Monday, August 24, 2009

A Little Perspective

It's back-to-school time! Did you know that if you have a kindergartener, they are officially a member of the class of 2022?

I am a lot closer to the other end of the student spectrum. My youngest was born in 1991. I was interested to find a fascinating list of things that have always been true during the lifetimes of students born in that year. These are borrowed from The Beloit College Mindset List, an annual "look at the cultural touchstones that shape the lives of students entering college."
  1. For these students, Michael Landon, Dr. Suess and Pan American Airways have always been dead.
  2. The Green Giant has always been Shrek, not the big guy picking vegetables.
  3. They have never used a card catalog to find a book.
  4. Salsa has always outsold ketchup.
  5. Earvin "Magic" Johnson has always been HIV-positive.
  6. Tattoos have always been very chic and highly visible.

  7. They have been preparing for the arrival of HDTV all their lives.

  8. They have never had to “shake down” an oral thermometer.

  9. State abbreviations in addresses have never had periods.
  10. There has always been a Cartoon Network.

  11. Women have always outnumbered men in college.

  12. They have always watched wars, coups and police arrests unfold on television in real time.

  13. Phil Jackson has always been coaching championship basketball.
  14. Everyone has always known what the evening news was before the Evening News came on.

  15. Natalie Cole has always been singing with her father.
  16. Most communities have always had a mega-church.

  17. For one reason or another, California’s future has always been in doubt.

  18. Nobody has ever responded to “Help, I’ve fallen and I can’t get up.”

  19. There has always been blue Jell-O.

  20. Britney Spears has always been heard on classic rock stations.

For everyone 25 or younger reading this, you're saying, "Yeah, so?"

For the rest of us, it's good to maintain a little perspective. To remember the things that have shaped their thinking. I think it helps me to understand why they make the choices they do and where their opinions come from. I want to write a bit more about it in some future posts but I have a lot of thinking and reading to do first.

Did his parents call him Nat 'King' Cole? Why do we still not have HDTV at our house? Did Shrek really replace "Ho Ho Ho...?"

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

The Office - My Own Little Sitcom



I am a Temp. At least for right now. Temporarily. Until we get settled into the 'next thing' God has for us.

I've been a Temp many times in my working career. During college, I did temp work in the summer and it was a great way to earn a pretty good salary compared to some of my friends who made minimum wage. I worked in a variety of businesses doing reception and clerical stuff. I actually worked in an eye clinic even though the medical field is not my area of complete comfort. There were jars of eyeballs in the staff fridge. I'm not even kidding. I was the person who would call you if you were waiting for a cornea transplant and someone died who had designated 'organ donor' on their medical card. It was sort of a 'mixed blessing' duty, if you know what I mean. Then I temped again several years ago when I was in-between jobs. I'm very thankful for temp agencies.

Being a Temp is, however, a bit of a humbling position. And I've decided that I must need some humbling because I've been amazed at how hard it's been for me just lately. I'll say right here, without any desire to sound stuck up, that I have a master's degree in education. And while I don't currently want to teach, I worked awfully hard for that diploma. So when I walk into a new job assignment as a Temp and feel everybody glance up at me from their desks with a look that says, 'Oh, the Temp,' I want to mutter as I walk past their desk, 'I could be doing something really important and high-paying and permanent.' Isn't that so immature and petty and awful of me? It is.

At one job this year I was given the task of cleaning out the refrigerator in the break room. Now believe me, I've cleaned out refrigerators many a time and it's not beneath me. (And there weren't even any eyeballs in this one.) But I found myself having quite a pity party as I pulled out old lunch bags with moldy sandwiches and take-out boxes of rotting leftovers. I'm glad no one was in the room at the time - let's just say I wasn't at the top of my game as I knelt on the floor before that fridge.

Temping is producing some good fruit in me, though. Because guess what, Becky? There are thousands of people every day who do things like scrub stuff out and clean up after others. And millions who are dying to have a job at all. I've begun to look at the store clerk or the gas station attendant through a different lens. I've been trying to smile more, say 'thanks so much' and even ask about their day a whole lot more than I used to. And I've thought a bit more about what it is that makes me and others feel valued and important. It shouldn't be about what we DO but about who we ARE.

He has purchased us to be his own people. He did this so we would praise and glorify him.
Eph. 1:14

Tomorrow when I head to the office, I'm going to try to remember God's camera is rolling. And that's the only one I need to worry about.

Saturday, August 15, 2009

Saturday morning

It's a quiet, cloudy Saturday morning. I've had my coffee and my time with the Patriarchs (Joseph this morning - poor, forgotten man. But I was reminded that even when I feel forgotten by God, He simply will not and cannot forget me because He has engraved me with nails on the palm of His hand! Is. 49:14-16 I love that!).

There is lots of work to do for the Adoption Ministry. We're getting ready for an influx of children to our orphanages and at the same time, preparing to build three new Orphans and Widows' Homes in the NW region of Ethiopia. (You can check it out here!) So I'm adding children to our 'Waiting Children' site and working on a video to present to churches who may want to help sponsor one of the new facilities. I can't tell you how rewarding this work is for me. If you had told me I would ever be doing something like this, I would have thought you were crazy. God is funny like that - and it makes you stop and wonder what He has up His sleeve in the future! I've decided not to try to guess anymore. But I bet I will anyway because for some reason I think I can figure out how my life should/will go.

I'm hoping I'll get all three of my girls home at some point this summer before school starts again at the end of September. Can you believe it's back-to-school time already? Have you bought your PeeChees and 64 pack of Crayolas yet? No fancy folders with photos of the Jonas Brothers and National Geographic wildlife for me. We had one choice. I couldn't count the number of times I colored that poor tennis player with my blue Bic, giving her different hair and a much cuter outfit. And the smell of that new box of crayons will always mean the start of a new school year.

Fall is right around the corner and yesterday I bought two harvest spice candles on sale at Pier 1 in celebration. It is hands-down my favorite season and I'm so excited to be living back in the northwest to enjoy it!!

And finally, on a completely random note, I'll end with these two posts
about the make-up of a youth group:

The 11 People Every Youth Group Needs
and
8 Other People Every Youth Group Needs


So true! And very funny (if you're not the youth pastor).

Friday, August 7, 2009

Favorite Scent?

It is Friday Faves over at It's Almost Naptime and I've decided to join in. The question for today is - what is your favorite perfume?



Although it might put me squarely in the 'back-in-the-day' category, I have to answer truthfully and say it is Estee Lauder's 'Beautiful.' I've worn it for years. I still get compliments about my scent. (Okay, a young clerk once said how much she liked my perfume and asked me what I was wearing and when I told her, she said, "I knew I recognized it - my Grandma used to always wear that!" Pshaw. And don't get sassy and tell me you're starting to detect a theme here, young lady!)


My other favorite is 'Tiffany.' I just love it.


How about you?


Check out the other Friday Favs at:

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

You're Welcome!

A few links I hope you'll like...

We Also Like Books - Remember these Golden Books?

Adding Elegance to Your Desktop - I'm so jealous.

How Do Neighbors Know? - It's the little things.

Reality Shows - I loved this post.

Being A Christian Culture Snob - Jon always seems to nail it on the head. Honest!!
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