Tag: Simple

Dear Daughters,

Last week your cousins Jen and Allie were visiting and we got looking at some old pictures of great-relatives, along with those of the extended family from a decade ago.  It was amusing to listen to the comments:

So that’s where I got my nose from

His ears are pointy just like mine

I wonder who I got the double skin flap of my ear from

Did you know little James can touch his nose with his tongue just like Grandpa?

Amanda’s toes are just like mine

Mariah has one pointy ear and one curled ear

I didn’t know you could curl your tongue, how do you do that??

What’s a prominent chin?  Do I have one? 

and the comparisons go on and on….

It is truly amazing how noses, chins, eyes, smiles, legs, elbows, laughing sounds, voice inflections, mental aptitudes and talents continue to be passed down generation after generation.  It’s something over which we have absolutely no control.  Dark straight hair, blue eyes, pointy chins, curly blond hair, perfect pitch, freckles, long bony fingers, short stubby toes – these are things we are born with, like it or not.

Along with the many physical characteristics we inherit from ancestors, we also become heir to habits, sounds of laughter, attitudes, lifestyles and beliefs, although these characteristics are prone to change over the years.  When we get old enough to make choices for ourselves and discern what is valuable, we can choose what can be tossed away and which we will keep and continue to pass down to the next generation.

What continues to amaze me is that with billions of people in the world from now through generations past, is that God continues to come up with yet another unique person – you – who is distinct from every other yet created.

How cool is it that the same God who created mountains and oceans and galaxies looked at you and thought the world needed one of you, too.  Chelly Picone

A wonderful quote from Mister Rogers – the calm, kind-hearted, soft-spoken man who captured the hearts of millions of children for decades – is one of my favorites:

Life is deep and simple, but what our society gives us is shallow and complicated.

We can make choices in life that are simple – tell the truth, listen more than you speak, care for those weaker than yourself, forgive those who offend you, believe that Jesus loves you, make people a priority over things, drink water, eat food that God created, enjoy a simple walk outside, stop and smell the flowers, watch a sunset.  Give thanks.

Or –

We can make choices that are complex – have a good memory so you can keep track of what you said to whom (because they may not be the same), make mountains out of molehills, always look out for number one, believe that you have to take care of yourself because nobody else will, hang on to offenses no matter how small, eat food that man has concocted, make things a priority over people.  Always stay busy and often say hurry.  Complain.

The older I get the simpler I want my life to be, not that I always have a choice, but it is my preference.

As I look back over the generations who have preceded me and see the physical traits I have inherited, I also search back into my history and discard that which was hurtful and harmful, holding fast to that which is life-giving and nurturing.

Besides Mister Rogers’ quote, one of my favorite simple statements is

Trust God and do good.

 If I do that (and believe me it’s not always easy) I stay at peace and I do not despair.  But if I forget and get caught up in a moment of anger, listen too much to the news, and focus on what I don’t have – I fall into discouragement.

Simple and deep.

Trust God and do good.

Change what you can but celebrate your inheritance.

Love, Mom