Our Toaster Talks! (Angel in the Kitchen)

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Note: “Our Toaster Talks!” served as an introduction to our ANGEL IN THE KITCHEN series. The best of these articles were published in 2016 and are available here:

A Toaster can talk? No! Of course not! Well … actually … sort of … in a manner of speaking. Ahem, please just read the post.

Our house seemingly lies still at night, but all is not at rest. Down in the kitchen it’s easy to imagine a party is in full swing. The clock on the range occasionally flashes and keeps time to the whispers, winks and furtive glances made by our appliances. No, we haven’t lost it. Although we may have overactive imaginations. Sometimes we just get inspired.

There’s an old Disney movie we enjoy, about a gang of appliances left behind in a summer cottage. When these anthropomorphic gadgets realize they’ve been long forgotten, they set out to find their master.  Think Disney’s The Incredible Journey, only instead of two dogs and a Siamese cat, this time our heroes are a loudmouthed radio, a whiny electric blanket, a fairly bright desk lamp, a tough vacuum cleaner (named Kirby); and their intrepid leader, the eponymous hero of The Brave Little Toaster !

Before we knew it, we were naming all our appliances! We have a large antique-style radio we dubbed Orson, in honor of the early contributions made to the medium by Mr. Welles (famed writer/director/star of “the broadcast that shocked America,” The War of the Worlds); the kitchen range is “Sparky” (when we switch on one of his gas burners, he snaps at us and sparks to life); “Luke” and “Nuke” (twin microwave ovens that allow us to cook two frozen dinners at the same time!); and then there’s “Fridgie.”

We live in the woods, in a house we named Woodhaven, and we love the peace and quiet. Outside, our days amid the trees are filled only with the sounds of birds, our nights punctuated by the lonely calls of a whippoorwill. Inside, things are just a bit more lively: our computer hums softly to himself (Thats “Hal”; remember 2001: A Space Odyssey?); the printer (“Flash”) clicks and whirs; all to the accompaniment of the ticking, murmuring, gurgling and, sometimes, even groaning sounds of the appliances. All these sounds become far more noticeable at night. That’s usually the time when a house really starts to talk.

When we first got our new refrigerator, before we got used to what he wanted to tell us, we’d often awaken from a deep sleep thinking that someone was downstairs raiding the kitchen: Fridgie calls out to us like a distant foghorn shrouded in the night mist, gently reassuring us that he’s protecting our food from spoiling. Periodically he alerts us that there’s plenty of ice ahead (crescents, not bergs) for a glass of tea or soda, by periodically sounding off with an encouraging ker-chunk!  Now, whenever we hear Fidgie talking in the middle of night, we just go back to sleep. We’ve come to recognize the sound of his voice!

Apart from learning just how silly we can be, you can glean another lesson from this story. Each day our appliances let us know exactly “what they’re about” as they go through their routines. All of our kitchen friends have discovered their voice!  We all need to do the same.

Most of us have heard that writers are frequently admonished to “find your own voice.” Until they do, they tend to imitate the style of some other writer. Then, one day, everything finally seems to click, and a writer discovers his or her own unique voice! But we all need to find our voice, not just writers. That’s what makes life so wonderful: we’re not trying to be you, you’re not trying to be her, etc.

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Read ANGEL IN THE KITCHEN for more wit & wisdom! Click to see Tom & Wilma’s book.

Apple innovator Steve Jobs once stated, “Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. …Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition.” 

When we sing, we each have our own key! We know who we are and what we’re about. We each discover our own, God-given voice. Thank You [God] for making (each of us) so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous….” (Psalm 139:14 NLT)

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No Encouragers in the Camp?

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Everyone needs a little encouragement in life: a “You can do it!” cheer, or a “Way to go!” pat on the back. Dreamers, in particular, need to surround themselves with people who are willing to encourage them to pursue their dreams and achieve their goals. But not everyone is an exhorter, and for a variety of reasons, there will be people in your life who will find it difficult to be in your corner when you’re struggling to accomplish something great, or to share in your victories once you do.

A general lack of encouragement can make the road to success lonely and harder to travel, but one of the hardest things to bear is the lack of support among your closest friends and even family members! If you have that support then you are indeed blessed. Unfortunately many who dare to dream big may find there are no encouragers in their camp!

Give us a cheer. No, no, not a raspberry!

We’ve been greatly blessed to have friends and family who believe in us and what we’re trying to accomplish. In fact, our closest loved ones are also our biggest fans; and it’s hard to imagine tackling our goals without their support and encouragement. But not everyone is as fortunate. In fact, the people closest to you are often the last to believe in you and your abilities, to rally behind you, or to praise your achievements. And believe it or not, even Jesus Christ experienced some of this familial disbelief and disinterest when He walked the earth.

Once, while Jesus was working hard to fulfill His great dream of reconciling our lost and wayward world back to God the Heavenly Father, “…The crowds began to gather again. Soon He and His disciples couldn’t even find time to eat. When His family heard what was happening, they tried to take Him away. ‘He’s out of his mind,’ they said.” (Mark 3:20-21 NLT) It’s easy to imagine that if Christ had allowed it, His family would have hurried Him home and done their best to convince Him to “give up this foolish dream!” Thank God — literally! — Jesus stayed the course all the way to the Cross and beyond.

When it concerns our friends and family members, it’s vitally important we understand the thoughts and motivations behind a general lack of encouragement, because…well…these are our loved ones, and their attitudes stem, innocently enough, from the most common traits of human nature. Yes, even your blood relations can harbor resentment from fear and jealousy: everyone has dreams, and it’s hard to watch someone else — sometimes even a family member — move forward when you seem to be stuck in neutral. No one wants to feel left behind.

But more often, friends and family lack conviction about our greatest goals and most daring dreams simply because they have trouble viewing us as the type of person able to accomplish great and daring things! No, they’re not necessarily diminishing our talents and abilities; but most people share a common misconception that extraordinary things can only be accomplished by extraordinary people, and few of us recognize our friends and family as being extraordinary!

The people we’ve known the longest are the ones with whom we’re most familiar: our dearest friends and family. And the “familiar” is never extra-ordinary — it’s what we’re used to; it’s ORDINARY. Jesus Christ was familiar to His family and the townspeople He grew up with. Hence, Jesus was viewed as commonplace, not the sort of  individual who writes history!

[When Jesus] returned to Nazareth, his hometown… He taught there in the synagogue, [and] everyone was amazed and said, “Where does He get this wisdom and the power to do miracles?” Then they scoffed, “He’s just the carpenter’s son, and we know Mary, His mother, and His brothers—James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas. All His sisters live right here among us. Where did He learn all these things?” And they were deeply offended and refused to believe in Him. (Matthew 13:54-57 NLT)

The people closest to us are often the ones who see us as commonplace: we’re the familiar, the ordinary; but it’s often the most ordinary people who accomplish the most extraordinary things. For instance, as a young man, Thomas Edison was viewed by his instructors as VERY ordinary. They told his parents he’d never amount to much, but as an adult, Edison invented and patented hundreds of items, including the first viable lightbulb!

Feeling ordinary? Jesus said, “A prophet is honored everywhere except in his own hometown and among his relatives and his own family.” (Mark 6:4 NLT) Just remember, you’re friends and family may not share in your dreams, but they still love you; and they usually don’t intend to rain on your parade. So pursue your dreams with confidence. Encourage yourself in theLord, as King David did, (1 Samuel 30:6) and accomplish EXTRAordinary things!

On the flip side, do you have a dreamer in the camp? Be an encouragement to that close friend or family member. They need your support!

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