The right words
I was pretty upset as I stood there holding the mop. But then again, when I saw the twisted door seal on the front of the washing machine, I suspected something was wrong. Earlier, I'd mopped up some water but with the tribe here, you never know what gets spilled.
The washing machine is broken. And me being me, I tend to get upset about things like that. A couple of weeks ago, though, when it kind of became evident to me that the ex had made her choice about what God had given her back, instead of asking God to change her, I asked God to change ME.
Me after all is something I can control. And with some sage advice from my good friend still seared in my mind from the day before, as I leaned on the mop I knew what I wanted to say, and asked God for something else. That's not normal for me.
My response would have been "You broke it." And it would have been targeted at the last person to use said washing machine that wasn't me. Those three words would have assigned blame, assigned responsibility in my mind for who should fix it, and generally, started a fight. But with time to think, and some Divine inspiration, this idea was given to me:
Make a sign that says: "It gave up."
Those three words describe the problem perfectly. It's not safe to use this appliance anymore. So I unplugged it, and that was that. It kinda made me laugh. That little washing machine doesn't owe me a red cent. It's worked its' guts out and it just "gave up".
Actually, those words kind of made me laugh. Most importantly, they didn't start a fight.
And they say you can't teach old people anything.
The right words are important and today I heard the right words at church regarding some of the things that happen with a church. Our new pastor in a really cool way acknowledged some mistakes have been made in the past and that for the most part, people seem to be learning from, and more importantly growing from them. They were the right words for me to hear today about my little church family. They were like a salve on a wound that has scabbed but not healed completely. Those words will help.
I met an F-35 pilot today. Pretty neat kid. He joined us for church today. He goes home tomorrow. I'm blessed I got to talk to this young man and we're blessed to have someone of his caliber protecting us!
I had one load of laundry that didn't get done last night. I chose to run to the laundromat to wash them so I have clean pants for the work week. At the laundromat, I was loading the washer and kind of struck up a conversation with a lady next to me. She wasn't wearing a ring, so why not. I had a nice chat for a few minutes. We had a few things in common. She had a daughter going to the U of U. I told her about my son. Her daughter had a shot at the AF Academy but it didn't work out. She also told me she has a teenage son. I mentioned she didn't look old enough to have children that age. I was being a flirt. Right up to the point where I found out she was married.
This was the odd part of the conversation. I was telling her about my son's ex and how proud of him I was for him graduating from the U at the top of his class while having to deal with that. She asked me if his ex was young. She told me that she told her daughter that she should travel and do stuff when she's young and that she got married when she was young.
I could hear the sadness and regret coming out in her voice; almost like she was wishing she was talking to a younger version of herself. She said she'd been married almost twenty years now. And that's when yours truly made a hasty retreat from that conversation. I'd loaded my washer so I told her it was nice chatting with her and wished her a blessed day.
First time in a long time I've chatted up a chick and she turns out to be married. Only me. I swear, only me.
On the upside though, the tractor has a new starter installed and I only smashed the tip of one finger once. It fired right up. By the weekend it'll have a replacement hood, get greased up, and be good as new again. It's the little things.
Someplace in there, I even enjoyed a snoozer in the hammock. I love spring.
So that's my story for today about right words. Speaking life. And how the right words can express a situation without causing pain. Or in some cases, acknowledging that pain, and trying to make it better as we move forward.
The washing machine is broken. And me being me, I tend to get upset about things like that. A couple of weeks ago, though, when it kind of became evident to me that the ex had made her choice about what God had given her back, instead of asking God to change her, I asked God to change ME.
Me after all is something I can control. And with some sage advice from my good friend still seared in my mind from the day before, as I leaned on the mop I knew what I wanted to say, and asked God for something else. That's not normal for me.
My response would have been "You broke it." And it would have been targeted at the last person to use said washing machine that wasn't me. Those three words would have assigned blame, assigned responsibility in my mind for who should fix it, and generally, started a fight. But with time to think, and some Divine inspiration, this idea was given to me:
Make a sign that says: "It gave up."
Those three words describe the problem perfectly. It's not safe to use this appliance anymore. So I unplugged it, and that was that. It kinda made me laugh. That little washing machine doesn't owe me a red cent. It's worked its' guts out and it just "gave up".
Actually, those words kind of made me laugh. Most importantly, they didn't start a fight.
And they say you can't teach old people anything.
The right words are important and today I heard the right words at church regarding some of the things that happen with a church. Our new pastor in a really cool way acknowledged some mistakes have been made in the past and that for the most part, people seem to be learning from, and more importantly growing from them. They were the right words for me to hear today about my little church family. They were like a salve on a wound that has scabbed but not healed completely. Those words will help.
I met an F-35 pilot today. Pretty neat kid. He joined us for church today. He goes home tomorrow. I'm blessed I got to talk to this young man and we're blessed to have someone of his caliber protecting us!
I had one load of laundry that didn't get done last night. I chose to run to the laundromat to wash them so I have clean pants for the work week. At the laundromat, I was loading the washer and kind of struck up a conversation with a lady next to me. She wasn't wearing a ring, so why not. I had a nice chat for a few minutes. We had a few things in common. She had a daughter going to the U of U. I told her about my son. Her daughter had a shot at the AF Academy but it didn't work out. She also told me she has a teenage son. I mentioned she didn't look old enough to have children that age. I was being a flirt. Right up to the point where I found out she was married.
This was the odd part of the conversation. I was telling her about my son's ex and how proud of him I was for him graduating from the U at the top of his class while having to deal with that. She asked me if his ex was young. She told me that she told her daughter that she should travel and do stuff when she's young and that she got married when she was young.
I could hear the sadness and regret coming out in her voice; almost like she was wishing she was talking to a younger version of herself. She said she'd been married almost twenty years now. And that's when yours truly made a hasty retreat from that conversation. I'd loaded my washer so I told her it was nice chatting with her and wished her a blessed day.
First time in a long time I've chatted up a chick and she turns out to be married. Only me. I swear, only me.
On the upside though, the tractor has a new starter installed and I only smashed the tip of one finger once. It fired right up. By the weekend it'll have a replacement hood, get greased up, and be good as new again. It's the little things.
Someplace in there, I even enjoyed a snoozer in the hammock. I love spring.
So that's my story for today about right words. Speaking life. And how the right words can express a situation without causing pain. Or in some cases, acknowledging that pain, and trying to make it better as we move forward.
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