Grateful Hearts
28 Oct 2011 Leave a Comment
in Family Matters, Spiritual Matters for the Christian Parent
I had an interesting conversation with my best friend tonight. It was about having things/services just to have them, not because you really need them. I am so guilty of that. I’m a little ashamed.
For example, I have satelite tv. In four rooms. Which makes absolutely no sense! Why? Because I only have two TVs. You do the math. And really, only one of the two gets watched on a regular basis. Not by me, of course.
I wanted tv for two reasons. One, I wanted to be able to watch the news and the weather when the weather was bad. And two, so Hannah could watch her favorite Nick Jr shows. Great plan. Sounds reasonable. However, there are a few factors I must relay. First things first, I never have time to watch the news or figure out how my DVR works to record it, and I haven’t stayed up past 9 o’clock in months. Second, did I mention it’s satellite? Cable isn’t available in our area yet so the only “bad weather” warning I’m gonna get is the blue screen that pops up when the signal goes out each time the wind blows too hard. I’m having Dave Brown withdrawals. Somehow, I just feel safer when he’s talking. I could get sucked to Oz in a tornado and not panic as long as Dave was there giving me the VTI readings and tracking rotation patterns. Just saying.
So, in all honesty, the four-room-satellite-tv-service-with-DVR is really for the benefit of a 3 year old who, by the way, only wants it on as background noise while she plays with her My Little Ponies. And believe me, DirectTV knows this! That’s why they put the good my kid’s favorite tv channels in the premium more expensive channel package. So I am paying $80 or so a month to have the Wonderpets as ambient background music. I should have just saved my money and bought the complete seasons of all her favorite shows on DVD. I wish I had put a little more thought into this before I signed a two-year agreement.
Oh, well, for Christmas I guess I’ll complete the senselessness and buy each of the girls (and by that, I mean me) a tv. At least that way I can justify why I have service in four rooms.
But the tv is not the only unnecessary thing we have. I’ve got 3 bedrooms. We use one. My garage? I’m too scared that I’m gonna hit the house with the Mothership so it stays parked in the driveway. And the humongous fridge? Just a really expensive way to store a case of mountain dew, gallon of milk, and bottle of ketchup. That’s all that’s in there.
We could get by in a one room apartment with a mini-fridge and a parking pad. Such a waste! It’s a waste I’m grateful for but I am concerned about the message it sends to my girls. I want them to understand that what’s most important is that their basic needs are met, and they are safe, healthy, and loved. I also want to instill a sense of responsibility in them to help others. This year, for Thanksgiving I think Hannah and I will check into preparing or serving meals to those in need. It’s never too young to start modeling service and we can still make time for family and our own traditions. I have so much to be grateful for and I hope to spark that same gratefulness in the hearts of my beautiful daughters!
