Pride and Prejudice and Winter Raking

So many of the things I write seem to be heavy and deep because of my situation in life, but today I want to share something a little lighter and more fun.

The weather is a bit warmer (34 degrees) today, 14 December 2018, so I decided to take advantage of it and rake. What?! Yes, you heard me...rake. There were a lot of bits of wood lying around that would make great kindling, so I was busily raking them up, putting them in a wheelbarrow and setting them aside as fire starters.

Of course, I'm sure it was a little peculiar for people driving by to see me out there raking. As a matter of fact I know it was because a couple of folks almost drove off the road "rubber necking", mouths agape and pointing. OK, so maybe they weren't pointing on the outside, but I KNOW on the inside they were pointing. I could feel it!

It made me laugh to myself and reminded me of one of my favorite lines from Pride and Prejudice. Yes, gentlemen, I did say Pride and Prejudice. And no, I do not have to relinquish my "man card" if I admit I have read Pride and Prejudice. I read it out loud to my wife. Oh, and we watched the BBC dramatized mini-series...probably a couple dozen times, maybe more. I know that statistically the vast majority of you who read my little writings are women (68% according to Facebook statistics), so please help me out here ladies! Can I get a collective "AWWWWWW"?

IT IS A GREAT SHOW! So there, I said it. I confessed it for the whole world to see...This military guy is an old softie.

When I first watched it, I did so begrudgingly, because Melissa and the girls wanted me to watch it with them, but over time I began to enjoy the characters and have found, for our family at least, there are many quotes that are applicable to our daily life. Almost everything can relate back to something said by one of the characters in P&P (as we often refer to it as).

As I was raking and chuckling to myself about the looks on people's faces, I recalled a quote by one of my favorite characters in P&P...the patriarch of the story, Mr. Bennet. As he is talking to the main character, his daughter Elizabeth, about rumors concerning her forthcoming engagement to another main character, Mr. Darcy, whom he believes Elizabeth can't stand, he laughs about the rumors and says, “For what do we live, but to make sport for our neighbors, and laugh at them in our turn.”

It is a nice reminder that if we can laugh at ourselves and along with other people if they find whatever we are doing amusing, we will be much happier. The bible says that there is a time for everything.

Ecclesiastes Chapter 3 verses 1 and 4 says:

1 "To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven:

4...A time to weep, And a time to laugh; A time to mourn, And a time to dance;

In verses 12 and 13 of the same chapter it says, "I know that nothing is better for them than to rejoice, and to do good in their lives, and also that every man should eat and drink and enjoy the good of all his labor—it is the gift of God."

Although not as lofty as Ecclesiastes, one of my darling little nieces used to say something funny when she was about 3 years old. She used to say, "It's really ok." The context might be something like, "Do you want some ice cream? It's really ok." I have no idea where she got that from but it always cracked me up. Melissa and I would jokingly use that line and get a big smile on our faces. "Do you want some chocolate? It's really ok."

I hope that even if you are going through something hard, a dark valley or crushing news, that the Lord will show you a little ray of hope...a way you can laugh and feel joy today.

It's really ok.