That said, some random thoughts came to mind during my thinking time tonight. Meaning, during the only quiet part of my day in the only quiet part of my house...10ish o'clock in the bathroom...no, in front of the mirror.
THINGS I WISH I'D KNOWN WHEN I WAS YOUNG (or for that matter, yesterday):
Everyone has a God-sized hole that they fill with something. (Max Lucado said this?)
For much of my life, it was everything but. For a lot of folks, still is. Shopping, drugs, parties, sports, love relationships, career, even causes...good stuff can fill that void too, the problem is eventually we all have a moment when we are completely alone in the world, without a friend, or maybe a dollar, with no where to turn, no where but up. He will never leave you or forsake you. I promise because I have been there.
It is not the end of the world.
When the boyfriend dumps you, the friends say they hate you, your parents yell at you, you fail the test, you screw up..again, you embarass yourself in front of the entire school, you lose the job, or everyone knows what a failure you are. Its not the end when you hear that you have ms, or any other life sentence. It is only the end when it is the end.
A kiss is a really big deal.
Think Britney and Madonna, or when the one you love is leaving town, for a day, or for a year. I think about the last time I kissed my grandmother, most times we don't know when the last is, I thank God that I did. A kiss is a big deal too when our little ones get too big for their britches and refuse to kiss you goodnight. Oh how that shoots an arrow in a momma's heart! I wish my girls would know how big a kiss is when they start dating.
Friendships are one of the few things worth wasting time on.
Wow!--friendships have just gotten more complex as I've gotten older. Everyone comes into relationships with their own set of experiences that shape their every interaction. I have many many people I care about, but less people that I know really care about me. The friends who stop to ask how you're feeling, or who will give you a badly needed ride at just the right time. The friends who notice when you're sad, and make time to figure out why. The friends who will stand outside a hospital and pray with you. The friends who pray for your children. The friends who make you dinner when you are sick. Over time, life exposes your friends in layers, like an onion (thanks be to Shrek). I am a truster, and I am thankful that I have so many beautiful friends that have proven trust worthy.
Marriage is no fairy tale, and its not fair to expect a Prince Charming.
A ton of trials and tribulation could have been avoided at my house in the early years if I had known this! You CANNOT train a man like a dog. I was simply not prepared for the hard work and compromise that is required to make a marriage work. And he was NOT prepared for a wife who couldn't cook and thought money grew on trees....but that is his story. I was blessed with a patient husband who loved me enough to hang in there, and I loved him right back.
And, before I hit the bed, I'll return to my teenager...the middle schooler. I wish I'd known that Middle School is the most painful time of your life (,high school must come in second).
I am still growing. Hopefully, we continue on our journey of growth until the end of our life, and become more complete all the while. None of us are who we will become when we are in 8th grade. I wish I'd known that cause those awful times stick with you, and I was the gawkiest geek. I wish I could wipe away any painful times from my three kids' lives. My eraser's not that big. For now, I guess I'll just keep trying to catch their kisses! And reminding them of their worth...and all of our worth.
How blessed is God! And what a blessing he is! He's the Father of our Master, Jesus Christ, and takes us to the high places of blessing in him। Long before he laid down earth's foundations, he had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of his love, to be made whole and holy by his love. Ephesians 1:3-4 MSG
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