Tag: #doinglifetogether

Be a Friend

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Going with the flow is sometimes difficult.

It’s so worth it if you can allow it to happen.

I was sitting at my desk, planning parts of my day. I had typed up a message, but hadn’t hit send yet, when my daughter walked up, and stood at my desk. I looked up at her, and grinned, knowing that she wanted something.

She asked if I could take her to pick up her car from the shop. It was ready. I deleted the message, and said yes. I had been playing message tag with this gentleman all week, over a piece of furniture I have for sale. It can wait.

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My daughter gave me this for Christmas.

Opening the pantry in search of a bottle of water, I find one bottle of water sitting there. My daughter and I drink water by the case! She left the last one for me. It’s what we do. We leave the last of something for the other person, but I have been known to become selfish over the last piece of chocolate.

Unfortunately, my daughter believes it’s normal how we treat one another. She expects the same treatment from friends, but they weren’t raised in our home. She wants to make new friends since our move, and she asked me yesterday, “Mom? How do you make friends?”

I believe we show people how we want to be treated.

My daughter went to one of her favorite coffee shops, to take a break from studying. Her friend texted her, she shared her location, and invited her to meet. Her friend walked into the coffee shop, and sat down with her.

Twenty minutes later, my daughter was home.

Their meetup was brief, because my daughter cut the visit short. She revealed her friend was on her phone the entire time,  and actually face-timing another friend. After several minutes of seeing that her friend had no plan of getting off her phone, she excused herself, and came home.

Maybe our standards are too high in today’s world?

Yesterday, my daughter received a text from a friend. He was hosting a Bible study, and asked her to come. I encouraged her to go, not only for herself, but to be there for him. She was apprehensive not knowing the other people she may see, but wanted to see her friend.

I believed she saw her answer to her question from earlier in the day. The best way to make friends, is to be a friend.

It’s Pretty Ugly

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I took a friend to meet Stephanie today. You may or may not recall but, Stephanie is who gave me the courage to care for plants. Everyone needs a Stephanie in their life.

Getting out of my truck, this caught my eye. It has been hanging there for some time, and I have walked by it a countless number, but today it spoke to me.

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My daughter is still in shock that I brought it home!

She asked, “How much was it?” I cheerfully replied, “Stephanie let me have it for 9 bucks!” My daughter looked confused. This was so unlike me to buy something that wasn’t pretty.  I have already received $9 worth of joy from it.

Some days look pretty, but some days feel ugly, and it’s okay to have both.

Break Some Rules

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I feel like I have a lot to share.

It’s a matter of stopping long enough to write it out. I am staying home this weekend, so I’ve been going through the house doing things that bring me joy. My daughter left to go visit her Dad, so I started with beauty.

There are not a lot of rules in our home, but for the next three days there are none! My philosophy is, you should know what is good for you, what is bad for you, and do everything in love.

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We love candles. We don’t buy just any candle though, they have to speak to us. Yesterday, we stood in front of an entire aisle of them at Target. None of them were screaming, ‘Pick me!’ I would rather buy one pretty one, that smells divine, than ten less expensive ones that I won’t enjoy. While I was looking them over, my daughter disappeared from the aisle.

She was on a mission to see if she could find one that smelled good, and was meaningful. This is the one she chose, and I knew she loved it for what it said. #Blessed. It also smelled good. She sat down at the table this morning, took the lid off, and lit a match. She knows we are blessed, and has learned the little things make up the big thing.

A Beautiful Life.

Earlier this week, she offered to go to the grocery store, and I happily made the list. She inquires a lot about my childhood, and asks if I had these things as I was growing up. The answer is usually no.

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Something as simple as real maple syrup. This right here is a thing of beauty for me.

I had maple syrup on the grocery list, and this is what my daughter brought home. Does it cost more than the plastic bottle shaped woman? Yes, but not a lot more. Because it is real, it has a lot more flavor, so we use less. We pour it in shallow bowls to enjoy the color, and dip what we’re eating.

She made French Toast before she left, and I told her I would clean the kitchen. Before I started cleaning, I looked for something to munch on. I was craving some Party Mix. Opening the pantry, I saw I had enough ingredients left from Christmas to make a batch.

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My Mother made this at Christmas, and only Christmas. My daughter would be proud that I made a batch today, just because I could. It felt like I was breaking one of those rules that was instilled in me long ago.

I had the ingredients, so why not? Do you need to break some rules? Do you have beliefs that no longer make sense?

We get to choose what we bring into our life, and what brings us the most joy. Do I buy the case of white paper towels at the wholesaler, or do I wait to find a pretty roll, and smile every time I tear one off.

I will choose to buy what brings joy, and enjoy using every single sheet. Paper towels, were on the list, and my girl knows pretty.