I Am Everything Love Is Not.

Since one of the items stolen from The Great Thievery of 2012 was my camera, and my phone doesn't seem to want to share any of my photos, words shall be written!

So... patience and kindness... how did it go? For me, it went quite well; and then I awoke. The three lovely little souls were also awake and in full gear... as always. Though each time I did act out of impatience and unkindness, I did think back to what I wrote. That counts for something, right? I long for the moment when my first THOUGHT is one of patience and kindness follows in word and deed. I am not there yet, I can tell you that.

Diving right in... "love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude." Easy! I'm so awesome at this loving others thing, I put everyone to shame! Oh... heh heh... or perhaps I don't even come close. Synonymous with envy are the words jealousy, covetousness, resentment, and uh-oh... discontentment; oh dear, this post is going to get real... quick. This recent thievery that took place in our home was not welcomed in any way. Our doors, shut tight and locked well; our windows, sealed and locked. We were not in any way just allowing someone to come in and take the earthly things that have been given to us; yet daily, I allow the enemy to come in, steal my soul's joy, and run with it. And chasing him down to get it back is nearly impossible, it usually just has to be replaced by my Insurance...the One who guarantees my protection and safety. If only I could rest always in where He has me... oh yes... I want to be there.

Boastfulness, arrogance... two things I DESPISE with everything in me; yet two things that come oh-so-naturally to me. Humility is not a comfortable place for my soul to rest because it takes effort to rest there (which is actually an oxymoron). My soul actually prefers the cushiony, down-pillow-like comfort of arrogance and boasting about my own awesomeness. It's pretty painless, I know all the right words to say, and I've been doing it a loooong time, so I'm good at it. Humility, on the other hand, can sometimes just downright hurt... because I'm not good at it. Exercising every so often produces achy muscles just as often; exercising daily, builds and strengthens muscles. May I daily exercise humility...

I looked up the definition of rude (because I'm geeky like that and want to know what words actually mean so I can then awesomely throw them into a sentence to impress everyone around me... okay, this post/reminder of what I truly want to desire, will probably have to be read daily... several times...UGH.) and here are some results:
1. lacking in refinement or good taste
2. showing a lack of manners or consideration for others

This seems easy enough; be refined and considerate of others. And then I read the first definition of refined: free from impurities. Well, this stinks, because I'm impure to my core which means I will have to daily, momentarily ask to be made pure. This actually doesn't make my Things-To-Ask-For list that often. And though being a wife and mother provides me with plenty of opportunities to be considerate of others, I actually usually like to consider myself first... I may not always act on that thought, oh but believe me, it was there. Ugh... those dang thoughts get me every time. I want to be pure.

And I thought practicing patience and kindness was going to be hard...

PS
The Red Barn Outdoor Market is ONE WEEK AWAY!!! If you are local, please come out and enjoy the amazing Vendors, Musicians, and food that will be there. I really am not sure what to expect this time, however, the feedback from FB and being out and about gives me the impression that this could be a really wonderful, enjoyable day. That gets me excited.

Ooh, and one more thing... I added My Etsy Favorites to the sidebar. There are so many great shops through Etsy who have owners who are passionate about what they create and I love that. So, you can see different items of mine that I "favorite" on my site.

Have a beautiful, wonderful weekend!