Just a part

the way I part my hair

the way I'm a part of the whole in this peaceful place of healing

the part where you tell me something and ask for my opinion and I give you my opinion and you accept it, but you don't necessarily agree, and that's okay

my part in the problem - to be recognized and fixed if possible

I am a part of the landscape, walking around with a grocery cart, choosing what I want to consume, what I am willing to pay for, what I will take responsibility for ...

I sit at my desk which is a central part of this room, which is a small portion of this house, which sits on the property we bought years ago, which is a portion of 175 acres of farmland, which is part of Morrow County, which is an unimportant, but still growing portion of the state of Ohio, which is a part of the United States of America, which is an uneasy brother of the countries of the world, which is a tiny rock in the universe God created years ago to move in harmony by the power of His Might.

And this is just a part of the vast amount of thoughts swirling in my brain.

Five Minute Friday - the place to be today!

Blessings!

Don't criticize

 

Those words still ring in my ears to this day. "Don't criticize," my mother used to say to me when I found something wrong with a person, a musical performance, a piece of art, or the way someone was dressed.

The problem was she set the example of criticizing. When she got on a roll, we knew to just let it ride out. She used words like "frumpy", "glaring", "not right", "inappropriate", even "common". She could be brutal. Each time I felt horrible for the person or thing she was running down but kept my mouth shut.

I don't think she realized her hypocrisy. She usually started verballing tearing something apart when she was angry, hungry, confused, tired, or afraid. It took me many years to find the understanding of what was really happening.   

And I find the same weakness in myself. I catch it and stop it when it is brought to my attention, hopefully by God, privately, in my head. But my most recent employment pulled me back into the cycle of ragging on something or someone and then apologizing. It is difficult to be in a culture of criticism and stay away from the practice myself. 

Very difficult.

But lest we forget, there is a positive side to criticism - evaluation, rebuke, disapproval, analysis, review, assessment, appraisal - all of these have positive and negative connotations. 

Criticism can make us better.

And so, it was with my mom. She was right about a lot of what she criticized, and in a way, it taught me which direction to go. Dress nicely while in public. Do not cuss or swear in public. Pay attention when you are moving about in a crowd. Use your directionals while driving and when in doubt, let someone merge. Pick up your trash. Leave the space better than when you found it.

Boy, could I write more! But we will leave it like this for Five Minute Friday.

What a Deal!

 

A few weeks ago, our mom's house was sold. This was a huge relief to my brother and sister-in-law who have tried to help our parents care for that 1930s home for years. 

It needed lots of upgrades and remodeling, but even so, given the neighborhood, the buyers really got a deal. 

I lived in that house for eight years or more, but with all the moving we did as a family I wasn't really attached to it. My husband and I drove down in March and helped do some clearing out. We gave lots and lots of things away. I'm sure the local thrift store made it possible for buyers to get lots of great deals. 

I don't feel taken or gypped in anyway. The entire episode was a blessing.

And I can't wait to see what they do with the house. 

Stay tuned.

This post is part of a Five Minute Friday routine. Check it out! 

Five Minute Friday