I'd finished putting all the groceries away, started a batch of buttermilk biscuits, thrown a package of chicken breasts in the crock-pot, and had started placing a dozen eggs in a pan to hard boil when it occurred to me how fortunate I am.
See, I've been thinking about balance a lot lately, and that particular morning had been rushed. Monday mornings always are. I'd been mentally lamenting all that I still needed to do. As flour poofed on me from stirring the biscuit batter, a memory of my deceased grandmother flashed to me.
I gained perspective in an instant. Didn't even have to think about it.
She would have loved to have my life.
Don't get me wrong, my grandmother was content, but I'd had enough discussions with her over the years to know she'd had dreams of her own but hadn't lived in a nourishing environment, probably hadn't even solidified her dreams. She'd been proud of her days as a working gal until she got married and had to quit. Then her life had sped by in a blur of babies, farm work, cooking, cleaning, and coping.
She'd never had the opportunities I have, and they wouldn't have been acceptable in her social circle regardless.
We live in an exciting time. A fast-paced time. An era where women and men are urged to go after their dreams.
I might have to balance household, family, and my career, but how blessed am I that I have the three to balance? A few generations ago, I probably would only have had two to balance.
Technology and progress have brought many downsides to life, including a fast pace, but they've also brought some wonderful things.
What are some of the blessings progress has brought to your life?
Join me on Wednesday when we'll discuss the endless list of things we balance.
Oh, definately my computer. I can't imagine writing with a typewriter, not with all the mistakes I make. And research? Can't imagine I know as much if I had to go to the library to find everything out.
ReplyDeleteThe microwave. god, how I love the microwave! And the washing machine. Anything that I have to press a button and the job is done. If only there was a bed making machine... or an iron that moved itself up and down the clothes!
ReplyDeleteHmmm...
I can't even fathom now that I did write at one time without a computer. Just the ease of revisions on Word, and the wealth of research at my fingertips on the internet has definitely made the computer a blessing in my writing life :)
ReplyDeleteJill, what a great moment for you! And thanks for sharing it with us, because it sure seems apt for my life, and I need to remember that. The blessings are there, we just have to look for them.
ReplyDeletebread machine, washing machine, TV to check weather channel, computer for writing and getting recipes. I am in a food mood I guess.
ReplyDeleteGreat question!!!
~ Wendy
Oh, I love my computer. It serves so many purposes. Keeps me connected to the world, helps me write my books and stores all of our photographs. I can't imagine life without it!
ReplyDeleteHi, Jill! Definitely communication. When my best friend moved to Germany when we were teens, we had to use snail mail and could only call each other every three weeks for half an hour at a time. If only we'd had skype then! And email was just getting big. It's such a blessing!
ReplyDeleteGood morning!
ReplyDeleteEm-Musing: Yes! The computer. I can't imagine writing by hand or typing. I would need gallons of whiteout!
Tabitha: Please invent a bed-making machine!
Joanne: I know! And I think about spell check and the little things I take for granted with a word processor. How did we live without??
Janna: It was a lovely moment. But bittersweet, too. It's easier than ever to go after our dreams, partly because of the social acceptance. I realize many women over the centuries have broken out of the mold and pursued their dreams, but if I had been born in my grandmother's time and circumstances? I doubt I'd be where I am today.
Wendy: Can I come over? I want homemade bread!! And we can watch the weather channel together :)
Lisa and Laura: Photographs! I can't believe all I have to do is upload my pictures to Walgreens, and I can pick them up a few hours later. Amazing!
Kristen T.: E-mail and online phone services have kept relationships together. When my sister lived in Italy, we e-mailed all the time.
Thanks so much for stopping by!
We are definitely blessed!! Reminded me of an awesome verse: Psalm 68:19 Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah. (Think about it!)This morning, I've been trying to digest chapter 11 in Joanna Weaver's book, Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World. Balance is exactly what God intended! Thanks for the thought-provoking post, Jill!
ReplyDeleteCertainly my computer. The internet for doing research without a trip to the library. My cell phone sure makes me feel safe when I am driving somewhere alone. Voice mail on my home phone so I can just let it ring. Programmable thermostats so I can wake up to a warm house. Wow...I could go on and on. I feel very, very blessed to be living right here, right now!
ReplyDeleteAwesome post, Jill!!! It's so good to put our "trials" into perspective. We do have so many more opportunities than women in the past. And so many things that make our jobs easier! With writing and home managing and parenting, we have an abundance of technology to make the workload much easier to balance. Thanks for reminding me to count the blessings! You're awesome!!
ReplyDeleteI am a farm wife like my grandmother was. She had to go hand pick cotton. We have big combines go through and chop the crops. I am so lucky. This post was a great reminder.
ReplyDeleteGreat post. Sometimes we get so caught up in our fast paced lives we forget how lucky we are to have the choices that weren't afforded women just a few decades ago.
ReplyDeleteI started my 'writing career' with an electric typewriter, but now having computers and word processors, you couldn't get me to go back in time for anything.
This is just such a great thought Jill. I too appreciate that we have these things to juggle. I'm a classical movie fanatic. I'm always watching old movies in which it was an amazing thing to see a woman with a career that she was passionate about. It was amazing to see a woman in a career period. I'm thankful that thinking has progressed and that women have been given more room to dream. It's actually encouraged. God has blessed us so much with the tools and dreams we need! I'm very thankful.
ReplyDeleteThank you for setting the mood for today!
Technology! I think it is amazing how connected I feel even though I'm home with kids all day. Plus, having a computer makes writing so much easier. Can you imagine what it must have been like to write (and edit!) novels longhand? We are so blessed.
ReplyDeleteGreat post! I have to agree about the computer, and all the increased technology that goes with it. It helps me keep in touch with loved ones far away.
ReplyDeleteIt's good to pause and think about our blessings and keep our challenges in perspective.
Good thoughts for a busy Monday Morning!
ReplyDeleteI'm thankful that there are so many GOOD things to choose from,I often have to decide what is the BEST thing. I'm reading about army wives on the frontier, and I realize how blessed I am with all I have.
I have so much to be thankful for! Today I am in awe of the support of my family.
ReplyDeleteMy husband, who clamors for my attention lately, still stays up until midnight to hear about my WIP.
My children, hang over my shoulder and tell how good that sounds!
Great post Jill!
Ooh! What kindred spirits are we? i've often had that thought in regards to my grandmother. Aren't we all that and glad to be it? I'm so thankful the Lord plunked me down in this season of time. I love it all. The irony is our grandmothers might have had the same thought about theirs lol.
ReplyDeleteJill, how fitting is this post for me today, on our Canadian Thanksgiving day!
ReplyDeleteOnline Research is a huge blessing for me in todays age. It is so convenient!!! There are many more, and thanks for helping me to see progress as a blessing instead of the usual--a negative.
Jill, dear: Thank you for reminding us that we are blessed to live in this era, crazy though it seems at times.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite change that progress has brought is the ability to type into a computer and save it, put it on a zip drive, send it anywhere I want, and not have to kill any trees in the process. When I first began my writing career I used a typewriter. If anyone out there doesn't know what that is, email me. HA!
You are such a blessing,
Jen
Maria: Thank you for the Bible passage. I wrote it down and intend to read the entire psalm later. What beautiful words.
ReplyDeleteTamara: I echo your list. The cell phone makes me feel safe on long trips. Even twenty years ago, we were at the mercy of a kind (or creepy) stranger to help us when our cars broke down. It's so easy to forget these little blessings!
Jody: You're right. I simply wouldn't have the time to write if I didn't live now. My grandmother spent a good chunk of her day just preparing and cleaning up after meals. Throw in the all day laundry washing, not to mention SEWING many of their clothes--yikes!!
Susan: My hat's off to you! My cousins are farmers too. Love them! And hand picking cotton--could there be a more back-breaking and difficult job? Uggh. Three cheers for combines!
connie: I remember our technologically advanced typewriter. It had correcting ribbon, and I still needed white out! You couldn't pay me to go back either!
Regina: Me too! I love old movies. The women with careers were usually widows, and they usually were looking for a husband. What a different world we live in. :)
Thanks so much for stopping by!
Natalie: (Love your new profile pic!) Writing longhand is painful for me. I don't know how I would have done it. I think I would have had to pay someone to do the actual writing!
ReplyDeleteSallyo: Yes, it's not as if we don't have challenges, but it's encouraging to know we have tools to help us.
Erica: I love your attitude. What a terrific thought--we have so many good things, it's hard to choose the best thing. I love that! And frontier army wife? I can't even imagine!
Tamika: It's wonderful to hear that your family supports you. It makes all the difference, doesn't it?
T. Anne: How right you are! It's true that our grandmothers benefited from early technology. Their grandmothers didn't have refrigerators or indoor plumbing. Oh, how thankful I am to live right now!
Eileen: Happy Thanksgiving to you! Do you gorge yourself on turkey and pumpkin pie too? Or is that just an American tradition? Hope you rest and enjoy the day!
Jen: You are so funny! You're like Erma Bombeck--except inspirational. And I agree, I'm very thankful for zip drives, computers, and the Internet!
Thanks so much for stopping by!
Great post! I feel so blessed with all the things I have. One of the biggest blessings was being able to quit my job and stay home full time. I had done so once prior and didn't enjoy it at all. I think those few years at work again totally changed my perspective and now I can't imaging having to go back to work. I love being able to be at home and see my kids and take care of the house.
ReplyDeleteOh, my goodness, it's so true!
ReplyDeleteI had to heat something up on the stove once when I my microwave broke and I thought I would DIE. LOL! We have so many wonderful conveniences now.
And of course, I truly thank God every day that I don't HAVE to go to work and can stay home for my family.
Aw, Jill! That's easy! Technology brought all my delightful blogger friends into my life.
ReplyDeleteBlessings,
Susan :)
Oh, Jill, I hear ya. I count my blessings A LOT, and am so thankful to be born at this time, when I can lay in bed and type on my laptop. I cannot imagine writing with a pencil...I don't think I could be a writer. My idea come out to fast... I need keys to type. The internet is amazing helpful when it comes to quick research and I've met so many wonderful writers through technology. I wouldn't want to be alive at any other time. :)
ReplyDeleteI loved this post! I spent some time with my 93 year old grandmother this weekend and I was struck by her life. She spent it serving others. It is what women did. They served their husbands, their children, and as a pastor's wife, my grandmother also served the church. What did she want to do for herself? Did she dream? Did she know to?
ReplyDeleteExcuse my wandering....your post brought it on! :)
Cindy: Some of the greatest blessings aren't objects, are they? Thanks for the wonderful words.
ReplyDeleteJennifer: Ha! Or life without a hair dryer? Coffee maker? Central heating? I can't even imagine!
Susan: Yes! That was really, really sweet! And I absolutely agree. :)
Katie: You and I would have to huddle together and tell each other our stories because longhand and me? We don't get along!
Sherrinda: I know. I feel the same way. I wonder if my grandmother could even imagine doing the things our generation does. She was afraid to drive! Now my other grandmother is a go-getter. Her mother even wrote plays for neighborhood parties. I didn't find this out until I'd decided to be a writer--isn't that cool?
Thanks so much for stopping by!
why does it feel like forever since we were on each other's blogs? must be our posting schedules being different, huh? let's remedy it!
ReplyDeletei think one of the advances of progress is health. better food preparation, cooking means, disposal means. more visits to doctors ending with favorable outcomes. that sort of thing. very grateful for it.
jeannie
The Character Therapist
Jeannie: You're right! We need to mesh again. I'm in! And yes, the health advances have been enormous. Just think how many babies and mothers died even fifty years ago. Thanks for the reminder.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for stopping by!
Funny you write this...I was just thinking about it. I have the misfortune of being stuck in a room with only two cubicles -- mine and this 40-something man who's VERY bitter about the female gender. He makes comments such as, "That's why women shouldn't be in the workforce" and "Women over the age of 30 serve no purpose except raising your children." Ugh! Just an hour or so ago, he called my male employee in here to ask for advice on purchasing a computer, despite the fact that he shares an office with the woman who is head of the help desk out here. It's very clear he thinks women are idiots...and I bite my tongue every day.
ReplyDeleteI'm not one for manual labor so anything that makes work eaasier is usually good by me. I love electricity, indoor plumbing, heating, the microwave. Also, my new computer is pretty cool most of the time. It wants to interact with me more than I would like. But I am very grateful for these blessings and more.
ReplyDeleteSteph: I think I worked with him several years ago. :) What a joy for you, huh? Ha! Ha!
ReplyDeleteNancy: Anything that takes the place of manual labor is wonderful! Glad you're enjoying your new computer.
Jill, we do gorge ourselves on turkey and pumpkin and cherry pies and blueberry pies and lots of stuffing too. The list is endless really. Now I'm paying the price with needing major work outs to get rid of the gained bulk!!!
ReplyDeleteEileen: I'm getting on my treadmill. Maybe I can work off some of your yummy pies for you!
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by!
We are blessed that we have more options! More to balance...and oh so important that we do balance. Lovely post!
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure I would have made a very good housewife at the time my grandmother was raised in the Appalachian mountains. I love this post, Jill. You're right, we are so blessed with many modern conveniences.
ReplyDeleteTexas Playwright Chick: We do have so many more options than previous generations. What a blessing!
ReplyDeleteHeather: I'm pretty sure I would have made a lousy housewife in the App. Mountains back then. I can already hear myself whining...
Thanks so much for stopping by!
I love that piece of perspective! Thank you! You also had me thinking of my Great-Grandma for a moment there.
ReplyDelete