What I've Gleaned Today

I suppose one could write about anything. The possibilities are endless. I told my blogging buddy that my mind was flooded with so many thoughts I felt like Russell Crow in The Beautiful Mind. Honestly, I’m a scribbler and often throughout the day I find myself looking for scraps of paper to jot down anything from a quote, to a handy tip, “How to” instructions or a myriad of advice on a plethora of subjects. The gleaned information is haphazardly tucked away as not to be lost. (Ha) It can be found anywhere; in pockets, drawers, tablets, between the pages of books, in the console of the car or in a stash of paper at the bottom of my purse.


Honestly though, I love that stuff!

You might wonder if I’ve found anything worthy of squirreling away today. Well yes, as a matter of fact, I have. But I have to tell you that my impulse to collect things does not stop at information. For me, garage sales are a favorite weekend activity. (Funny, I’m visiting my daughter this past weekend and she has the same system of scouring the paper for these neighborhood sales, cutting them out and taping them to a sheet of paper in a very systematic way. I find this out on Saturday morning when at 8:45 our eyes meet, we grab our bags and sunglasses and scramble out the door and as soon as I’m in the car she hands me the ads from a local paper that look as though I’ve prepared it myself. I buckle in and we’re off.) Sort of like storm chasers, this is very serious business. I know one lady who won’t take anyone with her because she has to move from house to house with lightening speed and doesn’t have the patience to drag anyone along. I know how she feels, you really have to have the right partner for this kind of calculated fun; fast with an eye for the good stuff. Sometimes the not-so-good stuff may be scooped up in a flurry to get in and out so quickly; making snap decisions as what to take and what should stay behind. You’ve seen the Wizard of Oz, right? The house, the cow, the witch on the bicycle, swoosh, all scooped up and gone in a matter of minutes. (We’re not storm chasers, we are the tornado. Ahhh! Just talking about it makes we wish that it were Saturday morning again)

We began by hitting a few garage sales. As we come upon the first house I immediately notice a table where a variety of books are stacked. One in particular looked somewhat aged, its title screaming out to me, “How to Torture Your Mind.” I smiled and thought ‘I already know, I’m married, aren’t I.’ Anyway, after leafing through the pages, nothing really grabs me and when I see a mathematical equation I realize the real torture for me would be having to read it. (I’m really looking for books with little bits of wisdom, poems and inspirational quotes; old religious books, etc.) I put the book down deciding not to take it home; not having met the criteria, I pass on mind torture for now. However, we go on to find a clear strawberry paperweight, a mini hummingbird feeder and a hanging potpourri bulb with a cork in the bottom that some potter took time and careful attention to make. Three small items that are headed for their own special place at my house, re-homed and appreciated. (I feel happy when I look at them; the only criteria for a garage sale purchase) I can imagine the hummingbirds enjoying their new feeder on the shady side of the house; my favorite little nook where I often lay in my hammock under a peach tree. Ahh…what bliss!

Back to the subject of gleaning words, thoughts and quotes, I don’t look for them, they find me. This uncontrollable urge to collect the aforementioned may have spawned from hearing the verse and quip my grandfather often recited. We never knew where the expressions or rhymes came from but they delighted the entire family. His recitations were always greeted with smiles. I have tried to collect all of his sayings posthumously, but I admit, that when recited today, not one person in the family can produce the sound or delight that came forth when my grandfather spoke.

My father has a fantastic memory and is known as one who is able to quote much. It just spills out in his sermons effortlessly. I know there was never a deliberate effort to memorize on his part. I suppose it was just his love of words, in essence, that has captured so many wonderful things to be retold at will. (And here I am with that same love, I suppose, yet can remember little, hence the need to record everything. It reminds me of two gentlemen in our church. They were both great men, learned in the scripture and wonderful speakers. A wife of one of the men was heard to say, ‘Wil had it in the head, but (her husband) Furnier had it in the bag.’ (She was speaking of their knowledge) Everyone laughed. She said, ‘Don’t laugh, some people don’t even have it in the bag.’ (That’s me and my blogging buddy. She has it in the head and I have it in the bag…or, I’m trying to get it in the bag. Hey, where’s the bag?)

Back to the subject at hand - it’s not always in a sermon, little bits of wisdom or an inspiring story can be heard anywhere from almost anyone. (Another quote: Learn from everyone you meet.) After returning home, it just so happens that the house was vacant and PBS was airing an inspiring special on the life of Pete Seeger: singer/songwriter. His wife said of him, “His idea was to get the world singing – not to be the singer.” Amazingly, he affected people and they, indeed, did sing with him, "We Shall Overcome," "This Land Is Your Land" and "Turn, Turn, Turn" to name a few.

It makes one pause to wonder what it might be like to possess a clear and defined gift or ability that touches so many people in a positive way. Wouldn’t it be wonderful? I am relegated to the fact that I am me and I must work with my own talents and abilities. “By small means the Lord can bring about great things.” – I Nephi 16:29

Quote: Don’t wait for opportunities to do great things, but do the little things in a great way.
Who knows when our deeds or actions may affect one or more people in a great way… or even in a small way, yet positively unforgettable.