More stuff on my mind

I read a great post over at today's lessons this week...

Today's sermon on healthy communication was moderately interesting to me. While my communication with others is generally pretty productive, there are a few people in my life with whom I don't seem to be able to communicate well at all.

It's their fault, of course.

When the pastor started talking about the importance of having a good attitude about communication, I kind of zoned out. Some of his comments applied to a few very limited areas of my life, to certain people with whom I often disagree (it applied to them more than to me, of course), but generally I felt that he wasn't giving me any new tips when he talked about sarcasm, anger and flippancy.

She went on to talk about her family's experience after the sermon, at a local pizza restaurant. I would venture to guess that most of us have had similar experiences with vituperative restaurant managers in seemingly perpetual foul moods, heaping abuse on employees and patrons alike. But how often are we real with ourselves and have to admit that we are no different than that person?

It was then that I realized what I so hated about this woman.

She reminded me of me.

It's funny how I can go to church on Sunday morning with my heart prepared to be taught, completely open to being renewed, be presented with just the message I needed to hear, and still walk away with nothing.

Yet, when my guard is down, when I'm just there for the food, a nasty pizza shop manager and a tearful server can teach me more about myself than a month of sermons.

Life can be so strange, can't it?

You really must read the whole thing.

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Life goes on as usual here. Halle and Noah are adapting well to their orthodontia. Every night, Halle comes to me for me to crank her palate expander for her. She goes back for a check in a little over a week. Noah's braces probably gave him a little more trouble painwise than Halle's expander, but they seemed to become less troublesome after 3 days or so. He doesn't have another check until near the end of the month. They have already noticeably worked to move one of his top teeth down so that it will be even with the rest. There is a good chance it will be in place by the end of the month if it keeps moving as it has been. Then he'll be able to start wearing the headgear.

Friday night we will be traveling to Sacramento to see the ACSI Musicale Command Performance. Emily's choir will be participating in this festival during the day on both Thursday and Friday, and Emily has a solo. I am really looking forward to hearing her!