Setting the Standard

I have always felt kind of sorry for pole vaulters. Just when they reach their goal, someone raises the bar! It just doesn't seem quite fair.

My son and I recently had a discussion about standards, specifically his versus his parents. It seems he is rather unsatisfied with the rules in our house, though he is polite enough to begrudginglly follow most of them. In the end, it boiled down to our responsibility as his parents, and he didn't have too much arguement against that.

I also had a conversation about standards and expectations not so long ago with one of the ladies I work with. We were talking about the levels of service offered here in South Africa. It seems that the "standard" is rather low, and it was offered that perhaps I should rather change my expectations to match that of the available standard. I am sure that my frustrated grunts and groans that often eminate from my office can be tiresome, but I have to whole heartedly disagree with the perspective she offered.

What would happen if we didn't have a standard to match? What if there wasn't any "bar" at all to reach for? What point would there be to existence? We would simply reduce ourselves to a blob-like state, simply gratifying ourselves with whatever we could.

I think it is a great challenge to all right minded people who have any sort of ethics at all to raise the current standard - not by forcing rules and regulations upon others, but by practicing a higher standard of living. In the business world: Not taking bribes for orders, Doing what you say you will do, Offering information that is right and true. In private life: Similarly, being genuine people of honesty and integrity, avoiding back biting and gossip (there's a challenge!), raising our families in such a manner that they value things in life such as good citizenship, faith and integrity.

It's not that we don't fall short of those standards, but rather that we keep trying to attain - as Paul said in Philippians: “Forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”

Bargain Hunter Looker Outers!

There are just some things that only family can understand; Why you react a certain way to a certain situation...Why you hate certain foods...Why something makes you laugh hysterically...
This is only one of the reasons that family is important - someone who really knows you..what made you the way you are...where you came from...

I was the most blessed woman in the world these last few weeks - not only did my husband give me an incredibly amazing gift of time away from work..and tickets to the States - but I got to spend 19 fabulous days with my crazy little sister.

What we do share, besides our history and children the same age... is a love of crafts and an awesome bargain! In fact, Al, husband of my dear Sis, has titled us "Bargain Hunter Looker Outers". It's an awesome title, and one that I will proudly wear! Yes, we knew every clearance aisle in every Target shop in town... and we could smell a garage sale miles away! Red stickers, showing the discounted price makes our eyebrows raise and our hearts beat quicker... and it's something we LOVE to gloat about to each other. I admit it...I was jealous when Christy revealed that she had found 6 packets of paper marked down to nothing... but enjoyed showing my off season dress I found for 75% off. It's a friendly competition that made my husband once warn me "It's NOT how much you SAVED I'm interested in...It's how muchy you SPENT!"

Okay, so we aren't kids anymore...eating donuts and reading stories, picking raspberries in the backyard. We aren't even the young women who went camping and tramping up creeks (okay... she tramped..I tripped!) But we are now mature mothers of amazing children - happy and secure with our places in life and we "get" each other! Not that we are at all LIKE each other - she's active and sort of a outdoorsy type - I'm a not so active, but adventurous in spirit type.

The other thing I love to do with my sister is craft - most especially scrapbooking. I have spent my last 4 years in South Africa in a scrapbooking slump -not able to scrap a single page - partially out of mourning for not having my best scrapping buddy around. It took us only about 3 hours to sit down and start scrapping together. In amidst all the other activities we did while I visited, I managed to scrap 9 pages - in a revived frenzy of scrapping bliss with my inspirational sister.

This love for each other - and for crafts - has spilled over to our youngest girls. We had a fabulous day painting pottery with our 4 girls - so many colours to choose from - and so much fun! I could have stayed in that place for days! And the friendship that our girls share - one that has miraculously stretched over the years and the miles- to be revived so easily with one simple hug at the airport- makes my heart absolutely over-full with gratefulness to God for giving me such an amazing relationship with such an amazing woman!

Life is good, and God is great - and even though the miles once again separate us, I'm comforted by the fact that nothing will ever truly come between us. And I trust that it won't ever have to be so long again before we see each other again to once again stay up late chatting, scrapping and doing the ever so fun bargain hunting!