Passing Time

October 4, 2014October 11, 2014 / The WheatandTares

Time brings about so many changes.

Some good, some bad, some exciting, some sad.

There are times when I wish I was a child again.

No worries, no responsibilities, no cares.

There are times when I wish I was all grown-up;

Then others would treat me like a lady not a child.

Time is like sand slipping through our fingers.

If we don’t wake up and enjoy the moment,

It will be lost from us forever.

So, take this moment, do not let it disappear from you.

Enjoy the time you have.

Enjoy the ones you love

For they may not be here tomorrow.

Penned – MG – 5/1/91

Goodbye

October 4, 2014 / The WheatandTares

A chapter in our lives is coming to a close.

A chapter which some of us thought would never end.

Now, we will go our separate ways.

Some never to look back upon this day.

The time has come to say goodbye.

Take care and never lose hope.

For if hope is gone, there is nothing.

And if there is nothing, we are not beings.

Never say goodbye, only farewell.

For if you say goodbye, I may not see you.

But if you say farewell, there’s always a way

That we may meet again on another day.

Never say good riddens, only good blessings.

For if you say good riddens, I may not succeed.

But if you say good blessings, there’s always a chance

That I will remember you when I go to dance.

Penned – MG – 5/91

CONSUMED

September 29, 2014 / The WheatandTares

I go throughout my day, consumed in my own thoughts.

I walk right past your door, hoping to not get caught.

You say hello. I do not hear, just keep walking past.

You wonder what went wrong. It seems to happen all too fast.

You act so strange, speaking today, without a word tomorrow.

What am I to do, consume myself in sorrow?

I will not sit here from day to day and wait.

You have decided to come around a little too late.

I have a life to live. Yes, I’ve got to go on living.

I cannot sit here until you want to start your giving.

You refused to take a look, even glance over my way.

As I stayed there and patiently waited day after day.

So, I a leaving you today, walking out without a sound.

You wonder what has happened, why I’m not still around.

You just took a moment too long, and now I’ve wasted time.

You’ll wonder and you’ll wait, but another mountain I’ve gone to climb.

I go throughout my day, consumed in my own thoughts.

I walk right past your door, hoping to not get caught.

You say hello. I do not hear, just keep on walking through.

As you are wondering why, I now realize, I really do miss you.

Penned – MG – 3/28/90

Don’t Wait Too Long

September 23, 2014 / The WheatandTares

The time, it goes by so slow

You have nothing to do

The time, it goes by so fast

You have way too many dues

It is time to make up your mind

Are you going to take the fall?

It is time to make a decision

Are you going to answer the call?

The time, it’s running thin

You have to decide

The time, it’s almost gone

You have to draw the line

It’s time to stand up tall

Are you going to be strong?

It’s time to fight the fight

Are you going to do right or wrong?

There will come a day

You will have to face the fact

The time, it is no more

You will have to realize that

This time, He has closed the door.

Penned – MG – 3/8/89

Breathe It All In

September 8, 2014September 8, 2014 / The WheatandTares

We had had such a busy week. We had so much to think about and to get done. I had been sick for about 3 days already, just feeling real crummy, but the boys were taken care of for the day; so, Joey and I decided to take off for a little day trip. We went to eat at one of our favorite restaurants in a small mountain town, and while there, we called some long time friends to come join us. They were busy, too, but we decided to drop by after lunch to see their new house being built. She apologized for her “no makeup attire,” and I insisted it didn’t matter. We all sat in camp chairs on the unfinished back deck overlooking Lake Chatuge. The breeze was blowing softly, making the temperature, on this hot summer day, feel more like a nice fall afternoon. While sitting there, enjoying one another’s company, her husband said, “You wanna go out on the boat?” The thought bounced around our little circle, as we each thought of all the agendas we really needed to finish, but the lake was calling. So, we set out on our spontaneous journey. It was such a beautiful day. The breeze continued to gently blow and pick up speed as the boat did. The sky was a brilliant blue with big, puffy white clouds. The lake reflected the majestic mountains surrounding us, and all of us forgot about the cares of this world as we sailed on through the cove. Our friends’ grown daughter and her one year old son had joined us, and as I watched him toddle onto the boat and his only worries were of “driving the boat with Poppa,” I was reminded that this is what it’s all about. You just have to take a minute to breathe it all in – the mountains, the lake, the suntan lotion, the cheese puffs, and the cool mountain air. As we stopped for ice cream and pizza (yes, in that order! haha), and we enjoyed our food and fellowship, I was once again reminded that we all need to stop and enjoy what life has for us. We can get so caught up in the demands and desires of tomorrow that we simply miss the love, friendship and fun that has been placed right here in front of us. So, next time the world seems to be closing in on you, and the weight is so heavy that it’s getting hard to breathe, STOP. Look beyond the agenda. Call a friend. Get to a lake, a waterfall, a mountain, or even the countryside, and take a minute to breathe it all in. Remember, these are the important things of life: faith, family, friendship, and fellowship…these are the things that will last.

Just Get Up

September 8, 2014September 15, 2014 / The WheatandTares

It was Saturday afternoon, we were leaving for fl the next day, for a 2 week stay, mind you. I had so much to do. I was packing for three of us, and the laundry wasn’t even completed. I had clothes scattered and stacked all around. The suitcases were all open, awaiting their burdens of the traveling needs.
Joey walked in and suggested I take the boys and one of their friends to the pool. Ugh. Are you serious? Do you know how much I have to get done? Do you realize what you are asking of me? I’d have to stop my routine, change my clothes, throw my hair up in a clip, get some towels and suntan lotion and trek off with three rowdy boys to the pool. Really? I am so not wanting to do this!!
But he needed to prepare for his sermon, and the boys really needed an outlet; so, I got up from the floor, with all the clothes surrounding me, changed and off we went. The laundry, the stacks of clothes, the unfinished agendas and the suitcases, all left in chaos in the bedroom upstairs.
The boys splashed and dove, laughed and dunked each other, and I became their hero for the afternoon. They had a blast. They needed this, and as I sat back in the lounge chair, reading on my Kindle, I realized I was having fun, too. I needed this. They needed me to step back from the stress of the “packing moment” and enjoy their silly antics. I needed to step back from the pressures of “Momville” and bask in the moment of making memories with my kids. We had planned to just stay an hour…that hour turned into three. I realized on that day, sometimes, we just have to get up and get moving to remember the direction in which we really need to go.

Memories Lining The Tub

September 2, 2014October 5, 2014 / The WheatandTares

My eight year old LOVES to take a bath! We have a nice sized garden tub, and he will ask to go take a bath just about everyday, especially, when he’s got a new toy! The other day, I walked in there, after he was out, and shot this picture. The whole side of the tub was lined with toys. I’m not talking one or two toys, this is a whole collection of Lego men, Transformer robots, and Hero Factory creations! My first thought was, “Ugh. He didn’t put his toys up!” Then, something stopped me, and as I looked around that tub, I realized in that very moment, “This will all, very soon, be gone.”
Parents of grown children, give me a witness here. The days just fly by too swiftly. One day, you’re holding this tiny little being in your arms, hoping not to break them; then, you turn around, and you’re waving goodbye as they trek out to make their way in the world. Even if you spend as much time as you can, make all the memories possible, grab all the hugs they will allow, the hand of time still keeps ticking. The moments still slip through your fingers like tiny grains of sand.
Oh, what I wouldn’t give, for one more minute, to have those tiny fingers wrap around mine; yet, to go back would mean to give up the adventure of today, watching him create his imaginary Hero Factory armies and see him as he gently cares for the little hermit crabs in their cage and even hearing him say, “Watch this with me, Mom,” as we watch the Superbook series video for the fifty-seventh time this weekend. No, I don’t think I’d like to forsake today only to grasp hold of yesterday, but please, God, help me to not be so worried about the plans of tomorrow that I somehow miss the sweet memories that are right here today. Help me to embrace those moments that can be remembered forever, and let me not miss out on the simple, little things that make those minutes last…I do think I’ll let those little toys line the side of the tub for just a little longer today…yes, maybe I’ll move them on another day.

Life In the Little Things

July 19, 2014October 14, 2014 / The WheatandTares / 4 Comments

I asked Joey the other day, “What are some reasons you like me?” Without hesitation, he said, “I like how you see things. I like the way you see the little things.” That simple statement stayed with me for days. It birthed something inside of me that had been growing for a while: another layer of confidence in who God has called me to be. It birthed inside me the confidence to begin this blog…the one I’ve been thinking about for years now but never put into action…
You see, I do have quite a “knack” for the little things…the details, the small things, the minute things that, to some, may seem unimportant or even insignificant. Often in my life, I’ve tried to hide this trait from others, or at least, not relish in it, for fear of being the “odd man out.” Sometimes, I’ve even tried to deny or ignore it within myself, because it seemed like a petty flaw. To shed a little light, I grew up with a single mom for many years of my young life, and she has a real “knack” for the more unstructured, artsy way of life; then, I married a man who is incredible at seeing the “big picture,” and who really doesn’t like to get bogged down with the minute details of things. In addition, we have two growing boys who are just that: “boys;” details to them just sound like a lot of work and rules, and “it definitely takes up too much time, Mom!” LOL.
Oh, but how I relish in details! For example, one of my favorite things to do is to edit/review papers for grammatical errors. I love to journal in full detail all of the happenings of the day…and sometimes, of a particular hour! I thrive when I can share every fact I know about personality traits or leadership styles. I get excited when I can evaluate, analyze and project about a particular subject I’ve been reading. I also love to sit by a campfire and watch the moving and crackling of the tiniest flame. I enjoy watching the flight of the small butterflies around the edge of a beautiful waterfall, even as one decides to land on my son’s shoulder (see pic). I smile as I watch a young mom on a crowded putt-putt course stop to teach the youngest of four rowdy children just how to correctly hold that club. I just love details! However, details take time, and in a society that seems destined for the fast lane, in a culture where things must be achieved this instant, and in a generation for whom waiting for a microwave to finish seems like utter torture, time isn’t something we always have, nor are quite willing, to give.
So, my love for details can, often, get in the way.
My love for the little things can often be a speed bump in this fast paced life in which we live, and sometimes, I do have to work to move beyond my hang-ups…like while telling a story, and I can’t remember the date and time of the given event! (If you’ve ever heard me tell a story, you know exactly what I mean!) I do have to strive to overlook the not-so-rinsed-off dishes that my sons just loaded into the dishwasher (because after all, they did load it!) I do need to not get so uptight when my husband decides it’s time to make a change which I wasn’t quite expecting.
However, I will choose to thrive in the small things which bring life back into focus. I will choose to recognize the small things that bring life back into life. There is life in those tiny hands and feet which remind me of days gone by, those days I won’t ever get back again. There is life in that little smirk my 12 year old gives me as he sees me “trying to dance” while doing the laundry. There is life in the unpredictable moments of my husband’s love for adventure and spontaneity. There is life in that tiny star which shines through the clouded sky as I gaze at it tonight. There is life in that small moment we set aside to make a call or visit to an elderly with failing health. There is life in that small, un-praised minute you take to pick up some trash so someone else just sees the park’s beauty. There’s life in that blooming flower which reminds you to stop a moment and breathe it all in. There’s life in that tiny trickling brook which brings refreshment to a weary soul. There’s even life in that rainbow which you send as a mobile pic to someone just because they were sick and couldn’t get outside to see it.
There’s LIFE in the little things of life. Don’t miss them!