A thought for today...

You Know He Loves You If He Puts Away Your Curling Iron

The man I married loves me, and I have definitive proof.

Is it this lovely diamond ring he gave me?

I've worn it for 14 years, and it cost him roughly two months' pay at the time. It IS fabulous and meaningful. You probably thought that's what I was going to say. But as much as I love the ring, he did buy it while he was seriously twitterpated. Now it's more of a symbol of commitment and a sign to others that I'm very, very off the market. And I assure you, if I were ever abducted by thieves, I'd eat it. But no, it's not that.

Is it the kisses and hugs?

Those are important. No, I'll be honest, those are like crack. I'm addicted! But it's not that, because kisses and hugs are fun all around and don't really require sacrifice (unless one of us forgot to shower).

Is it the long talks, Facetime conversations and texts?

Those connections are vital to maintaining our friendship and that feeling of family that The Captain and I have with each other. They're also good for keeping each other updated… "Hey, the car needs gas before tomorrow morning." "Don't forget about Sweet Pea's concert tonight." "Did you realize Mr. Boy knows how to totally naked himself now?" But no, it's not that either.

Here's the proof—he puts my curling iron away for me. 

Maybe that sounds random to you, but it touches my heart in a deep place. We have a small bathroom with little room for appliances on the counter. I have a small attention span with little room for distraction. So between my getting distracted a lot while I'm waiting for my curling iron to cool down, and the outlet being on his side of the counter, that curling iron is in his way pretty often. He told me this one time. Only once. 

I know for a fact when he puts it away, because I do it like this:

And he does it like this:

Am I saying there's only one correct method of putting away a small appliance? 

Nope. I'm just saying that every time I get it out of the drawer, I can tell who put it in there. I'm sheepish to admit, I usually find it being strangled by its own cord, meaning he stepped in quietly and took care of it. For the umpteenth time. And that becomes a love note to me, letting me know that I am accepted, flaws and all.

Should I probably work on being more considerate in this area? 

Definitely. I do feel a tiny pang of guilt for putting him out of his way. But this post is more to celebrate those little moments when a spouse's love and humility can turn a potential source of irritation into a symbol of abiding faithfulness in action. Yes, it's just a curling iron. A small thing. But small things can have profound meaning. Just ask the couple on the verge of divorce, who claim the other person doesn't love them. Why? Because he stopped saying "I love you." Because she stopped encouraging him. Because the other person would never replace the toilet paper. Little things.

He has every reason to grow impatient over my forgetfulness, snap at me, or even retaliate by leaving whisker dust all over the sink. But he doesn't. Instead, he just puts the curling iron in the drawer and forgives me. Every time. And by doing that, he's changing my life. Every time.

"Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, 

making allowance for each other's faults because of your love." 

Ephesians 4:2 NLT

The Captain

What are some ways your spouse or loved one shows you symbolic love in action?

Do you let them know you've noticed and appreciate it?

What can you do to show love to them?

Leave a comment! :D

"Sometimes I Feel Ugly..."

My little Winkerbean just said that to me today.

"Sometimes I feel ugly, and I want to hide." My heart broke when I heard those words come out of that pretty little mouth. Those beautiful, perfect, cupid's bow lips that I used to steal kisses from when she was a sleeping infant were now speaking of ugliness. Her own ugliness? I realized two earth-shattering things at the same time.

First, my little girl isn't so little any more.

Little kids think about life inside their little universe. They delight in the tickle of ladybug feet across their palms. They chase bubbles. They are just beginning to understand that there are other people in the world besides themselves and their immediate family. I have yet to see a little kid who is self-conscious. Winkerbean isn't little. She's starting to consider how other people see her. She's going to be nine years old before I blink.

The second thing I realized was my ghastly mistake...

I'm horrified when I think about it. I have tried on clothes with a disgusted look on my face, muttering under my breath that I should just wear a potato sack instead, to hide my ugly body. I have yanked out gray hairs and bemoaned the fact that I'm getting old too soon and don't want to lose my pretty brunette locks. I have compared myself to others whom I find more attractive than myself and given in to discouragement... all while my daughter looks on and absorbs everything. And now, with tears streaming down my face, I realize what I've done. I've taught her that what she wears is for other people to see and appreciate. That getting older is not an honor, but a dreadful curse. That the way to tell if you're beautiful is to look around you and see how you compare.

I would never say those things to her. But I have... just not with words.

This is one more example of how the student becomes like the teacher. But this teacher has just repented. I know my loving heavenly Father is heartbroken to hear me utter words of ugliness... when I believe the lie that my beauty comes from the outside. Just as heartbroken as I am when my little girl says those things about herself. It sounds preposterous to me that my little girl feels ugly, but it is no less preposterous when I feel it. The truth is, God made us both, and he's the one who gets to decide what ugly is.

"I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. 

Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well." —Psalm 139:4

I'm not on the ugly list. Maybe I am to some people, but not to my Creator.

"For the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, 

but the LORD looks on the heart.” —1 Samuel 16:7b

I'm so sorry, little Winkerbean. I made a mistake, and I was so wrong. I AM beautiful... because God made me that way. I forgot that. God help me, I need to be a better example of that from now on. You are a breathtaking, lovely girl, inside and out, because God made you that way. You have a beautiful smile, a beautiful mind, and a beautiful heart. Don't ever hide that.

How To Be A Geyser

This Complete Breakfast - Day 2

Here's today's breakfast discussion with my Short People. You'll find the links to other discussions in the "This Complete Breakfast" tab at the top. :) 

"Keep your heart with all vigilance, for 

from it flow the springs of life." —Proverbs 4:23

What is a spring?

In this case, it's not a Slinky or a season of the year. It's water, shooting up from the ground! It keeps on flowing, toward the plants, animals, and people around it. If it's good, clean water, then that's a really great thing for living things. They get to drink it and grow big and healthy. 

But what happens if pollution gets into the spring? 

Then pollution goes into the water, and it gets all over everything! Everyone who drinks or even touches that water will get sick! Even a little bit of pollution in the water isn't good, because it can cause sickness that nobody notices for a long time. 

How could someone keep the spring from being polluted?

They would have to protect that spring! They'd have to tell people, "Hey, you can't dump that garbage here, there's fresh water coming out!" They might need to build a fence around the spring to keep animals from pooping in it. They might build a sign to let people know not to swim there. How else could they protect the spring? Are they being mean by making rules to protect the spring? No. They're being kind, because they're trying to keep everyone healthy with clean water. 

This verse tells us that our hearts are like that spring, and need just as much protection!

When Jesus comes to live in our hearts, he gives us new hearts—He starts the spring of fresh, clean water flowing out—and makes us more like him. Our hearts are where he tells us to hide his word, so we can remember it. Our hearts are where we make choices about our behavior… whether they are good choices or bad. The words that we say, and the attitudes we show others are like the water flowing out of our spring. Our words land on others and can bring them life and help them grow. If we let our hearts get polluted by bad ideas, bad thoughts, mean attitudes, or even movies or songs that aren't good for us, those ideas and thoughts are going to come out onto others through our words.

What are some bad attitudes, thoughts, or TV shows that might cause pollution in your heart?

The Bible tells us to protect our hearts from those things.  Part of a parent's job is to help protect your heart... we might do that by making rules for you that act like fences to keep the pollution out.  That way, what comes out of us is good for us and for others!

Photo credit: Wikipedia.org, Castle Geyser