Something You May Not Know About Steve Jobs

The following is an article posted today by Jim Daly from Focus on the Family that taught me something new about Steve Jobs. His story really highlights the difference adoption can make, both in the life of the baby, and his adoptive parents. Think you might enjoy reading it...

Because Paul and Clara Jobs Said "Yes!"

Steve Jobs  2/24/55-10/5/11

"What if Joanne Schieble hadn’t said “yes”? What if Paul and Clara Jobs had said “no”? Joanne almost didn't. The Jobs almost weren't even asked. Have you heard the story?

Steve Jobs is being lauded and remembered as the pioneer he truly was, a remarkable man with an amazing mind who changed the way the world communicates. By now you've probably read or heard that Mr. Jobs was adopted as an infant. Born in 1955 to an unwed mother, Joanne Schieble, his life took an incredible turn the very night he made his grand entrance.

Prior to giving birth, Miss Schieble had told her adoption agency that she wanted her baby to be adopted by college-educated parents. A couple was selected. But on the night of the birth, upon learning that Steve was a boy and not the girl they wanted, they turned down the placement.

And so it was in the middle of the night when Paul and Clara Jobs’ phone rang with a question that not only changed their lives and that of a little boy – but also, by extension, your life and mine.

But there was a problem. Neither Mr. nor Mrs. Jobs had a college degree. Joanne Schieble was troubled by that and grew wobbly when it came time to sign the adoption papers. In the end, she did.

Perhaps Steve Jobs might still have founded Apple if that first couple had agreed to adopt him, or if Joanne didn't sign those papers, but I wonder. According to Steve, his father was a “genius with his hands” and just happened to work for a company that made lasers! The Jobs clearly raised Steve in an environment that encouraged and nurtured his extraordinary gifts.

Yes, we're born with a temperament and special gifts, but we are also shaped by the lives that touch ours."

Many lives have been touched by the genius of Steve Jobs. EZ loves his iPad and I love my iPhone. Neither of us has a MacBook, but many in our family do and they love them! It's hard not to think of Steve Jobs every time we use our Apple products now. What a mind he had, and it blessed millions of people because of a decision both his birth mother and his adoptive parents made.

Have a blessed weekend and may we all be a little more cognizant of the fact that we are shaped by the lives that touch ours!

Thankful Thursday - I Am Grateful for...

I feel thankful for alot of things today, so decided to list them! Every once in a while it's just good to stop and be grateful. I'm thankful:

1.   The NC State Fair is this month.
2.   The weather has turned cooler and the sunsets are beautful.
3.   My mother's house is almost entirely cleared out.
4.   I have the luxury of sleeping in.
5.   My car has new tires.
6.   My Mom and I get to share a cup of coffee/cappuchino every morning.
7.   Ernie's stamina has improved, he can be on his feet alot longer, usually sans cane.
8.   Nick is still around to keep us laughing and help out in so many ways.
9.   I live next door to my church, my daughter, son-in-law, and four grandchildren.
10. The men in our church mow our lawn.
11. Leah and Emery are coming in a week.
12. I get to spend some time at SEBTS with some dear friends in the coming days.
13. I am a daughter of the King and heaven will one day be my home.
14. I get to enjoy some Sweet and Spicy Honey Grilled Shrimp and Coconut Rice tonight.

I think I'll stop here for right now and head to the kitchen, but believe me, there is much more to be grateful for!

Gratitude

God gave you a gift of 86,400 seconds today. Have you used one to say "thank you?" ~William A. Ward

Silent gratitude isn't much use to anyone. ~G.B. Stern

If the only prayer you said in your whole life was, "thank you," that would suffice. ~Meister Eckhart

I love a thankful heart. Saying thank you in person, writing thank you notes, sending a thank you by email, or thanking someone over the phone...do you take the time? My husband sure does. Ernie has an attitude of gratitude and a day never goes by that he doesn't thank me for something. He does it with words, flowers, chocolate, hugs, kisses, emails, sticky notes and gifts. Recently, as I headed to bed and reached over to turn off my bedside lamp, the Willow Tree figurine pictured above was sitting on my nightstand. I knew immediately who had put it there and I will treasure it always. It wasn't my birthday, or Mother's Day, or our anniversary, or Christmas. He said he just wanted to thank me. I'm going to strive to be more like him. I don't want it to become a lost art.

I think we often feel thankful, but we just don't take the time to express it. That is where we fall short. I read that "gratitude unexpressed is ingratitude". Ouch! Find a way to express your gratitude to someone today. The recipient will surely be blessed!

The Help

The Help is fiction, however the author, Kathryn Stockett, says the following about what prompted her to write the book (which by the way, took her 5 years and has already sold 5 million copies):

"Growing up in Mississippi, almost every family I knew had a black woman working in their house--cooking, cleaning, and taking care of the white children. That was life in Mississippi. I was young and assumed that's how most of America lived.

When I moved to New York, though, I realized my "normal" wasn't quite the same as the rest of America's. I knew a lot of Southerners in the city, and every now and then we'd talk about what we missed from the South. Inevitably, somebody would start talking about the maid they grew up with, some little thing that made us all remember--Alice's good hamburgers or riding in the back seat to take Willy May home. Everybody had a story to tell."

Unlike my Mom, I haven't read The Help, but yesterday we went to see the movie. Both of us were moved to tears. We would highly recommend it. What on earth must it have felt like to be a black woman in Mississippi in the 1960's? I don't know for sure, but I bet the movie accurately portrays what many African-American maids experienced, and it was shameful.

I actually grew up with maids in the late 1950's and early 1960's while living in the Panama Canal Zone. My Mom was amazed to learn that one could hire a part-time maid for $15 a month for three days a week. For the most part my memories are vague, being limited to a few unusual home remedies the maids used on me (raw eggs in my hair to make it shinier!) However, there was one Panamanian maid I remember very well, and her name was Lucy. She actually moved in with my family, and she and I shared a bedroom. I loved her like a sister and she was treated with complete respect by my family. I can't imagine it being any other way and am so thankful I never knew the reality of prejudice in much of the south in the 1960's. My Mom and Dad thought of Lucy like a daughter, and wanted to bring her back to the states with us, but she chose to get married and stay in Panama. I missed her for a long time, much like the children who formed strong bonds with maids in The Help.

I intend to read the book, but for now let me say the movie was thought-provoking and caused my Mom and I to take a look back to a time when segregation was a way of life, and feelings were often not taken into account if the color of one's skin was anything other than white. I pray we never made Lucy feel inferior, but prejudice rears its ugly head in many ways, and most of us could probably be found guilty at one time or another.

Would love to hear your perspective on the book or movie. Please take the time to comment.

A Long Week...

Ever feel a bit overwhelmed? This past week has been one of those times for me. Even the little things start to add up. We have had everything from a mouse in the house, to a dead car battery, to 3 visits with different doctors, to family members not feeling well or battling stress of all kinds, to sitting on pins and needles wondering when little Emery will arrive, to awaiting monthly bloodwork results, to giving shots in the abdomen, to dogs that are limping for some reason, to fellow multiple myeloma bloggers who have relapsed, to high gas prices and an almost flat tire, to light bulbs that all seem to burn out at once in places too high to reach without a ladder, to cookies that burn on the bottom, to hurting with friends who are suffering from cancer or other medical issues. Big or small, sometimes it just feels like a lot…

Then, something wonderful comes along, like a first birthday celebration for Samuel and Samantha…our joy amidst the trials of the past year. Or news of a new job opportunity for a nephew. Or an announcement that our niece is expecting a third healthy baby boy. Or getting to see Nick’s face on a video chat from Peru. Or Ernie reaching the 6 months post transplant mark. Or daffodils blooming. Or someone sharing the good news that she is expecting. Or a friend showing up to paint our porch railings. Or a brother who is here for one night and fills it with caulking, changing light bulbs, and handling a dead mouse. Little and big things that encourage my heart and bring a smile to my face.

I know that our challenges may be quite small compared to what others might be facing, and who am I to complain. God is with us, He will sustain us, and He is able to see us through whatever comes our way, if we will just trust and obey. I want to see the blessings that can be found in each new day, not take people for granted, and not miss opportunities to show, or tell, others that I love them. I want to keep on keeping on, trying to be an encouragement to others, regardless of my many shortcomings. Sometimes there are just bumps in the road.

Looking forward to a great week ahead..."Cast all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you."
1 Peter 5:7.