Must Haves

I think all of us romanticize the "pioneer days" when men and women traveled across the country in covered wagons, worked side by side to make a new life, spent all of their time together as a family. But could we do it?



Walk into your kitchen, or just picture it in your mind if walking isn't on your agenda today, and take a good look around. One by one, what things would you be willing to live without? And what would you absolutely have to have if you lived in the middle of nowhere with no one but your husband and kids?



My list...I could give up:

1. Parquet floors

2. Cabinets with doors

3. One of my 2 sets of dishes

4. Most of my bowls and serving dishes

5. The food processor and blender and toaster and coffee maker and electric knife and mixer

6. Overhead lights

7. Decorator items

8. Most cookbooks

9. Lots of pans

10. Lots of spices

11. Dishwasher





I MUST HAVE:

1. Stove - gas...or at least not wood!

2. Refrigerator

3. Running water

4. Hot Water!

5. Shelves and pegs for dishes and other stuff

6. Not a dirt floor

7. One cookbook

8. One set of dishes

9. Salt, Pepper

10. Enough lanterns to make good light

11. Iron skillet and 2 or 3 pots



What's the point? First of all, count your blessings. Even my "must have" list is more than most people in the world have. Second, I really could do with a lot less than I have. I live an abundent life...my cup is overflowing. (oops, better add some kitchen towels to that must have list if I'm going to mop up my overflowing cup!) And third, if I could do with a lot less, why don't I? Why don't you?

Interruptions

I was reading a recent post (well maybe not so recent since I'm behind on my blog reading) that Joy wrote at His Ponderings that made me stop and think. Joy wrote about being interrupted in her quiet time, her Bible time, by her 3 year old son asking how to get Jesus in his heart. Wow! A sweet story, to be sure, but what struck me about it was how many times my life is interrupted and how differently I sometimes respond to those interruptions.


Last week when I was driving to my sister's my trip was interrupted by a contaminated brake system. As a result I spent an hour waiting on a tow truck and nearly four hours in the tow truck. During that hour I had a nice visit with a sweet woman working at the Dairy Queen where I was stranded. And had a really long conversation with the tow truck driver who had two elderly aunts living in a town where I used to live and where we had a mutual acquaintence in a local preacher. The Dairy Queen lady was helpful and friendly and full of information that I needed. The tow truck driver was protective of me, explaining exactly what Triple A could and would do for me, and then making sure that I had the opportunity for something to drink and a bathroom break. Having the car break down on me was frustrating at best and definitely an interruption of my plans, but what a double blessing I got in these two kind people because I had that interruption. Without the breakdown I would have missed the kindness of two strangers.

Now there are some interruptions I'd just as soon do without. The telephone call from a computer telling me what a wonderful candidate X is when I'm in the middle of a bath is the first one that comes to mind. Or the overloaded grocery bag that breaks just as I get to the car on the WalMart parking lot. Or how about the downpour that starts as you are halfway between your car and the church door...without an umbrella?

I wonder how many interruptions I have that are really blessings in disguise but I don't recognize them. Or maybe I'm too focused on myself and my time and my schedule to embrace them. Do I recognize the interruptions that are gifts or do I skip over them, impatient to go on my way? Driving home from Missouri I saw mile after mile of wildflowers blooming on the side of the highway. I should have stopped and taken some pictures. But I was in a hurry and didn't want to "waste" the 10 minutes that might have taken - it would have been an interruption. So I didn't capture the beauty that God sent my way. I remember all too well the times when my children were small that they interrupted me during phone calls, or while I was in the middle of cooking dinner, or working on a project of some kind. I was often short with them or I put them off till "later". Looking back I'm very sure I missed some wonderful times with them because I didn't want to be interrupted. I'd give a lot for do overs.

I've decided I'm going to slow down...let myself be interrupted more often, listen more carefully to the messages God is sending me and not worry about stopping in the middle of what I'm doing. If you want to call me and I'm half through cooking dinner I'm going to turn the fire off and sit down and visit - heavens, if you'd called me the other day I might not have burned those beans! If one of my children wants to tell me something, and yes they are all adults now but I don't care, I'm going to stop and talk. If I see a flower I'm going to pause and breathe in and if a dog shows up on my doorstep I'm going to pet him and see if he has any words of wisdom for me. (That could be because I want a dog and my husband is still saying no.)

Let's embrace the interruptions of life - they could be the best part!