Month: June 2024

When one or more of the kids brings to my attention a less than life-giving behavior they see in me, I have found it best to listen. I ask myself if it is true and what could be the cause. They were right, I found out the cause, made correction and apologized. It was in looking back that revealed the beginning of one small choice after another.

What if they or someone else did not say something? What if I had been isolated, unknowable and kept going? This reminded me of how important it is to have other people in our lives that know us. Ones that love us enough to say what they see or how we are making them feel. We should be able to do the same. Relationships are not always easy, but they sure make life rich.

It always amazes me when I learn something new about our kids. They are fascinating to listen too and surprise me with their thoughts. As a parent, you think you know a general path they are on, but then they share an idea. Moments of the past flash by and you can see how they might have come up with this new possibility. They take one step towards the unknown, with enough curiosity to explore the idea. It might lead to another step forward or it might mean stepping back. What I love about each of them is that they are brave enough to try. Makes me want to be more like them when I grow up.

We went to a beautiful wedding last night and caught up with friends. One friend happens to be my favorite photographer of all time, even though she no longer does this as a career. She mentioned how she could not help but see through eyes of a photographer. She considered angles and lighting while celebrating as a guest. Once you start seeing the world through a certain lens, it takes a great amount of work to retrain your mind. I hope she never stops.

This also gave me great hope for all of us. With enough intentional work and focus, we can learn a new way to see others and ourselves. Our great enemy, satan, has worked from the beginning of time to distort our vision. When we become aware of the lens we are using, we need to ask ourselves if it is true or false. Sometimes we need others to help us correct what has become normal for us. It is changing me greatly.