From Gratitude to Generosity

Now would seem like the most appropriate holiday to show you my completed art project. This is the wall in our dining room. Our family tree. Finally, this room is beginng to become uniquely ours as in our last.

I'm grateful for the each breath I take and the gift of each day I wake. I'm grateful for my husband who has become my second breath. I could not exist as the woman I am today without him. I'm grateful for my intelligent and energetic children who daily amaze and inspire me. I'm grateful for my sisters who will always know me better than anyone else (and for those women who've become like sisters to me and will spend the rest of their lives getting to know me despite myself). I'm grateful for my family. I'm grateful for a warm home and the great joy of cooking tasty food. I'm grateful to live in a free country where I can work, live, and play for the benefit of my family.

But gratitude is not enough. These amazing gifts require more from me. Not only am I to accept them grateful, but I must nurture them warmly and responsibly, I must share them with love, charity, and justice, and I must seek to return them to God abundantly.

"What return shall I make for all the good the LORD has done for me?" Psalm 116:12

Step it UP!

Our lives are very full, aren't they?

I love my job, but I hate the stress. Being of a generation that is known for their lack of commitment, it is hard to stay committed to the work that I do. However, I had parents that instilled in me a work ethic and a perserverance that is unique to my generation.

God did not make us for work, but God did make work for us. Work is an activity meant to fulfill the human need for productivity. Work is meant to feed the human soul and it comes in many forms.

Everything you do may not be your passion or utmost interest. Everything you do may not be life-giving. I have some news for my generation: LIFE IS NOT PERFECT. But we all must get through. We all must provide for ourselves. We are called to use our giftedness (not just our passions) to care for our families and our world regardless of how wonderful it makes us feel. Your gift may be for multi-tasking which you love to apply in your passion for cooking, but if you can't find a job as a chef, you can most certainly still use your giftedness as an administrative assistant.

Waiting for perfection is not an excuse for laziness and it gives our generation a really bad reputation. Find a way to use your gifts. Find a way to better yourself and your community. Make a commitment and stick to it. Follow through. It is through hard work, follow-through and accountability that most successful people make their way to a vocation that they love. And for those of you who fall back-end into your dream job, earn it - don't just take it for granted.

And even then, even the most perfect vocation will always require sacrifice.