Stewardship

Pictures can be pretty powerful. There are certain images that just intrigue me. A picture of a hand or a group of hands. Pictures of flowers and their ethereal charm. Historic photographs of people and their mode of transportation, especially airplanes. Photographs of ancestors, and other people's families. Oceanography.

I have seen a few images, within the past week, that have taken me aback. Certain people's smiles. I am unaware of what the connection could be, but those smiles just lift my spirit, almost like hearing the sound of a child's laughter. My cousin, whom I thought was mysteriously gone forever, has ventured back into a realm where I can enjoy him as an adult. Previous to this, I had only seen him maybe once a year as a child. But to know now that he is still walking this Earth, is an amazing phenomenon to me. His smile causes me to contentedly pause.

"Mad Men" somehow got on my request list from the library. Went through all three seasons. Capitalism! Don't get me started! There were some scenes that caused me to gasp, and then realize, oh yeah, that was a different time. Family picnic, and leaving the trash on the ground. Mom telling her children to go watch T.V., not really monitoring the content, nor discussing what may have been viewed and the not-so-logical conclusions a child would draw from what was seen, yada yada yada.

Another image struck me like a foreign sensation, where I wondered what could be behind the intensity. Kind of like how I refilled my wand lighter today, and some of the contents of the can got on my fingers. That caused them to feel cold, like dry ice, and I just stood there and looked at my hand for a lingering moment. What does it mean when we encounter someone and we feel an immediate connection and kinship? Is it just plain attraction? What if it happens every time you are in that person's presence? Doesn't attraction fade, at least superficial attraction, based on appearance or the initial encounter, not based on knowing a person at all? I searched that picture for clues as to who the person is?

During some research, I came across a video clip which ripped a piece of me out. The same thing happened when I was watching a clip of "The Cove." I adore dolphins and the mystery behind such an intelligent, free, wild creature, which makes me feel protective of them. Even though I know that no matter what men do on this planet, God's will will be done, I still feel like it is so wrong, what the Japanese do to these animals.

That childhood song, "Oh be careful little eyes what you see, oh be careful little eyes what you see, For the Father up above, is looking down in love, so be careful little eyes what you see".... keeps coming to mind. Anything we consume through all of our sensory receptors, is ingested and becomes part of us. Sometimes, what we take into our bodies has to be digested in some way. It's been my thinking that everything we take in, has to come out somehow.

This week, I was wondering if there is a way to turn things around? Is it possible for folks to take a step back and say, "This is not right. We have been making the mistake of doing this, when it should not be done. Let's turn this bus around!" Is it possible for a nation to take a step back and say, there is no way we are giving up the principles on which our country was founded, minus the racism/slavery and the way Native Americans were treated? Can pornography be destroyed, to be no more? Can we throw out NAFTA?

There's a family I once knew, and admired. They were so conscientious about what they ate, and what their young children ate. Me, I was raised on Kellogg's Corn Flakes, Wheaties, Coke Cola and Ding Dongs. And now I find myself trying to teach my children that eating is part of fueling our bodies, and not for us to put things in that do not necessarily contribute well to our health. Complex carbohydrates, lean proteins, natural ingredients, nothing fried, nothing with ingredients we cannot pronounce or know what it is, etc....yeah right!! The big challenge is teaching kids to stop eating when they are full so they don't become over-eaters, when I was taught to eat everything on my plate. Another challenge for a girl who tried every candy or food that was new on the shelves of the super market, is to "refocus" while shopping. For example, looking for new vegetables or fruits I've never tried, rather than going to the candy aisle to see what's new.

Good stewardship. It seems that this concept is not a popular one these days. But it has been my desire lately to try and take care of what I have. To get back to basics and remember that everything I have is God's, including this body, a temple...a broken down one at that. Time to renovate! Only, I have no clue where to get new parts!!