I’m not a clean freak. I do like a clean and orderly house, but I don’t particularly like to actually do it.  Let’s just say, I like when it’s done, but certainly not the process. Often times when things are getting a bit too messy, I just try to focus on that feeling that I have afterwards to motivate me to take action.  You know that feeling?  Your house is clean, there is order and peace, you sigh… if only for a brief moment until life’s living messes start to creep back in.  My mother has often said, “Cleaning house is like stringing beads with no knot on the end.”   Yep, it often times feels fruitless.  Why bother?

It’s been quite a while since I’ve posted.  I just haven’t had the energy.  I’ve lost my mojo.  The pandemic along with the chronic strife in our country has just simply drained me. And I have to say, or confess that it’s really my own fault.  I have definitely let the world dictate my mood, energy and often times my tongue. That’s not good.  I go from highs of frustration and action to lows of exhaustion and apathy.  Yep, that’s not good for my health, both physically and mentally.

I have spent most of my life living in the suburbs of Washington, DC.  Seeing what happened in our nation’s capital on January 6^th really rattled me.  I think like most Americans, I was shocked and greatly saddened.  But for me this was also my “home town”.  Living close to DC has given me the opportunity to see the many wonders of this great city.  One of my favorite things to do is to take dear family and friends downtown so they can see the majesty for themselves.  That first look for them that radiates such wonder and amazement from their faces is like no other.  So on January 6^th, I was definitely rattled like never before.  I think that I had simply had it.

I was in that place of high emotion and complete frustration and had to do something; something that is very out of character for me.  I wrote a letter to my Senate and Congressional Representatives along with other political leaders in Washington pleading with them to DO SOMETHING!  I have never done this before and yes, it’s out of character for me.  I shared what I was doing with some in my family and the thing that made me most sad was that there was fear; fear that this somehow would bring harm to us.  This now sounds so crazy that we had these thoughts, but in the heat of emotion I think your mind is on heightened alert and things that just don’t make sense will pop into your head and sometimes out of our mouths.  

And once I had mailed those letters, apathy hit.  Will they read it?  Probably not. Will my letter cause them to act in the way that I think they should?  Probably not. So why bother?  It’s not going to make a difference.  I’ll never see the end result; the expression on their face if they actually do read it.  I’ll never know if I struck a chord with them.  I’ll never know if my letter made a difference; a positive difference in our nation.  I’ll never know.

So there I go from that high level frustration and action to the low of exhaustion and apathy.  I feel like I’m stringing beads with no knot on the end.  Why bother?

Well, here’s what I’ve learned.  We need to bother; not in a pestering way, but in a constructive way.  We need to bother being involved in our community to help make it a better place.  We need to bother to watch our tongue and not say something that is negative, disparaging to “the other side”, we need to simply be kind.  We need to love our neighbor as ourselves with everything that we do!  I’m certainly far from perfect in this regard, but I really do try to love my neighbor.  It breaks my heart when I see social media and other forms of communication being used to cause division instead of understanding; understanding and love for each other instead of right fighting.

When we stop trying to prove our point and simply try to understand and be kind in our words, will we change their mind?  Probably not. But I’m guessing that trying to show the other side that they are wrong won’t change their mind either and does more damage than good.  When we are involved in our community by feeding the hungry, are we alieving their hunger in the months to come?  Probably not. But for that one moment they may feel loved and valued.

So does cleaning my house still feel like stringing beads with no knot on the end?  Yep, but for that brief moment I know that I’m doing the next right thing.  Does being kind and loving my neighbor feel like stringing beads with no knot on the end? Sometimes, but for that brief moment I know that I’m doing the next right thing.  Let’s all try to DO THE NEXT RIGHT THING!

I enjoy providing meals to my friends who may be recovering from an illness or just need a break from life. Is it healing their bodies or eliminating their sorrow? Probably not. But I’m hoping that it will give them just a moment of relief, knowing that I care. Here is one dish that’s easy to prepare and folks seem to enjoy it.  I so appreciate you all reading down this far! Let’s all try and do our part and Help Us ALL Be Nice, Amen!

Crock Pot Beef Burgundy

2 lbs stew beef
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 cup red wine
1 onion, chopped
1 can mushrooms, drained or fresh mushrooms
1 pkg onion soup mix
1/2 tsp garlic powder

Combine all ingredients in a crock pot.  Cook on low 6-8 hours.  Serve over cooked noodles or rice.