Love is a verb. An action word. You can't just tell a person, you must show them.
Prime example:
Jesus: I love you.
Me: You what me?
Jesus: I care for you. (Cast all your cares on Him, for He cares for you)
Jesus: I provide for you. (my God shall supply all my needs according to His riches in glory)
Jesus: I healed you. (by His striped we were healed)
Jesus: I protect you (the Lord is the strength of my life, whom shall I fear)
Jesus: I guide you (He is the Way)
Jesus: I pray for you (I pray not for the world but for them which thou has given me)
Jesus: I died for you (enough said)
Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
Sunday, August 5, 2012
Monday, July 16, 2012
Love Monkey
for MY Love Monkey...
It was once custom that every monkey would carve for himself a wooden heart.
And the heart that love monkey carved was the most beautiful of all.
Its contours were soft and rounded, like an ancient pebble sculpted by the oceans.
Its surface was smooth and shiny like liquid silk, and it shone as bright as a ruby in the desert sun.
“Take your hearts with you wherever you go,” said their teacher.
“Nurture them as a mother nurtures her new-born baby.
For when you want to give of yourself fully, your heart is the only true gift you will have.”
That night, Love Monkey had a dream.
He dreamt of a monkey whose smile lit up his soul like sunshine.
He held out his heart to her, so radiant, so splendid and so new.
She took him in her arms and he felt truly, perfectly, at peace.
When Love Monkey awoke he resolved that, from that day forward,
he would search for his Dream Monkey until he could stand before her and give to her his perfect heart.
He traveled through deserts…and climbed over mountains.
He trekked across forests…and sailed many oceans.
Love Monkey looked after his heart as best he could, but the storms that he endured on his travels chipped away at its surface and each new adventure reshaped it.
By the time he arrived on the last distant shore, his heart was so changed by the patina of time that it barely resembled his old heart at all.
And then, he saw her.
Standing before him, as radiant and as beautiful as the sunshine, was his Dream Monkey.
At first he could not speak. But then, from somewhere deep inside himself, he found a voice.
“I have traveled the world over to find you, and to give you my heart,” he said.
“But now that I am finally with you, I see how foolish I have been.
You are so beautiful, so perfect. And my heart that was once smooth, so bright and so new is now not something that I could even bring myself to show you,” and he turned to go.
“Let me see it,” said Dream Monkey. She took his heart and held it up to the light.
“Nothing to me is more beautiful. Every fissure tells a story.
Every blemish makes you more real. All my life I have been waiting for a heart like this; a heart that speaks the truth.”
“Come here,” she said. “I have something for you too.”
In her hand was a tiny golden heart. It was as worn and as scratched as Love Monkey’s own
…and it was the most precious thing that he had ever seen.
Love Monkey put his arms around her and they held each other for a long, long time.
“I shall treasure this heart for as long as I live,” said Dream Monkey, running her fingers over its ridged and dimpled surface.
Then they looked into each other’s eyes and, feeling the joy of truth in their souls for the first time, they began to laugh.
And often they sit together still, holding each other’s hearts in their warm hands, lifting them to the light…and laughing.
Always laughing.
It was once custom that every monkey would carve for himself a wooden heart.
And the heart that love monkey carved was the most beautiful of all.
Its contours were soft and rounded, like an ancient pebble sculpted by the oceans.
Its surface was smooth and shiny like liquid silk, and it shone as bright as a ruby in the desert sun.
“Take your hearts with you wherever you go,” said their teacher.
“Nurture them as a mother nurtures her new-born baby.
For when you want to give of yourself fully, your heart is the only true gift you will have.”
That night, Love Monkey had a dream.
He dreamt of a monkey whose smile lit up his soul like sunshine.
He held out his heart to her, so radiant, so splendid and so new.
She took him in her arms and he felt truly, perfectly, at peace.
When Love Monkey awoke he resolved that, from that day forward,
he would search for his Dream Monkey until he could stand before her and give to her his perfect heart.
He traveled through deserts…and climbed over mountains.
He trekked across forests…and sailed many oceans.
Love Monkey looked after his heart as best he could, but the storms that he endured on his travels chipped away at its surface and each new adventure reshaped it.
By the time he arrived on the last distant shore, his heart was so changed by the patina of time that it barely resembled his old heart at all.
And then, he saw her.
Standing before him, as radiant and as beautiful as the sunshine, was his Dream Monkey.
At first he could not speak. But then, from somewhere deep inside himself, he found a voice.
“I have traveled the world over to find you, and to give you my heart,” he said.
“But now that I am finally with you, I see how foolish I have been.
You are so beautiful, so perfect. And my heart that was once smooth, so bright and so new is now not something that I could even bring myself to show you,” and he turned to go.
“Let me see it,” said Dream Monkey. She took his heart and held it up to the light.
“Nothing to me is more beautiful. Every fissure tells a story.
Every blemish makes you more real. All my life I have been waiting for a heart like this; a heart that speaks the truth.”
“Come here,” she said. “I have something for you too.”
In her hand was a tiny golden heart. It was as worn and as scratched as Love Monkey’s own
…and it was the most precious thing that he had ever seen.
Love Monkey put his arms around her and they held each other for a long, long time.
“I shall treasure this heart for as long as I live,” said Dream Monkey, running her fingers over its ridged and dimpled surface.
Then they looked into each other’s eyes and, feeling the joy of truth in their souls for the first time, they began to laugh.
And often they sit together still, holding each other’s hearts in their warm hands, lifting them to the light…and laughing.
Always laughing.
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Promise (a letter to his mother)
When you left he was unhappy. He’s happy now and I intend to make sure he stays that way. I love the man you raised, and I want to thank you. Thank you for praying for him when there was nothing you could say to him.
I made a list of what I would tell you if you were here:
1. I promise to grow in Christ with him and seek God’s will for our lives.
2. I promise to remain faithful to him.
3. I promise to pray for him and with him.
4. I promise to make Christian sacrifices for him.
5. I promise to forgive him as God forgives us.
6. I promise to remind him how much I love him all the time.
7. I promise to hold him as long as he needs to be held.
8. I promise to rub his back, his feet, his neck, his...
9. I promise to honor him even when I’m not around him.
10. I promise to satisfy his physical needs.
11. I promise to help him with yard work.
12. I promise to stand up for him.
13. I promise to spend time with his (your) family, to honor them and respect them.
14. I promise to cook.
15. I promise to always be an Eagles fan.
16. I promise to let him help me.
17. I promise to learn new things with him.
18. I promise to drive.
19. I promise to listen to music with him.
20. I promise to never go to bed at night with one of us angry at the other.
21. I promise not to embarrass him.
22. I promise to submit to him.
23. I promise to not be selfish.
24. I promise to put the lid back up.
Ms. Christine, all these things I promise to do for as long as he wants me around. You can rest easy and in peace.
Sunday, February 5, 2012
C0ACH
I have coached my daughters in soccer for 12 years, but I have coached for 17 years. The line between coach and mother is hard for me to navigate. I played the game and for me, there was nothing more important than being in the game. Blood, pain, and tears just fueled my desire to get up and get back in the fight. So as a mother when my kids take a tumble in the game, I'm on the sideline yelling, 'Get Up!' As the coach, my player is splayed out on the field, I have to take that run over to the injured player and help them off the field. I have been known to walk slower for my own kids than I do for someone else's kid. It's not that I care more about the other kid (contrary to what my youngest daughter might tell you) but I'm also praying for my own kid as I take that slow walk, believing that they are okay and if they get up before I reach them they can stay in the game. LOL
I have coached a few sports but soccer is my passion. At a young age the basics are the same in most sports. Head on a swivel, ready stance, be aggressive...then you get into the technicalities of each sport. I believe as a coach, only a basic knowledge of the game is necessary. Strategy. Know your players' strengths and weaknesses. In any sport, I can bring a trainer in to teach the skills needed for that sport, but the application is up to the coach and the player.
There have been very few instances where you would hear me say we were robbed! I will tell my team in a heartbeat, you are getting beat. They are outrunning you, outpassing you, outshooting you...that's the name of the game. Either go hard or go home. But if you are getting outplayed, what are you gonna do about it? Either you come to the sideline and regroup or you've already decided to go home.
The game we were robbed: Championship tournament game. My team and the opponent were tied for first place in this tournament. My team had won the regular season. The opponent's only goal in life (I hope I'm exaggerating) was to beat my team. It was a night game. The other coach's strategy, which was actually smart, was to stop my daughter. BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY. To say that he had been studying her all season would be to give him too much credit. I still don't believe he was THAT smart. 11 v 11 game. He had 5 of his girls on my daughter and she couldn't take the pressure. Oh they were fouling her ALL night and the ref was absolutely no help (needless to say he did get a piece of my mind) They got robbed but I got outstrategized. There was no opportunity to go back to the drawing board and 'get em next time'. That was it!
Sometimes there is no opportunity to regroup. You gave what you had and that's it. But there is always the chance to take out that loss on the next opponent! They won't even know what hit them!
I have coached a few sports but soccer is my passion. At a young age the basics are the same in most sports. Head on a swivel, ready stance, be aggressive...then you get into the technicalities of each sport. I believe as a coach, only a basic knowledge of the game is necessary. Strategy. Know your players' strengths and weaknesses. In any sport, I can bring a trainer in to teach the skills needed for that sport, but the application is up to the coach and the player.
There have been very few instances where you would hear me say we were robbed! I will tell my team in a heartbeat, you are getting beat. They are outrunning you, outpassing you, outshooting you...that's the name of the game. Either go hard or go home. But if you are getting outplayed, what are you gonna do about it? Either you come to the sideline and regroup or you've already decided to go home.
The game we were robbed: Championship tournament game. My team and the opponent were tied for first place in this tournament. My team had won the regular season. The opponent's only goal in life (I hope I'm exaggerating) was to beat my team. It was a night game. The other coach's strategy, which was actually smart, was to stop my daughter. BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY. To say that he had been studying her all season would be to give him too much credit. I still don't believe he was THAT smart. 11 v 11 game. He had 5 of his girls on my daughter and she couldn't take the pressure. Oh they were fouling her ALL night and the ref was absolutely no help (needless to say he did get a piece of my mind) They got robbed but I got outstrategized. There was no opportunity to go back to the drawing board and 'get em next time'. That was it!
Sometimes there is no opportunity to regroup. You gave what you had and that's it. But there is always the chance to take out that loss on the next opponent! They won't even know what hit them!
Monday, January 2, 2012
Rough Morning
I have been without a car for a few weeks. It hasn't hurt too bad. I have used public transportation and my friends have helped a great deal. Last week I had to use public transport to get TO work. my first time. It turns out I started out too late. I need to use 2 trains and a bus for the last leg of the trip. The bus carries me to the door of my office building. BUT unbeknownst to me, the bus does not run all day. It runs for a few hours in the AM and a few hours in the PM. This particular morning, I arrived to the bus stop 10 minutes too late.
The next bus arrived 20 minutes later, but alas, it was not going to my destination. The bus driver was helpful. He told me where to go and what bus to catch next. OK! All is not lost. So I'm at the next bus stop, waiting patiently in the cold (did I mention I forgot my gloves) The bus pulls up, I have my paper transfer in my hand, someone asks me to pass them a schedule, the paper ticket is blown out of my hand - under the bus! The bus driver says she can't help me, I need to get it, but how?!? (Did I also mention that I am already 3 hours late?) At this point, I am way passed the Fuck It stage. My girlfriend works around the corner, but she has no car either. I go to her office and call the Sergeant sitting in for my boss. I tell him this day is a wrap for me (at 10:30am) and I will make my way back home. He offers to come and get me. The day gets better from there. A minor skurmish with the manager of Joyce Leslie over the phone, but nothing a call to their corporate office can't fix. and the day continues to improve.
I posted these simple words on the Book - rough morning. As soon as my sweetie saw it he text me asking if everything was okay. I knew he would.
Here's where we saw things differently: I thought of him throughout my morning...how if I let him know what was going on, he would immediately seek a way to help. Not a bad thing, he is my knight in shining armor, but he had enough on his plate that day without adding worrying about me to it. My little inconvenience was not enough to stress him (so I thought) I knew it would be over sooner than later.
He doesn't see it that way. He wants to know the little details and not have to hear about them second hand: through FB or a friend. Even just an fyi would suffice. I can understand that...it's a process for me, something I have to consciously work on, but I will work on it. I hate to have him disappointed in my for any reason.
The next bus arrived 20 minutes later, but alas, it was not going to my destination. The bus driver was helpful. He told me where to go and what bus to catch next. OK! All is not lost. So I'm at the next bus stop, waiting patiently in the cold (did I mention I forgot my gloves) The bus pulls up, I have my paper transfer in my hand, someone asks me to pass them a schedule, the paper ticket is blown out of my hand - under the bus! The bus driver says she can't help me, I need to get it, but how?!? (Did I also mention that I am already 3 hours late?) At this point, I am way passed the Fuck It stage. My girlfriend works around the corner, but she has no car either. I go to her office and call the Sergeant sitting in for my boss. I tell him this day is a wrap for me (at 10:30am) and I will make my way back home. He offers to come and get me. The day gets better from there. A minor skurmish with the manager of Joyce Leslie over the phone, but nothing a call to their corporate office can't fix. and the day continues to improve.
I posted these simple words on the Book - rough morning. As soon as my sweetie saw it he text me asking if everything was okay. I knew he would.
Here's where we saw things differently: I thought of him throughout my morning...how if I let him know what was going on, he would immediately seek a way to help. Not a bad thing, he is my knight in shining armor, but he had enough on his plate that day without adding worrying about me to it. My little inconvenience was not enough to stress him (so I thought) I knew it would be over sooner than later.
He doesn't see it that way. He wants to know the little details and not have to hear about them second hand: through FB or a friend. Even just an fyi would suffice. I can understand that...it's a process for me, something I have to consciously work on, but I will work on it. I hate to have him disappointed in my for any reason.
HBD
My birthday lasted 5 days - it started on Friday with my sisters, my boo, and a few others...drinks, food, and Apples to Apples. I love to entertain, so I had a ball! Making sure everyone's cup is full as well as their bellies equals good times to me.
Saturday we took the train into NYC (for free) to see a show - The Addams Family. Very good. The couple behind us annoyed me to no end. She was a spoiled brat who couldn't seem to impress upon her boyfriend ENOUGH that her daddy would have got her better seats, etc. He so obviously just wanted to have a good time with her, but she ruined that and came close to ruining my good time. I, on the other hand, would most assuredly have let her know what she was on the verge of getting.
On the train ride home, there was this couple making out on the train. It was pretty exciting to watch!
A delicious meal and then 2 nerve racking days until my actual birthday! I came home Tuesday evening to find a new bed in my room. My oldest was cooking dinner and when my sweetie arrived, I opened the rest of my gifts, which completed My Slice of Heaven. New bed, Egyptian cotton sheets, Down comforter. Heaven.
Saturday we took the train into NYC (for free) to see a show - The Addams Family. Very good. The couple behind us annoyed me to no end. She was a spoiled brat who couldn't seem to impress upon her boyfriend ENOUGH that her daddy would have got her better seats, etc. He so obviously just wanted to have a good time with her, but she ruined that and came close to ruining my good time. I, on the other hand, would most assuredly have let her know what she was on the verge of getting.
On the train ride home, there was this couple making out on the train. It was pretty exciting to watch!
A delicious meal and then 2 nerve racking days until my actual birthday! I came home Tuesday evening to find a new bed in my room. My oldest was cooking dinner and when my sweetie arrived, I opened the rest of my gifts, which completed My Slice of Heaven. New bed, Egyptian cotton sheets, Down comforter. Heaven.
My sweetie put months of thought into making life better for me. Rest was the theme and he executed perfectly.
He's a genius! I love him!
Give Thanks!
On Thanksgiving, me and 2 of my kids went to his house for the weekend, Wednesday through Saturday. Even the dog travelled. My oldes usually spends Thanksgiving with her dad's side, so she went there.
Thursday morning we left early to visit his mother's grave site. Thanksgiving just happened to fall on her birthday this year. There was an accident on the other side of the highway but the debris caused a flat tire on our car. My man got out, changed the tire and we were on the road again. We reached our destination with no real address to go by and he found his mother's marker. I left him alone for a few minutes. It's sad but he has a better relationship with his mother, who has passed on, than I do with my mother who is alive and kicking. I wrote his mother a letter before that visit. I had an idea of leaving it there but I didn't. It might have been blown away or got rained on, etc. Instead, I recited it silently. I will post it eventually, just a few thoughts I would've shared with her about her son if she were still with us.
We got home and began cooking. He made fried turkey, sweet potato casserole, sweet potato pie and mincemeat pie (who knew?) Delicious! I made roast turkey, lamb, greens and Cornbread Stuffing (my favorite)
Everything was delicious, but the best part of this Thanksgiving was being with him. I felt warm and appreciated and wanted. I hope I conveyed those same sentiments. I give thanks for him daily!
Thursday morning we left early to visit his mother's grave site. Thanksgiving just happened to fall on her birthday this year. There was an accident on the other side of the highway but the debris caused a flat tire on our car. My man got out, changed the tire and we were on the road again. We reached our destination with no real address to go by and he found his mother's marker. I left him alone for a few minutes. It's sad but he has a better relationship with his mother, who has passed on, than I do with my mother who is alive and kicking. I wrote his mother a letter before that visit. I had an idea of leaving it there but I didn't. It might have been blown away or got rained on, etc. Instead, I recited it silently. I will post it eventually, just a few thoughts I would've shared with her about her son if she were still with us.
We got home and began cooking. He made fried turkey, sweet potato casserole, sweet potato pie and mincemeat pie (who knew?) Delicious! I made roast turkey, lamb, greens and Cornbread Stuffing (my favorite)
Everything was delicious, but the best part of this Thanksgiving was being with him. I felt warm and appreciated and wanted. I hope I conveyed those same sentiments. I give thanks for him daily!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)