Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Happy to be - you and me

Some things are naturally easy. My husband browses a book and traps its details. He can pull out facts years after I have forgotten even title and author. Want to know how to build a canoe of birch bark? Extend your bike by welding on a trailer? What kind of stain to use on cedar siding? Who wrote the treatise on theology of one sort or another? Ask him.

One of my cousins has the gift of organization: her business grows seemingly without effort. Her books always balance. She keeps her home spotless. Even when her kids were little, she washed her kitchen floor every day.

Another cousin is an artist and farmer. Her flourishing shops are filled with unique items displayed against stunning backdrops. Her pets thrive. She and her husband designed a yard with three streams that meet in a pond, surrounded by Adirondack chairs.

I scan a room and instinctively rearrange the space and colors in my head for beauty, welcome, and hospitality. When I hear music, I can play it back and if I let my fingers run across a keyboard, I can accompany a tune the first time through. It's easy to walk up to strangers and strike up a conversation or speak to a room full of people. I like to ask questions and watch people light up as they explain their interests.

Some things are naturally hard. In my mind, words have substance and algebra formulas makes sense. I can guess-timate dimensions within inches. But arithmetic is "slippery" and numbers keep shifting. I can count a list 10 or 20 times--and get almost as many different totals. It used to be very frustrating to lose track, but at this age, I'm resigned to recounting and approximations.

There's a job for everyone. When we find work suited to our strengths, work feels like play. We relax and move through the day, energized and alive in our accomplishments. Doing what we're good at to the best of our ability empowers others. Thankfully, someone else is strong in the area where we're weak and will help us if we let them.

Let's face it... in real life, someone gets to introduce the Queen and others get to clean the bathrooms for her staff. Someone drives her Bentley and others sew her clothing. We don't all have to shine her gilded railings or polish her silver. Some of us just watch her drive by or wave from her palace balcony. We all have value because it's God's privilege to apportion gifts as it pleases him.

Let's enjoy who we are. Let's also be grateful for those around us who are our complements.

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