So back at the luncheon after the memorial service last week..... We chatted with many old friends we'd not seen in eons and one of them said, "I remember feeling bad for you guys when you moved into that tiny apartment years ago."
In unison Tom and I exclaimed, "But we LOVED that apartment!!"
I mean, hey. Two weeks after Tom and I moved to the farm, I recall picking-up downed branches in what looked like a war zone all over the lawn and then slowly easing my poor ol' back, looking into the sky and thinking, "Wasn't life so sweet and uncomplicated back at the apartment? Remember how you felt like a 1940's newlywed playing house there? How your housework was done by 9:00 am, then you'd take a walk to the convenience mart, return then eat the yogurt and peanuts you'd bought while watching tv until you felt like doing something else? Remember how the landlord paid the heating bill and mowed the lawn(!)?"
And then I'd sigh, bend back down to pick up branches and toss them into the wheelbarrow. Again, again and again.
And just think. Our friend pitied us while we lived in that one-bedroom apartment and were having the time of our lives!
Just goes to show--generally--people are gonna think what they're gonna think. We cannot force anyone to believe anything, but rather, we can just live as God leads, mind our own business and pray that we'll be a blessing to others wherever we go.
Plain old-fashioned 'living the life' will speak the most clearly. And that sounds doable--and fine--to me.
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"Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands... " 1 Thessalonians 4:11
"... let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven." ... Matthew 5:16
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very true Debra! Sometimes I think I would be happier in a little cabin deep in the woods.But I am pretty happy where I am!
ReplyDeleteAmen! :)
ReplyDeleteOh, this is a good post, Debra. I always say that what people say says more about them than whomever they are referring to....generally speaking we know ourselves better than we know others so *usually* well-meaning people (even friends) are not quite "getting" whatever we're going through because we all see things things through our own lens. What *is* too bad is that this friend actually phrased this so poorly...."felt sorry for you." Not what we want to hear from people, right? Not exactly uplifting. *sigh*
ReplyDeleteGlad you and Tom could laugh it off!