Fraddling: A Guest Post with My Friend Michelle

Last year at The Relevant Conference I made every effort to go outside my comfort zone to meet new people.  I was sitting at a table after dinner with no one I knew nearby, so I took a deep breath, thought of a quick question to ask this lovely lady sitting next to me, and fired away.  I can't tell you how glad I am that I took that step of faith to meet Michelle!  She is a delight and we make an effort to stay in touch regularly.  I've asked her to guest post today about a very cool thing in her family called "fraddling".

I sat down at our hotel to write this guest post after a weekend full of activities. My sweet husband was out on a photoshoot (the reason for our trip), I was worn out from travel, swimming, meeting friends... I just wanted to sit down and write. (Not to mention I told Cherie I would gladly write a "fraddling" guest post for her lovely bog nearly two weeks ago and had yet to do it.) ;)

So, I pulled out the computer, cozied myself up to it and started writing away... it took me awhile to gather my thoughts. What would I want to share with you guys about "fraddling?" 

Maybe the definition: Doing things for or with others because you love them.

Or how I came up with the word when my sweet littlest boy came in holding his prized possessions, a large plastic dinosaur and a fishing rod... things I have no interest in, but because he loves them and I love him I gladly go fishing and play dinosaurs on the floor (fishing rods and dinosaurs - F.R.A.D. - fraddling)...

Or ways you and I could fraddle for others by doing things with or for them, not because we love the things to be done, but because we love the people.

All that time that I was trying to figure out how to explain the act of "fraddling," I was missing something...

While I was exhausted and enjoying my time here writing to you guys, my boys were pleading with me to go swimming with them. I kept putting it off because I was tired and had something else I wanted to do.

Suddenly, it was like a lightbulb went off in my head... I had a decision to make... was I going to sit there and write about fraddling or get up and do it?!

You see, it is so easy to talk about putting love into action, but sometimes it takes a little more effort on our part to say: I love you so much that I'm going to stop doing what I want to do and do something you'd like to do, just because I love you.

Now, don't get me wrong... I encourage and enjoy fraddling for myself (at the moment, the day after my swimming incident, I'm in a nice quiet room typing while my husband and boys are off swimming... ahhh.)

But, the bottom line is... we have been given great opportunities to love on others through our actions. And, if we look closely enough to see what those loved ones' "fishing rods and dinosaurs" are and join them in their interest, we can speak a load of love into their lives... just by fraddling a bit.

Now, I'm off to hang out with my guys, but just before that I'm going to grab a nice cold Coke and sip it in peace and quiet... my kind of fraddle. ;)


Thank you, Cherie for giving me this opportunity to share and for helping me see how easy it is to get in the rut of just talking about fraddling and not actually do it. I REALLY appreciate that!




Love,


♥ Michelle (aka SomeGirl)


somegirlswebsite.com - spurring one another on toward love and good deeds... laughing, connecting and provoking thoughts along the way.