Gratitude Day 245

Sat., Apr. 6, 2019

Philippians 2:3-4 – Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, ^not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.

How about a little round-up of thoughts as this weekend begins?  As well as a shout-out to Hubby Rick’s favorite baseball team …

Put your phone down.

It’s been a full week. Friday morning, Rick suggested Chinese take-out for dinner Friday night. So, I on my way home from work, I picked up dinner. I didn’t call ahead. I ordered after I arrived at the restaurant. After placing the order, I sat and waited. I realized that I had left my phone in the car. There were a few papers on a small table next to the chair where I was sitting. They were from Feb. 16, 2019. I perused through them but just didn’t find anything that captured my interest.

So, I just sat. In the chair. And did nothing. Absolutely nothing while I waited for our food. Well, I did people watch.

When was the last time you just sat and did nothing? Absolutely nothing?

Too often when we are in these kinds of situations, we pull out our phones and let our noses get buried in them. I’ve done it a thousand times. Maybe, just maybe, we need to discover life beyond our phones and electronic devices. Can we just sit? Is it any wonder our children and grandchildren have no clue how to sit and do nothing? In 30 seconds, they are bored and looking for external entertainment.

Yes, we can live without phones while waiting for Chinese take-out. I think we can live without them more often than we try. Can we set our phones aside for a period of time this weekend … and just be?

It’s Peach Iced Tea season!

We finally had a couple days above 50 degrees here in Wisconsin. And I celebrated by making peach iced tea. It’s my favorite summer-time drink. I’m just starting the season a little early. Hubby Rick DOES NOT like iced tea. So, I keep a stash of individual packets on hand and mix them just for myself. For some reason, peach is my favorite flavor. Try it … you might like it! Yummm.

Living Your Top 5 Priorities Today

It’s been one of those weeks where Hubby Rick and I have barely seen each other, awake or when one of us is asleep. He works nights and doesn’t get home until somewhere between 4 am and 6 am. There are many times that he’s crawling into bed when I’m crawling out.

On the blog this week, we explored identifying our Top 5 Priorities. One of my priorities is having a strong life-giving relationship with Rick. When I got home Friday night, I put the Chinese food in the TV room because … the Brewers were playing! Honestly, one-way Rick feels I express quality time with him is when I sit and watch part of a Brewer game with him. Or take interest when he’s sharing with me a recap of last night’s game which he listened to in the truck while working. So, we watched the game together until I fell asleep on the couch. (Yep, this is the reality at the Vielhuber household … on a Friday night …)

Is baseball my favorite thing in the world? Nope. But Hubby Rick loves to watch the Brewers. If he is one of my priorities, then I better discover how to speak baseball with him. I need to know the player’s names, who is on a hitting streak (Christian Yelich) and who has an injury right now (Josh Hader) and what Tommy John surgery is. Will this knowledge change my life? No. Will it enhance my relationship with my spouse? Yep. When we take an interest in what is important to people who are important to us, they notice. Period.

This is exactly what Paul writes about when he says, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, ^not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.”

There are days and weeks when I have felt Rick has gotten “the leftovers;” whatever else was “left-over” after a full week. I’ve given more to other things than to our relationship. Left-overs are OK once in a while. But when this becomes the norm, there’s a problem.

While this is OK once in a while, when we person consistently feels like they are getting leftovers, they question your commitment to them. Leftovers are not prioritizing a top priority for the long-haul.

This was one of those weeks. Thankfully, I have a very patient and humble husband who realizes there will be weeks like this. This is why watching the Brewers (for as long as I stayed awake!) must be a priority. (P.S. – They won!!)

Maybe, I’ll surprise Rick with some Brewers tickets sometime soon … for a real date night. And I promise not to fall asleep while at the park.

For a spouse who is patient with me, I am grateful.

Lord God – Help us find long moments this weekend where we can be … without technology. May we discover how special the world is around us when we stop burying our noses into things that pull us away from You and the world around us. Help us invest in those relationships that are most important to us … and not just give them the leftovers. Amen.

Blessings –

Dianne

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