15 Minutes

Christian radio reflected on the mid-year point today, and noted that in 6 months we will be celebrating Christmas. I could be depressed for a myriad of reasons - where did six months go? They asked callers to share their resolutions from January, and then called people who had called into the show that day to check on their progress. Who are you accountable to? Who is calling you to check on your progress?

I heard reflections from the guy who watched too much t.v. - and was now spending more time talking to neighbors and spending time with people. Equally close to home was the woman working to tame her tongue, with slow progress. In the midst of it - I thought about what I could do in 15 minutes that I had been putting off or acting like I was too busy to accomplish. I set the stove timer for 15 minutes and then told my son it was shoe tying time.

15 minutes later, and now Noah can tie his shoes. To prove the point, after our lesson I untied his shoes and sent him off to do his best with no assistance about the "tails of the strings" , "sticky fingers", or proper loops that are smaller than the tails. When we came back, his white tennis shoes were properly tied. No longer a need for big sister, mom, or dad to sigh about the delay in getting dressed or out the door. No more comparison to who learned at age 4 vs. 5, or reflections that I had taught my young cousin (now 22) and not my own kidlet. 15 minutes and we have a success story.

Noah is so proud of himself, and I am too. We all clapped and cheered, and I suggested calling granny - but he just wanted to tell dad. Midyear can also be a motivator, hop to it - there is work to be done.

Thank God for his grace and mercy, too, so we can all be a little easier on ourselves when we fall short of our ultimate goals.