Life is short. Stay awake.

My delicious latte is in a cup with the question 'what do you stay awake for?' with answers all over it. Some are cute, like "socks, fresh from the dryer" and some are very sweet such as "the pitter patter of little feet as the sun rises."

This morning my real answer is a good one- I'm kept awake (barely!) by the desire to get home from a quick trip in time to catch some of my son's baseball game. When it starts I'll be in the air, but will get to the game as fast as possible after I land. Then I'll go home and sleep.

I like those real answers on the cup, those that answered more honestly than dreamily. Dreamy answers are good too, but sometimes a bit cheesy for my taste. Does Hilda G. really stay awake "to end breast cancer-- worldwide" or is that something she cares about and puts a bit of time and energy into, but truly just what's left over after everything else?

I'm a bit harsh, fully realizing I have no idea about Hilda G. She may wake up every morning with a passion she puts into action. Or she may be a bit more like me and want to do that, but instead sometimes just be kept awake because she has no choice.

I'd like to be able to honestly answer "to find Austin" or "to reach people with a message of hope" but while I am passionate about those things, some days I just want to stay (or go) to sleep. And some days I just want to be a mom enjoying a baseball game.

I think that is part of the message of hope though- that you don't have to have all the right answers. You don't always have to do the right things. You're still loved and treasured. And some days you'll wake up and be ready to change the world. But some days you'll just want to pull the covers back over your head.



**special thanks to my Caribou coffee that is hot and delish and provided inspiration for a post. seriously, what more could you want from a cup of coffee?!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Solution vs. Mixture

Last night Drew was telling me about what he's been learning in school, in his new favorite subject, science.  I loved the enthusiasm in his voice, as he asked if I knew the difference between a mixture and a solution.  He started to tell me, but thought that a much better idea was to make an example of each at home, so he could do more than just tell us, but could show us.  I thought maybe they had been doing experiments in class to help them fully grasp it, but that wasn't the case, he just wanted to demonstrate it to us in a fun way.  Great idea!

He pulled out the chocolate powder and the milk, and began to stir them together, explaining that as the powder dissolves into the milk, they become one and can't be separated back out.

He then took a few crackers and a chip and put them together, explaining that this was a mixture because they each maintained their identity and could be separated out again.



I started thinking about how a) smart my child is and b) how cool it is when the relationships we have are solutions, not mixtures.  Real relationships are those where you can't just separate the people, but where lives have come together as a solution.  The best parts of each are combined, and together you can be better than you were apart. 

Sometimes can certainly be more than just people also.  A mixture involving you and God has little power.  A solution where God can no longer be separated from you, where He is a part of you, that has power. 

I'm so thankful for people in my life who love me enough to be part of my solution, and a God who loves me to be a main ingredient that holds the solution together.  And for a child who is excited about learning and sharing and is demonstrated true solutions daily through people who love him.

Just Do It

We all remember the Nike slogan, Just Do It.  If you don't remember, then you're too young for me to be okay with, so just pretend.  It was such a genius slogan, one that still is quoted regularly.  And about so many things, from sports to business to life in general.


I don't actually think to myself 'Just Do It' when faced with challenges, but it is what most of us do.  I'm surrounded by people who are dealing with issues that they never would have thought they could handle, would never have wanted to handle.  Things such as the loss of a child, the loss of health, sometimes even the loss of dreams.  But they get up in the morning, and they face them.  They just do it.  With the 'it' sometimes being as simple as getting up and getting dressed when they want to stay under the covers and pretend another day hasn't come.  The 'it' is sometimes as monumental as holding a loved ones hand in their last days and hours.

I'm amazed by what the human spirit can survive, and even thrive through.  God made us in an awesome way, able to do things we never would want to.  He gives us the strength and the courage to just do it.  And He gives us the friends and support we need when we can't. 

Today, whatever you face, know that with Him, all things are possible.  (Philippians 4:13)