to have as much of it as we liked. No limits. We'd pick a coconut. Use a cutlass to chop off the husk, and bottoms up straight from the coconut. It's an island thing...or so I thought. Today while roaming the isles of Costco, one of their food demo associates were giving out samples of, you guessed it, green coconut water. I stood there in shock as he touted all the "health benefits" of this new wonder tonic. If my grandmother only could have heard him. Anyhow, I just like my folks used to do, I gave my kids some. I also "sampled" it for myself. So SO GOOD! Tasted like home. OK, so I'll admit that there is nothing like drinking it from it's original container, the coconut. It's a bit sweeter that way, but coconut water from a man made container ain't bad either. I just had to buy some. I was laughing to myself the whole time thinking about how my family back home. They'd probably faint at the thought of paying 12 dollars for about a gallon of coconut water. You see in the Bahamas there are a few things that you would never have to buy, well unless you wanted to, coconut water is one of them. I just had to have it. Coconut water is almost our national drink. Heck, we even have songs written about it, and how "you cannot get it in America!" Plus, I figured it's much less than a ticket to the Bahamas. If they laugh at me for the purchase that's gonna be my excuse. Besides, the Bahamas and the US share the same independence month. July.  This month when I celebrate the independence of both countries on the 4th and 10th, I'll be toasting to both with a big glass of coconut water sans the gin. Sorry Bah Men. Looks like "you" can "get it in America."


OK, so I'm putting a disclaimer on this song. It's a bit raunchy, and I'm not promoting getting liquored up. I just wanted you to know how seriously we take coconut water.

Raising Mom

I wasn't prepared for days like this. My little girl is growing up, and with that comes a whole new set of spoken and unspoken social rules and responsibilities. I'd like to help her navigate this new territory. Heck, I'd like to just go ahead an just clear the way for her altogether! I can't. Her life is a trail she must blaze all her own. It's more than helpful to know that she is not alone. The same God who has seen me through so many of my challenges and meltdowns is for there her too. He's acutely aware of who she is, and stands ready to defend and protect her. In fact that is the very definition of her name. Samara means "protected by God." If you happen to be Polish, then it's also slang for potbelly, but that's another story.  Point is her name is no accident. At the time I learned I was pregnant that was my deepest wish, that God Himself would come to her defense and protect her always. It still is. As she matures I watch the kind of woman she is becoming. I see her navigate circumstances thrown at her and come out a little stronger. I love the fact that she's strong enough to stand alone when she's right, but humble enough to apologize, and search out matters to find where she may have been wrong, or could have made a better decision.  She's not a perfect child. If you stop by my house on any given day you'll hear me telling (at times scolding ) her of ways to improve this or that, but her character and integrity is something that I continue to be amazed by. I know that who she is has nothing to do with me. In fact I think the greater miracle is that she is an incredible person despite me. By the grace of God she is who she is, and I am pleased with that. My prayer is that God would continue to protect her mind, her heart, soul, and body and that she is someone who honors Him despite the junk life throws at her. It's been an absolute privilege to be mom to this child. I've learned so much from her already. Today was just further proof that she has a lot more to teach me, and I have a lot more to learn.  

"This Too Shall Pass..."

This really should be titled "Lessons I Recently Learned From my Toddler." She doesn't always use her words, but she's teaching me nonetheless.
Last week after being outdoors a while I worked up a bit of a sweat. I bent over to say hi to Elle and a single bead of perspiration hit the floor. Elle's eyes got really big. "Puddle" she squealed and proceeded to jump on/in the single drop of sweat. Too me this was cute and  funny, but somewhat profound. She was delighted over something so insignificant. A drop of any liquid hardly compares to a puddle, but I guess in her eyes any moisture at all was a step in the right direction. I couldn't help but think of the peace that comes from finding joy and contentment I what you have, despite and obvious lack.

This week, she's been continuing her work on the fine art of tantrum throwing.  She was in the middle of one such episode when I had this thought: "She won't remember any of this. All of this time and energy (physically and mentally) devoted to something that doesn't matter and that she won't remember.  Children!" That's when it hit me. I do the same thing. I might not headbutt the couch, and wallow on the floor, but I have tantrums of my own. Guess what, much like hers, they are often over things that don't matter. I had to smile at myself. Here I was thinking, I'm diagnosing her, and the insignificance of her "moment" but I'm guilty of the same thing. It's just like truth to sneak up on you that way.
I tried to recall what frustrated me, or what I threw a fit over when I was her age. I don't remember. I tried to think about what I got bent out of shape over when I was a teenager, or in my twenties. Nothing. Even the things that bothered me a few months ago seems so long ago, and so insignificant. Much like Elle's "moments" I'm sure they were major at the time.  It's not that my life has been perfect. It's just that time has shed light on all those moments. While some of them were hard, a lot more of them were trivial.  None of them deserved the worry and mental anguish I lavished upon them. It's so human to be fixated on ourselves. Our stuff. Our happiness. Our problems. A week, a month, a year, a decade from now will it really matter? Even if it does matter, does our mental gymnastics regarding it accomplish anything? If we could change it, we would. Worry and tantrum seems the "go to" when matters are beyond our control. Perhaps fretting in itself, gives us a sense of control. I don't know.
It seems a logical, and simple conclusion, don't worry, and leave the tantrums where they belong; childhood. Despite the simplicity of this, it is something I need to be reminded of...regularly. It just happened that this time I really appreciate the form in which the reminder came. I thought I'd share.
Hard to believe that I actually got something from a drop of sweat and a tantrum. I did. Make the most of your moments, but try not to make too much out of some moments. I'm pretty sure I'll be working on the balance between these two ideas for the rest of my life :)

Word

For the past several years I've heard more and more people replace New Year's resolutions with just one word they believe will describe their upcoming year. The process of finding that word is different. For some it's thought and reflection, for others it's prayer. For me, I just like the idea that the New Year's resolution thing is being approached in a different way. It's June, and if I'm honest, any resolution I made in January would have been broken LONG ago. I wanted to join the "one word to describe my year club" for the past few years. I just never got anything that seemed like,  "yep, that's the word." Recently a thought/phrase came to me, and I haven't been able to shake it. "Excellence is not a accident." I googled it. Turns out Aristole said this first, and best. He said:

Excellence is never an accident. It is always the result of high intention, sincere effort, and intelligent execution; it represents the wise choice of many alternatives - choice, not chance, determines your destiny."

I couldn't agree more. Somewhere in the midst of all the crazy exists the highest intentions of a loving God for us all.  With guidance, and in His wisdom we can make a vehicle of right choices to take us there. That's excellence to me, finding and living my God appointed destiny, it's no accident.  Not sure what impact this phrase will have in the rest of my year, God willing, but I'm committed to doing my best, so I'm hoping I will soon find out.