Relationships Archives - Page 32 of 36

Chief Cook and Bottle Washer

January 20, 2015 Diana Derringer Comments 1 comment

Are you a chief cook and bottle washer?

In your home?
At work?
In your club?
In other organizations?

If you answer yes to the following questions, you qualify.

Are you in charge of almost everything?
Do you complete most of the work yourself?
Are your tasks important but routine?
Do you often wish for more help?

We can easily complain if we have the role of chief cook and bottle washer. Perhaps, however, we need to look at our responsibilities a different way.

Think about people whose health will not allow them to work.
Express gratitude for our abilities.
Thank those whose help we receive.
Train others to perform similar tasks.
Request help when we need it. People are willing to help more often than we realize.

For all those chief cook and bottle washers out there, thank you. For everyone else, lend those special people a helping hand.

“Blessings on you if I return and find you faithfully doing your work” (Matthew 24:46 TLB).

Thank you to Brad Montgomery for the photo of sweet Savannah, a chief cook and bottle washer in training. Thank you to Rebecca Stafford, a longtime chief cook and bottle washer, for suggesting this expression.

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Music to My Ears

January 13, 2015 Diana Derringer Comments 2 comments

Rain on a tin roof sounds like music to my ears. So do waterfalls and ocean waves. Water from each of those refreshes the earth. Their sounds refresh my soul.

What sounds like music to your ears?

• A child’s laughter?
• A teacher’s praise?
• A loved one’s voice?

Like beautiful music, they fill us with joy.

If we long for those sounds, why don’t we create them more often?

• Give a child or adult a reason to laugh.
• Praise others when they do well.
• Speak words of love.

At the same time, let’s avoid harmful sounds.

• Abusive language and actions
• Gossip
• Words of hatred

In a world filled with negatives, let’s offer something positive. May our words, actions, and attitudes fill the hearts of everyone we meet with the sound of music.

“I will watch my ways and keep my tongue from sin” (Psalm 39:1 NIV).

What sounds like music to your ears? Please comment below.

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Empty Nest

December 30, 2014 Diana Derringer Comments 0 Comment

This empty nest was once a happy home for a mama bird and her babies. They lived in the gutter on one corner of our front porch.

We first saw the nest after the mama bird had laid her eggs. We left the nest until the eggs hatched and the baby birds flew away. Mama bird also left once her nest was empty.

That’s the way nature works. Before birth and soon after, children need extra care. As they grow stronger, they do more on our own. They learn how to survive without their parents.

How to work
How to get along with others
How to take care of their daily needs
How to have fun

Eventually most children fly away – they leave home to begin a new life.

When children leave home, parents have an empty nest. They must also begin a new stage in life. While everyone may enjoy visits, they know life moves forward. To be most effective, parents must move forward too.

Each life stage is different. Each life stage is good.

“Even the birds find a home there, and the swallow builds a nest, where she can protect her young near your altars, O LORD who rules over all, my king and my God” (Psalm 84:3 NET).

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Don’t Rock the Boat

December 9, 2014 Diana Derringer Comments 4 comments

“Don’t rock the boat.” “Leave everything as it is.” “Maintain the status quo.”

We have many ways to tell one another not to change anything.

Change is hard, yet:

To make wrongs right requires change.
Progress requires change.
Learning requires change.

If we rock the boat when fishing:

We may fall out.
The boat may turn over.
We may scare away the fish.

If we rock the boat in life:

We may become uncomfortable.
Other people may become uncomfortable or angry.
We may make mistakes.

Yet, nothing ventured, nothing gained. We can’t move forward without change.

Don’t rock the boat just to cause trouble. Do rock the boat when the boat needs rocked.

“Make the most of every opportunity” (Colossians 4:5).

Thanks to Debbie Tapscott for suggesting this expression.

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You’re Pulling My Leg

November 25, 2014 Diana Derringer Comments 0 Comment

If you’re pulling my leg, you’re telling me an untrue story as a joke.

Many people recognize such a story as unbelievable. Not me! I swallow it hook, line, and sinker.

Almost anyone can pull my leg. Tell me the wildest tale, and I believe it. My picture should be included in the dictionary under the word gullible.

That’s okay. Everyone enjoys a little innocent fun. We laugh at how easily people fool me. Maybe someday I will learn.

How I wish all life could be as innocent. How I wish all untruths were jokes.

We live with the reality that we often hurt one another with our words.

We tell lies.
We say one thing but mean another.
We keep our mouths shut when we need to speak the truth.

Every day we choose our words. Will what we say help others or hurt them?

“May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to You, LORD, my rock and my Redeemer” (Psalm 19:14 HCSB).

Special thanks to Xuesong Li and Yaming Zhu for demonstrating the literal meaning of this expression.

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As Old as the Hills

November 18, 2014 Diana Derringer Comments 4 comments

Do you ever feel as old as the hills? It is possible whether we are 18 or 80.

The hills of Kentucky have existed longer than any of us have lived. So have most hills and mountains. That does not stop us from saying people or possessions are as old as the hills.

• Those of us who hate to shop wear clothes as old as the hills.
• When tired, we feel as old as the hills.
• We describe well-worn furniture as old as the hills.

Our society values youth. Many people think older adults are over the hill.

They don’t understand the benefits that come with age.

• Years of experience
• Wisdom from life lessons
• Appreciation for how fast time passes

Regardless of how old we are or how old we feel, let’s give thanks for:

• Every age
• The beauty of the hills around us
• The one who created all

“Were you born before the hills were made?” (Job 15:7 NIV).

Do you have an expression you want explained? If so, please comment below.

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Low Man on the Totem Pole

November 4, 2014 Diana Derringer Comments 2 comments

Totem poles are carved and painted by Native Americans in the northwest part of North America.

According to dictionary.com, comedian Fred Allen probably started our saying “low man on the totem pole” around 1940. The phrase became popular “despite its lack of application to a genuine totem pole.”

The low man on the totem pole is often considered the least important person in a group.

He holds the lowest position.
Others show him little respect.
He usually has to do the work no one else wants to do.

A new person in an organization may refer to himself as low man on the totem pole.

Nevertheless, the low man on the totem pole has hope.

Everyone must begin somewhere. Most begin at the bottom and then work their way up to the position they desire.

Some people prefer a lower position. In addition, the person at the top cannot do what he needs to do without the people who work below him.

People at the bottom are needed as much as those at the top.

Often they are needed more.

If the lowest image on a totem pole is destroyed, the totem pole can no longer stand. Repairs may help, but the totem pole will never be the same. That truth applies to organizations as well. Therefore, my hat’s off to all who serve as low man on the totem pole.

Click here for further information about totem poles.

“Work happily together. Don’t try to act big. Don’t try to get into the good graces of important people, but enjoy the company of ordinary folks. And don’t think you know it all!” (Romans 12:16 TLB).

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As Friendly as a Puppy

October 28, 2014 Diana Derringer Comments 0 Comment

If you own a puppy, you know the joy of complete acceptance. That puppy loves you. He doesn’t care about your status:

Who you are
What you have done
How you look
What you say

He wants to be with you. He remains your friend through thick and thin.

A puppy knows how to have fun. He finds pleasure in the little things.

Chewing on a bone
Chasing a ball
Running and jumping

If you let him, he will share his joy with you:

Snuggling close to you
Barking for attention
Letting you scratch his ears or rub his tummy

A puppy can turn frowns into smiles simply by being a puppy.

His behavior may change when you hurt:

Sitting still beside you
Listening as you talk or cry
Whimpering to share your grief
Offering an occasional lick of love

A puppy gives his friendship without criticism or judgment.

When he thinks you’re in danger, his behavior changes again:

Barking to warn you
Trying to pull you to safety
Not quitting until you move

Why can’t we all be as friendly as a puppy?

“There is a friend who sticks closer than a brother” (Proverbs 18:24 NIV).

Special thanks to the Bloyd family. Their photo of pure puppy joy reminds us that puppies are also good medicine.

Do you have a favorite puppy tale? If so, please comment.

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Eating Out of Her Hand

October 14, 2014 Diana Derringer Comments 1 comment

During a stop in South Dakota, my friend Ann had this chipmunk eating out of her hand. Because of his appetite, he did what Ann desired.

She offered what he wanted, so he ignored any possible danger. He failed to follow the caution better safe than sorry.

Sometimes people have us eating out of their hands. We do whatever they want. This happens often in romantic relationships. We see it when Olivia Newton-John sings “Hopelessly Devoted to You” in the movie Grease.

In a good relationship, eating out of one another’s hand presents no danger.

We seek to please the one we love.

We give gifts.
We arrange special events.
We spend a lot of time together.

Unfortunately, some people take advantage of that desire to please.

As a result, those eating out of their hands suffer in several possible ways:

Abuse (physical, emotional, or sexual)
Neglect
Financial loss

Choose relationships wisely.

Seek help when needed. Encourage others to make good decisions.

With a mighty hand and outstretched arm; His love endures forever (Psalm 136:12 NIV).

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One Good Turn Deserves Another

September 16, 2014 Diana Derringer Comments 1 comment

Most children who ride a carousel (merry-go-round) don’t want to get off. They beg for one more ride — one more turn. They want to keep that good feeling going.

If someone does something good for us, we usually want to do a good deed for them. One good turn deserves another expresses that idea. We want to keep that good feeling — that good relationship — going.

But why stop there?

Why wait for someone else to do the first good deed?

A popular idea in recent years is the Random Act of Kindness Day. On that day each year, people do something good for others for no special reason. The day receives a great deal of publicity, and people feel good about it.

I appreciate those efforts. Yet, that’s just once a year. What keeps us from performing random acts of kindness every day? Our kind acts don’t have to be big. In fact, the small kindnesses often mean the most.

A greater challenge is to be kind to those who are unkind to us.

Think about the difference in our world if we practiced that.

Some people might be so surprised they stop their cruel acts.
Other people might think we’re crazy and continue their unkind behavior.
A few might wonder what causes us to act that way and desire a similar life for themselves.

Why not give it a try and see what happens? In a world filled with conflict, let’s be like a carousel and keep the good turns going.

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:43-44 NIV).

Thanks to Debbie Tapscott for the suggestion.

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