Wednesday, August 23, 2006
HUMP DAY.....
Today marks the traditional half-week. Hump day as it is called. Rocky and I finished our heavy cleaning of the carpet yesterday and today the divan and two wing-back chairs. From the dirty water that came out of the Bissell I would say we made a difference.
Making a difference. Do you ever wonder if you’re making a difference? Most of us grow up more advanced than our parents because they weren’t privy to all the new gadgets that seem to make us smarter. Where they raised us and answered all the questions, later they looked to us for answers. The world was getting far too technical for dear old mom and dad and they didn’t like the direction things were going.
If I were guessing, I’d say they didn’t think they made a difference anywhere by being here. Oh but they did. For one reason……they made me (after they made my brother) and we grew up watching what they did and what they said. If they never made any other difference but the two of us, I would say it was a great investment for we have both enjoyed the life they created.
I remember my mother being overwhelmed at the amount of cards received when my dad died suddenly. She looked at them in amazement…….he had touched many lives that she wasn’t aware of. Probably that he was never aware of. His funeral was large with prominent people down to very simple people……he had touched a lot of lives in his quiet, unassuming way.
Few people knew my dad as the family did. He was always uncomfortable with social or public matters…..he hated going to weddings and funerals because he never knew how to act or what to say. With the family he was a story teller of gargantuan proportions and had a wit that would befit a cartoon character. He had a keen memory and could quote dialogue from movies he’d seen with mom clear back to their courting days.
Mom was the same. Always in the background and content to let others shine. She was a great audience for dad and my brother……though she’d heard the same stories for years upon end, she continued to think they were funny. Actually, it was dad who made them funny and we all loved to hear them over and over. We listened with glee as if we didn’t know the ending and yes, we all laughed along like the first time. Now THAT is a real story teller.
I imagine they would be very surprised at the people who still mention them and share a memory of something they said or did. I had a lot of time to think about the impact they left on all of us and I think I know. They were just themselves…..true grit. They weren’t caught up in what the neighbors had or were doing……no Jones’ complex…..they didn’t try to create a perfect image or impress anyone.
I remember mom trudging up the road to take baked goods to an old neighbor, soup to the sick, flowers to a friend and lots of time to visit and comfort folks. She wore clothes till they wore out no matter what the style was for the season. Didn’t waste anything that could be used again and didn’t waste time talking about others in a gossipy way.
Did they make a difference? In many simple ways they made all the difference that counts….that people remember. They were comfortable to be around. How many people do you really like to be around? How many people do you think really like to be around you? There are many ways to draw a crowd but the best are still the simplest, like listening to people. The art of listening is almost gone from society.
If two people are conversing, there are four people talking at once. No one wants to listen anymore. Simple courtesies are still a very good way to make and keep friends…….. and making a difference is easy.
Just be YOU. It’s your greatest asset.
Until tomorrow,
Essentially Esther
Making a difference. Do you ever wonder if you’re making a difference? Most of us grow up more advanced than our parents because they weren’t privy to all the new gadgets that seem to make us smarter. Where they raised us and answered all the questions, later they looked to us for answers. The world was getting far too technical for dear old mom and dad and they didn’t like the direction things were going.
If I were guessing, I’d say they didn’t think they made a difference anywhere by being here. Oh but they did. For one reason……they made me (after they made my brother) and we grew up watching what they did and what they said. If they never made any other difference but the two of us, I would say it was a great investment for we have both enjoyed the life they created.
I remember my mother being overwhelmed at the amount of cards received when my dad died suddenly. She looked at them in amazement…….he had touched many lives that she wasn’t aware of. Probably that he was never aware of. His funeral was large with prominent people down to very simple people……he had touched a lot of lives in his quiet, unassuming way.
Few people knew my dad as the family did. He was always uncomfortable with social or public matters…..he hated going to weddings and funerals because he never knew how to act or what to say. With the family he was a story teller of gargantuan proportions and had a wit that would befit a cartoon character. He had a keen memory and could quote dialogue from movies he’d seen with mom clear back to their courting days.
Mom was the same. Always in the background and content to let others shine. She was a great audience for dad and my brother……though she’d heard the same stories for years upon end, she continued to think they were funny. Actually, it was dad who made them funny and we all loved to hear them over and over. We listened with glee as if we didn’t know the ending and yes, we all laughed along like the first time. Now THAT is a real story teller.
I imagine they would be very surprised at the people who still mention them and share a memory of something they said or did. I had a lot of time to think about the impact they left on all of us and I think I know. They were just themselves…..true grit. They weren’t caught up in what the neighbors had or were doing……no Jones’ complex…..they didn’t try to create a perfect image or impress anyone.
I remember mom trudging up the road to take baked goods to an old neighbor, soup to the sick, flowers to a friend and lots of time to visit and comfort folks. She wore clothes till they wore out no matter what the style was for the season. Didn’t waste anything that could be used again and didn’t waste time talking about others in a gossipy way.
Did they make a difference? In many simple ways they made all the difference that counts….that people remember. They were comfortable to be around. How many people do you really like to be around? How many people do you think really like to be around you? There are many ways to draw a crowd but the best are still the simplest, like listening to people. The art of listening is almost gone from society.
If two people are conversing, there are four people talking at once. No one wants to listen anymore. Simple courtesies are still a very good way to make and keep friends…….. and making a difference is easy.
Just be YOU. It’s your greatest asset.
Until tomorrow,
Essentially Esther
