The Warlpiri are a group of Australian aborigines who have a simple way of counting.  Their words for numbers are “one, two and many.”  I read that last week and that phrase really stuck with me. I laugh because when someone asks me how many years I have been married, I either answer “many” or have to quickly subtract in my head. Quick hand me a calculator!I think even Erma Bombeck would have liked the Warlpiri’s method of counting when she wrote, "One thing they never tell you about child raising is that for the rest of your life, at the drop of a hat, you are expected to know your child's name and how old he or she is."I listened this week to what I count:  My sins. My excuses. Things I am thankful for.Yep, the Warlpiri are right.One sin, two sins, then many more.One excuse, two excuses, and so many more.One item to be thankful for, then two appear, and wait: many, many more.Is it just me or is this beginning to sound like a Dr. Seuss tale?I guess we could play with these words and … [Read more...]

Patty Wysong has created a fun meme where once a week bloggers posted on the letter of the week. Check out the details here.  It is called A2Z: Take 2. A2Z as she challenges bloggers to write a post each week going through the alphabet.  Take 2 since this is the second time she has used this meme. Anyone can join in and you don’t have to always participate. This fun meme has now progressed to the letter S. The letter S reminds me of the priceless spiritual lessons from friendship. The Spirituality of Friendship I like to give, but find it so awkward to be on the receiving end. Do you ever feel like that?Maybe it is my ego and pride. Probably more like me wanting to keep up the false pretense of self-sufficiency. Fear is another reason: What if people find out I am not perfect? Oh, no, they may reject me or make fun of me. Friendship holds many lessons for us spiritually and lately gifts from friends have brought these lessons into focus for me.  1.  Sacrifice - A few weeks ago we … [Read more...]

Do you read menus?Of course you read them to find out what food a restaurant is offering, but ever notice the other information on some menus?Last week’s vacation took us to the Salt Lick Bar-B-Que in Driftwood Texas. Mmmmm, good! Great food with wonderful company.But it was the story told on the menu of the founders Thurman and Hisako Roberts that inspired me the most.Thurman traveled most of the time working in construction while his family stayed in Driftwood. They really wanted to stay in that little town so “one day, he took out a yellow legal pad and wrote down 54 things the family could do to stay in Driftwood. The idea for The Salt Lick was 14thon the list.”They started small and have grown the business that now is a family affair serving thousands each week. The restaurant has been featured on the Food Network, The Travel Channel and the Today Show.But did you catch his plan? He created a list of 54 ideas and worked through them to number 14. This is a great lesson in … [Read more...]