SOCIAL MEDIA

Ideas on Hope, a Take on Things, a Bit of a History Lesson and Some Inspiration

1.06.2009
I woke up this morning and was a bit disgruntled with how someone that I care about approaches framing how they view living their days. I tend not to have patience when it comes to people not looking at the best of their situation and having the fortitude or determination to just keep moving forward and having faith that things have a way of working themselves out. I fully accept that this is a fault of my not fully appreciating the fact that I do not know to the fullest extent of what it is that this person (or any person for that matter) is going through. So, I was thinking these bitter minded thoughts and cursing this person (not really, but kind of), and thus judging them, something that I have vowed not to make a priority in my life, all the while getting ready to attend my first monthly MOP'S Meeting. Which, on most mornings is a challenge in itself as it means I have to move like the speed of lightening to get Zoey and I both ready and out the door looking like we are somewhat "awake" and "together." My mood this morning did not help our task of getting ready, though we did manage to make it out the door and arrive at the meeting on time, both of us having had breakfast even. Once at the meeting and once Zoey was tucked away in her age appropriate classroom, I finally hunkered down and got settled in for some child-free, "me" time.

We usually start with a devotion and this meeting's devotion really struck a chord. I wish that I had a copy of it so that I could share it verbatim, but the idea of it consisted of a child who I gathered was from a pretty well off family, being asked to look at his life and what he had and then being asked to compare it to that of a child who was from a very poor family who had very little. The child from the wealthy family, after some quiet consideration, stated that the child that had less had lights from the stars that lasted all throughout the night while he had expensive lanterns whose bulbs would eventually burn out. The child that had less had family and neighbors that had become friends and were there for him when he needed them while he had servants who waited on him hand and foot and then left him alone. It went on and on about the child that had less and the child that had more until at the end of the story, the child that had more turned to his father and stated that he had never realized just exactly how poor it was that he and his family were.

Later on in the meeting we were talking about personal struggles and someone posed a question based on the idea of hope. What was hope? And if you are a Christian (or insert your faith of choice or belief system here), what would your response be if someone asked you to share what it was that your Christian (or faith/belief system of choice) hope entailed. If someone who didn't believe in (a) God, wanted to know, what it was that you carried with you that carried you through each day.

And it made me think of this person that I care about.

And how perhaps I need to think about how it may be that I can quietly show them how free one can be and how it is that something that you cannot physically see, or have "proof" of, is something that can be seen more than most everything in this world, in this world that is filled to the brim with nothing but "things" it seems.

I then came home and pulled into the garage and saw the most amazing pattern and display of natures beauty dancing on one of our windows and had the opportunity to share the excitement that that brought with my daughter.

Frost

Frost

Afterwards, I logged in to check my email (as I am getting my assignments now from Creative Imaginations for Winter CHA 2009), and as I often do, I checked out some of my favorite blogs afterwards and happened upon this essay written by Jeffery Rudell a contributor to the site Craft Stylish, courtesy of Julie's blog. It made me tear up. It reminded me of my parents and how I was raised and how it is that I see my childhood and how it is that I view them both (both amazing artists) through perhaps, somewhat rose-coulored glasses. It also made me see the differences in Ethan and I when it comes to these ideas...I always am the frugal one that wants to prove that we can "do it ourselves" or manage without and that we can even perhaps have it better because of these choices and how at first it was a battle with him to get him to even grasp the possibility of having things be better, without...and how now he can sometimes manage to even just think the thought that perhaps it could be better without or with something alternative (though still, more often than not, I just go ahead and show him how it is that things can be managed or done in a way that does not involve spending or outside services) and he (now) more often than not is either amazed or doesn't even notice when some certain society, idea-based luxery may be missing. I realize now that I am a direct product of my parents and what it is that they faced...as well as what Ethan and I are facing. I am grasping at what I know and learned from my past and I can only imagine that Ethan is grasping at what it is that he knows and has learned, or is learning to know now.

I want to take care to be more mindful of the day to day. Of the "things" that I choose to let into my life as well as those
"things" that I choose to let go of and fall away. Of the moments that are people and the people that make up our moments. I feel the opportunity to do so is more of a reality now in this day and age than it has been in a very long time and I want to seize it.

Fianlly, I am excited to share too that I will be taking part in 52Q this year with Emily Falconbridge. Two years ago I participated in her Deck of Me Challenges and found it to be an amazing experience to say the least. One where I discovered things about myself, met other amazing individuals and connected in a way that I hadn't in a long time. I highly recommend anyone and everyone to join in on her project this year...it is something so little, that for so many, resulted in something pretty amazing, either through expression in their art, gaining friendships and confidence or personal growth.
Karen said...

first of all, thank you for linking to emily's weekly prompts because it's exactly what i was looking for. i am planning to do a new technique each week this year and I will couple it with these questions and make tags so that's perfect for me!!

secondly, I am not Christian but I hear so much of what you're saying and it reminded me of this article I have open: http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20126881.600-how-your-friends-friends-can-affect-your-mood.html?full=true

I haven't fully finished reading it yet but I truly believe your attitude, your friends, and the things you bring into your life are really important and should be chosen carefully. I am working on that for this year, too :)

Karen said...

first of all, thank you for linking to emily's weekly prompts because it's exactly what i was looking for. i am planning to do a new technique each week this year and I will couple it with these questions and make tags so that's perfect for me!!

secondly, I am not Christian but I hear so much of what you're saying and it reminded me of this article I have open: http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20126881.600-how-your-friends-friends-can-affect-your-mood.html?full=true

I haven't fully finished reading it yet but I truly believe your attitude, your friends, and the things you bring into your life are really important and should be chosen carefully. I am working on that for this year, too :)

Nathalie Kalbach said...

Love your photos!!!

It is definetly hard if you are an opitmistic person yourself and have faith to cope with friends' negative outlooks. But eventually - if you stay with them and share your optimism and your way to show them the good things they have in their life too - it will help them a lot and lift their spirits. Even though you don't know it right away (I had this experience several times and was quite surprised :-) )

Anonymous said...

Thank you for sharing with us today Jen!
Hope.......... I think even if your not a Christian your hope is, for a better future for your children or loved ones. Where all would just love one another, but in the back of my brain I always tell myself there will always be the person/persons who are just evil, and that we need to be careful of them. I always wonder, are they born that way or that way because of something that may of happened to them? Or..... I dont know, I'd love the idea of a time when all are kind and good.