Its About Everything

We have a desk in our kitchen and as I sit down to write, late in the afternoon on a Sunday, I realize I have nothing to write about. So I guess today’s Monday Message is about nothing.

Sometimes the ideas come easy and the words flow. Other times, like now, I am lost. So I look out the window towards the golf course behind our house and notice that the red roses in our planter are suddenly in full bloom. Despite the sun drifting low in the sky, the roses are still bursting with color. I am reminded that roses are beautiful, but they are weak and fragile, and they are unfortunately temporary.

Looking past the roses is a magnificent Oak Tree. It must be 60’ high and at least 50’ wide. A truly beautiful specimen that might be close to a hundred years old. It is the opposite of a rose, large enough to hold hundreds of birds at one time and sturdy enough to withstand our Santa Ana winds. Surely a symbol of the strength and creativity of Mother Nature, and not so temporary.

Then I look past the Oak Tree, and I see the most beautiful sight of all. Late in the day, with no one around on the golf course, a father and son are playing catch with a baseball. It makes me smile to watch them laugh and play and bond. And I am reminded that although I may have been fragile and weak when I was young, I became sturdy and strong as a man. And the strength of my faith guarantees me that while my life on this earth may be temporary, I will live on.

So maybe this story isn’t about nothing after all. Maybe it’s about everything.

“You're only here for a short visit. Don't hurry. Don't worry.

And be sure to smell the flowers along the way.”

~ Walter Hagen, American Professional Golfer

What You Make of It

Whew! Mid-March to mid-April is a super busy time for our family. We celebrate seven birthdays, our own wedding anniversary, Easter, and spring break. As the person in the family who does most of the entertaining, I especially enjoy figuring out how to celebrate our special days and creating moments together that will be fun and memorable. 

As I grew up, my Mom taught me how to cook and I learned a lot as she hosted many parties. Year after year, we did the party planning together, and a full year could be as many as 40 events. My mom was deeply creative, fun, and she would always find ways to make each time unique. I miss her deeply.

We hosted all the usual celebrations plus… golf tournaments, parties with surprise guests, poker and casino nights, jewelry and fashion parties, holiday high teas, wine tastings, 3 course chocolate dinners, Santa visits, BBQs at the beach, wedding and baby showers, block parties, taco and movie nights, and many more. We demonstrated our love to others by feeding their hearts. Hosting is so much more fun when shared, so now I look forward to sharing that experience with my own children and grandchildren.

Recently, for a double birthday dinner and poker party, I cooked a carnitas dinner. We had 12 guests and so I set one long table. During dinner I glanced around. My Dad and his girlfriend were to my left, next to my husband. Across the table was my oldest daughter and husband, to my right were my youngest daughter and her husband. At the far right were the youngest members of the family, teenagers 17, 16, and our little Blakely Rae at 18 months. In that moment the generations were lined up; those in life’s undeniable and yet wise and beautiful twilight years (including me); next to the 35-45 aged group each bustling and dazzling gorgeous superstars in their own right; and the sunny glow of our youth smiling and laughing, untouched by life beyond 20.

I sat and wondered about the meaning of it all for just a minute. And then I said a prayer of thank you to God for blessing me with such a beautiful life, and the freedom to make of it anything I want it to be. That’s the secret I thought… it’s all in what you make of it!

The door to my life is within me and I hold the key, no one else does.

                                 ~ Anonymous

Wise Beyond His Years

In February, I wrote in a Monday Message that I was going to send letters of encouragement every week to people who might need them. Since then I’ve written six letters of encouragement and this evening I will write another one.

I don’t know for sure if my handwritten letters are received because I don’t always hear back. But that’s not the point. The point is to put some goodwill out there and hope that it truly does do some good.

On Friday of last week, I did receive a letter in the mail. But it wasn’t from someone that I sent a letter of encouragement to. It was from my Grandson, Colin, who lives up in Liberty Lake, Washington. Colin is only 13 years old, but he is on my Monday Message list, and apparently he not only reads my Monday Messages, he says, “They give me a lot to think about.”

Colin’s letter surprised me, excited me, and touched me deeply. He may only be thirteen, but his writing is exceptional and so is his heart. He wrote, “Your reminder to think of others, even when things are tough, really resonated with me.” He went on to explain, “I was hoping to do a good thing like you, so I put another letter in this envelope that I hope Grandma can use in one of the suitcases she donates to Foster children. And I even talked my little sister into writing a letter of encouragement for a Foster child too.”

The last part of Colin’s letter practically made my heart burst. He said, “Thank you Grandpa for always being there for me and sharing your wisdom with me. Your weekly messages may seem simple, but they are having a profound impact on my life. I hope one day I can be as wise and compassionate as you are.”

I don’t consider myself all that wise at times. But I am smart enough to know that when I sit down to write my seventh letter of encouragement tonight, it should go out to a very special 13-year-old boy, who is already wise beyond his years.

“Some persons hold,” he said, “that there is a wisdom of the head, and a wisdom of the heart.” 

~ Charles Dickens, 1854

Singing In The Rain

It seems like it has been raining forever. We have already received nearly 21 inches of rainfall this year, which means we are now 7.5 inches higher than the average. Don’t get me wrong, I am not complaining. The rain turns everything super green and lush, and nearby Saddleback Mountain has never looked better. So that’s great. My problem though, is that I work outdoors, and I love to play golf outdoors, but I can’t do either one of those things when it’s raining. It’s depressing!

So okay, maybe I am complaining. Or at least I was complaining until my wife showed me a video of our beautiful little 19-month-old granddaughter. Apparently, when she woke up in her crib this morning, she immediately broke out into song. The video shows her laying in her crib, flat on her back, singing “Let it go, let it go” from the Disney movie Frozen at the top of her lungs.  

First off, it doesn’t seem like babies should be capable of singing and carrying the proper notes at only 19 months old. Second, listening to that little girl sing with such unbridled joy makes it absolutely impossible to be depressed. Thank you Lord… for the rain… and for little girls!

While we try to teach our children all about life, 

our children teach us what life is really all about. 

~ Angela Schwindt