Monthly Archives: March 2019

Choices

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A guest post! This time from our very own Mitton crew! The middle son had to do a speech for school and this poured out of the junior higher’s brain. I think it is quite profound, so thought I would share it…

We make decisions everyday; some big, some small, but decisions are always there and they always have an effect on the future. Choosing between Mcdonald’s or Tim Horton’s may seem like just an everyday task, but your decisions can change the course of your life, other people’s lives, and ultimately the world itself.

Your decisions affect you whether you realize it or not. Some decisions you make directly affect you, like getting married, accepting a job, or choosing to retire. These are called direct decisions. Direct decisions are choices that are made intentionally to change one’s present self. Some decisions however, affect you indirectly, meaning they were not intended to affect you but in the end you were affected. These types of decisions are often the ones that lead to you being affected in a negative way. For example, let’s say you decide to commit a murder. You, yourself will not be affected by the death of the individual you murdered. You will however, be affected by the punishment you receive for committing the crime. So you inadvertently negatively affected your life through a chain of events. Or, in simpler words, you made an indirect decision that had a negative outcome.

Photo credit Nathan Lemon

Not only do your choices affect you, they affect everyone around you. Choosing to promote someone, or stealing someone’s wallet, are obvious ways your decisions affect people, but did you know that the things you do alone in your house also affect other people on the other side of the city? For example, let’s say you’re at home and no one else is there, and you decide you’re not going to do the chore your parents told you to do. They’re not there so why does it matter, right? Your parents won’t be home till late that night and you probably won’t see them till the next morning. So you go to bed. Next morning comes and you’re getting ready for school when your mom walks in and starts yelling at you for not doing whatever it was you were supposed to do. You get all mad about it and now you’re almost late for school. You run to school and someone is standing right in the way of your locker. By now your fed up with everything that’s happened in your day so you yell at the kid for standing in your way, ultimately hurting his feelings and making the rest of his day miserable. Now, in this small story you can see just how much your decisions can affect people. The seemingly harmless choices made affected three different people: the mom, the dad and the other student.

Your decisions are powerful. So powerful, in fact, that they can even change the world itself.

Changing the world may seem like something only a few people have done — but the truth is, every single choice that any person on the face of the earth makes, changes the world in some way. We many not be able to see how the world has changed, and the world may not change until we are long gone, but I can promise you that the world will change. It may seem unrealistic to think that {something as small as} you sharpening your pencil will change the world — but all you have to do is look back at history to see how small decisions formed the way our world works today. Teddy Roosevelt was the 26th president of the United States. He could have died if he had not decided to put his speech in his pocket. In 1912, Roosevelt decided to put his 50 page speech, that he was preparing to present, in his chest pocket. Later that day, the folded speech saved his life from an assassin’s bullet.

D-day was the most costly, but important, victory for the allies in the Second World War. The allies may never have won however if Erwin Rommel (who was one of the best field marshals in the world) didn’t decide to surprise his wife with a vacation a few days before  D-day. Both of these choices may seem like improbable coincidences that will probably never happen again, but given the amount of choices we all make every day, I say something like this is bound to happen again.

So why does this matter, what do any of the things I just said to you in the last five minutes mean to you right now? It means you should make the right choice. Every choice you make — wherever you are — make the right choice, because your choice can change the world, it can change the people around you, but most importantly your choice can change you!! For better or for worse. It’s your choice.    

             SO? What do you say, my friends? Are you making the right choices? Be encouraged that God is there to help you make those choices. His plan is perfect… and it’s true, we have no idea how our choices may change the world! See you next week!

How to Network (Even if it Scares You!)

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One thing I have discovered since starting mittonmusings, is that blogging is really all about connections and networking. And I am painfully bad at it! As a self proclaimed wallflower and hopeless introvert, actually talking to people is brutally tough! I smile and nod politely, in great hopes that you might talk to me initially… but heaven forbid I make the first move! Very few of “my people” would even know that I blog… except for random posts on social media.

So, I scanned a few resources to see what the experts say about networking. Why do we put ourselves out there, out of our comfort zones, to connect and make ourselves known? Sometimes it is to improve our positions… perhaps a new job or a better rank within a current job. Our eldest has just started to tackle this daunting task… and we are trying to encourage her that employers don’t come knocking at your door — you must go to them and prove that you are worthy of their hiring. Yes, I agree, it is not easy!

Other times it is to make connections. If you have a passion for art or music, you tend to gravitate towards like-minded people who share your passion. Perhaps, it is to learn more about something you are interested in. The hubby and I attended “Seedy Sunday” at Evergreen Brickworks this past weekend… the intent was to learn more about gardening (another adventure I am hoping to tackle this spring), but I ended up chatting with a fibre artist about alpaca wool. Should I mention that the hubby wandered off and got coffee at this point? But put him in a room with small talkers who love world events… and it’s me who searches out the family cat.

I’m learning. I joined two online blogging groups — and have made some connections. I have had to be vulnerable and ask for help when needed… and, by golly, it works sometimes! Part of the reasoning for this post was to convince myself that I should attend a real, live, blogging networking event. It will be good to go — but I am petrified. It’s one thing to post on Instagram — it’s another to actually be there in the flesh and tell people what you blog about. Especially, in my case.

#Jesusbloggers, or people who have faith based blogs, have created a very narrow niche for themselves. It’s controversial. It’s limiting. Many businesses and affiliates don’t want you mentioning the whole God thing. No one wants you to guest post about “religion” — stick to just the craft or product, okay? (which — actually — I am cool about — just not something I choose to do here). I’ve also found it frustrating that many faith based bloggers are a little too flowery for me. All southern belle, hugs and kumbaya. Others have a significant story to tell — a miraculous event, or traumatic experience that illustrates their faith so beautifully. People read those stories.

I’m just a regular ol’ mom who happens to love Jesus. I started the blog to learn some technology, and it has blossomed into a unique way to share my faith. Networking, like sharing the gospel, is simply telling your story. My faith happens to be a part of my story… and so I am learning to tell a story that is so much bigger than my own. It’s God’s.

The experts say there are some key tips to follow when you network:

Smile. Okay. I can do that. I am putting on my southern belle smile. Here’s your ice cold lemonade. Come sit on the porch awhile, whilst I tell ya’ll about what I been musing about lately….

Prepare. I promise to continue to post weekly. I’m committed to sharing how my faith and my everyday life continue to coincide. I’m far from perfect, and I don’t have all the answers, but if you follow along on this adventure, I will seek to shed some light on this dark world as I give you glimpses of how God continues to work in our lives… perhaps not in big , miraculous events… but in the everyday. I hope to have another online course fully prepared for launch this summer!

Challenge yourself. Alright. I am boldly going to put myself out there… I will attend the live network (and pray hard I find another Jesusblogger hidden among the wallflowers!). I’m going to follow up on some leads for guest posts and re-connect with a few others. I continue to learn more about the technical side of this blogging thing…look for my upgrades!

So, my friends, here’s where you can help! If you have just joined me, and liked this post… would you consider following along in the adventure? Click here and you’ll get a weekly email. Already a follower? Want to share a post? Click on the title of your favourite post on the blog page… that gives you the “link”…then you can copy and paste the link to an email, your favourite social media account, or your own blog! Now, don’t get me wrong, I have no intention of being the next internet sensation, but I have learned that “clicks”, “followers”, “shares” and “forwarding” is the way that the internet says your story is worth sharing. I’m hoping mine is.

Haha!! We, my new friend, have just networked!

Lucy Maude Montgomery’s Anne

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My youngest received a boxed set of the Canadian classics: The Anne of Green Gables Series, for Christmas this year, and she just recently cracked it open. As the first book sat there on the couch, I smiled as I glanced through a few pages and read some of the infamous dialogue of the beloved “Anne”. Melodrama becomes the little orphaned girl who was supposed to be a boy helper. I was a big fan of the books when I was my daughter’s age, and was an even bigger fan of the 1985 Canadian television mini series starring Megan Follows.

Anne — with an “e” — is the delightful character created by Canadian author, Lucy Maude Montgomery. Her never ending chatter and imagination (and “horrid” red hair) won the hearts of many a young girl, and Montgomery’s novels became international best sellers. I’ve claimed her in this week’s muse, in honour of International Woman’s Day (recently celebrated back on March 8th). The research I discovered marks L.M. Montgomery as an even more interesting Victorian lady than I had once thought.

She was raised by her grandparents, and although her Anne books were very successful, she struggled with depression and angst. She seemed complicated… a spiritual woman who questioned her faith and the church, and was often angered at political agendas and the atrocities of war. Her journals and diaries contain her grief stricken outcries at things that she saw in the daily news, as well as in her own day to day duties. Her love life was confusing at best, and she although she seemed to follow the suit of marriage perfectly (as befitting the times and her strict Presbyterian upbringing) she did not seem happy in it. Her “fleshly” desires seemed to get the better of her and she longed for a bit more of the wild side.

Even her death seems somewhat of a mystery. The official books say she died of a blood clot in her heart, but there are rumours that her bouts of depression may have lead her to take her own life via a drug overdose. This complicated woman appears so far drawn from the character of Anne… the whimsical red-head that seemed so innocent despite her strong willed nature. But such is the escape of a good book, eh? Especially one that I am encouraging my youngest beloved to fall in love with ….

And so I muse about the complexity of this wonderful creation that God has given us as women. We are delicate and yet bold. We are strong and yet weak. We are certainly complex. I think of the short glimpses of the biblical women we see: Women like Mary, Esther, Ruth and the woman who wept at Jesus’s feet. The woman at the well, who questioned. Rahab who risked much to save others. These women lived in a time so unlike ours. They had no International Woman’s Day to celebrate their gender equality. They were the lowest of the low… and yet stood in honour in the eyes of their Saviour.

They were bold and courageous. Certainly, many were not perfect. In fact, most of them made some very poor life choices. But God used them mightily despite their gender — and despite their lot in life. He used them to move the events of time. To change history. To further His plans.

Perhaps, Lucy Maude Montgomery’s, Anne, is no real comparison to the biblical characters. Perhaps I have no business equating one story to another, but it did make me muse a bit about what makes women so special? Why does there seem to be a balance between fragility and boldness in the lives of women? Why do we fight to have gender rights when we already seem to have such a strong presence in this world already? Has Satan so deceived us (like he did Eve) with his smooth talking, leading us to believe that we are somehow less special to God and His plan for the world?

I really don’t have the answers. I’m just as complicated as the next chick. But for now, I will encourage my girls to delight in being daughters of the King, and to enjoy a good novel about a feisty little red-head, with a wild imagination, who gets into just a bit of mischief, and changes the lives of some people — simply by being who she was created to be.