Happy Thanksgiving!

"We gather together to ask the Lord’s blessing;
He chastens and hastens His will to make known;
The wicked oppressing now cease from distressing;
Sing praises to His Name; He forgets not His own."

- We Gather Together, Dutch Hymn

I have much to be grateful for today—my family, my friends, good health, and a nice home are just the beginning. But most of all, I'm grateful for God's unfailing love and abundant grace, which surrounds me daily and inspires me to dream big, hope always, and believe that all things really are possible. At my best, He loves me; at my worst, He still loves me.

For all of His mercy, all of His love, and all of His goodness, I give thanks—today and everyday.

"Sing praises to His Name; He forgets not His own."

Handmade Cards, Ice Cream and a Burning Tree?

I've realized over the past two years that when you're trying to navigate your way through life's many challenges, you can become so focused on the things that are not so great—the stuff that's not working—that you easily overlook all the good that surrounds you. Much like the children of Israel who when sent to spy out the promised land were so awed and fearful of the giants, all but two overlooked the fresh succulent fruit, beautifully cultivated grass, nice homes and abundant springs in the same land. I understand their fear. I also understand that allowing adversity and the subsequent fear to cause me to shrink back delays the blessings that await me. So, I decided to make a game (of sorts) of searching out the beauty and goodness around me. Everyday I venture out of my home looking for something good, beautiful, new, and wonderfully surprising. And each day I have found something. Like today.

This morning I was feeling a bit harried and anxious thinking of all the things I needed to do today (and this week for that matter because I haven't yet mastered the whole "taking no thought for tomorrow" thing). I was worried mostly that I wouldn't have time or the energy to do it all. Among the things that awaited me today: I had committed to spending the afternoon at a friend's home for a card making class (just in time for Christmas), there were several things that needed to get done around the house, plus I had already gotten the early morning call from my dad that means I should stop by my parents home.

Well, the card making class was especially enjoyable and relaxing—it offered good company and good conversation. I had a chance to catch up with a friend and former co-worker who I hadn't seen in a while, there was Christmas music and pumpkin cake, and the cards we made are really beautiful. (I made my first window cutout card, which I really liked.) But when I realized the class ran longer than I'd anticipated, I found myself becoming anxious again thinking I might not finish the other things I needed to get done. At the very least, I had to visit my parents since I'd promised to pickup ice cream for my mom (because much like my dad's orange soda cravings of a few months ago, my mom has developed a craving for ice cream—vanilla only, thankyouverymuch!).

Off to the store I go for vanilla ice cream, and then to my parents. My mom was visibly happy and appreciative to get the ice cream; my dad, like any good husband, was happy for my mom to get the ice cream. Mission accomplished, I quickly move to the next thing trying to get back on schedule. 

My blazing red cure for harriedness. The tree is completely red
and all sorts of awesome! The grayish green near the top is from
a hanging branch of the tree that sits in front of this one.

I jump in my car and am headed to the store to pick up a few items to help with the things around the house when suddenly I'm stopped by a most awesome sight—a blazing red tree just two doors up from my parents home. It's the only tree in the neighborhood still having leaves that had also completely changed colors. In that moment, I forgot about the store. I forgot about my housework. I forgot about the ice cream. I forgot about the cards. I pretty much was unconcerned about anything but that tree. I stopped my car and got out to get a better look. I even took a few pictures. I truly believe the most beautiful art is found in nature. (My picture taking skills on the other hand could use some work.)

I managed to miss seeing the tree when I walked up the street to my parents home and again on the way out as I headed to my car. How I finally came to notice it when I did, I can only imagine was God designed—a beautiful red tree set against the backdrop of a drab sky—as a reminder to me of His goodness. A few pics later, feeling a burst of fresh energy, I headed to the store, and then home. "So, did you get everything done today that you planned?" you ask. No. But I was no longer anxious about it either. Suddenly it wasn't all that important.

If you're having trouble seeing the good and the beautiful that's around you, I encourage you to try the following any time of day: step outside, close your eyes and take a deep breath, and then open your eyes and gaze up at the sky. Sometimes you just have to shift your focus to see the good, but the more good things you see, the more you'll find.

Spirit Lifted in Two Minutes

So today I was having what felt like a pretty lousy day. To be perfectly honest, the past couple of months have been extremely challenging, but I've been extremely determined to keep my head up—until today. As I sunk into my bed tonight, physically exhausted and emotionally spent, I could hear my inner voice screaming as tears flooded my eyes: "Lord, where are you?..."

After sitting still for a bit, I decide to finish reading an online article I had started earlier and stumbled across this video.

Suddenly my lousy day didn't seem so lousy, and my recent challenges a lot less difficult to overcome. Anything really is possible.

Seize Each Moment

Life changes in an instant. What is true one moment does not have to be true in the next, unless you make it so. Use this knowledge to your advantage—choose to relentlessly pursue your dream in each moment. Refuse to give up. Refuse to be defeated. Refuse to take no for an answer. And most of all, refuse to let what you see with your eyes determine what you believe. Rather, let the good that you believe determine what you see.

Meditate on these things...

"...because having the power of seeing, they do not see; and having the power of hearing, they do not hear, nor do they grasp and understand." - Matthew 13:3 (AMP)

"...blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed." - John 20:29

"And being not weak in faith, [Abraham] considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah's womb: he staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; and being fully persuaded that, what He had promised, He was able also to perform." - Romans 4:19-20

"While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal." - 2 Corinthians 4:18

"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." - Hebrews 11:1

I See Beauty All Around Me

Today is October 17. Of course, I realize that pretty much everyone across the planet realizes what day it is (although depending on where you live, it might already be October 18), but I make this statement because it was such an unbelievably gorgeous day where I live. It's fall on the East Coast and by now it's usually cool (if not outright cold) and sometimes a bit murky looking, but not today. Today was surprisingly (and pleasantly) warm and sunny—more spring like than fall, except for that crisp scent that seems distinctive of fall air.

As I sat in the garden during my lunch time, I had to take a break from my reading to just sit still and absorb everything around me. I was simply amazed by all the beauty that surrounded me: the trees, some with yellow, orange and red leaves; the still green grass; the newly planted flowers of various hues; the warmth of the sun; the sky. I soaked it all in for as long as possible so I could relive the experience again and again—seeing every color and pattern, hearing every sound, and smelling every scent—long after I returned indoors.

Meditation #5—Firmly Planted

"We had to learn to bend without the world caving in…"

I Won't Give Up by Jason Mraz, © 2012

When situations in life don't go as planned, when breakthroughs don't come exactly when you hoped, when it seems for every step forward you take three back, when all hell appears to be breaking loose around you, where is your faith? In what, in whom is your trust?

Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.  - Jeremiah 17:7-8

Though storms rise and tumultuous winds blow that seem to threaten to toss earth itself off its axis, I may bend, I may even bow down, but I will not break. My foundation is sure. I am that tree that is firmly planted by the waters, and the Spirit of God is the river.

Butterflies Are Free

This is not the actual butterfly that I saw.

Something truly amazing happened to me today. I feel that I say that a lot in my posts, and those of you who are reading my blog may be starting to wonder if I live in the real world. Let me assure you, I do! But honestly, something extraordinary did happen to me today, and it actually began about three weeks ago.

Each day, if the weather permits, I go out around lunch to take a walk or sit on the bench in the garden near my office. About three weeks ago, as I was sitting there eating and reading, a beautiful sapphire blue, brown and gold butterfly alighted on the bench, right next to me. I see butterflies in the garden all the time, but the fact that this one just touched down right by me and hung out for a quite a bit felt like a message from God to me! I'd been having a bad day that day and was quite anxious about a few things, yet when I saw that butterfly, my entire focus and mood completely shifted. Awed by his beauty and appreciative of his company, a sense of calm and happiness came over me.

Just at the moment where I thought to reach for my phone to take a picture, he flew away. Well, for weeks I kept hoping, praying he returned because he (or she) was really quite extraordinary looking and I wanted to get another chance to take a picture. Each day, I'd go out at lunch (except when it was raining) looking and expecting to see this butterfly despite the fact that my rational mind told me he was likely thousands of miles away—I've read that some butterflies can migrate over 3,000 miles—and the chances of his reappearing were nearly zero to none. Fortunately, my inner child doesn't easily accept such odds, so she kept looking.

Today, I stepped out of the office for a break to clear my head and decided to take a walk to the garden. It was a little too cool to sit outside, so I quickly started back to the office when I saw... my butterfly! Blue, brown, gold and beautiful, flying among the flowers of which there were only a few remaining. It couldn't possibly, or could it? Just to make sure, I watched for awhile waiting for him to land on a flower, and then tip-toed over to him to get a closer look. Same size, same color and pattern. If it wasn't him, it was most certainly his twin! And even if it wasn't, I've read that sightings of blue butterflies are rare. To see two just a few weeks apart is still a miracle to me.

Extraordinarily wonderful, even seemingly impossible, things do happen... to those who expect it. What are you expecting?