Musings from my Window

A daughter called the other day feeling frustrated and frazzled. The little grandkids were at it again--destroying any possible dings of clean and order my dear daughter had worked on that Saturday morning. As my daughter expressed her frustrations, I immediately jumped into "solving" mode. Perhaps she could install child locks on a few doors, place excess toys out of prying little hands and keep important things out of harm's way. I started to offer suggestions, and then stopped myself.  Instead, I listened and expressed sympathy. I told my daughter I understood her feelings--I had been a mom to toddlers once upon a time. I told her I could give her a lot of advice--which she may or may not use. Instead, I told her the best counsel I could give would be to study the situation out in her mind, turn the matter over to Heavenly Father and listen.  I shared my experience of being at the end of my rope back in the day, praying, and pleading for help. My home was in a state of

 It seems like every 10 years of my adult life I go into "overhaul" mode. In my 20's, as a young mom I found myself looking at my time and realizing that I had kind of "lost" myself to motherhood. At that point in life, I started exercising, visiting with friends, journaling, and volunteering to get a little bit of "me" back. These same awakenings happened like clock-work in my thirties and forties, so it should come as no surprise the same feeling of being "lost" hit in my 50's. This time around the focus is more of making health a priority. I have always felt "healthy", but as I looked at the family pictures taken over the summer and grew dismayed as I saw how big and doughy I looked. How had this happened? I thought I was healthy, but in reality I have been pretending. I developed bad habits. I loved carbs. I felt tired and emotional after work. I felt bored and restless at home. Little by little, I turned to food to make lik

 Today I was reading in the Wall Street Journal  an article about the elderly bequething their precious things to the younger generation only to have the items rejected. Commenters suggested that the young no longer value quality. I have been thinking about this because I have seen my mom and mother-in-law in the midst of downsizing. I too, have been the recipient of unwanted items.  There are a few things to consider: *Styles change--and things are tastes and styles have changed faster than ever due to mass-produced items. Many of these items do not hold their value--and this holds true today as much as it does on items mass-produced 50 years ago.  *Less is more. We have shifted from an era where each piece of furniture, clothing, accessory was hard-earned. The quality was better. Now days, we are inundated with "fast fashion" items, Ikea, and Walmart. It is easy to become overloaded with "stuff". Like barnacles on a boat, we are weighted down with the sheer amount