Half and Half

 

“The tank is at half. We’re good for now.” (on a trip to Wisconsin)

“We’re down to half a gallon!” (yelling about milk from inside the frig)

I was only half listening. (the patron complaining about the city’s electric)

By half and half again.

The only thing worse than seeing a worm in your apple, is seeing half a worm.

Half an hour later…

Half and half is best with coffee.

“I got paid time and a half!”

“Wait half a minute, will you?”

-

Are you a glass half-full or a glass half-empty person? I think I’m both. I like to keep things positive so that would make me a glass-half full person. Look, see? We still have some. We’re okay.

But then, after raising a family, I’m always on the alert to be prepared for shortages. When the gallon of milk is half-empty, I go to the store to get more. When we are using the last peanut butter jar, I go to get more so we don’t run out. In the winter I’m obsessed with the percentage on the propane tank. Propane means hot meals and warm house.

Half-empty is about running out.

Thank God I don’t have to worry. Even if the milk runs out and the driveway is covered in deep snow, it will be okay. We can survive without milk. Even if the propane tank runs out, we have other ways to stay warm. Even when my energy level is below zero, God will give me the strength I need to do what must be done.

Don’t worry.

Be the half-full person.

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” Philippians 4:6 (NASB)

 

P.S. Also this passage came to mind …

“I heard the man dressed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, as he raised his right hand and his left toward heaven, and swore by Him who lives forever that it would be for a time, times, and half a time; and as soon as they finish shattering the power of the holy people, all these events will be completed.” Daniel 12:7 NASB

(I have no comment on this.)

Go see other writers so their best stuff here!

Random Disruptions

But it might disrupt my schedule.

A mother’s life is full of disruptions.

Company disrupts my daily routine.

He constantly disrupted the class.

There was a disruption in power and later I had to reset all the clocks.

The two fawns in the backyard were a welcome disruption in the conversation.

The trees disrupt my view of the sunset.

Life is full of disruptions.

Once the train of thought in my mind is disrupted by an interruption it is sometimes impossible to get that train back on the track.

-

Write it down.

That has always been my rule. If I don’t write it down, it might be lost forever. There is no way to prove this however since I can’t remember the things I forgot because I didn’t write them down.

It seems that social media and local news media and entertainment have been training my brain in disruption. Shows and movies are disrupted by commercials, news programs are tiny bits of information strung together by meaningless comments meant to entertain, songs are cut short for an unimportant announcement. In my own brain, I can be quietly thinking about a project or situation and suddenly something else rudely pushes it out of the way to take up the working space in my mind.

But then again, I’ve always had this problem. I’ve never been diagnosed, but friends have mentioned the ADHD brain. I’ve read books on it and have found I’m already doing some of the things the experts suggest.

Like writing things down.

There have been a lot of disruptions to my life this past year and I’ve gotten lazy with my writing routine. One technique I used on a regular basis I gave up because in my stressed state I thought it was just too much … one more thing … and I was tired.

But I’ve recently picked it up again. I keep several notepads and sticky notes near me wherever I am. When the thought pops into my head I write it down. Since I started The Practice up again, I’ve felt better, more focused, calmer.

Maybe it wasn’t social media after all.

 

A shift

As she spoke there was a shift in attention of the room.

He had shifty eyes.

I once worked graveyard shift.

My daughter finally got first shift!

After the message there was a shift in my thinking.

-

My church has gone through some very difficult times. Gossip and rumors spread rapidly, and people started disappearing from first service – the one I attended. I didn’t catch on right away, since I’m not part of the leadership (a decision made and held on purpose). Regular attendance dwindled. Public statements were made. Apologies were given. Then, suddenly (to me, anyway), we were down to one combined service.

I was at a loss. Whatever was happening was not within my view. There was a shift in the atmosphere of the church. I heard snippets of gossip. Women complained about things in the lady’s lounge. Out of the blue I received a few texts from people I knew well. They didn’t say much, just said they weren’t coming back. Leadership members were resigning. More people were disappearing.

And they weren’t going on vacation.

A committee to oversee the running of the church was meeting. I only knew a few of them.

Finally, I started asking questions. I got some answers, but they didn’t align with what was happening.

Less and less people came to Sunday service. Many of my friends that I caught up with on Sundays were now watching livestream.

And then The Committee was disbanded and replaced with a board of elders.

Please understand. I am not complaining about any of these people or how things were done. I was just confused, out-of-balance, frustrated.

These events were all laid aside as my personal life was thrown into chaos, my mother died, we made arrangements for a memorial, we cleared a house, my husband retired, my daughter wanted to move back home for a time of reflection and rebuilding.

And then, back at church, a new minister from a different city came to help us understand ourselves as a ministry and to move us forward and to help us find a new leader. I didn’t agree with any of the things he said.

And I didn’t want to go to church anymore. I missed a few services, but it didn’t feel right.

Even though all these things were happening to my church, it was still MY church.

So I prayed. I attended and I prayed. And God impressed on me to stick it out, to worship Him, to listen to the messages, and He would tell me what to do. He also gave me new things to think about, a new focus, a new hope.

All this was in His holy will. God knows best. Always.

There was a shift in my thinking, a shift in my heart. I go each Sunday and look forward to seeing whoever comes.

And we wait together to see what God has planned for us as we pick up the pieces and ask God to put them back together.