Content

This past Sunday, my class discussed being respectful (our whole unit is on relationships - in the broad sense of human interaction, not the mroe narrow significant other sense - thank goodness, otherwise I would have had to skip more than just the marriage Sunday, but I digress - don't I always digress?). We read from Epehesians 6:1-9 which talks about respect from child to parent, parent to child, slave to master and master to slave.

The slave/master section was equated to modern day employer/employee relations. In that, the question was posed, "how important is work to you?" Several answered along the lines that it was a means to pay the bills and take care of the necessities of life, but not something that identified them. I answered that it was probably more important to me than it was to most because I feel like it identifies me. Of course I don't think people see me and immediately think - there goes an HR chick - but it's a label that's mine. So I value it. For someone who doesn't have a spouse and kids, work is important to me. I'm not sure my point translated well - because several have checked in with me this week to make sure I was okay. And while it makes me very sad not to have those things (especially this time of year - can we outlaw the Kajazahelz commercials already? They are nothing but trouble - depressing singles and getting husbands/S.O.s in trouble who don't shop there!), life is what it is. And at present and the way-to-forseeable future, my labels don't include wife and mom.

Does it mean my values are off to say that my job is important to me? I don't think so. Do I realize I'm more than my job? Sure. I get that I'm a daughter, sibling, aunt, friend, etc...but I'm those things to multiple people and those people have multiples of those things. My parents have three kids, my brother/sister have two siblings, my niece/nephews have three aunts and my friends have other friends. But my job, isn't shared with anyone else, so that's a title that belongs to me. Does any of that make sense?

The discussion then went to being content. One person said there are probably 2-3 months in the year in which he is completely content with all aspects of his life - wife, kids, job, etc. Which has led me to wonder - how do you define content? I know what the dictionary says and I know the Bible tells us to be content with what we have (1 Timothy 6:8). So how do you do that? How do you not think "this can't be all there is to life?" And is it wrong to want more?

Proud

To be an Army granddaughter/Navy daughter...

Taps - Papa from Summer Stewart on Vimeo.

This is from my grandfather's funeral in May 2009. He served in WWII and had full military burial with taps and all. I thought you taps played in the background, but it doesn't. I must not have recorded it. I'm also not sure why I cut the video when I did - they presented the flag to my uncle, his oldest son, since my grandmother had already passed away.

My dad and his siblings considered not doing the full military burial, but I'm so glad they did. It's the first time I've witnessed it and to say it is moving is an understatement (and likely why the video cuts when it did).

Thank you to all who served and continue to do so.

*I realize this is a few hours late...I had no idea it would take 6 hours for my video to load...mea culpa*