Broken and Healing

I am thankful for healing broken friendships.

I continue to learn, grow and gain wisdom.

I learn valuable lessons of life from my parents and my friends.

I have many wonderful friends (see my post about giving thanks for friends), new and from long ago.

I'm not calling my friends old.

I'm saying that we have been friends for a long time.

Over the years, I have learned an important part of friendship is forgiveness. I have also learned to let things go. You may not believe me when I say this but this is how I am; if I am in an argument and I walk away, I'm likely to let it go. I've learned that holding grudges is pointless. All that has done is given me gray hairs.

Wow, I'm really sounding old in this post.

Most likely I am apt to let it go because I chose to forget. Or, I am old and I forget plain and simple.

Ooh shiny!

(I also have the attention span of my Jr. High students, which is probably why I get along so well with them.)

This last fall, I was in the copy room at work and I discovered that a co-worker and I share half-birthdays. We then got on the topic of Monday's child, etc. She is the attorney for JFON (I used to volunteer for her). She is Monday's child, fair of face. How true is that as she seeks for justice for those who have quiet or no voice?!

I'm a Tuesday's child full of grace.

For some reason, I have always thought of graceful. And graceful I am not. I am full of bumps and bruises. It was that day when I learned it's not that kind of grace.

It's the grace of forgiving others.

It's the grace of love.

That makes sense.

I recently reached out to a friend from long ago. I didn't want to reach out to heal myself, but I wanted to reach out because I miss her. I wanted to reach out because that's who I am.

She responded with a reciprocal outpouring of love and forgiveness. It's never to late to heal. To forgive. Or to share with someone that you miss them and care for them.

broken

Today is a good day to talk about "broken".

I won't get too deep, my first thought on this topic was of all the things that have broken in our home. Currently at the top of that list is the dryer. It broke the night before we left for vacation. I couldn't blog about it then because Judy had no idea we were going anywhere, let alone that we would show up there.

We've broken our bed twice. And fortunately (or unfortunately, however you want to take it), neither time was because of intimate behavior.

The first time was in our rental in Ocean Grove. I blame the carpet because I was trying to move the bed (it was sitting askew in the bedroom and the type A personality in me wanted it to be straight). The carpet was of poor quality and did not allow for sliding. Therefore the bed frame cracked. It was repaired and made it through two more moves before breaking again. The 2nd time here in Grand Rapids. I was getting ready for bed and had just sat down while I put lotion on my hands. That time the side rail cracked.

So much for good quality furniture.

We repaired it ourselves (and I'm pretty sure I blogged about it).

The washing machine has been repaired.

The windows are broken and are being repaired.

The sliding glass door is broken.

The tv broke (er, exploded is more like it).

My computer died (and was replaced).

The phone broke (and was replaced).

It's like my in-laws said about the washer and dryer they bought. They paid enough for it that it will last three years before they have to buy a new one.

What happened to quality?

Okay, what happened to the original thought of this post?

We as a country are still broken. Celebrating one man is an important step. But when will we heal the wounds that are still being opened. I believe my generation is the beginning of that healing. Of tolerance and of no longer seeing black and white, but finding the gray line. The more education we receive the less likely we are to judge.

Or are we?

Let's just remember this: We are all broken and hurting.

Let's look at each other as humans and not as races, colors or genders.
The greatest commandment is Love.
Let us love.
Let love win.
Love one another.

(yes, this is a mosaic of Rubik's cubes, from Art Prize 2010)