Skip to main content

The meaning of success and how


I sat down to write today about being cast/boot free. It is a joy to be back to my 'normal' state of mobility - which is to say that I stumble and totter like a drunken sailor but at least now I'm not wearing a big black boot. Ahoy matey!

 But instead, I came across the above quote and being easily distracted, I began to think about it instead. (Heck, I'm tired of the damn cast and don't want to waste anymore time thinking or writing about it anyway.) It's a quote my Aunt Bonnie first introduced me too when I graduated from high school and it's come on my radar many times since then, but today for some reason it has given me pause.

 I laugh often, to be sure. I'm like the uncle in Mary Poppins - I love to laugh. I surround myself with people that make me smile and laugh and am grateful for a husband that still knows how to make me laugh.

 I'm not to sure about winning the respect of intelligent people, though. I tend to think out of the box and out loud and that isn't always the way to earn respect. But I know for sure that I've earned the affection of children (aside from the three not so little Piggins) and my affection for children runs deep. I love to talk to children - really talk AND listen to them - from toddlers to teens. Ironically, as a teen though I wasn't overly fond of children and was the second-string babysitter to sister Kelli who is still a kid-magnet to this day.

 I am confident that I've left the world a better place - having three children that each seem to striving to make the world a better place. I am grateful that I had the time and luxury to be the overly-involved mom and pour into them all that I had to give. I am proud of the legacy of Michael, Matthew and Delaney. And I am also confident that I have made my life-partner, John's life, a little easier during some tough patches. (though I made his life more challenging on many occasions, to be sure!)

 So by Mr. Emerson's barometer, my life has been a success so far. I have been spending a lot of time in recent years studying the Bible and when I ruminate of what success looks like for a Christian, it is to not focus on what worldly matters (like material goods or attaining physical perfection). It is closely aligned to what Emerson writes:

 * God wants us to live in peace knowing He is in control and through that peace we can find joy and laughter;
* Earning respect of intelligent people - God wants for us to live our lives righteously and in doing so, we will find respect.
* Affection of children - God wants us to protect and teach and love our children. If we do these things children will have affection and love in return.
* Leaving the world a better place - if we live according to God's will for us, we will be leaving a better world.
* One life a little easier - isn't that what living according to God's will is all about?

 I hope this is post has made at least one person find peace and security in knowing that they've achieved success! Because, I believe that is why I was so easily distracted and lead to write this post. Have a wonderful day!

Comments

Post a Comment

It's not a popularity contest, but ...

Fall of Giants

I've long been a fan of historical fiction and just this past Christmas I received from my son Michael Ken Follett's most recent book, Fall of Giants. It is the first book of a trilogy that covers the 20th century and the first installment covers the early 1900s up to just after World War I. It includes characters based in Russia in the time of their revolution. While I studied the Russian Revolution in college, this book brought much back to me - including the chaos that reigned for years leading up to the revolution and continuing throughout. I write about this today because the Egyptian revolution reminds me of the Russian revolution. The Russian revolution started out quietly and largely as a protest against a harsh and autocratic government - the Tsar. The Russian people didn't have a say in their government and were very poor while the royalty in Russia lived large. The secret police in Russia often killed and imprisoned people for no apparent reason and there were ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Don't cry for me ...

Song lyrics or titles run through my mind to often sum up a situation or add humor to one. Today, it's "Don't Cry for Me Argentina". Only today the title is "Don't cry for me anybody"! I mean, I get it, that people feel bad that I've got breast cancer and that I've been living with MS for nearly 27 years. And I've had other issues that I've blogged about related to #metoo. I get that it seems like a lot looking in from the outside. I hear your comments and appreciate your support. But here's the thing, it doesn't feel overwhelming to me, looking out from the inside. Know what I mean? I live the life that I've been dealt and do it with the personality and faith I've been given. Which means, I could do one of the following: A. Have a miserable, pity-me attitude that would lead to being  miserable; B. Lean into my troubles and seek answers constantly either through research or angrily with God, which would lea...
1 comment
Read more

Silenced

In April of 2010, I witnessed firsthand the pain and sorrow that comes with losing your voice. John had been in treatment for throat cancer for about a month and the radiation treatment burned his mouth and throat gradually making it more and more painful to talk. As we'd been married for 22 years, we could could communicate most things by gestures and looks (all you long-married couples know what I'm talking about!). But on Easter Sunday, when the congregation stood and began to sing     , John was silent. I sang the first verse along with the congregation, but the knowledge of why John was not singing, that he was silenced, hit me like a tsunami and I began to struggle to hold back the tears on what was supposed to be a joyful Christian celebration. Cancer had rendered by husband's voice mute. Since November, I too have been struggling to find my voice. My written voice. The sometimes funny, sometimes insightful, almost-always positive voice that I've used in thi...
Post a Comment
Read more