Return to Stewardship!

Little Bit of Wisdom
Exercise can be a natural decongestant when you have a stuffy nose due to a cold or allergy. Do some light exercising that gets your head and upper body up and moving. When you relax, your blood vessels take it easy, too, and this can lead to nasal congestion.
Bet you didn't know...
...charges for local directory assistance calls can range from $0.30 to $0.95 each in some areas? In other areas, one to five such calls per month are free. And long-distance companies may charge up to $2 for their directory assistance calls. What can you do about it? Whenever possible, look up phone numbers in the telephone book or on-line.
Thanks Mama!
Since this month's SM  is a "tribute to Mama", I thought I would make you think back, maybe make you remember what it was like living with Mama.

Imagine this...

...you're sitting at the dinner table and you've just finished eating. You ask to be excused as you're getting up out of your chair and Mama says "wait a minute!" Before you can ask what she wants, she whips out a lipstick covered tissue, dabs it on the tip of her tongue, and wipes the spaghetti crust off your check. She rubs so hard it hurts.

And remember hearing these:

"Look both ways before crossing the street."

"Don't bite your nails."

"Eat your dinner. There are children hungry in Africa."

"Always wear clean underwear in case you're in a wreck."

"Don't cross your eyes. They'll get stuck."

"Watch your language, or I'll wash your mouth out with soap."

"Don't chew with your mouth open."

So why did she do/say these things to us, day after day after day? Was she just being mean, not letting us "be ourselves?" I used to think "when I get out on my own, I'm gonna do what ever I want!" I couldn't wait to stay out as long as I wanted, all night even. Couldn't wait to eat ice cream and French fries for every meal, and chew with my mouth open so wide food would poor out. It was gonna be great!

Years later when I move out to go to college, I had this rude awakening. Not the rude awakening you hear about when the guy moves out and has no money, no job and can't afford next months rent. My rude awakening was that there was nothing to do past 1:00 in the morning. Driving around for an hour looking for anything still open got old fast. After about the 3rd day of eating ice cream and fries, I was sick of ice cream and French fries. Chewing with my mouth open was no fun, there was no one to tell me to stop (and the little old ladies at the table in front of me were freaking me out)! My rude awakening was that being on my own without "supervision" was no big deal! What I couldn't wait to do as a teen, was a big let down!

On the other side of the coin, I found that I was saying thank you to people without being told to. I would hold the door, not just for little old ladies, but for anyone. I looked both ways before crossing the street, and I always went to the door to get my date (instead of sitting in the car and honking the horn). These things came naturally. Sometimes I would hear my Mama repeating one of her famous statements in my head, but instead of cringing, I would find myself thinking how much sense it makes.

So why did Mama do/say those things to us, day after day after day? Because she loves us and she did know what was best for us. And she would have us to do the same for our children! Now go buy her something nice for Mother's Day!!