31 and counting....

Couple weeks ago i turned 31. Wow. 30 was no big deal and i even embraced it a little, but 31 just sounds OLD. 

What i'm thinking about May 4, 2016....birthday week:

The Reach Out - My family does birthday's well. We plan a day, eat some cake, sing the song. I got a card from my 90 year old great aunt. and my Gma hand wrote one even when she struggles to write and you can tell, but she still did it. And my out of town family sends a card, every year. Kind of blows me away. Sister's plan dates and buy the popcorn. Or donate to a "whatever gift". Parents plan a 3-stage clever gift. And several times i get my favorite seasonal dish rhubarb cooked for me. Amazing, and probably taken for granted, but trying not too :) Friends on FB posting, texting and even a few calls. Pretty cool. 

The Boys - Sacrifice is always hard. Period. We talk a lot about investing for our future. 401K's, retirement funds, preventative maintenance on our cars, upgrades to our homes, ongoing education, etc. I'm found an unexpected joy in child investment. They've become the goal of much of my endeavors and it's fun. I've resolved that i'm better off today building my boys than i would be trying to repair them later on. What investment will ever yield as much as your kids? We struggle with this as adults, because it's hard to relate to toddlers....but we miss it too. So get immature, get on the floor with the kids, and lose a little responsibility. They don't have to be your kids.....go find some. Because all kids like to play. I miss a lot of old friends i used to see more, but my boys are quickly becoming my best friends. 

The Hope - My life is better than i deserve and i'm extremely grateful. I'm finding that much of our life experience is built on how we handle what we've been given. I believe in optimism, realistic endeavors, and hope. I also believe pessimism is a choice. It's my desire to become someone to people that encourages, lifts up, and shows people hope, and works to help people completely eradicate negativity from their lives. It's so devastating and everyone i know has the opportunity to be more. My plan is for people close to me to hold me accountable to this attitude when life craps on me. And hurts my feelings. And feels impossible. As my physical body changes for the weaker, i continually remind myself that at any point of life whether i'm 31 or 91....it might be that point in life that is most powerful in other's lives. I've no doubt that my God can make the last year of my life more meaningful & powerful than all the years before. So i'm gonna keep going. Join me in Hope, please....and lifting others? 

These thoughts have been repeat thoughts so they've become lasting thoughts. I'd love to help show you how to Reach Out, Be a Kid, and Have Hope. Let me know if i can, i'll do my best. Because BETTER is what i'm working for, not PERFECT. 

J

Vote?

What a beautiful, wonderful democracy we live in with the opportunity to have a say in our leaders.

Not voting feels lazy, problem is you can choose apathy and not even check a box. It’s easy. And unproductive. Tying our own hands feels good because then we aren’t responsible for who’s in charge, and then we have the right to gripe about them.

We don’t know the candidates. We don’t have time to get away from work. The line’s too long. Couldn’t find a babysitter. We can’t trust the media anyway to truly inform us. On and on.

We live in a world now with more information than ever, and not by a little bit. The amount of connection we carry in our pockets and purses is staggering. The ability to be informed is easier than ever.

Two things I’ve been thinking about:

     -  This is much bigger than the Presidential race. Local elections, state and county, have a huge impact on our homes values, taxes, school budgets, and many issues that affect our lives daily. It’s easy to get sucked into national topics of race, religion, & rights while not having any idea who’s spending our tax money across the street or in our community.

     - This is much bigger than me. I’m going to vote, but I keep reminding myself who the King of Kings and Lord of Lords is. We’re told what He plans to accomplish, and the attributes He possesses that make Him worthy. We aren’t going to get Jesus as the next President so stop trying to make the candidates Him. Christ spent his life with the poor. Thieves. Liars. The Lost. He never intended to sit on an earthly throne, to the dismay and confusion of many.

I’ve found being an informed voter that cares to be hard. But that’s what being productive, caring, and making a difference is. It’s hard. 

J