On Greed

It's happening again.  I'm reading way too many blogs, which promote buying way too many products.  You need these items for a vignette, just some things you've picked up from spending countless hours scouring flea markets and antique stores.  This color is now in, and this lighting fixture.  You don't want your house to look dated, do you?

What's wrong with being dated, if you like that look?  Save your money.  Give it away.  There's nothing wrong with nice things, or buying things you can afford.  But where's your focus?

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.  Bu store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also (Matthew 6:19-21, NIV version).

Where is your heart?  If you spend a lot of time looking at beautiful things, and then feeling like you have to have them, beware.  Change your focus. 

The Bible talks about money a lot.  Jesus said that the love of money is the root of all evil.  Envy is classified by Roman Catholics as one of the seven deadly sins.  When I envy I hyper-focus on that particular thing, person or lifestyle.  It takes my attention off of God and all the incredible blessings He has given me.  I forget to be grateful because I'm too busy yearning for what I don't have.

I sometimes think it would be nice to live a life like Martha Stewart.  No worries about money, buying anything she wants.  She has three houses and an apartment in Manhattan.  She had to build a storage building to house some of her many collections.  But with possessions comes responsibility to care for them.  The more you have, the greater the devastation should you lose them.  I wouldn't want those headaches.

Over and over again history shows us that people living beyond their means spells disaster.  The trick is finding that happy medium.

. . . give me neither poverty nor riches!  Give me just enough to satisfy my needs (Proverbs 30:8, NLT version) .

May satisfying our needs be enough.

On Blogging

I love blogs.  I like seeing how people somewhat similar to me, live, what they think and what they do.  I'm not sure how I discovered blogs, but I think it was after I had bought a c. 1875 Victorian workingman's cottage in 2005 and had questions concerning renovations.  Oh, what a wonderful world was opened to me!  I found other people who had old houses they were renovating, and gardens they were creating.  This is when the internet is really working at its best--finding community in the great big blogosphere and people sharing invaluable experience and resources.

I particularly like the fairy-tale, before-and-after, dramatic stories.  Hoarder houses, decrepit, rat-infested dumps restored to their former grandeur.  I like to see how the owners, decorate, entertain, cook and just generally "do life."  Most of them are very different than I, yet there's something I am attracted to in their story--their sense of style, or passion about gardening or cooking.  I just learn so darn much!

What I don't like are the bloggers that seem greedy.  Countless giveaways in order to attract sponsors for their blogs.  How do I then know if they're being honest regarding product reviews and recommendations?  Constant posts about this beautiful pillow or that to-die-for sofa.  All extremely high-priced.  Are there really people who spend $300 on a pillow?  Really?

The constant images give me diahrrea of the eyeballs.  I think it promotes envy, and greed.  I am a sucker for images of beautiful houses and gardens.  But it sometimes leads me to be dissatisfied with what I have.  And jealous of others' possessions.  How can they afford to renovate those bathrooms and kitchens?

It's then that I have to step back and think about how blessed I am.  That I have a 1560-square-foot house, more than I'd ever need.  Two beautiful gardens.  A brand new kitchen!  A peaceful, quiet neighborhood.  And the ability to take care of it and do some renovations myself, as well as the gardening.

I'll never have everything I want. If I keep pursuing what I think I want, it just begets more and more cravings, for things that ultimately cannot satisfy.  Because God has set eternity in our hearts (Ecclesiastes 3:11).  Eternity is a really long time.  Our true, real, final home is not here.  Why not focus on the important things, instead of $300 pillows. 

The cottage.

The front garden.

The back garden.

 

Unveiled

 So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image. (2 Corinthians 3:18 NLT)

Our church's women's retreat was led this year by Linda Strickland of Christian Healing Ministries.  I wanted to share Linda's challenges.

1. Stay in the Word, find community and get prayer.
2. Set God-sized goals.
3. Don't let fear dictate your decisions.
4. Stop repeating the past, start making a future and start playing to win.
5. Burn your sinful bridges.
6. Let Jesus have your shame.
7. Challenge old assumptions.
8. Become part of the solution.
9. Be yourself.
10. Quit making excuses, stop playing defense and play offense.
11. Quit playing it safe.

Our ultimate goal as Christians is the FINISH THE RACE, no matter how hard or long it is.   It's our own version of the Olympics.



There's quite a bit of athletic imagery in the New Testament (discussed here).

Hold firmly to the word of life; then, on the day of Christ’s return, I will be proud that I did not run the race in vain and that my work was not useless. (Phillipians 2:15 NLT)

I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection.  But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me.  No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing:  Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us. (Phillipians 3:12-14 NLT)

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up.  And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. (Hebrews 12:1 NLT)

Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize?  So run to win!  All athletes are disciplined in their training.  They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize.  So I run with purpose in every step.  I am not just shadowboxing.  I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should.  Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified. (1 Corinthians 9:24-27 NLT)

 And athletes cannot win the prize unless they follow the rules. (2 Timothy 2:5 NLT)

I usually don't give up easily.  At least, in most things.  I think it's my stubbornness, which can really come in hand sometimes.  I don't give up on transforming my house and garden into the image I have in my mind.  I don't like to fail at things due to pride.  But I sure can give up easily in trying to change myself--my unhealthy habits, my judging people, being negative, you name it.  I forgot that I CAN'T change myself, only GOD can.  That's why he left us a Comforter (see John 16) who takes up residence INSIDE of us.  When we acknowledge that Jesus Christ is the son God, sent to die for our sins so that we can have eternal life.  That's when we receive the Holy Spirit.  Except then we're expected to act like Him, which is the hardest part.  Again, WE can't do that.  The third person of the Trinity enables us to live a life of godliness. 

Comforter.  Helper.  Spirit of Christ.  Counselor.  Spirit of Grace.  Spirit of Truth.  Spirit of Life.  Oil of Joy.  Spirit of Power.  Spirit of Wisdom.  Spirit of Knowledge.

 

“But now I am going away to the one who sent me, and not one of you is asking where I am going.  Instead, you grieve because of what I’ve told you.  But in fact, it is best for you that I go away, because if I don’t, the Advocate won’t come.  If I do go away, then I will send him to you." (John 16:5-7 NLT)


"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace.   In this world you will have trouble.  But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33 NIV)

I'm Injured

The doctor said something about bone spurs on my shoulder.  He prescribed physical therapy.  I am grateful to God that it wasn't arthritis like I feared.  This will heal, I am sure.

It seems I never quite learn the lesson that I am not in control of my schedule.  It's not all about me (see The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren).  "We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps" (Proverbs 16:9, NIT).  And I had so many--hosting Easter dinner, spring cleaning, finishing touches on my renovated kitchen, finishing an overhaul of my bathroom, cleaning my gardens.


But here I sit, all projects unfinished and on hold.  It's extremely difficult--the waiting, missing deadlines, wondering when I'll be feeling "normal" again.  And continue on with my busy little plans.  But God maybe had other plans.  I don't think God is mean and inflicts pain, disease and calamity on us for the fun of it.  But ". . . the Lord disciplines those he loves . . ." (Proverbs 3:12, NIV).  He will do whatever He needs to do to make us suitable for eternal life.


And what He needs to do in me is help me relinquish my control, or the belief that I am in control.  It's a hard lesson to learn.  I have my life so programmed that sometimes I feel that it's too much to make a telephone call to stay in touch with a friend.  My priorities need to change.  I need time for God, and people that I love.

It'll all get done--the cleaning, the gardening.  Just not on my timetable.

". . . Thy will be done . . ."  (Matthew 6:10, KJV).

The mess in the kitchen.

Remembering 9/11

I was on my way to work when the radio announced that a plane had crashed into the Twin Tower. I'd never heard any disc jockey on this Christian radio station interrupt like that before. I figured it was a commuter plane but thought it was odd, and how horrible devastation was going to be.

My co-worker came in and said another plane had flown into another building and that that was no accident, but a terrorist. Since this co-worker is prone to exaggeration, I dismissed her comment and tried to get news online. It was jammed. I remember listening to a British radio program talking about the tragedy. I called my parents to find out what was going on. My mother said, I don't know, I have to go, they just few a plane into the Pentagon.

Terror. Heart racing. Feeling hopeless and on the brink of tears.

Another co-worker came in and told me to pray for her friend's son, who was working at the Twin Towers that day. He called a little while later, sounding confused and surprised when I told him I'd just been praying for him. His meeting had been called off that day so he wasn't in the building.

I didn't know what to do. No one was really working, just sitting around, somber, silent, talking about the incredulity of the whole thing. Louie was watching the towers fall on TV. I didn't want to see it, so I left the room. Too horrifying, like a nightmare.

I talked to a fellow graduate student, and we were cheered that class for that night had been cancelled. Silly, self-centered girls. Later that student would cry when she relayed to the class that her friend had died in the attack on New York. Our professor told us that Bin Laden's sister, who was a student at the college, was leaving the U.S. for fear of her life.

Since I didn't have school I spent a rare night at home, watching, watching, watching. For the survivors. Where were the survivors? Trying to understand - who had done this awful thing? How had it unfolded? Why is it that having the facts makes it better, somehow? If we can understand then perhaps we'll be safer. No. God is the only One with true understanding, and provides perfect safety.

What can I do? I want to help. Can I donate blood? But there weren't any survivors who needed blood. So many people gone. My co-worked said (the one who asked me to pray), that could have been us, they were just going to work like us.

Weird how we can be personally affected, right here in Connecticut, isn't it? We're really too far north to have many folks commuting to the city. A flight attendant on the Boston United flight was from a town near mine.

So ten years later, it seems like a lifetime ago. Saddam? Dead? Osama? Him, too. I'm guessing God had an interesting conversation with both of them. But this is a religious war, people. Or a culture war. And these radical Muslims must be stopped. Really, they're not much different from when God had ordered them killed back when Israel was given their Holy Land. But that's a whole 'nother discussion.

Rudy Giuliani was very impressive, as was George Bush. I hope people always remember and understand this vicious act of war and the loss of 2819 innocent lives.

Here are the stats:

9/11 by the Numbers
Death, destruction, charity, salvation, war, money, real estate, spouses, babies, and other September 11 statistics.

The initial numbers are indelible: 8:46 a.m. and 9:02 a.m. Time the burning towers stood: 56 minutes and 102 minutes. Time they took to fall: 12 seconds. From there, they ripple out.

* Total number killed in attacks (official figure as of 9/5/02): 2,819

* Number of firefighters and paramedics killed: 343

* Number of NYPD officers: 23

* Number of Port Authority police officers: 37

* Number of WTC companies that lost people: 60

* Number of employees who died in Tower One: 1,402

* Number of employees who died in Tower Two: 614

* Number of employees lost at Cantor Fitzgerald: 658

* Number of U.S. troops killed in Operation Enduring Freedom: 22

* Number of nations whose citizens were killed in attacks: 115

* Ratio of men to women who died: 3:1

* Age of the greatest number who died: between 35 and 39

* Bodies found "intact": 289

* Body parts found: 19,858

* Number of families who got no remains: 1,717

* Estimated units of blood donated to the New York Blood Center: 36,000

* Total units of donated blood actually used: 258

* Number of people who lost a spouse or partner in the attacks: 1,609

* Estimated number of children who lost a parent: 3,051

* Percentage of Americans who knew someone hurt or killed in the attacks: 20

* FDNY retirements, January–July 2001: 274

* FDNY retirements, January–July 2002: 661

* Number of firefighters on leave for respiratory problems by January 2002: 300

* Number of funerals attended by Rudy Giuliani in 2001: 200

* Number of FDNY vehicles destroyed: 98

* Tons of debris removed from site: 1,506,124

* Days fires continued to burn after the attack: 99

* Jobs lost in New York owing to the attacks: 146,100

* Days the New York Stock Exchange was closed: 6

* Point drop in the Dow Jones industrial average when the NYSE reopened: 684.81

* Days after 9/11 that the U.S. began bombing Afghanistan: 26

* Total number of hate crimes reported to the Council on American-Islamic Relations nationwide since 9/11: 1,714

* Economic loss to New York in month following the attacks: $105 billion

* Estimated cost of cleanup: $600 million

* Total FEMA money spent on the emergency: $970 million

* Estimated amount donated to 9/11 charities: $1.4 billion

* Estimated amount of insurance paid worldwide related to 9/11: $40.2 billion

* Estimated amount of money needed to overhaul lower-Manhattan subways: $7.5 billion

* Amount of money recently granted by U.S. government to overhaul lower-Manhattan subways: $4.55 billion

* Estimated amount of money raised for funds dedicated to NYPD and FDNY families: $500 million

* Percentage of total charity money raised going to FDNY and NYPD families: 25

* Average benefit already received by each FDNY and NYPD widow: $1 million

* Percentage increase in law-school applications from 2001 to 2002: 17.9

* Percentage increase in Peace Corps applications from 2001 to 2002: 40

* Percentage increase in CIA applications from 2001 to 2002: 50

* Number of songs Clear Channel Radio considered "inappropriate" to play after 9/11: 150

* Number of mentions of 9/11 at the Oscars: 26

* Apartments in lower Manhattan eligible for asbestos cleanup: 30,000

* Number of apartments whose residents have requested cleanup and testing: 4,110

* Number of Americans who changed their 2001 holiday-travel plans from plane to train or car: 1.4 million

* Estimated number of New Yorkers suffering from post-traumatic-stress disorder as a result of 9/11: 422,000

Copyright © 2011, New York Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.

What I Learned About Housekeeping This Summer

I don't like to deep-clean anything. I like things to look picked-up and put-together, but I hate moving furniture and scrubbing things. It's exhausting. Once I arrange a room I don't like to move anything. My house is especially unkempt during gardening season (basically May through July).

Unfortunately this summer my house has become infested with fleas. I have three beloved, adorable cats. See for yourself - Rudy, Lucy and Carly. The fleas were everywhere. It was most horrifying. Sickening. Depressing. Frustrating. I vacuumed, cleaned, bombed, sprayed, gave pills and lotions to the cats. I still see them and my cats are still scratching. I guess I'll have to call in an exterminator and spend money I don't have.

Anyway, I've now become obsessed with cleaning. Which products are best, most efficient, smell the nicest? I'm really liking a Lysol spray I bought that smells so heavenly I'd like to dab it behind my ears.

I've had to store my sisal rugs, since the fleas really seemed to like them. I'm also storing radiator covers so I can more easily get underneath for vacuuming and spraying poison. I've done load after load of laundry, being careful not to put it in areas where the fleas are. Vacuuming every square inch of a 1560-square-foot house all the time is exhausting. This ordeal is also emotionally exhausting as I'm constantly checking myself for fleas and inspecting everything for evidence. It gets depressing when I read that a flea can produce thousands of eggs, and they hatch every two weeks. The eggs are too small to see so I'm battling an invisible enemy for the most part.

I finally finished a thorough cleaning of the bathroom, including cleaning and organizing the medicine cabinet. Have you ever found pills that you have no idea what they're for? I've been known to ask my brother the nurse what the pills are for, since I have an insuppressible need to know stupid details like what horrible ailment I had that required these unidentifiable medications.

I hate cleaning bathrooms. Perhaps if I did it more often it wouldn't be such a bear of a job when I finally get around to it. This particular bathroom is horrific because in my c. 1875 home, the previous owner did a cheap, slap-dash job of renovating it so I have a hokey, homemade vanity, corner shelves and bath surround. It also has a vinyl floor with an imprint design so the dirt hides nicely in all the nooks and crannies.

So I found that in an area where the vinyl floor cracked, water has gotten in and caused the subfloor to start rotting. My ceilings on the first floor are almost nine feet high, so I never had a shower curtain that was long enough, causing water to continuously fall on the floor. I broke down and ordered an 84" long curtain. Hopefully that will stop further deterioration.

I dream of the day when I can finally install a bathroom upstairs and can renovate this bath. I dream of a clawfoot tub, little white hexagonal floor tiles, beadboard part way up the walls and a pedestal sink. Maybe I'll win one of those contests I keep entering at magazine websites.

Here's what I've learned from the Great Flea Infestation of 2011:

1. I have too much stuff! I thought I'd done well at de-cluttering, too.
2. My furniture is too big for my small rooms. I thought I was maximizing the space by super-sizing the furniture.
3. Maintenance, maintenance, maintenance! It's so important to stay on top of housecleaning. It's amazing how quickly things get dirty with three cats in an old, drafty house.
   

My neat-freak mother always tells me that I should pick up after myself immediately. "Do it now" was one of my father's mantras. But after a hard day's work who wants to come home and clean? I just want to plop down on the couch, relax and zone out. Forget obligations and responsibilities.

What about you? What are your housekeeping habits?

June - It's All About the Garden

June is an incredibly busy month. You see, I'm a gardener. Since I became a gardener five years ago, spring has become my favorite season. Oh, the anticipation! What will the weather be like, and how will it affect my plants? What lived through the winter? Do I see evidence of the woodchuck's appetite? So it's a very tough time to be balanced. It's all about the garden. Morning and evening walk-throughs. I want to savor the sights and smells, because it comes and goes so quickly. There's no guarantee that it'll be this way again. It's all about now, and trying to remember. I rush to capture it all on film, but it just never can quite tell the story, the essence. That's life. There'll never be a June 18, 2011 evening again. Will I ever remember how it became so muggy as twilight fell? Will I remember the garden tour, the nine homes my mother and I visited? Will I remember that my banana bread didn't turn out well? I think I want to remember. Our memories are changed by new perceptions we attain, by the new person we've become. What remark hurt me yesterday may have no effect on me today. Strange. Anyway, this is June 18, 2011. It's Rose Weekend at Elizabeth Park, so in honor of that I'll show you the roses from the garden I planted in the front side yard last year.