Guest Post:
A few weeks ago, I was busy preparing for my son’s visit from New York City. I set about my tasks, knowing that when they were finished I would reward myself with a tall, icy cold Coca Cola…..my sinful indulgence. I cleaned the guest room and bathroom along with the rest of the house, made a grocery list, purchased the needed items, got an extra $100 in cash for our trip south, and ended up at the nearest Harward’s Corn stand to get corn for our BBQ on Labor Day. My last stop was Shirley’s Bakery in Provo to get our family’s favorite rolls. I found myself getting excited because my tall, icy cold Coke was almost within reach.
Upon my arrival at Shirley’s I noticed my wallet was missing. I searched the car and surrounding area thoroughly and then retraced my route, driving back to Harward’s where I asked the attendant at the corn stand if he had seen a stray wallet. All of this was to no avail, and as I thought of the $100 cash (I rarely carry that much) and my debit and credit cards, I got a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. To make things worse, the change in my ash tray was not even close the small amount I needed to purchase my long awaited tall, icy cold Coke! That fact alone was more frustrating to me than the entire wallet scenario…go figure! I quickly canceled both cards and was relieved to find that no fraud had been attempted.
As the reality of the situation set in, I realized I would have to buy food and gas with cash on our trip. “What a PAIN!” I thought. “ and what poor timing! Oh well, it is what it is, so lets go to plan B.” After taking a deep breath, however, and gaining some control over my thought processes, I began to see this situation through a more healthy perspective. Sure I was out $100 and had to replace my wallet and cards, but I could still take my trip and enjoy time with my son. More importantly, we have a precious new granddaughter and another grandchild on the way. I am Cancer free, healthy and able to work. I have a job I enjoy, a family to love and strong faith to guide my life.
William Plumer once said, “Be patient in the little things. Learn to meet every day trials quietly and calmly and then, when unforeseen trouble or calamity comes, your strength will not fail you.” My wallet was returned that evening minus the cash and debit card, but it had my driver’s license, so that was helpful. Although this situation was quite stressful and very annoying, in the grand scheme of things, it was really pretty small. I had a great trip with my son, paid cash for all my gas, and got a tall icy cold Coke each time I filled my gas tank! Life is good indeed.
Kathy Christensen
Showing posts with label Patience. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Patience. Show all posts
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Thursday, August 2, 2012
THURSDAY THOUGHTS - Patience Please!
A few weeks ago I was driving home from work. While waiting for a red light to change, I noticed a piece of paper taped in the back window of the car in front of me that had a sign in hand written letters which read, “Learning to drive a stick shift….PATIENCE PLEASE!” I laughed almost out loud as I remembered my father taking me in to the fields west of Springville where there wasn’t much traffic, to master the same skill.
My thoughts then turned to the endless situations which require patience. Take for instance the messes of the preschool years when children seem to spill more than they eat, or the yearly fiasco of tangled Christmas lights. How about potty training, or entering the kitchen to find a dozen eggs cracked on the floor because my son loved the way they sounded as he dropped them?
It seems to me that there is a patience progression of sorts. Spilled milk and potty training give way to and prepare us for whatever challenges await us in the future. These are different for each of us and there are enough maladies for all of us to share. There is Cancer and its many faces; depression in its various forms; divorce and the displacement it causes on many levels; the challenge of caring for aging parents; or the grief of burying those we love to name just a few. In our family I have one daughter in law who is awaiting the birth of their first child through a hot and uncomfortable summer, while my other daughter in law just suffered her third miscarriage. Both of these young women are learning the principle of patience in a different way.
Charles Dickens, the famous author, once said, “No one is useless in this world who lightens the burden of it for anyone else.“ Situations which require patience provide more than ample opportunities for us to practice kindness. A wise man once wrote, “Kindness is the golden charm by which society is bound together.” I think patience and kindness go hand in hand and while being patient and kind to others is important, it is highly beneficial when we learn to be patient and kind to ourselves as well.
In our fast paced lifestyle, patience and kindness are at a premium. If you don’t believe it just watch how those around you react to someone cutting them off in traffic, or losing the last parking space in the lot to someone else. I recently saw the manager of a theater ask four people to leave because they were fighting over a seat. And how many of you have seen people fighting over Christmas gifts as the last shopping days slip away? “’Tis the Season” right? Perhaps “PATIENCE PLEASE” should be posted in windows everywhere. It might help us bind ourselves together with the golden charm of kindness as we progress on our life’s path.
Kathy Christensen
Survivor
Member, Lifting Hearts
My thoughts then turned to the endless situations which require patience. Take for instance the messes of the preschool years when children seem to spill more than they eat, or the yearly fiasco of tangled Christmas lights. How about potty training, or entering the kitchen to find a dozen eggs cracked on the floor because my son loved the way they sounded as he dropped them?
It seems to me that there is a patience progression of sorts. Spilled milk and potty training give way to and prepare us for whatever challenges await us in the future. These are different for each of us and there are enough maladies for all of us to share. There is Cancer and its many faces; depression in its various forms; divorce and the displacement it causes on many levels; the challenge of caring for aging parents; or the grief of burying those we love to name just a few. In our family I have one daughter in law who is awaiting the birth of their first child through a hot and uncomfortable summer, while my other daughter in law just suffered her third miscarriage. Both of these young women are learning the principle of patience in a different way.
Charles Dickens, the famous author, once said, “No one is useless in this world who lightens the burden of it for anyone else.“ Situations which require patience provide more than ample opportunities for us to practice kindness. A wise man once wrote, “Kindness is the golden charm by which society is bound together.” I think patience and kindness go hand in hand and while being patient and kind to others is important, it is highly beneficial when we learn to be patient and kind to ourselves as well.
In our fast paced lifestyle, patience and kindness are at a premium. If you don’t believe it just watch how those around you react to someone cutting them off in traffic, or losing the last parking space in the lot to someone else. I recently saw the manager of a theater ask four people to leave because they were fighting over a seat. And how many of you have seen people fighting over Christmas gifts as the last shopping days slip away? “’Tis the Season” right? Perhaps “PATIENCE PLEASE” should be posted in windows everywhere. It might help us bind ourselves together with the golden charm of kindness as we progress on our life’s path.
Kathy Christensen
Survivor
Member, Lifting Hearts
Thursday, June 28, 2012
THURSDAY THOUGHTS - "There Is Always Hope, Faith, and Tomorrow Morning"
Guest Post -
Each year as Mother's Day approaches my husband, Ron, and I make a trip to the nursery to choose the bedding plants for our yard. The together we plan them so I can watch them grow all summer long. This has been my Mother's Day gift for several years and I can't think of better one. As we shopped this year, we selected three beautiful Peony bushes for the northeast corner of our front yard. They were in full bloom with hot pink flowers when we purchased them, a somewhat different choice for us, but we both liked them so we took them home and spent the day planting them along with the Geraniums we bought.
After the first blooming flowers wilted and we removed them, I became concerned because I couldn't see any new buds to replace them. The leaves looked pretty sad too and at one point, I considered replacing them altogether. I know flowers go through a shock when they are transplanted, but it had been nearly a month... longer than any plants I remember taking to adjust. Ron told me that some flowers go through a dormant phase, so we should wait a little longer and I agreed to give them a last chance. We checked them every day and before long, we saw the new buds working their way out. Not only were there more buds, but they shot up much taller than the original flowers did. I was thrilled and so grateful we didn't uproot and replace them.
This experience taught (or should I say re-taught) me the important principle of patience. Most things that are worthwhile take time to materialize. It takes time for new marriages to find their rhythm and for more mature marriages to keep their rhythm strong; it take time and patience to wait for babies to be born, especially for those moms who are pregnant through the hot summer months; it takes time and patience to build homes and for mortgages to be paid off; it takes time for Cancer surgeries to heal and for chemo and radiation treatments to be completed. And how about finishing college degrees or seeing family members through the rough patches in their lives?
Richard L. Evans, a well respected writer and spiritual leader, penned a wonderful quote that reads, "Always again there is another day. Always, eternally there is hope and faith and tomorrow morning." It is hard to wait as we discover what will or will not work in a marriage; as we endure waiting for a baby to be born and learn how to parent after they get here; as we wait until the discomfort and exhaustion of chemo and radiation treatments are over; and while we wait and watch as our loved ones struggle to learn many of life's most difficult lessons. But just as the Peony plants in my front yard took hold when they were ready, the times and seasons of our lives ebb, flow and unfold when the time is right. And thank heavens as Evans so aptly said, "There is always hope, faith and tomorrow morning."
-Kathy Christensen
Survivor
Member, Lifting Hearts
Each year as Mother's Day approaches my husband, Ron, and I make a trip to the nursery to choose the bedding plants for our yard. The together we plan them so I can watch them grow all summer long. This has been my Mother's Day gift for several years and I can't think of better one. As we shopped this year, we selected three beautiful Peony bushes for the northeast corner of our front yard. They were in full bloom with hot pink flowers when we purchased them, a somewhat different choice for us, but we both liked them so we took them home and spent the day planting them along with the Geraniums we bought.
After the first blooming flowers wilted and we removed them, I became concerned because I couldn't see any new buds to replace them. The leaves looked pretty sad too and at one point, I considered replacing them altogether. I know flowers go through a shock when they are transplanted, but it had been nearly a month... longer than any plants I remember taking to adjust. Ron told me that some flowers go through a dormant phase, so we should wait a little longer and I agreed to give them a last chance. We checked them every day and before long, we saw the new buds working their way out. Not only were there more buds, but they shot up much taller than the original flowers did. I was thrilled and so grateful we didn't uproot and replace them.
This experience taught (or should I say re-taught) me the important principle of patience. Most things that are worthwhile take time to materialize. It takes time for new marriages to find their rhythm and for more mature marriages to keep their rhythm strong; it take time and patience to wait for babies to be born, especially for those moms who are pregnant through the hot summer months; it takes time and patience to build homes and for mortgages to be paid off; it takes time for Cancer surgeries to heal and for chemo and radiation treatments to be completed. And how about finishing college degrees or seeing family members through the rough patches in their lives?
Richard L. Evans, a well respected writer and spiritual leader, penned a wonderful quote that reads, "Always again there is another day. Always, eternally there is hope and faith and tomorrow morning." It is hard to wait as we discover what will or will not work in a marriage; as we endure waiting for a baby to be born and learn how to parent after they get here; as we wait until the discomfort and exhaustion of chemo and radiation treatments are over; and while we wait and watch as our loved ones struggle to learn many of life's most difficult lessons. But just as the Peony plants in my front yard took hold when they were ready, the times and seasons of our lives ebb, flow and unfold when the time is right. And thank heavens as Evans so aptly said, "There is always hope, faith and tomorrow morning."
-Kathy Christensen
Survivor
Member, Lifting Hearts
Monday, October 24, 2011
MONDAY MENTIONABLES - Fostering Miracles, Molding Character
This last Saturday, our Lifting Hearts group held a breast cancer awareness fair, in cooperation with Fresh Market in American Fork. It was a busy day, and I had a great time talking to women about breast cancer. What made it even more enjoyable were the "sister survivors" that I spent the day with.
I've been thinking about those women who shared the day with me, and how much I admire their attitudes, their courage, and their perseverance. It's not easy to deal with a cancer diagnosis, but it is possible. To get through cancer with hope and patience is also possible.
Zig Ziglar once said: "You cannot tailor make your situation in life, but you can tailor make your attitudes to fit those situations."
This is what I see in almost every survivor I meet. They are women who have taken a bad situation - one that can be overpowering, terrifying, and way too big to handle, and they've turned that situation into something that will foster miracles, and mold their characters.
I so admire those qualities that these women hold - love, charity, patience, courage, sisterly kindness - the list is almost endless.
Thanks for sharing the day with me, and helping me remember what watching out for each other means.
Here's to you, my fellow survivors!
"Crises refine life. In them you discover what you are." - Allan K. Chalmers
I've been thinking about those women who shared the day with me, and how much I admire their attitudes, their courage, and their perseverance. It's not easy to deal with a cancer diagnosis, but it is possible. To get through cancer with hope and patience is also possible.
Zig Ziglar once said: "You cannot tailor make your situation in life, but you can tailor make your attitudes to fit those situations."
This is what I see in almost every survivor I meet. They are women who have taken a bad situation - one that can be overpowering, terrifying, and way too big to handle, and they've turned that situation into something that will foster miracles, and mold their characters.
I so admire those qualities that these women hold - love, charity, patience, courage, sisterly kindness - the list is almost endless.
Thanks for sharing the day with me, and helping me remember what watching out for each other means.
Here's to you, my fellow survivors!
"Crises refine life. In them you discover what you are." - Allan K. Chalmers
Thursday, August 4, 2011
THURSDAY THOUGHTS - Patience and Desire
I was reading in a book this week that was given to me by a special friend. This book was written by Cheryne (Rocky) Brivik and is entitled "Be Enthused...52 Weeks of Enthusiasm." There was a quote by Robin Sharma on patience that truly resonated with me, and I want to share it with you:
"I'm impatient. I move fast and love things done now. I have a dream and wish it came true last weekend. I get an idea and I want it realized tomorrow. But life's not like that, is it? So, through my inner work, I've learned to slow down(a little). Because Good Things Take Time.
We live in a world that adores speed. But the nature of business and life is more organic. A gorgeous wine takes time to mature. A precious garden takes time to bloom. A breathtaking mountain needed time to form. And-great businesses and world-class lives are not created in a day. It's more about evolution than revolution. Those small daily improvements that, over time, lead to stunning results. It's the small steps that matter most. So, today, I invite you be patient. Focus more on consistent and steady improvements in the way you work and in the way you live. Slow and steady wins the race."
As I read this I remembered my radiation treatments. There was no way to rush them. I was there the same time five days a week for six and a half weeks. Day by day we got closer to the goal of completion. Although I never had Chemo Therapy, I know many who have undergone those treatments. Once again, they can't be hurried. One must endure the sickness and discomfort they cause in order for them to have their full curing effect. Napoleon Hill once said, "Patience, persistence, amd perspiration make an unbeatable combination for success." It is all about our perspective. Remember: "What the caterpillar calls the end, the rest of the world calls a butterfly."
Rocky further states," In understanding nature's precise timeline, we can follow the same path and enjoy the baby steps that need to be taken day to day. Instead of looking at the big picture, let's focus on the baby steps, the stepping stones, the bricks we need to build a solid house and work patiently toward our goals. Slow and steady wins the race. There is no need for impatience because each day is one day closer to where we are going. Each day is exactly where we need to be- today may be happy, today may be sad, today may be success, or today may be failure. Whatever it is, it's all the precision of timing-enjoying the moment and being in present... waiting patiently for the moment of triumph."
Kudos to all of you Cancer survivors. I feel that we understand more than many, the concept of patience and the desire to "Keep on Keepin' on!" (my grandmother's famous quote).
Kathy Christensen
Breast Cancer Survivor
Guest Blogger
Member of Lifting Hearts
"I'm impatient. I move fast and love things done now. I have a dream and wish it came true last weekend. I get an idea and I want it realized tomorrow. But life's not like that, is it? So, through my inner work, I've learned to slow down(a little). Because Good Things Take Time.
We live in a world that adores speed. But the nature of business and life is more organic. A gorgeous wine takes time to mature. A precious garden takes time to bloom. A breathtaking mountain needed time to form. And-great businesses and world-class lives are not created in a day. It's more about evolution than revolution. Those small daily improvements that, over time, lead to stunning results. It's the small steps that matter most. So, today, I invite you be patient. Focus more on consistent and steady improvements in the way you work and in the way you live. Slow and steady wins the race."
As I read this I remembered my radiation treatments. There was no way to rush them. I was there the same time five days a week for six and a half weeks. Day by day we got closer to the goal of completion. Although I never had Chemo Therapy, I know many who have undergone those treatments. Once again, they can't be hurried. One must endure the sickness and discomfort they cause in order for them to have their full curing effect. Napoleon Hill once said, "Patience, persistence, amd perspiration make an unbeatable combination for success." It is all about our perspective. Remember: "What the caterpillar calls the end, the rest of the world calls a butterfly."
Rocky further states," In understanding nature's precise timeline, we can follow the same path and enjoy the baby steps that need to be taken day to day. Instead of looking at the big picture, let's focus on the baby steps, the stepping stones, the bricks we need to build a solid house and work patiently toward our goals. Slow and steady wins the race. There is no need for impatience because each day is one day closer to where we are going. Each day is exactly where we need to be- today may be happy, today may be sad, today may be success, or today may be failure. Whatever it is, it's all the precision of timing-enjoying the moment and being in present... waiting patiently for the moment of triumph."
Kudos to all of you Cancer survivors. I feel that we understand more than many, the concept of patience and the desire to "Keep on Keepin' on!" (my grandmother's famous quote).
Kathy Christensen
Breast Cancer Survivor
Guest Blogger
Member of Lifting Hearts
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