Snowy Day Ramblings

We're having another little snow storm here in MN. Man, it was pretty nice to have those few days of above freezing temperatures, but that was short-lived.

I don't take too much to the long winters here in MN. I kinda wish I could pack up my family and a couple of friends in MN and move them all down to somewhere that has much shorter and milder winters. It's not that I don't like winter, but it just seems to be getting longer and longer every year!

I've thought several times of moving away from MN. It sounds really nice actually, but I'd definately want my sisters and their families to come with, which is the hard part! I guess every place has its pros and cons. So at least for the next few years...we'll have to endure the MN winters...and learn to enjoy them more. Having a child helps...children seem to love winter and snow, which is good.

Slumdog Millionaire

Wow, I am really on a roll here, I've been writing a lot of blogs lately. It's actually in part because my husband got a new laptop, and I'm enjoying using it too -a new toy!

So yeah...last night my sister and I saw Slumdog Millionaire and I love the movie. I even bought the soundtrack today.

What is it that pulled me into this movie? That's kind of a hard question to answer, because I can't really put my finger on it. It could be because it's a foreign/independent film...and I really like learning and exposing myself to other countries and cultures from their own standpoint...not a Hollywood-American glamour shots' view - I guess I've claimed that I like raw reality, and man...you are definitely exposed to raw reality from the slums of Mumbai, India in this movie. I also have a special interest in India for a couple of reasons. We sponsor a precious little girl there and I've kinda grown fond of her via letter writing and picture exchanges. Also, from reading several books written by native India born-American citizens. Another great movie I saw a couple of years ago that really was the initial eye opener for me regarding the slums in India was Born Into Brothels which broke my heart to watch, while also swelling it up with compassion for these children and giving me a reality check.

So, why did I like this movie so much? Ok ok ok...maybe it's because I'm a sucker for love. This had a beautiful love story intertwined with all the gut wrenching scenes of the slums in India and what those children's lives are like growing up there.

I don't want to give away too much of the movie; but this character Jamal does win over, or at least won over my heart. But nonetheless...these are the movies right? But what's up with that tug in the heart that made me such a sucker for this kind of romance?

When we got home and I was telling this to my husband...as he was rolling his eyes at me, I told him there's something more to it then just the movie and making your heart beat a little faster. This is what I strongly believe we were created for and long for. To be sought after like this Jamal character does so winsomely. But ultimately...this craving and longing in our hearts to be pursued after for who we are and not what we have to offer was placed in us by our Creator who is consumed with an everlasting, pursuing and passionate love for us as His beloved people. It's great when we can get those little glimpses from the movies that tap into this part of our hearts or genetic makeup, but then what? Leave you hanging and daydreaming! Well...I'm so thankful that I have found my Ultimate soul-mate...my Creator and Lord Jesus Christ. He is the One who can fulfill and make me realize what and why that longing is there for. It's a beautiful thing when you have the eyes of faith to see this and the reality from experiencing it firsthand from the Lord. It can really free you up to stop searching for that in people and things that ultimately do not fulfill that longing. And I know I'm not crazy for admitting this...it's the world that will tell us in some sort of fashion that we are crazy or making things up when seeing this reality...the reality that we were formed out of love...for One love to fulfill...and that is the love from God...shown in Jesus Christ. Awww...all the things we constantly do to deny this or reject this or belittle this...we think we can get it from our own resources or from other people's resources...but that is just like trying to bit into a nice juicy steak, not realizing it's in a ziplock bag! It will not satisfy even though it appears like it will.

This is in many respects how I have experienced life with God so far. He's Who I've been looking for all of my life...and I'm the one He's been constantly pursuing and waiting and pursuing and waiting...for me to return His love and invitation to walk in the fullness of a relationship with Him. Well, this is my raw reality...sometimes it's too raw for some I guess...

Continuation of $40,000 + piece of paper :)

A great friend challenged my thinking and I wanted to narrow in on how I explain my own views on education.

Education is something that should be highly valued by individuals and society. There are many benefits to earning your degree other than just getting a job. For example, the intellectual growing and maturing process that hopefully takes place. Granted, it also takes quite a bit of discipline in completing a degree, or else on the contrary; it does not require a lot of self-discipline, rather just the ability to follow someone else's instructions and accomplish what your Prof or class instructor defines as adequate to please them, therefore earning a grade according to their scale of sufficiency. Hmmm...this may be another tangent...

I want to pass this value onto my daughter; that education is very important and to encourage her to go far and do well in it. I honestly think that from my personal experience as an adolescent, unfortunately I undervalued my education by far. If I had valued it more, I think my life would have been quite different...not necessarily happier, but quite different nonetheless. But, taking that into consideration now and applying it to my life as a young adult with her own family now, who hasn't completed her degree due to the above reason mentioned...should I now go for it? Well, personally I think that it isn't necessary at this time, given my current circumstances and measuring it with the values I currently seem to hold (which may change...and that's okay..it doesn't have to be dogmatic)

Am I throwing education off to the wayside because I deem it "too late" to do me any real good? Absolutely not. I value education now so much more then when I was in my younger years...therefore; I am a (wannabe) avid reader. I love to participate in intellectual stimulating activities...my brain feasts upon it, even if I don't completely understand it! I love to read and research and write about things I'm learning or in the process of even changing paradigms because of things I learn, and I love it! That's a huge reason why I think I take to this blogging stuff! I may not be an excellent writer and I may struggle through reading certain material...but I love it and am growing ever so slowly in the process. This, I think brings much value to society.

In order for higher learning to be of benefit; excluding job placement factors...does not necessarily mean learning must be done in a classroom, in a formal institutionalized setting and structure. I ask myself..."Does our culture tend to overrate institutionalized higher education far and above experience and 'free' learning that does not result in a recognized degree?"

Going to school/college to receive a formal education, is one (expensive) of several avenues to take when your goal is plainly to educate yourself and to grow intellectually. It's an admirable endeavor, but in my personal opinion...our society isn't necessarily better off if people just got their college educations. Well, let me re-phrase that...it's quite plausible to say that our economy may likely be better off if there were more college educated people dwelling in it. But, that does not necessarily equate a better society or a wiser one; in holistic terms.

So, I guess to summarize it I could say; higher education that results in some sort of degree is very valuable and an admirable thing to obtain, but should be put in it's proper place when deciding how to apply this value/asset into one's personal goals to achieve when it comes to education at a later age. This is all my thinking out loud, or on a screen on this issue...fun issue...but who knows...I could be reading, learning new stuff that may cause me to re-think all of this stuff in my endeavors to learn as I go...outside of the walls of institutionalized higher-learning...

Slumdog

Wow. If you named any random movie that's come out in the past decade, I probably didn't see it...even if it was a hit and won tons of awards...I probably didn't see it. I'm just not all that into movies. I'm a little snobby about them, in my own way. I don't know much about them because I think most of them are a waste of time...but I just saw Slumdog Millionaire tonight with my sister, and wow. I absolutely feel in love with this movie and the characters...especially the children. If you haven't seen it yet...this is one of those very few I'd totally recommend, and see it in the big screen...totally worth it. I may write more about it later because it's late...but if you haven't seen it...go see it.

The soundtrack is pretty catchy too...I wanna get my hands on that one...

My opinion about the $40,000+ piece(s) of paper

My husband and I were recently at a social gathering, and a very nice retired man made some pleasant conversation with us. In conversing he learned that Moses was going to school for nursing, and offered some very positive encouragement to him. It's great to hear because going to school is a very difficult endeavor, especially with a full time career and a young family. This kind older man, in his encouragement shared that he had asked his wife on her 37th birthday, "So, do want to be a 40 year-old with a degree or without?" His wife then decided to go back to school to complete her 4-year degree and therefore could celebrate her 40th birthday as a 40 year-old with her degree.

When we were driving back home I jokingly said to my husband, "I'm going to die without my degree!" This was a very pleasant man with a pleasant conversation, but touched on a topic that I've actually done some pondering on...the question about me ever going back to school to finish my college degree. If you care to know, this is where I'm at with that right now...

If I were to go back to school to complete my degree now, I would in all honesty be doing it for what I believe are all the wrong reasons...just like I tried to do a couple of years ago...what a waste.. It would be for the primary purpose of getting that piece of paper that declares I have done it...finished my degree. It would be to try and "prove my status" to the world with that piece of paper. Would it be able to get me a better paying job? Perhaps. Would I feel proud of my accomplishment? Perhaps. Would it be worth all the money it costs now to fund an education, would it be worth it to commit more of my time towards earning this degree, therefore reducing the amount of time I have to spend with my family? Absolutely NOT. In my mind...the possibility of those pros coming to fruition do not even come close to weighing out the cons.

Why would I go through all that work and pay all that money simply to get that piece of paper, aka. that degree? It would be non-sense! Yet from that kind man's story about his wife, many do it for that end...to just get that degree.

In my thinking, I ask myself, 'What's the purpose of getting a degree?' Isn't it to get you a job so that you will be able to provide for yourself and your family? If so, you might as well enjoy doing that, so get a job that you will be good at (matches your personality/strengths/talents) so you therefore will hopefully enjoy your work. If getting the degree is a means to that end...than yes, I think it's definately worth it. But if getting that degree is the chief end to getting the degree...yuck! I am not responsible for earning the flaky respect of the society, so why would I want to put in all that work and pay all that money and spend all that time in trying to accomplish a task that's not meant for me? If I wanted to be a doctor to support my family and I feel it matches my talents/interests etc., then I would go to medical school. If I liked working with numbers and being accurate, I might go to school to be an accountant. Or if I liked working with my hands, I might go to school to be a plummer or a mechanic etc.. That is all fine and dandy. But this pressure that is out there (and that I've frankly succumbed to at times) to go get a degree to prove your worth and attach it to your identity...is in my mind...pathetic and a huge waste of valuable and limited resources.

So, if I ever feel a strong pull to go to school and finish or re-start a degree/certificate/Ph.D/ or whatever...may it be for the above mentioned reason, and not be in vain..to just get that very pricey wishy washy peice of paper. But if I can get the results that the piece of paper "promises" without getting that pieice of paper...yea me...thank God...and forget about getting that piece of paper!!! Are you following me, or am I going solo now, falling off that rocker?

That said:

To all the people I know that are working so hard in getting that degree (whether it be new, old, or their 3rd degree) ie. my husband, sister, friends; I want to give you a big shout out -- GO FOR IT! Because I know these people are working hard for that great end...to provide for themselves and their families they love, and to enjoy that responsibility, by doing it well, instead of dreading it and regreting it and therefor the whole family can easily struggle with that. You are doing an awesome job and a hard one...but even if you never did get that degree; you'd be worth way more than the cost of that piece of paper you will be getting some day soon!! Keep up the hard work!!

Family Matters and other random stuff that spins off...

Right now my niece is over playing with Isabelle. Since she's been here I've actually been able to get a lot done!

Usually 2 weeks don't pass without me being asked, "So when are you going to have more kids?" It doesn't bother me at all. It's just a question. My usual answer is "eventually". We are waiting for Moses to finish school first, or at least be pretty close to done, so by the time baby would arrive, he's not in school and working. This of course is the "plan", but plans are just that...plans.

I guess it may seem "ideal" to have another child sooner than later, but I am having a hard time believing that the age of the first child should be the primary determining factor when considering the timing of another child. I believe other factors should be looked at, such as the financial stability of the family, the health of the mother, the temperament of the child and how the family dynamics are, and the stability of the marriage. If one of these are overlooked, and are unstable, then having the "correct space" between the children for the ideal family seems a bit off to me.

So, more then likely our children will be farther apart than "the average". That's if things go as we plan, they will probably be at least 5 years apart. There are pros and cons to this, just like there are pros and cons to popping out babies one after another. We just gotta weigh them out to the best of our ability factoring our current situation with what we believe we want in the long run, yet being completely aware that the future can throw anything our way.

If we only have one child, than I'm okay with that too. Actually, I feel so blessed right now to be able to enjoy having only one child, and I think that's a mutual feeling with Isabelle and Moses too. I am only one person. I'm fully aware of my limitations and unique wiring, therefore I feel very content only having one child at this time. I'm able to focus much more keenly on my child's needs and respond to them without feeling pulled in so many different directions. Don't get me wrong, I completely respect those I know who have more than one young child right now, and more power to them! But as for me...I know this is right for me and my family at this time.

We, as all different types of people, are each in different places in our lives, with different backgrounds and unique makeup regarding so many different aspects of life. It's ridiculous to compare ourselves to others, like comparing apples to oranges. Besides, we only know such a limited amount of the bleak pictures we see into others' lives...unless we get the very rare opportunity and invitation to be intimately involved with the inner-workings of peoples' lives, you only see the tip of the iceberg.

I guess you could say that the more I feel I'm 'growing up', the more I understand that people are so uniquely created and therefore experience life very differently...and that is an okay thing. No, that is a beautiful thing. When we have the freedom to be as we are and see others as they are, and honor the differences instead of compare, judge, and bull shit ourselves into thinking that we are better than others, when the truth is we are actually just different than others...when we get this...we can start to grow up a little! I'm just starting...not perfect in this...but do feel like I've been doing some growing up in the past few years...it's fun, I highly recommend it! Ahhhhaaa~unless you are already done that is...:)