Tag Archives: Things that Really Do Matter

The Crown Really Does Matter

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There’s no denying that I’m a nerd.  I play the clarinet.  I have our monthly budgets for the last 12 years in a binder to revisit.  I want the Anne of Green Gables eight book collection for Christmas and I love solitaire almost as much as I adore strategy board games.

Opposite of things I love is television.  It annoys my husband, but I struggle to find something to watch that I really enjoy.  I lose interest as my mind wanders to things I could be doing instead – like cleaning or painting a door.

When the stars align and I do find a show I particularly enjoy, Franklin and I binge watch.  I found one such series this month with the Netflix original The Crown.

It’s hard to truly imagine what life around the royal family might be like as I’ll certainly never be close enough to a monarch to learn the ins and outs of expected etiquette.  As we enjoyed the ten episodes, I began to really take note of the small formalities.

No one was to eat at the table until The Queen took the first bite.  No one walked ahead of The Queen.  You were to come when you were summoned and you left when She deemed the conversation to be over.  Her closest advisors kissed Her hand and bowed when they entered Her presence and remained standing while discussing matters of state.  When you spoke of Her in public, you were to do so with gravity.

While there was wheeling and dealing behind The Queen’s back, her position begged complete deference and those in opposition were often snubbed and exposed for their lack of support.  For the constitutionally minded English, The Crown Really Does Matter.

crown

This week I was catching up on some Bible study.  One question led me to really ponder The Crown even more deeply.  In reference to the first four of The Ten Commandments (Exodus 20), the author asked me to be honest about which I struggle with the most.  The third (“You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.”) hit me like a ton of bricks.

Before I’m deposed, let me explain.  I do NOT take The Lord’s name in vain in the way I hear it cursed in the Stripes parking lot while pumping gasoline.  But I realized that I do not give Him, and His position, the deference He deserves.

As a triune God, His presence is always with me.  As I move about my daily tasks, I magnify my preferences as I reluctantly come when He calls.  I argue and justify when He speaks.  I go behind His back for advice and seek alliances, often usurping His position.

The nerd in me will have the following on repeat this week.  May The Crown be at the forefront of our minds as we move into this beautiful Christmas Season.

 

All hail the pow’r of Jesus’ Name!

Let angels prostrate fall;

Bring forth the royal diadem,

And crown Him Lord of all!

 

Ye chosen seed of Israel’s race,

Ye ransomed from the fall,

Hail Him Who saves you by His grace,

And crown Him Lord of all!

 

Let every kindred, every tribe,

On this terrestrial ball,

To Him all majesty ascribe,

And crown Him Lord of all!

 

Oh, that with yonder sacred throng

We at His feet may fall!

We’ll join the everlasting song,

And crown Him Lord of all!

 

 

“Cleaning House” Really Does Matter

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There are days when spic-and-span is a must, but in general, I stopped stressing too much about my kids’ bedrooms long ago.  While our definitions of clean are very different, the bedrooms simply do not justify blood, sweat, and tears on a regular basis.

Not long ago, I rearranged our 11 year old’s bedroom.  Caden, who has had bunk beds for many years, was ready for a change and when furniture is being moved around it’s time to really dig in.  There are times when “Cleaning House” Really Does Matter.

cadens-bedroom

I started with the empty water bottles.  When I was finished collecting them, they filled the kitchen sink.

I moved on to trash.  In addition to the somewhat expected 11-year-old-boy trash (candy wrappers and broken toy parts), Caden had a whole box of Kleenex (used) between his bed and the wall.  He explained that it’s easier to stash them when you have a cold than to put them in the trashcan.  He did have a valid point.  The trashcan was on the opposite side of the room.

From there I addressed the things I knew he’d outgrown.  We tend to add to the closet and dresser but don’t remove things as often as we should.  It was time.  It was also time to address some toys that no longer “fit”.

Caden was not quite ready to give up his collection of costumes and was still highly attached to his stuffed animals when we moved into this house 18 months ago.  I knew he’d moved on so I bagged them all up and tossed them in the den for Caden to sort through when he returned home from school.

As I pulled from his closet, I sorted toys on his newly arranged beds.  One bed held those I assumed were keepers and the other held toys I felt he would likely want to add to our give-away mountain in the garage.

With all his “keeper” toys laid out on one bed, I had a bit of an “a-ha” moment.

Caden has some really neat things.  I hadn’t seen some of them in many months.  I imagine Caden hadn’t remembered what was stashed in the depths, either.

I stepped back a bit and considered the other things I’d sorted through.  Caden has some sharp-looking clothes I never see him wear.  Doubtless, a stuffed closet and a stuffed dresser are difficult to manage when you’ve hit the snooze button one too many times in the morning.

I really allowed this reflecting I’d begun to hit home.

How many “things” in my life have I outgrown?  How many “things” clutter my mind and affect my emotions throughout the day simply because the “trashcan” isn’t close enough?

And what about my blessings?  Are there treasures in my life that I take for granted?  What richness surrounds me that I’ve lost sight of because I’ve been too focused on the trash in my life?  Have I lost sight of my many blessings amidst the clutter?  And finally, one last tough questions in light of the 2016 presidential election this week, do I allow the clutter (or Facebook commentaries) to rob me of the fantastic and the beautiful in my here and now?

There is room for some “cleaning house” in my life as we approach Thanksgiving.   What about you?