Come on over for tea!

I am reading through James Dobson's book Bringing Up Boys right now, (yes, still!! I just read it here and there!) and it is really a good book. I would highly recommend it to you if you have a son, or a grandson, or have any boys in your life at all!

Here's part of what I read yesterday.....

Chasing the Caterpillar (excerpt from chapter 8, p. 99-100)

The Great French naturalist Jean-Henri Fabre once conducted a fascinating experiment with processionary caterpillars, so called because they tend to march in unison. He lined them around the inner edge of a flower-pot and then monitored them carefully as they marched in a circle. At the end of the third day, he placed some pine needles, which is the favorite food of caterpillars, in the center of the pot. They continued walking for four more days without breaking rank. Finally, one at a time, they rolled over and died of starvation, just inches from their ideal food source.

These furry little creatures remind me in some ways of today's moms. Most of them are trudging around in circles from morning to night, exhausted and harried, wondering how in the world they can get everything done. Many are employed full-time while also taking care of families, chauffeuring kids, fixing meals, cleaning the house, and trying desperately to maintain their marriages, friendships, family relationships, and spiritual commitments. It is a backbreaking load. Sadly, this overcommitted and breathless way of life, which I call "routine panic," characterizes the vast majority of people in Western nations.

Are you one of these harried women running in endless circles? Have you found yourself too busy to read a good book or take a long walk with your spouse or hold your three-year-old child on your lap while telling him or her a story? Have you taken time to study God's Word - to commune with Him and listen to His gentle voice? Have you eliminated almost every meaningful activity in order to deal with the tyranny of a never-ending "to do" list? Have you ever asked yourself why in the world you have chosen to live like this? Perhaps so, but it is not an easy problem to solve. We live our lives as if we're on freight trains that are rumbling through town. We don't control the speed - or at least we think we don't - so our only option is to get off. Stepping from the train and taking life more slowly is very difficult. Old patterns die very hard indeed.

When was the last time you had friends drop by unexpectedly for a visit? For many of us it's been entirely too long. There was a time when families made a regular habit of packing into the car and driving over too a friend's home for an afternoon of good conversationand a piece of banana-cream pie. It was one of life's special little pleasures. (end quote)

I loved it growing up when people would stop in and stay for coffee. When we saw people coming in the driveway we would yell out to our parents that we had company, and my mom never skipped a beat. She would tell one of us to put the coffee on, the other to clear the table or "disappear" this or that, and one would have the job of "stalling them in the drive!" By the time the small talk outside was done between the visitors and my dad, or one of the kids, my mom would appear at the doorway and say, "Please come in for coffee!" When the guests would enter the kitchen, the table would already be set and it would seem like we were expecting them to come!

There is one man, in particular, who would visit often and my dad loved chatting with him around the table or in his workshop. This man, who now, unfortunately, lives too far away to drop in like this, would come with an empty container, knowing that my mom would not let him leave without a fresh batch of cookies. And if there weren't fresh cookies already, then she would bake them while he was there.

I wish people would do this more often. We do it once in awhile.... we've stopped in on Steve's aunts and uncles, and will drop in on his parents. But there are only a few friends that I would do this to because what if people don't feel comfortable with it? When someone comes by our house unannounced, it is not guaranteed to be as clean as if they were invited, but that doesn't hinder the visit. So what if I am folding clothes on the couch while the kids play at my feet? Shove the clothes over, watch where you step, and friends - have a seat!

Maybe this all sound too "Leave it to Beaver" for you, but I think it sounds like a much happier way of life... many people don't even declare their Sundays as a day of rest anymore. Whatever happened to Sunday afternoon naps? (well, we still have them!) So, here's my challenge, slow down, and enjoy a simpler day.

Excuse me now, my tea is ready!