I'm Loving It!

Early on in what Larry and I fondly call our Kroc period, we planned a kitchen shower for the new community center being built in Ashland. Since our benefactor, Joan Kroc, was the heiress of the golden arches, we played a shower game involving McDonalds slogans from over the years. So when asked recently about the one-year anniversary of our retirement from the Kroc Center and Salvation Army work, my thoughts turned to a few of those jingles, starting with "You deserve a break today."

After 34 years, 16 days of active Salvation Army ministry, I don't think we realized how tired we were, how much we needed - if not deserved - a break. We would have kept on going strong had the Salvation Army not come knocking at our door with orders to depart from Ashland, but in hindsight, it's clear that our bodies weren't quite as young as we imagined them to be. One friend recently reflected on her last year of ministry, lamenting that she had become a keeper of the aquarium instead of an active fisher for people. I'm grateful we were spared that possible decline.

As I strapped the world's most beautiful granddaughter into her car seat this week, the lovely Madelyn Simone was intrigued with the automatic sliding doors of the minivan, amazed that Nana could push the buttons and the doors opened like magic. Do you remember that Mickey D slogan? "Do you believe in magic?" I don't quite believe in magic outside of Santa Claus, but what I've discovered over these past twelve months is the continued presence and provision that I can only define as a spiritual blessedness, the gift of grace. It's come in the form of unexpected yet much-needed financial support, the perfectly-timed words of a friend, the kindness of acquaintances and strangers alike, and a sense of the "peace that passeth all understanding." It's not magic, but I believe.

I've also discovered the semi-truth of another of McDonald's jingles: "What you want is what you get."I've lived long enough to know that you don't always get what you want, but here's what I've discovered - when you begin to define what you want in life, it's more likely you'll achieve/receive it. One of the top five phrases uttered in the counseling office, perhaps only second to "I don't know who I am," is this: "I don't know what I want." Common words out of our mouths at a restaurant, but not so beneficial when facing life transitions such as post-college, post-divorce, post job loss or post-retirement.

Here's the true part of the McDonalds' phrase - you can't hope to get what you want until you can articulate what you want. I wrote out a list a number of years ago, and that printed page sits in the front of my "organizing my life" notebook, where I look at it quite often. Here are a few of my desires: I want to walk by the water and pray, to love my husband and sons generously (add to that my daughter-in-law and Madelyn), to welcome brothers and sisters into my home, to write prophetically, to write a novel, to teach at a seminary, and to walk with other women wherever the path may lead. What you want is what you get, and these life objectives are more fulfilling than a happy meal.

One last slogan. I'm loving it! The words of Presbyterian minister Frederick Buechner have spoken to me for many years: “The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.” As a young woman, I framed that calling in a sacrificial life of Salvation Army service that strove to save the world, at least in my assigned corner. In these days, this intersection of personal gladness and the needs of the world takes place at a quieter corner, in the less-public roles of writing, teaching, and coming alongside (and a side job or two). Add to that my precious Madelyn time, a flourishing garden, and fireflies in the backyard, and I can chime in with Ronald McDonald in these post-Kroc days - I'm loving it.