What I've Learned from Facebook

I've learned several interesting things this week on Facebook. Apparently, I should be living in New York City. Facebook says that I like to be able to go out any hour of the day or night and find an awesome place to eat. What Facebook doesn't seem to realize is that I live in Joelton. Joelton has a Subway in the gas station and a McDonald's, where the help is sometimes questionable and if you think it's "fast" food, think again. Needless to say, I'm not reaping the rewards of big city life. I was equally surprised when Facebook stated that I would have 3 kids, 2 boys and 1 girl. I've got the girl, she's 10 now. Since my biological clock is ticking like it's on steroids, I figure I will turn up pregnant any day with twin boys. I'm glad Facebook has given me this heads up...we will certainly proceed with caution (lots of caution if you know what I mean). After taking all of this in, I figured that I would try something a little lighter. I took a quiz to find out what 80's cartoon character I was most like. More bad news, Facebook says that I'm like Strawberry Shortcake. What? I'm not a "pink" person, if fact during the quiz when they asked me to pick a color, I picked green out of the choices I had. Strawberry Shortcake seems weak and whimpy. She teaches about good manners and fairness. Why couldn't I have been like Velma from Scooby Doo who's smart and solves mysteries or Jane Jetson who had a robot maid and led a leisurely life with all of their labor saving devices?

More important than all of my quiz results that I've taken this week on Facebook, is the fact that I truly have learned from being on Facebook. I've learned things like: a childhood friend died a few years back in a car accident, my 20th class reunion is being planned for the fall, and a friend from college killed himself. It's reassuring to log on and see that someone else may have had a bad day, has a sick child, problems at work, or is just tired and exhausted from the day. What I find most rewarding about Facebook is seeing the everyday testimonies of friendships, faith, and family. The excitement of ball season starting, the planning of birthday parties, the milestones of a child losing a tooth or getting potty trained, the romance of a date night with a husband or wife, an upcoming vacation, a new career path, someone's child accepting Christ into their heart, or someone thankful for a clean house. It's refreshing to see the emotion, pride, and joy that accompanies each post and picture. Proberbs 27:17 says, "As iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend". I think Facebook gives us yet another avenue to help us bear witness and keep each other up in the Lord. Happy postings.

GOT SISTERS???

As many of you know, I am the oldest of four girls. Do you buy into the theory that "people are the way they are" based on the order of their birth in their family? Being the oldest sister and first born, I certainly hold many of the typical traits that come with being born first. I have leadership ability (a.k.a. bossy and dominant), I strive to please and follow my parent's wishes (a.k.a. suck up), I am conscientious, responsible, organized, and feel like I must gain status by working hard, sometimes to the point of perfectionism. While not all of these traits are bad, some have probably played an important role in my life. I think my "take charge" personality at times comes off as overbearing or aggressive, my perfectionist side tends to make me criticize others too much and leaves me disappointed in people. I worry alot about order and may not be flexible when it's needed and may become too boxed in with the to-do-list to see the big picture or fail to pay attention to the opinions of others. Having said that, it's no wonder I don't have a huge social circuit and never really had the need for those "Best Friend" broken heart necklaces to share growing up. However, I'm quite content with my birth order and have plenty of people around me who take my traits for what they are and love me anyway.

After seeing how well the birth order fit me, I decided to see how it fit my sisters. When I look at my middle sisters, they too fall in line with the typical traits of middle children. They are more laid back, very peer-focused, and because life hasn't always been fair for them they are unspoiled and realistic. However, middle children may often feel suspicious, cynical, and even bitter due to their position in the family. They may let friends cloud their judgement on key decisions, be unwilling to cooperate, and may fail to admit when they need help. Last, the "baby" of the family, the "little" sister. You know what they say... if the shoe fits... The last child is the one who was least likely disciplined either because mom & dad were too laid back or too worn down to freak over every infraction. Rather than striving for perfection, they are trying to achieve "okayness" by trying hard. They often have feelings of inferiority and may not be taken seriously. They expect others to do things for them and may feel rejected. They are attention seeking and may appear to be absent-minded, manipulative, and can talk a good game but can't always produce.

Like any family, we have our fair share of sibling rivalry. It's no wonder with such distinct personality traits. Sisters don't need words. They have perfected a language of snarls and smiles and frowns and winks-expressions of shocked surprise and incredulity and disbelief. Sniffs and snorts and gasps and sighs-that can undermine any tale you're telling. So, does differences in upbringing instill different attitudes and values about life and work? I think it definitely does and we must realize that as sisters we were all born to the same parents but into different families. We all can be quick to criticize our siblings for their shortcomings or how we perceive that they 'should' be but I'm reminded of the story of a pair of sisters in the Bible.

There was a pair of sisters who were good close friends of Jesus, when He walked the roads in Judea, now Israel. Martha and Mary ran the family home in the village of Bethany, and took care of a sickly brother. Jesus loved to drop in on them. In one of those impromptu visits, Martha, the oldest sister, bustled off to the kitchen to make a good meal for Jesus and His group of men. Mary, the younger sister sat down at Jesus' feet and pulled up her knees to prop up her chin, and she listened to every word He said. But Martha got exasperated. She came into the guest area and asked Jesus to scold her sister for not coming to help and share the work. He turned around and rebuked Martha for worrying about too many little things. He said this time Mary had choose the better course of action. Whoa! Sounds like we don't have as many responsibilities as we tend to take on, and the Lord Jesus would prefer that we spend quality time with Him first.

Closer friends I'll never find, than the ones I call my sisters.

*A sister joke for laughs

Three sisters ages 92, 94, and 96 lived in a house together.

One night, the 96 year old draws a bath. She puts her foot in and pauses.

She yells down the stairs, "was I getting in or out of the bath?"

The 94 year old yells back, "I don't know. I'll come up and see." She starts up the stairs and pauses, "was I going up the stairs or down?"

The 92 year old is sitting at the kitchen table having tea, listening to her sisters. She shakes her head and says, "I sure hope I never get that forgetful."

She knocks on the wooden table for good measure.

She then yells, "I'll come up and help both of you as soon as I see who's at the door.......

When you least expect it...

How frustrating is it when you've place a simple order at McDonalds drive thru, however, when you get to the window, they inform you that you need to pull up, out of the way until your order is ready? I'm sorry, I thought I was at a "fast" food restaurant. Have you ever been disappointed because you were craving a chocolate milkshake, but were informed, that the milkshake machine isn't working right now? Am I alone, or do you find yourself staring at the toaster in the mornings waiting for that frozen waffle to pop up for the kido while rushing to get out the door?

We are definitely a society that wants things to happen almost instantaneously. We seek instant gratification and become let down and disappointed when it doesn't come quickly enough. I constantly remind myself that God tells us to "Be anxious for nothing but...let your requests be made known to God". I'm sure I make my fair share of requests, none being any higher than my desire for Miranda to come to know Him as her Saviour. Tonight he answered that request. When I was lying down with Miranda tucking her in, she said that she wanted to be baptised. When asking her to tell me why she had made her decision she said, "Doesn't if mean that you want Jesus in your heart?". I told her that's exactly what it meant and how proud I was of her.

I had just typed on facebook that I was "wondering what the weekend would hold". Little did I know that God wasn't finished with my Thursday yet! Like many of us, Miranda has lots of "wants". She wants the trendy clothes, the hot concert tickets, the newest American Girl Doll, etc...., but tonight she wants what matters most and I couldn't be happier.

"Evening and morning and at noon I will pray, and cry aloud, and he shall hear my voice." PS.55:17

What I Learned This Week

Wow, I'm getting so much more out of 4th grade the second time around. Let's see, this week I have learned the ever important differences between centipedes and millipedes, I brushed up on those famous input/output tables in math, and have learned the meaning of the words twined and steely. All I really remember from my own 4th grade is how much I loved my "trapper keeper". Now, the cool thing to have in 4th grade is a "Zuca rolling backpack" (which retails for around $150). I know things have changed but $150 for a backpack??? And yes, we bought one. After teaching 5th grade all day and coming home and helping Miranda with her 4th grade homework, I feel as though I should be submitting my application for the show "Who Wants to Be a Fifth Grader" but who needs the fame and a million dollars? Well, my rewards don't always come in the form a check but rather each time Miranda comes home excited about her "good graded papers" or each time someone tells her "that's a cool backpack, where'd you get it?". It's then that I realize are time studying has paid off and the $150 backpack, well, I can hope it lasts for a couple of years. I'm definately aware of how quickly time passes and I know that one day I will want theses years back. So, bring on the next set of vocabulary words and the next "cool fad" I will embrace them with open arms. Beth

Upcoming Weekend

Well, its almost the weekend and we have several things going on. We are throwing a 25th anniversary party for my aunt and uncle and Sunday will be my mom's birthday. Yes, she wants to have an Elvis themed birthday(imagine that)! May see if Miranda wants to go to germ city (oh, I mean Chuck E Cheese) and play some games. She likes the Deal of No Deal Game (who am I kidding, so do I). She works hard at school and on homework all week and we try to make sure she has some fun on the weekends. I'm sure there will be some card playing at some point so wish me luck.