Days of Thinking and Dr. Seuss

So I have been thinking...well actually I have been doing a lot of thinking as of late because we have turned off the TV for a while.  However, I admitted to my husband this evening that I really miss the TV. I miss the mindlessness of it. I miss doing my laundry in front of it. I miss letting the children be distracted by it so I can do my own thing. I just miss it. It's only been 2 1/2 weeks and it feels painful sometimes but glorious other times. Anyway my thinking...ah yes! So I was reading Dr. Seuss to my son the other night and I came across a book that I had never read, I had possibly heard quotes from it but never actually read it. And while I was reading it I was quite struck. Here is a portion of  "Happy Birthday To You" so you know what I am talking about.

“If we didn’t have birthdays,

you wouldn’t be you.

If you’d never been born,

well then what would you do?

If you’d never been born,

well then what would you be?

You might be a fish!

Or a toad in a tree!

You might be a doorknob!

Or three baked potatoes!

You might be a bag full of

hard green tomatoes.”

“Or worse than all that…Why,

you might be a WASN’T!

A Wasn’t has no fun at all.

No, he doesn’t.

A Wasn’t just isn’t.

He just isn’t present.

But you…You ARE YOU!

And, now isn’t that pleasant!”

“Today you are you!

That is truer than true!

There is no one alive…

…who is you-er than you!

Shout loud, “I am lucky

to be what I am!

Thank goodness I’m not

just a clam or a ham

Or a dusty old jar of

sour gooseberry jam!

I am what I am! That’s a

great thing to be!

If I say so myself,

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!

So in amongst all the silliness of Dr. Seuss I hope that you see some of the truth found in that quote. Sometimes I need to be reminded about my value, just as all of us do.  "There is no one alive who is you-er than you!"  We tend to forget this or we tend to think that perhaps being me is a bad thing. In a world that is constantly telling us we need to change, to be better, more like so-and-so, taller, prettier, skinnier. Couldn't we all for a moment just take a deep breath and revel in our uniqueness.  That "I am what I am! That's a great thing to be!" Stop comparing yourself and remember who you are created to be.

Jeremiah 5:1 - "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart..."

Psalm 139: 14-16 - "I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; 

                           your works are wonderful, I know that full well. 

                           My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place.

                           When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body.

                           All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be."

Each of us teach our kids how special and precious their uniqueness is, so take a moment and remind yourself today, even though it is probably not your birthday, that you are created beautiful and perfect just the way you are. There is no one in this world who is you-er than you! And that is a good thing!