Sundays are for family.

If there is any day of the week that you can spend with others, why not make it Sunday? Other than going to church, most people generally do not have anything else going on. Maybe do some grocery shopping, some cleaning around the house, catch up on tv shows, etc. For the most part, you’re not doing anything.

During the week, our lives are pretty hectic – work, maybe picking up kids from school or daycare, trying to fix dinner and get it on the table, get homework done, get bathed, clean the dishes, and try to get to bed at a decent time, just so we can wake up in a few hours and do it all over again. Saturdays generally aren’t a lot easier, as we are trying to pack everything in that we couldn’t get done during the week. 5 days worth of work to be completed in 1 day! Why can’t we find the time to stretch it out throughout the week? Are our lives really all that busy?

So here we are, sitting on the couch on a Sunday afternoon. Exhausted. Not looking forward to Monday, as the cycle starts anew. Getting motivated to do anything is hard enough. Your son or daughter is hounding you to come play with him or her. You’re completed drained. But just think, those days are numbered. In a few years, will your children still want to do the same things with you? In a few months? Days?

We can sacrifice a few minutes of rest to make the lives of those around us fuller. So take a day off from your normal, scheduled life, and look around you. Look to your left. Now to your right. Who do you see? Your spouse? Your child? Mother? Father? Give them a hug, a kiss, and ask a simple question:

“What can I do to make your day better?”

Slow Down

So this past Easter weekend, North Carolina law enforcement was cracking down on drivers exceeding the speed limit, even if by only 1 mph. They were calling the campaign “Obey the sign, or pay the fine.” It was widespread all over social media, the news, etc. People were even posting that they actually received speeding tickets for going 1 or 2 mph over the limit!

Well, I took heed of the warning and drove the speed limit from our house to the in-laws (actually, 1 or 2 over the limit, but vehicles’ speedometers are generally off by 5 to 15%, shh don’t tell!). The drive is about 280 to 310 miles, depending on which route I take. My GPS said I was doing right on the speed limit, so that’s all that matters. Generally, my wife’s car will average around 26 to 30 miles per gallon. Doing the speed limit, I actually averaged upwards of 40 miles per gallon, and averaged 40.4 miles per gallon on a long trek of it!

So I was a few minutes later getting there, but I saved a lot of gas and money, and even rocked out to a few more songs. If i pushed it, I could have reached 500 miles on one tank of gas. The drive was also much more relaxing. I didn’t feel rushed. I took my time and enjoyed the drive.

So then I got to thinking (I do a lot of that). Why are we always in such a hurry? What would the difference be if we slowed down a little?

Not only am I speaking of slowing down our driving, but also in life. Yes, we have such a short time here on Earth and want to try to do as much as we can, but what’s the point if we aren’t enjoying it? What will we miss if we just breeze through it? Family? Relationships? Opportunity?

Maybe, just like my previous post, it is a sign from above, attempting to help me get my life back on track.

Just pump the brakes a little, and take a look around. What do you see? Are you satisfied? Maybe you speed through the day as a way to avoid dealing with certain things, like relationship problems, money issues, family, friends, etc. If you slow down, you can see it clearer and fix it.

Enjoy the ride during your time here.

Here are two quotes to take with you:

“Nothing good ever comes from hustling.” – Matthew Berry

“Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” – Ferris Bueller

The New Normal

First and foremost, “Happy Easter!” I hope that everyone had a wonderful day, and was able to spend it with friends, family, and loved ones. Weather aside, it was a pretty good day for myself.

When my wife and I visit her parents, we attend church. This is the only time we go. I believe we need to change that. I generally find most sermons to be somewhat boring, as I do not see where I relate to what is being “taught.”

But today was different. Today’s lesson struck me like lightning, with a thunderous crash, and the smell of fresh air and the feeling of new life. I believe it is exactly what I needed to hear at exactly the right time.

On a Friday, Jesus was crucified. The following day, his disciples did not know what to do, how to go about their lives. The One they loved was gone. But on Sunday, He rose from the dead and changed their lives and all of mankind, forever.

Is it true that anything is possible? Can we change what we consider “normal?” If we believe in it enough, can that be the “new normal?”

Much like the story of Easter, our lives can seem that way. We can be led astray with our troubles, and not know in what direction to head. Our minds fog and we are confused. Then, in an instant, something happens. We find what we are searching for and everything seems to make sense.

Sundays are there to make up for the hardships and mistakes of Fridays and Saturdays. No matter how hard life can be, there is always a Sunday around the corner to help put it all together. If you open your heart and your mind, I believe you can make anything your “new normal.”

Sacrifices

My family doesn’t have a lot of money, but we have enough to have a roof over our heads, reliable automobiles, and able to reasonably afford whatever we want at the grocery store. But we are still living paycheck to paycheck. We don’t have to sacrifice anything to have what we need. What kind of sacrifices, you ask?

There are families who decide every week which bills to pay, whether to go to the grocery store or keep the electricity on, whether to eat or not, to let their children eat a decent meal while they go without. Those are sacrifices. Those are the parents making sacrifices to better the lives of their children. Fortunately, I have never been in that situation, but it makes me think, “Am I sacrificing enough to better the life of my children, of my family?”

So I sit here and think. And think. Am I really doing enough to give my child and my family the life they deserve? I am not the breadwinner in my family, but I always feel there is more I can do.

And then I think some more. What kind of sacrifices did MY parents make to make sure that my brother and I had rich, fulfilling lives? Did they sacrifice having nice things? Did they sacrifice relationships? My parents never had a ton of money, we never had the newest, shiny vehicles, brand name clothes or designer anything. But we were just fine with that. We didnt have the biggest house, but we had a loving home. They made sure we lived in great school districts to give us the best education available.

What kind of sacrifices am I making to make sure my family has what they need and is happy? Am I making any sacrifices at all? And I only concerned about myself? I do most of the work around the house: cooking, cleaning, laundry, etcetera. But in the end, does that really matter? The sacrifice of doing the housework is less time with my family. The dishes can wait, they won’t be going anywhere. Do I really need to clean the bathrooms now? What can I do to manage family time better?

It seems as though my parents always had time for us, keep the house in order, put food on the table, and keep a smile on our faces. What am I doing wrong? Am I not making enough sacrifices in my life to take care of the wellbeing of my family? Is it a “3 options scenario where you can only pick 2?” If I get the house cleaned and get food on the table, I lose all the time with my family for that day. If I spend the day with my family and get the house cleaned, there won’t be any food on the table. I try my best to keep things on a schedule, to try to balance life, but I can never get it right.

What can I do to be a better husband, a better father, a better son, and better friend, a better person? What sacrifices do I need to make in order to become the person that I would like to be?