Sheets

I may lose some of you here (cuz you know I have so many to lose).  I think of myself as fairly organized and clean.  I'm a flylady fan and try very hard to keep up with my routines, weekly home blessing hour and such.  If you don't know what I'm talking about, you really should check out www.flylady.net, I absolutely love it.  Anyways, there's one thing I struggle with.  Well, one thing I'll talk about today...Sheets.  I read the other day that if you take a shower at night, you can probably get away with washing your sheets only once a week, if not, you should wash them every three days.  Are you freakin' kidding me?  Who has time to wash sheets every three days?  I've even tried to do the once a week thing and it seems ridiculous to me.  I mean, I sleep in them and then I wake up and shower.  Well, most of the time I shower.  Okay, the further along I get in this post I'm starting to sound like a real grunge type.  But it's such a PAIN to change the sheets, especially on the kids bunkbeds.  Confession time:  sometimes I can't remember the last time I changed their sheets.  Luckily, they shower before bed, but they are gross boys who smell a majority of the time so I realize this is just plain nasty.  Not really sure where I'm going with this post, I think I just need to hear that I'm not the only one who thinks washing sheets is just a big pain in the butt.  I enjoy nice clean sheets just as much as the next person, but I like them so much better in a hotel where someone else does all the dirty work!  That's it, I need a housekeeper.  I suppose this is one of those things that I'll do someday when my kids are grown up and I long for the crazy days that have passed.  I'll wash my sheets every three days.  Someday.

Transparent

And so it appears blogging is not my forte, either.  Chalk it up to one more thing I have very good intentions of doing, great ideas to start, yet not so good at following through.  A wise woman told me the other day that there are three kinds of quilters.  There are starters, those that love the idea of the quilt, buying the different fabrics, imagining what the finished product will look like and laying it all out in great fashion.  There are great middle quilters who love the actual work of making the quilt, the sewing, intricate details and the time it takes to actually put it together.  And then, of course, there are finishers.  They love seeing the project through to completion, making the last few adjustments and the pride that comes with finishing.  I am not and never will be a quilter, but after listening to her description of these quilters, I knew without even having to think about it that I would definitely be a starter and I think this might just apply to other areas of life :-)  I'm not all that creative and I'm certainly not a dreamer type of person, but I love big ideas that other people have and tweaking them to fit my lifestyle.  This blog is a great example of that.  However, I am bound determined that even though I might not be consistent, I do need the outlet and will use it as often as I can.

Starting the year off on a serious note, I've been thinking a lot about transparency lately.  I made a comment at bible study yesterday that actually surprised me coming out of my mouth.  First, let me explain the context.  If you know my family and the town we live in, you know that it's not always easy being part of my family in this town.  There's an expectation to look like you have it all together, even when you don't.  Now, in their defense, I think this dynamic has changed much in the past several years, but as I was growing up, this was definitely the expectation.  So at bible study we were having a discussion about this and I was able to put words to what I've been feeling for a long time.  God is not glorified by an image of "perfection" or having it all together.  He is glorified by us being transparent enough to let others see the crap we're going through and still allowing Him to work.  So why in the world do us "church people" feel like we have to look like we have it all together, never let anybody see a vulnerable side of us, when God is not being glorified through that?

Now that does not mean we should go around complaining about all our problems, verbally throwing them up on everybody we see.  So what does this transparency, this vulnerability look like?  I'm not sure I really have the answer, but I think we all know what makes us feel vulnerable.  I'm a crier, which I often curse and think of as a weakness.  I've learned, though, that when something brings tears to my eyes, I need to stop and pay attention.  This is often how God speaks to me and lays things on my heart.  I feel especially vulnerable when I cry at church, and if you go to church with me you're probably very aware of this.  I imagine all the things the people around me are thinking about me, if they're wondering what's wrong, what kind of awful things I must be going through, etc. etc. etc.  And then I'm cursing the fact that we worship in a community center where it is impossible to dim the lights.  My crying is out there for everyone to see bright and clear.  That's where I'm vulnerable, especially when people ask me if I'm okay, what's wrong, etc.  I always brush them off and tell them everything's fine.  Well, why couldn't I just say what's actually happening?  Would it be so bad to have my church family, people I know and love, lifting me up in prayer?  I fail to see a negative here.  I guess what I'm saying is we need to get over ourselves!!  I have my new years goals of feeding my family more fruits and vegetables, being consistent with my flylady routine and of course the always needed goal of getting and staying in shape, but where my heart is really at this year is being transparent, letting myself be vulnerable with other people and through it all, glorifying God.  Anybody with me??