There is a line in one of my favorite movies I often quote. “You’re killin’ me, Smalls!” If you haven’t watched Sandlot, I recommend it. This phrase comes in handy. Sometimes we say or feel this because we are frustrated when others don’t understand us. However, many times ministry literally is killing us.
I love coffee in the morning – the smell, the warm mug in my hands, the taste. It starts my morning out well. I also love the smell of rain. It fills the air and reminds me of my childhood when I would play outside in the rain. I love my husband and my family. Have I told you about my grandsons? I love it when Rye and Roman see me and start yelling, “Gigi, Gigi! I missed you.” Bear hugs and kisses follow. It just melts my heart. I could go on and on.
During the 1970’s, I heard the phrase “attitude adjustment” a lot. Probably because my parents thought I needed one.
My Thanksgivings were special in the mid-1960s. Dad was in the Air Force and we were stationed on the Japanese island of Okinawa. Our family of seven was financially challenged to make it on a Master Sargent’s salary but you wouldn’t know it on Thanksgiving Day. There was turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy. Yes, there were many other wonderful dishes served but I always found myself seated where the large Anchor Hocking mixing bowl of mashed potatoes was setting. The gravy was also nearby and the purpose of the turkey, at least for me, was to make the gravy to go on the mashed potatoes.
One of my daddy’s favorite sayings was “You catch more flies with honey than vinegar!” Even though my daddy has been gone for over twenty-five years, I can still hear that in my head. It is ever present in my conversations with others. When I answer the phone or someone comes to my office, this saying flits across my mind.