Just Words

LAUGH ...

BREATHE ...

THINK ...

LIVE ...

PRAY ...

LISTEN ...

SING ...

DANCE ...

LOVE ...

(These were on a bookmark in a book I just borrowed from the library. It's just a random reminder, I guess.)

Y-E-S, Yes

Sometimes we do not realize what a simple YES can bring.

Often times we are afraid to say YES. I am guilty of that. I would normally have to think twice, thrice or many more times before actually saying YES to something. It takes a lot of courage to say YES. And when it comes to courage, I have a feeling I was sleeping when God was handing that out. (I'm teasing of course. I know that God gives us as much of WHAT we need, WHEN we need it.)

For this evening, it was a simple YES which MyGirl gave when I asked her if she wanted us to cook the sweet corn after dinner. This, of course, could not have been possible had it not been for the enthusiastic YES I received at the grocery when I asked the kids if they wanted some sweet corn. And even the cooking of the corn that night required at least one additional YES from another family member to make cooking the corn worthwhile. RD gave that particular YES.

These series of YES's resulted in the family gathering back at the table after dinner.

Apparently we haven't had corn often enough for them to know that butter and salt makes sweet corn taste better. (Perhaps we don't go to the movies enough so they can't associate buttered popcorn with corn that is still on the cob.) Anyway, I had fun watching RD and MyGirl enjoy their corn; each of them going through the cob in their unique styles.

While eating, I was glad that when they said YES to getting corn from the grocery, I didn't convert the cost of those cut-up pieces of corn and hesitate to make the purchase. I'm glad that MyGirl reminded me this evening that she had said YES to wanting corn tonight, even if we had already cleared the dinner plates. I'm glad that RD said YES to wanting corn this evening though that didn't come as a surprise because he is my biggest fan when it comes to my culinary experiments.

Without these series of YES replies, we would not have found ourselves in that particular situation at that particular moment.

There is a whole range of impact and consequences for our YES responses in life. These sweet corn YES's are peanuts as compared to the "Yes, I will take the job" or "Yes, I will marry you" or "Yes, I will donate my kidney" YES's we sometimes make.

In hindsight, I am thankful that I was brave enough to make some life-changing YES replies. These include getting married, retiring from the Bank and being a stay-at-home mom for a while, compiling kidbits into a book, moving from one bank to another, migrating to another country, and more.

Today, I remind myself that I should likewise be conscious of the everyday YES's that may not result in life-changing or dramatic events. These simple YES's should be appreciated for what they bring.

It's Just a House

We watched the movie UP last Saturday at the Overflow at the Sydney Olympic Park. (More on the Overflow in another post.) If you've seen the movie, then you'd know that a big part of the movie showed Mr. Fredricksen's attachment to the house, both physically and emotionally. The house was filled with items which were special to him because they were part of his life with his deceased wife. The house and many of the items inside the house had special meaning to him.

Towards the end of the movie, after the big fight scene, the house fell off the Spirit of Adventure (the blimp of his childhood hero Charles Muntz) and floated away.

The young boy Russel, who knew how attached the old man was to the house, said, "I'm sorry about your house, Mr. Fredricksen."

To this the old man replied, "It's just a house."

He had finally LET GO.

D E T A C H M E N T.

Easier said than done.

That line expressing his detachment rang loud inside me. Earlier that morning we had responded to one of the FreeCycle offers which read, "I'm clearing the family home ready for sale after moving my elderly mother into aged care. On offer is the long list of household items below." And truly there were a lot of items in the list and many more at the actual site. We rummaged through the items hoping to get things which would be useful for the house. We were able to get a lot of good stuff.

There were really a lot of things in the house -- everyday things in fairly good condition -- furniture, appliances, books, notebooks, plates, kitchen items, etc. Surely these were things which the owner must have treasured and saved up for, collected and used over the years. I am sure there were a lot of memories attached to these things. I couldn't help feel sad for the old lady whose things were being given away.

The things which SHE treasured had now been downgraded to 'a long list of items' and were really 'just things' as far as her children were concerned.

Things which could be given away.

Things which maybe could be thrown away.

Things.

Just things.

Although it it true that all these material possessions are just things; and that in the end, we can't take these things with us and that none of these things will really matter. On one side, I see that one man's junk is another man's treasure. I am thankful that the children had opted to offer these items up at FreeCycle because many people, including me and my family, would benefit from her things.

On the other, I see detachment on the side of the old lady. I don't know if it was detachment by choice or detachment by circumstance. All I know is that all these beautiful items which were once hers are now being divided in lots among the many FreeCyclers in need of things. She was no longer attached to these things.

Perhaps now she is free.

First Lesson of the New Year

Christmas often bring new toys and gifts for the children. The New Year gives them the opportunity to play with these things.

RD got a PAPER AIRPLANE 2010 calendar for Christmas. He placed the calendar on the bookshelf in the dining room and he has made one airplane so far. This led MyGirl to dig up the 365 Tiny Paper Airplanes we had included in one of our shipping boxes. GI received this several years back (it was a 2006 calendar) but had not folded up and made them into airplanes.

MyGirl worked on several planes one after the other. She would fold them up then let me see them. My question would always be the same, "Does it fly?"

After several folded planes and test flights, she came upon one which stumped her.

"What kind of airplane is this?" she said as she completed the plane. "It's called TWISTER."

Without even looking, I told her that it was something that would fly vertically and recommended she go upstairs and drop it down.

She was dubious but tried it nonetheless.

To her delight, the twister flew beautifully.

She immediately called her brother to check out her new plane. (He was busy playing with his DS and replied that they had made something like that in school last year.) MyGirl didn't care, she ran up and down the stairs and made the twister fall over and over again. She would call my attention before every flight so that I could see the plane fly.

There was a long break between two sets of flights and I assumed she was making a new plane. However, when she called me to look at the next two test flights, we were sorely disappointed. It was still her original twister but on both occasions, the twister failed to turn and simply plopped down as she let go.

"Ohhh," MyGirl sighed as the twister gave a dismal second performance.

I suggested that she re-fold the plane and try again.

"But I already glued it," she replied.

Eureka!

I explained to her that these airplanes are able to fly because the paper is light. Putting glue on the plane, I told her, weighed it down making it impossible for the plane to fly properly.

She immediately understood the consequences of her actions and decided to use one of the previously folded sheets to make a new twister. After a couple of minutes, she called out again to show me her new twister.

It few magnificently.

I am reminded of a story which (I believe) Sister Deer had once told me about how ducks constantly clean themselves to be free from dirt and mud. She said that they do this because if they are packed in muck they are unable to fly. Her point? In order to "fly" and reach heaven, we too should be clean and free from 'dirt.'

It is the start of the year -- the usual time for resolutions to be made. The New Year, just as each new day, gives as the opportunity to do the right thing. Besides, it never hurts to try to be better everyday.

Happy New Year, all. And Good Luck on all those New Year's resolutions.