Having a Mary Heart in a Martha's World

           I can think of no sweeter way to spend a Saturday than speaking before a room full of women gathered together for the sole (soul) purpose of bettering their lives. My thanks the Madison Church of Christ and Dawn Ferguson’s team for pulling together one wonderful workshop. The focus of the event was “The Bare Necessities” – a theme I think all of us juggle and struggle with. Topic of my talk was centered on how to be more like Mary while living in a Martha world (based on the book with a similar title, written by Joanna Weaver).
            Bottom line, it’s all about balance. Face it. We need our Martha’s too. (Truthfully, I could stand to be a little more like both.)

It was my honor to share the platform with Sherri Bertolini, who happens to be a professional organizer—(Yes, I rubbed shoulders with a professional organizer. I was hoping some of her talents would rub off on me, but I’m not sure it works that way. But for sure I’ll be reading her book!)

It was an inspirational day all the way around and a delight to make so many new acquaintances. The best part to me comes in knowing we are not alone in the challenges we face as women. Seems everyone I talk to these days is teetering on the brink of “overwhelm” –For all of our technological advances and time saving devices, I’m not sure where the time is going. Seems most of us have less of it than ever, which means we really have to make a conscious effort to keep our priorities in perspective. 

Despite what they tell you, multitasking is NOT always a good thing. In many cases it is robbing us of our ability to be fully present and focused on what matters most (which btw, is never about the stuff). It’s one thing to set a pretty table or host the perfect gathering…It’s quite another to be truly present so as to fully enjoy the people you’re blessed to spend time with. It’s one thing to make time to catch up with a friend over lunch. It’s quite another if you keep checking your texts throughout the conversation. It’s a great question to ponder and a book we could all take a page from: “Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World”  is all about not letting the busy-ness of life rob us of what truly matters most.