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Simplicity

Simplicity...
Is anything simple these days?!?

I looked up synonyms for simplicity. 
I found anything but simple.

Really?
Explicitly, lucidity, perspicacity, perspicuous

Seriously, I need a dictionary!

Simplicity isn't simple anymore. 

I substituted a few years back. I found I am NOT "Smarter Than a 5th Grader."
Seriously, new math is an even newer math!
Not Simple. 

Sight words in Kindergarten?
Shoot! In Kindergarten, my son was making laps around the racetrack to learn the number 8.
Now, that's what I call simple. 

Maybe, it's just that I'm at a time in my life when I want simple, uncomplicated, peaceful living. 
Maybe it's because I'm older or maybe because the world is so complicated. 

Simpler days of my childhood included
visiting my Granny and Grandaddy.

They lived on a dirt road down two other dirt roads.
A Bobbed-wire fence lined the property. 
A pond for fishing and swimming included a walk through the cow pasture. 

WARNING:
No Running with your eyes closed!
Warm Mush May Not Be Mud!
Electric Fences May Not Be Visible to the Naked Eye!
Lesson learned.

The simple life...
Cousins
making great frog houses and mud pies,
hikes through the woods, riding mud roads 
on mini bikes, shooting a shotgun for the first time, riding on the back of a motorcycle for the first time and jumping the bobbed wire fence, sitting on the cow gate with legs dangling deep in conversation about the facts of life, picking scuppernongs, using an outdoor toilet (privy) just because you wanted to, pink wiggly worms in Granddaddy's old refrigerator, ivory soap and Jergens lotion, Granny's apron and Grandaddy's hat, petting and feeding the horse, the old black car, the old black stove, newspapers in the windows, drinking water from a tin ladle, breaking the ice from aluminum trays, drinking ice cold sweet tea from peanut butter and jelly glasses, peanut butter and Ritz crackers were better than candy. 

I think my children may be getting it right with my grands. My five from ages 2-10 have very little access to electronics, they enjoy the outside and have great imaginations. They love sports. They have conversations and live just a block away from each other. So maybe, just maybe, there's hope for simplicity in their future. 

When I consider simplicity, peace and rest must be in the equation. Our world today is chaotic. It is out of order. Real simplicity is found only in Christ. He desires for us to live quiet lives. "He comes to subtract the things in your life that are burdensome and unnecessary. He divides the bad from the good in your life. As you allow the Lord to prune your life and continue to surrender to Him daily, order will come and a sense of purpose. You will have a balance and harmony in your life." --Apostle Linda Lariscy

May my family, you and myself know the simple life, rest and peace that is found only in a quieted mind and spirit in the presence of Jesus. 





"And the effect of righteousness will be peace and the result of righteousness, quietness and trust forever."
Isaiah 32:17






























Comments

  1. MariSeptember 21, 2021 at 6:02 PM

    Well said! And your kids a smart parents.

    ReplyDelete
  2. LindaSeptember 22, 2021 at 6:30 AM

    Beautifully said. P.S. I still buy Jergens, still eat Ritz, and I am allergic to Ivory (sigh). On another front, we did that with our son; but then again, when we lived/where we lived in Alabama, we couldn't get cable or internet. NOW, we are all hooked. LOL---AND I FORGOT TO EMAIL YOU AGAIN! FOR THE UPTEENTH TIME, LINDA, GET IT TOGETHER. lololol

    ReplyDelete
  3. Busy Bee SuzSeptember 22, 2021 at 4:08 PM

    Amen! Simple is usually the best route to go, but not always easy in 2021. I love that your grand kiddos are enjoying a simple childhood.

    ReplyDelete
  4. DorisSeptember 24, 2021 at 5:41 AM

    One good thing about the pandemic, yes there were/are good things, is the pairing down of the busy. I love it! January 2020 found me utterly exhausted. Then came March and every last thing stopped. My car sat in the garage for months! We all stayed home and found great peace in a house of 8. Sure, there were adjustment to be made. Anyway, simplicity has it's perks. That said, I will not ignore the needs of so many and constantly ask God where I can help even though we are still mostly distancing. Determined to learn from all this, to listen closely and to follow prompts to do what I can.
    Your grands are blessed! One of my daughters lives next door to a brother-in-law and his family. Their kids share a huge backyard. It's fabulous for all of them!
    Sending hugs your way! ❤

    ReplyDelete
  5. TheresaOctober 3, 2021 at 5:59 AM

    Well said, I love simplicity❤️ Enjoy your day dear friend. Hugs

    ReplyDelete
  6. Red Rose AlleyOctober 18, 2021 at 2:09 PM

    I really need simplicity in my life too. That is one of the things I love about living in the mountains now. I enjoyed hearing about your childhood days. Society is not simple
    any more, and it saddens me at times. But I think being positive during troubling times
    will get us through. Thank you for sharing your special thoughts with us today Bonnie.
    And you know what? I still use Ivory soap now and then. I grew up on it, and it was the
    soap my Mom used through the decades haha.

    ~Sheri

    ReplyDelete

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