Dandelions and Daydreams

It was a busy morning, about 8:30, when an elderly gentleman in his 80’s, arrived to have stitches removed from his thumb. He said he was in a hurry as he had an appointment at 9:00 am.

I took his vital signs and had him take a seat, knowing it would be over an hour before someone would to able to see him.
I saw him looking at his watch and decided, since I was not busy with another patient, I would evaluate his wound.

On exam, it was well healed, so I talked to one of the doctors, got the needed supplies to remove his sutures and redress his wound.

While taking care of his wound, I asked him if he had another doctor’s appointment this morning, as he was in such a hurry. The gentleman told me no, that he needed to go to the nursing home to eat breakfast with his wife.

I inquired as to her health. He told me that she had been there for a while and that she was a victim of Alzheimer’s Disease. As we talked, I asked if she would be upset if he was a bit late. He replied that she no longer knew who he was, that she had not recognized him in five years now.

I was surprised, and asked him, ‘And you still go every morning, even though she doesn’t know who you are?’

He smiled as he patted my hand and said, ‘She doesn’t know me, but I still know who she is.’

I had to hold back tears as he left, I had goose bumps on my arm, and thought, ‘That is the kind of love I want in my life.’

‘Life isn’t about how to survive the storm, but how to dance in the rain.’

photo by prakhar, cc-by

I did not write this story, but I received it in an e-mail and wanted to share it with my readers on this Valentine’s day.

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In this month’s Inspired Room article from Christian Women Online, Melissa outlines some ideas for creating a Valentine’s Day “get away” in your own home.

Who says a date night has to involve consuming big bucks in a crowded restaurant? Why do we torture ourselves into thinking romance has to include over-priced handpicked chocolates, $100 worth of roses or glittering heart-shaped diamonds? Why not make the best of what we have–a roof over our head and a little ingenuity–to create a memorable evening for any occasion. A home shouldn’t just be a place to store our things. Our homes provide an opportunity to create the life we really want. Everyday life might not seem romantic, but it is all in the perspective. Life doesn’t always hand us our dreams on a silver platter, but with a little creative energy we can imagine life to be just about anything we want it to be. Work with what you have to create your dreams under your own roof.

The thing that I love about celebrating a holiday in my own home is that I can create traditions that will follow us wherever life takes us.

The first Valentine’s day after Brenton and I were married, we were overwhelmed by college and short on both time and money. Fancy gifts or an expensive date night were out of the question. I searched around the internet and found a recipe for a cheesecake that looked pretty good. I think I spend $20 on the ingredients, but the look on Brenton’s face when he took the first bite was well worth the time and money spent.

That cheesecake, White Chocolate Raspberry Truffle Cheesecake (watch for that recipe here tomorrow), is a once a year dessert, and we have made it every year for Valentine’s.

Actually, after that first Valentines, Brenton has taken over the job of making the Valentine’s Cheesecake. I spend my time on creating ambiance–votive candles, hearts cut from coffee filters and dyed with red food coloring, music playing softly in the background.

There are a few tricks to creating a romantic haven in your own home. The most important, in my opinion is to clear away the things that remind you of your “to-do.” The second trick is to work with what you have and don’t over-do it. This is your home, not a restaurant. Create a peaceful setting, but don’t get so caught up in creating the perfect setting that you spend $100 to get that romantic feel. Finally, eat off the good dishes, pull out the crystal goblets, it’s a special occasion.

Enjoy your new traditions, and always love your spouse.

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By Robert Frost

When a friend calls to me from the road
And slows his horse to a meaning walk,
I don’t stand still and look around
on all the hills I haven’t hoed,
And shout from where I am, “What is it?”
No, not as there is a time to talk.
I thrust my hoe in the mellow ground,
Blade-end up and five feet tall,
And plod: I go up to the stone wall
For a friendly visit.

Photo by John W CC-By-ND

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Everybody seems to be talking about living a completely fulfilled life. What does a fulfilled life look like? What fulfills your life? How would you change your life now to be fulfilled? How can you achieve a fulfilled life?

The fulfilled life looks different for each person, and what would be the fulfilled life for you, might be absolute failure for me. Even so, Living the fulfilled life stems from the same root, no matter who you are. The challenge is learning what kind of flowers blossom from your branch.

The Root of a Fulfilled life.

To love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. And to love your neighbor as yourself. (Matthew 22:37-40)

Love God. Love your neighbor. Love yourself.

What does it look like to Love God?

There are a lot of voices about how to love your neighbor and even more about how to love yourself, but how do you love God? Now there is a loaded question. Loving God means keeping His commandments, but it also means living out His will in your life.

God is like a great storyteller, and you have a unique role to play in the story that He is telling. He created you with passions and desires so that you could use them within His plan. Don’t spend your time chasing the things that drag you down, but look for opportunities to use your God-given talents.

The bad news: There is no such thing as a completely fulfilled life.

After telling you all that, there is no such thing as a completely fulfilled life…

…not on this Earth anyways.

We were created to be in a perfect, unhindered relationship with God, and we were created to be in a perfect, unhindered relationship with other humans.

We can strive towards that perfect relationship with God and the perfect relationships with humans, but while we are on this earth, sin will always hinder perfect relationships. As much as I would like to find total joy, I am thankful that there is a perfect place for the perfect, complete life because the perfect, complete life isn’t suitable for an imperfect world. We just have to do the best we can here.

Photo by Rachel_thecat, cc-by-sa

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I’ve always thought that Friday is a day worth celebrating. When I was little, my mom would make pizza and we would eat off the good china. She would split a small soda between the 5 of us, and we would ring in the weekend. Ever since then, I have always had a subconscious knowledge that Friday should be celebrated.

When Brenton and I got married, we were both still in college. Life was crazy, and time was in short supply. There were weeks that I only saw him for a few hours a day (usually while he was sleeping). You can imagine the stress that put on a young bride (and groom).

During that insanely busy time, we wrote “Friday Night is Date Night” down in stone. During that first year, I would hold on just for Friday night date night. I would barely see him all week, but I knew that if I could just make it until Friday night, I would have his undivided attention.

A few years have passed since then. We have both graduated from college. Brenton has a job that doesn’t follow him home. We actually see each other in the evenings and spend time together. Even though our lives have changed, Friday night is still date night.

With our lives changing, our date nights have changed too. In college, sometimes we would just eat dinner together and then fall asleep. Now we like to play games together, or go walking under the stars. Last summer we went out to the city park and watched a meteor shower. I expect that date night will continue to change as our lives continue to change. No matter how busy our lives get, we have to set aside time for our marriage and our relationship.

Friday night date nights started out as a necessary survival tactic. I guess in a way they still are a survival tactic. With divorce occurring at a startling rate, those of us who are married must be proactive about fighting for our marriages. There are so many forces trying to pull our marriage apart. If we don’t fight for it, who will?

Tonight is date night and the husband is on his way home for lunch. I might try and talk him into a Wendy’s spicy chicken sandwich date

.

photo by skycaptaintwo, CC-By

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