There are some things in life that I can't do without thinking of someone. For example, every time I stir the whipped topping into a fruit salad I can't help but think about one of my grandsons. He lives far away from me now, but while he lived close fruit salad was always a holiday favorite of his. So as I was stirring the whipped topping into the fruit for our Easter Dinner, Jordan was on my mind.
There are other things, though, that remind me of life lessons and here is one....
Many years ago I stood along side a friend peeling potatoes for a church dinner - lots of potatoes. My friend is an amazing woman - she is such a great example of a loving, caring woman that seems to accomplish so very much in her life.
On this day I was so amazed at how slowly she worked on those potatoes - I'm sure I must have been peeling two or three to her one. What's up with that I wondered. She's such a super woman in so many other ways, so why is she so slow at peeling a potato.
About the time I was feeling pretty proud of my speed at the chore she began to tell me a story.......
"You might think I'm kind of slow at peeling potatoes, but when I was a kid I'd have to peel potatoes when I got home from school. My mom would be working and that was my chore to help prepare our supper. My dad would look at the job I had done and if I'd gone too fast and took too much potato off with the peel, he'd make me peel the peels to get every bit of the good part of the potato off. So I learned to take my time while peeling potatoes so that I'd only be taking the thin peel and not the potato."
Boy, did that make me feel like a fool!!!!!!!
Today I stood at the kitchen sink and peeled a big bag of potatoes for a meal at a local ministry. I couldn't help but think of this friend and the wonderful lesson she taught me that day. It made me think about life in general......
How often do we hurry through life and lose some of the good things along the way because we think that faster is better. Perhaps we should slow down a bit. Just as I was peeling too much potato away with the skin, maybe we peel away too much of the good stuff in life by hurrying to do more.
For me, every time I have to peel a potato I think of my friend - I say a prayer for her and I thank God that she took that opportunity to teach me such a valuable life lesson.
Today, instead of rushing though the chore I took my time. By just slowing down it creates a peace and calm in me. I have that time for my mind to wonder and just enjoy the time. When I find myself at the end of the chore I feel good. That little chore allows me to slow down just enough that I can catch my breath, gather my thoughts, and think about how lucky I am to have people along the way teach me such wonderful life lessons. It is also a great reminder that by rushing through this life I have, that I may be peeling away too much of the good stuff that I could enjoy if I would just allow myself to slow down.
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