Epiphanies

• It was such a shock to me to realize my parents and our family life were the exception, not the rule. To learn that gave me a new appreciation for my upbringing. And when I hear people say that all families are dysfunctional, I would have to disagree.

• I questioned for the tenth time what I was doing in a mind-numbing job that on one hand only allowed me to check books in, check books out, and tell students where the bathroom and the bookstore were located… after I had previously managed every aspect of a public library for nine years. Then God helped me realize that it’s not necessarily the job in which He has placed me that is nearly as important as the people He has placed me around.

• A parent’s presents should not replace a parent’s presence. And I would’ve missed so much if I hadn’t been the permanent sponsor who always volunteered to go. Until I realized that, being a children’s or youth’s sponsor was a chore, not the blessing it turned out to be.

• Urges should not be the only justification for our motives or actions or lifestyles. If being true to oneself does not line up with God’s truth, one is living a lie.

• The gray area of life is not as big as many folks would have us believe these days.

• No matter who is teaching my children, whether it involves formal education or spiritual education or social education, my children’s training for life is ultimately my responsibility.

• I love animals… especially dogs, but I should never place them above people in value.

• If we don’t use our gifts, we’ll lose them. Not an original epiphany, but so true.

• The root of all sin is self-centeredness.

• Not everybody likes me.

• I never really thought much about being a grandmother… much less looked forward to it, but oh, what a wonderful surprise when it happened! Pure joy! And I’m not talking about the kind of joy you get when you find a ten dollar bill in your coat pocket you didn’t know was there or the joy you feel when you discover you’ve zipped up your favorite jeans without a struggle. Those are piddlin’ joys. A grandchild is the mother lode of joy.

• The best and most rewarding part of my life was raising my children. It wasn’t always easy; I didn’t always do the best job; but they are the best part of me, and I’m so grateful for them in my life. And now I have a ringside seat watching my daughter & son-in-law get to do it with my grandchildren. Everything else in life pales in comparison.

• The big things in life are turning out to be the little things in life.

• I’m not nearly as young as my mind thinks I am.

• I didn’t realize how fortunate I was to have been born in America until I crossed the Mexico border. We breathe the same air; the same kinds of flora and fauna exist on both sides; the same flying insects pester both sides; but the people and the culture of a stone’s throw away are worlds apart. Where else in the world but the United States can you find poor people who own televisions and refrigerators and have government-subsidized housing and groceries and healthcare? As one woman in Guatemala said, “Oh, to be poor and living in America.” For us, those things are the bare necessities, but for people on the outside looking in, those are luxuries… those are their wildest dreams.

• There is nothing I can do or nothing I can’t do that will make God love me more or less than he does right now. What a relief. I am so thankful that I am living in the age of grace, especially since I would have a problem sacrificing animals, but even more so because I’ve sinned once… and a thousand times, so under the law, I’m condemned. Under grace, I’m saved.

• The most important thing about life isn’t ultimately about good or bad or a big scale our works have to balance, but rather yes or no… to Christ.