Life Lessons from Grandma

by | Jun 5, 2011 | Blog, Family, Write the Vision | 1 comment

At the end of busy day, time to relax under the shade tree.
As a child, in the summer, I would spend weeks with my grandmother on a farm between two very small towns you’ve probably never heard of.  I would help her wash clothes, gather eggs, hang clothes on the line, hoe the garden, pick the beans, gather the wash off the line, catch the chicken, dress the chicken, fold the laundry, fry the chicken, fix supper, wash dishes. And that was just one day, but a very good day.  
 
In the midst of doing her work, Grandma would stop and take a phone call from a friend who just needed to talk. She might be gathering names to go on the flowers sent to the funeral of  someone in her community.  
 
Every evening, Grandma and Papaw would sit out under the shade tree.  A passerby might stop, pull up a chair and sit.  They might share a difficulty or two. If so, they’d go away with a prayer, some answers discovered and a little more joy in their step. 
Each day was different, but the same, filled with lessons learned to live a full and meaningful life. If this were the last week of my life, the things I would want to be sure were included were those learned at Grandma’s side. Most are in my life now.  I write them here as a reminder.  
 

I will stop: Procrastinating.   

I will: Do the work. I will write.

I will stop: Thinking I have to be productive every miute.  

I will: Learn to rest.

I will stop: Complaining.  

I will: Be more thankful.

I will stop: Taking my family and friends for granted.

I will:  Love and appreciate them for who they are.

I will stop:  Unhealthy habits.

I will: Eat what I know to be right. Exercise at least 3x a week.

I will stop:  Being so busy.

I will: Be present in the moment to discover the beauty therein.
I will stop:  Being hedonistic.

I will:  Be more God-centered.  

I will stop: Not seeing people.

I will:  Look more closely and be in tune with who is there. I will notice the details.

I will stop: Talking so much.

I will: Listen. 

What makes me come alive?

Helping another:

Discover their life has eternal significance,

Realize abundance lies within their purpose,

See, really see, that life is more than what we see.

I resolve: To live in the present as if eternity is just around the corner.

 

Come Alive,#Trust30 Day 6: Life wastes itself while we are preparing to live. – Ralph Waldo Emerson. If you had one week left to live, would you still be doing what you’re doing now? In what areas of your life are you preparing to live? Take them off your To Do list and add them to a To Stop list. Resolve to only do what makes you come alive. Bonus: How can your goals improve the present and not keep you in a perpetual “always something better” spiral? (Author: Jonathan Mead)

1 Comment

  1. Russ Hardesty
    Russ Hardesty on June 7, 2011 at 3:27 am

    >"Thinking I have to be productive every minute." really hits home for me.