Just an old dog, always learning new tricks…<3

I was going to do some randoms, but my first one has turned out rather long so I will save the Randoms for tomorrow and just go with this thought for today. 

Yesterday in journaling class we talked about “both…and”; how something can be both hard, sad, or difficult and yet there is a sweet thing, or a learning process, or a nugget of wisdom that comes from it that makes it worthwhile. 

So something can be BOTH hard…AND sweet because it brings you growth, for example.

I experienced a Both/And at the end of the day that brought the point home. 

First some background…

I didn’t want to do a bunch of wardrobe changes yesterday so when I got ready I looked at my closet and selected an outfit that would carry me through the next twelve hours. 

That meant I had to find something that was suitable for:

• Journaling class
• Ministry at the memory care facility church service
• Autorepair for a door ding
• Eye exam complete with dilation
• Pick up kids from school
• Pick up mom from work
• Get Emmett to lacrosse practice
• Attend the elementary spring concert

I settled on some attire and headed off for the day. All went according to plan until after school when Joel fell asleep on the couch. 

If you know Joel, this is not a good sign. 

We don’t know if he was just exhausted or had a bug, but whatever the case, it was clear someone would have to stay home with him.

Russ was covering Graham’s baseball game out of town, Zach was having to work to cover a shift and Rachel was the obvious plus one for Caroline for the concert. 

Thus, I found my choice of comfortable, practical, but fairly nice clothing to be perfect to snuggle up next to Mr. Joel. 

And here is where the “BOTH-AND” comes in. 

If you read this regularly, you know I have had some troubles with the technology around this little slice of the internet. Sunday a random, empty email got sent from my subscription service. I thought I had fixed it, but Monday my post sent out twice a few minutes apart. 

I do not want to fill anyone’s inbox with noise, so I went in Monday afternoon and attempted another fix. I held my breath Tuesday with no posting and no email going out and whew…I think I got it taken care of. 

I hope.

Technology looms as a necessary evil in my life. It wears me out and causes me anxiety trying to manage that side of my writing, the apps that are necessary for healthcare and fast food ordering, the endless emails and text threads…all of it. 

However, while it is a major headache at times, last night it was a lifeline. 

Thanks to an app called GameChanger, Joel and I could follow Graham’s team as they battled and won their game. This was happening on my phone while we also watched Caroline’s concert thanks to a YouTube channel that the school has. 

I was so thankful for both of these methods available to us to be there for our people. And thus technology is …. BOTH…incredibly frustrating…AND a wonderful gift for connecting us over time and distance. 

Both…And

It is a helpful tool when processing the past and dealing with the present. It is a beautiful way to look at the complicated moments and seasons of life here on planet earth. 

What are your examples today?