Who’s going to fill her shoes?

Part of my collection.

Shoes come in all shapes, colors and sizes.  I’m no shoe-aholic (although my husband thinks differently), but I do delight in getting a new pair for whatever reason.  Lying on the shelves of my closet or strewn across my bedroom floor on any given day are running shoes, rain boots, wedges, heels, flats, flip-flops, sandals, boots, and worn-out working shoes.  I believe it’s true that shoes can make or break an outfit.  Just ask my fashionista friend, Susie.  She’s let it be known that I’ve broken a few outfits with my choice of footwear.  And that’s when she started giving me some of hers.  (Yes, it’s wonderful to be the same size of a fashionista friend!).  I can fill her shoes…literally.  But we often use that phrase with a much different meaning; to do someone’s job or assume their responsibilities.

Who’s going to fill her shoes?

I’ve been asking myself that question a lot the past few days on my new job.  As I’ve come to know the outgoing editor, she’s proven herself to be every bit of what she seems:  kind, patient, honest, hard-working, confident and smart.  One of the things I have admired most about her is the respect and affection she’s earned from this  community.  I shadowed her for a few short days, and the people she came in contact with were truly sad to hear she was leaving.  One even told me, “She’s not just a reporter…she’s a friend.”

That can really put the pressure on the new gal.  After pondering it for a while though, I realize that I’ll never fill her shoes.  She and I, just like you and I, are uniquely created to be different from one another.  Each with special gifts, talents, and personalities.

My running shoe has a specific purpose.

 

 

In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well.

~Romans 12:6 (NLT)

 

 

 

We each even have our own brand:  a fingerprint like no one else’s.  So, to try to be like someone else reminds me of my pet hamster that kept running in a wheel, but got absolutely no where. It’s a lot of work, and nothing to show for it.

Each pair of my shoes has a purpose.  If I want to exercise, I’ll lace up my running shoes.  If I want to appear elegant and  taller (and hopefully thinner, ha!), I’ll slide into some high heels.  I can’t run with high heels on and I certainly don’t want to try to look elegant with my New Balances.

I won’t compare my wedges to her ballet flats or her sandals to my flip-flops.  Each has a different function and purpose.  Each is for a time and a season. For now, though, if the shoe fits, I’ll wear it.

Each has a different function.

Understanding the Future

“The future is something which everyone reaches at the rate of 60 minutes an hour, whatever he does, whoever he is.”         ~ C.S. Lewis

image courtesy of creative commons http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Alarm_Clocks_20101107a.jpg

Whether we have realized it or not, the future only comes one day at a time.  When we hope for something, we often want it sooner rather than later.  Things you can’t wait for:  Your wedding date…your first born’s arrival… payday (need I say more?).  However, some things come too quickly:  The graduation of your child…the end of a marriage…the loss of a loved one.    These events often cause us to reflect on the passing of time and realize how fast it all went.

The truth is that time is the one true equalizer in everyone’s life.  Rich, poor, black, white, we are each given the same rate of 60 minutes per hour to use.  It’s what we DO with the time that makes all the difference.

My future seems (to others) to have been placed in a precarious situation, teetering on the brink of financial failure, career suicide and mid-life crisis.  But if you knew the One I placed my future with, you would not worry.  He holds heaven and earth and He knows me by name.

image courtesy of creative commons

It’s with that confidence that I am delighted to announce my job search is over!  I have been working full-time as a reporter for my local newspaper since last week.  I have had a crash-course in journalism, already written several articles and attempted to photograph many different events. I have learned about cut-lines, paginators and GPS (no, it’s not Global Positioning System).  I have taken more notes in the last week than I did all of last year!   I am blessed to be trained by not only a wonderfully talented writer and editor, but also an extremely kind and humble teacher, who leads by example.  My second day on the job she said some profound words to me, “It’s important that you understand that you will not understand everything.”  And along with that, she encouraged me to ask questions.

Her statement caused me to pause.  Shouldn’t that be our philosophy spiritually, as well?  I’ll never understand everything about God, and quite frankly, I don’t want to.  But I do ask Him questions.  And He, like my editor/trainer, does not mind.  In fact, He wants us to talk to Him.  “Then call on me when you are in trouble, and I will rescue you, and you will give me glory.”  (Psalm 50:15 NLT)   [See also James 5:13, Job 33:26,  Psalm 86:7]

Although I will not understand everything about my new job right away,  and I do not know the future, I know that God has blessed me with a new beginning and truly given me beauty for ashes. For that I am so thankful.  

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. (Jeremiah 29:11 NIV)

Detours

Our view of the traffic on our recent trip.

Have you ever been on a road trip?  Since I’ve met my husband, we’ve been on more road trips than I care to remember.  You name it, I’ve probably done it on the road.  I’ve slept, read, sung, laughed, fought, cried, changed diapers, fed babies, soothed toddlers, watched the same video  a thousand times (THANK GOD for those DVD players!), played the ABC game, the license plate game, the cow vs. cemetery game, and all while riding in a car and/or driving.  Of course, MY idea of a great road trip is when everyone interacts, we tell funny stories, learn more of each other, and  have a sing-along,  all the while creating memories to last a lifetime.  You know, kind of like, Leave It to Beaver and The Brady Bunch combined.

 

I’m not sure any of that happened on our most recent road trip that was over 700 miles long.  Driving from Middle Tennessee to Orlando, Florida, our family of four spent over 12 hours together one way in the confines of a 4-door vehicle.  I guess we each had our own escape hatch if it got too bad.

Some things that DID happen:

• My 15 year old son got lots of driving experience, in major cities, on major interstates in MAJOR traffic, which gave me a major headache.

•My kids created a new word:  “hangry”.  This is when one is so hungry they get angry with others, which apparently I did (several times).

•Since my son drove, I did not sit behind the wheel at all!  Instead, my daughter and I worked on different yoga positions in the backseat in order to get comfortable, a.k.a. car sleeping.

 

Going down seemed twice as long  as the 12 hours it took because we waited entirely too late in the day for a long trip– noon to be exact.  When we arrived at 1:30 am, I was beyond exhausted.

 

It does not matter how slowly you go, so long as you do not stop.
(created by author using Phoster)

So, to make sure that we didn’t run into the same situation on the return trip, we left  at 6:00 a.m.  As I type, we are sitting in our second major traffic jam of the day.  It’s 5:18 p.m. and we are still at least 4 hours from home.  Everyone is getting weary and some of us might even be a bit “hangry” but at least one traffic jam was avoided early in the day thanks to the maps/GPS function on my son’s phone.  It actually shows you the accidents and slow downs of the traffic.  He was aware before we were caught in it, so we were able to take a detour.  My husband has always said that he’d rather drive 5 miles out of his way instead of sitting still in traffic.  So, off we went on a route that was not planned.

 

Courtesy of Creative Commons
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Singapore_Road_Signs_-_Temporary_Sign_-_Detour.svg

It got me to thinking about detours in my own life, and the advantages of such changes.

 

Merriam-Webster dictionary defines it as the following:

de·tour

noun \ˈdē-ˌtu̇r also di-ˈtu̇r\

: the act of going or traveling to a place along a way that is different from the usual or planned way

: a road, highway, etc., that you travel on when the the usual way of traveling cannot be used

 

 

The interstate we used to do most of our traveling had at least 4 lanes, and sometimes 6.  It was fast-paced.  There were no traffic lights to slow or stop traffic and very rarely did we see anything of interest besides commercial billboards as we buzzed by the countryside.

However, when we took the detour, we traveled on a two-lane road that had many stops and starts. There were different speed zones.  We saw different towns, houses and businesses that each made up the flavor of that particular community.  The pace was slower, which was good because there were many interesting things to look at and more places to rest along the way.

My own career has taken a sudden detour.  The “planned way” of teaching until I retire came to a sudden stop and instead of just sitting there, I decided to go a different way.  Up until recently, I have thought  a lot about what I have given up.  Now that I have looked at it as a “detour”, I’m thinking about what I have to gain by going a different route.

 

• I will be gaining a slower pace.  Teaching is wonderful, but extremely stressful.

• I will be gaining a new and different perspective.  By slowing down, I’m able to enjoy what life has to offer all around me.

• I will be gaining interesting things and new ideas that a new career will provide.

• I will be gaining new working relationships with people I meet along the way.

So, maybe you are sitting in a traffic jam in your life.  You have two choices:  You can wait it out or you can take a detour.  I suggest you take the long road around and see what kind of surprises await for you.  

What road trip “detours” have left a lasting memory for you?