Make Your Dusting Count

    I just finished reading the memoir "The Hare With Amber Eyes"  by Edmund De Waal.  De Waal comes from a Jewish family who originally came from Russia.  They went on to become financial powerhouses in Paris and Vienna.  During WW II, they lost their homes, their possessions and their financial standing because they were Jews.  A few papers, books and a very special collection of Japanese netsuke, intricate toggles once used to close pouches or belts, were all that survived.  The book takes its title from an especially beautiful netsuke, the hare with the amber eyes.
     The Gestapo emptied the family home of its possessions and people and set up shop in the Ephrussi family home.  Anna, the Gentile maid, stayed with the house and continued cleaning and doing chores.  The netsuke sat observing, ignored and silent in a corner glass cabinet.  The cabinet was in a tiny room that used to be Madam Ephrussi's dressing room.  The children of the house would sit on the rug and play with the carvings while Anna helped the lady of the house get ready for the day.  Years later, during the German residence, Anna would put one netsuke in her pocket every day while dusting.  At the end of  each day, she hid the figurines in her mattress.  She did this until she had hidden away all 264 pieces. When Anna dusted and secreted away the tiny figures, she prayed a tangible prayer:  She would see the Ephrussi family again and she would give them these treasures back.
      Eight years after leaving Austria, Elisabeth, a Ephrussi daughter returned and Anna gave her the netsuke.  The intricate, tiny carvings that had once filled an elegant, velvet- lined cabinet were lovingly placed in a brief case and carried back to England, the new Ephrussi home.
    When the author found out about Anna's kindness and bravery, all the people who had known her had passed away.  The questions he wanted to know would remain unanswered; he couldn't even find out Anna's last name.
      Anna's compassion illustrates the nature of kindness.  Kindness is not measured by monetary standards or grandeur.  In Anna's case, a daily act of bravery added up to a kindness that transcends generations.  His Holiness the Dahli Lama, Mother Teresa and Jesus have all stressed the importance, and the power,  of compassion and love.  Each of us, no matter our circumstances, has the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of others.  The form of this help may be very subtle.  You may simply sit and listen to someone without comment or judgement, providing them a haven.  You may let someone with less items go ahead of you at the grocery store.  You may hold a baby for a weary mother so she can answer nature's call.  The possibilities are infinite.  You may not be privy to the consequences of your acts of kindness, yet you are called to do them.  Kindness, unlike many other things, does not have a scale. Kindness is pure and it IS powerful.

Patient Flowers

      This is the first year I have planted flowers in a mountain climate.  Boy did I start too early!  I planted about the third week in May.  We got snow and wind around Memorial Day.  Needless to say, the flowers did not enjoy the snow treatment.  The were shriveled and sad.  I even covered them to get them through the unpredictable weather.  Once the surprise winter was over, I cut them way back.  I turned them daily. I  gave them fertilizer and lots of water. Truth be told, I also spoke words of encouragement to them. Why not? It can't hurt.   For a long time nothing happened, then two weeks ago,  I looked outside and a remarkable thing had occurred:  They bloomed and they bloomed bigger then the first time. 
     Pastor Scott Fine at Mountain Life Church spoke on Psalm forty this week.   In this psalm David cries out to the Lord saying, " I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry; He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand."  Pastor Fine took the entire psalm and showed how it illustrates God's response to our call.  He does not ignore us, he turns toward us, he lifts us up, he gives us a firm footing, he puts a new song in our hearts AND "Many will see and fear and put their trust in the Lord."  When things seem stationary and dead in our lives there is actually a lot going on. The pastor noted that God uses trying circumstances to teach us AND those around us lessons that we would not otherwise be open to learn.  The part of this that tests our faith is timing. God's timing is not our timing.
     I see a metaphor here with my plants.  They were not dead, but regrouping, regenerating.  Was it a pretty process? No. However, there was growth going on beneath the surface that the eye could not see.  So it is with us.  If we wait upon the Lord, if we accept the lessons along our journey, our blooms will be more vibrant and fuller than we ever imagined.  This is not easy to accept, but it is true. Wait, then, bloom.

In Praise of Kind Words

     Here's a nifty idea that can help you connect with members of your family. I originally saw this on Pinterest, but there are many examples on crafty websites.  I got a blank picture frame and used leftover scrap booking letters to spell "I love you because" on a blank piece of paper. When you want to write a note, you simply use a dry erase marker and write on the glass.   I hung this little masterpiece on the wall by my husband's side of the sink.  We leave each messages of encouragement whenever we feel like it or when the other person needs a boost.  Frankly, I didn't think my husband would like it. ( He is a loving and honest person but definitely not sappy).  However, as has happened before on occasion, I was wrong.  Indeed, he liked it very much!
    We currently have our nephews visiting us.  He knows I value being a loving aunt and he knows how much I love these kids.  I was very affirmed because his simple comment illustrates our common values.  He has always been someone to put children, the elderly and those who work for him,  first.  For him,  this is one of the keys to being a leader and being a man.
     I think this would be a fun activity for families with school age children too. My teenager wants no part of this " touchy-feely"  nonsense.  That' fine.  It's been a blessing for us "old fogies."

"An anxious heart weighs a man down, but a kind word cheers him up." Proverbs 12:25