You Set My Alarm

I went scrapbooking this past weekend – something I’ve never done before. I packed up all my supplies and more than enough clothes for the weekend and traveled to Newark to commence cutting and pasting pictures, tags, swirls, letters etc.

Somehow I just get lost in the creative process while all the cares, agendas and voices of responsibility drift from my consciousness. What a wonderful feeling. No ringing of the phone, no “what’s for dinner,” no “did you wash my shirt”, no “you have to get this done?” -- just focusing on creating memories.

At one point while deep in the creative process I heard the words “you set my alarm.” I had actually heard most of the conversation but these words struck a subconscious chord – my writing chord. I had just been given a creative phrase for writing. I immediately stopped and wrote it down while making a mental note of its significance.

Normally a phrase with “alarm” in it would not be a positive phrase. I live with an internal alarm that is set off by different circumstances; the Mommy alarm, the wife alarm, the dinner alarm, the deadline alarm, or the “wake up out of a perfect sleep” alarm which jars me to reality. I live for the day when I can sleep until my eyes just pop open – without the alarm.

However, in this case the phrase “you set my alarm” was a good phrase. My new friend was talking about how their lives had changed dramatically since her husband was on shift work. Their normal lives of doing everything together had been turned upside down and inside out. But here she was thanking her husband for setting her alarm. He didn’t give it a second thought. What was so special about resetting the alarm after he had risen from bed? She answered him emphatically, “you set my alarm.”

I knew exactly what she meant. On the few occasions when my husband has to get up earlier than me, I have to reset the alarm. He doesn’t even know how to set it. Sometimes just getting awake enough to reset the alarm is enough to wake me up completely. If I don’t reset it then I’m constantly thinking about missing my wake-up time and, consequently I don’t really sleep. Or, I fall asleep and dream of missing the expected responsibility. It’s terribly frustrating.

So, when she was thanking for husband for that small task of resetting the alarm, I understood its significance. I got it. It’s a small act that makes a huge difference. It’s an act of consideration. “You set my alarm” says I love you in a big way.

My husband may not reset the alarm but he does many small acts of consideration that say “I love you” in a big way. Let’s not take those small acts for granted. Thank your husband, children or friend for small acts of consideration. Or, just maybe, “set their alarm” for once.

I quickly re-immersed myself in the creative process of scrapbooking. However, I didn’t just bring home sixteen pages of memories; but new friendships upon which to build and a reminder to “set someone’s alarm.”

The Hats will Find You...

A girl can never have too many hats, can she? Maielle loves to try on Grammie's hats. What is this inborn desire to play dress-up? What is our fascination with hats? Maybe its a reflection of our journey to find our selves.

With the change of a hat you look and feel differently. People see you in a bigger picture. I know nurses don't wear their little caps anymore but to me that little cap provoked respect. Stories of Clara Barton immediately flood my mind with pictures of her untiring, faithful service. The cap represents an era.

I once wore a hat while in the marching band in high school. I didn't really like the way it messed with my hair. However, when I placed that hat on my head I felt taller. For some reason my shoulders went back and my head high. The hat represented something bigger than myself -- the honor of our school, the reputation of the Christiana Vikings. It magically transformed me from an awkward teen to a marching Viking.

As women, we wear many different hats representing a variety of roles. We're wife, mother, chef, maid, taxi driver, laundress, seamstress, teacher, coach, counselor, shopper, party organizer, event planner, decorator, nurse and physician's assistant, appointment secretary, comforter, encourager, cheer leader, and banker. Whew! That's a lot of hats to wear.

I don't know about you but I like the variety of womanhood. I like changing hats for different days and situations. I might look a little crazy if I wore them all at once, but at a moment's notice women seem to be able to change hats with lightening speed. Our family and friends barely notice our slight of hand but they sure seem to enjoy us taking on our different roles.

We're born to wear hats. Hats of responsibility -- hats of respect and reputation -- hats of character and integrity. While our hats may be invisible, their affect is still the same -- they whisk us into the bigger picture. It's not all about us. We are important and the hat calls forth something that's desperately needed.

I'm not sure we ever lose that fascination for hats. Laughing till we cried, my Mother and I tried on almost every hat at Macy's one day. The variety of styles and colors caught our attention and begged to transform us. Time seemed to stand still as we played dress up. I'll never forget those magical moments.

Maielle has just begun her fascination with hats but we all know her journey will be an adventure. Swallowing Maielle's beautiful head of hair, my hat is much too large but someday she will fill it out and take over the roles Grammie leaves behind.

"Enjoy playing dress up for now, Maielle. Don't grow up too soon, the hats will find you."

Rebuilding with Nehemiah - - Pushing through the Fear.

“I was very much afraid, but I said to the king…” Nehemiah had already approached the King of heaven with his passion for rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem and restoring God’s reputation in the eyes of the surrounding countries. However, he still found himself apprehensive in approaching a mere man. Fear of man stops us in our tracks in many circumstances but especially when it is a person of position and power. Have we totally forgotten our fear of God and what He thinks?

Being afraid is a normal human response, even when we’ve been before the King of Kings and received His approval. Fear can paralyze us but it doesn’t have to. Nehemiah pushed through his fear and spoke to the King anyway. He faced his fear. What might be causing you to be paralyzed by fear? What is keeping you from getting the help you need in rebuilding the ruins of your life?

It might be that you are afraid the person will refuse or ridicule you, or remind you of your past failures. There’s nothing like having your face rubbed in the muck and mire of past failure. The snapshots of our failures loom dark and current in the recesses of our memories, haunting and tormenting us, entangling us in doubt, regret and crippling fear. Who shall deliver us from their trap?

If we’ve asked forgiveness then “there is therefore now no condemnation in Christ Jesus.” March boldly into the throne room of grace to receive mercy over your past failures, grace to move on and power to conquer fear and try again.

We really are our own worst enemy at times. Our long, sharp memories keep us cowering in defeat. The Olympics are this week and I’ve heard it said more than once, “this is where a short memory serves one well.” Having a short memory for past failures or defeats helps us to gather our courage to give it our best one more time.

God removes our sins from us as far as the East is from the West – never to be remembered again. His memory is very short. May you receive the gift of a short memory so you can get up and face your fears and start requesting the help you need to begin the rebuilding process in your life.