When I got married, almost 8 years ago now, a good friend of mine recommended I read The Five Love Languages by Gary Smalley. While I never actually have got around to reading this book, I am somewhat familiar with the main premise, which is the ways that we express love to our significant other are often radically different, and what kinds of expressions that to me show love, do not always mean the same to her, and vice versa. This premise has been many times demonstrated in our marriage, and often arguments and hard feelings, at their core, can be linked to the radically different means in which Wife and I show love and affection for each other.
For an example, - one of the best ways to show love is to work with me, to help me, in accomplishing the everyday, mundane yet necessary tasks. However Wife does not see this as love, and I all to readily tend to use this as a tool claiming that she really doesn't love me. This, of course, is a pointless argument. Yet time after time I tend to use it anyway, which over time likely has made her even less likely to understand how important it is to me to have her helping me
Well, as the adage goes, it is better late than never. It occurred to me the other day that she is much more of a help to me than I acknowledge. And Indeed the manner at which she helps in this case is far far more valuable to me, and much much more of a lasting benefit to me, than if she helps me with loading and unloading the dishwasher. (which she certainly does, many times).
I have a glitch in my personality that often causes me to either get irrationally pessimistic at the slightest challenge, or irrationally giddy at the slightest blessing, and run down rabbit trails in my thinking. This is a flaw in that if I act on the line of thinking, in either direction, and follow the thought patterns to the logical conclusion, I will invariably make decisions that lead to very bad consequences. Where my wife helps me more than anything, is that in every case that I can recall, where I am either flying high like a kite, or as depressed as a 1929 Stockbroker, she will say something or call my bluff on something, or whatever, that brings me out of my fantasy, into reality.
Every time she does this, every time I get angry and say something stupid, and every time when I take the time to actually process what she has said, I see that her words, and the wisdom behind them, are her showing me more love, and more help, than I realize at the time.
And as the Proverb says, "Let her works earn her praise at the city gate." For truly she is a incredible, undeservable, and all too often unacknowledged, help to me
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
I have a better wife than I often realize
Monday, March 24, 2008
Special Easter Edition of Musical Monday
If you have never seen Messiah performed live, by a good choir and orchestra, the raw celebratory, indeed triumphant power of the final chorus Worthy is the Lamb, the orchestration and the words both, well, lets just say this video does not begin to do this song justice. And indeed since the core message of Easter is one of incredible triumph - triumph over death, triumph over despair, triumph over sin itself, I cannot think of a better piece for this weeks edition of Musical Monday.
Worthy is the Lamb that was slain, and hath redeemed us to God by His blood.
To receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory, and blessing.
Blessing and honor and glory and power be unto Him that sitteth upon the throne and unto the Lamb.
Forever and ever, Amen.
Unfortunately Pandora does not recognize this particular Chorus, I did get these 5 matches for the Messiah oratorio:
1 Gloria in D Major by Antonio Vivaldi
2 Christmas Oratorio, Angels Chorus by Heinrich Schutze
3 Christmas Oratorio, Break Forth, by Johann Sebastian Bach
4 In Dulci Jubilo by The Cambridge Singers
5 L'enfance Du Christ, the Shepherds Farewell to the Holy Family by Hector Berlioz
He is Risen. Alleluia!!
Monday, March 17, 2008
St Patricks Musical Day
Monday, March 10, 2008
And Trade with the ChiComms benefits the US how again?
I have long been troubled at times, with various levels of concern, about the US increasing dependence on China for manufactured goods. I can understand the appeal of Chinese made goods, namely the low price, but what I fail to get is that far too many American businesspeople ignore or downplay that the Chinese Government runs or manages most if not all of the manufacturing enterprises, While the powers that be in China are no longer strict Communists in the 20th century economic sense, neither does the evidence indicate that the Chinese government gives a flip about individual human rights. Neither apparently do they seem to understand the concept of quality control. As if last years incident where Chinese made pet food ingredient's were contaminated by melamine which caused many dog deaths in 2007, now the popular Blood thinner Heparin has been recalled in the US, Japan and Germany, and it is suspected that a key ingredient, made in China, is a fake chemical that has likely contributed to 18 deaths and many more allergic reactions.
If indeed this turns out to be another example of Chinese quality control, perhaps it is time to re-think all trade with China.
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Snow!!
The winter this year has been extremely mild, even by Texas standards. While we have had more colder days, with colder temperatures than is typically the case, we have also had quite a few more warmer days than usual. I was commenting to my wife about a week ago that this may be the first winter I can remember where we have not had one incident of winter precipitation. While us Texans have at best a passing acquaintance with wintry weather, we usually get at least between 1 and 3 days of snow and/or ice each year. This has been most distressing to me, since ever since I was a kid, I have thoroughly enjoyed watching snow fall, and playing in the snow, and hearing the crunch of snow under my feet. If I can find a somewhat empty street, I even enjoy driving in the snow. My Pennsylvania born wife thinks I would not enjoy snow so much had I grown up in a more northerly climate where it is common.
Anyway, I made the comment to her last week, and I was feeling rather deprived that I was going to miss out this year altogether. Well, I spoke about a week too soon. Because this is what I saw Tuesday morning:
7 inches of snow. In Texas. In March.