Invisible Mothers

It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response, the way one of the kids will walk into the room while I'm on the phone and ask to be taken to the store. Inside I'm thinking, 'Can't you see I'm on the phone?'
Obviously not; no one can see if I'm on the phone, or cooking, or sweeping the floor, or even standing on my head in the corner, because no one can see me at all. I'm invisible. The invisible Mom. Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more: Can you fix this? Can you tie this? Can you open this?

Some days I'm not a pair of hands; I'm not even a human being. I'm a clock to ask, 'What time is it? I'm a satellite guide to answer, 'What number is the Disney Channel? I'm a car to order, 'Right around 5:30, please.'

I was certain that these were the hands that once held books and the eyes that studied history and the mind that graduated summa cum laude - but now they had disappeared into the peanut butter, never to be seen again. She's going, she's going, and she’s gone!

One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a friend from England. Janice had just gotten back from a fabulous trip, and she was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in. I was sitting there, looking around at the others all put together so well. It was hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself. I was feeling pretty pathetic, when Janice turned to me with a beautifully wrapped package, and said, 'I brought you this.' It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe. I wasn't exactly sure why she'd given it to me until I read her inscription: To Charlotte, with admiration for the greatness of what you are building when no one sees.'

In the days ahead I would read - no, devour - the book. And I would discover what would become for me, four life-changing truths, after which I could pattern my work: No one can say who built the great cathedrals we have no record of their names. These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never see finished. They made great sacrifices and expected no credit. The passion of their building was fueled by their faith that the eyes of God saw everything.

A legendary story in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, 'Why are you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by the roof? No one will ever see it. And the workman replied, 'Because God sees.'

I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place. It was almost as if I heard God whispering to me, 'I see you, Charlotte. I see the sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does. No act of kindness you've done, no sequin you've sewn on, no cupcake you've baked, is too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a great cathedral, but you can't see right now what it will become.

At times, my invisibility feels like an affliction. But it is not a disease that is erasing my life. It is the cure for the disease of my own self-centeredness. It is the antidote to my strong, stubborn pride.

I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder. As one of the people who show up at a job that they will never see finished, to work on something that their name will never be on. The writer of the book went so far as to say that no cathedrals could ever be built in our lifetime because there are so few people willing to sacrifice to that degree.

When I really think about it, I don't want my son to tell the friend he's bringing home from college for Thanksgiving, 'My mom gets up at 4 in the morning and bakes homemade pies. Then she hand bastes a turkey for three hours and presses all the linens for the table.' That would mean I'd built a shrine or a monument to myself. I just want him to want to come home. And then, if there is anything more to say to his friend, to add, 'you’re gonna love it there.'

As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen if we're doing it right. And one day, it is very possible that the world will marvel, not only at what we have built, but at the beauty that has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible women.

CHRISTIAN

by Maya Angelou

When I say... "I am a Christian"

I'm not shouting I'm clean livin.

I'm whispering I was lost, now I'm found and forgiven.



When I say..."I am a Christian"

I don't speak of this with pride.

I'm confessing that I stumble and need CHRIST to be my guide.



When I say... "I am a Christian"

I'm not trying to be strong.

I'm professing that I'm weak and need HIS strength to carry on.



When I say... "I am a Christian"

I'm not bragging of success.

I'm admitting I have failed and need God to clean my mess.



When I say... "I am a Christian"

I'm not claiming to be perfect,

My flaws are far too visible but, God believes I am worth it.



When I say... "I am a Christian"

I still feel the sting of pain,

I have my share
of heartaches so I call upon His name.



When I say... "I am a Christian"

I'm not holier than thou,

I'm just a simple sinner who received God's good grace, somehow.

Fuel for the Soul

By Dr. James C. Denison
Pastor for Teaching, Park Cities Baptist Church, Dallas, Texas

Topic: help for stressed souls

Stop and smell the jet fuel. My father used to tell me that I needed to "slow down" when I was eating, or talking, or walking, or doing pretty much anything but sleeping. As Will Rogers said, the older I get the smarter my father has become. Now even the nation's airlines seem to agree with my dad.

Today's New York Times tells us that airplanes are flying more slowly these days and saving millions on fuel as a result. Southwest Airlines is extending each flight by one to three minutes, and thinks it will save $42 million in fuel this year. A Northwest Airlines flight from Paris to Minneapolis this week flew at an average speed of 532 m.p.h. instead of the usual 542 m.p.h., adding eight minutes to the flight and saving $535 worth of fuel. Adding four minutes to its Hawaii flights saves the airline $600,000 a year on that route. JetBlue apparently started all of this two years ago, adding an average of just under two minutes to each flight and saving $13.6 million a year in jet fuel.

Not everyone in aviation has joined the trend. An American Airlines spokesman said, "We have the flying schedule to protect." They'll agree with my father eventually.

So should you. We live in the most hectic, fast-paced, stressed-out culture in history. Our society is changing more rapidly than ever before. Sociologists speak of these days as "whitewater" times. We're rafting faster than we can row, with no real idea what's around the next turn in the river. For instance, today's Times reports that some on Wall Street think the economy has bottomed out and will rebound later this year, but others are quick to disagree. People are buying more small cars than ever as gas prices continue to escalate, but no one knows if the trend will continue. Everyone is wondering how next week's presidential primaries will affect the Democratic race, if they do at all.

In times like these, we will save more than jet fuel if we slow our souls down. For centuries, people seeking God have kept spiritual "hours," following a fixed schedule which stops to pray at various times through the day. The Psalmist said, "Seven times a day I praise you for your righteous laws" (Psalm 119:164), so liturgical traditions have often recommended prayer at 6 a.m., 9 a.m., noon, 3 p.m., 6 p.m., 9 p.m., and midnight. Other Christian communions follow the example of Psalm 55:17, praying when they rise, at noon, and before going to bed. What matters is not so much the specific schedule we choose as that we choose one.

When is your next appointment for your soul to meet with your Father today?
from: http://www.godissues.org/articles/categories/God-Issues-Today/This-Year/

Days of Remembrance

This past week while in Washington D. C. I visited the Holocaust Museum. It was an incredible place to experience. I am so glad I went. As it turned out this week has been known as the Days of Remembrance. Take a moment today to remember those that lost their lives or were prisoners of such horrible monstrosity. -mr
May it never happen again.
http://www.ushmm.org/remembrance/dor

The United States Congress established the Days of Remembrance as our nation's annual commemoration of the victims of the Holocaust and created the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum as a permanent living memorial to those victims. In accordance with its Congressional mandate, the Museum is responsible for leading the nation in commemorating the Days of Remembrance, and for encouraging and sponsoring appropriate observances throughout the United States.

Observances and remembrance activities can occur during the week of Remembrance that runs from the Sunday before "Yom Hashoah" (Holocaust Remembrance Day) through the following Sunday. Days of Remembrance are observed by state and local governments, military bases, workplaces, schools, churches, synagogues, and civic centers.

Since 1982, The Museum has organized and led the national Days of Remembrance ceremony in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda, with Holocaust survivors, liberators, members of Congress, White House officials, the diplomatic corps, and community leaders in attendance.

The Bigger Picture

Leith Anderson shared a story about when he was a boy. He grew up outside of New York City and was an avid fan of the old Brooklyn Dodgers. One day, his father took him to a World Series game between the Dodgers and the Yankees. He was so excited, and he just knew the Dodgers would trounce the Yankees. Unfortunately, not a single Dodger ever got on base and his excitement was shattered.

Years later, he was engrossed in a conversation with a man who was a walking sports almanac. Leith told him about the first major league game he attended and added, "It was such a disappointment. I was a Dodger fan and the Dodgers never got on base."

The man said, "You were there? You were at the game when Don Larsen pitched the first perfect game in all of World Series history?"

Leith replied, "Yeah, but uh, we lost."

He then realized that he had been so caught up in his team's defeat that he missed out on the fact that he was a witness to a far greater page of history.

"You were there?"

I wonder how often the same thing happens to us. We get so caught up in the "defeats" in our lives -- the times when things don't turn out the way we want them to. So we're depressed because an illness continues to linger, or when people don't treat us the way we think they ought to, or when we face financial difficulties.

But, we are often so blinded by the pain and disappointment of our "defeat" that we fail to appreciate the fact that we might be witness to something far greater that God is doing in our lives.

Remember when Paul was in prison? He wrote to the Christians in Philippi: "My dear friends, I want you to know that what has happened to me has helped to spread the good news." (Philippians 1:12)

While most of us would have focused on the "defeat" (being in prison even though he was innocent), Paul was able to see what God was doing in his life. It's not an easy thing to do. It's never easy to view things from a heavenly perspective rather than an earthly one, but it is especially difficult in the midst of pain and defeat. But it is learning how to have a heavenly view that helps us to know joy no matter what happens in our lives.
(c) 2007 Alan Smith
alansmith.servant@gmail.com
Thought for the Day
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