I’m living in a fish bowl that plays latino music

As I opened the patio door for Ellie, I grabbed my cup of tea and headed back to bed. I never sleep in, but once in a while the thought of getting back into bed and turning on a favorite episode of Dr. Who is very tempting.

As I pulled the covers up and reached for the remote, I recalled the trucks that were parked out in front of the house. “I think we’re getting a new roof,” I said to Jeff as he finished getting ready for work. I clicked on TV and looked over to the bathroom…

We have three skylights in our house, one in each bathroom and one in the kitchen. Skylights, shower, and roofers…oh my!! I jumped out of bed and into the shower as I heard footsteps above. It was the fastest shower I ever took; dried off and got dressed while still in the shower, protected by the Chicago Metro Map shower curtain. After which I grabbed my luck-warm tea and went to the living room to watch the Doctor in spite of the drilling, scraping, and banging from above.

A short time later I walked into the bathroom – to use it – and I glanced up; shadows of workers were passing over the skylight, “I can’t even pee! What do I do? Do I bring the patio umbrella in here? Maybe if I don’t look up, it won’t be so embarrassing… I’m living in a fishbowl!”

In the kitchen, I heard muffled voices and latino music. It was muffled like when you accidentally call someone then drop your phone into your purse and can hear voices but have no idea where they are coming from. It seemed louder when I stood in the corner, but unless the toaster oven was receiving a single, I had no solution. Then I looked up, squinted my eyes, as if that would help me hear, and realized there was a radio playing on the roof – right next to the skylight. “A fishbowl with latino music…”

On day two of fish bowl life, I got into the shower at 6:30AM to beat the rush. I used someone else’s bathroom late in the morning, but by the time I started dinner, I realized that the men on the roof had a front row seat to my cooking mastery. A lesson in making stuffed peppers to the beat of the local latino radio station while watching a BBC murder mystery.

My fishbowl is so multi-cultural!

The backseat of the taxi

I sat in a small sanctuary Sunday morning gazing up at three people huddled together on the platform. My good friend Ros stood on one side; Ros walked into my life – twice – and on the second time, I knew I had better hold on to her. On the other side was Jason, a fellow ex-Starbucks manager. When we managed together, he was getting his doctorate, but I had no idea it was in Theology. In the middle was Jeff, my husband, who was leading the worship this morning. Three people connected to me, now connected to each other, and I had nothing to do with it.

The company I work for is making changes and many may find themselves without a job. I’ve watch the effect this has on my team. There are those that fret about it, others are angry, a few obsess and are driven to figure out all the details before they happen; and then there are a few who peacefully say, “This has been a great ride, and I can’t wait to see where I go next.”

“It’s like taking a taxi ride,” I said. “You get in the back seat, tell the driver where you would like to go and let him get you there the best way he knows how.”

Sometimes the taxi stops and as the driver motions for us to get you out, we say, “Really? This isn’t what I was thinking.” Other times the taxi slows and we feel our hearts beat a little harder, a little faster. “This isn’t where I belong, it’s not even on the right side of town.” But the taxi driver motions for us to get out and we do. As we close the door we poke our head through the window and ask, “When will you be back?”

He just smiles and says, “When I come to get you.”

“When will that be?” we ask.

“Not to worry,” he says. “You focus on giving it your all and taking care of the people around you; I’ll worry about when and where you are going next.”

The three people on the platform all arrived in separate taxis and were willing to get out when the taxi stopped. They came together and I wasn’t driving, I wasn’t figuring it all out, I was enjoying the ride from the backseat.

Birds in the house

Upon arriving home for the store a few weeks ago, I found a bird in our entrance. I quietly backed out of the garage door and told Jeff he should open the outside door in hopes it would leave. Jeff opened the door ever so carefully and then walked to peer into the side window. “There’s no bird in there,” he said. He continued to say this until he found the bird, ten minutes later, sitting just under our bed. He opened the sliding door, wiggled the bed, and the bird trotted out the door looking quite pleased with himself.

A few hours later, out of the corner of my eye, I saw another one walking into the living room. He had passed the TV and was making his way to the fireplace before Jeff saw him. We closed the blinds and stood on the opposite side the room making silly noises as we watched him hop out onto the deck, he looked both ways, and flew off. Ellie, our 75 pound, 12-year-old golden/lab, was laying in the middle of the living room unbothered by either visiter. “She didn’t even move,” I said. “Maybe this goes on all the time,” Jeff said.

Ellie has the life. She spends most of the day sleeping on the front porch. She has a second story view of the ocean and the entire street. She doesn’t bark much anymore, only when really strange people are around. For the most part, she lives the life of a retired dog.

This afternoon a humming-bird entered the front door. He flew around for just a moment and then snuck between the blinds and fluttered there. As soon as he landed in the window, I looked down at Ellie who was stretched out in front of the TV. She raised her head, and looked back at me, and with those sad but all-knowing eyes said, “The idiots are here again.”

 

21 – She’s a woman not a wife

At the beginning of Proverbs 31, Queen Mum is giving instruction about what kind of woman her son should seek in a partner. She wasn’t saying “find this wife and take her from her current husband”. She was describing the qualities required to be a wife, mother, and partner. She was describing a woman first, a woman worthy of being her son’s partner.

We get caught up in all of her successes of a dutiful wife, but that is not the Queen Mum’s intent. She was saying, look for these qualities in a woman.

We start as a woman. We are an individual with a brain, a soul, a heart, and a purpose – according to Queen Mum – that purpose is to be the best woman we can be. Isn’t this what we desire for our daughters, and for our sons? Isn’t this the kind of woman we want to be friends with, be in partnership with, be in business with? Isn’t this who we desire to become?

I pray that  you find the desire to become a woman of valor. May you walk each day knowing that you are becoming everything you were intended to be. May you lack for nothing, and may you know where your strength comes from. May your children rise up and call you blessed and may your praises be song at the gates. And if some day we are fortunate enough to meet, I trust we will know in our souls that we are kindred sisters, we are woman of valor.

This concludes our look into the character of a woman of valor. Thanks for following!

Jeannie

20 – Her rewards…

Audio Lesson:  https://youtu.be/_fjIOQAZg4s

Her children rise and call her fortunate; her husband praises her.

This is where the saying, they will rise up and call her blessed comes from. Heard many children speaking to their parents recently? There’s not a lot of rising up and blessings going on. It’s rare. Just as rare as our women of valor. Perhaps there is a connection.

Ever observed someone boasting about their partner? It too is rare, but when it happens, it catches other’s attention. There are few greater feelings than to meet your partner’s co- worker for the first time and be informed that you are spoken highly of. It makes you feel like a priceless pearl.

 

Many women have acquired wealth, but you surpass them all.

The rewards of being a woman of valor are tangible and intangible. Wise business woman make profits, they acquire wealth. It takes money to buy silk and wool and wear purple gowns. However, it’s the intangible ones that really matter. They are priceless. They are worth any effort required in becoming a woman of valor.

Charm is false and beauty is futile; a God-fearing woman is to be praised.

Interesting that this is the only reference to God in the entire proverb. It’s also interesting that the only reference to God is simple and uncomplicated. God-fearing. Not God-consumed, or God-controlled, or God-busy. Nope – just God-fearing.

 

Give her the fruits of her hands, and her deeds will praise her in the gates.

In the end, all the blessings and praise and wealth are extra. This woman is content with the fruits of her labor. The others are nice to have and nice to hear, but they don’t define her. She is satisfied knowing that she has given her best, enjoyed some success, and learned from her failures.

Her deeds stand on their own and they bring her praise. This praise comes from a specific place, it comes from those sitting in the gates. Who is sitting at the gates? The city elders. Not a bad group to be singing your praises.

 

Moxy – Where are you? We need you?

You are what makes our world better!!!

19 – A Supervisor

Audio Lesson:  https://youtu.be/3qrBSbt8ZJg

She supervises the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness.

Supervising is not controlling. Supervisors assure that everything is working, they give direction when needed, they train, teach and enhance the lives of those they are responsible for. They aren’t the busy bees either. They do their work, but mostly they are there to support the rest of the team.

Great supervisors are never idle. They don’t have the time for it. Idleness should not be interpreted as resting. No one ever said that on the seventh day God was idle. He was resting. He was doing something vital to our existence. Rest plays a very important part of our life. The lack of it causes physical and mental issues. It creates deficiencies. Supervisors who are sleep deprived aren’t any fun to work for or with.

 

Great supervisors are rewarded well as we will see in our final section…