I'm short

I’m short.

I’m short about five dollars. Can you help me?

I shorted the measurement, now I have to go get another 2x4.

He was three inches short of the long-jump record.

You shorted me on the material. Now I need it cut again.

Life is short.

Pain is shorter.

Short on patience

 Short on time

-

I’ve always been short, the shortest one in class, the shortest one on staff, the shortest one on the team, the shortest one in choir. The shortest.

But through the years I’ve made it work. And I have spoken with other short people who have found the same secrets.

Like in basketball. I loved playing basketball in grade school. I was 4’9”, but I was good. I wasn’t ever going to be tall enough for center, but I made a mean guard. And, as you know, guards guard. That’s what they do. They guard the ball, guard the forwards, guard the center … and steal the ball. Because I was short, I played from a different perspective and spotted holes in the defense of the other team. My favorite game memory was when I stole the ball from the opponent’s forward, spun around and made a lay-up that won the game. At that moment, I knew being short could be an advantage.

Recently, I held a job at Hobby Lobby (a store created for tall people). I was short (5’2”), but I’m fairly certain my manager was at least an inch shorter. I marveled at how she managed to stock shelves, move boxes, run the conveyor, unload the trucks, and out-negotiate irritable customers (all who were taller than she). Her shortness was a fine art. She became my hero. If she could do those things, then so could I – given a few more months of practice. And I did. My most pleasant memory was when my coworkers stopped arguing with me when I went up the ladder to grab overstock. They didn’t realize that being short meant a lower center of gravity and I was probably safer up there than they were.

At times, my shortness seemed like a disability. When the neighborhood kids played red-rover or kickball I was last to be chosen. As a choir member I was always placed in the front row. Some rides at Disneyland and local fairs were off-limits to me.

And then there were the jokes …

But looking back, I wouldn’t change a thing. I learned self-reliance, resilience, determination, and how to be a monkey. There’s no school that can teach that, only necessity.

I have lots more short stories, but I’ll save them for the future memoir.

 

Go check out what others wrote about SHORT.

But God

 

OUTCOME

The outcome was all good.

The outcome was better than expected.

No one could have predicted the outcome.

It was a list of inputs and outcomes.

-

The outcome was better than I expected, but that’s probably because I always prepare for the worst and am overjoyed by the best.

Our mom had big debt, and we worried about paying it off as she aged. But God allowed her neighborhood to flourish and grow in value. Once her house sold, debts were paid with even some left over. I did not think that was possible.

Given the struggles our marriage has gone through and the trouble our children have had over the years, I would not have imagined this present outcome of our pleasant home, our growing successful family, and our solid marriage. God is so good.

As we struggled with bills 30 years ago, I had almost given up hope of us realizing our dream of having a small place out in the country. But here we are and the steps we followed to get here are pure God – no one would have predicted the outcome. In fact, the predictions were quite the opposite.

When the bad times came during our homeschooling years, I questioned our decision to sacrifice certain things to educate our children at home. But the outcomes have been way beyond amazing. We are so blessed.

I will be forever thankful that God holds the outcome.

 

“The horse is prepared for the day of battle,

But the victory belongs to the Lord.”

-          Proverbs 21:31

“For nothing will be impossible with God.”

-          Luke 1:37

 

FMF

In the middle of pivoting

 

Pivot, turning point, swivel point, axel, hinge, pin, hub, heart

To pivot on its axis

Pivot the drill to keep the screw going in straight

The moment was a pivotal point in my life

Pivot on your toes (like a ballerina), face the basket, shoot from your hips

 

It was a pivotal moment -

The birth of my first baby and the first day with her

The death of my father

The death of my best friend

The explosion within my marriage (don’t worry, God healed, we’re still married)

Attending my son’s graduation from Marine Boot Camp

The completion of my first novel (as yet unpublished)

The publication of my first book (non-fiction)

The first days of a new job

And the events of the past few months, all crammed together to create a huge pivot, which is still pivoting … I think

It’s difficult to perceive a pivot in time when I am in the middle of it. But I know that is what is happening now. Mom’s death, a trip by car to Arizona, finding out things I didn’t know about my childhood/mom/dad/past, saying good-bye to my childhood home for the last time, a last minute trip to Wisconsin and my youngest daughter moving back in for a while, my husband retiring, me quitting my job because my husband asked me to (it’s alright, I was ready to leave anyway)

All in four months

… I’m totally in the middle of pivoting … still moving in a new direction … still waiting for the movement to stop so I can catch my breath …still sorting through all my stash of possessions and giving away things to make room for other things … still writing impressions and emotions and discoveries and mourning losses and celebrating freedoms and finding a space for daily pondering with God.  

Spending time in The Word is a pin, an anchor, to hold me in place during all this movement. So is writing ...

FMF - Go see what others are saying about "pivot" ...

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