Words of Encouragement

Two notes of note this week:

Vigilance

Carter brought home a little card from Sunday School yesterday about focusing on "Vigilance" this third week of Lent.

It read: "This week I will make plans to discard possessions that are not useful or beautiful. Too many possessions weigh us down and prevent us from noticing God's presence, from attending to God's voice presenting us with possibilities. It is difficult to change direction and follow a new path if we are burdened with more than we need. Seasoned travelers travel light. A cluttered home creates a cluttered mind and heart. It's time to begin spring cleaning!"

Wow, is that packed with a dozen messages for Robyn Austin! Good thing it doesn't say we need to act on this advice and accomplish it all in one week.

I did start by gathering up some "extra" arts and crafts supplies to donate to Carter's school for a giveaway. I went so far as to add a note that urged them to contact me if they didn't get enough items. I'd be happy to donate more.

That's such a teeny, tiny start but as one of my sisters pointed out this week, sometimes we gotta start out with baby steps and maybe that's all we can do for awhile. I could waste time saying, "It's overwhelming! I don't know where to start!" -- then get nowhere.

The important thing is to start. Somewhere! Take baby steps. Be vigilant!

Spellbound

Carter got some mail today. It was a card and note from my mom wishing him good luck at his next spelling competition. She had good intentions (mailing it last week) but unfortunately it arrived 2 days after the contest. Trust me, though, it was worth the wait.

In it Grandma (who could be called "Grammar" with her perfect language arts skills) gave Carter some words of encouragement, then ended it by writing (in her perfect penmanship), "I wuz allways good in Speling and I stil am tooday."

That's my mom and her sneaky, clever humor. Carter thought it was pretty darn funny. I said, "Now you know where I get my sense of humor!"

I also know it probably took her longer to figure out how to misspell the words than it did to write the whole note. Gotta luv her!