A Time Gone By

With the passing of Barbara Billingsley, more famously known as June Cleaver, I feel like a precious gift has passed too. A time has gone by. A time when mothers were usually found in the kitchen chopping vegetables or baking a cake and whipping up icing. A time when women wore dresses and fussed over the pillows on the window seat. A time when breakfast was eaten together at a reasonable time in the kitchen and dinner was eaten together while dad departed pearls of wisdom on his children at the dining room table. A time when gossip was frowned upon, lying was punished, promiscuity was discouraged and cheating was offensive. A time when romance happened slowly over many dates. A time when little boys played in trees and parks and dirt and mud and little girls played with dolls and swings and bicycles. A time when church was the focus of the week and the Sunday School lesson was talked about in school. A time when American heroes were the highlight of the evening news. A time when the television went to test patterns after the late show and New York City slept. I find myself longing for that time gone by. Wishing for a slower pace and a peace of mind that comes from having a house in order and a family that is close by and connected. Progress . . .

Triple Blessing OR Beauty Is In The Eye Of The Beholder

Sometimes we lament over the troubles of our life and we forget to count our blessings. Sometimes we have to gently remind each other to count our blessings. Sometimes we have to force each other to stand up and proclaim those blessings. I have to confess, I love that last one. Not because I'm bossy or anything (lest you get the wrong idea about me), it's just because I love helping others realize how truly blessed they are. It's wonderful when I see someone proclaiming the good things God has put in their life. It makes me feel good when the people I love feel happy. It's a double blessing when I am a vehicle to making them feel good. Last week I had the joy of forcing my husband to stand up and proclaim his blessings. Not that he is a grumpy guy or anything (lest you get the wrong idea about him), but because we have a lot of "stuff" going on. So, in his proclamation of his blessings, he made the following statement, ". . and I have a beautiful wife who loves me. . ." "Awwww," I thought, "I must remember he said that when I count my blessings." Which were triple that day; #1 - I had the blessing of seeing the man I love be happy over his blessings, #2 - I was a vehicle to his happiness and #3 - (a very fortunate blessing for me) beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Definition Of Beauty

Do you know why women in the 21st century don't age gracefully? It's because we don't know what that looks like. Everywhere we turn society is telling us to: fade the age spots, lift the eyes, fill in the wrinkles, color the grey, tuck the tummy, firm the body, plump the lips, nip the neck, and for goodness sake, whiten your teeth. If you can't be young, at least look young, act young, pretend you're young. We spend so much time chasing after youth that we miss the beauty of gracefully aging. "The silver-haired head is a crown of glory. . . And the splendor of old men is their grey head." (Proverbs 16:13 and 20:29) We used to associate age with wisdom and respect, but not anymore. The constant message in our culture is to be young and beautiful, as if one is dependent on the other. When did beauty get so tied up with youth? The most beautiful woman I have ever known was my grandmother. She was not tall, slender, blond or young. But she was witty, wise and warm. When I think of her I smile. Gramma would not fit into society's definition of beauty - but beautiful she was. She shined with it. Gramma never rubbed beauty serum on her skin or colored her hair, but everybody wanted to be near her. That's what real beauty is, drawing people to yourself because of who you are, not what you look like. Because of Gramma I know what real beauty is. It's not something you can get in a bottle at the drug store, it's something you age gracefully in to by accepting the passing of time with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Gal 5:22). It's who my grandmother was and who I strive to be.

Rant

If we lived in a world where love ranked higher than revenge, where kind words flowed off our lips as easily as sexual innuendo, where good deeds overshadowed hate crimes, where love making was behind closed doors with married folks and not broad casted, where society protects and (yes, I will say it, that dirty word), SHELTERED the eyes and ears of little ones . . . if we lived in a world like that, then maybe (and it's a big maybe), I could see a place for Facebook. However, our world is not one of humility or discernment or modesty. Don't be mad at me if you are one of the few folks who uses Facebook in positive way, I know you exist. I will, however, say that the benefits (what benefits) of having Facebook DO NOT out weight the risks. What risks? Seeing and reading some of the most vile and negative pictures and statements. Wasting time trying to figure out what initials mean only to find out it's vulgar. Having advertisements flashing their lies (sins) at you. Spending hours, yes folks hours, a day updating your Facebook page, but then saying you don't have time to volunteer. I wondered if anyone was watching the kids, only to realize that someone needs to be watching the adults. Facebook is one drug that has too many negative side effects, it should be taken off the market.