Washed Clean

As I lay in bed listening to the rain, I am reminded of the purity that comes with being washed clean. No matter how filthy you've allowed yourself to become, it's never too much or too late to start the process of becoming clean. The more there is and the longer it's been caked on, of course the more work and time it will take to rid it all completely.

Today I was reminded of my own arrogance and pride. It's a trap I allow myself to fall into all too often. I become blinded by my own pursuit of that elusive standard of perfection and I forget to serve, love, and respect those who are faltering along with me. I forget to be a friend. I'm very much ashamed. But the rain has helped me to remember that no matter how much wrong I've done, I can always start fresh tomorrow. Maybe not as clean as I'd like, but as I strive to love and serve all I meet, the filth will slowly be scrubbed away. What a blessing to have the opportunity to start over each day! What a blessing to be able to obtain forgiveness for the hurt I've caused!

In the words of Anne of Green Gables, "Tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it...yet."

Almost Midnight

Why is inspiration so hard to find these days?  I used to be able to sit down at the computer and write for hours on end.  But now I can't even think of a starting sentence.  Has my life become so mundane as to offer nothing worth sharing?  No, that can't be true.  Life with a(n) (almost) two-year old is far from mundane.  She most definitely keeps things interesting.

For example, this morning she stole the egg carton from the counter top (luckily there were no eggs inside).  Once I noticed the burglary, I pursued her.  I saw her coming out from beside the piano (a little area she likes to stand in lately) and so I decided that was the most obvious place to look.  It was lucky I did, too, because I discovered an entire array of things she had been hiding behind the piano!  My little pack rat had a stash of cookie cutters, rolling pins, measuring cups, and who knows what else back there!

She also recently learned to do somersaults all by herself.  She will randomly pose, head down, and start rolling around.  It's mostly entertaining, except when she decides to do it on the couch or on the bed or on my lap...then I usually have to act fast to catch her before she falls head first.

My response-time has sure been improving since becoming a mother.  Seriously, who knew someone so small could move so fast!  I can't tell you how many times she books it down the sidewalk.  She's so fast I often wonder if I would even be able to catch up to her if she didn't get distracted so easily! 

As it is, there is always something to catch her attention.  Usually it's a puppy, kitty, bunny, the swimming pool, a rock, or even an ant.  Being so close to the ground, tiny little bugs must be much easier to spot because she finds them EVERYWHERE!  I was relieved today when the bugs she was trying to pick up off the floor in the living room turned out to be lint.  But hey, it made her happy.

I wonder if I could make her little lint pets.  I've heard of people making sweaters out of lint.  Why not pet insects?  She's already fascinated by the material and it's easy to get your hands on.  I could make her a little lint farm, all with different colors and she could spend all day trying to figure out how to pinch them just right to pick them up.  At least she wouldn't be squishing a real ant to its death!  I can't let her get her hands on anything if I want it to have the chance to live.  She's always trying to get a hold of the snails in our garden, but their poor little shells would be shattered.

Yes, days with a toddler are most certainly anything but relaxing.  But they sure can be fun.  Sometimes I try to remember what I did before she came into my life...but I honestly can't!  Whatever it was, as exhausted, stressed, and overwhelmed I may be most of the time, but I prefer life this way than any other.  I've gained so much understanding, appreciation for everything around me, and depth of character.  And all because of a little girl with curly locks and hobbit feet who so happened to grow inside of my tummy.

I sure am lucky :-)

Superman Let-Down

Ever since I can remember I have been head-over-heels in love with Superman.  Quite literally.  From birthday parties, to Christmas ornaments, to random items found at the store...I was drawn to him like a bird to the sky.  I watched the movie continuously and fantasized of it even more often.  When I say I have an emotional relationship with the man, I am not kidding.

With that in mind, I had no idea what to expect when Superman Returns and now Man of Steel were announced.  I loved my Christopher Reeve version, but I was excited to have something new to connect with.  However, on both accounts I was tremendously disappointed.

While in Superman Returns his entire essence of character was destroyed, in Man of Steel he simply wasn't given any.  And neither was anyone else for that matter.  Man of Steel was basically a comic book come to life.  All action and nothing else.  There was nothing of substance to connect with on an emotional level.  The plot was weak and the characters even weaker.  There were some big names starring in the film who are capable of so much more than they were given to work with.  And that is just sad.  


I wanted a story.  I wanted to feel something.  Instead, all I was able to do was hold my breath in suspense as I watched 2 1/2 hours of flying figures knocking each other through buildings and causing mass destruction.

This started me thinking about all the other let-downs I have been experiencing year after year with growing frequency.  I feel that more often than not movies and books are getting through to the public with no real development of plot or character.  What has the world of story telling come to?  How can so many just ignore the elements that make a story come to life?  Is our society so focused on death and destruction that we don't even care to be fed anything else?  If that is the case, I fear what we may come to.  If a being is not fed anything of substance, no growth can take place.  Instead, we all may wither away into the growing unrest of a world focused on violence, deceit, and shallow intentions.